Category: International News

After nine months in space, Nasa astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have finally arrived back on Earth.

Their SpaceX capsule made a fast and fiery re-entry through the Earth’s atmosphere, before four parachutes opened to take them to a gentle splashdown off the coast of Florida.

A pod of dolphins circled the craft.

After a recovery ship lifted it out of the water, the astronauts beamed and waved as they were helped out of the hatch, along with fellow crew members astronaut Nick Hague and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

“The crew’s doing great,” Steve Stich, manager, Nasa’s Commercial Crew Program, said at a news conference.

It brings to an end a mission that was supposed to last for just eight days.

It was dramatically extended after the spacecraft Butch and Suni had used to travel to the International Space Station suffered technical problems.

“It is awesome to have crew 9 home, just a beautiful landing,” said Joel Montalbano, deputy associate administrator, Nasa’s Space Operations Mission Directorate.

Thanking the astronauts for their resilience and flexibility, he said SpaceX had been a “great partner”.

The journey home took 17 hours.

The astronauts were helped on to a stretcher, which is standard practice after spending so long in the weightless environment.

They will be checked over by a medical team, and then reunited with their families.

“The big thing will be seeing friends and family and the people who they were expecting to spend Christmas with,” said Helen Sharman, Britain’s first astronaut.

“All of those family celebrations, the birthdays and the other events that they thought they were going to be part of – now, suddenly they can perhaps catch up on a bit of lost time.”

The saga of Butch and Suni began in June 2024.

They were taking part in the first crewed test flight of the Starliner spacecraft, developed by aerospace company Boeing.

But the capsule suffered several technical problems during its journey to the space station, and it was deemed too risky to take the astronauts home.

Starliner returned safely to Earth empty in early September, but it meant the pair needed a new ride for their return.

So Nasa opted for the next scheduled flight: a SpaceX capsule that arrived at the ISS in late September.

It flew with two astronauts instead of four, leaving two seats spare for Butch and Suni’s return.

The only catch was this had a planned six-month mission, extending the astronauts stay until now.

The Nasa pair embraced their longer-than-expected stay in space.

They carried out an array of experiments on board the orbiting lab and conducted spacewalks, with Suni breaking the record for the woman who spent the most hours outside of the space station. And at Christmas, the team dressed in Santa hats and reindeer antlers – sending a festive message for a Christmas that they had originally planned to spend at home.

And despite the astronauts being described as “stranded” they never really were.

Throughout their mission there have always been spacecraft attached to the space station to get them – and the rest of those onboard – home if there was an emergency.

Now the astronauts have arrived home, they will soon be taken to the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas, where they will be checked over by medical experts.

Long-duration missions in space take a toll on the body, astronauts lose bone density and suffer muscle loss. Blood circulation is also affected, and fluid shifts can also impact eyesight.

It can take a long time for the body to return to normal, so the pair will be given an extensive exercise regime as their bodies re-adapt to living with gravity.

British astronaut Tim Peake said it could take a while to re-adjust.

“Your body feels great, it feels like a holiday,” he told the BBC.

“Your heart is having an easy time, your muscles and bones are having an easy time. You’re floating around the space station in this wonderful zero gravity environment.

“But you must keep up the exercise regime. Because you’re staying fit in space, not for space itself, but for when you return back to the punishing gravity environment of Earth. Those first two or three days back on Earth can be really punishing.”

In interviews while onboard, Butch and Suni have said they were well prepared for their longer than expected stay – but there were things they were looking forward to when they got home.

Speaking to CBS last month, Suni Williams said: “I’m looking forward to seeing my family, my dogs and jumping in the ocean. That will be really nice – to be back on Earth and feel Earth.”

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame have held direct talks for the first time since Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized two major cities in eastern DRC.

In a joint statement issued with Qatar, whose emir mediated the talks in Doha, the countries called for an “immediate ceasefire” in eastern DRC.

“The Heads of State then agreed on the need to continue the discussions initiated in Doha in order to establish solid foundations for lasting peace,” the statement said.

The DRC has accused Rwanda of sending weapons and troops to support the M23 rebels, which Rwanda has denied.

The talks came after M23 representatives pulled out of a planned meeting with the DRC government in Angola on Tuesday, after the European Union imposed sanctions on some of the group’s senior members, including leader Bertrand Bisimwa.

In a statement, M23 said the sanctions “seriously compromise direct dialogue and prevent any advance”.

The EU also sanctioned three Rwandan military commanders and the country’s mining agency chief over support for the M23 fighters.

The conflict in eastern DRC escalated in January when the rebels advanced and seized the strategic city of Goma, followed by Bukavu in February.

M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich eastern DRC near the border with Rwanda. The conflict has created one of the world’s most significant humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced.

The rebels are supported by about 4,000 Rwandan troops, according to United Nations experts.

Nearly all Voice of America (VOA) staff members have been placed on leave after United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order gutting the government-run news agency.

On Friday night, Trump ordered his administration to reduce several agencies to the minimum required by law under an order titled “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy”.

The decision affected the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), housing Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and Asia, and Radio Marti, which broadcasts Spanish-language news in Cuba.

The press advocacy group Reporters Without Borders slammed the decision, saying it “threatens press freedom worldwide and negates 80 years of American history in supporting a free flow of information”.

The decision to gut the government-run, pro-democracy news agency comes as Republicans have accused publicly funded media outlets of being biased against conservatives.

In a statement, the White House said Trump’s executive orders “will ensure that taxpayers are no longer on the hook for radical propaganda” before listing criticisms of VOA, including allegations of left-wing bias.

On Saturday morning, Kari Lake, a US Senate candidate whom Trump named a senior adviser to the agency, wrote on X that employees should check their emails.

US President Donald Trump’s escalating trade tariffs will hit world growth and raise inflation, the OECD has predicted in its latest forecast.

Canada and Mexico are forecast to see the biggest impact as they have had the harshest tariffs imposed on them, but US growth is also expected to be hit.

The OECD has more than halved its growth outlook for Canada for this year and next, while it expects Mexico to be pushed into a recession.

Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports. The US has also imposed 25% tariffs on other imports from Mexico and Canada – with some exemptions – and a 20% levy on Chinese goods.

In response, Canada and the EU have both announced retaliatory tariffs.

The Paris-based OECD said the higher trade barriers and “increased geopolitical and policy uncertainty” were hitting investment and household spending.

In the OECD’s latest forecast:

Canada’s economy is predicted to grow by just 0.7% this year and in 2026, compared with the previous forecast of 2% for both years
Mexico is now forecast to contract by 1.3% this year and shrink a further 0.6% next year, instead of growing by 1.2% and 1.6% as previously expected
Growth in the US has also been downgraded, with growth of 2.2% expected this year and 1.6% in 2025, down from previous forecasts of 2.4% and 2.1%
Despite the US imposing tariffs on China, the OECD has increased its growth forecast for the country slightly to 4.8%.
The OECD said the developing trade war was set to push up inflation, which will mean interest rates are likely to remain higher for longer.

“Significant risks remain,” it warned. “Further fragmentation of the global economy is a key concern.

“Higher and broader increases in trade barriers would hit growth around the world and add to inflation”.

The OECD said that for the world economy, growth would slow from 3.2% in 2024 to 3.1% in 2025, largely as a result of the trade tensions.

It also said it expected inflation – the rate of price increases – to continue to slow, though not as much as previously anticipated.

The organisation is predicting inflation of 3.8% this year across 20 of the world’s largest economies, compared with the 3.5% it had previously forecast.

Bar chart showing how the change in growth projections for 2025 have been downgraded for the world economy, the US, UK, Canada and Mexico. Last week, Elon Musk’s electric car firm Tesla warned that it, and other US exporters, could be harmed by the trade battle.

In a letter to the US trade representative, the firm said US exporters were “exposed to disproportionate impacts” if other countries retaliated to Trump’s tariffs.

The OECD cut its growth forecast for the UK’s economy to 1.4% in 2025, from its previous forecast of 1.7%, and to 1.2% in 2026, down from 1.3%.

However, the forecast is more optimistic than the Bank of England, which earlier this month cut its UK growth forecast for 2025 to 0.75%.

Former National Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Member of Parliament (MP) for Akuapem North Constituency in the Eastern Region of Ghana, Sammi Awuku, has been appointed as the Vice President of SME Global in Charge of Africa.

In his appointment letter dated March 10, 2025 and signed by Lilia Heitz, Secretary General of the SME Global of the International Democracy Union, it reads in part “On behalf of the Executive Office of SME Global, I am pleased to formally confirm your appointment as Vice-President of SME Global of the IDU.

“We are confident that your contributions will be instrumental in driving our mission forward and fostering impactful initiatives. We appreciate your willingness to take on this responsibility and look forward to working together to strengthen the SME landscape globally. Once again, congratulations, and welcome to SME Global.” SME Global is the Trade and Economic arm of the IDU and an influential, center-right network dedicated to the advancement of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups worldwide.

The organization brings together policymakers from the International Democracy Union (IDU) member parties, along with business leaders from across the globe. It provides a platform for networking, collaboration, and policy advocacy, championing low taxation, economic responsibility, and individual liberty within a socially-oriented market economy.

With a strong commitment to empowering SMEs and entrepreneurs, SME Global facilitates practical solutions to modern business challenges while ensuring that SME concerns remain central to global policy discussions. The organization plays a key role in shaping SME-friendly policies, addressing bureaucratic barriers, and fostering an environment conducive to innovation and economic growth. As Vice President for SME Global in charge of Africa, Mr Awuku will be instrumental in driving initiatives that support SMEs across the continent, advocating for regulatory reforms, and amplifying the role of small businesses in political and economic transformation.

His appointment signals a strengthened commitment to fostering entrepreneurship and ensuring that SMEs continue to thrive in an ever-evolving global business landscape.

Sammi Awuku will work closely with Board Members of SME Global including Jörgen Warborn, MEP, President, SME Global Coordinator of the International Trade Committee for European People’s Party (EPP) Group, Sweden, Randy Hoback, MP, Vice-President, SME Global Member of Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, Canada, Hon. Todd McClay, MP Vice-President, SME Global, Minister for Trade and Agriculture, New Zealand, Kevin Hollinrake, MP Vice-President, SME Global Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, United Kingdom and Germana Figueroa Casas, MP, Vice-President, SME Global Member of the Chamber of Deputies, Argentina

Rwanda has cut diplomatic ties with Belgium, saying it has been “consistently undermined” by the European nation during the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Brussels has been leading calls for European nations to sanction Rwanda over its support for the M23, a rebel group at the centre of DR Congo’s crisis.

The authorities in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, have given Belgian diplomats 48 hours to leave the country.

Belgium, which is the former colonial power, has said it will respond to these measures and labelled Rwanda’s decision “disproportionate”.

Despite assertions from the UN and US, Rwanda has denied backing the M23.

In its statement on Monday, Kigali accused Brussels of attempting to “sustain its neo-colonial delusions”.

“Belgium has clearly taken sides in a regional conflict and continues to systematically mobilise against Rwanda in different forums, using lies and manipulation to secure an unjustified hostile opinion of Rwanda, in an attempt to destabilise both Rwanda and the region,” the statement said.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot responded to Rwanda’s measures on social media, saying: “This is disproportionate and shows that when we disagree with Rwanda they prefer not to engage in dialogue.”

Prevot said Rwandan diplomats in Belgium will be declared “persona non grata”.

This declaration can lead to the removal of diplomatic status and often results in the expulsion or the withdrawal of recognition of envoys.

Around 7,000 people have been killed in the fighting between the M23 and DR Congo’s armed forces in the east of the country since the beginning of the year, the Congolese authorities have said.

According to the UN children’s agency, Unicef, more than 850,000 people have been forced to flee their homes since the conflict increased in intensity in January.

In the past two months, the M23 have taken control of two key cities – Goma and Bukavu.

In an attempt to pressure Rwanda into withdrawing its support for the M23 Britain has cut some of its aid to the country.

Last month, the UN Security Council demanded that the M23 end hostilities and that Rwanda should pull its troops out of DR Congo.

Before Kigali cut ties with Brussels, Rwandan President Paul Kagame vowed that his country would “stand up” to Belgium.

“We would ask [Belgium]: ‘Who are you by the way? Who put you in charge of us?’ Rwandans believe in God, but did God really put these people in charge of Rwanda?” Kagame asked in an address on Sunday.

Greenland’s outgoing leader, Múte B Egede, has strongly condemned US President Donald Trump’s renewed comments about annexing the world’s largest island.

“Now the US president has once again floated the idea of annexing us. I cannot accept that under any circumstances,” Egede wrote on Facebook. Expressing his frustration, he announced plans to convene other political leaders as soon as possible to issue a stronger rejection of Trump’s remarks.

He stressed that such disrespect toward Greenlanders could no longer be tolerated, declaring, “Enough is enough.”

Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the potential successor to Egede and leader of the centre-right Demokraatit (Democrats) party, also criticized Trump’s statement and described it as inappropriate, emphasizing the need for Greenlanders to stand together in response. Reinforcing his party’s stance on Greenland’s sovereignty, Nielsen pointed to their election manifesto, which firmly states, “Greenland is not for sale. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.”

Despite repeated pushback, Trump has continued to express his interest in taking control of Greenland, which remains a territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
During a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House on Thursday, he reignited the issue by responding to a reporter’s question about annexation, saying, “I think it will happen.”

He highlighted the island’s strategic importance and its geographical distance from Denmark.

Egede has consistently reiterated that Greenlanders seek neither Danish nor American rule, but rather recognition of their identity and autonomy.

The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels will hold talks next week, mediator Angola has announced.

A statement from President Joao Lourenco’s office on Wednesday said the two parties would begin “direct peace negotiations” in the Angolan capital Luanda on March 18.

Angola has previously acted as a mediator in the eastern DRC conflict that escalated in late January when the M23 took control of the strategic eastern Congo city of Goma. In February, M23 seized Bukavu, eastern Congo’s second-biggest city.

Rwanda denies backing the M23 armed group in the conflict, which is rooted in the spread of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide into DRC, and the struggle for control of DRC’s vast mineral resources.

DRC President Felix Tshisekedi was in Angola on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of talks and his spokesperson Tina Salama told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday that the government had received an invitation from Angola but did not say whether it would participate in the talks.

M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa wrote on X that the rebels had forced Tshisekedi to the negotiating table, calling it “the only civilized option to resolve the current crisis that has lasted for decades.”

The government has said at least 7,000 people have died in the conflict since January.

Last week, the United Nations refugee agency reported that nearly 80,000 people have fled the country due to the armed conflict. Since January, 61,000 have arrived in neighbouring Burundi, the agency’s deputy director of international protection, Patrick Eba, said.

M23 is one of about 100 armed groups vying to control resources in eastern Congo, home to vast reserves of strategic minerals such as coltan, cobalt, copper and lithium.

DRC’s neighbours, including South Africa, Burundi, and Uganda, have troops stationed in east Congo, increasing fears of an all-out regional war that could resemble the Congo wars of the 1990s and early 2000s that killed millions of people.