WEST AFRICA: Regional bloc Ecowas lifted travel restrictions and sanctions on Niger at the weekend, as it begged Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso — three countries which have all undergone military coups opposed to French military and economic dominance — to reconsider their withdrawal.

It’s a climbdown as Niger has not met any of the bloc’s demands, which included an elections timeline and the release of the former president from custody.

It also lifted a ban on Malian individuals holding Ecowas positions.

FRANCE: The Eiffel Tower reopened to visitors today after strikes shut it for six days.

Employers agreed a €380 million (£325m) investment package in the landmark and negotiations over workers’ demand that pay increases reflect rising ticket sales revenue.

SOUTH AFRICA: Nine supporters died in a road crash today after President Cyril Ramaphosa launched the ANC’s election manifesto in Durban on Saturday in front of tens of thousands of supporters.

The ANC supporters were travelling back to their home province of Mpumalanga when their bus left the road and overturned, police said. A further 17 people were hurt.

INDONESIA: A moderately strong earthquake shook parts of Indonesia’s main island of Java and the country’s capital Jakarta late today. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

High-rises in Jakarta swayed for several seconds, two-storey homes shook strongly in West Java provincial capital Bandung and in Jakarta’s satellite cities of Bogor and Bekasi.

Indonesia, a seismically active archipelago of 270 million people, is prone to seismic upheaval because of its location on major geological faults known as the Pacific Ring of Fire but it’s uncommon for quakes to be felt in Jakarta.