World Tour - Senegal helps solve Europe’s energy problem

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: World Tour with our reporter in Africa, Onize Ohikere.

ONIZE OHIKERE, REPORTER: German chancellor visits Africa—Today’s World Tour kicks off in Senegal, where German Chancellor Olaf Scholz began his African tour on Sunday.

AUDIO: [Delegates arriving for meeting]

The trip is Scholz’ first to the continent since becoming chancellor nearly six months ago. His visit focused on the geopolitical implications of the war in Ukraine.

Senegal has significant deposits of natural gas along its border with Mauritania.

SALL: [Speaking in French]

President Macky Sall said his country is ready to supply liquid natural gas to Europe at a time when Germany and other European countries are trying to end their dependence on Russian energy.

Sall said he also plans to visit Moscow and Kyiv in the coming weeks as chair of the African Union bloc.

Scholz’ three-nation visit took him next to Niger, where he vowed to support the fight against Islamic militants. He wrapped up his trip in South Africa.

Monkeypox spreads across non-endemic countries—Next, we go to the United Kingdom … where health officials have detected several additional cases of monkeypox. That raises the country’s total to 57.

Dr. Rosamund Lewis is with the World Health Organization’s Emergencies Program.

LEWIS: We've seen a few cases in Europe over the last five years, just in travelers, but this is the first time we're seeing cases across many countries at the same time in people who have not traveled to the endemic regions in Africa.

The rare virus causes a rash and fever and is endemic to remote parts of Central and West Africa. Health experts are calling the current outbreak the largest outside Africa in 50 years. The World Health Organization has recorded more than 90 cases in a dozen countries. Israel confirmed its first case late on Saturday and Denmark on Monday.

Health officials insist the virus has shown no sign of a mutation and remains an overall low risk. Monkeypox does not usually spread easily between people, but it can be passed on through close person-to-person contact.

Australia elects a new prime minister—Now we head over to Australia, where a Labor Party victory ends nearly a decade of conservative leadership.

AUDIO: [Sound of cheering]

During a victory party in Sydney, new prime minister Anthony Albanese said it was an “extraordinary honor” to lead the country. Albanese said his humble beginning as the son of a single mother living in social housing reflects a change in the country.

ALBANESE: My Labour team will work every day to bring Australians together. And I will lead a government worthy of the people of Australia, a government as courageous and hardworking and caring as the Australian people are themselves.

Analysts say the result signals a rejection of how his predecessor’s administration handled several issues, including the pandemic, women’s rights, and natural disasters.

Shortly after he was sworn in on Monday, Albanese flew to Tokyo to attend the Quad summit meeting with President Joe Biden and leaders from Japan and India.

Bangladesh flooding—And finally, we end today in Bangladesh.

AUDIO: [Sound of rain, bike passing]

The country’s northeast region is still recovering from its worst flooding in nearly two decades. Authorities say at least 60 people died and rescue workers are still struggling to assist the 2 million affected people.

AUDIO: [Woman speaking in Bengali]

This woman said the floodwaters ruined her home and still remain at knee-deep levels.

In neighboring northeast India, days of flooding and landslides killed about 50 people and sent nearly 100,000 others to relief camps. National forces joined state rescue workers to clear roads, help the stranded, and distribute clean water and food to the affected communities.

That’s this week’s World Tour. Reporting for WORLD, I’m Onize Ohikere in Abuja, Nigeria.

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