The Metropolitan Police confirmed that the suspect was detained on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life. He remains in custody as the investigation continues.
Due to the involvement of a high-profile public figure, the Metropolitan Police’s Counterterrorism Command is leading the investigation.
The arrest follows three recent fire-related incidents in north London. Emergency services responded to reports of a fire at 1:35 a.m. local time (0035 GMT) on Monday at the entrance of a residential property in Kentish Town.
The property, believed to be owned by Starmer and rented out, suffered damage, but no injuries were reported.
Starmer lived in the house before moving to 10 Downing Street following the Labor Party’s general election victory last year.
Youssouf said the priorities of his leadership during its initial four-year term align with the urgent need to expedite the implementation of the major aspirations of the second 10-year plan of Agenda 2063, the continental bloc’s 50-year development blueprint.
Highlighting Africa’s complex peace and security challenges, the AU Commission chairperson outlined ongoing initiatives to achieve lasting solutions to the security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the peace and stability in Somalia, the escalating tensions in South Sudan, as well as the continued conflict in Sudan.
He further emphasized the pressing need to elevate Africa’s role in global trade as a key priority of his leadership, expressing the AU’s ambition to capitalize on the Group of 20 (G20) mechanism as a crucial platform to boost the continent’s role in global trade.
“We see good opportunities for African countries to increase the level of intra-African trade, which is now around 18 percent. We see the emerging challenges as new opportunities. We are working with partners and stakeholders on the continent to create a conducive environment so that intra-African trade will be boosted and fill the gaps,” he said.
Fostering inclusive continental development across Africa’s agriculture, energy, education, health, infrastructure, science and technology, industry, and other critical sectors is also among the key priorities for the new AU Commission leadership.
Besides, the AU reform agenda remains another key priority area. Central to the reform agenda is ensuring the AU’s financial autonomy and reducing its dependence on external funding by exploring innovative financing mechanisms, according to Youssouf.
The AU Commission chief also underscored the critical need for the AU to strengthen partnership mechanisms with international and regional institutions, as well as bilateral partners, such as cooperation with China through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
The BFP reveals a Rwf 7,032.5 billion budget for 2025/26, marking a 21% surge from the prior year’s revised Frw 5,816.4 billion.
Aligned with the National Strategy for Transformation (NST2) and Vision 2050, the budget prioritizes sustainable development and includes funding for key projects like the Bugesera airport, RwandAir expansion, and recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic, May 2023 floods, and Marburg disease outbreak.
The government projects Rwf 4,105.2 billion in domestic revenue (Frw 3,628.0 billion from taxes and Frw 477.2 billion from other sources), Frw 585.2 billion in external grants, and Frw 2,151.9 billion in loans to finance the budget.
Expenditure is divided into Frw 4,395.1 billion for recurrent costs, such as salaries, and Frw 2,637.4 billion for capital investments.
On May 8, 2025, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Yusuf Murangwa presented the BFP, noting a Rwf 1,216.1 billion budget increase driven by accelerated construction of the Bugesera airport, RwandAir expansion, and new pension policies.
Launched in 2017, the Bugesera airport’s first phase is slated for completion by 2027, with a capacity of 7 million passengers annually and employment for over 6,000 people.
Qatar Airways, holding a 60% stake, supports the project, which is now 25–30% complete.
Key infrastructure, including runways and drainage systems, is finished, with construction now focusing on vertical structures.
The airport’s full completion by 2032 will enable it to serve 14 million passengers yearly.
Antwerp joined other Belgian cities—Brussels, Liège, Namur, Bruges, and Ottignies-Louvain-La-Neuve—that have held remembrance events this year.
The commemoration began with a “Walk to Remember” from Marnixplaats in Antwerp, leading to the DIVA Museum. The evening continued with a remembrance ceremony in the district of Ekeren, in the province of Antwerp.
Speaking at the event, Steve Rugamba, President of the Rwandan Community in Antwerp, highlighted the long history of persecution against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
“From 1959 to 1994, Tutsi in Rwanda were systematically dehumanized. They were excluded, persecuted, displaced, and killed—portrayed as pests, like cockroaches or snakes, as evil to be eradicated. Children grew up believing some people were not worthy of life.
“And then, in just a hundred days, words became actions. Over a million people were brutally slaughtered. No one was spared—not a child, not a mother, not a grandparent,” he said.
Rugamba emphasized that remembrance is not just about the tragic events of 1994 but also about acknowledging the decades of silence, propaganda, and systemic discrimination that led to it.
“We commemorate not out of habit, but out of duty—because we refuse to forget. To remember is to acknowledge, to learn, and to warn. We pay tribute to the victims and to the survivors, whose very existence is a form of resistance.”
He praised the resilience of survivors, noting their strength in rebuilding lives and communities despite deep emotional and physical wounds.
“Their ability to live with dignity, raise families, and pursue truth, even after such horror, proves that human dignity cannot be destroyed—even by hatred passed down through generations.”
Rugamba also called on young people to take up the mantle of remembrance: “You, the youth of today and tomorrow, are not only heirs of this history—you are its guardians. Remembering means understanding how fear, division, and silence can lead to barbarity. Let ‘Never Again’ be more than a slogan. Let it be a commitment and a call to action.”
The event featured a powerful testimony from Umunyana Claudette, who spoke of the discrimination she faced before 1994, the suffering she endured during the genocide—including rape and the loss of relatives—and how she survived despite deep physical and emotional trauma.
Umunyana also shared a message of hope and healing, explaining how she chose to rise above hatred and raise her children in love, refusing to let a dark past define her future.
Mutabazi Eugène, President of Ibuka-Belgium, reiterated the importance of remembrance and made a symbolic appeal for historical justice.
“One important and powerful step that will allow us to fully and truthfully rebuild ourselves is for King Yuhi Musinga, who is kept in the Tervuren Museum in Belgium, to be returned to the Shyerezo memorial, to the land of his ancestors,” he stated.
Gunther Vanpraet, Honorary Consul of Rwanda in Antwerp, stressed the importance of commemorating the victims and reaffirmed solidarity with survivors of the genocide.
Commemorative activities across Belgium began on April 7, 2024, and are scheduled to continue in other cities including Mons, Charleroi, Tournai, and Leuven.
The annual summit brings together over 2,000 participants from more than 70 countries for two days of high-level discussions, debates, and networking sessions aimed at accelerating the private sector’s role in Africa’s development.
On Monday morning, President Kagame is expected to join a distinguished panel of African leaders, including President Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal, President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania, and President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, for the forum’s official opening ceremony.
Later, President Kagame will contribute to a presidential panel discussion on “Policies, Practices and Personalities Fit for the New World Order.”
The session will focus on how African leadership can adapt to a shifting global landscape, where transactional geopolitics are becoming the norm, limiting traditional avenues of international cooperation for many African nations.
Held under the theme “Africa in a Transactional World: Can a New Deal Between State and Private Sector Deliver the Continent a Winning Hand?”, this year’s forum emphasises the need for stronger collaboration between African governments and the private sector to unlock inclusive economic growth and resilience.
Other prominent speakers at the 2025 edition include President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa of Tanzania, Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah of Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire’s own Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé, among others.
The Africa CEO Forum, founded in 2012, has become a vital platform for shaping Africa’s economic agenda, fostering dialogue between public and private sector actors, and promoting cross-border investment opportunities.
The 2024 edition of the Africa CEO Forum took place in Kigali, Rwanda, from May 16 to 17. Building on the success of that summit, Rwanda has once again been selected to host the 2026 edition of the summit.
The step was taken following a ceasefire agreement between the two countries reached on Saturday.
In a statement on Monday, the state-owned Airports Authority of India said the 32 airports that were closed for civilian aircraft operations till 0529 hours local time of May 15 are now available for operations with immediate effect.
The closure of these airports across northern and western parts of the country was announced after a military conflict that began last week between the two neighbours.
The move follows what Algerian authorities called “serious and repeated violations” by the French side, including the appointment of diplomatic and consular staff without prior notification or formal accreditation, in violation of international norms and bilateral agreements.
According to APS, Algerian authorities recently identified at least 15 French employees assigned to missions in Algeria without completing the required procedures. Some had previously held service passports and were later issued diplomatic passports to ease their entry into the country.
Among the 15 were two officials from France’s Interior Ministry, reportedly dispatched to take over the duties of 12 embassy staff expelled by Algeria last month after being declared personae non gratae.
Algeria condemned the appointments, citing broader strains in bilateral ties, including repeated denials of entry to Algerian diplomatic passport holders by France and prolonged delays in accrediting Algerian consuls-general assigned to Paris and Marseille, along with seven other consular officials.
In response, Algeria has demanded the “immediate expulsion” of all French personnel appointed under what it called “irregular” conditions and their prompt return to France.
This marks the second expulsion of French diplomatic staff in less than a month. On April 14, Algeria ordered the removal of 12 French embassy employees following the detention of an Algerian consular officer in France — a move that prompted reciprocal action from Paris.
The expulsion came as the diplomatic rift between Algiers and Paris has deepened in recent months due to disagreements over immigration issues and policies, historical grievances, and France’s backing of Morocco in disputes over Western Sahara, among others.
The commemoration event took place on May 9, 2025, at the Ntarama Genocide Memorial located in Bugesera District.
The visit began with a historical briefing about Bugesera, especially the events leading up to the Genocide, highlighting how the area had been designated as a settlement for Tutsi with the intent of extermination.
Participants were taken through some of the tragic history, including how Bugesera was once considered a cursed, uninhabitable place, suitable only for relocating Tutsi with the hope that they would perish due to the Tsetse fly.
Mukabucyeri Angélique, a survivor of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, shared her harrowing testimony. She recounted how survival was incredibly difficult as they were hunted by neighbours who knew them personally, making hiding nearly impossible.
“I had a baby strapped to my back when they struck me on the head with a club. I lost consciousness and fell. They slashed the child on my back. When I woke up, I was carrying a dead baby and had nine stab wounds and scars all over my body,” she recounted.
Aditya Chacko, General Manager of Kigali Marriott Hotel and Four Points by Sheraton Kigali, stated that they joined Rwandans in commemorating the 31st anniversary of the Genocide to honour the innocent victims who were brutally murdered in 1994.
“We gather to honor the memory of the victims, recognize the incredible courage and resilience of the survivors, and acknowledge their tireless efforts to rebuild this nation,” he noted.
“As representatives of Kigali Marriott Hotel and Four Points by Sheraton, we stand united with all Rwandans in supporting genocide survivors. It is crucial that we reflect on our roles to ensure that such atrocities and their ideologies are never repeated in Rwanda or anywhere else,” added Chacko.
He also expressed gratitude to the Rwandan leadership, particularly to President Paul Kagame, for making the decisive choice to halt the genocide and for laying the groundwork for national unity.
In a statement released Saturday, May 10, AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said that Burundi has been deploying troops in support of the Kinshasa government’s military campaign while covertly equipping Wazalendo fighters via the town of Uvira, near the Burundian border.
Kanyuka said the allegations were substantiated after the Congolese Revolutionary Army (ARC), the military wing of M23, captured and presented to the media several combatants affiliated with the Congolese army (FARDC), the Wazalendo militia, and the FDLR. The fighters were reportedly apprehended while destabilising areas around the city of Goma.
“We commend the professionalism of ARC,” said Kanyuka, “whose actions not only helped halt the massacre of civilians in Goma and South Kivu but also exposed Burundi’s role in the violence.”
In recent weeks, Wazalendo militias have been engaged in deadly clashes with the Twirwaneho armed group in Uvira territory, South Kivu, committing atrocities against civilians, including killings. AFC/M23 blames these actions on foreign-backed support, particularly from Burundi.
The accusations come barely a month after AFC/M23 and the DRC government announced a ceasefire agreement brokered by Qatar on April 23, 2025, intended to pave the way for peace talks in Doha. However, M23 now claims the Congolese government has violated the agreement multiple times.
“We alert the national and international community to the repeated violations of the April 23 joint declaration and the unilateral ceasefire declared by AFC/M23,” Kanyuka stated.
M23 reaffirmed its readiness to protect civilians and “eliminate the threat at its source,” signalling a possible escalation in hostilities if diplomatic avenues fail.
“The Secretary-General welcomes the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan as a positive step toward ending current hostilities and easing tensions,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN chief, said in a statement.
“He hopes the agreement will contribute to lasting peace and foster an environment conducive to addressing broader, longstanding issues between the two countries,” Dujarric said.
The spokesman added that the United Nations stands ready to support efforts aimed at promoting peace and stability in the region.
Pakistan and India announced earlier Saturday a ceasefire with immediate effect, following days of military strikes on each other.
