Five things to know to start your Friday

Israel claims Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has been killed

The Israeli military said on Thursday that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed on Wednesday in southern Gaza.

“After completing the process of identifying the body, it can be confirmed that Yahya Sinwar was eliminated,” the Israeli military said.

“The dozens of operations carried out by the [Israeli military] and ISA [Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security service,] over the last year and in recent weeks in the area where he was eliminated restricted Yahya Sinwar’s operational movement as he was pursued by the forces and led to his elimination.”

The Israeli army and police carried out DNA checks to confirm Sinwar’s identity after it said its forces in Gaza had killed three people.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to take the plaudits for Sinwar’s killing but added that it did not mean the war on Gaza was over.

Hamas has not commented on the Israeli claims.

Kenya impeaches deputy president

The Kenyan Senate has voted to oust Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in a historic impeachment vote.

The upper house voted on Thursday to impeach the 59-year-old on five of the 11 charges against him, following two days of hearings.

The Senate only had to find him guilty of one charge to remove him from office.

He is the first deputy president to be removed in this manner since impeachment was introduced in Kenya’s revised 2010 constitution.

A similar motion against President William Ruto’s number two was overwhelmingly approved by the National Assembly last week.

FG plans N1.1bn private sector funding in power sector

The Federal Government has announced ambitious plans to secure N1.1bn in private sector funding for Nigeria’s power sector, according to Abba Aliyu, Managing Director of Rural Electrification Agency.

This announcement was made during the Nigeria Energy Summit in Lagos, organized by Informa Markets, under the theme “Breaking Barriers to the New Energy Era: Clean, Reliable and Sustainable.”

In addressing the nation’s electricity challenges, Aliyu explained that the government has implemented a comprehensive strategy that combines public resources with private sector investment.

The government has already allocated $750m to the sector, which is expected to attract the N1.1bn in private sector funding through co-financing arrangements. Rather than funding entire infrastructure projects, the government provides grants and subsidies to encourage private sector participation.

Okonjo-Iweala calls for increased renewable energy production

The World Trade Organisation’s Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has emphasised the critical need to dramatically increase renewable energy production and improve energy efficiency to meet climate change goals. Speaking at the fifth Trade and Environment Week in Geneva, she outlined specific targets: renewable energy production needs to triple, and energy efficiency must double by 2030 to maintain alignment with the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Okonjo-Iweala highlighted the transformative potential of trade policies in advancing environmental sustainability. “We are at a pivotal moment where trade policies have become a powerful catalyst for environmental sustainability and offer a versatile set of tools for people-oriented clean energy transition,” she stated.

She provided practical examples of how trade policy adjustments could support these goals. The WTO leader suggested that addressing current tariff structures, which tend to favour carbon-intensive goods over renewable energy equipment, could make low-carbon technologies more affordable and accessible. Additionally, she noted that reforming fossil fuel subsidies could serve two purposes: stimulating innovation in the energy sector whilst simultaneously reducing carbon emissions.

UN says 1.1bn people live in multidimensional poverty worldwide

A new report from the United Nations Development Programme and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative reveals that approximately 1.1 billion people worldwide are living in multidimensional poverty. The Global Multidimensional Poverty Index findings were published on Thursday to coincide with the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

The study, which surveyed 112 countries encompassing 6.3 billion people, defines multidimensional poverty as experiencing severe deprivations across three key areas: health, education and standard of living. Of particular concern is the finding that children under 18 make up more than half of those living in poverty, accounting for 584 million of the total.

The report paints a stark picture of daily life for these 1.1 billion people, with significant numbers lacking basic necessities such as adequate sanitation, proper housing and cooking fuel. Furthermore, the findings indicate that in each household classified as multidimensionally poor, at least one person is undernourished.