Six people were killed as record rains struck southwest China, state media reported Thursday, as the country endures a summer of extreme weather. Torrential downpours struck Dianjiang county, near the megacity of Chongqing, from Wednesday night to Thursday morning, state news agency Xinhua said, citing county officials. State broadcaster CCTV, citing the county flood control office, reported that four people had died in “geological disasters” and a further two had “drowned” as of 1:50 pm (0550 GMT) on Thursday. Xinhua said one of the people had perished after a house collapsed, and at least three had been…
Author: Omolemi Eboisetale
United States President Joe Biden will Thursday give his first press conference since his debate disaster against Donald Trump, in a pressure-cooker moment that could seal the fate of his reelection bid. The eyes of the world will be on the 81-year-old at a NATO summit as he tries to calm growing calls from his Democratic party to step aside over his age and health. The White House has dubbed it a “big boy” press conference, and Biden will be under severe pressure to show he can handle what has become a rare unscripted moment in his presidency.…
Several areas of Cape Town were flooded Thursday after heavy winter rains and gale-force winds battered the city, ripping off roofs from homes and damaging thousands of makeshift dwellings, South African officials said. The City’s Disaster Operations Centre said informal settlements around the city, including the major township of Khayelitsha, had been particularly affected by the flooding. Several roads, including major highways, were flooded and there were concerns about rising water levels at dams. “We are working on between 14,000-15,000 structures that have been affected but that number keeps changing,” provincial disaster management centre spokesman, Wouter Kriel,…
More than half of Democrats in a new poll Thursday say Joe Biden should end his reelection bid after his debate performance against Donald Trump, although they remain in a dead heat despite the president’s poor showing. Both candidates received 46 percent support among registered voters in the Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos survey, almost identical to the results of an ABC News-Ipsos poll in April. Some 56 percent of Democrats and two-thirds of Americans overall want Biden to quit the White House race. Half of all respondents said his Republican challenger should drop out. Were Vice President Kamala Harris to replace…
Kenyan President William Ruto announced on Thursday the dismissal of almost his entire cabinet and consultations to form a “broad-based government” following widespread anti-government protests. He said the move affects all ministers including the attorney-general but excluded prime cabinet secretary and foreign minister Musalia Mudavadi and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. Ruto said he decided on the dismissals “upon reflection, listening keenly to what the people of Kenya have said and after a holistic appraisal of the performance of my cabinet and its achievements and challenges”. The action follows largely peaceful protests led by young Gen-Z Kenyans that have widened into…
Rwandans will vote in elections on Monday, with President Paul Kagame widely expected to extend his iron-fisted rule and sweep to victory in a race featuring the same candidates he defeated seven years ago. Rwanda’s de facto ruler since the end of the 1994 genocide, Kagame faces rival bids by Frank Habineza, leader of the Democratic Green Party — the only authorised opposition — and Philippe Mpayimana, who is running as an independent. The 66-year-old Kagame is credited with Rwanda’s economic recovery after the genocide, with annual GDP growth averaging 7.2 percent between 2012-2022. But his regime is widely criticised…
The Nigerian Senate has taken a step toward the creation of a new state, as the bill seeking to establish Tiga State from Kano State successfully scaled its first reading on the Senate floor. Senator Kawu Abdurrahman, representing Kano South Senatorial District, presented the bill titled “Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Alteration) Creation of Tiga State Bill, 2024 (SB.523)” on Wednesday. This legislative move comes amidst a wave of similar initiatives, as the upper legislative chamber was recently presented with several other state creation bills. Notably, Senator Ned Nwoko from Delta North has sponsored a bill for…
A Ugandan TikToker was condemned Wednesday to six years in prison for spreading “misleading and malicious” information after he insulted President Yoweri Museveni, his wife, and their son. According to prosecutors, Edward Awebwa between February and March posted “vulgar” videos about the first family. The 24-year-old had pleaded guilty. Awebwa “is pleading for mercy but he does not look remorseful at all for his actions,” Judge Stella Maris Amabilis said Wednesday as she read the court’s decision. “The court had the opportunity to see the video, the language that was being used was vulgar,” she said. “This court is of…
The World Health Organisation has revealed that Covid-19 is still killing around 1,700 people a week around the world. The WHO said this on Thursday, urging at-risk populations to keep up with their vaccinations against the disease. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus sounded a warning on declining vaccine coverage. Despite the continued death toll, “data show that vaccine coverage has declined among health workers and people over 60, which are two of the most at-risk groups,” the UN health agency’s chief told a press conference. “WHO recommends that people in the highest-risk groups receive a Covid-19 vaccine within 12 months…
Russian strikes killed three people in southern Ukraine, including at the Black Sea port of Odesa, authorities said on Wednesday. Russia has carried out nightly attacks on cities across Ukraine since launching its invasion in February 2022. “The aggressor targeted port infrastructure in the Odesa region. Unfortunately, two people were killed — a security guard and a truck driver,” governor Oleg Kiper said. It was unclear whether the deaths were caused by direct hits, or falling debris from destroyed missiles.0 / 0.00 The southern defence forces said Russia launched a ballistic missile and four guided missiles at the southern port.…
A man has been caught trying to smuggle over 100 live snakes into mainland China by cramming them into his trousers, according to the country’s customs authority. The unnamed traveller was stopped by customs officers as he sought to slip out of semi-autonomous Hong Kong and into the border city of Shenzhen, China Customs said in a statement on Tuesday. “Upon inspection, customs officers discovered that the pockets of the trousers the passenger was wearing were packed with six canvas drawstring bags and sealed with tape,” the statement said. “Once opened, each bag was found to contain living snakes in…
The Ukrainian military has launched a new initiative to entice fighting-age men living abroad to enlist, as Kyiv desperately tries to replenish its depleted forces on the front lines. The establishment of the so-called “Ukrainian Legion” comes after more than two years of hard fighting, which has seen heavy casualties drain the military of much-needed manpower to hold off Russia’s advancing forces. The new unit’s creation was part of a wider security agreement signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk earlier this week. “We call on all Ukrainians in Europe to join the Ukrainian Legion.…