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☆ Kenya Plans to Bypass Court Order in Haiti Deployment
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Abdi Latif Dahir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Kenya’s government will not await a court of appeal ruling before deploying its forces to Haiti, a senior government official said, further underscoring the government’s determination to move ahead with the proposed multinational force aimed at bringing stability to the gang-ravaged Caribbean nation. Abraham Korir Sing’Oei, the principal secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told The New York Times in an interview that Kenya and Haiti were working to finalize a bilateral agreement in the next two weeks and that, once in place, Kenyan forces would immediately deploy. The declaration from Mr. Sing’Oei comes just a week after the country’s High Court blocked the deployment of 1,000 police officers, saying it could go ahead only if there was a “reciprocal arrangement” detailing the framework under which Kenyan forces can operate in Haiti. Mr. Sing’Oei said the High Court provided a legal pathway for the deployment, namely the bilateral reciprocal arrangement with Haiti. But he said the government was appealing the decision to a higher court anyway to seek clarifications on some findings the government “finds problematic.”

Persons: Abraham Korir Sing’Oei, Sing’Oei, Kenya’s Organizations: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, New York Times, Kenyan Locations: Haiti, Caribbean, Kenya

At the center of that growth are newer genres of Afrobeats — the renowned blend of distinct West African music styles — and amapiano, which fuses South African kwaito with African jazz, house music and soulful vocals. The 2022 track became the first led by an African artist to hit 1 billion Spotify streams and has the record for the most weeks — 64 — spent on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart. And some tracks meld the genres under the African music umbrella. That reach is particularly interesting considering that African music is produced for its people, embodying all aspects of their lives from their culture and experiences to their struggles, LeriQ says. The continent leads mobile device web traffic in the world, according to the U.S. International Trade Administration, translating to more market opportunities for artists.

Persons: ”, Burna Boy’s, Rema’s, Selena Gomez, —, Joey Akan, ‘, Burna, ’, Musa Keys, Boy, Istanbul's, Rema, Davido, Tina Davis, Olamide's, Angélique Kidjo, LeriQ, Nay, Mitego, Chika Anene, gatekeepers, Eric Wainaina, G’bemi Ereku, Nigeria —, Jhello, ” ___ Mureithi, Maria Sherman Organizations: FIFA, International Federation of, Phonographic Industry's, Spotify, Afrobeats Intelligence, UEFA Champions League, Pew Research, U.S . International Trade Administration, United, Afro Nation, AP Locations: ABUJA, Nigeria, Nigerian, Saharan Africa, African, South Africa, Africa, Tanzania, Abuja, Kenyan, Lagos, United States, Statista, Nairobi, Kenya, Johannesburg, Los Angeles

☆ Nairobi fire: Huge gas explosion in Kenyan capital kills at least 2, injures hundreds
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Mitchell Mccluskey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A gas explosion in Kenya’s capital on Thursday night killed at least two people and injured 222 others, according to authorities in the East African country. Video posted on social media shows an explosion resulting in a huge fireball. Luis Tato/AFP/Getty ImagesFiremen fight a blaze following a series of explosions in the Embakasi area of Nairobi, Kenya on February 2, 2024. Luis Tato/AFP/Getty ImagesThe Kenya Red Cross said it had evacuated 271 people to hospitals around Nairobi and was “tirelessly battling the flames” alongside other agencies. A command center has been set up at the scene to coordinate rescue operations and other intervention efforts, spokesperson Mwaura said, adding the scene was now secured.

Persons: Isaac Maigua Mwaura, Mwaura, Luis Tato, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Nairobi West Hospital, Firemen, Getty, Cross Locations: East, Nairobi’s Embakasi, Nairobi, Embakasi, Kenya, AFP

☆ After Help From Kenyan Police Is Blocked, Haitians Ask: What Now?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Frances Robles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Gangs have taken over entire neighborhoods in Haiti’s capital, and killings have more than doubled in the past year, but for the organizers of the Port-au-Prince Jazz Festival, the show simply had to go on. So while judges an ocean away deliberated whether to send a contingent of officers to pacify Haiti’s violence-riddled streets, festival organizers made do by shortening the length of the event to four days from eight, moving the acts from a public stage to a restricted hotel venue and replacing the handful of artists who canceled. As 11.5 million Haitians struggle to feed their families and ride the bus or go to work because they fear becoming the victims of gunmen or kidnappers, they also are pushing forward, struggling to reclaim a safe sense of routine — whether or not that comes with the assistance of international soldiers. “We need something normal,” said Miléna Sandler, the executive director of the Haiti Jazz Foundation, whose festival is taking place this weekend in Port-au-Prince, the capital. “We need elections.”

Persons: ”, Miléna Sandler Organizations: Prince Jazz Festival, Haiti Jazz Foundation Locations: Haiti’s, Port

☆ Kenya court blocks deployment of police officers to Haiti
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Larry Madowo | Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Nairobi, Kenya CNN —A judge in Kenya has barred the East African nation from deploying 1,000 police officers to Haiti to lead a UN-backed multinational force to restore security in the Caribbean nation. High Court judge Chacha Mwita ruled on Friday that President William Ruto and his National Security Council do not have the authority to send police officers to Haiti or any other country under Kenyan law. But Kenyan politician Ekuru Aukot led a legal challenge to the planned in deployment in court, terming it unconstitutional. “There’s no reciprocal arrangement between Kenya and Haiti and there can be no legitimate deployment of police officers to Haiti,” Judge Mwita said when he read his ruling in Nairobi. Gang violence rose by more than 100% in Haiti last year with over 8000 victims documented, according to UN data.

Persons: Kenya CNN —, Chacha Mwita, William Ruto, United States “, Ekuru Aukot, “, ” Judge Mwita, Martin Kimani, Kimani, Jean Victor Geneus, ” Organizations: Kenya CNN, National Security Council, Kenyan, United, State Department, UN Security, UN, African, Security Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Haiti, UN, Caribbean, United States, – Antigua, Barbuda, Bahamas, Jamaica

☆ Kenyan Court Says Police Cannot Deploy to Haiti Mission
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

NAIROBI (Reuters) - A Kenyan court on Friday blocked the government from sending police officers to Haiti to lead a U.N.-approved mission aimed at helping the Caribbean nation tackle gang violence. An opposition party in October challenged the government's decision to send 1,000 officers to address a deepening crisis in Haiti, where gangs have forced around 200,000 people to flee their homes. High Court Judge Chacha Mwita said Kenya could only deploy officers abroad if a "reciprocal arrangement" was in place with the host government. "Any further action or steps taken by any state organ or state officer in furtherance of such a decision, contravene the Constitution and the law and is therefore an unconstitutional, illegal and invalid," Mwita said. (Reporting by George Obulutsa and Humphrey Malalo; Editing by Aaron Ross)

Persons: Chacha Mwita, Mwita, George Obulutsa, Humphrey Malalo, Aaron Ross Organizations: Kenyan Locations: NAIROBI, Haiti, Caribbean, Kenya

A Kenyan court on Friday prohibited the deployment of 1,000 Kenyan police officers to Haiti, jeopardizing a multinational security force charged with stabilizing the chaos-hit Caribbean island nation before it even got off the ground. The force, which is backed by the United Nations and financed by the United States, had been stalled since October, when Kenyan opponents of the mission challenged it in court, calling it unconstitutional. “An order is issued prohibiting the deployment of Kenyan police officers to Haiti or any other country,” Justice Chacha Mwita said at the conclusion of a judgment that took 40 minutes to read. The international force was meant to help break the grip of the armed gangs that control most of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and have turned Haiti into one of the world’s most dangerous nations. Haiti’s government has pleaded for foreign military forces to be sent in to restore order, but the United States and Canada have been unwilling to commit their own troops.

Persons: Chacha Mwita Organizations: Kenyan, United Nations Locations: Haiti, jeopardizing, United States, Port, Canada

☆ Lavazza calendar: African photographers are celebrating the birthplace of coffee
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Arya Jyothi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Every year since 1993, the Italian coffee manufacturer has produced a photography calendar, featuring images from the likes of Helmut Newton, David La Chapelle and Annie Leibovitz. This year’s edition celebrates the African continent as the birthplace of coffee (widely considered to be Ethiopia). But the theme itself, for me, was so powerful,” said 33-year-old Kenyan photographer Thandiwe Muriu. Photo by Thandiwe Muriu / 2024 Lavazza CalendarFor 31-year-old South African photographer and filmmaker Aart Verrips, the Lavazza project, and its emphasis on Africa and African creatives, is a big step forward in terms of recognition. “I brought that [theme] into every kind of image [for the Lavazza calendar],” said Verrips.

Persons: Helmut Newton, David La Chapelle, Annie Leibovitz, Thandiwe, Aart Verrips, Daniel Obasi, Giuseppe e, ”, Thandiwe Muriu, “, ” Muriu, Muriu, ” Verrips, Daniel Obasi’s, Obasi, ” Obasi, we’ve Organizations: CNN, Lavazza Locations: Ethiopia, “, Africa, African, Europe, Badagry, Lagos State

☆ UN Urges Measures to Stop Arms Trafficking Fueling Haiti's Gang Wars
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Sarah Morland(Reuters) - The head of the United Nation's drugs and crime office on Thursday warned of a "vicious cycle" of arms trafficking to increasingly powerful Haitian gangs, fueling an internal conflict and worsening violence across the Caribbean. "It's more important than ever to take every measure possible to prevent illicit flows," the UNODC's executive director, Ghada Waly, told a U.N. Security Council meeting, saying arms trafficking and gang activity were feeding off each other. A recent UNODC report found that most illegal firearms seized in Haiti came from the United States, notably Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Texas and California. After the Dominican Republic shut its border with Haiti, smugglers were turning to more remote routes including clandestine airstrips, the report said. No date has been set for deployment, which Haiti requested in October 2022.

Persons: Sarah Morland, Ghada Waly, U.N, Robert Wood, Kenya's, Tirana Hassan, Hassan, Jose de la, Michelle Nichols, Leslie Adler Organizations: Reuters, Security, Taurus, Glock, Beretta, Smith, Wesson, Kenyan, Rights Watch, Tirana Locations: Haiti, United States, Florida , Arizona, Georgia, Texas, California, Caribbean, U.S, Dominican Republic, Ecuador

☆ An Olympic Dream Falters Amid Track’s Shifting Rules
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Jeré Longman | More About Jeré Longman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Maximila Imali, a top Kenyan sprinter, did not lose her eligibility to compete in the Paris Olympics because she cheated. She did not fail a doping test. Instead, she is set to miss this year’s Summer Games because she was born with a rare genetic variant that results in naturally elevated levels of testosterone. And last March, track and field’s global governing body ruled that Ms. Imali’s biology gave her an unfair advantage in all events against other women, effectively barring her from international competition. As a result, Ms. Imali, 27, finds her Olympic dream in peril and her career and her livelihood in limbo.

Persons: Maximila, Imali Organizations: Kenyan, Paris Olympics Locations: Paris

☆ Pope Francis Calls for Release of Nuns, Other Hostages Kidnapped in Haiti
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday called for the release of hostages, including six nuns, who were kidnapped on a bus in Haiti on Friday, and said he was praying for social harmony in the country. Armed gunmen hijacked a bus in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince with at least six nuns on board and drove off to an unknown destination taking all passengers hostage, Vatican News reported on Saturday, citing the Haitian Conference of Religious group. "I have learned with sorrow of the kidnapping, in Haiti, of a group of people, including six religious sisters", Pope Francis said after his weekly Angelus prayer. The violence comes ahead of a court decision expected on Jan. 26 on a Kenyan-led multinational force to address gang violence in the country, one of the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. (Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro; Editing by Conor Humphries)

Persons: Pope Francis, Ariel Henry, Gianluca Semeraro, Conor Humphries Organizations: VATICAN CITY, Vatican, Haitian, Religious, Kenyan Locations: Haiti, Port

A Kenyan judge on Wednesday said that a doomsday cult leader who the authorities say directed his followers to starve themselves must undergo a mental health evaluation before prosecutors formally charge him with the murders of 191 children. Mr. Mackenzie had marketed Shakahola to his followers as an evangelical Christian sanctuary from what he claimed was the fast-approaching apocalypse. Mr. Mackenzie — who has denied the allegations — appeared in court on Wednesday in the Kenyan coastal city of Malindi. The judge, Mugure Thande, gave prosecutors until Feb. 6 to make sure that he and his co-defendants are fit to stand trial. The prosecutor’s office shared with journalists a list of charges that it intends to bring against Mr. Mackenzie and 30 of his followers, including 191 counts of child murder.

Persons: Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, Mackenzie, Shakahola, Mackenzie —, —, Mugure Thande Organizations: Kenyan, Mr Locations: Shakahola, Kenya, Malindi

☆ Paul Mackenzie: Alleged Kenyan cult leader and suspects to face charges, prosecutor says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Bethlehem Feleke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Nairobi, Kenya CNN —Alleged Kenyan Christian cult leader Paul Mackenzie and 94 other suspects will face 10 charges for their involvement in a deadly cult, according to a statement from the office of the director of public prosecutions on Tuesday. The suspects will be charged with murder, manslaughter, and assault causing bodily harm, the statement listed. At least 429 bodies were recovered from the forest in eastern Kenya where Mackenzie and his followers were living. The suspects will face charges of subjecting a child to torture, cruelty to a child, and infringing a child’s right to education. All 95 suspects will be formally charged in court in the town of Malindi on Wednesday.

Persons: Kenya CNN —, Paul Mackenzie, Mackenzie Organizations: Kenya CNN, Kenyan Christian Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Malindi

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Tanzania on Monday announced it had withdrawn approval for neighboring Kenya's flagship carrier Kenya Airways to operate a passenger service between the countries beginning next week. A statement from the Tanzanian Civil Aviation authority said the move was in response to Kenya Civil Aviation Authority denying Air Tanzania the approvals it needed to operate all cargo flights between the two countries. The statement said the ban on Kenya Airways passenger flights will start on Jan. 22. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesKenya has previously blocked the importation of milk from Uganda and farm produce from Tanzania. Tanzania has restricted importation of onions to Kenya, leading to skyrocketing prices for the essential commodity.

Organizations: —, Monday, Kenya Airways, Tanzanian Civil Aviation, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, Air, Tanzanian, East African Community, Kenya, East African Court, Justice, Uganda National Oil Co Locations: NAIROBI, Kenya, — Tanzania, Air Tanzania, Tanzania, Uganda, Mombasa, Kampala

☆ Starbucks sued for alleged deceptive marketing of its ‘100% ethically’ sourced coffee
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Parija Bhatnagar | Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Starbucks is being sued by a consumer advocacy group alleging that the global coffee chain falsely and deceptively advertises the “committed to 100% ethical sourcing” claim on its coffee and tea products. There are significant human rights and labor abuses across Starbucks’ supply chain,” she said. Practices sourcing certification. Starbucks developed its own sourcing standards called Coffee And Farmer Equity Practices, or C.A.F.E in 2004. Greenberg said her group is seeking to restrict Starbucks from further engaging in deceptive advertising and to run a corrective advertising campaign.

Persons: “, ”, ” Sally Greenberg, Greenberg Organizations: New, New York CNN, National Consumers League, Starbucks, CNN, SCS Global Services, BBC Locations: New York, Washington, India, Brazilian, Brazil

☆ Period poverty: How air pollution in Kenya could make periods heavier, more painful and more expensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Elizabeth Wells | Eoin Mcsweeney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Studies have linked air pollution to an increased risk of endometriosis , a condition that causes tissue like what lines the womb to grow outside of the uterus. Compared with Kenya, women can more easily access anti-inflammatory drugs and birth control commonly used to manage painful periods. She believes that the new research on air pollution should be a major concern for the millions of women struggling to manage their periods in Nairobi. Kenyan Senator Gloria Orwoba is calling for more research on the link between air pollution and women's reproductive health. Now, she tells CNN, targeted government intervention is needed to address the possible effects of air pollution on menstrual cycles.

Persons: Alice Shikuku, Shikuku, Mercy, Audrey Gaskins, we've, Gaskins, Oscar Lee, Lee, Emmie Erondanga, Miss Koch, Erondanga, Wanjiru Kepha, Kepha, Wanjiru, Damaris Atieno, Atieno, Sen, Gloria Orwoba, Orwoba, William Ruto's, she's, I'm Organizations: CNN, US Agency for International Development, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, China Medical University, World Health Organization, Miss, Huru International, Kenya, Kenyan, William Ruto's United Democratic Alliance Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Korogocho, United States, Taiwan, Taichung, Shikuku's, Dandora, Miss Koch Kenya, Mukuru, Miss, Wanjiru Kepha

There’s a genocide in the making in Darfur, Sudan — for the second time in 20 years. This time, the violence is happening on President Biden’s watch, and he and his administration have not done enough to stop it. In recent weeks, Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, a mercenary-commercial enterprise, has overrun four of the five main cities in Darfur, a region in western Sudan. After the Rapid Support Forces seized the town of Ardamata on Nov. 4, some 1,500 people were slaughtered, according to a Darfur human rights group. The paramilitaries are mobile and ferocious, and their adversaries in the regular army, the Sudan Armed Forces in Darfur are demoralized and outgunned.

Persons: Sudan —, Biden’s, Biden, El Fasher, Omar al, Bashir, Darfuri Organizations: Kenyan, Sudan’s, Rapid Support Forces, Sudan Armed Forces Locations: Darfur, Sudan, Ardamata, North Darfur, El

☆ Kenya Doomsday Cult Leader Jailed for Unlicensed Film Production
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

NAIROBI (Reuters) - The leader of a Kenyan doomsday cult, in which authorities believe more than 400 members may have died, was jailed on Friday for 12 months for producing and distributing films without a licence. Police have exhumed hundreds of bodies from mass graves in Shakahola forest in the country's southeast. Mackenzie handed himself in to police in April and has repeatedly been denied bail while investigations continue into the mass deaths. He has not yet been charged for his alleged role in the deaths or entered a plea. On Friday Magistrate Olga Onalo found the self-styled pastor guilty of operating a film studio, producing films and showing them to members of the public without a valid licence.

Persons: Paul Mackenzie, Mackenzie, Olga Onalo, James Mouko, Humphrey Malalo, Hereward Holland, William Maclean Organizations: Good News International Church, . Police, Local Locations: NAIROBI, Kenyan

The Kaunda suit has become a choice attire for African celebrities, elders and politicians in recent years, including one particularly high-profile convert — Kenya’s president, William Ruto. A single-breasted safari jacket with short or long sleeves and patch pockets — often worn with matching pants — it was initially made popular in the 1960s by Kenneth Kaunda, the first post-colonial president of Zambia. But the Kaunda suit was banned from the Kenyan Parliament this week, along with other forms of traditional African dress and tightly-fitted clothing for women. The Kenyan speaker of Parliament decreed that such attire violates the parliamentary dress code — which largely conforms to a modern Western working wardrobe. A fashion trend like the Kaunda suit “does not accord with the seriousness of the proceedings of the house and its committees,” Moses Wetangula, the speaker of the Parliament, said in a speech on Tuesday.

Persons: Kaunda, —, William Ruto, Kenneth Kaunda, “, ” Moses Wetangula Organizations: Kenyan Locations: Zambia

☆ What to watch at COP28 on Friday?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

United Arab Emirates Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and COP28 President Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber speaks during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, November 30, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Alfiky Acquire Licensing RightsDUBAI, Dec 1 (Reuters) - This year's COP28 climate summit, being held in the glitzy Middle East city of Dubai, clicks into its first full day of scheduled events on Friday. Britain's King Charles III, who has spent decades working on environmental issues, is expected to address the conference. A second day of leaders' speeches is planned for Saturday. The summit's opening on Thursday featured pleas by the COP28 president, Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, for all parties to work together toward a consensus on the future of fossil fuels.

Persons: Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Amr Alfiky, Britain's King Charles III, William Ruto, Tayyip Erdogan, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Sultan Ahmed al, Jaber, Katy Daigle, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: United Arab Emirates Minister of Industry, Advanced Technology, United Nations, Change, United Arab Emirates, REUTERS, Rights, Kenyan, Saudi, Thomson Locations: Dubai, United Arab, East

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The Kenyan High Court on Tuesday struck out key clauses of a contentious finance law that has been blamed for significantly raising taxes and the cost of living in East Africa’s largest economy. High court judges David Majanja, Christine Meoli and Lawrence Mugambi said parts of the Finance Act 2023, including a mandatory housing levy, were unconstitutional and couldn't be enforced. The housing levy is a significant agenda of President William Ruto, who has pledged to construct 1 million homes by 2027 under his affordable housing program already underway in parts of the country. It led to mass protests in the capital, Nairobi, and parts of western Kenya where the opposition enjoys big support. “Every day we receive notifications from employers on their intent to declare redundancy,” the federation said.

Persons: David Majanja, Christine Meoli, Lawrence Mugambi, couldn't, William Ruto, Herman Manyora Organizations: Kenyan High Court, Monetary Fund, Federation of Kenyan Employers Locations: NAIROBI, Kenya, East Africa’s, Nairobi

☆ Kenyan Parliamentary Committee Call for Reforms to Electoral Body
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The bipartisan committee formed to study opposition grievances wants the electoral commission reconstituted and an audit of the last presidential election. As a result, the committee was formed in August with the backing of a parliamentary resolution and was mandated to study the grievances and propose necessary policy reforms to the government. In its report, the committee recommended the "restructuring and reconstitution" of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the country's electoral body. "The committee recommended the appointment of a panel of experts who would evaluate the 2022 electoral process and a mechanism for evaluating future elections." The government, the committee said in the report, should also review its tax policy, rationalise public expenditure and expand the reach of social protection.

Persons: Humphrey Malalo, William Ruto, Raila Odinga, Hussein Mohamed, Ruto, Elias Biryabarema, Giles Elgood Organizations: Kenyan, Reuters, Sunday, Independent, Commission, Kenya State House Locations: Humphrey Malalo NAIROBI, Kenya

☆ Kenyan parliamentary committee call for reforms to electoral body
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Humphrey Malalo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Persons: Baz Ratner, William Ruto, Raila Odinga, Hussein Mohamed, Ruto, Humphrey Malalo, Elias Biryabarema, Giles Elgood Organizations: Kenyatta International Convention, REUTERS, Rights, Kenyan, Reuters, Sunday, Independent, Commission, Kenya State House, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Rights NAIROBI

☆ Death toll from flooding in Somalia climbs to nearly 100
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOGADISHU, Nov 25 (Reuters) - The number of people killed by floods from heavy rains in Somalia has climbed to 96, state news agency SONNA said on Saturday. "Somalia's flood death toll climbs to 96," SONNA said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, adding the figure had been confirmed by Mahamuud Moallim, the head of the country's disaster management agency. Like the rest of east and Horn of Africa, Somalia has been battered by relentless heavy rains that begun in October, caused by the El Nino and Indian Ocean Dipole weather phenomena. The flooding has been described as the worst in decades and has displaced about 700,000 people, according to the United Nations. The intense rains have unleashed widespread flooding across the country, triggering displacement and exacerbating an already existing humanitarian crisis caused by years of insurgency.

Persons: SONNA, Mahamuud Moallim, Abdi Sheikh, Abdiqani, Elias Biryabarema, Mark Potter Organizations: El Nino, United Nations, Kenyan, Cross, Thomson Locations: MOGADISHU, Somalia, Horn of Africa, Kenya

☆ COP28: Sultan Al Jaber, UAE’s oil chief, is proving popular in the developing world, despite criticisms from the West
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Elizabeth Wells | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But long-promised finance from rich countries to help it make a green transition simply hasn’t arrived, President Wavel Ramkalawan told CNN in May. But Al Jaber’s decision to focus on increasing finance to help developing countries shift to renewable energy is helping his popularity in the Global South. A 2022 UN-backed report calculated developing countries will need about $2 trillion a year by 2030. “We have seen the West only being extractive and very opportunistic, and actually kept developing countries dependent on fossil fuels,” he said. “It needs to buy more time to diversify its economy further and wants to capitalize on its energy resources for as long as possible,” Vakil told CNN.

Persons: hasn’t, Wavel Ramkalawan, “ We’re, ” Ramkalawan, “, Al Jaber, Al Jaber’s, COP28, ” Al Jaber, Sultan Al Jaber, Abu, Christopher Pike, ADNOC, William Ruto, Masdar, Al Jaber —, ” Ruto, Simone Boccaccio, it’s, Harjeet Singh, Sanim Vakil, ” Vakil, ” Organizations: CNN, UN, Dubai, Abu, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, US, COP28, Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition, Bloomberg, Kenyan, UAE, Climate, North Africa, Chatham House Locations: Seychelles, Canadian, Africa, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, UAE, Kenya, Egypt, Turkana, UN

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