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"It's important for us to have clear agreement because this is what we have now to finance our development," he said. President Felix Tshisekedi's government has been revisiting a 2007 deal struck by his predecessor Joseph Kabila under which Sinohydro Corp (SINOH.UL) and China Railway Group Limited agreed to build roads and hospitals in exchange for a 68% stake in the Sicomines venture as well as a 2008 contract with CMOC. "We have already a framework, we have some key elements of change that we want to bring in that agreement," Kazadi said of Sicomines, though he declined to provide further details. "In only five days they have managed to burn and export 27 kilograms," Kazadi said, speaking of the joint venture that is owned 55% by the United Arab Emirates with the remainder owned by Kinshasa. Reporting by Karin Strohecker and Jorgelina do Rosario, editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ London court allows appeal over UK's Rwanda migrant plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Jan 16 (Reuters) - London’s High Court on Monday granted permission to a group of asylum seekers to appeal against a ruling that Britain’s plan to send migrants to Rwanda is lawful. Judges Clive Lewis and Jonathan Swift allowed a bid to take a legal challenge over Britain’s policy to the Court of Appeal. Last month, the High Court ruled that it was lawful for Britain to make arrangements with the Rwandan government to send asylum seekers to the country, but upheld legal challenges brought by eight individual asylum seekers. Several asylum seekers were granted permission to appeal on various grounds, including that the High Court was wrong to decide the Rwanda removal policy was not "systemically unfair". Permission was also granted in relation to whether Britain’s interior ministry, the Home Office, was entitled to rely on assurances given by Rwanda about conditions for asylum seekers who are sent to the country.

☆ From Age 10, Don Cheadle Could Hold Sway Over an Audience
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Marc Myers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Don Cheadle, 58, is a Tony- and Grammy-winning actor who starred in “Hotel Rwanda,” the “Oceans” trilogy and Marvel Cinematic Universe films. He directed and starred in “Miles Ahead” and currently co-stars in Netflix’s “White Noise,” due Dec. 30. He spoke with Marc Myers. My initial exposure to acting began at home in Kansas City, Mo. I came from a very fun-loving family where humor and imagination were prized and encouraged.

Announcing the court's decision, judges Clive Lewis and Jonathan Swift said it was lawful for Britain to make arrangements with the Rwanda government to send asylum seekers to the country for their asylum claims to be determined there. "The (British) government has made arrangements with the government of Rwanda which are intended to ensure that asylum claims of people relocated to Rwanda are properly determined there," the judges said. "In those circumstances, the relocation of asylum seekers to Rwanda is consistent with the Refugee Convention and with the statutory and other legal obligations on the government." Lawyers representing asylum seekers – from Syria, Iraq and Iran, as well as Albania and Vietnam – challenged the Rwanda policy at a hearing this year, alongside campaign groups Detention Action, Care4Calais and Asylum Aid. "The court has made it very clear that the (Home Secretary's) approach to individual decisions has been unlawful and they need to review that."

Under a deal struck in April, Britain aims to send tens of thousands of migrants who arrive on its shores illegally more than 4,000 miles (6,4000 km) to Rwanda. Britain says the Rwanda deportation strategy will help deter migrants from making the perilous trip across the Channel, and will smash the business model of people-smuggling networks. Supporters of the Rwanda deal say that sending migrants to the country will reduce overcrowding in processing centers and give genuine refugees a home. Under the agreement with Rwanda, anyone judged to have entered Britain illegally is eligible for deportation, with the exception of unaccompanied minors. Deportees granted protection by Rwanda's government would be eligible to live there but would not be permitted to return to Britain.

☆ Celebrity and notable deaths of 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Dave Lucas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Madeleine Albright, 84, who fled the Nazis as a child in her native Czechoslovakia during World War Two then rose to become the first female U.S. secretary of state and, in her later years, a pop culture feminist icon, passed away in March. She was a...moreMadeleine Albright, 84, who fled the Nazis as a child in her native Czechoslovakia during World War Two then rose to become the first female U.S. secretary of state and, in her later years, a pop culture feminist icon, passed away in March. She was a tough-talking diplomat in an administration that hesitated to involve itself in the two biggest foreign policy crises of the 1990s - the genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia-Herzegovina. She once upset a Pentagon chief by asking why the military maintained more than 1 million men and women under arms if they never used them. REUTERS/FileClose

☆ Fact Check-‘Catastrophic Contagion’ video is fictional and does not support claims about pandemic preparedness exercises
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Baseless claims that pandemic preparedness exercises are proof that disease outbreaks are “planned” by authorities have been a recurring narrative since the coronavirus pandemic broke out. These fictional scenarios go beyond infectious diseases, as such exercises also exist for natural disasters or nuclear events, for example. These rules, that are binding for WHO members, set out countries’ obligations when handling public health events and emergencies that could potentially cross borders (here) (here). Otherwise, we will be unprepared for the next infectious disease event. Experts told Reuters that preparedness exercises like “Catastrophic Contagion” have been a part of pandemic preparedness for at least the last two decades.

☆ US Air Force vet who was freed from Russian-controlled territory in a prisoner swap with Ukraine described being shocked and beaten by his captors
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Murekezi, who lived in Ukraine since 2018, told ABC the Russians accused him of being in the CIA. There, Murekezi met other Russian prisoners from the West, including two Americans who volunteered to fight on behalf of Ukraine. Murekezi, who was not included in the September swap, told ABC that he was shocked and beaten by his captors. While detained with his fellow American prisoners, Murekezi said the Russians gave them minimal food and water. He told ABC that he was most looking forward to a peanut butter sandwich upon his return home.

☆ 4 confirmed dead after migrant boat capsizes in English Channel
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

“Investigations are ongoing and we will provide further information in due course,″ the government said in a statement. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his predecessors have gone as far as threatening to deport those entering the country illegally to Rwanda in an effort to dissuade people from making the crossing. Sunak pledged Tuesday to clear the backlog of asylum applications and announced new measures aimed at curbing the number of migrants crossing the Channel. Sunak said he planned to introduce legislation early next year to ensure people who arrive illegally cannot remain in the country. The extra staff will also focus on the swift removal of Albanian migrants who come from a country Britain considers safe but are crossing the Channel in increasing numbers, Sunak said.

☆ Kagame criticizes U.S. over 'Hotel Rwanda' figure's detention
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Wednesday criticized the United States over the concerns it has raised in the case of Paul Rusesabagina, a U.S. permanent resident jailed in Rwanda who was portrayed as a hero in the film "Hotel Rwanda." Kagame, who was in Washington for a U.S.-Africa summit, questioned why Rwanda should release Rusesabagina because he is famous and a permanent resident of the United States. When asked if he would meet with U.S. President Joe Biden, Kagame said he was not sure yet. The United States in May determined that Rusesabagina had been "wrongfully detained," citing a lack of fair trial guarantees during Rusesabagina's trial. Rusesabagina, who was feted around the world after being portrayed by actor Don Cheadle in the 2004 film "Hotel Rwanda," is a vocal critic of Kagame.

☆ Pentagon fears Viktor Bout, the so-called 'Merchant of Death' the US swapped for Brittney Griner, could restart his old arms business
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout was released from US custody on Thursday. He gained notoriety during the 1990s for fueling deadly conflicts in various African countries. The Pentagon is concerned that with his release, he could return to his old business. Now, US officials worry the arms dealer could return to fueling deadly conflicts around the world. Bout fueled widespread death & destruction by arming UN-sanctioned regimes & groups in the #DRC, #Liberia, #SierraLeone, & beyond."

☆ Congolese government ups toll in massacre to 272 civilians
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Paul Lorgerie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Arlette BashiziKINSHASA, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's government on Monday said 272 civilians were killed in a massacre in the eastern town of Kishishe last week, raising the death toll from a previous estimate of 50. It also said the rebels were backed by members of the Rwandan army, a frequent accusation by the Congolese government which Rwanda has consistently denied. Congo's army and the M23, a Tutsi-led militia, have been locked in fighting for months in the country's east. The death toll was announced by Congolese industry minister Julien Paluku, speaking at a press briefing with government spokesman Patrick Muyaya. "The United States urges Rwanda to honor commitments made in Luanda, including ending Rwanda's support to M23," Blinken said on Twitter.

☆ Remembering Gary Strieker, who helped establish CNN's presence in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Tricia Escobedo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —Gary Strieker had every reason to be a pessimist. Gary Strieker, who passed away in July 2022, helped establish CNN's presence in Africa. Courtesy Strieker family Born in the tiny Illinois farm town of Breese in 1944, Gary Gerard Strieker moved to San Diego, California at a young age. Courtesy Strieker family Strieker is remembered by his family and colleagues as a quiet, humble man who never lost his optimistic spirit or tireless energy for making the world a better place. Courtesy Strieker family Strieker was the network's only correspondent on the African continent for some time, covering the AIDs epidemic in the 1980s and other major moments in history, including the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

☆ Stéphanie Frappart to make history as the first woman to referee a men’s World Cup match
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But Stéphanie Frappart’s traditional anonymity has been broken for a different reason – she will make history on Thursday as the first woman to referee a men’s World Cup match. FIFA announced their appointment back in May, when Frappart found out that she was going to the 2022 Qatar World Cup. “It’s a surprise, you cannot believe it and after two or three minutes, you realize that you are going to the World Cup. Mukasanga and Yamashita have also been the fourth official at two and four games of this World Cup respectively. I don’t know how life is there but I didn’t make the decision to go there or to organize the World Cup,” Frappart says.

☆ African leaders agree on ceasefire in east Congo from Friday
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KINSHASA, Nov 23 (Reuters) - African leaders have declared a ceasefire in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo starting Friday, which is aimed in particular at stopping attacks by the M23 rebel group, they said in a statement. The declaration was issued by the leaders of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Angola, and former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta, after a summit in Luanda on Wednesday aimed at finding solutions to the east Congo crisis. Eastern Congo is facing an insurgency by the M23, a Tutsi-led rebel group which the Congolese government claims is supported by neighbouring Rwanda. In addition to the ceasefire, the statement said the M23 must withdraw from its occupied territories or face intervention by regional forces. "If M23 does not withdraw the East African Community (EAC) heads of states shall authorize use of force to compel the group to comply," it said.

☆ Fact Check-TOGETHER Trial says involvement with FTX began after testing that found ivermectin ineffective
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Amid news surrounding failed cryptocurrency firm FTX, social media users are pointing to FTX having funded the TOGETHER Trial, a research consortium that studied ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment and found it to be ineffective. But FTX did not interact with the research group until after the ivermectin trial was over, a TOGETHER Trial spokesperson told Reuters. An Instagram user shared an image that said, “Holy crap look who funded the trial that said Ivermectin didn’t work” (here). Similar claims surrounding FTX’s involvement with the TOGETHER Trial are viewable (here) and (here). FTX is not named as a contributor to the ivermectin trial because they weren’t involved, according to Mills, who added that the same is true of hydroxychloroquine and the other medications TOGETHER Trial investigated during the pandemic.

☆ Frappart becomes first female official at men's World Cup match
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Manasi Pathak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

DOHA, Nov 22 (Reuters) - France's Stephanie Frappart became the first female official at a men's World Cup match when she was named the fourth official for Tuesday's Group C clash between Mexico and Poland at 974 Stadium. Frappart, Salima Mukansanga of Rwanda and Yamashita Yoshimi of Japan have been named among the tournament's referees along with three female assistant referees at the global showpiece event in Qatar. Frappart was also the first woman to officiate a men's Champions League game in 2020. The 38-year-old has also officiated games in French Ligue 1 and the second-tier Europa League. Reporting by Manasi Pathak, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Qatar makes World Cup debut in a controversial tournament of firsts
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Doha, Qatar CNN —There have been 21 editions of the men’s World Cup since its inauguration in 1930 but Qatar 2022 is set to be a tournament like no other. Since it was announced as the host city almost 12 years ago, it was always destined to be a World Cup of firsts. Seventy percent of the squad that won the trophy came through the academy, and that number has only increased heading into the World Cup. Female officialsQatar 2022 will also see female referees officiate a men’s World Cup match for the first time. Referee Yoshimi Yamashita will make her debut at the men's World Cup.

☆ In memoriam: Notable deaths of 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Infantino to serve another four-year term as FIFA President
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Mark Gleeson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DOHA, Nov 17 (Reuters) - FIFA President Gianni Infantino will serve another four-year term at the helm of world soccer’s governing body after emerging as the only candidate for the next election in March. He will be re-elected at the FIFA congress in Rwanda in March for a third term. Infantino won the FIFA presidency in 2016 on an initial three-year term, replacing Sepp Blatter, and was re-elected in 2019. He thanked more than 200 members associations who FIFA said had offered him their backing for another term as President. Infantino was then re-elected unopposed, having won a second term at FIFA’s Paris Congress in 2019.

☆ COP27: More countries join methane pact as focus turns to farms and waste
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Valerie Volcovici | Laurie Goering | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The United States and the EU launched the Global Methane Pledge during the Glasgow climate talks last year. China is developing its own methane strategy but has not yet said whether it will join the global effort. Fifty of the signatories to the Global Methane Pledge have so far unveiled detailed strategies to cut emissions. The United States and EU will also launch other initiatives on Thursday under the Global Methane Pledge that tackle oil and gas, agriculture and waste sectors. The United States and EU also announced that Carbon Mapper, which tracks methane by satellite, will develop a global waste sector methane baseline assessment on landfills and dumpsites.

Those pledges include making steep cuts in climate-warming emissions within this decade and contributing to hundreds of billions of dollars needed each year by developing nations already struggling to cope with the impacts of climate change. That could also complicate the talks among government ministers on the so-called cover decisions - which make up the core political deal from the two-week summit. "We haven't seen huge solidarity between the developed and developing countries" but instead "disappointing commitments and action this year, which has dented trust." Developing nations have demanded that COP27 agree to launch a special fund to address loss and damage. The United States and other rich nations are wary of this idea, saying these rapid funds are better channeled through existing programs.

☆ Kenya deploys troops to Congo to help end decades of bloodshed
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Edwin Waita | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Thomas MukoyaNAIROBI, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Kenya's President William Ruto on Wednesday officially deployed troops to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to join an East African regional force aiming to end decades of bloodshed. The seven countries of the East African Community (EAC), which Congo joined this year, agreed in April to set up a joint force to fight militia groups in Congo's east. Despite billions of dollars spent on one of the United Nation's largest peacekeeping forces, more than 120 armed groups continue to operate across large swathes of east Congo, including the M23 rebels, which Congo has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting. Uganda has already sent troops into Congo as part of separate deployment to chase down an Islamic State-linked armed militants, one of the warring groups in eastern Congo. "We have been working very hard to mobilise the international community to support the east African force," Kenya's defence minister Aden Duale said at the event.

☆ Congo expels Rwanda ambassador as M23 rebels capture strategic town
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The rebel group, which Congo authorities accuse Rwanda of backing but Rwanda denies, seized the town of Kiwanja in eastern Congo on Saturday, effectively cutting North Kivu's capital Goma off from the upper half of the province. The army has conducted strategic retreats from populated areas to move fighting away from towns and protect civilians. Neither General Sylvain Ekenge, the army's national spokesman, nor Colonel Ndjike Kaiko, the army's spokesman for North Kivu, immediately responded to calls and messages requesting comment. Unrest in North Kivu has broken months of relative calm in eastern Congo after the resumption of clashes between the army and the M23 militants. read moreWhen it formed in 2012, M23 was the newest in a series of ethnic Tutsi-led insurgencies to rise up against Congolese forces.

Although it is clearly a historic achievement, we should not be fooled into thinking this is a milestone for the U.K.’s minority communities. Sunak, and the ruling Conservative Party he now heads, have been no champions of minority communities like mine. Sunak pointed to his pride in being an immigrant in such a country of opportunity in an early campaign video. Yet it is people of color who make up much of the working-class population that Sunak avoids associating with. Although politicians like Sunak come from immigrant communities, their policies have been to those communities’ detriment.

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