EU launches probe into Chinese medical procurement

he United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai said on Tuesday her office is concerned with the possibility of seeing Chinese electric cars enter the US market via Mexico. This comes as the Biden administration is looking to shield its auto industry from Chinese competitors as makes its EV transition. Also, Google launches new AI features on its search engine but faces protests over its ties with Israel.

Another showdown in the country that launched the so-called coloured revolutions. Georgia’s parliament has shrugged off some of the biggest protests in its post-Soviet history by approving a “foreign agents” bill that mirrors legislation in neighbouring Russia. The opposition argues it is the way for the government to curb media freedom and dissent in a country which only recently graduated to EU candidate status.

France has declared a state of emergency in its overseas territory of New Caledonia. Violence over a planned constitutional reform is threatening its already struggling economy. Plus, Boeing may face the criminal prosecution it had avoided back in 2021, with the US Justice Department accusing the planemaker of violating the terms of the deferred prosecution deal.

The naira recorded its first appreciation against the dollar at the official foreign exchange market after weeks of depreciation. Analysts say the decline is due to decline in dollar liquidity in the official market. Dipo Ajayi, the Head, Fixed Income and FX at Chapel Hill Denham Securities, joins CNBC Africa for this discussion.

Today the World Water Forum starts in Bali, where world leaders will discuss the sustainability of water resources for a week. To illustrate the issue of water management, we head to Panama. The Panama Canal, one of the world’s major maritime trade routes, has suffered a decline in its water levels ever since drought affected the country last year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has wrapped up his two-day visit to China, where he and his counterpart Xi Jinping pledged a "new era of strategic partnership". The two leaders had tea together and celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations at a gala, with the Chinese leader giving his guest a warm hug.