Aleem Maqbool

Ghana has emerged as the leading international advocate for reparations for the transatlantic slave trade, sponsoring a United Nations resolution and hosting a summit attended by delegates from about 80 countries. Foreign Minister Samuel Okuzeto Ablakwa argues that reparations should include debt relief, scholarships, investment for young African entrepreneurs and health research. The Church of England, whose historical institutions profited from slavery, has apologized and established a £100 million social-impact fund, while Archbishop Sarah Mullally has called for further concrete action. Ghanaian traditional leader Tackie Teiko Tsuru II has also apologized for African complicity, arguing that acknowledging local involvement strengthens rather than weakens the case against European empires. Critics such as researcher Yaw Asare warn that Ghana's campaign to attract the African diaspora has become overly commercialized, raising local prices and prioritizing tourism revenue over trauma healing and meaningful restorative justice.

Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally has reaffirmed the Church of England’s commitment to a £100m reparative-justice fund during a visit to Cape Coast Castle in Ghana. She acknowledged the Church’s role in the transatlantic slave trade, including its slave-farmed plantations, clergy slave ownership and financial links to slave traders. The fund is intended to support investment, research and engagement in communities affected by enslavement, but faces historical, legal and ideological opposition within the Church. Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa praised Mullally’s position as a signal that institutions benefiting from slavery should confront their past and support reparations.

Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally has reaffirmed the Church of England’s commitment to a £100m reparative justice fund during a visit to Ghana’s Cape Coast Castle. She acknowledged the Church’s role in the transatlantic slave trade and said action was necessary to support communities affected by its legacy. The fund will support investment, research and engagement, but faces opposition over historical, legal and ideological concerns. Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa welcomed Mullally’s stance as a signal to institutions that benefited from slavery to support reparations.

David Willey, a longtime BBC foreign correspondent and authoritative voice on the Vatican, has died at 93 in Italy. His career spanned more than five decades, with reporting assignments in Algeria, East Africa, Vietnam, China and, most notably, Rome, where he covered five papacies. Colleagues praised his insight, kindness and extensive experience. Willey authored a book on Pope Francis and remained active in journalism into his nineties. His early career included reporting on the signing of the Treaty of Rome, and he was known for his deep historical knowledge of the Vatican. He died of heart failure, leaving a legacy as a respected mentor and veteran Vatican reporter.

David Willey, a longtime BBC foreign and Vatican correspondent, has died at 93. His career spanned reports from Algeria, Vietnam, China and over five papacies, becoming a leading authority on Vatican affairs. Colleagues praised his insight and generosity, and he continued writing into his nineties. Willey authored a book on Pope Francis and reflected on changes within the Church. He died of heart failure in Italy, where he had lived for decades.

Nearly 10,000 previously unrecognised soldiers from pre-partition Punjab who served and died in World War One have been added to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records after researchers uncovered their names in rare postwar registers. UK volunteers and the UK Punjab Heritage Association digitised and analysed fragile documents stored at the Lahore Museum, leading to new recognition for families, including descendants who had long sought information. The update overturns earlier British Indian Government rulings that excluded many who died away from the battlefield and is part of a broader effort to better represent the global contributions of WW1 combatants.

Nearly 10,000 previously unrecognised British Indian Army soldiers from pre-partition Punjab who died in World War One are being added to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission casualty database after UK researchers digitised fragile post-war registers held in Lahore. The update, the largest since World War Two, reverses earlier British Indian Government rulings that excluded many men who died away from the battlefield. Volunteers and historians emphasise the importance of acknowledging the full global scope of WW1, with families discovering long-lost connections to relatives who served.