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Kenya and Somalia Sign Bilateral Air Services Agreement
The Kenyan government and the Federal Republic of Somalia have signed a Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) that will streamline air travel between the two countries. The agreement was signed by Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Somalian Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Fardowsa Osman Egal on Wednesday, August 9, 2023, at Transcom House in Nairobi.
The BASA allows for the designated airlines of both countries to operate passenger and cargo flights between their respective territories. The agreement also includes provisions for code-sharing and technical cooperation between the two countries’ civil aviation authorities.
In a statement, Murkomen said that the BASA is a “significant milestone” in the relations between Kenya and Somalia. He said that the agreement will “boost trade and tourism between the two countries, and create jobs for the people of Kenya and Somalia.”
Egal, for her part, said that the BASA is a “win-win” for both countries. She said that the agreement will “facilitate the movement of people and goods between Kenya and Somalia, and help to promote economic development in both countries.”
The BASA is the latest in a series of agreements that have been signed by Kenya and Somalia in recent months. In March 2023, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on security cooperation. And in April 2023, they signed a trade agreement.
Rescue Boat Capsizes, 5 Ugandan Marine Officers Rescued
Five Ugandan marine officers were rescued on Sunday after their rescue boat capsized while they were recovering bodies from last week’s accident in Lake Victoria.
The accident last Tuesday involved an overloaded boat that was believed to be carrying 34 people. At least 20 people died in the accident, and nine people were rescued. The search for the remaining missing people is still ongoing.
On Saturday, police said they had only recovered five bodies, all women. They said they were facing challenges due to the rough conditions of the lake and heavy rainfall.
The Sunday incident “underscores the unpredictable nature of the lake and the challenging conditions that our dedicated marine officers face while executing their life-saving duties,” the police said.
The investigation into the accident is ongoing, and further details will be provided when available.
German jailed for 81 yrs in Kenya
A German national was Tuesday sentenced to 81 years by a Nairobi court which found him guilty on three counts of trafficking, indecent acts with minors, and child pornography.
Thomas Scheller, 73, was charged before principal Magistrate Caroline Njangi and received 30 years in prison for trafficking, 15 years for committing an indecent act with a child, and 7 years each for three counts of child pornography.
The German national is believed to have entered the country illegally. He was initially charged with defiling a minor between March and April 2020 in Kisumu county’s Nyalenda area.
He was also charged with intentionally and unlawfully recruiting, transporting, and harbouring a 13-year-old child for the purpose of exploitation through fraud, as well as showing a pornographic video to two young boys.
During the court proceedings, he claimed that he was being falsely accused of the crimes and that he only wanted to help the 13-year-old minor and her mother.
Cuba’s hottest month in 72 years puts pressure on infrastructure and resources
Cuba experienced its hottest month on record in July 2023, with average temperatures reaching 29.1 degrees Celsius (84.38 degrees Fahrenheit). This was the highest temperature ever recorded in the country since 1951.
The soaring temperatures on land and sea have put a strain on Cuba’s decrepit electric grid and fragile ocean resources. The high temperatures have also made it difficult for people to sleep at night, and have exacerbated food, fuel, and medicine shortages.
Sea surface temperatures around the Caribbean and the tropical Atlantic Ocean have also soared, boosting the prospects for the development of tropical storms and hurricanes through November. Cuban meteorologists expect 13 named storms during this year’s hurricane season, up slightly from a previous forecast in May of 11.
The warmer water around Florida could supercharge tropical storms and hurricanes, which build more energy over warmer waters. The balmy ocean around Cuba also contributes to keeping night-time temperatures over land uncomfortably warm on the island.
The surface ocean temperature in and around the Florida Keys, just 100 miles north of Cuba, reached typical hot tub levels in late July, killing off coral and stressing sealife. Cuba’s coral reefs have also suffered from rising temperatures, scientists have said.
The growing frequency and intensity of severe weather – both on land and in oceans – is symptomatic of global, human-driven climate change that is fueling extremes. Heatwaves are expected to persist through August.
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