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A view of logo of New Development Bank (NDB) at its headquarters in Shanghai, China July 10, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJOHANNESBURG, Aug 21 (Reuters) - The development bank founded by the so-called BRICS countries is planning to issue its first Indian rupee bond by October, its chief operating officer said on Monday, as the lender comes under pressure to raise and lend more in local currencies. "We're going to tap (the) Indian market - rupees - maybe by October in India," Kazbekov said. "Now we start thinking seriously... to use one member country's currency to finance projects with that currency in another member. Kazbekov declined to give a target size for the Indian rupee bond program, which Reuters had previously reported was in the process of being set up.

Persons: Aly, Vladimir Kazbekov, Kazbekov, Leslie Maasdorp, Rachel Savage, Hugh Lawson Organizations: New Development Bank, REUTERS, Rights, United, Russia, ., Reuters, South, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Brazil, Russia, United Arab Emirates, Johannesburg, India, CNY

☆ BRICS summit: China's Xi visits South Africa in second trip abroad this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

For Xi, the first in-person summit of the BRICS grouping since the pandemic presents another opportunity to advance that vision. The bloc’s members – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – account for more than 40 percent of the global population. “Xi is going to be the center of the BRICS summit, given that Vladimir Putin is not attending in person,” he said. His last journey to the continent – also for the BRICS summit in South Africa – in 2018 includes a whirlwind of visits to Senegal, Rwanda and Mauritius, spanning almost every corner of Sub-Saharan Africa. Instead, the Chinese leader will co-chair the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, China’s Foreign Ministry said.

Persons: Xi Jinping, ” Vladimir Putin, strongmen, –, “ Xi Jinping, ”, Steve Tsang, Tsang, South Africa Chen Xiaodong, BRICS, ” Chen, Joe Biden, Camp Davis, China’s, Paul Nantulya, Xi, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Nantulya, CNN Yun Sun, ” Nantulya, Cyril Ramaphosa Organizations: CNN, South Africa, US, SOAS China Institute, University of London, Africa Center, Strategic Studies, ”, Stimson, Initiative, Institutes, South Africa –, ’ Locations: South, United States, Moscow, – Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Japan, South Korea, Camp, Asia, South China, Beijing, Ukraine, Washington, Africa, Senegal, Rwanda, Mauritius, Saharan Africa

[1/2] China's President Xi Jinping takes his seat at the first closed session of the leaders of the BRICS summit meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, July 26, 2018. China's interactions with African leaders will follow last month's Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg, where Russian President Vladimir Putin held court with the 17 African heads of state who attended out of the 54 African countries invited. Chen said Xi and African leaders will draw up a blueprint for cooperation to create jobs and improve livelihoods in Africa. It is not clear yet how many heads of state will attend the Aug. 22-24 BRICS summit, but South African officials said more than 70 had been invited. Between 2000 and 2020, Chinese lenders, mostly state-owned banks, agreed to lend $160 billion to African countries, according to Boston University, and Chinese companies have also invested heavily in mining on the continent.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Gianluigi, Chen Xiaodong, Xi, Cyril Ramaphosa, Vladimir Putin, Chen, Macky Sall, Azali Assoumani, Carien du Plessis, Rachel Savage, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Rights, Forum for China Africa Cooperation, Union, Boston University, Thomson Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, Rights PRETORIA, China, Africa, Brazil, Russia, India, South, Pretoria, St Petersburg, Comoros

☆ Climate change: Extreme water stress affects a quarter of humanity and it's poised to get worse
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Hafsa Khalil | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The biggest change in water demand will occur in sub-Saharan Africa according to the report, which projects a 163% increase in water demand by 2050. In North America and Europe, water demand has plateaued, helped by investment in water use efficiency measures. In the US, six states experience extremely high water stress, according to the report. People collect drinking water from in Cape Town on January 19, 2018, during a water crisis which saw the city nearly run dry. The report suggests various measures to prevent water stress spilling into a water crisis.

Persons: ”, Samantha Kuzma, “ I’ve, ” Kuzma, Will Lanzoni, Kuzma, “, Charles, Rodger Bosch, Dieter Gerten, – Organizations: CNN, Ocean Program, UN, Getty, Potsdam Institute, Climate Impact Research Locations: Bahrain, Cyprus, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Lake Mead, Boulder City , Nevada, East, North Africa, Africa, Saharan Africa, North America, Europe, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Charles Iceland, Cape Town, AFP, Vegas, Singapore

A view of logo of New Development Bank (NDB) at its headquarters in Shanghai, China July 10, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJOHANNESBURG, Aug 15 (Reuters) - The development bank founded by the so-called BRICS countries closed the auction for its first South African rand bonds on Tuesday, as it comes under pressure to boost its local currency fundraising and lending. The South African bond market has struggled in recent years to attract new issuers to match growing demand from domestic investors looking for quality credit assets. The most recent comparable South African government bonds were a 4.5-year bond priced at Jibar +90 bps and a seven year priced at Jibar +120 bps, said Raphi Rootshtain, a portfolio manager at Sasfin Wealth. The bond sale was arranged by Standard Bank, which declined to comment, and Absa Bank.

Persons: Aly, Leslie Maasdorp, Raphi Rootshtain, Rootshtain, Kumeshen Naidoo, Rachel Savage, Josie Kao Organizations: New Development Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Sasfin, State Owned Companies, Standard Bank, Absa Bank, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights JOHANNESBURG, Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, Johannesburg, Absa

☆ Crocodiles were played the sound of human babies crying. The higher the infant's distress level, the more the carnivores would respond.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Nile crocodiles react to the cries of infants from species like bonobos, chimpanzees, and humans. Researchers played audio recordings of infants crying to the carnivorous crocodiles and discovered they were drawn to those in the most distress. While humans primarily responded to the pitch of the cries, crocodiles responded based on levels of "deterministic chaos, harmonicity, and spectral prominences." Nile crocodiles can grow to about 20 feet long and can weigh up to 1,650 pounds, per National Geographic. According to the publication, Nile crocodiles generally live close to humans, meaning encounters happen relatively often.

Persons: – Organizations: Service, Royal Society B, Royal, Geographic Locations: Wall, Silicon, CrocoParc, Agadir, Morocco, Saharan Africa, Madagascar

☆ He converted a van into a mobile medical clinic. Now, he’s bringing care to thousands in rural Ghana
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Meg Dunn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“Early screening wasn’t an option for us.”He realized that education and preventative health care was lacking in many remote areas of Ghana. A few times a week, the mobile clinic and medical team travel long distances to remote communities in Ghana and provide free routine medical care. CNN Hero Osei Boateng's Hope Health Van is designed like a medical clinic for seeing and treating patients. Boateng's organization does outreach to high schools as part of its efforts to combat the stigma surrounding mental health. “Words cannot describe the feeling that you get providing care for someone who otherwise wouldn’t be alive if your mobile health van wasn’t there.”Want to get involved?

Persons: Osei Boateng, Boateng, ”, “, ” Boateng, Osei, Van, it’s Organizations: NJ CNN, Cornell University, Healthcare Administration, OKB Hope Foundation, CNN, “, Hope Foundation, OKB Hope Locations: Somerset, NJ, Ghana, Saharan Africa

A view of logo of New Development Bank (NDB) at its headquarters in Shanghai, China July 10, 2023. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said boosting local currency usage among the NDB's members will also be on the agenda, with the aim of de-risking the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations rather than de-dollarisation. "Most countries that are members of the NDB have been encouraging (it) to provide loans in local currencies," Godongwana said. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsSo far, China is by far the NDB's most successful local currency market. GROWING MEMBERSHIPNevertheless, the NDB, established with $10 billion in paid-in share capital from each BRICS country, wants to expand.

Persons: Aly, Enoch Godongwana, Godongwana, Leslie Maasdorp, Maasdorp, Alexander Ekbom, Chris Humphrey, Humphrey, Rachel Savage, Brenda Goh, Tannur Anders, Vincent Flasseur, Karin Strohecker, Joe Bavier, Alexander Smith Organizations: New Development Bank, REUTERS, Reuters, Finance, Federal Reserve, Reuters Graphics Reuters, U.S ., United Arab, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Reuters Graphics, Overseas Development Institute, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Africa, JOHANNESBURG, SHANGHAI, Russia, South Africa, Brazil, India, Johannesburg, Ukraine, United States, Mumbai, Brasilia, Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Uruguay, Algeria, Honduras, Zimbabwe, Saudi Arabia, Asia, London

☆ Dozens of Migrants Die After Boat Sinks in Strait of Sicily
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Emma Bubola | More About Emma Bubola | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Dozens of migrants died after their boat capsized in the Strait of Sicily, with just a handful rescued, survivors reported on Wednesday, as yet another perilous attempt to cross the Mediterranean in a rickety, unsuitable vessel ended in disaster. Four people, including a child, were saved, according to Flavio di Giacomo, a spokesman with the International Organization for Migration, a United Nations agency, citing the survivors’ own testimony. The migrants were from Guinea and the Ivory Coast, he added, and they had departed from the Tunisian city of Sfax before being spotted and rescued by a commercial boat. They arrived on the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa, south of Sicily on Wednesday. Survivors told the U.N. migration agency that 41 had drowned out of a total of 45 onboard.

Persons: Flavio di Giacomo, Giacomo Organizations: International Organization for Migration, United, Migrants Locations: Strait, Sicily, United Nations, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Tunisian, Sfax, Lampedusa, Tunisia, Saharan Africa, Europe

☆ An ancient skull unlike any human ever seen is baffling scientists and could rewrite the story of our evolution
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An ancient skull found in China is like nothing scientists have ever seen. If it is an undiscovered human ancestor, it could rewrite the story of human evolution. The skull has facial features that are similar to early modern humans, which scientists think began to branch away from Homo erectus between 750,000 to 550,000 years ago. Human history is messier than we thoughtThis isn't the first time human remains have shaken up the neat evolutionary path that is thought to have led to humans. Findings of archaic human remains in Israel and Greece over the past few years dating back about 200,000 years also suggested human ancestors may have left Africa a lot earlier than previously thought.

Persons: Xiujie Wu, Maayan Harel, sapiens, Will Oliver Organizations: Service, Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, Hualongdong, East China, East, East Asia, Saharan Africa, Morocco, Israel, Greece, Africa, London, Britain

☆ Four dead, 51 missing after migrant ship sinks off Tunisian coast
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TUNIS, Aug 7 (Reuters) - At least four migrants died and 51 were missing after a migrant ship sank off Tunisia's Kerkennah island, a judicial official told Reuters on Sunday, adding that all the migrants onboard were from sub-Saharan Africa. The Tunisian coast guard recovered 901 bodies of drowned migrants off its coast from Jan. 1 to July 20 this year, the country's interior minister said in July, marking an unprecedented number of victims off the country's coasts. The North Africa country is facing a record wave of migration this year and frequent catastrophes of boats of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa heading to Italian coasts sinking. Tunisia replaced Libya as the region's main departure point for people fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa and the Middle East in hopes of a better life in Europe. Reporting by Tarek Amara; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tarek Amara, Lisa Shumaker, Leslie Adler Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: TUNIS, Saharan Africa, Tunisian, Jan, North Africa, Tunisia, Libya, Africa, Europe

☆ World Bank to help fund 1,000 mini solar power grids in Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A technician works on solar power panels at the Atlantic Shrimpers farm in Badagry, Lagos, Nigeria July 5, 2022. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja/File PhotoABUJA, Aug 5 (Reuters) - The World Bank is aiming to help fund construction of 1,000 mini solar power grids in Africa's biggest economy Nigeria in partnership with the government and private sector, the lender's president Ajay Banga said on Saturday. Mini grids, made up of small-scale electricity generating units, typically range in a size from a few kilowatts to up to 10 MW, enough to power some 200 households. "Now the idea is not for the World Bank to be the only person putting the money. World Bank data shows that in sub-Saharan Africa, 568 million people still lack access to electricity.

Persons: Temilade, Ajay Banga, Banga, Abraham Achirga, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, Bank, World Bank, Thomson Locations: Badagry, Lagos, Nigeria, ABUJA, Abuja, Banga, Saharan Africa, Africa

☆ GSK Nigeria calls an end to its business, to return cash
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Chijioke Ohuocha | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ABUJA, Aug 3 (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Nigeria (GLAXOSM.LG) said on Thursday it plans to stop doing business after evaluating the options for moving to a third-party distribution model for its drugs and consumer healthcare goods. GSK Nigeria, which has faced increased competition from local companies and imports from India and China, said its half-year sales had dropped to 7.75 billion naira ($9.82 million), from 14.8 billion naira in the same period a year ago. GSK Nigeria said it is working with advisers to agree next steps and plans to submit a scheme of arrangement to Nigeria's Securities and Exchange Commission, which if approved will see it return cash to shareholders except its parent GSK. "For the above reasons, and having, together with GSK UK, evaluated various other options, the Board of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria Plc has concluded that there is no alternative but to cease operations," GSK Nigeria said in a statement. Shares in GSK Nigeria, in which British drugmaker GSK has a 46.4% stake and Nigerian shareholders the remaining 53.6%, closed at 8.10 naira, down from a peak of 42.24 naira in 2014.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Tinubu, Chijioke Ohuocha, Alexander Smith Organizations: GlaxoSmithKline, GSK, Nigeria's Securities, Exchange Commission, Haleon, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria Plc, British, Thomson Locations: ABUJA, Nigeria, GSK Nigeria, India, China, British, Africa

☆ India's rice export ban to hurt millions globally. These countries will be the worst hit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

20 Xinhua News Agency | Xinhua News Agency | Getty ImagesIndia's rice export ban could ripple across global rice markets — and millions are expected to be impacted, with Asian and African consumers set to bear the biggest brunt. The scale of people impacted by Indian rice ban will be in millions. Other affected regionsAsia is not the only region hit by India's rice export ban, many African and Middle East nations are also vulnerable. That means up to 40% of India's rice exports are now offline, according to BMI forecasts. India's rice export ban is expected to ripple across global rice markets.

Persons: Mohanty, Samarendu Mohanty, Narendra Modi Organizations: Xinhua News Agency, Getty, Barclays, El Nino, BMI, Fitch Solutions, Workers, International Potato Center, CIP Locations: Nagaon district, India's, Assam, India, Malaysia, Asia, Singapore, Thailand, Pakistan, Vietnam, Philippines, Saharan Africa, East, North Africa, Djibouti, Liberia, Qatar, Gambia, Kuwait, Cambodia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nepal

☆ Niger loses aid as Western countries condemn coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, receiving close to $2 billion a year in official development assistance, according to the World Bank. It is also a key security partner of Western countries such as France and the United States, which use it as a base for their efforts to contain an Islamist insurgency in West and Central Africa's Sahel region. Bazoum has not been heard from since early Thursday when he was confined within the presidential palace, although the European Union, France and others say they still recognize him as the legitimate president. Niger is a key partner of the European Union in helping curb the flow of irregular migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. The United States has two military bases in Niger with some 1,100 soldiers, and also provides hundreds of millions of dollars to the country in security and development aid.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, General Abdourahamane Tiani, Bazoum, Josep Borrell, Antony Blinken, Moussa Aksar, Kate Abnett, Nellie Peyton, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, European, World Bank, European Union, EU, United, United Nations, West African States, Security, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, NIAMEY, United States, France, West, Central, EU, Saharan Africa, Antony Blinken ., Bazoum, Nigeria, Brussels

☆ Niger coup leaders dissolve govt, declare Tiani head of state
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Moussa Aksar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

NIAMEY, July 28 (Reuters) - Leaders of the coup in Niger declared General Abdourahamane Tiani as the new head of state on Friday, and said they had suspended the constitution and dissolved all former institutions after overthrowing President Mohamed Bazoum. He represents the state of Niger in international relations," an officer said, reading out a statement. African countries, Western powers, regional and international organizations have reacted with alarm to the coup in Niger, insisting that Bazoum be freed and constitutional order restored. Niger borders three countries - Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad - that have also experienced military coups in the last two years. Niger so far has held them off better than Mali and Burkina Faso, where violence has only worsened since the military coups.

Persons: Abdourahamane Tiani, Mohamed Bazoum, Tiani, Bazoum, Josep Borrell, Kamala Harris, Boris Pistorius, Bate Felix, Anait, Nellie Peyton, John Stonestreet, Angus MacSwan, Nick Macfie Organizations: National Council, Bazoum, REUTERS, Islamic, West African States, European Union, United, European, EU, German, Spiegel, Thomson Locations: NIAMEY, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, France, Niamey, al Qaeda, Islamic State, West Africa's, Nigeria, Guinea, United States, Africa, EU, Germany, Italy

'ONLY HOPE' FOR STABILITY IN SAHELNiger became a democratic outlier in West Africa's Sahel region following military takeovers in neighbouring Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad since 2020. All four countries of the arid Sahel region, just south of the Sahara, are now run by military leaders after soldiers in Niger said on Wednesday night they had ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. France, which has had counter-insurgency troops in West Africa for a decade, has turned to Niger to base the bulk of its forces. Their role is solely to support Niger's army when local forces identify operations in the border regions connecting Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. The European Union decided in December to set up a three-year military training mission in Niger, to which Germany contributes troops.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, juntas, Moussa Aksar, John Irish, Nellie Peyton, Bate Felix, Emelia Sithole, Leslie Adler Organizations: Islamic, National Assembly, REUTERS, European Union, DEMOCRATIC, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, John, Thomson Locations: West Africa, Niger, Africa's Sahel, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Russia, France, United States, U.S, Russian, Niamey, ACLED, Germany, Italy, Guinea, Bissau, Guinea Bissau, Paris

☆ Tunisia recovered 901 bodies of drowned migrants off its coast this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TUNIS, July 26 (Reuters) - The Tunisian coast guard recovered 901 bodies of drowned migrants off its coast from Jan. 1 to July 20 this year, the country's interior minister, Kamel Feki, said on Wednesday. Tunisia is facing record waves of migration this year and frequent catastrophes of the sinking of boats of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa heading to Italian coasts. Reporting by Tarek Amara; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kamel Feki, Tarek Amara, Leslie Adler Organizations: Thomson Locations: TUNIS, Tunisian, Jan, Tunisia, Saharan Africa, Italian

☆ Fact Check-U.S. malaria outbreak in 2023 not caused by GM mosquitos
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The release of genetically modified mosquitos in Florida and Texas could not have caused recent cases of malaria detected in the U.S., as suggested in social media posts. The OX5034 mosquitos developed by Oxitec were approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2020 for pilot testing (here). Markowski noted that only female mosquitos “blood feed,” which needs to happen to transmit diseases like malaria, and the only genetically modified mosquitos being released are males, which feed only on plant juices and therefore cannot transmit malaria (explained further here). Reuters has previously addressed misinformation about uses of genetically modified mosquitos (here), (here) and (here). Recent cases of malaria in the U.S. could not have been caused by the release of genetically modified mosquitos.

Persons: they’re, mosquitos, Daniel Markowski, Markowski, Read Organizations: Oxitec, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, Reuters, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, CDC, American Mosquito Control Association Locations: Florida, Texas, U.S, BioNTech, Florida and Texas, Saharan Africa, South Asia

☆ Fact Check-U.S. malaria outbreak in 2023 not caused by GM mosquitoes
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

(This story was corrected on July 27, 2023, to clarify that genetically modified mosquitoes were not released in Texas. The modified mosquitoes, which were released only in Florida, were all male, and only female mosquitoes feed on blood, which is how they transmit the malaria parasite from person to person, a mosquito-control expert said. Moreover, Markowski noted, only female mosquitoes “blood feed,” which needs to happen to transmit diseases like malaria, and the only genetically modified mosquitoes released are males, which feed only on plant juices and therefore cannot transmit malaria (explained further here). Reuters has previously addressed misinformation about uses of genetically modified mosquitoes (here), (here) and (here). Recent cases of malaria in the U.S. could not have been caused by the release of genetically modified mosquitoes.

Persons: they’re, Aedes aegypti, Daniel Markowski, Markowski, Oxitec, Joshua Van Raalte, “ Oxitec, Read Organizations: Oxitec, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Reuters, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, CDC, American Mosquito Control Association Locations: Texas, Florida, Harris County , Texas, U.S, BioNTech, Florida and Texas, Saharan Africa, South Asia

☆ Spain rescues boat with 84 migrants, one dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Borja Suarez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Rescuers carry a migrant out of a Spanish coast guard vessel, at the port of Arguineguin, in the island of Gran Canaria. REUTERS/Borja SuarezARQUINEGIN, Spain, July 25 (Reuters) - Spain's maritime rescue service on Tuesday said it had rescued a boat near the island of Gran Canaria carrying 84 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, one of whom had died. TV footage showed emergency services helping the migrants disembark, offering blankets and seating some of them in wheelchairs. The boat was located 8.5 nautical miles (15.7 km) from Gran Canaria island and the migrants were taken to Arguineguin port at around 5 a.m. local time (0400 GMT). The Atlantic migration route, one of the deadliest in the world, is typically used by migrants from sub-Saharan Africa attempting to reach Europe.

Persons: Borja Suarez ARQUINEGIN, Emma Pinedo, David Latona, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Gran Canaria, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Spanish, Arguineguin, Gran, Spain, Saharan Africa, West Africa, Gran Canaria, Europe, Canary Islands

LONDON/JOHANNESBURG, July 25 (Reuters) - Gabon launched what is set to be Africa's first debt-for-nature swap on Tuesday, with a plan to buy up at least $450 million of its government debt and switch it to an eco-friendly blue bond. The February 2031 maturity rose 2.203 cents to 83.702 cents and November 2031 maturity jumped 2.129 cents to 83.573 cents, compared to Gabonese government's offer to buy back the bonds for 85 cents per $1 of the bond. ,The 2025 maturity rose 1.194 cents to 95.4 cents, also still below the offer price of 96.75 cents.. Ecuador pulled off a record $1.1 billion debt-for-nature swap in May, freeing up $18 million annually for the next 20 years for conservation of the Galapagos Islands. The African Development Bank and European Investment Bank are interested in providing credit guarantees.

Persons: Marc Jones, Rachel Savage, Gerauds Wilfried Obangome, Karin Strohecker, Ed Osmond, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: London Stock Exchange, Republic, Industry, U.S . International Development Finance Corporation, African Development Bank, European Investment Bank, Bank of America, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, Gabon, Gabonese, Ecuador, Belize, Galapagos, Sri Lanka, Indian, Libreville

JOHANNESBURG, July 20 (Reuters) - A BRICS currency will not be on the agenda of the bloc's summit in South Africa next month, but Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will continue to switch away from the U.S. dollar, South Africa's senior BRICS diplomat said on Thursday. "There's never been talk of a BRICS currency, it's not on the agenda," Anil Sooklal, South Africa's Ambassador at Large: Asia and BRICS, told a media briefing. "What we have said and we continue to deepen is trading in local currencies and settlement in local currencies." This has pushed countries to find alternatives to the dollar, especially among non-U.S. allies. "BRICS started a process that has been expedited as a result of the conflict, as a result of unilateral sanctions," Sooklal said.

Persons: There's, it's, Anil Sooklal, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Sergei Lavrov, BRICS, Sooklal, Rachel Savage, Carien du Plessis, Tim Cocks, Angus MacSwan Organizations: U.S ., South, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South, Asia, Russian, Ukraine, U.S

The South African Reserve Bank's (SARB) monetary policy committee (MPC) kept rates at 8.25% as inflation forecasts came in lower than previous ones and economic conditions improved. Kganyago said future rate decisions would continue to depend on economic data and risks to the inflation outlook. The bank expects inflation to fall back to the midpoint of the target range sustainably only by the third quarter of 2025. Jason Tuvey, deputy chief emerging markets economist at Capital Economics, said in a note that rate cuts were likely to materialise only early next year. "The split vote suggests that inflation concerns continue to linger and it is likely to take some time before a majority on the MPC are in favour of rate cuts," Tuvey said.

Persons: Lesetja Kganyago, Kganyago, Jason Tuvey, Tuvey, Kuben Naidoo, Nellie Peyton, Tannur Anders, Kopano, Anait Miridzhanian, Promit Mukherjee, Rachel Savage, Alexander Winning, Olivia Kumwenda, Frances Kerry Organizations: South, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Capital Economics, MPC, Thomson Locations: PRETORIA

☆ From pixels to pails, crowdfunded wells quench thirst in Senegal's drylands
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Ngouda Dione | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Water scarcity is so acute at this time of year that many communities face a dire choice: water your farms or quench you thirst. He turned to the internet, setting up crowdfunding campaigns where people can donate money to construct wells in communities lacking water. "In many villages, there were water problems, and this issue notably impacted on learning," said Diakhate, who previously worked in school construction. In a region pockmarked with wells in various states of disrepair, Diakhate hopes the internet can bring communities together to solve the problem of water scarcity. His group has built more than 50 wells this way since 2020, and nine more are under construction.

Persons: Ourou Amady, Mamadou Diakhate, Diakhate, Yoro Boubou Ba, Ngouda Dione, Cooper Inveen, Nellie Peyton, Christina Fincher Organizations: Workers, REUTERS, United Nations, Pepperdine University, Thomson Locations: Ourou, Podor, Senegal, PODOR, Senegal's, Dakar, Saharan Africa, Bagga

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