Kigali (AFP) – Britain’s interior minister defends a controversial plan to deport asylum seekers arriving in the UK to Rwanda during a visit there, when she inspected the centres where they will be held.
Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Francis greets refugees brought to Europe by Christian charities, recognising their difficult journeys.
Washington (AFP) – US President Joe Biden and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day — and tout Biden’s expected visit to Ireland and Northern Ireland for the anniversary of the Good Friday peace accords on April 10. Biden’s much-anticipated visit has led to speculation it could coincide with power-sharing restarting in Belfast. But Northern Ireland’s largest pro-UK party said it would not be rushed on giving its verdict on the Windsor Framework post-Brexit trade deal that could pave the way for a resumption of devolved governance in Northern Ireland.
London (AFP) – Monday marks 20 years since Blair joined US president George W. Bush in launching an invasion of Iraq under Saddam Hussein’s rule, without a UN mandate and in defiance of some of the biggest demonstrations ever seen in Britain. For its many critics, the war was exposed as a reckless misadventure when no weapons of mass destruction were found, and hampered the West’s ability to stand up to the rise of autocrats in Russia and China. But Blair rejects the notion that Russian President Vladimir Putin profited by defying a weakened West with his own aggression against Ukraine, starting in 2014 and extending to last year’s full invasion.
Sao Paulo (AFP) – In Brazil, women Sumo wrestlers are used to people saying they are too small or too fragile to practise a sport typically associated with hulking Japanese men. But they insist that is just fuel for their fighting spirit when they get in the “dojo,” or ring.
Çanakkale (Turkey) (AFP) – Turkey announces the extension of a deal that has allowed exports of Ukrainian grain to resume following Russia’s invasion, but it was unclear if it had been prolonged for 60 or 120 days. Russia said it had agreed to a 60-day extension, while Ukraine’s infrastructure minister said the deal had been extended for 120 days. Turkey and the United Nations did not specify the duration.
Tripoli (AFP) – Libyan boxers fight and train in Tripoli, as they participate in various competitions. The sport was banned by former dictator Moamer Kadhafi from 1979 until his downfall in 2011. Since then, athletes have strived to revive boxing.
Ankara (AFP) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ends months of delays by asking parliament to vote on Finland’s bid to join the NATO defence bloc – paving the way for the Nordic nation to join the alliance without its neighbour Sweden. Finland and Sweden ended decades of military non-alignment and decided to join the US-led defence alliance in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Munich (Germany) (AFP) – After being drawn against Manchester City in today’s Champions League draw, Bayern Munich Coach Julian Nagelsmann calls the tie “extremely difficult, singling out star striker Erling Haaland as a man to watch. “He is an exceptional player who is extremely dangerous”, Nagelsmann warns, calling him better physically than PSG’s Kylian Mbappe.
Paris (AFP) – Bertrand Panchet, leader of one of the political opposition groups in France’s National Assembly, files a motion of no-confidence against the government, which garnered 91 signatories. “I regret that my colleagues from LR (The Republicans, eds.) are not signatories, but I hope that many will vote for it,” Panchet adds. The motion comes amid anger over the government’s use of article 49.3 of the constitution to force President Emmanuel Macron’s highly contested pension reform into law without a vote.
Paris (AFP) – Angry demonstrations sprang up across France after French President Emmanuel Macron forced a contentious pension reform through parliament without a vote. Despite two months of strikes and some of the biggest protests in decades, Macron’s government insisted on imposing the bill to hike the retirement age from 62 to 64, which is opposed by two-thirds of the French public.
Sydney (AFP) – After shredding the world record for the longest surfing session, Australian surfer Blake Johnston admits he feels “pretty cooked” from catching the waves for more than 40 hours. The 40-year-old former surfing pro took on South African Josh Elsin’s previous record of 30 hours 11 minutes to raise money for mental health, marking 10 years since losing his father to suicide.
