Briefly

DR CONGO

More than 80 killed in boat accident

A boat capsized on a river near Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, leaving more than 80 dead, President Felix Tshisekedi said on Wednesday. A statement quoting Tshisekedi said a boat capsized late Monday in Mai-Ndombe Province along the Kwa River. The boat was carrying 271 passengers to Kinshasa when it broke down due to an engine failure, according to the UN-backed Radio Okapi, citing Ren Maker, the water commissioner in the Mushi district where the accident happened.

UNITED STATES

Rights groups sue to block asylum ban

Immigrant rights groups in the United States sued President Joe Biden's administration on Wednesday over a new policy that bars most migrants caught crossing the US-Mexico border illegally from claiming asylum. The groups, led by the American Civil Liberties Union, argued that restrictions implemented last week violated US asylum law and that Biden failed to follow proper regulatory procedure. Migrants caught crossing illegally can be quickly deported or turned back to Mexico under the Biden measure.

RWANDA

FM, intelligence boss named ahead of polls

Rwanda has appointed a new foreign minister and intelligence chief in a reshuffle announced a month before national polls. Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente said in a statement on Wednesday that Olivier Nduhungirehe, former ambassador to the Netherlands, had been appointed foreign minister. Former prosecutor general Aimable Havugiyaremye was named as the new secretary-general of the National Intelligence and Security Services. The country is gearing up for presidential and parliamentary elections on July 15.

Xinhua - Agencies