Category: International

The African Youth Assembly has condemned the killing of 23 Africans near Morocco’s border with Spain.

It issued the condemnation through the Speaker of the West African Regional Assembly, Comrade Matthew Naankin, in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

The victims were killed on June 24th while attempting to cross the Melilla chain link fence.

He condemned the act as a violation of the international convention on the protection of the rights of migrants and workers in the region.

“The African Youth Assembly’s leadership, with its continental secretariat in Mombasa, Kenya, and its West African Regional Speaker from Nigeria, condemns the heinous killing of 23 people at the Moroccan-Spain border.”

“This happened when some Africans tried to cross the Melilla chain-link fence.”

“We wish to state unequivocally that the life of one African matters greatly to us, regardless of where he or she is from on the continent.”

“The act violates the international convention on the protection of the rights of migrants, workers, and members of their families as encapsulated in articles 9, 10, and 13 of the treaty,” he said.

The Speaker went on to say that the treaty requires that everyone be treated equally, and he urged world leaders to condemn the killing.

He also called for a thorough investigation into the incident, claiming that doing so would put an end to the rampant killings of Africans at borders.

“Human rights hold that everyone, regardless of circumstance, should be treated equally and with dignity.”

“We are calling for a truly impartial investigation of the incident, taking into account the need to dispense justice for societal peace and stability in the interest of furthering humanity’s progress.”

“We are also calling on world leaders to speak out against this heinous act,” he said.

A not guilty plea was entered by Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey, and it was announced that his trial would take place the following year.

Three men have alleged that the actor assaulted them sexually over ten years ago.

Spacey, 62, answered each of the five charges at a hearing at London’s Central Criminal Court, also known as the Old Bailey, by clearly speaking while he was in the dock and answering “not guilty.”

The trial was set to start on June 6, 2023, and was expected to last three to four weeks, according to the case’s presiding judge Mark Wall. The Old Bailey, where Britain’s most illustrious criminal trials have taken place, is where the criminal trials are anticipated to take place.

The former “House of Cards” star, who oversaw London’s Old Vic theatre from 2004 to 2015, denied four counts of sexual assault and one count of encouraging another person to engage in penetrating sexual activity without consent.

One of the incidents allegedly happened in western England in April 2013, and the other incidents are said to have occurred in London between March 2005 and August 2008. The victims are currently between 30 and 40 years old.

Spacey “strenuously denies” the accusations against him, according to the actor’s attorneys, who made that claim initially.

Following a preliminary hearing last month, Spacey, who is known to have homes in both the U.S. and London, was given bail and allowed to travel back to the country.

A new pretrial hearing would take place in the early months of 2023, according to the judge, who extended the actor’s unconditional bail.

The fifteen-minute hearing was concluded, and the actor thanked the judge.

In a chauffeur-driven car, he was led out of court while remaining silent and through a throng of photographers.

‘My late father taught me responsibility,’ she says.

Former Equalities Minister and Nigerian-born Kemi Badenoch has declared her candidacy for Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK), promising “limited government” and a “focus on the essentials.”

The Saffron Walden MP stated that she supports lower taxes “to boost growth and productivity, accompanied by strict fiscal discipline.”

She also slammed “identity politics,” writing in The Times that Boris Johnson is “a symptom of the problems we face, not the cause of them.”

“Platitudes and empty rhetoric have worn people down. “It is not enough to love our country, our people, or our party,” she explained.

“What’s missing is an intellectual understanding of what it takes to run a country in an era of increased polarisation, protectionism, and populism, all amplified by social media.”

She stated that today’s Britain requires “a nimble centre-right vision” that “can achieve things despite entrenched opposition from a cultural establishment that will not accept that the world has moved on from Blairism.”

Badenoch’s declaration capped off a day in which many Conservatives declared their support for the leadership race.

Rishi Sunak announced his long-awaited candidacy, with the support of Commons Leader Mark Spencer, former Tory Party co-chairman Oliver Dowden, former chief whip Mark Harper, ex-ministers Liam Fox and Andrew Murrison, and MPs Sir Bob Neill and Paul Maynard.

Kemi Badenoch’s childhood memories in Nigeria bring tears to her eyes. Her father, Femi Adegoke, died of a brain tumour only five months ago.

He had no idea that his daughter would be running for Prime Minister just three years after joining the government.

Badenoch, on the other hand, claims her father instilled in her a sense of “personal responsibility.” She resigned from the government last week in order to force Johnson to resign.

In an interview with The Telegraph, she has now explained why she is running for Conservative Party leader. In a nutshell, she thinks the government has gone astray.

“I believe we have accepted an incorrect consensus: that the government should be involved in and do everything,” she said.

However, Badenoch, who resigned as equalities and local government minister last week in a joint move with four friends and colleagues, believes the government is “doing many things badly and doing things in the wrong way.”

Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, resigned on Thursday, bringing to an end a nearly three-year premiership marred by controversy and scandal.

Speaking outside Downing Street, Johnson said the process of selecting the new Conservative Party leader should begin immediately, with a timetable to be announced next week.

His decision to stay in office comes despite a clear lack of support within his own party and a growing call from across the political spectrum for him to resign immediately.

It comes as the number of resignations from Johnson’s government and party has approached 60 since Tuesday evening, with one Conservative Party member after another publicly expressing their dissatisfaction with the prime minister.

Finance Minister Nadhim Zahawi was the latest of Johnson’s allies to urge him to “go now,” saying the unprecedented political crisis over his future was unsustainable and would “only get worse.”

Surprisingly, Zahawi’s call for Johnson’s resignation came just two days after the prime minister appointed him finance minister.

Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid both abruptly resigned. The two high-profile ministers resigned within minutes of each other on Tuesday evening, citing a disagreement over Johnson’s decision to appoint Chris Pincher as deputy chief whip earlier this year.

Pincher resigned and was suspended as a Conservative Party MP last week after allegations that he drunkenly groped two men at a private members’ club. It has since been revealed that Johnson appointed him despite being aware of previous allegations of misconduct against him.

Johnson apologised for appointing Pincher as deputy chief whip. He has repeatedly rejected calls to resign, claiming he has a “colossal mandate” to continue. Johnson, however, bowed to political pressure and announced his resignation on Thursday.

Johnson’s demise puts an end to his reputation as the “Teflon” prime minister. The 58-year-old former London mayor was well-known for his ability to avoid political controversies.