Africa & World

King Charles III of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms has been admitted to a private hospital in London for a “corrective procedure” aimed at addressing an enlarged prostate, as confirmed by Buckingham Palace.

The 75-year-old monarch was admitted on Friday to the London Clinic, the same facility where the Princess of Wales is currently recovering from abdominal surgery. According to reports, King Charles III visited Princess Kate at the hospital upon his arrival.

In an official statement, Buckingham Palace shared, “The King was this morning admitted to a London hospital for scheduled treatment. His Majesty would like to thank all those who have sent their good wishes over the past week.”

The nature of the corrective procedure and the expected duration of King Charles III’s hospital stay were not detailed in the statement.

Following the lifting of the restrictions on South African meat imports, Saudi Arabia will start importing South African beef and lamb products as part of an investment push to forge stronger trade ties with the continent’s most developed economy.

The kingdom’s Food and Drug Administration lifted a 20-year prohibition on South African meat imports in August, and final approvals to start shipments of halaal cuts to the Middle Eastern nation are now in place, said Matthew Karan, part-owner of Karan Beef, one of South Africa’s biggest meat producers.

“The plan is to start exports in coming weeks,” he told reporters in Johannesburg Wednesday at a South Africa–Saudi Arabia Business Council briefing.

Saudi Arabia has a $2 billion meat market, and lifting the ban — which Riyadh imposed after an outbreak of foot and mouth disease two decades ago — is part of its efforts to forge stronger trade and investment ties as it seeks to diversify its $1.1 trillion economy away from oil.

Saudi Arabia is among countries invited to join China, Russia, India, Brazil and South Africa in the BRICS bloc, the grouping’s first expansion since 2010. Its membership in the body, expected to have been formalized on Jan. 1, is not yet a done deal, with Saudi Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Al Ibrahim saying last week that the oil-rich country is still evaluating the invitation.

One of the body’s aims is to increase trade and investment between the member nations.

Pharmaceuticals and technology are other areas of potential cooperation between South Africa and Saudi Arabia, with Durban-based Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd. set to work with Saudi companies on endocrine and anaesthetic products, said Stavros Nicolaou, Aspen’s senior executive for strategic trade and co-chairman of the two nations’ business council.

The push for exporting beef and lamb products into Saudi Arabia has opened up conversations for other agricultural products including poultry, Nicolaou said.

The country that vies with the US to be the world’s biggest oil producer is ploughing millions of dollars into becoming a global supply-chain hub and creating new industries from electric vehicles to pharmaceuticals to meet local demand and for export to the Middle East and Africa.

Nicolau noted that Saudi Arabia is also looking at investment opportunities in sports, with falconry and equestrian disciplines among possibilities.

Backed by its Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia has spent millions on sports investments, leading a group that bought English Premier League football club Newcastle United FC, and buying players such as Brazil’s Neymar, France’s Karim Benzema and Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

Riyadh has also expressed interest in buying a multibillion-dollar stake in the Indian Premier League, international cricket’s most lucrative event.

Saudi Arabia authorities are set to open an alcohol store for non-Muslims and diplomats in its capital, Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia’s first alcohol store would serve exclusively non-Muslim diplomats, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing a document and source familiar with this plan.

Customers will have to register via a mobile app, get a clearance code from the foreign ministry, and respect monthly quotas with their purchases, the report said.

Though the newspaper mentioned no specific date, the Saudi alcohol store is expected to be opened in the next few weeks.

Alcohol was banned in Saudi Arabia, a Muslim country, in 1952. Since then, alcohol consumption in Saudi has become a criminal offence punishable by law.

An imam who was shot Wednesday outside a mosque in New Jersey has died, the US state’s attorney general said, adding that the killing did not initially appear to be driven by “bias” or domestic terrorism.

Hassan Sharif was shot multiple times near a mosque in Newark, just west of New York, before being taken to hospital where he later died, New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said.

“We do not yet know the motivation for this crime (but) the evidence collected thus far does not indicate that this was an act motivated by bias, or an act of domestic terrorism,” said Platkin.

He added that “in light of global events, and with a rise in bias that many communities are experiencing across our state — particularly the Muslim community — there are many in New Jersey right now who are feeling a heightened sense of fear.”

The state is home to 300,000 Muslim Americans, he said.

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, there has been an increase in Islamophobic and anti-Semitic attacks across the United States.

The Essex County prosecutor, Ted Stephens, confirmed Sharif was shot more than once, and that “it does not appear the imam was the victim of a bias crime or that this is related to terrorism.”

“We are dedicated to bringing justice for the imam’s family,” said Stephens, who called it a “dastardly crime.”

The United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) earlier confirmed that Sharif had worked as a security screener at Newark airport since 2016.

“We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing and send our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues,” said Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokeswoman.

Images published by the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) showed police vehicles deployed outside the Masjid Muhammad-Newark, a two-story yellow and green complex.

In a statement, CAIR described Sharif as “a beacon of leadership and excellence.”

“As always, and irrespective of this specific incident, we advise all mosques to keep their doors open but remain cautious especially given the recent spike in anti-Muslim bigotry,” the organization said.

South African business mogul, Johann Rupert, has dethroned Nigerian Aliko Dangote to emerge as Africa’s wealthiest man, according to a list released by Forbes Magazine.

Similarly, Nigerian billionaires Rabiu Abdulsamad and Mike Adenuga have lost their spots in the billionaire rankings released by the financial magazine

In the list, the Forbes Daily billionaires ranking platform, which tracks daily changes to the net worth of the most high-net-worth individuals across the world revealed that Aliko Dangote moved down to second position as his wealth decreased from $13.5b in 2023 to $9.5b in the start of 2024.

The wealth of Nigeria’s Mike Adenuga moved him to the tenth position, while Patrice Motsepe, who was in the top ten in 2023, didn’t make the top ten richest men in 2024.

One striking change in the Forbes wealthiest people in Africa list is that no woman made the top ten richest list at the start of the year.

The devaluation of the Naira and other economic issues can be attributed to the decrease of Dangote’s wealth.

In the 2024 rankings, Johann Rupert & Family’s wealth went from $10.7b down to $10.3b to emerge Africa’s richest man with the decrease of the wealth of long-time African richest Aliko Dangote which went from $13.5b to $9.5b.

Junior doctors in England have initiated their lengthiest consecutive strike in the seven-decade history of Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) starting Wednesday.

The strike involves doctors below consultant level and will span six days, escalating their ongoing pay dispute with the UK government.

Taking place during one of the NHS’s busiest periods, the strike coincides with heightened pressure from winter respiratory illnesses.

This action swiftly follows a three-day strike held just before Christmas and could potentially affect nearly half of the medical workforce, significantly impacting routine care, according to the NHS’s national medical director, Stephen Powis.

Scheduled to begin at 7:00 am (0700 GMT), the strike is set to conclude at the same time on Tuesday, January 9.

The British Medical Association (BMA) announced this walkout after negotiations with the government reached an impasse in December.

Although the junior doctors were offered a 3.0-percent pay rise in addition to an average 8.8-percent increase earlier in the year, the proposal was rejected due to uneven distribution among different doctor grades and potential pay cuts for many.

This latest strike is part of a series of at least seven strikes by junior doctors since March.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and hospital leaders have criticised this action, highlighting its potential impact on the NHS’s functioning during a crucial period.

Health policy varies across the UK, with administrations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland independently managing healthcare within their regions.

While junior doctors in Wales are preparing for a 72-hour strike from January 15, their counterparts in Northern Ireland are considering potential strike action. In Scotland, an agreement has been reached between doctors and the Edinburgh government.

The NHS typically experiences a surge in hospital admissions in the weeks following Christmas, partly due to delayed seeking of medical care during the festive season. This increased strain compounds existing challenges, including backlogs from deferred treatment during the Covid pandemic and historical under-funding.

The French parliament has passed a law restraining Nigerian students and others from bringing their families to the country.

Leading Reporters learnt that on Thursday, the law was backed by both President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Renaissance party and Deputy of the French National Assembly, Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally.

A previous draft was rejected by parliament last week when the National Rally, as well as the left, voted against it. In response, the government redrafted the bill, making some of its provisions tougher.

The new toughening immigration policy makes it more difficult for migrants to bring family members to France and delays their access to welfare benefits.

It also bans detaining minors in detention centers while leaders of a third of French regions said they would not comply with certain measures in the law.

A controversial provision discriminates between citizens and migrants, even those living in the country legally, in determining eligibility for benefits.

The tougher version appealed to right-wing parties, who backed it on Monday.

Ms Le Pen welcomed the amended bill, calling it an “ideological victory” for the far-right.

“This is our bill,” said Eric Ciotti, the leader of the right-wing Republican party. He called it “firm and courageous”.

But left-wingers said Mr Macron was enabling the far-right. “History will remember those who betrayed their convictions,” Socialist party leader Olivier Faure said.

32 of France’s 101 departments, including Paris, said they would refuse to implement the provisions of the law on benefits for non-citizens.

The French vote came hours before an EU agreement to reform the asylum system across the bloc’s 27 member states.

The new pact, agreed by EU governments and European Parliament members, includes creating border detention centres and enabling the quicker deportation of rejected asylum seekers.

Hailed as a landmark agreement by Parliament President Roberta Metsola, the new system allows asylum seekers to be relocated from southern member states, which have the highest numbers of arrivals, to other countries.

It still has to be formally approved by the Parliament and member states.

The new French legislation exposed divisions within the governing alliance.

27 MPs voted against while 32 abstained – almost a quarter of pro-Macron MPs.

Health Minister Aurélien Rousseau, who was a member of the Communist Party in his youth, stepped down in protest at the immigration law.

“Some measures in the bill make me very uncomfortable,” said Yaël Braun-Pivet, the president of the lower house of parliament and a member of Mr Macron’s party.

The bill would have passed if Ms. Le Pen’s party had abstained, though not if it had voted against it. The government pointed to the size of its majority to argue that it did not depend on National Rally votes.

Speaking after the vote, the prime minister accepted some measures in the law might not be constitutional.

“We will ask the Constitutional Council,” she told French radio, referring to a top court that upholds the constitution’s principles.

The first group of Sri Lankans selected for jobs in the agricultural sector left for Israel last night (Dec 18).

According to the Foreign Employment Ministry, thirty (30) people were included in this group that left from the Katunayake Airport.

Another group of twenty (20) people will leave for Israel this morning (Dec 19), with another group of thirty (30) people is scheduled to be sent to Israel tonight.

Air tickets for the first batch of workers were handed over by the Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara at a ceremony held yesterday to mark International Migrant’s Day.

During the event, the Minister stated that, according to a bilateral agreement between the two countries, 10,000 workers will be able to fly to Israel in the next few weeks.

Emphasizing that there is no need to give money to any party for these jobs, he said if it is discovered after going abroad that someone has paid money to obtain these job opportunities, they will be brought back, as both governments have reached an agreement on repatriating those who have paid money.

Minister Manusha Nanayakkara further announced that Israel has also agreed to hire twenty thousand workers for job opportunities in the construction sector.

Mrs Gill Lever OBE – Officer of the Order of the British Empire – has been appointed as the British Deputy High Commissioner (DHC) in Abuja, Nigeria.

She takes over from Ms Gill Atkinson who recently concluded four years as Deputy High Commissioner in Abuja.

According to a statement from Atinuke Akande-Alegbe, a spokesperson of the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in Abuja, Lever is an experienced career diplomat who has worked in different parts of the world including Romania, India and Japan.

“Before becoming the British Deputy High Commissioner (DHC) in Abuja, she served as the UK Deputy Head of Mission to Juba, South Sudan from 2022 – 2023.

Before then, she served as the Head of Overseas Health and Welfare at the FCDO in London.

In the UK, she has worked in a diverse range of roles including as Head of the Peacekeeping Team in the UN Department, Deputy Head of Southeast Asia Department and as a Human Resources Business Partner.

Gill was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by HM Queen Elizabeth II in 2021 for services to the Health and Welfare and British Nationals while working on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic response.

She has also worked in the voluntary sector, establishing child drowning prevention programmes, and raising funds for women’s and children’s projects in Vietnam.

To mark her arrival, Lever said: “I am delighted to be back in Nigeria. I was posted to Abuja 10 years ago with my husband and son and have such fond memories.

“I always knew I’d be back! I am excited about my new role as Deputy High Commissioner. I look forward to working with the talented High Commission team in Abuja, with colleagues in Lagos and in our other smaller posts across our Nigeria network, to deepen the special relationship between our two proud countries.”