As Kenya’s flood toll rises, Human Rights Watch says officials must step up efforts

May 2, 20246:17 PM ET
Enlarge this imageA man swims from a submerged church compound, after the River Tana broke its banks following heavy rains at Mororo, border of Tana River and Garissa counties, northeastern Kenya, April 28. Heavy rains pounding different parts of Kenya have led to dozens of deaths and the displacement of tens of thousands of people, according to the United Nations.

Andre Kasuku/AP

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Andre Kasuku/AP

A man swims from a submerged church compound, after the River Tana broke its banks following heavy rains at Mororo, border of Tana River and Garissa counties, northeastern Kenya, April 28. Heavy rains pounding different parts of Kenya have led to dozens of deaths and the displacement of tens of thousands of people, according to the United Nations.

Andre Kasuku/AP

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Human Rights Watch accused Kenyan authorities on Thursday of not responding adequately to ongoing floods that have killed more than 170 peopl..

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30 years since the end of apartheid, is South Africa still an emblem of democracy?

April 28, 20244:38 PM ET
Enlarge this imageBodyguards keep close watch as Nelson Mandela celebrates his victory in the South African presidential elections of 1994. As the head of the African National Congress, he helped to build the country’s new multiracial government and to establish the free elections in which he won his presidency.

David Turnley/Corbis/VCG

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David Turnley/Corbis/VCG

Bodyguards keep close watch as Nelson Mandela celebrates his victory in the South African presidential elections of 1994. As the head of the African National Congress, he helped to build the country’s new multiracial government and to establish the free elections in which he won his presidency.

David Turnley/Corbis/VCG

Three decades ago, South Africa held its first democratic election, closing the door on the apartheid era.
And Nelson Mandela was elected its first Black president.
Today, the country is still led by Mandela’s political party – the African Nation..

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An Afghan migrant, age 17, drowned in a Bosnian river. Here’s how citizens responded

April 27, 20248:00 AM ET
Enlarge this imageA photo of Ajmal Khan on his way to Western Europe to find work, taken by a travel companion and sent by Khan to his family in Afghanistan via WhatsApp. The 17-year-old drowned when crossing the Drina River near the city of Bijeljina in Bosnia-Herzegovina — part of a common route for migrants as they head toward wealthier European countries.

Courtesy of the family

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Courtesy of the family

A photo of Ajmal Khan on his way to Western Europe to find work, taken by a travel companion and sent by Khan to his family in Afghanistan via WhatsApp. The 17-year-old drowned when crossing the Drina River near the city of Bijeljina in Bosnia-Herzegovina — part of a common route for migrants as they head toward wealthier European countries.

Courtesy of the family

Thousands of migrants have died or gone missing in Europe — many of them in the Western Balkans. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, for example, dozens..

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South Africa remembers an historic election every April 27, Freedom Day

April 27, 20244:36 AM ET
Enlarge this imagePeople queue to cast their votes In Soweto, South Africa April 27, 1994, in the country’s first all-race elections. South Africans celebrate “Freedom Day” every April 27.

Denis Farrell/AP

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Denis Farrell/AP

People queue to cast their votes In Soweto, South Africa April 27, 1994, in the country’s first all-race elections. South Africans celebrate “Freedom Day” every April 27.

Denis Farrell/AP

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — South Africans celebrate their “Freedom Day” every April 27, when they remember their country’s pivotal first democratic election in 1994 that announced the official end of the racial segregation and oppression of apartheid.
Saturday is the 30th anniversary of that momentous vote, when millions of Black South Africans, young and old, decided their own futures for the first time, a fundamental right they had been denied by a white minority government.
The first all-race election saw th..

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Most countries in Asia see decline in press freedom

Most countries in Asia see decline in press freedom

FILE – In a sign of protest against the police using force against the media, press photographers wear protective gear during a police media conference in Hong Kong, Sept. 9, 2019. Once a model for press freedom in the Asia region, Hong Kong’s ranking has plummeted.

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Germany warns Russia about cyberattacks

Germany warns Russia about cyberattacks

FILE – This July 14, 2018 file photo shows the building of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia, also know as Russian military intelligence service in Moscow, Russia.

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South Africa remembers an historic election every April 27, Freedom Day

April 27, 20244:36 AM ET
Enlarge this imagePeople queue to cast their votes In Soweto, South Africa April 27, 1994, in the country’s first all-race elections. South Africans celebrate “Freedom Day” every April 27.

Denis Farrell/AP

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Denis Farrell/AP

People queue to cast their votes In Soweto, South Africa April 27, 1994, in the country’s first all-race elections. South Africans celebrate “Freedom Day” every April 27.

Denis Farrell/AP

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — South Africans celebrate their “Freedom Day” every April 27, when they remember their country’s pivotal first democratic election in 1994 that announced the official end of the racial segregation and oppression of apartheid.
Saturday is the 30th anniversary of that momentous vote, when millions of Black South Africans, young and old, decided their own futures for the first time, a fundamental right they had been denied by a white minority government.
The first all-race election saw th..

Read more

Morning news brief

April 23, 20245:13 AM ET

Gaza protests on college campuses stretch across the U.S. British lawmakers OK plan to outsource U.K.’s refugee system to Rwanda. Supreme Court to hear Starbucks case about fired pro-union workers.

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30 years since the end of apartheid, is South Africa still an emblem of democracy?

April 28, 20244:38 PM ET
Enlarge this imageBodyguards keep close watch as Nelson Mandela celebrates his victory in the South African presidential elections of 1994. As the head of the African National Congress, he helped to build the country’s new multiracial government and to establish the free elections in which he won his presidency.

David Turnley/Corbis/VCG

hide caption

toggle caption

David Turnley/Corbis/VCG

Bodyguards keep close watch as Nelson Mandela celebrates his victory in the South African presidential elections of 1994. As the head of the African National Congress, he helped to build the country’s new multiracial government and to establish the free elections in which he won his presidency.

David Turnley/Corbis/VCG

Three decades ago, South Africa held its first democratic election, closing the door on the apartheid era.
And Nelson Mandela was elected its first Black president.
Today, the country is still led by Mandela’s political party – the African Nation..

Read more

An Afghan migrant, age 17, drowned in a Bosnian river. Here’s how citizens responded

April 27, 20248:00 AM ET
Enlarge this imageA photo of Ajmal Khan on his way to Western Europe to find work, taken by a travel companion and sent by Khan to his family in Afghanistan via WhatsApp. The 17-year-old drowned when crossing the Drina River near the city of Bijeljina in Bosnia-Herzegovina — part of a common route for migrants as they head toward wealthier European countries.

Courtesy of the family

hide caption

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Courtesy of the family

A photo of Ajmal Khan on his way to Western Europe to find work, taken by a travel companion and sent by Khan to his family in Afghanistan via WhatsApp. The 17-year-old drowned when crossing the Drina River near the city of Bijeljina in Bosnia-Herzegovina — part of a common route for migrants as they head toward wealthier European countries.

Courtesy of the family

Thousands of migrants have died or gone missing in Europe — many of them in the Western Balkans. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, for example, dozens..

Read more

Rights groups alarmed about new anti-LGBTQ+ law in Iraq

Rights groups alarmed about new anti-LGBTQ+ law in Iraq

FILE – Lawmakers are pictured during a parliament session in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 9, 2022. Lawmakers on April 27, 2024, passed an amendment to an existing anti-prostitution rule; it says those found guilty of same-sex relations will face 10 to 15 years in jail.

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Pier for Gaza aid to cost US $320 million

Pier for Gaza aid to cost US $320 million

This satellite picture taken by Planet Labs PBC show the construction of a new aid port near Gaza City, Gaza Strip, on April 18, 2024. The port is being built ahead of a U.S. military-led operation to deliver food and other aid. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

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What World War II taught us about how to help starving people today

April 19, 20243:33 PM ET
Surviving children of the Auschwitz concentration camp, one of the camps the Nazis had set up to exterminate Jews and kill millions of others. Research into the appropriate way to “re-feed” those who’ve experienced starvation was prompted by the deaths of camp survivors after liberation.

ullstein bild/Getty Images

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ullstein bild/Getty Images

Editor’s note: This story contains detailed descriptions of how starvation affects the body.
Famine has been a threat to humanity since ancient times.
But it wasn’t until the end of World War II that scientists began to investigate what starvation actually does to a person’s body.
Now aid advocates are calling for those lessons to be applied to today’s food emergencies including the crises in Sudan, Gaza and Haiti.
Lessons from World War IITo understand why, Alex de Waal, a social scientist at Tufts University who specializes in famines, says you need to go back to an episode that spark..

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Which scientists get mentioned in the news? Mostly ones with Anglo names, says study

April 19, 20247:00 AM ET
Enlarge this imageWhen the media covers scientific research, not all scientists are equally likely to be mentioned. A new study finds scientists with Asian or African names were 15% less likely to be named in a story.

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shironosov/Getty Images

When the media covers scientific research, not all scientists are equally likely to be mentioned. A new study finds scientists with Asian or African names were 15% less likely to be named in a story.

shironosov/Getty Images

When one Chinese national recently petitioned the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to become a permanent resident, he thought his chances were pretty good. As an accomplished biologist, he figured that news articles in top media outlets, including The New York Times, covering his research would demonstrate his “extraordinary ability” in the sciences, as called for by the EB-1A visa.
But when the immigration officers rejected his ..

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Lethal heat in West Africa is driven by human-caused climate change

April 18, 202411:55 AM ET
Enlarge this imageA young girl carries an empty container as she walks across the sands to fill it from a well in Barrah, a desert village in the Sahel belt of Chad.

Ben Curtis/AP

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Ben Curtis/AP

A young girl carries an empty container as she walks across the sands to fill it from a well in Barrah, a desert village in the Sahel belt of Chad.

Ben Curtis/AP

LAGOS, Nigeria — The lethal heatwave that hit West Africa earlier this month, overwhelming hospitals and mortuaries in parts of the region, would not have happened without human-caused climate change activity, according to a study by a network of international scientists. Extremely high temperatures of over 110 degrees Fahrenheit likely killed hundreds or thousands of people across multiple countries region.
The new analysis from the World Weather Attribution group found the soaring temperatures in the region during the five-day period of the heatwave would not h..

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What are ‘orphan crops’? And why is there a new campaign to get them adopted?

April 18, 202410:30 AM ET
Enlarge this image”Orphan crops” refers to plantings that have fallen out of favor but could offer advantages over staples like wheat and grain in a changing climate. Above: Lablab purpureus, also known as Indian bean and Egyptian kidney bean, is native to sub-Saharan Africa and India. It’s a warm-season annual or short-lived perennial with a thick stem that grows up to 3 feet and vines that can reach 25 feet long.

Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto/Getty Images

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Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto/Getty Images

“Orphan crops” refers to plantings that have fallen out of favor but could offer advantages over staples like wheat and grain in a changing climate. Above: Lablab purpureus, also known as Indian bean and Egyptian kidney bean, is native to sub-Saharan Africa and India. It’s a warm-season annual or short-lived perennial with a thick stem that grows up to 3 feet and vines that can reach 25 feet long.

Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto/Getty Images..

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US to withdraw its troops from Niger, source says

US to withdraw its troops from Niger, source says

FILE – Protesters react as a man holds up a sign demanding U.S. Army soldiers leave Niger without negotiation during a demonstration in Niamey, on April 13, 2024. The U.S. will withdraw its troops from Niger, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday.

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Japan, China bicker over Beijing’s actions in Indo-Pacific

Japan, China bicker over Beijing’s actions in Indo-Pacific

FILE – A Philippine Coast Guard rigid hull inflatable boat passes by the Japanese Coast Guard Akitsushima during a trilateral Coast Guard drill of the U.S., Japan and Philippines near the waters of the disputed South China See in Bataan province, Philippines, June 6, 2023.

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The man who inspired ‘Hotel Rwanda’ is still taking risks for his country

April 16, 20246:52 PM ET
Enlarge this imagePaul Rusesabagina in 2019.

Nicolas Maeterlinck/AFP via Getty Images

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Nicolas Maeterlinck/AFP via Getty Images

Paul Rusesabagina in 2019.

Nicolas Maeterlinck/AFP via Getty Images

You’re reading the Consider This newsletter, which unpacks one major news story each day. Subscribe hereto get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to more from the Consider This podcast.
1. Paul Rusesabagina was a hotelier during the Rwandan genocide. In 1994, the world watched as genocide unfolded in Rwanda. Nearly one million people died as neighbors brutally killed their neighbors. Paul Rusesabagina is credited for keeping more than 1,200 people safe in his hotel through weeks of violence. His life and story inspired the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda.
In 2021, Rusesabagina says he was kidnapped, tried and imprisoned in Rwanda for two years and seven months over his ties to the Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD), a grou..

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The Devastating Conflict the World is Ignoring

April 16, 20244:41 PM ET

More than 8 million people have been displaced in Sudan, according to the United Nations. A powerful paramilitary group has been fighting the Sudanese army for over a year. We hear from a Sudanese poet, who is trying to draw attention to the overlooked conflict in her country.

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