There’s good news and bad news in Kenya’s latest trade figures, released by the National Bureau of Statistics. The good news is that exports jumped 17% in the January-November period last year to $5.9 billion. Higher regional demand, particularly from Uganda, for Kenyan food and industrial output helped to boost the figures. The bad news, however, is the country’s trade deficit widened a lot in that same period from $12 billion to $16 billion, mostly due to a surge of imported industrial supplies, machinery, and transportation equipment from China. (THE STAR)
The international law enforcement agency Interpol seized thousands of ivory pieces, pangolin scales and other illicit wildlife products in an eight-week operation against Africa-Asia trafficking syndicates. “Operation Golden Strike” involved 23 states including China and more than a dozen African countries. The agency said a number of suspects were arrested in the operation but did not specify how many or their country of origin. (INTERPOL)