Trump’s orders on aid freeze meet with legal resistance, force White House to revoke spending pause

Trump’s orders on aid freeze meet with legal resistance, force White House to revoke spending pause

At the virtual hearing from Providence, Rhode Island, McConnell, an appointee of Democratic President Barack Obama, said the states have convinced him that the “inappropriate effects” of the now-rescinded funding freeze directive “are going to continue and that hasn’t changed based on comments by the president’s press secretary.”

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ECOWAS leaves to ‘keep door open’ as three coup-hit West African state to return to bloc

ECOWAS leaves to ‘keep door open’ as three coup-hit West African state to return to bloc

The split “worsens a legitimacy crisis of ECOWAS which has often failed people’s expectations in upholding the rule of law,” said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel programme at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

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Plane crash in South Sudan kills 20 oil workers

Plane crash in South Sudan kills 20 oil workers

Several air crashes have occurred in war-torn South Sudan in recent years. In September 2018, at least 19 people died when a small aircraft carrying passengers from Juba to the city of Yirol crashed.

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Out of sight, out of mind: Refugee agencies scramble after Trump orders a stop on federally funded work

Out of sight, out of mind: Refugee agencies scramble after Trump orders a stop on federally funded work

The federal refugee program – a form of legal migration to the US – has been in place for decades and assists those who have escaped war, natural disaster or persecution. Despite longstanding support for accepting refugees, the program has become politicized in recent years.

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Emboldened Rwanda-backed M23 rebels set eyes on expansion of control after overrunning eastern Congo’s capital

Emboldened Rwanda-backed M23 rebels set eyes on expansion of control after overrunning eastern Congo’s capital

Soldiers fighting for Congo – many of them mercenaries from other nations – were laying down their weapons at the border with Rwanda. Congo’s army seemed to be in disarray and those at the border appeared disorganised and ill-equipped for fighting.

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Kenya’s health minister warns Africa must prepare for aftershocks of US’ exit from WHO, funding pause

Kenya’s health minister warns Africa must prepare for aftershocks of US’ exit from WHO, funding pause

Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa pointed out that achieving this goal requires strengthening components of health security and ensuring the implementation of Universal Health Coverage that guarantees affordable, accessible, and quality care for all.

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Judiciary on trial as Supreme Court of Kenya and lawyers’ body tough it out over planned chamber protests

Judiciary on trial as Supreme Court of Kenya and lawyers’ body tough it out over planned chamber protests

Judiciary spokesman Paul Ndemo says it is imperative that lawyers seek a lawful and peaceful means to address the matters at hand.

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The powder keg in Museveni’s hands: There is reason to fear Uganda’s nuclear plant in Busoga is a tinderbox

One academic who retired from Makerere University service recently asked me, “Can Uganda with its incompetence manage a nuclear plant without the risk of nuclear leakage? Can Uganda that is not yet a fully stable nation state sustains a nuclear plant without the risk of some rebel group throwing a bomb in the plant and next time we here all Basoga are poisoned with nuclear pollution?

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Fall of Goma is game-changer: World powers’ reluctance to take on Rwanda means it’s going to be harder to push back M23 from Congo

Fall of Goma is game-changer: World powers’ reluctance to take on Rwanda means it’s going to be harder to push back M23 from Congo

A reluctance by world powers to take on Rwanda, other global distractions and on-the-ground military realities will complicate efforts to defeat the rebels in Goma and across eastern Congo and allow millions of civilians, like Nzambonimpa, to return to their homes, analysts and diplomats say.

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Risk of pandemics explosion worldwide rises as Trump orders CDC to stop working with WHO

Risk of pandemics explosion worldwide rises as Trump orders CDC to stop working with WHO

President Donald Trump last week issued an executive order to begin the process of withdrawing the US from WHO, but that did not take immediate effect. Leaving WHO requires the approval of Congress and that the US meets its financial obligations for the current fiscal year. The US also must provide a one-year notice.

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