Nearly 40 countries at the United Nations backed LGBTQ families on Tuesday, at a time when some Muslim and African nations are contesting sexual orientation and gender identity language in UN forums.”Families play a fundamental role in society. Supporting families is an important element in promoting and protecting human rights,” 37 countries said in a …

Nearly 40 countries at UN back LGBTQ familiesTue, 20 Jun 2023 19:11:06 GMT Read More »

Bodies have lined the streets in Sudan’s western Darfur region as the UN said Tuesday that more than two months of fighting have forced over 2.5 million people from their homes.A three-day ceasefire due to end Wednesday at dawn brought a brief respite to the capital Khartoum, gripped by the war that erupted on April …

Sudan war uproots 2.5 million, UN says, as bodies line Darfur streetsTue, 20 Jun 2023 17:35:15 GMT Read More »

From welcoming LGBTQ Catholics to better representation of women, the Vatican published on Tuesday a reflection on the top social issues facing the Catholic Church as part of a global study on its future.The 50-page document is intended as food for thought for the “Synod on Synodality”, a gathering of bishops and lay people from …

From women to LGBTQ members, Catholic Church ponders inclusionTue, 20 Jun 2023 16:25:19 GMT Read More »

Senegalese President Macky Sall on Tuesday vowed to strengthen “democracy and freedom” in his country, in his first public reaction to deadly unrest sparked by the conviction of a popular opposition leader.”We will pursue our march towards economic development and the strengthening of democracy and freedom in Senegal, with respect of course for the state …

Senegal’s under-fire president vows to ‘strengthen’ democracyTue, 20 Jun 2023 16:02:28 GMT Read More »

Fulgence Kayishema, one of the last fugitives sought over the 1994 Rwanda genocide, will apply for asylum in South Africa, where he has been living for two decades, his lawyer said Tuesday.Kayishema, one of four remaining fugitives sought by UN investigators for their role in the genocide, was arrested last month in the town of Paarl …

Rwanda genocide fugitive Kayishema to seek asylum in S.AfricaTue, 20 Jun 2023 14:40:35 GMT Read More »

As he prepared the biggest fashion show of the year in Paris on Tuesday, musician-turned-designer Pharrell Williams told AFP he was conscious of the traumatic history behind black culture’s ascent.”We wish that our culture and our people didn’t have to suffer so hard in order to get us here,” said Williams, who was set to …

Pharrell Williams: ‘lot of people died’ for black culture to triumphTue, 20 Jun 2023 14:24:10 GMT Read More »

Mali’s ruling junta has asked prosecutors to probe the UN’s peacekeeping mission for “espionage” following a report which said hundreds of people were massacred last year by Malian troops and their allies.In a statement published on social media on Tuesday, the public prosecutor’s office said a unit specialising in “terrorism and transnational crime” had received …

Mali junta files ‘espionage’ complaint against UN missionTue, 20 Jun 2023 12:47:47 GMT Read More »

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has appointed new military and security chiefs in the latest in a flurry of key decisions after being sworn in last month.Tinubu, 71, took over from Muhammadu Buhari on May 29 following victory in elections in February whose results are being challenged in court by opposition parties.Replacing key staff is common …

Nigerian president names new security chiefsTue, 20 Jun 2023 09:39:18 GMT Read More »

Sierra Leoneans will vote in tense elections on Saturday, with President Julius Maada Bio hoping to secure a second term despite a crippling economic crisis which helped spark deadly protests last year.The West African country, which never fully recovered economically from a 1991-2002 civil war and the Ebola epidemic a decade later, was further pummelled …

Sierra Leoneans to vote as economic crisis bitesTue, 20 Jun 2023 05:32:05 GMT Read More »

Key elections are looming in DR Congo, where political tensions combined with a security crisis and economic woes are creating a powerful and troubling brew.Sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest country votes on December 20 for the presidency, national legislature, provincial assemblies and local councils.The complex ballot will be a crucial test of stability in a sprawling nation …

Tensions high in DR Congo six months ahead of voteTue, 20 Jun 2023 05:26:33 GMT Read More »