FRANCE DEFIES ULTIMATUM FOR AMBASSADOR TO LEAVE NIAMEY OVER COUP.

French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed in a defiant speech that France’s ambassador has remained in Niger despite being given a 48-hour deadline to leave the country last Friday.

Ambassador Sylvain Itte had been ordered to go amid rapidly deteriorating bilateral ties.

But hours after the coup leaders’ deadline had passed, the president said he “applauds” Mr Itte for staying put.

The junta overthrew Niger’s elected president last month.

Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum was toppled on 26 July in a coup that has been condemned by France and many of Niger’s neighbours, including the West African regional bloc Ecowas.

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DOZENS OF YOUNG KENYANS PROTEST ALLEGED JOB SCAM.

Dozens of young Kenyans have been protesting in the city of Eldoret, after they said they had paid huge sums of money to an agency that promised but failed to give them jobs abroad.

They’re demanding their money back from First Choice Recruitment and Consultancy Agency, to whom some of them had reportedly paid as much as $2,800 for a shot at jobs in the Middle East, Europe and Canada.

Local media report that Judy Chepchirchir, the owner of the agency, has dismissed several summons by the Labour and Social Welfare committee of the Kenyan senate and the leadership of the county government.

Several outlets have also reported that the police have launched investigations into Ms Chepchirchir and her agency.

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KENYA TACKLES PASSPORT BACKLOG AS OUTRAGE GROWS.

Close to 60,000 Kenyans who’ve applied for passports since March have been left in limbo after printing equipment broke down and the government has now announced that it will borrow machines from private investors to clear clear the backlog.

The problem isn’t just that Kenya’s current passport printing machines are outdated, says Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration Kithure Kindiki. There are also corrupt agents who extort bribes from applicants.

He told parliament last week that he would carry out a clean-up of Kenya’s immigration agency, and on Monday it was announced the daily passport printing rate would rise to 5,000.

In recent months, government inefficiencies have led to delays issuing identity cards, drivers’ licences, birth certificates and police clearance certificates, sparking widespread frustration and discontent among Kenyans.

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AFRICAN RIGHTS GROUP SAYS GABON ELECTIONS ARE BEING RIGGED.

The Network of Human Rights Defenders in Central Africa (Redhac) says the internet shutdown and curfew imposed by the authorities in Gabon raise serious concerns about the transparency of Saturday’s general election.

The rights group’s head, Maximilienne Ngo Mbe, said the security restrictions suggested that “the elections are being rigged” and she fears there’s a plot to sow further “chaos”.

Gabon’s electoral body is compiling the results from Saturday’s presidential, legislative and local elections, and it’s not yet clear when the outcome will be announced.

The polls were marred by delays and complaints of fraud by the opposition. Foreign observers and journalists were banned from monitoring the vote.

The main opposition candidate Albert Ondo Ossa demanded that he be declared winner of the presidential election, saying it was time for Ali Bongo who has been in power for 14 years, to go.

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RUSSIAN PRESIDENT TELLS INDIA PRIME MINISTER HE WILL NOT ATTEND DELHI GROUP OF TWENTY SUMMIT.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a phone call that he will not attend the G20 Summit.

India is hosting this year’s summit, which will be held in capital Delhi from 9-10 September.

Putin told Modi that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would attend the summit on his behalf.

The two leaders also discussed several “regional and global issues of mutual concern”, India said in a statement.

A Russian government spokesperson had said last week that Mr Putin would not attend the summit as he had a “busy schedule”.

The G20 includes the world’s 19 wealthiest countries plus the European Union. India currently holds the G20 presidency, which rotates annually between members.

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AIRLINES WARN UNITED KINGDOM FLIGHT DELAYS OVER AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL FAULT.

Thousands of air passengers have been suffering long delays and cancellations after a “technical issue” hit United Kingdom air traffic control systems.

People are stuck in the United Kingdom and abroad, after National Air Traffic Services limited the number of planes landing.

Airlines and airports warned there were still “significant delays” despite the issue being fixed within hours.

There have been warnings that some knock-on disruption could last for days.

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TROPICAL STORM IDALIA PLACES FLORIDA ON ALERT FOR MAJOR HURRICANE.

Forecasters say Florida and Cuba are bracing for Tropical Storm Idalia, which is expected to intensify into a dangerous Category 3 hurricane.

According to National Hurricane Center, Idalia is expected to gain hurricane force before making landfall in Big Bend, Florida.

Another storm, Franklin, could bring life-threatening storm surges to the US East Coast and Bermuda.

It comes as the Atlantic hurricane season nears its peak.

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CHEVRON WORKERS AT MAJOR AUSTRALIA GAS FACILITIES TO STRIKE.

Workers at two large liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants in Australia, operated by US energy giant Chevron, are set to go on strike from 7 September, in a move that could drive up global prices.

This follows weeks of negotiations with unions over pay and working conditions.

Chevron said it would “continue to take steps to maintain safe and reliable operations in the event of disruption at our facilities”.

Fears of strikes recently pushed up wholesale gas prices in Europe.

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IRAQ HANGS THREE FOR BOMBING, KILLING OVER THREE HUNDRED.

Iraq has hanged three people convicted of involvement in a vehicle bombing in Baghdad that killed more than 300 people and injured hundreds in 2016.

The bomb exploded as people were enjoying a night out during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

It was the deadliest single bombing in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003.

The Islamic State group (IS) has admitted carrying out the attack. IS has been defeated and lost control of territory, but still remains active.

The executions were carried out on Sunday or Monday, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s office said. It did not name those executed.

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TOYOTA HALTS ALL JAPAN ASSEMBLY PLANTS DUE TO GLITCH.

Japanese car making giant Toyota has suspended operations at all of its assembly plants in its home country due to a glitch in its production system.

The move is likely to bring domestic output of the world’s biggest car maker by sales to a standstill.

The malfunction has meant the firm has not been able to order components.

A spokesperson told the BBC that the firm is trying to find the cause of the problem but does not currently believe it is due to a cyber attack.

On Tuesday morning, Toyota suspended operations at 12 of its 14 assembly plants in Japan.