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FLOODING caused by torrential rain and fierce winds on South Africa’s eastern coast has killed at least 22 people, local authorities said on Tuesday. Flooding hit several locations in two eastern provinces, two rare tornados were spotted, temperatures plunged and snow fell in some central regions. At least 11 people died in Eastern Cape, a spokesperson from Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, at the heart of the floods, told AFP. More than 2,000 people have been evacuated from Nelson Mandela Bay, notably from makeshift homes in the municipality’s slums. Local authorities launched an appeal for donations of clothing, food and blankets.…

POLICE in Nairobi have arrested a 19-year-old teenager captured on video assaulting a police officer in Mirema, Nairobi County. The video, which went viral on Sunday, shows the driver assaulting the officer, who ended up in a ditch. Authorities tracked down the suspect on Sunday evening, subjecting him to intensive overnight questioning. Reports suggest the interrogation involved torture and insults. The teenager claimed it was his first altercation with a police officer and that the officer had demanded an excessive bribe. The suspect believed to be a gang leader from Mwiki with 10 pending court cases, was arrested in a…

VINICIUS Junior was Monday named by UEFA chiefs as Champions League player of the season after spearheading Real Madrid to European glory, with teammate Jude Bellingham picking up the young player award. Brazilian forward Vinicius scored six goals and made five assists in Real’s victorious campaign, including the second in the 2-0 win against Borussia Dortmund in the final at Wembley on Saturday. Victory meant Real were crowned European champions for a record-extending 15th time. “I’m very happy to be able to win another Champions League with this club, which has given me so much,” 23-year-old Vinicius said. England midfielder…

PALESTINIANS who have returned to Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza in recent days have expressed shock at the level of destruction following a three-week Israeli military operation there against Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups. One displaced man who was among the more than 60,000 people who fled the intense battles and bombardment in the camp and its surrounding area last month said he had witnessed “horrifying scenes”. “Even the sand beneath our feet is scorched; it’s unbearable to walk on,” he told BBC Arabic. “The streets are strewn with rubble and demolished buildings. Words fail to describe the…

INDIA’s six-week election was staggering in its size and logistical complexity, but also in the “unprecedented” scale of online disinformation. The biggest democratic exercise in history brought a surge of false social media posts and instant messaging, ranging from doctored videos to unrelated images with false captions. Raqib Hameed Naik, from the US-based India Hate Lab, said they had “witnessed an unprecedented scale of disinformation” in the elections. “Conspiracy theories… were vigorously promoted to deepen the communal divide,” said Naik, whose organisation researches hate speech and disinformation. With seven voting stages stretched over six weeks, AFP fact-checkers carried out 40…

KENYAN investigators found seven more bodies on Monday as exhumations resumed in a forest where hundreds of victims of a doomsday starvation cult were buried in mass graves, police said. The remains of 436 people have now been unearthed in a remote wilderness inland from the Indian Ocean coastal town of Malindi in a grisly case that shocked Kenya and the world. Images broadcast on Kenyan television showed seven blue plastic body bags lined up on the ground in Shakahola Forest before being transferred to a vehicle. “We exhumed seven bodies today. In one grave, there were four bodies while…

FEEBLY shaded by trees in the blistering heat, desperate civilians throng a displacement camp in tents and ramshackle shelters after fleeing insurgent violence in northeastern Burkina Faso. Abandoning their homes and farms as the militants swooped, thousands have run for their lives to these camps near the town of Dori, where little hope awaits them. Humanitarians call it a “neglected” catastrophe. “They came to our village and threatened us. They stole our cattle. They killed our people,” said one of the survivors, Kirissi Sawadogo. “That is why we had to flee and came here,” she said, preparing a meal of…

CLAUDIA Sheinbaum has been elected as Mexico’s first woman president in an historic landslide win. Mexico’s official electoral authority said preliminary results showed the 61-year-old former mayor of Mexico City winning between 58% and 60% of the vote in Sunday’s election. That gives her a lead of about 30 percentage points over her main rival, businesswoman Xóchitl Gálvez. Ms Sheinbaum will replace her mentor, outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, on 1 October. Ms Sheinbaum, a former energy scientist, has promised continuity, saying that she will continue to build on the “advances” made by Mr López Obrador, further building on…

KYLIAN Mbappe has signed a contract to join Real Madrid on a free transfer when his Paris St-Germain deal expires on 30 June. The France striker verbally agreed to move to the Bernabeu in February and then announced in May he would leave PSG at the end of the season. Mbappe, 25, has now signed terms with Real Madrid and will move to Spain when the La Liga transfer window opens on 1 July. Madrid are expected to announce the deal next week and could formally present the forward at the Bernabeu before Euro 2024. Mbappe, a World Cup winner…

THE Maldives government will ban Israelis from the Indian Ocean archipelago known for white sand beaches and luxury resorts as public anger in the predominantly Muslim nation rises over the war in Gaza. President Mohamed Muizzu has “resolved to impose a ban on Israeli passports”, a spokesman for his office said in a statement, without giving details of when the new law would take effect. Muizzu also announced a national fundraising campaign called “Maldivians in Solidarity with Palestine”. Nearly 11,000 Israelis visited the Maldives last year, which was 0.6 percent of total tourist arrivals. Official data also shows the number…

NORTH Korea says it will stop sending trash-filled balloons across the border into South Korea, claiming its campaign has been an effective countermeasure against propaganda sent by anti-regime activists in the neighbouring country. Since Tuesday, North Korea floated hundreds of balloons carrying bags of rubbish containing everything from cigarette butts to bits of cardboard and plastic, Seoul’s military said on Sunday, threatening to retaliate if the provocations do not stop. Hours later, North Korea said it would halt the campaign. “We made the ROK [Republic of Korea] clans get enough experience of how much unpleasant they feel and how much…

THE Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has allocated $9 million to aid refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and stateless individuals in its member nations. The Chair of the ECOWAS Permanent Representative Committee Musa Nuhu said this during the 2024 ECOWAS Ambassadors Retreat held in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. This year’s retreat saw serious business, with all ECOWAS ambassadors from member states in attendance. Organized by UNHCR and ECOWAS, the event began on Thursday and ended on Saturday. The retreat focused on “Enhancing Protection for Refugees,…

SOUTH Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has admitted his African National Congress (ANC) party has suffered a challenging election result, after the party lost its majority for the first time since apartheid ended 30 years ago. The ANC, once led by Nelson Mandela, won 159 seats in the 400-seat parliament in Wednesday’s election, down from 230 in the previous assembly. Mr Ramaphosa still described the results as a victory for democracy, calling on rival parties to find common ground – apparently preparing for coalition talks. The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party has said it is open to coalition talks with Mr…

CARLO Ancelotti etched his name in history books as he led Real Madrid to a thrilling 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium, securing his fifth Champions League title as a coach. Nicknamed Carletto” in Italy and “Don Carlo” in Spain, the Italian won the much-coveted trophy twice as a player with AC Milan in 1989 and 1990 when it was still referred to as the European Cup. However, his latest triumph on the 1st of June, 2024, saw him cement his status as the most successful manager in UEFA Champions League history, surpassing the previous record held by…

FAMILY members of Israeli captives held in Gaza have called on their country’s government to accept a ceasefire plan presented by United States President Joe Biden, calling on the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly support the proposal. In a weekly press conference held on Saturday, the Hostage and Missing Families Forum said that it was calling for the “the citizens of Israel to take to the streets in order to ensure the completion of the deal”. The forum believes that Netanyahu may be obstructing a deal, after Biden said in a news conference at the White House on…

MARIAN Robinson, the mother of former first lady Michelle Obama, who moved into the White House with the first family, helping care for her young granddaughters and providing a stabilizing presence in one of the world’s most stressful residences, died Friday, her family said. “We needed her. The girls needed her. And she ended up being our rock through it all,” her family said in a statement. Robinson was 86. Though she eschewed the spotlight, Robinson was present for some of the Obama family’s most visible moments, often appearing at holiday celebrations or other events alongside the first couple and…

THE African National Congress (ANC) party has lost its parliamentary majority in a historic election result that puts South Africa on a new political path for the first time since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule 30 years ago. With more than 99 percent of votes counted on Saturday, the once-dominant ANC had received nearly 40 percent in Wednesday’s election, well short of the majority it had held since the famed all-race vote of 1994 that ended apartheid and brought it to power under Nelson Mandela. The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), had 21.63…

DOZENS of women bring their empty jerry cans to the public fountain in Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province, to fetch drinking water for their families. But the wait at the fountain can last several hours. The city has been hit by a water shortage due to its adduction system reaching its limits as the city is growing and displaced people fleeing the war are considerably increasing the number of its inhabitants. The population has started to complain more and more about the lack of water. Local resident Angel Chibalonza is at the fountain looking for…

REAL Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti say his players will feel the “fear” of the Champions League final when they face Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. The record 14-time winners of the competition will begin Saturday’s encounter (20:00 BST) as the overwhelming favourites against the German side who finished fifth in the Bundesliga this season. However, Ancelotti – the competition’s most successful manager with four titles- knows that nothing is guaranteed. “A Champions League final is the most important game and the most dangerous one,” Ancelotti said. “You have to be a bit lucky, play well and never lower your guard but…

ISRAEL has agreed to a proposal that would lead to a “lasting” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, US President Joe Biden has announced, as he faces mounting pressure and criticism over his support for the Israeli war effort. During a news conference at the White House on Friday afternoon, Biden said Israel has put forward “a comprehensive new proposal” to end the war. “It’s a roadmap to an enduring ceasefire,” the United States president told reporters. Biden said the proposal involves three phases, the first of which would last six weeks and include a full and complete ceasefire, as well…