Fitch upgraded Ghana’s ratings to ‘B-‘
Ghana’s international reputation has significantly improved. On Monday, Fitch Ratings moved its rating up to “B-” from “restricted default”, saying the West African nation has successfully rebuilt relationships with most of its international lenders.
The upgrade marks a major milestone for Ghana, which has been recovering from its worst economic crisis in decades. The country, known for producing gold and cocoa, faced serious problems in these key industries that forced the government to restructure its massive debts.
“We expect Ghana will fully complete its external debt restructuring by end-2025,” Fitch said in its report.
Togo suspended France 24 and RFI for three months
Togo has banned two major French news outlets from broadcasting in the country for three months, claiming they have shown bias in their reporting.
The country’s communications authority announced on Monday that Radio France Internationale (RFI) and France 24 would be suspended, saying the channels lacked fairness and proper journalism standards.
The suspension comes at a time when Togo is experiencing growing political unrest. The country’s leader, Faure Gnassingbé, is facing increasing opposition to his rule. The French news outlets have been reporting on protests by opposition groups who are angry about the new constitution that created Gnassingbé’s expanded role.
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Trump left the G7 summit early as Israel-Iran tensions heightened
President Donald Trump left the Group of Seven conference in Canada early, raising questions about his approach to international diplomacy and his promises to bring peace to global conflicts.
Trump said he was leaving the meeting of world leaders in the Canadian Rockies because of rising tensions in the Middle East, where Israel is bombarding Iran’s nuclear and military sites. This led to speculation that the US might be preparing to join Israel in its attacks.
Traditionally, the Group of Seven has been the place where US presidents have gathered support from allies for coordinated responses to international crises. This happened when Russia invaded Ukraine, with the G-7 becoming the main venue for organising support for Kyiv.
Israel struck an Iranian TV station during a live broadcast
Israel launched an airstrike on the headquarters of Iran’s state television station, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), during a live news bulletin on Monday. The attack marked a significant escalation in tensions between Israel and Iran.
The bomb strike interrupted the live transmission, causing dust and debris to fill the studio and forcing Sahar Emami, the TV anchor, to flee on air. The strike occurred shortly after the Israeli military issued a warning targeting Tehran’s district Three, where IRIB is based.
Israel Katz, Israel’s defence minister, took immediate credit for the operation, describing IRIB as “the Iranian regime’s propaganda and incitement broadcasting authority”. Katz vowed to “strike the Iranian dictator everywhere”. He said the attack followed a “widespread evacuation of the area’s residents”, signalling a calculated military action.
PENGASSAN said petrol ought to cost N700 -N750
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) says premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, should be between N700 and N750 per litre at retail stations.
Speaking during a press conference in Abuja on Monday, Festus Osifo, president of PENGASSAN, said petroleum marketers are exploiting Nigerians through inflated petrol prices.
“If you go online and check the PLAT cost per cubic metre of PMS, convert that to litres and then to our naira, you will see that with crude at around $60 per barrel, petrol should be retailing between N700 and N750 per litre,” he said.
