US' Vice-President announces $16M support for Zambia to fight corruption

By James Kunda, LUSAKA Zambia

United States Vice President, Kamala Harris kicked off a visit to Zambia on Friday, announcing a support package for the Southern African nation to fight corruption and promote good governance.

"I am pleased to announce more than $16 million in a new program for Zambia, including a focus on anti-corruption and other reform efforts," Harris told a joint press conference in the capital Lusaka with her host, President Hakainde Hichilema.

Harris arrived in Lusaka past midday, after a series of tours in Ghana and Tanzania, and her visit came after a day after Zambia co-hosted the second Summit for Democracy along with the US, Netherlands, Korea, and Costa Rica.

She said the summit was critical for Africa in cementing its democratic tenets to promote good governance on the continent.

Zambia is the last stop on a three-nation, weeklong African tour for Harris, the US’ first biracial vice president, of mixed Black and Asian heritage.

Harris also made a pledge to help Africa's number two copper producer restructure its more than $13 billion external debt under the G-20 framework supported by an IMF program.

Hichilema expressed concern that the debt overhang was negating strides by his administration to reconstruct the country's economy, two years after he took over office.

He asked Harris to help push the G-20 to help restructure Zambia’s debt so that his country can attract more foreign investment.

Taking questions from reporters, the duo brushed speculation that their meeting was centered on discussing China's influence on Africa.

"We squarely focused on further deepening Zambia-US ties and how we can work together for the mutual benefit of our people," Harris said.

Hichilema said his administration had chosen the route of economic diplomacy, which includes working unconditionally with both Washington and Beijing, adding that the world's two largest economies must work together for the benefit of the least-developed world. - Africa

WSJ reporter arrested by Russia for espionage

WASHINGTON, US

Working as a journalist in Moscow seemed a natural fit for Evan Gershkovich, the son of immigrants from the Soviet Union who grew up speaking Russian at home in Princeton, N.J.

After he graduated in 2014 from Bowdoin College, one of the country’s most selective schools, however, “it took me awhile to figure out that journalism was the career for me,” he said in a 2020 interview on the school’s website.

Now Russia’s Federal Security Service says the 31-year-old American reporter for The Wall Street Journal has been arrested on charges of espionage. The FSB, the country’s top security agency and successor to the KGB, said Gershkovich was collecting information on an enterprise of the military-industrial complex.

The Journal denied the allegations and demanded his release.

Sarah Conly, a retired philosophy professor at Bowdoin, recalled that Gershkovich was unafraid to speak up while other students hung back.

“He was lively and outspoken and not afraid to express his views,” she said in an email. “I have followed his career with admiration and am horrified at this outcome.”

After college, Gershkovich worked for an environmental organization in Southeast Asia, then moved to New York and worked as a cook until joining The New York Times as a clerk on the foreign desk.

Two years later, excited by what he’d learned at the Times, he wanted to get reporting experience and found a slot in 2017 at the Moscow Times, an English-language news site in the Russian capital.

“When you start reporting in Russia, you often hear that it will be very hard to get people to talk,” he said in the Bowdoin interview. “And while that may be true of Russian officialdom -– though not all of it -– I have found that if you go looking for the right people, many of them want to tell their stories.

“Of course, some will want their comments to be from an unnamed source, which means, as a reporter, you have to make sure you speak to them over encrypted channels and protect their identities. But they’re out there,” he said.

Gershkovich later moved to the French news agency Agence France-Presse and then to the Journal.

Friends and colleagues were shocked by the news and took to social media to describe him as a committed journalist, dismissing the allegations as bogus and ridiculous.

“Journalism is not a crime,” they posted.

Henry Foy, the Financial Times’ European diplomatic correspondent based in Brussels, tweeted: “Evan is an exemplary foreign correspondent, a brilliant reporter and a wonderful, kind-hearted friend.”

Joshua Yaffa, a Russia-Ukraine reporter for The New Yorker, posted: “Evan was not unaware or naïve about the risks. It’s not like he was in Russia because no one bothered to tell him it was dangerous. He is a brave, committed, professional journalist who traveled to Russia to report on stories of import and interest.”

Oliver Carrol, a foreign correspondent for The Economist, tweeted that he hopes Gershkovich’s bravery “carries through in these very dark hours. It’s something you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. Let alone Evan, who is one of the nicest guys in journalism.”

Many foreign journalists pulled out of Russia after the country enacted laws to punish anyone who discredits Russian forces in Ukraine, and the U.S. State Department has repeatedly advised all Americans to leave the country.

The new law has left many of the remaining journalists uncertain about what would be considered crossing the line. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “those carrying out normal journalistic activity will obviously keep working, if they have proper accreditation. There will be no problems with that.”

Russian political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya tweeted that ”the problem is that the recently updated legislation and the FSB’s interpretation of espionage today allow for the imprisonment of anyone who is simply interested in military affairs.”

Gershkovich is the first American reporter to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since 1986, when Nicholas Daniloff of U.S. News and World Report was arrested by the KGB. Daniloff was released without charge 20 days later in a swap for an employee of the Soviet Union’s U.N. mission who was arrested by the FBI, also on spying charges.

One other American is in prison on a spying conviction: former Marine and corporate security executive Paul Whelan, arrested in 2018 on charges the United States and his family say were trumped-up.

For Whelan’s brother David, Gershkovich’s arrest is painful.

“Our family is sorry to hear that another American family will have to experience the same trauma that we have had to endure for the past 1,553 days,” he said in a statement.

Kenya opposition in fresh protests amid government warning

By Evelyn Musambi, NAIROBI Kenya

Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga has led thousands of protesters in a third round of anti-government demonstrations on Thursday as the government warned that no more violent protests would be tolerated.

The opposition is blaming President William Ruto for the rising cost of living and alleges he illegally manipulated his election in last year’s polls, although the Supreme Court has upheld the validity of the election results.

Odinga says the protests will only stop after the government lowers the cost of basic food items and allows access to the 2022 election results from the electoral commission’s main computers.

Ruto, who on Thursday arrived back in the country from a four-day trip in Belgium and Germany, has remained adamant that the ongoing protests are illegal.

Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki, who is in charge of the police, on Wednesday said no more violent protests would be tolerated, stating “we must halt the descent.”

U.S Senator Chris Coons on Wednesday met Kenya’s Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua for what the Kenyan leader described as “strengthening ties.”

Coons also met opposition leader Odinga for talks about “upholding the constitution and the rule of law,” according to the Kenyan politician.

Police have been using force to disperse protesters and so far four people are reported to have died since the protests started last week.

Odinga said the protests will be held twice every week until the opposition’s demands are met. A governor from Odinga’s stronghold of Kisumu county had banned protests in the area but quickly rescinded and local government officials joined in Thursday’s demonstrations.

The protests have sparked counter violence against opposition targets. Last Monday saw the destruction of private property at former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s family farm outside the capital, Odinga’s gas cylinder manufacturing firm near the central business district and the burning of shops in Odinga’s stronghold of Kibera slums.

The independent Policing Oversight Authority is investigating four incidents of police shooting and killing protesters as well allegations that police failed to respond to a report on the damaging of private property. The authority has urged police to abide by the law while protecting life and property.

Civil society groups that include Amnesty Kenya and the Kenya Human Rights Commission have expressed concern over the abuse of human rights by the police during the protests and urged police to uphold their service to humanity.

The African Union has called for calm and dialogue among stakeholders recalling a “successful conduct of the general elections and confirmation of the outcome by the Supreme Court.”

Western diplomatic missions in Kenya expressed concern over the violence and damage to places of worship and private property.

The Media Council of Kenya said that journalists have been attacked in the demonstrations and said it would work closely with the police to ensure perpetrators face the law.

U.S. vice president announces plans to step up trade with Tanzania

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania

United States Vice President, Kamala Harris, announced plans to boost trade with and investment in Tanzania during a visit there on Thursday, part of an African tour aimed at strengthening ties with a continent where China and Russia increasingly hold sway.

Harris started her trip on Sunday in Ghana before flying late on Wednesday to Tanzania’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam, where she met President Samia Hassan on Thursday.

The two gave short statements to the media before going into a longer session of private talks.

“Working together, it is our shared goal to increase economic investment in Tanzania and strengthen our economic ties,” Harris said, listing a number of initiatives.

They included a new memorandum of understanding between the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) and the government of Tanzania.

It will facilitate up to USD 500 million in financing to help U.S. companies export goods and services to Tanzania in sectors including infrastructure, transportation, digital technology, climate and energy security and power generation.

Harris also mentioned a new partnership in 5G technology and cybersecurity, as well as a U.S.-supported plan by LifeZone Metals to open a new processing plant in Tanzania for minerals needed for electric vehicle batteries.

“This project is an important and pioneering model, using innovative and low-emission standards. Importantly, raw minerals will soon be processed in Tanzania, by Tanzanians,” she said, adding that the plant would deliver battery-grade nickel to the United States and the global market from 2026.

China has invested heavily in Africa in the last two decades, and last November the Tanzanian president met China’s President Xi Jinping during a state visit to Beijing.

Trade and investment featured heavily on their agenda, with the leaders agreeing to “elevate two-way trade and further expand the trade volume” and China saying it would explore providing market access to more Tanzanian goods.

On Thursday, President Hassan said her “most important request” was to improve the visa process between the U.S. and Tanzania, as both countries would benefit from a “long duration visa” that would increase trade and tourism.

Under Hassan, Tanzania has returned to international engagement after a period of isolationism enforced by her predecessor John Magufuli, who cancelled all his ministers’ foreign trips and discouraged travel.

She has won praise from the West for restoring political rights suspended by Magufuli, who died in office in 2021.

“Madam President, under your leadership Tanzania has taken important and meaningful steps and President Joe Biden and I applaud you,” Harris said, standing alongside Hassan.

Magufuli had banned political rallies by anyone other than elected officials, cracked down on Tanzania's LGBT community and arrested scores of opposition supporters. He had also rejected COVID-19 vaccines and urged Tanzanians to put faith in prayer and treatments such as steam inhalation.

Hassan reversed the policies upon coming to power and earlier this month, Tanzania passed the milestone of fully vaccinating 50 percent of its population against the coronavirus.

But human groups say violations continue, including government targeting of online media outlets. Hassan’s education minister also banned a series of children’s books from schools last month for allegedly promoting homosexuality.

Harris, the latest of several high-profile figures from the U.S. administration to visit African countries in recent months, is due to stay in Tanzania until Friday, when she will depart for Zambia, the final stop on her tour.

Kenya opposition leader alleges assassination attempt

NAIROBI, Kenya

Kenya's opposition coalition party leader Raila Odinga has today alleged an assassination attempt on his life during Thursday’s anti-government protests in Nairobi.

The opposition chief, addressing the media in Karen, claimed his car was shot at seven times with live bullets, in what he believes was a direct attempt to take him out.

Mr. Odinga hence hit out at the President William Ruto-led government, accusing it of taking the country to pre-colonial times with what he termed as attacks against peaceful demonstrators merely exercising their rights.

He further slammed foreign nations for allegedly fanning the conflict instead of solving it by, first - and at the very least - standing on the fence and not taking sides.

"We condemn in the strongest terms possible what has happened today. Today is a very sad day in the history of this country. This shows that we’re degenerating into the colonial stage, where lives of Africans did not matter at all, because there’s no reason why police should use this kind of force against unarmed citizens who are merely exercising their democratic rights,” he said.

"My own car was hit seven times with live bullets, and the direction of the bullets were all aimed at me. These people have been threatening and blackmailing us, unfortunately the friends of this country are not helping. Look at the statement released by some ambassador based here, you would think that they live in a different country; they’re actually adding fuel to this conflict, instead of being independent and neutral arbiters.”

The former Prime Minister further condemned attacks on the press witnessed during Thursday protests, where at least four journalists from different media houses – among them Citizen TV – were hospitalised after reportedly being brutalised by both goons and police officers while covering the demos.

He also alleged a plot hatched by senior government officials to raid property owned by former President Uhuru Kenyatta, in what would’ve been reminiscent of the invasion of the ex-Head of State’s Northlands farm on Monday.

"It is very unfortunate that in the whole of these skirmishes, the media is being targeted for attack. The other day and today, several journalists have been injured,” he said.

"We also had information that they were planning to attack Uhuru’s farm, business, and residences.”

Mr. Odinga also maintained his grievances, stating that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) server should be opened and an audit done so that any doubts about the election are put to rest.

He added that the four disgraced and sacked IEBC commissioners led by former Vice Chair Juliana Cherera, should be reinstated.

Uganda flagged of 5,000 soldiers for peace mission in DRC

KAMPALA, Uganda

The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) yesterday flagged off about 5,000 soldiers for a peace mission in the troubled North Kivu Province of Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Commander of Land Forces, Lt Gen Kayanja Muhanga, arrives at Bunagana border before he flagged off the UPDF soldiers to DR Congo on March 29, 2023.

The Commander of Land Forces, Lt Gen Kayanja Muhanga, flagged off the soldiers who will cross to DR Congo through the Bunagana border in Kisoro District.

“Unlike the Shujaa Operation on the other side of the DR Congo where we directly attack the enemy, the mission here is to witness a process of achieving peace in Rutshuru Territory and the neighbouring areas in the North Kivu Province in the DR Congo.  We are deploying about 5,000 soldiers,” Lt Gen Muhanga said.

He added that they are not going to Congo as enemies of any group, but to implement the decisions of the East African heads of State on creating peace in the North Kivu Province.
The chairperson of Kisoro District, Mr Abel Bizimana, said he was excited that the UPDF soldiers had finally been flagged off to witness a peace process in the troubled DR Congo. 

He added that his district has already allocated about 620 acres at Kabaya public land for the UPDF so that it can plan the peacekeeping mission.

“We are optimistic that the construction and tarmacking of Bunagana-Goma road will be revived now that the UPDF have come in to pacify the area. We are also expecting the revival of cross border business in the area,” Mr Bizimana said.

The Kisoro Resident District Commissioner, Mr Shafiq Ssekandi, said an average of about 120 Congolese refugees cross into Kisoro every day.

“Although over 70,000 Congolese refugees crossed into Kisoro from March to December last year, about 4,800 have crossed into Kisoro since January to date. We are currently receiving an average of 120 Congolese refugees crossing into Uganda through the Bunagana border on a daily basis,” Mr Ssekandi said.

The commander of the UPDF contingent that was flagged off to DR Congo, Col Michael Walaka Hyeroba, reminded the soldiers about their responsibilities, especially observing maximum discipline and the rules of engagement.

“We appeal for support from local residents in both countries so that our mission can be successful. Our forces are well trained and they are ready for the mission,” Col Hyeroba said.

In March last year, fighting erupted between the M23 rebels and the Congolese government forces, and the former gained control of several parts in Rutshuru territory in North Kivu, capturing Bunagana and Kitagoma border posts with Uganda in Kisoro District. 

The fighting has also led to more than 70,000 Congolese refugees fleeing the area to Kisoro for their safety. Some were relocated to the refugee camps in western Uganda.

Local leaders, including the chairman of Buganaga Main Village in Bunagana Town Council in Kisoro, Mr Bubakare Nikwegye, and the Kisoro chairperson, Mr Abel Bizimana, later appealed to the government for the peace mission deal.

“We appeal to the government to consider giving food relief to the people living in Bunagana Town Council and other neighbouring sub-counties in Kisoro District because all the available food was shared with the fleeing Congolese refugees. We also appeal for financial support because several businesses were closed after the cross-border trade was stopped,” Mr Nikwegye said.

Tanzania among 'top 10' wealthiest countries in Africa

By Osoro Nyawangah, MWANZA Tanzania

With its growth driven by agriculture and services on the supply side and final consumption and investment on the demand side, Tanzania is among ten countries in Africa with the most millionaires in Africa standing at number ten in a recent report.

Mohammed "Mo" Gulamabbas Dewji is a Tanzanian billionaire businessman and former politician. He is the owner of MeTL Group, a Tanzanian conglomerate founded by his father in the 1970s. (Courtesy)

The Africa Wealth Report made available to The Africa, indicates that Tanzania takes tenth position below Africa's 'Big 5' wealth markets, namely South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, and Morocco, that together make up 56% of the continent's US$ high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) and over 90% of its billionaires.

With its millionaire growth of 20%, Tanzania is a home of 2,400 millionaires, six billionaires and one Centi-millionaires.

"Generally, the African continent currently holds investable wealth worth USD 2.4 trillion, and according to the recently published 2023 report by Henley & Partners in collaboration with New World Wealth, the population of millionaires is expected to increase by 42% over the next 10 years." Says the report.

As of now, the continent is home to 138,000 HNWIs with a wealth of USD 1 million or more, along with 328 centi-millionaires valued at USD 100 million or more and 23 US dollar billionaires.

Despite a challenging past decade, South Africa still has twice as many HNWIs as any other African country and accounts for an impressive 30% of the continent's centi-millionaires.

Egypt has the highest number of billionaires in Africa, while Mauritius has by far the highest wealth per capita (average wealth per person) at USD 37,500, followed by South Africa at USD 10,880 and Namibia at USD 10,050.

The report indicates that Africa's wealth market is growing steadily, offering opportunities for investors, entrepreneurs, and businesses looking to expand their operations in the region.

Johannesburg City, South Africa

Africa’s millionaire population is expected to rise by 42% over the next 10 years, reaching around 195,000 by 2032. Mauritius is predicted to be the standout, with 75% growth forecast for the next decade.

Strong high-net-worth individual growth of 60%+ is also forecast in Namibia, Rwanda, Zambia, the Seychelles, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Morocco.

Approximately 18,500 high-net-worth individuals have left Africa over the past decade (2012 to 2022). Most have relocated to the UK, the USA, and the UAE. Significant numbers have also moved to Australia, Canada, France, Israel, Monaco, New Zealand, Portugal, and Switzerland.

In terms of internal millionaire migration within the continent, approximately 1,200 high-net-worth individuals have moved between African countries over the 10-year period, with most relocating to Mauritius and South Africa.

A large number of billionaires have left Africa over the past 20 years or so. Notably, there are 52 African born billionaires globally, of whom only 23 still live on African soil.

This is a significant concern as many billionaires are entrepreneurs and company founders who therefore have the ability to create significant employment in their host countries. Billionaires rarely move for tax reasons. They usually relocate to expand their businesses or due to safety concerns.

List of African countries with the most millionaires:

Country	Millionaires (USD1m+)	Billionaires (USD1bn+)	Centi-millionaires (USD100m+)	Millionaire growth (2012 to 2022)
South Africa	37,800	98	5	-21%
Egypt	16,100	54	8	-25%
Nigeria	9,800	27	4	-30%
Kenya	7,700	15	-	30%
Morocco	5,800	28	4	28%
Mauritius	4,900	10	-	69%
Algeria	2,800	8	1	-26%
Ethiopia	2,700	4	-	23%
Ghana	2,600	5	-	24%
Tanzania	2,400	6	1	20%
Total	138,000	328	23	-12%

Africa’s millionaire population is expected to rise by 42% over the next 10 years, reaching around 195,000 by 2032. Mauritius is predicted to be the standout, with 75% growth forecast for the next decade.

Strong high-net-worth individual growth of 60%+ is also forecast in Namibia, Rwanda, Zambia, the Seychelles, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Morocco.

Approximately 18,500 high-net-worth individuals have left Africa over the past decade (2012 to 2022). Most have relocated to the UK, the USA, and the UAE. Significant numbers have also moved to Australia, Canada, France, Israel, Monaco, New Zealand, Portugal, and Switzerland.

In terms of internal millionaire migration within the continent, approximately 1,200 high-net-worth individuals have moved between African countries over the 10-year period, with most relocating to Mauritius and South Africa.

A large number of billionaires have left Africa over the past 20 years or so. Notably, there are 52 African born billionaires globally, of whom only 23 still live on African soil.

Sisa Ngebulana, South African built his property empire brick by brick through perseverance

This is a significant concern as many billionaires are entrepreneurs and company founders who therefore have the ability to create significant employment in their host countries. Billionaires rarely move for tax reasons. They usually relocate to expand their businesses or due to safety concerns.

Approximately USD 150 billion of Africa’s high-net-worth individual wealth is tied up with wealth managers and private banks. Typically, wealth managers in Africa target individuals with over USD 500,000 in investable assets.

Services that are in highest demand include asset management, financial planning, and inheritance planning.

South Africa (mainly Johannesburg) is the leading wealth management hub in Africa, with assets under management (AuM) of just over USD 85 billion (as at December 2022).

The African wealth management market is estimated to grow by an impressive 60% over the next decade, driven by strong AuM growth in most major markets.

As they are throughout the world, family offices are a fast-growing wealth management segment in Africa, and in South Africa in particular. They traditionally provide a more customized offering than wealth managers and private banks with services that include family education management, household staff management, intergenerational transfer and legal and tax services, philanthropy coordination, and property management in addition to the usual investment services.

Typically, family offices are exclusively for family members and family-related foundations, trusts, and venture capital companies. Single family offices are generally viable only for individuals with investable assets of over USD 50 million. - Africa

King Charles III makes World debut with visit to Germany

BERLIN, Germany

King Charles III arrived in Berlin on Wednesday for his first foreign trip as Britain's monarch, hoping to improve the U.K.'s relations with the European Union and show he can win hearts and minds abroad, just as his mother did for seven decades.

Britain's King Charles greets people as he visits Berlin, March 29, 2023. (Courtesy)

Charles and Camilla, the queen consort, landed at Berlin's government airport in the early afternoon. The king and his wife paused at the top of their plane's stairs to receive a 21-gun salute as two military jets performed a flyover.

The royal couple said in a joint statement, released on their official Twitter account, that it was a "great joy" to be able to develop the "longstanding friendship between our two nations."

An hour later, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Buedenbender, welcomed them with military honors at the German capital's historic Brandenburg Gate.

Soldiers hoisted the British and German flags as the national anthems were played. Steinmeier and Charles then strolled past the cheering, flag-waving crowd, shaking hands and chatting briefly with people. Journalists and security personnel trailed the royal couple and their German hosts as they made their way back to their motorcade.

Charles, 74, who ascended the throne after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September, is set to be crowned on May 6. As Britain's head of state, the king meets weekly with the prime minister and retains his mother's role as leader of the Commonwealth.

He had initially planned to visit France before heading to Germany, but the first leg of his trip was canceled due to massive protests over the French government's efforts to raise the country's retirement age by two years.

Billed as a multi-day tour of the EU's two biggest countries, the trip was designed to underscore British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's efforts to rebuild relations with the bloc after six years of arguments over Brexit and highlight the countries' shared history as they work together to combat Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Highlighting the diplomatic importance of the trip, Charles was accompanied by Britain's Foreign Secretary, James Cleverley.
Charles, a former naval officer who is the first British monarch to earn a university degree, is expected to insert heft where his glamorous mother once wielded star power.

During an afternoon reception and again at a white tie evening banquet at Palace Bellevue, the German president's official residence, Steinmeier remarked on the significance of Charles's first visit taking him to Berlin, calling it "a wonderful personal gesture and at the same time an important sign for German-British relations."

Steinmeier noted that Britain began the tortuous process of leaving the EU on March 29, 2017.

"For me personally, this was a sad day," he said. "Today, exactly six years later, we open a new chapter."

Steinmeier paid tribute to Charles' mother Elizabeth, stressing how much she had done to foster German-British ties.

"Your family stands for continuity, for stability, particularly in times of change," he said, noting that Charles, too, had visited Germany more than 40 times as a prince.

It was a subject picked up by Charles, who said the countries' friendship was of great importance to his mother, who enjoyed immense popularity in Germany.

"The relationship between Germany and the United Kingdom matters greatly to me too," he said. "I am more convinced than ever of its enduring value to us all."

"It means so much to us that my wife and I could come to Germany for this very first overseas tour of my reign," said Charles. "I can only assure you that throughout the time that is granted to me as king, I will do all I can to strengthen the connections between us."

Switching from English to near-flawless German, Charles insisted: "Our ties will become even stronger, I'm convinced of that, if we work together for a sustainable future in prosperity and security."

The banquet was attended by guests including former Chancellor Angela Merkel and scientist Ozlem Tureci, who co-founded the German company BioNTech that developed the first widely approved coronavirus vaccine.

On Thursday, the king is scheduled to give a speech to the Bundestag, Germany's parliament. He will also meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz, talk to Ukrainian refugees and meet with British and Germany military personnel who are working together on joint projects. In the afternoon he will visit an organic farm outside of Berlin.

The royal couple plan to go to Hamburg on Friday, where they will visit the Kindertransport memorial for Jewish children who fled from Germany to Britain during the Third Reich, and attend a green energy event before returning to the U.K.

The king was urged to make the trip by Sunak, who during his first six months in office negotiated a settlement to the long-running dispute over post-Brexit trading rules for Northern Ireland and reached a deal with France to combat smugglers ferrying migrants across the English Channel in small boats. Sunak hopes goodwill created by a royal visit can help pave the way for progress on other issues, including Britain's return to an EU program that funds scientific research across Europe. - VoA