British prime minister faces searing criticism by human rights groups after parliament passes deportation law
Michael O’Flaherty, the Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights, criticised the legislation for preventing asylum-seekers from asking the courts to intervene when they are they are threatened with being sent back to the countries they are fleeing.
World Bank suspends $150m funding for Tanzania tourism project citing extrajudicial killings, sexual abuse in parks
At least $100 million has already been disbursed for the project, which started in 2017. The suspension of World Bank financing took effect April 18. The Oakland Institute, a California-based rights watchdog whose work focuses on marginalized communities, for years led calls for the World Bank to stop funding the project known by the acronym REGROW, documenting serious rights abuses suffered by Indigenous communities in the area.
58,000 malnourished Haitian children face death as gang violence cuts off capital by air, sea and land
Haiti’s gangs, many of which have grouped together under an alliance known as “Viv Ansanm” (Living Together), have said their siege on the capital was a battle to oust Henry, but since his announcement there has been little let-up in attacks.
Climate rage: Weather wreaks havoc across East Africa with Burundi particularly hit hard
Between September and April 7, some 203,944 people were affected by flooding, with 19,250 homes and 209 classrooms destroyed. The number of people internally displaced by flooding rose by 25 per cent, reaching over 98,000, according to Violet Kenyana Kakyomya, the UN resident coordinator in Burundi.
Poll race tightens for South Africa President Ramaphosa as ANC loses another court case vs Zuma’s Umkhonto Wesizwe
The MK Party was formed late last year and was given added importance ahead of a national election in May when former ANC leader Zuma joined. MK takes its full name – uMkhonto weSizwe – from the now-disbanded military wing set up by the ANC and Nelson Mandela in the 1960s. The MK Party’s logo showing a man holding a spear and a shield is similar to the old military wing’s logo.
New law: UK Parliament finally gives PM Sunak nod to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda
The government plans to deport to Rwanda some of those who enter the United Kingdom illegally as a deterrent to migrants who risk their lives in leaky, inflatable boats in hopes that they will be able to claim asylum once they reach Britain.
Israeli military intelligence chief resigns over his role in failing to prevent October 7 attack
Haliva, as well as other military and security leaders, were widely expected to resign in response to the glaring failures that led up to October 7 and the scale of its ferocity. But the timing of the resignations has been unclear because Israel is still fighting Hamas in Gaza and battling the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in the north. Tensions with Iran are also at a high following attacks between the two enemies.
World War III is on, but it’s not some conquering army sweeping its way across the continent
South of Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Armenia continue to simmer. Last year, Azerbaijan attacked the breakaway republic of Artsakh. With the backing of Turkey and Israeli weapons, Azerbaijan attempted to permanently squash the ethnic Armenian enclave, successfully driving tens of thousands of civilians into neighbouring countries.
Shift in character and tenor of modern conflicts gives Israel attack on Iran tone of World War III
As the media and the world awaits full-scale war between Iran and Israel and even frets about nuclear escalation, a huge reality of modern warfare is being overlooked: We are already fighting World War III. No, it is not empires marching armies through countries, conquering continents. And no, it isn’t millions of young men (and now women) pressed in uniform on scales of nearly 100 years ago. And no, in most societies where war is a constant, the public doesn’t even have to feel the pain of war, except in that the military dominates everything and robs everything else of resources: programmes to fight poverty, food, housing, health care, transportation, climate change.
London Marathon pays tribute to last year’s winner Kelvin Kiptum, who died in car crash
Kenenisa Bekele, the Ethiopian former Olympic 10,000 and 5,000-meter champion who is still competing in the elite marathon field at the age of 41, said this week that Kiptum had already created “an amazing history” in the sport.
