NEWSBRIEFS

Photo: Rwandan millionaire financier Felicien Kabuga arrested in France. Source: The New Times Rwanda.

On the Run Rwanda Genocide Suspect Nabbed in French Hideout

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – Twenty-six years after financing the Rwandan genocide, wealthy businessman and most wanted fugitive, Felicien Kabuga, was nabbed in an upscale French hideout.

It was a relief for prosecutors of the Rwandan Genocide tribunal who feared the 84-year-old Kabuga could die a free man. He stands accused of masterminding the slaughter of 800,000 Rwandans, mainly minority Tutsis but also political opponents among the Hutus, over a period of 100 days, from April to July 1994, in a murderous campaign of ethnic violence.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 26 May 2020

Photo: Indian PM Narendra Modi and Nepal's PM KP Sharma Oli. Credit: ANI

Strain in Relations Between India and South Asian Neighbours

News briefs compiled by Suresh Jaura*

TORONTO | NEW DELHI (IDN) – While India-Nepal territorial dispute escalated into a diplomatic crisis, Pakistan Prime Minister has been locked in a Twitter war with India on the long-drawn Kashmir conflict. At the same time, Pakistan has opened key border crossings with Afghanistan for trade.

Celebrating the 11th anniversary of the end of the over three-decade-long civil war against the LTTE, Sri Lanka has threatened to withdraw from any International Forum if 'War Heroes' (the country's military) are targeted.

: Suresh Jaura; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 21 May 2020

Photo: PM Narendra Modi | Praveen Jain | ThePrint

Spanning India and the U.S. Amid COVD-19 Crisis and Beyond

News briefs compiled by Suresh Jaura*

TORONTO | NEW DELHI (IDN) – The U.S. on May 19 included the India unit of Huawei along with its other foreign subsidiaries in its Entity List, as part of efforts to prevent the Chinese telecom company from doing business in America.

The Trump administration in recent months has increased its action against Huawei, preventing it from doing business in the U.S., as it believes the company known for its technological advancement in 5G is being used by the Chinese leadership in Beijing to serve their interest.

: Suresh Jaura; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 20 May 2020

Photo: The unsung heroes of Majengo slums | YouTube screenshot.

Two 'Unsung Heroes' Helping Kenya's Slum Dwellers Facing Coronavirus

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – Journalists who step out of their high-floor offices or manage to escape from their coronavirus confinement sometimes find a great story right on the street below. Such was the story discovered by Kevin Phillips Momanyi, a reporter with Kenya’s Tuko news channel.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 29 April 2020

'Flowers of Hope' from Kenya As Major Markets Dry Up

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – It was inevitable during a lockdown that sales of Kenya’s flower exports would dry up as buyers make fewer impulse purchases of carnations, roses and other blossoms.

According to data from the Kenya Flower Council, sales of cut flowers in overseas markets have fallen below 35 per cent of what is expected this time of the year.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 29 April 2020

Image: Journalists attacked since 1992. CInredit: CPJ

COVID-19: Call for Freeing All Journalists Jailed Globally

By CPJ

NEW YORK (IDN) – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has launched the #FreeThePress campaign to call for the unconditional release of all jailed journalists to ensure their safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the past four years, CPJ’s annual census has found a record high number of journalists in jail because of their work – at least 250. Those journalists now face a potential death sentence. The World Health Organization has said prisoners are particularly vulnerable to the virus, as self-isolation in jail is impossible, and prisoners are routinely denied medical treatment.

: UN Bureau; COVID-19; 03 April 2020

Photo: Collage of UN pictures (left) Violence in West Darfur has forced thousands of Sudanese across the border into Chad. ©UNHCR/Aristophane Ngargoune and (right) A woman wearing a protective mask and gloves checks her phone while walking along the East River in New York. UN News/Elizabeth Scaffidi.

COVID-19: UN Agencies Working Round the Clock to Ensure Humanitarian Support

By Daniel Johnson of UN News

GENEVA (IDN) – United Nations agencies are working round the clock to provide all the necessary aid to vulnerable sections of the society to combat the Coronavirus pandemic at diverse levels: ensuring meals to millions of children affected by the closure of schools, airlifting relief to Sudanese refugees in Chad.

Also, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that for the moment, there is no reason why people infected with the COVID-19 virus should not take ibuprofen, a widely available drug used to treat fever and soreness.

: UN Bureau; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 23 March 2020

South African President C. Ramaphosa demonstrating greeting by elbow. Credit: 2oceansvibe.com

Coronavirus Reaches African Shores

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – Only a few weeks ago, African leaders were breathing a sigh of relief as the new coronavirus skipped the continent to lodge in Italy, Spain and other European countries.

“Whether it’s a matter of faulty detection, climatic factors or simple fluke, the remarkably low rate of coronavirus infection in African countries, with their fragile health systems, continues to puzzle,” said Amadou Alpha Sall, head of the Pasteur Institute in Dakar, Senegal.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 17 March 2020

Photo: Zimbabwe school children | UNICEF/UN050424/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi

New Laws Allow Zimbabwe to Fine or Jail to Keep Kids in School

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — Zimbabwe is experimenting with a bold attempt to make parents prioritize education and bring down drop-out rates.

Harare has amended its laws to make the first 12 years of schooling compulsory. Children are now required by law to stay in school for an extra five years to 16 years of age.

It is also now an offence to expel children on the grounds of pregnancy or non-payment of fees.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 10 March 2020

Photo: Jardim Constantino in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Credit: UN News/Ana Carmo.

From Coronavirus to Climate and Gender Equality

By J Nastranis with UN News in Brief

NEW YORK (IDN)— As the coronavirus continues to spread globally, the UN's top human rights official Michelle Bachelet appealed on March 6 to countries and businesses to put rights "front and centre" to protect their most vulnerable citizens. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that although the virus would likely have an impact on greenhouse gas emissions because of the expected global economic slowdown, it was too soon to say how great that impact might be.