Author: News Editor

India has told Canada that it must repatriate 41 diplomats by October 10, according to The Financial Times newspaper. Ties between India and Canada have become strained over Canadian suspicion that Indian government agents had a role in the June murder in British Columbia of a Sikh separatist leader and Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who India had labelled a “terrorist” because of his advocacy for Khalistan, an independent Sikh state. India has dismissed the murder allegation as absurd. The Financial Times, quoting people familiar with the Indian demand, reported on Tuesday that India had threatened to revoke the diplomatic…

When Nazmush Shahadat arrived in London from Bangladesh he had nowhere to stay. He had been accepted on to a course to study law, but found university accommodation too expensive and he couldn’t find a house to live in. Mr Shahadat said things “turned dark really soon”, and he ended up sharing a two-bedroom flat with 20 other men. “I never expected to live in a place like that – I still have my scars,” he said. With multiple bunk beds crammed into a room and shift workers coming and going, he said it was impossible to sleep and he…

More than 11,600 unaccompanied children have crossed the Central Mediterranean to Italy so far this year the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday, an increase of 60 per cent compared with last year. More than 11,600 unaccompanied children have crossed the Central Mediterranean to Italy so far this year the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday, an increase of 60 per cent compared with last year. The number of arrivals peaked this month on the small island of Lampedusa off Italy’s southern coast, with 4,800 people arriving on a single day, the agency noted. According to news reports,…

Facing down a tidal wave of disinformation ahead of Kenya’s presidential elections in 2022, the Government and the UN collaborated on a national anti-hate speech plan and an innovative consortium of influencers to calm the waters before voters cast their ballots. Stephen Jackson, the UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya, reflects on the 2022 elections, which saw an effective partnership with the Government and private-sector rise to the occasion to take down fake news. “No one is born with hate. Hate is taught, and then hate spreads. Over recent years, social media and other digital platforms, amplified by algorithms and artificial…

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s death creates a vacancy in the Senate at a time when her Democrats hold the slightest majority in the chamber. Feinstein, a centrist Democrat who had represented California since 1992, had medical struggles in recent months that already had prompted questions about whether she’d resign and who might replace her. California Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to pick a replacement soon. An election to pick the state’s next senator serving a full six-year term is scheduled for next year. Here’s a look at what Feinstein’s death means for the Senate at a critical time on Capitol…

The ECOWAS Parliament has initiated moves to determine the causes of military takeovers, democratic regression, and political instability in the sub-region in spite of the existence of Community Acts and Protocols intended to consolidate democracy and promote political stability. Concerns over the recent spate of military takeovers in the West African Community necessitated the need to examine the “Role of the ECOWAS Parliament Relating the Challenges of Unconstitutional Regime Change and Presidential Term Limits in West Africa” in a high-level parliamentary seminar organized by the ECOWAS Parliament to run from September 29 – October 1, 2023 in Winneba, Ghana. Speaker…

The launch of the European Union (EU) – East African Community (EAC) MARKUP II programme begins a new phase with the objective of supporting small agribusinesses and horticultural producers to compete in international markets. It focuses on value chains ranging from cocoa and coffee to avocados, spices, and tea. Over the last five years, the EU-EAC Market Access Upgrade Programme (MARKUP) supported small agribusinesses and horticultural producers to compete in international markets. In phase one, at least 115 companies achieved a collective $16 million in sales and exports. MARKUP I also helped draw in $1 million in investment for over…

The leaders of nine Mediterranean and southern European countries, including France’s Emmanuel Macron and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, have met in Malta for talks focusing on migration. The summit comes on Friday, a day after the UN refugee organisation said more than 2,500 migrants had perished or disappeared attempting to cross the Mediterranean so far this year – substantially more than at the same point in 2022. But it also comes as EU interior ministers finally made headway on Thursday on new rules for how the bloc handles asylum seekers and irregular migrants, with a deal expected in the coming days.…