Ties
between Africaβs power house South Africa and Israel are set to deteriorate in
the coming days with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) deciding to
support a parliamentary motion calling for the Israeli embassy in South Africa
to be closed. South Africa has requested that the International Criminal Court
in The Hague investigate alleged Israeli war crimes in its war with Hamas. It
may be pointed out here that ANC and Palestinians share close ties since the
days of apartheid in South Africa. The Indian Ocean Region island nation of
Madagascar went to polling last week but the locals are not hoping for any
miracle. Meanwhile, while IMF has lauded growth in the Indian Ocean state of
Oman, it has painted a grim picture for Mozambique. Seychelles and France
having old links have now decided to strengthen business ties.
S Africaβs ruling ANC to back
opposition motion to close Israeli embassy
Al
Jazeera | 16th November 2023
South
Africaβs ruling party has said it will support a parliamentary motion calling
for the Israeli embassy in South Africa to be closed. In a statement on
Thursday, the African National Congress (ANC) also welcomed a call from
President Cyril Ramaphosa for the International Criminal Court to
investigate Israel for war crimes. βGiven the unfolding atrocities in occupied
Palestine, the African National Congress will agree to a parliamentary motion
which calls upon the government to close the Israeli embassy in South Africa
and suspend all diplomatic relations with Israel until it agrees to a
ceasefire,β the statement said.
South Africa Refers Israel to The
Hague Over Gaza ‘War Crimes’
Voice of
America | 17th November 2023
South
Africa has requested that the International Criminal Court in The Hague
investigate alleged Israeli war crimes in its war with Hamas. President Cyril
Ramaphosa made the announcement while on a state visit to Qatar, where he said
he had spoken to the country’s ruler about the worsening humanitarian situation
in Gaza. “We both abhorred what is happening right now in Gaza, which has
now turned into a concentration camp where genocide is taking place,” he
said.
Seychellois and French
entrepreneurs link up under new Africa France Initiative
Seychelles
News Agency | 17th November 2023
A group
of entrepreneurs from various sectors in Seychelles had the chance to exchange
ideas and network with their counterparts from Reunion, an overseas French
department, in a meeting at the Alliance Française in Victoria on Thursday.
The meeting was part of the Africa-France entrepreneurship community
programme launched by French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this year
at the New Africa-France Summit in Montpellier.
Mozambique: IMF concerned with
increase in internal borrowing
Club of
Mozambique | 17th November 2023
The
International Monetary Fund (IMF) representative in Mozambique said on Thursday
that the domestic debt situation in the country was βsomewhat complicatedβ,
noting that it was issuing domestic debt to pay off external debt.βWe have a
drop in external financing which now, both this year and next year, is and will
be negative. In other words, it is necessary to issue domestic debt to pay the
external debt. So, it is a somewhat difficult situation,β Alexis Meyer-Cirkel
told the media on the sidelines of an IMF seminar entitled βResilient
Mozambique, Recent Milestones in the Development of Fiscal and Financial
Capacityβ in Maputo.
Madagascar returns to normality
after elections
All
Africa News | 17th November 2023
Madagascar
returned to normality on Friday, a day after the country’s presidential
elections. As the country awaits the expected announcement of Rajoelina’s
victory, people are getting on with daily life. In the capital Antananarivo,
umbrellas bearing the picture of incumbent president Andrey Rajoelina had
covered one of the city’s busy streets in the days running up to Thursday’s
vote.
Oman’s economy on path to recovery:
IMF
Times of
Oman | 16th November 2023
The
International Monetary Fund (IMF) has confirmed that Oman’s economy continues
on the path to recovery, having achieved a growth of 4.3 per cent in 2022,
driven mainly by the rise in oil prices and growth of both oil-based and other
sectors. After a visit to the Sultanate of Oman by a team from the IMF, the
mission pointed out the acceleration in the pace of growth of non-oil-based
activities from 1.2 per cent in 2022 to 2.7 per cent in the first half of this
year.
