UK-Rwanda migration deal
UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman is in Rwanda to discuss a controversial deal that sends asylum-seeking migrants in the UK to the African nation. Braverman has said her trip aims to discuss plans to operationalize the deal shortly. London clinched the agreement with Kigali in April last year to send tens of thousands of migrants on a one-way trip to Rwanda. The plan hit a roadblock, as the first deportation flight was canceled by an injunction from the European Court of Human Rights. Back in December, London’s High Court ruled the scheme was lawful. The plan has drawn widespread criticism both in the UK and outside, including from the UN refugee agency. London says it wants to contain illegal migrants. However, critics say the plan is inhumane.
Putin arrest warrant
The International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Russian President, Vladimir Putin, over alleged war crimes in the Ukraine war. The ICC judge says the execution of the arrest warrant depends on international cooperation. The Hague-based court has no powers to arrest suspects. It can only exercise jurisdiction within the countries that are signed up to its agreement. Russia is not a signatory and the Kremlin has dismissed the ICC claims as outrageous, null, and void. The Russian Foreign Ministry also says the warrant lacks any meaning or legal value for Moscow. Russia had previously accused Ukraine of committing war crimes. It says Kiev has used Western-made weapons against hospitals and civilian infrastructure in the annexed regions of Ukraine.
Imran Khan in court
Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan is set to appear before the high court in the capital Islamabad on Saturday. That’s according to his lawyer in Lahore. Imran Khan is accused of unlawfully selling state gifts given to him by foreign dignitaries when he was prime minister in 2018-2022. He denies any wrongdoing and had repeatedly refused to attend hearings on the case, citing safety concerns. Khan decided to show up in the high court after it canceled an arrest warrant against him. The warrant triggered clashes between security forces and Khan’s supporters in his hometown Lahore earlier this week. The legal proceedings against Khan began after he was ousted from office in a parliamentary vote early last year. Since then, he has been holding protests across the country, calling for early elections. The government has so far refused his demand.