Foreign News
Trailblazing ballerina Michaela DePrince dies aged 29
Ballerina Michaela Mabinty DePrince, who performed with Beyoncé and was seen by many as a trailblazer, has died at the age of 29.
A spokesperson announced her death on her personal Instagram page and in a statement her family said she was an “unforgettable inspiration to everyone who knew her or heard her story”.
The cause of death has not been given.
DePrince made a remarkable journey from suffering as an orphan in war-torn Sierra Leone to numerous accolades in the world of international dance.
Her family said her death had been “sudden”, adding: “Michaela touched so many lives across the world, including ours.”
Tributes have been pouring in, including from others in the ballet community.
“Despite being told the ‘world wasn’t ready for black ballerinas’ or that ‘black ballerinas weren’t worth investing in,’ she remained determined, focused, and began making big strides,” American ballerina Misty Copeland wrote on social media.
Born in Kenema, Sierra Leone, in 1995, DePrince was sent to an orphanage at the age of three after both of her parents died during the civil war. She has spoken in the past about how she was seen as a “devil’s child” in the orphanage because she suffered from vitiligo, a condition in which patches of skin lose pigmentation.
But she was adopted aged four by an American couple and moved to New Jersey. Her adoptive mother quickly noticed her obsession with ballet and enrolled her in classes.
She rose to fame after graduating from high school and made history as the youngest principal dancer at the Dance Theatre of Harlem.
DePrince has performed across the world, including in Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” music video album.
She joined the prestigious Boston Ballet as a second soloist in 2021 and starred in the TV show Dancing with the Stars when she was just 17.
A dedicated humanitarian, DePrince also advocated for children affected by conflict and violence.
Her spokesperson wrote that her artistry “touched countless hearts” and her spirit had “inspired many, leaving an indelible mark on the world of ballet, and beyond”.
They added: “Her life was one defined by grace, purpose, and strength. Her unwavering commitment to her art, her humanitarian efforts, and her courage in overcoming unimaginable challenges will forever inspire us. “She stood as a beacon of hope for many, showing that no matter the obstacles, beauty and greatness can rise from the darkest of places.”
[BBC]
The US Secret Service shot a man outside the White House early on Sunday after an “armed confrontation”, the service said in a statement.
It had earlier received a tip-off from local police about a “suicidal individual who may be travelling to Washington DC from Indiana”, it said.
Its officers approached a man matching that description, “who brandished a firearm”, adding that shots were fired. The man is now in hospital in an “unknown” condition, it said.
President Donald Trump was not in the White House at the time, as he is spending the weekend at his Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago.
“As officers approached, the individual brandished a firearm and an armed confrontation ensued, during which shots were fired by our personnel,” the statement said.
The incident is now under investigation by Washington’s Metropolitan Police, which investigates all law-enforcement shootings in the District of Columbia.
[BBC]
Two women were gang-raped and a man was killed in an attack near a popular Unesco World Heritage site in southern India, according to police.
The two women – an Israeli tourist and an Indian homestay operator – were stargazing with three male tourists near a lake in the city of Hampi, Karnataka, when they were attacked by a group of men on Thursday night, police superintendent Ram Arasiddi told Reuters.
Arasiddi said the assailants pushed the men into the Tungabhadra River canal before raping the women.
Two of the men, one of them American, survived, and the third man’s body was recovered on Saturday morning, he said.
“Five people – two women and three men – were attacked near Sanapur,” Arasiddi said. “Two of them are foreigners, an American [man], and another a woman from Israel.”
Police have arrested two of the men accused of the attack and an investigation is ongoing, Arasiddi said. Police believe the men followed the group.
The US State Department said it was “aware of reports that a US citizen was among a group of victims of violent crime” near Hampi.
According to witness testimony from one of the women, the group was stargazing near a temple in Sanapur when three men arrived on a motorcycle and asked them where they could get petrol.
As one member of the group gave them directions, one of the three men demanded 100 rupees ($1.29) from the tourists.
“Since the homestay operator did not know them, she told them they had no money,” police said.
“When the men repeatedly insisted, one of the male tourists gave them 20 rupees.
“After that, the three men allegedly started arguing.”
The body of one of the male tourists was later found in the Tungabhadra canal in Karnataka’s Koppal district.
A case has been registered at Gangavathi Rural Police Station under sections related to extortion, robbery, gang rape and attempted murder.
The victims are receiving medical treatment at a government hospital, the police said.
Hampi, an ancient village in the south Indian state of Karnataka, is home to numerous ruins and temples from the Vijayanagara Empire. It was declared as a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1986.
In a post on X, Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah wrote: “The attack and rape of an Israeli citizen and homestay owner is a most heinous act.
“As soon as the incident was reported, I obtained information from the relevant police, conducted a thorough investigation, and instructed them to quickly identify the culprits.
“The police have arrested two accused in connection with the case and are continuing the investigation.”
Attacks on women in India gained international attention last year after the brutal rape-homicide of a junior doctor at a hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata.
The attack sparked national outrage and protests over a lack of safety for women.
[BBC]
The Nigerian Senate has suspended a female senator after she accused its presiding officer of sexual harassment.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was barred from office from Thursday and will have her allowances and security withdrawn for six months after she made an accusation against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who denied the claims against him.
On Wednesday, the Senate ethics committee rejected Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition about the alleged harassment, citing procedural rule violations. Her subsequent suspension was justified over an earlier argument that erupted in the Senate about a change in her seating arrangement.
In a TV interview on February 28, Akpoti-Uduaghan – one of only four women in the 109-seat chamber – alleged that Akpabio made unwanted sexual advances towards her in 2023.
“This injustice will not be sustained,” she said on Thursday after she was prevented from speaking in the Senate and escorted out of the chamber by the sergeant-at-arms.
Akpabio has publicly denied any wrongdoing. “Since the 20th of February, I have been inundated with phone calls from various Nigerians. I would like to state that at no time did I sexually harass Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan,” he said, speaking at the start of a plenary session on Wednesday.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Nigeria’s north-central Kogi Central district, shared a statement on her Facebook page in reaction to the suspension.
“Against the culture of silence, intimidation and victim-shaming; my unjust suspension from the Nigerian Senate invalidates the principles of natural justice, fairness and equity,” she said.
“The illegal suspension does not withdraw my legitimacy as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and I will continue to use my duly elected position to serve my constituents and country to the best of my ability till 2027 and beyond.”
Senate Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said Akpoti-Uduaghan should use her suspension to “learn the rules of the Senate”.
“I asked her what she will gain if she tries to pull the Senate president down,” Bamidele said during the consideration of the petition on the Senate floor.
Critics like Chioma Agwuegbo, executive director of the women’s rights organisation TechHerNG, condemned the ethics committee’s handling of the case, alleging bias.
“The ethics committee to which her petition was referred has shown that it is not fit for purpose,” Agwuegbo said.
Many prominent Nigerian figures and groups have called for a transparent investigation. Many women also expressed their anger over the expulsion on social media with some calling it “oppression”.
Two groups of protesters gathered at the National Assembly ground on Wednesday in the capital, Abuja, one in support of Akpabio and the other for Akpoti-Uduaghan, chanting ”Akpabio must go.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed a lawsuit against the Senate president, seeking 100 billion naira ($64,000) in damages.
While rare in Nigeria’s National Assembly, this is not the first time a case involving sexual harassment or assault has emerged. Senator Dino Melaye was accused of threatening to sexually assault Senator Remi Tinubu, the country’s current first lady, but was never charged.
[Aljazeera]
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