The terrorism trial of a former hotelier who saved hundreds of people’s lives during the Rwanda genocide was set to start in the capital Kigali on Wednesday.

Paul Rusesabagina gained hero status for rescuing people during the 1994 genocide and his story was made into the Hollywood film `Hotel Rwanda.’

Rusesabagina, a long-time critic of President Paul Kagame, is charged with terrorism, among other crimes, and faces a maximum of 25 years in prison if convicted.

The 66-year-old, who has lived outside Rwanda for years, says he was illegally arrested, kidnapped on August 27, 2020, and was a victim of illegal rendition.

In September, Rusesabagina admitted to being involved in setting up an anti-government group, but said he never supported any violence.

“Hotel Rwanda’’ tells how the manager, played by Don Cheadle, gave more than 1,200 people refuge on the hotel grounds and saved their lives.

Internationally Rusesabagina was celebrated as a hero, and in 2005 U.S. President George W. Bush presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

In his East African home country, however, the story was denied by the government and some survivors. (dpa/ NAN)

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has agreed to pay Pakistan a 500-million-dollar tranche of a bailout package that was suspended a year ago due to Islamabad’s failure to implement reforms.

Pakistan secured a 6-billion dollar bailout package in 2019 to avert a balance of payment crisis, but the loan was suspended after the payment of only two tranches.

The IMF, however, cited lack of progress on a package of economic reforms attached to the loan, which included raising energy prices and boosting revenue collection, considered one of the lowest in the world.

The international financial institution announced it would pay the latest tranche after the success of negotiations between the two sides late Tuesday night.

“This is a good development for Pakistan,” Finance Minister Hafeez Shaikh said in a statement.

The IMF had asked Pakistan to give up central bank control of the currency and to adopt a market-based exchange rate, privatise loss-making public sector companies and end subsidies in power and agriculture sectors.

Some of the reforms were implemented since the deal was signed, but privatisation and ending subsidies remained elusive due to political pressure.

The economy of the Muslim nation with a population of 220 million has slid deeper into crisis since Prime Minister Imran Khan took over in 2018.

Burgeoning fiscal, current account deficits and a dip in revenues from tax collection are at the heart of the crisis. (dpa/NAN)

The governor of Japan’s Shimane prefecture said on Wednesday the Olympic torch relay should be reconsidered because of the coronavirus, the latest setback to the Tokyo 2020 Games amid the pandemic.

The Tokyo Summer Games have already been marred by an unprecedented delay, strong public opposition, and the recent resignation of Yoshiro Mori, the head of the Tokyo organising committee, over sexist remarks.

The comments came as Tokyo 2020 organisers held the second meeting of a candidate selection committee to choose a new head for the organisation.

Governor Tatsuya Maruyama of Shimane, a prefecture in western Japan, told a news conference he also opposed the Olympics being held and worried about coronavirus infections.

“Should the present conditions continue, I think holding the Olympics should be avoided,” he said

But given this situation where those who were meant to create an environment where we could safely enjoy the Olympics have not done what they need to do. … I can’t help but say that it would be hard for Shimane to contribute to the hosting of the Olympic torch relay,” he added.

He said he wasn’t calling for the relay to be cancelled yet, but for conditions to be watched over the next month or so.

The Tokyo Olympics torch relay is scheduled to start in Fukushima, in northeastern Japan, on March 25 and travel through all 47 prefectures over 121 days. Shimane is set to host the event on May 15-16.

NHK national television said the committee working to choose Mori’s successor had narrowed it down to one candidate and were making final arrangements, with an eye to announcing a decision as early as this week.

In its first meeting, on Tuesday, the committee agreed on five requirements for a new leader, including a deep understanding of gender equality and diversity and the ability to actualise those values during the Games, organisers said in a statement.

Olympics organisers have said the Games would go ahead despite the ongoing pandemic while opinion polls have persistently shown the majority of Japanese oppose holding the event this year. (Reuters/NAN)

The United Nations has allocated $15 million (N5.8 billion) to fight the fresh Ebola outbreaks in Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr Mark Lowcock, who announced this on Tuesday, said it was an initial rapid allocation from the organisation’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

Briefing newsmen, UN spokesman, Mr Stephane Dujarric, quoted Lowcock as saying the funding would help Guinea and DRC respond to the outbreak and support the preparedness of neighbouring countries.

“Detailed allocation decisions will be made in the next few days as we receive more details about specific requirements and needs on the ground,” Dujarric said.

Guinea declared the new outbreak on Feb. 14, four years after the world’s worst Ebola crisis in West Africa between 2013 and 2016.

That outbreak claimed no fewer than 11,300 lives mostly in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

For its part, Congo announced its latest and 12th outbreak on Feb. 7 after a woman died of the disease in the northern province of Kivu.

It came after the World Health Organisation declared the world’s second-deadliest outbreak over in Congo in 2020.

The WHO has warned that the latest cases posed a risk to other African nations, and allied for “exceptional vigilance”. (NAN)

No fewer than 24 people were hospitalised in western Zambia’s Nalolo district after consuming meat suspected to have been poisoned, the police said on Tuesday.

Police spokesperson Esther Mwaata-Katongo said 12 of the victims were juveniles while the rest were adults.

In a statement, the police spokesperson said the incident happened in a remote area of the district and that the victims were rushed to two hospitals in the district.

She, however, said when police visited one hospital where 14 victims were admitted, they only found four while the conditions of 10 others admitted to another hospital has not yet been established.

“Investigations have been instituted in the matter and the carcass will be subjected to laboratory examination,” she said. (Xinhua/NAN)

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the African continent reached 3,759,166 as of Tuesday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

According to the continental disease control and prevention agency’s Africa COVID-19 dashboard, the death toll related to the pandemic stood at 98,915 as of Tuesday noon.

A total of 3,303,228 people infected with COVID-19 have recovered across the continent so far, the agency disclosed.

The Southern Africa region is the most COVID-19 affected area in Africa in terms of the number of confirmed positive cases, followed by the Northern Africa region, according to the Africa CDC.

The most affected African countries in terms of the number of positive cases include South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, and Ethiopia, at 1,492,909; 478,595; 223,549; 174,426 and 147,825, respectively, it was noted.

South Africa has also reported the highest COVID-19-inflicted deaths in Africa, at 48,094, according to the Africa CDC.

The north African countries of Egypt and Morocco have the second and third highest number of COVID-19 related deaths with 10,050 COVID-19 related deaths and 8,491 COVID-19 related deaths each respectively. (Xinhua/NAN)

South Africa’s former president Jacob Zuma has reiterated that he will not appear at the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture (Zondo Commission) to testify as required by law, saying he is awaiting the Constitutional Court to sentence him for his refusal to follow the law.

In a 12-page statement issued on Monday night, Zuma said he would not be intimidated.

“Now that it seems that my role in the Commission has come to an end, I wait to face the sentence to be issued by the Constitutional Court,” he said.

Zuma’s statement came after the Zondo Commission on Monday said it would approach the Constitutional Court in order to have an imprisonment term imposed on him for being in contempt of court.

The former president said the commission which formed to probe allegations of corruption during his administration was established to deal with him.

“I stand by my reservations and that the commission was conceptualised as part of the campaign and sponsored multi-sectoral collaboration to remove me from office,” he said.

While others have accused Zuma of being a constitutional delinquent, he defended himself saying he was not against the court but some judges.

Zuma was supposed to appear at the commission from Monday to Friday this week.

He refused, accusing the chair of the commission, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, of being biased against him.

“It is that type of judicial conduct that I protest against, not our law or our Constitution.

“It is not the authority of the Constitutional Court that I reject, but its abuse by a few judges,” he said. (Xinhua/NAN)

The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), has filed a complaint with the European Union against video platform TikTok on multiple grounds, including for failing to protect children.

In its complaint submitted to the European Commission on Tuesday, BEUC alleges that TikTok which is popular especially among young internet users across the world was breaching EU law.

“TikTok fails to protect children and teenagers from hidden advertising and potentially harmful content on its platform,’’ the organisation said in a press release.

“TikTok is also potentially failing to conduct due diligence when it comes to protecting children from inappropriate content such as videos showing suggestive content which are just a few scrolls away,’’ according to the press release.

BEUC also alleges that the platform’s terms of service are unfair by being unclear.

The consumer protection organisation also claims that TikTok’s processing practices of personal data are misleading.

“TikTok does not clearly inform its users, especially in a way comprehensible to children and teenagers, about what personal data is collected, for what purpose and for what legal reason,’’ the organisation said. (dpa/NAN)

Twelve heads of cattle died on the spot while two others sustained injuries when a bus hit them in western Zambia, the Police said on Monday.

The accident happened along the main road connecting two towns in the province, according to police spokesperson, Esther Mwaata-Katongo.

Mwaata-Katongo said, in a release, that the accident happened when the driver of the bus hit the animals, which were crossing the road.

The accident resulted in the bus having two broken headlamp lenses, broken grill, a depressed bumper and a crack on the windscreen, she added. (Xinhua/NAN)