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Nigeria

THE Church of England has promised to return two Benin Bronzes to Nigeria as the return of treasures to the African continent gains momentum.

According to a report by British newspaper the Evening Standard, Lambeth Palace, the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, said it is in talks with the relevant stakeholders about the return of works that were given as gifts to then Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie almost 40 years ago.

The move comes amid growing pressure on institutions to return looted artworks. | African News Agency (ANA)

Vaccine equity

THE UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has called for concerted international action and solidarity to ensure equitable access to Covid-19 vaccinations, including for refugees and other forcibly displaced and stateless people.

The UNHCR said this week that it was encouraged by the fact that 153 states had adopted vaccination strategies that include refugees.

However, in many parts of the world, immunisation remains a challenge, largely due to the unequal availability of vaccines and the capacity of health systems. | African News Agency (ANA) ABOUT 27.3 million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) face acute food insecurity, some seven million of whom are suffering emergency levels of acute hunger, UN agencies warned this week.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Food Programme said levels of hunger in DRC are at a record high, affecting one-in-three people, making the central African country home to the highest number of people in the world who are in urgent need of food security assistance. | African News Agency (ANA)

Finance

POPE Francis has told world financial chiefs that poor countries need to have their debt burden reduced and be given a greater say in global decision making.

In a letter to the annual meeting of he International Monetary Fund and World Bank this week, the Pope called for a new “global plan”, saying the pandemic had forced the world to come to terms with interrelated socioeconomic, ecological, and political crises.

The financial chiefs of the G20 economies extended a suspension of debt servicing costs for developing countries but fell short of cancelling debt or expanding debt relief. | Reuters

DRC