Danai Nest Kupemda

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Two men arrested after Black gay teen found dead on New York City train tracks

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Two men have been arrested in connection with the cold-blooded murder of a Black gay teenager who was shot and left burning on freight train tracks in Brooklyn, New York in February. Isiah Baez, 19, was taken into custody by the New York Police Department (NYPD) on Thursday (11 May) and charged with murder, criminal possession of a weapon and tampering with physical evidence in the murder of 19-year-old DeAndre Matthews. Baez is the second person to be arrested for the killing of Matthews. His accomplice Remy McPrecia, 24, was arrested on 4 May and charged with concealing a corpse […]

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Hate crimes expected to spike during 2024 presidential race, worrying new study shows

A new report warns that hate crimes will likely increase during the 2024 presidential race for the White House as groups including neo-Nazis attempt to “wage war on democracy”. The study, conducted by civil rights group The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCEF), analysed FBI hate crime data from the the last 15 years. An “unmistakable pattern” has emerged during the last four presidential campaign cycles, showing that reported hate crimes increase during elections. The report found that the current climate is “rife with opportunities for the trend of increased hate to continue” in the 2024 election. LCEF’s chief […]

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LGBTQ+ refugees face deportation from Kenya under cruel new anti-homosexuality bill

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LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya face the threat of deportation if proposed anti-homosexuality laws are passed in parliament.  Homosexuality is already illegal in Kenya, but the the Family Protection Bill 2023 would expand upon these laws, meaning LGBTQ+ people would face life sentences for simply identifying as themselves. If passed, the bill would impose a jail term of no less than five years on people found guilty of assembling, picketing, promoting or supporting LGBTQ-specific activities.  This would be dire not only for Kenyans, but refugees as well. The proposed bill would also allow for “the expulsion of refugees and asylum […]

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Monkeypox could have been circulating undetected in the UK since 2018, WHO scientist says

A World Health Organization (WHO) expert has suggested that monkeypox may have been present in the UK for years. Officials confirmed on Wednesday (25 May) that UK cases now stand at 78, a rise of 58 in just under a week. Monkeypox has caused alarm in many Western countries. It has typically been a disease found in west and central Africa, with only eight previous cases ever reported in the UK, all since 2018 and related to travel to or from Nigeria, according to WHO. While the first official case of the current outbreak was reported on 4 May, professor […]