How killing of Sikh separatist champion led to strained diplomatic relations between Canada and India
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was a local leader in what remains of a once-strong movement to create an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan. The Khalistan movement is banned in India, but has strong support among the Sikh diaspora, particularly in Canada.
Kenya relocates 50 elephants to larger park as numbers grow and poaching clamped down
Experts started relocating 50 elephants last week to the expansive 780-square-kilometer (301-square-mile) Aberdare National Park in central Kenya. As of Monday, 44 elephants had been moved from Mwea to Aberdare, with six others scheduled for Tuesday.
Africa set to transform from relative clean-energy laggard to world energy sector leader
Kenya and Ethiopia are both exploiting their relatively easy access to geothermal sources and are constructing the lion’s share of geothermal capacity. And around 15,000 MW of hydro is being planned across Ethiopia, Egypt, Angola, Nigeria and Tanzania, while Nigeria also has a 4,800 MW nuclear plant in pre-construction.
World Bank revises downwards sub-Saharan Africa growth forecast for 2024 over Sudan
The sub-Saharan Africa region grew at a robust annual average of 5.3 per cent in 2000-2014 on the back of a commodity supercycle, but output started flagging when commodity prices crashed. The slowdown was accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Israel strikes north Lebanon town kills 21 people as UN raises concerns over peacekeepers’ safety
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting a military base in central Israel where four soldiers were killed on Sunday by a Hezbollah drone strike, said Israel would continue to attack the Iran-backed movement “without mercy, everywhere in Lebanon – including Beirut”.
Canada expels top India diplomats it accuses of organised crime and murder of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar
India said it had asked six Canadian diplomats to leave by Saturday. The ministry also said it had summoned Acting High Commissioner in India Stewart Wheeler, currently Canada’s top diplomat in the South Asian country.
Central Bank of Kenya allows JPMorgan Chase to set up representative office in Nairobi
The JPMorgan Chase representative office will contribute to the diversity of Kenya’s financial sector and catalyse trade and investments, the statement added.
Cameroon grab Cup of Nations finals place with win against Kenya, whose run in qualifiers may have ended
The victory moves Cameroon to 10 points from four games in the pool and ensured they cannot finish outside of the top two, which is enough to secure a place at the finals in Morocco.
River Nile riparian states announce commencement of water sharing accord minus Egypt’s nod
Tensions in the region have increased, stemming in part from Ethiopia’s construction of a $4 billion dam on the Blue Nile, a key tributary of the Nile River. Egypt fears the dam will have a devastating effect on water and irrigation supplies downstream unless Ethiopia takes its needs into account. Ethiopia plans to use the dam to generate badly needed electricity.
Uganda signs rail construction agreement with Turkey’s Yapi Merkezi
The rail section will run from the capital Kampala to Malaba at the border with Kenya, connecting landlocked Uganda to its neighbour’s rail network and on to the Indian Ocean seaport of Mombasa.
