International
Navalny’s Moscow Funeral Takes Place Under Shadow Of Repression

The funeral of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is scheduled to be held in Moscow on Friday, with mourners braving the risk of arrest to come and pay their respects.
The ceremony will take place two weeks after Navalny died in an Arctic prison, amid pressures denounced by his team who accuse Russian President Vladimir Putin of murdering his top critic.
Putin, who famously never said Navalny’s name in public, has not commented on the death, which sparked outrage among Western leaders and the Russian opposition.
The religious service will be held at the Mother of God Quench My Sorrows church in Maryino at 2:00 pm (1100 GMT) on the outskirts of Moscow.
In line with Orthodox practices, the body of Navalny — who had embraced Christianity — will be displayed in an open casket.
Two hours later, the burial is set to take place at the Borisovo cemetery, a short walk from the banks of the river Moskva.
Details of the funeral and how many mourners will be allowed to attend are still unclear.
Authorities have not commented on how they will handle the event, which could turn into an embarrassing show of support for Navalny.
Around a dozen police officers already patrolled the cemetery on the eve of the burial, which supporters fear may be disturbed by the Kremlin.
Hopes for peaceful ceremony
They have reasons for concern: 400 mourners have been detained at memorials for Navalny since his death, rights organisation OVD-Info said.
The dissident’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, feared the funeral could be disrupted by further arrests.
“I’m not sure yet whether it will be peaceful or whether the police will arrest those who have come to say goodbye to my husband,” Navalnaya told the European Parliament.
She has directly blamed Putin for his death.
Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has criticised statements by Navalny’s wife and Western leaders blaming the Russian leader for the death as “vulgar”.
Navalny had shot to prominence through his anti-corruption campaigning, exposing what he said was rampant graft at the top of Putin’s administration.
He was arrested in January 2021 when he returned to Russia after being treated in Germany for a poisoning attack.
“Alexei was tortured for three years,” Navalnaya told lawmakers in Brussels.
“He was starved in a tiny stone cell, cut off from the outside world and denied visits, phone calls, and then even letters.”
“And then they killed him. Even after that, they abused his body,” she said.
‘Chance to say goodbye’
His body was held for eight days, which his team believed to be a bid to cover up responsibility for his death.
Navalny’s family and his team have also accused authorities of trying to prevent him from having a dignified public burial due to fears it could turn into a flashpoint for dissent.
The team alleged local investigators had threatened to bury him on the prison grounds if his mother did not agree to a “secret” funeral.
Once the body was released, allies struggled to find a funeral place that would agree to hold the ceremony.
And on Thursday they said hearse drivers were refusing to take the body from the morgue.
“What a disgrace. Now the hearse drivers refuse to take Alexei from the morgue,” said Ivan Zhdanov, an exiled ally who managed Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation.
Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said funeral directors had received threatening calls from “unknown people” warning them not to transport Navalny’s body anywhere.
And a civil ceremony allowing the general public to pay their respects to the body — common in Russia — has not been allowed.
Navalnaya said the family “did not want a special treatment — just to give people the chance to say goodbye”.
She has vowed to continue his life’s work.
“The most important thing we can do for Alexei and for ourselves is to continue to fight more desperately, more fiercely than before,” she said.
AFP
International
Legendary conservationist, Jane Goodall, dies at 91
Despite challenges in the rugged landscapes of Gombe National Park, she pursued her dream of living among and studying wildlife.

•Dr. Jane Goodall
Dr Jane Goodall, the world-renowned primatologist, anthropologist, and conservationist, has died at the age of 91.
Jane Goodall Institute confirmed her death on Wednesday, stating that she died of natural causes in California while on a speaking tour of the United States.
Goodall’s groundbreaking research on chimpanzees transformed the scientific understanding of humanity’s closest relatives in the animal kingdom.
Beginning her studies in Tanzania at just 26 years old, she documented chimpanzees’ ability to display human-like behaviors such as affection, tool-making, and even conflict, findings that revolutionized ethology and earned her global recognition.
In her reflection on her early discoveries, Goodall once told ABC News: “Their behavior, with their gestures, kissing, embracing, holding hands and patting on the back … the fact that they can actually be violent and brutal … but also loving and altruistic.”
Her fascination with animals dated back to childhood, inspired by books like Doctor Dolittle and Tarzan.
Despite challenges in the rugged landscapes of Gombe National Park, she pursued her dream of living among and studying wildlife.
Her doctoral thesis at the University of Cambridge detailed her first five years of observations.
International
Deported Nigerian Claims Ghanaian Officials Abandoned Him in Togo

A Nigerian man deported from the United States to Ghana has alleged that he is now stranded in Togo after Ghanaian authorities secretly transferred him and five others across the border without informing Togolese officials.
According to on Wednesday, the man, who spoke anonymously, said he was initially held at a military camp in Ghana after being deported last month along with other West African nationals. He claims Ghanaian officials promised to relocate them to better accommodation but instead covertly transported them into neighbouring Togo via a back route.
“They did not take us through the main border; they took us through the back door. They paid the police there and dropped us in Togo,” he said.
The group, which includes three Nigerians, a Liberian, and others, is now sheltering in a hotel in Lomé, the Togolese capital. None of them have valid documentation, and they are relying on hotel staff to help receive financial aid from relatives abroad.
“We’re struggling to survive in Togo without any documentation,” the man told the BBC. “None of us has family here. We’re just stuck.”
He said life in the Ghanaian military camp was “deplorable,” citing poor water, lack of medical care, and harsh conditions. After complaints to authorities, the group was told they would be moved to a hotel. Instead, they were driven to the Togo border and allegedly coerced under false pretenses.
“When we arrived [at the border], we asked what we were doing there. They told us we needed to sign some paperwork to go to a hotel. We didn’t sign anything,” he said.
The man also shared the personal toll of his deportation. “I have a house in the US where my kids live. How am I supposed to pay the mortgage? My kids can’t see me. It’s just so stressful.”
He is reportedly a member of the Yoruba Self-Determination Movement, an organisation campaigning for an independent Yoruba nation in south-west Nigeria. He fears persecution if forced to return to Nigeria and claims he had court-ordered protection in the US, which should have prevented his deportation. The US government has not publicly addressed this claim.
The deportee was part of a larger group of West Africans — including citizens of Liberia, The Gambia, and Togo — who were flown from US detention facilities to Ghana last month. Human rights lawyers representing the group have filed legal action against both the US and Ghana, citing violations of international protection and due process.
Ghanaian officials, including Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, have defended their decision, saying Ghana accepted the deportees based on “pan-African empathy” and denied receiving any financial compensation.
However, the deal — announced by President John Mahama — has drawn criticism from opposition lawmakers, who are now calling for its suspension until it is properly reviewed and ratified by parliament. Despite the controversy, the government is reportedly preparing to receive an additional 40 deportees.
As the legal battle unfolds and diplomatic pressure mounts, the fate of the stranded deportees in Togo remains uncertain.
International
Seychelles presidential vote going to runoff, electoral commission says
Herminie, head of the United Seychelles (US) party, secured 48.8% of the vote, while Ramkalawan, of the Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS), followed closely with 46.4%, the electoral commission said.

•Image : (Up) Seychelles opposition leader of the United Seychelles (US) party Patrick Herminie; and the incumbent President Wavel Ramkalawan of the LDS party
The Seychelles presidential election will go to a runoff between opposition leader Patrick Herminie and incumbent President Wavel Ramkalawan after no clear winner emerged in the first round of voting, the electoral commission said on Sunday.
Ramkalawan had been looking to block a comeback by the party that previously dominated politics for four decades in Africa’s wealthiest country per capita.
The western Indian Ocean archipelago is a magnet for investment and security cooperation with China, Gulf nations and India.
Herminie, head of the United Seychelles (US) party, secured 48.8% of the vote, while Ramkalawan, of the Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS), followed closely with 46.4%, the electoral commission said.
Neither candidate surpassed the 50% threshold required for an outright victory in the first round.
The US party also made significant gains in the National Assembly, winning 15 constituency seats and an additional four seats through proportional representation, giving it a clear parliamentary majority.
(Reuters).
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