Europe’s highest rights body on Tuesday called on Britain to scrap a controversial plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, saying it raised “major issues” over their rights and the rule of law.Britain’s parliament on Monday passed a bill under which asylum seekers would be deported to Rwanda to await a decision on their applications, …

Council of Europe calls on UK to scrap Rwanda migrant planTue, 23 Apr 2024 09:06:03 GMT Read More »

Less than a decade after founding Moshions, a fashion brand whose customers included Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, LGBTQ designer Moise Turahirwa’s career came to a crashing halt following their arrest a year ago.Turahirwa was charged after sharing a post on Instagram claiming that their passport was changed to reflect their gender.Now out on bail, the …

Rwandan LGBTQ fashion designer plans comeback after arrestTue, 23 Apr 2024 05:24:38 GMT Read More »

Controversial UK government plans for deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda cleared their final hurdle on Monday, after a marathon tussle between the upper and lower chambers of parliament lasting late into the night. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his ruling Conservatives have been seeking to push through legislation that will compel judges to regard the east …

UK-Rwanda migrant plan passes after parliament marathonMon, 22 Apr 2024 23:50:45 GMT Read More »

Yalex Masco Sene-Bembe, a passenger on an overloaded river boat that sank in the Central African Republic killing dozens, says he is still “in a state of shock” after rescuing four people.”I was on the roof of the whaler when I heard a first crack,” the 38-year-old recalls, followed by a second as the vessel …

Survivors tell of panic at C.Africa river boat disasterMon, 22 Apr 2024 17:51:19 GMT Read More »

Suspected jihadists in central Mali are holding more than 110 civilians they abducted six days ago, local sources told AFP on Monday.Three buses carrying the civilians were stopped on April 16 by “jihadists”, who forced the vehicles and the passengers to head towards a forest between Bandiagara and Bankass, a local group of associations and …

‘Jihadists’ kidnap over 110 civilians in MaliMon, 22 Apr 2024 13:54:31 GMT Read More »

A South African court on Monday allowed a new party backed by former president Jacob Zuma to use its name and logo in May’s general election, dismissing the ruling ANC’s allegation of trademark theft.The Durban high court ruled in favour of Zuma’s new party uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) in the latest blow to his former political …

S.Africa’s ANC loses court trademark battle with Zuma’s partyMon, 22 Apr 2024 13:29:13 GMT Read More »

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday promised to begin deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda in coming months as part of a plan to deter arrivals that has sparked controversy.”We are ready, plans are in place and these flights will go, come what may,” Sunak told a Downing Street news conference, hours before parliament is …

Rwanda deportation flights to take off ‘come what may’: UK’s SunakMon, 22 Apr 2024 11:13:46 GMT Read More »

The flat-bottomed boat “Miracle de Dieu” (God’s Miracle) has left Kinshasa on its long, unpredictable journey up the mighty Congo River. On board passengers jostle for space in between the masses of goods and merchandise, playing chequers to pass the time. They hope the trip won’t encounter any disasters — something all too common on the waterways …

Up the Congo River on an eventful voyage aboard ‘God’s Miracle’Mon, 22 Apr 2024 05:47:10 GMT Read More »

The renegotiation of mining and oil contracts announced by Senegal’s new president to benefit local populations would be “risky” for investment and future partnerships, industry players have warned.Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who became Africa’s youngest democratically elected president on a promise of radical reform, vowed on the campaign trail to prioritise renegotiating oil and gas contracts.A …

Senegal’s renegotiation of oil, mining contracts is ‘risky’: expertsMon, 22 Apr 2024 05:29:28 GMT Read More »

Global military expenditure saw its steepest increase in over a decade in 2023, reaching an all-time high of $2.4 trillion as wars and rising tensions fuelled spending across the world, researchers said Monday.Military spending rose across the globe with particularly large increases in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, according to a new report by …

Conflicts push military spending to ‘all-time high’: reportMon, 22 Apr 2024 00:12:28 GMT Read More »