US begins mass deportations of Haitian migrants as Haiti calls for moratorium
A National Guardsman walks along a border fence near the International Bridge where thousand of migrants, mostly from Haiti, have formed a makeshift camp in Del Rio, Texas, Sept. 20, 2021.
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Haiti
The US has begun mass deportations of Haitian migrants who were camping out under the Del Rio International Bridge in Texas along the US-Mexico border. More than 320 migrants arrived back in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince on Sunday — with more flights expected this week. An estimated 12,000 people were taking shelter under the bridge in unbearable heat without proper food and water. Haitian migration officials have asked the US for a “humanitarian moratorium,” citing an inability to cope with thousands of homeless deportees in the middle of a national crisis. Over the past several months, Haiti has dealt with a massive earthquake, the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and COVID-19.
Rwanda
A Rwandan court has convicted Paul Rusesabagina of terrorism for backing a rebel group in a series of attacks that killed nine civilians in 2018, and awaits sentencing. His family says he was forcefully taken to Rwanda from exile for the trial. Rusesabagina was portrayed as a hero in the 2004 Oscar-nominated Hollywood movie “Hotel Rwanda,” which depicted the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Rights groups are calling the move a “show trial” against critics of Rwanda’s president. Prosecutors have been seeking a life sentence for Rusesabagina on nine charges, including terrorism, arson and directing an armed rebel group from abroad. His daughter Carine Kanimba has spoken out against the verdict, saying, “the script was written long before he entered the courtroom.”
Russia
At least six people have been killed, and two dozen others wounded, in a shooting at a Russian university in the city of Perm, around 800 miles east of Moscow. Russia’s Investigative Committee says the suspect is a student at the university, and has opened a murder probe into the incident. Around 3,000 of the 12,000 students enrolled at the university were on campus at the time of the shooting, and some of them barricaded their classroom doors with chairs to prevent the shooter from entering. Local media showed some students throwing their belongings out of first-floor windows and jumping out to run to safety. The gunman reportedly acted alone, without political or religious motives, and had posted an intent to harm others on social media.
From The World
It’s ‘huge for our language’: Lorde’s new Māori-language EP strikes a chord with NZ’s Indigenous community
New Zealand pop star Lorde’s new record “Solar Power” dropped a few weeks ago. Now, the singer has released an album entitled “Te Ao Mārama,” or “World of Light” with five tracks from “Solar Power” adapted to Māori, the language of the Indigenous Māori people of New Zealand.
The release, which comes during Māori Language Week, has received a wide range of reactions from the Indigenous community and others across the country.
The Taliban want international recognition. Countries are debating.
New Zealand pop star Lorde’s new record “Solar Power” dropped a few weeks ago. Now, the singer has released an album entitled “Te Ao Mārama,” or “World of Light” with five tracks from “Solar Power” adapted to Māori, the language of the Indigenous Māori people of New Zealand.
The release, which comes during Māori Language Week, has received a wide range of reactions from the Indigenous community and others across the country.
Bright Spot
Camel milk, anyone? Camel cappuccinos, camel pizza and camel quesadillas — those are just a few of the items that stand out on the menu at Kulan Café in the bustling Eastleigh neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya. “Camels [are] very iconic to Somali culture,” explained Bashir Warsame, one of the cafe’s owners.
Warsame is part of a growing camel milk industry in Kenya — he and other business owners and entrepreneurs hope it catches on more globally.
In case you missed it
Listen: The debate over recognizing the Taliban government
It’s been a month since the Taliban took over Afghanistan. But so far, no nation has recognized them as the official government there. Foreign powers are making their own calculations about how to proceed. Plus, President Joe Biden is asking world leaders to commit more money to help developing countries deal with climate change. It’s the latest in a flurry of diplomatic efforts aimed at securing tangible results at the next UN climate summit that’s six weeks away. And remembering a folk singer often called the “Chicano Woody Guthrie.”
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