Activist Ersson defends her actions

In recent weeks, more and more Ukrainian and Russian nationals have been flocking to the US-Mexican border crossing of San Ysidro in a bid to seek asylum in the United States. Ukrainians manage to cross the border without too much difficulty, but Russians don't get such a warm welcome. A piece of US legislation known as Title 42 allow US authorities to turn away would-be refugees to prevent the spead of Covid-19. As a result, Russians are joining the ranks of thousands of migrants stranded in Mexico waiting to file their asylum applications. FRANCE 24's Quentin Duval reports.

British Premier Boris Johnson has announced a proposal to send unauthorized migrants to Rwanda for processing. The African country has in the past been slammed for a range of human rights violations.

Rwanda has struck a £120 million deal with the UK to take in asylum seekers that arrive in Britain illegally. Tens of thousands of people could be resettled under the agreement over the years. Refugee groups have slammed the move as unethical and expensive. Human Rights Watch tells us the move is cynical and unsafe.

UK plan to fly asylum-seekers to Rwanda draws outrage Britain announced a deal with Rwanda on Thursday to send asylum-seekers thousands of miles to the East African country, which it said would deter people-smugglers, but has been called inhumane.

Islamabad has issued a warning to Afghanistan's Taliban leadership, accusing it of giving shelter to militants. In turn, the Taliban claim Pakistani bombings recently killed dozens of civilians on Afghan soil.

Police say scores were injured when a bomb ripped through a mosque in Kunduz during Friday prayers. The attack came as an "Islamic State" affiliate claimed responsibility for several earlier bomb attacks.

Kigali is hitting back at critics, justifying the controversial deal to relocate asylum seekers in Britain to Rwanda. Human rights groups and the United Nations have slammed the agreement as "unethical."

Wishma Sandamali, a 33-year-old Sri Lankan woman, died in a Japanese detention centre in March of last year. Her death sparked debate on the treatment of the 1,500 asylum seekers currently in detention in Japan. Many of them claim they are being treated inhumanely. Despite its economic might, Japan takes in few refugees. In 2020, it accepted less than 100 asylum seekers, while France, whose population is half the size of Japan's, took in 24,000. Our correspondents report from the city of Nagoya, where Wishma died.

The Taliban have further curbed women's rights with their latest veil compulsion decree. Afghanistan's civil society faces an uphill task to challenge the group without adequate support from the international community.

The "Maghreb-Orient des livres" book festival takes place in Paris this weekend, focusing on literature from north Africa and the Middle East. One of those taking part is Jérémie Dres, the author of the graphic novel "The day I met bin Laden". It features the story of two young French men who travelled from France to Afghanistan in the spring of 2001, just months before the 9/11 terror attacks. The pair then found themselves trapped in Afghanistan and were later sent to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. The author joined us for Perspective to tell us more.

Bombs and weapons used in Afghanistan by militants and US forces are making their way into India-administered Kashmir, raising fears that they could bolster an Islamist insurgency in the area.

A Rwandan government official has said the first 50 asylum seekers, sent from the UK under a controversial scheme, could arrive by the end of the May.