According to the justice minister, the government has requested that the Senate remove former president Joseph Kabila’s immunity so that he can be tried for supporting a rebel uprising in the east.
Constant Mutamba told reporters in Kinshasa on Wednesday evening that authorities have gathered solid proof linking the former president to “war crimes, crimes against humanity, and massacres of peaceful civilians and military personnel” in the east.
Mutamba claimed that Kabila, a former president and senator, has requested that the army’s attorney general grant him lifetime prosecution immunity.
The justice minister added that the former president is accused of “treason, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and involvement in an insurrectional movement.”
Kabila allegedly supported the M23 rebels and “prepared an insurrection” with them, according to his successor, President Felix Tshisekedi, who earlier claimed this year.
Kabila served as president of the DRC from 2001 to 2019, taking office at the age of 29 and extending his mandate by halting elections for two more years. Laurent Kabila, his father, was killed in 2001, according to his father.
He left the DRC last month, largely as a result of deteriorating ties with the Tshisekedi government, and he returned there last month. One of his associates said that he planned to “participate in peace efforts” in the rebel-held eastern city of Goma.
The M23 have taken control of the important cities of Goma and Bukavu, leaving their resurrected after fighting broke out in the eastern DRC once more in January.
About 3,000 people have been killed in the fighting, which has worsened what is already one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world, leaving about 7 million people displaced.
About 200 armed organizations are vying for control in the mineral-rich eastern DRC near the Rwandan border. According to UN experts, Rwanda’s neighboring country has about 4, 000 soldiers supporting the rebels.
Fighting is still ongoing in the eastern province of South Kivu despite the DRC’s army and M23 agreeing to work toward a truce this month.
The justice minister’s actions amount to “relentless persecution,” according to Ferdinand Kambere, the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy’s deputy secretary-general.
The former president’s actions are “intentionally” seen as showing that the regime is about to end, according to us. According to Kambere, “they have nothing to use against Kabila.”
Rashaf, a 12-year-old starving girl from Gaza, made a video plea for travel to get medical attention in exchange for the same condition as when she was 12 years old. A hunger crisis has resulted from Israel’s total blockade of the enclave.
At least 29 people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, according to Gaza’s civil defense organization, as a result of the UN’s request for Israel to ratchet up its blockade of Palestinian territory and allow humanitarian aid to enter.
According to civil rights official Mohammed el-Mougher, at least eight people were killed when an Israeli bomb targeted the Abu Sahlul family’s home in the southern Gaza refugee camp.
At least 17 more people were killed in other assaults across the enclave on Thursday, including one on a tent housing displaced civilians close to Deir el-Balah, in addition to the four who were killed in an airstrike in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City, east of Shaaf.
Witnesses reported a Khan Younis trail of destruction to the AFP news agency. “We arrived here and discovered all these houses destroyed, and young people and children all falling apart,” said Ahmed Abu Zarqa. We’re all tired, please. We are unsure of our future plans. We’d rather die than lead this kind of life.
Aid should never be used as a bargaining chip.
The besieged territory, which has been under a total Israeli blockade for two months, is the subject of dire warnings about the humanitarian situation there.
The UN’s Volker Turk, the head of human rights, claimed that Israel’s policies on Palestinians in Gaza are “increasingly incompatible with their continued existence as a group.” He warned that if one uses starvation to fight, they could commit war crimes.
Palestinians are teetering on the verge of widespread starvation, according to Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, who was based on the ground.
“Parents have frightened their kids to eat spoiled food, literally starting to skip meals.” He claimed that canned food has become a luxury. The World Food Programme reportedly ran out of stock, leaving soup kitchens overwhelmed and barely functioning, while aid-supported bakeries have shut down and are now in full operation.
Locals want secure, long-lasting humanitarian corridors, but Israel’s regulations say meaningful aid must only be entered with permission, he added. Many in Gaza feel as though they are experiencing “an engineered misery” that has caused famine on a devastating scale as the blockade is now in its second month.
On Thursday, the UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, echoed those concerns. He claimed that “aid and the civilian lives it saves never should be a bargaining chip.”
“Blocking aid kills,” It uses cruel collective punishment. He criticized Israel’s plan to distribute private aid to Gaza, calling it insufficient and unconcerned with fundamental human rights.
We reiterate this brutal blockade to the Israeli authorities and to those who can still reason with them. He urged humanitarians to save lives.
More than 3, 000 aid trucks are stuck at the Gaza border, according to UNRWA, including UNRWA, preventing the delivery of essential supplies. According to estimates, one million children are at risk. In a post on X, UNRWA stated that “the siege must be lifted.
Israel is criticized by Qatar at the ICJ.
Following the UN General Assembly’s request for an advisory opinion last year, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) held a week-long hearing on Israel’s obligations to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Mutlaq al-Qahtani, Qatar’s ambassador to the Netherlands, told the court that Israel has continued its “genocidal war against the Palestinian people” and expanded settlement efforts in the occupied West Bank on Thursday.
According to Mutlaq al-Qahtani, Palestinians in Gaza are still in “famine-like conditions” as Israel continues to thwart “any delivery of life-saving aid.”
Campaigner Virginia Giuffre, who made headlines last week after accusing Prince Andrew of sexual abuse, which he’s denied, passed away at the age of 41.
Virginia Giuffre passed away at the age of 41, according to an announcement made last week.
Virginia Giuffre was reportedly estranged from her children in the lead up to her death. The news comes after it was announced last week that she’d taken her own life after being a “lifelong victim” of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.
Virginia, who alleged that paedophile Jeffrey Epstein trafficked her for sex at the age of 16, made headlines after accusing Prince Andrew, now 65, of sexually abusing her while she was a teenager. He has repeatedly denied the claims and, in 2022, paid Virginia an undisclosed sum in an out-of-court settlement. It’s been reported that the agreement did not admit liability.
It was announced just days ago that Virginia Giuffre had been found dead, aged 41, at her home(Image: Bloomberg via Getty Images)
It was announced last week that Virginia, who was living in Australia after relocating from the US, had died aged 41. Her family said that she had taken her own life. Her father, Sky Roberts, has since questioned if that was the case.
Following the news of her death, Daily Mail Australia reported that Virginia – who was separated from her husband Robert Giuffre – had become estranged from her three children. The outlet reported that ‘strict court orders’ meant that her children were not able to visit her during her most recent hospital stay or even text her. It added that Virginia had not seen or heard from them in the lead up to her death.
Virginia’s mother, who is alleged to have been her carer, described her as “a really good mother, she was an exceptional mother, and she loved her children.” She did, of course, find separation to be very difficult to deal with.
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As previously reported, a source told MailOnline that Virginia’s life “imploded” in recent months. They said that her marriage “broke down” and that she was in “pain”. The source also claimed that she had been taking prescription pain pills “since she was with Epstein”.
She hasn’t seen her children since her husband placed a restraining order earlier this year, the source continued. She expressed concern for everything that was said about her. However, her main concern was having to watch her children.
Her family last week revealed Virginia’s death. We are saddened by the news that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia, according to their statement. After being a continuous victim of sex abuse and trafficking, she committed suicide.
Paying tribute to her, they added in the statement given to NBC News: “Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors. In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight.”
The news came after a post on Virginia’s Instagram account in March stated that she had been given days to live following a car crash. It included a photo that appeared to show extensive bruising whilst she lay in a hospital bed.
No matter what your car is made of, a tin can might as well be it, even though this year has been the worst start to a new year, the caption reads: “I won’t bore anyone with the details, but I think it’s important to note that when a school bus driver comes at you driving 110 kilometers as we were slowing for a turn.
I had kidney renal failure, and they gave me four days to live before moving me to a urology specialist hospital. You know what they say about wishes, but not until I see my babies once more. I can guarantee that it will still be s*** at the end of the day if I have s*** in one hand and wish in the other.
However, Western Australia Police Force told the Mirror that it had received a report of “a minor crash” between a bus and a car north of Perth on March 24. They said in a statement: “The Western Australia Police Force received a report of a minor crash which occurred between a bus and a car in Neergabby on 24 March just after 3pm. The collision was reported by the bus driver the following day. The car sustained approximately $2000 (£967) worth of damage. There were no reported injuries as a result of the crash.”
As previously reported, her brother, Sky Roberts, later clarified the “four days to live” comment, stating that doctors had informed the family that without urgent treatment, her condition could have been fatal. He said: “Let’s be clear, she never stated the bus accident was the cause of all her other injuries. Nobody ever said her liver issues and kidney failure were ever from that … that’s up to her doctor to determine.”
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The Samaritans have a free helpline that is available 24/7, accessible at 116 123, for those who are struggling and need to talk. You can also contact Jo at jo@samaritans.org or visit their website to find your local branch.
If you are 18 or under and have experienced this story, call Childline on 0800 1111. The NSPCC Helpline can also be reached by dialing 0808 800 500 or emailing help@nspcc.org. uk. Call 999 if a child is in immediate danger.
On the third day of the festival, Teahupoo took home the Grade One Champion Stayers’ Hurdle at Punchestown for the second year in a row.
Gordon Elliott, who won his first festival win, won the 5-4 favorite with a dominant victory from Sam Ewing.
The Grade One Novice Chase was won by Majborough, which was trained by Willie Mullins.
With Mullins’ 200th victory in Ireland, jockey Mark Walsh and Majborough won by 14 lengths over Only by Night.
The Handicap Hurdle race featured Putapoundinthejar winning the day’s opening race, while Busselton won the Cross Country Cup Chase and Petit Tonnerre won the Handicap Chase.
Before Cottesloe Sunshine won the Novice Hurdle and Baron Noir claimed the day’s final victory in the Flat Race, Jeriko Du Reponet won the Handicap Hurdle in a one-two with Nicky Henderson.
Russell Brand, a former comedian and actor, is scheduled to show up in court tomorrow after being charged with rape and sexual assault last month as a result of a police investigation.
Russell Brand is due in court on Friday morning(Image: PA)
Russell Brand has been accused of touching a woman’s breasts and dragging another woman towards a male toilet, according to court documents. The former comedian and actor is due to appear in court on Friday. It comes after he was charged with rape and sexual assault last month. Brand, 49, is charged with a number of alleged crimes dating back to 1999, following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police.
In September 2023, police began looking into Brand in light of several reports that came out in response to allegations made by a report from Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times. According to The Met, Brand, who is said to reside in the US, has been accused of allegedly committing crimes between 1999 and 2005 against four women.
Brand was charged with rape and sexual assault last month(Image: PA)
Last month, it was revealed that Brand had been accused of raping a woman in the London’s Westminster neighborhood in 2001 and of indecently assaulting a woman in the same area.
Additionally, it was disclosed that the actor had been formally accused of sexually assaulting and raping a woman in London’s Westminster neighborhood in 2004.
Details of the charges have been provided in court records. In 2001, Brand is accused of “grabbing her arm and dragging her towards a male toilet” and indecently assaulting a woman.
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He is also accused of touching another woman’s breasts without her permission in Westminster, London, in 2004 and sexually assaulting her.
The Crown Prosecution Service’s Jaswant Narwal stated in a statement last month that the Metropolitan Police has authorized Russell Brand to be charged with a number of sexual crimes.
Following a police investigation into allegations made after a Channel 4 documentary was broadcast in September 2023, we carefully examined the evidence.
Russell Brand should be accused of rape, sexual assault, and other indecent assault, according to our analysis. These relate to four women who were allegedly convicted of non-recent crimes between 1999 and 2005.
On Friday, May 2, 2025, he will make his first appearance at Westminster Magistrates’ Court for a hearing. Everybody is reminded by the Crown Prosecution Service that criminal cases are ongoing and that the accused person deserves a fair trial.
“No reporting, commentary, or sharing of information online that could adversely affect these proceedings is extremely important.”
Brand refuted the allegations in a statement that was shared on his social media after the charges were revealed. He continued, “I’ve always told you guys that when I was young and single, before I had my wife and family who are just out of shot over there, my beautiful children, I was a fool, man.”
Before I lived in the light of the Lord, I was a fool, man. I was an imbecile, sex addict, and drug addict, but I never committed rape. I’ve never engaged in non-consensual behavior, but I’m hoping you can see that by looking in my eyes. I want to thank each of you for your ongoing support.
The women who have made reports continue to receive assistance from specially trained officers, according to Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who is in charge of the investigation. Anyone who has been impacted by this case, or anyone with any information, is still at the Met’s investigation and is being asked to come forward and speak with police.
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A dedicated team of investigators can be reached via email at CIT@met.police, he continued. uk. Contacting the nonprofit organization Rape Crisis at the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line is another option for support.
Through www.you can find help and resources if you have been the victim of sexual assault. rapecrisis . org. Alternatively, call 0808 802 9999 or the national telephone helpline.
