Nigeria is emerging as a critical mineral hub and the government is cracking down on illegal operations
ABUJA, Nigeria—Nigeria’s government is cracking down on illegal mining, making dozens of arrests of unlicensed miners since April for allegedly stealing the country’s lithium, a critical mineral used in batteries for electric vehicles, smartphones and power systems. The recent arrests come as Nigeria seeks to regulate its mining operations of critical minerals, curb illegal activity and better benefit from its...
Myanmar: UN rights office warns of growing crisis in Rakhine state
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on May 24 called for an end to renewed violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, where reports have emerged of attacks against the minority Muslim Rohingya community, including beheadings and the razing of homes. Fierce battles have intensified between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group, displacing tens of thousands...
China slams UK for ‘wanton stigmatization’ of its citizens
Former Royal Marine, Matthew Trickett, 37, was found dead in Grenfell Park in Maidenhead, England. China says the United Kingdom is making false charges against Chinese citizens after the death of an alleged British “spy” working for Beijing. Former Royal Marine Matthew Trickett, 37, who was charged by a British court with illegally collaborating with the Hong Kong government’s foreign intelligence...
Cuba congratulates new president of Vietnam
First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez extended greetings to To Lam, following his election as the new head of state of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Through the social network X, Díaz-Canel sent “warm congratulations” and wished success in the fulfillment of his tasks to the new President of the...
Kenya, Haiti and America’s ‘repackaged’ Africa policies
Two years ago, at the second-ever U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit, President Joe Biden, said that he was “all in” on the continent. He told the 49 seated African leaders at the summit that, “There’s so much more we can do together and that we will do together.” Additionally, Biden promised to visit the continent, but Africa is still waiting for that...
Uncertainty in the Middle East and the pursuit of legal actions against Israel
Along with the ongoing bloodshed of war that has killed more than 36,000 people in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, came a wave of events and responses to the ongoing death and destruction. Unprecedented legal actions against Israel included applications to the International Criminal Court (ICC) seeking arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,...
Senegalese PM blasts French military presence, raises possibility of closing bases
Senegal’s prime minister has vehemently denounced the French military presence in his country and raised the possibility of closing its bases amid a growing move by the neighboring states to expel foreign occupation troops from the Sahel region. Ousmane Sonko, who is a vociferous critic of France’s meddling in its former colony, said in a wide-ranging speech that the French...
Australia, New Zealand evacuating nationals from New Caledonia amid protests
Australia and New Zealand are sending planes to New Caledonia to evacuate nationals stranded in the French-ruled territory which has experienced deadly protests calling for independence. Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong on May 21 confirmed that his country had received clearance from French officials for two flights. The government would “continue to work on further flights,” Wong wrote on the social media...
Surge in child migrants crossing the dangerous Darién Gap: UNICEF
The number of child migrants crossing the perilous Darién Gap has surged by 40 percent so far this year, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on May 15, putting the route on track for a fifth consecutive year of record child migration levels. In the first four months of 2024, more than 30,000 children traversed the dense jungle region separating...
Thailand welcomes home trafficked 1,000-year-old statues returned by New York’s Metropolitan Museum
BANGKOK—Thailand’s National Museum hosted a welcome-home ceremony May 21 for two ancient statues that were illegally trafficked from Thailand by a British collector of antiquities and were returned from the collection of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The objects—a tall bronze figure called the Standing Shiva or Golden Boy and a smaller sculpture called Kneeling Female—are thought to be...