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Ugandan police officers detain protestors during a rally against what the protesters say are rampant corruption and human rights abuses by the country's rulers in Kampala, Uganda July 23, 2024.
Kenyan-inspired protests spread across Africa
Kenyan President William Rutonominated four opposition ministers to his new “broad-based” cabinet on Wednesday to appease growing government dissatisfaction – a move that's already being labeled a corrupt bribe by protesters. Earlier this month, Ruto fired most of his cabinet after weeks of student-led protests against proposed tax hikes and government corruption led to 50 deaths and calls for his resignation.
Wednesday's move came after last week’s appointment of 11 ministers – six of whom had been in the previous cabinet – drawing concerns that Ruto’s pledges for radical change were just words and that he will continue to choose personal politics over national interests. Protesters have been urged to accept Ruto’s concessions and engage in constructive dialogue, but demonstrations continue as Ruto refuses to step down.
New Kenyan-inspired protests. These calls for change are now being echoed across the continent. In Uganda, youths inspired by their Kenyan counterparts have taken to the streets in anti-corruption protests – a move authoritarian President Yoweri Museveniwarned was “playing with fire.” Ugandan forces besieged the activists’ headquarters on Monday, and authorities arrested more than 40 people – including three opposition lawmakers – at banned protests the following day.
Hoping to mirror the successes of Kenyan protests, young Nigerians have also taken to social media to organize a demonstration on Aug. 1 against the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has called on youths not to join the “sinister” protests, as the government begs for more time to address economic hardships.
Hurricane Beryl makes its way to the Caribbean's Windward Islands, in a composite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) GOES-East weather satellite June 30, 2024.
Hard Numbers: Beryl barrels toward land, Deadly bombings hit Nigeria, Incumbent leads in Mauritania, India beats South Africa at cricket
1st: Hurricane season’s first big storm has a name: Beryl. Strengthening into a Category 4 storm on Sunday, Beryl is rolling into the Caribbean with 130-mph winds and is expected to reach the Windward Islands in the West Indies early Monday.
18: Suicide bombings have killed at least 18, and possibly as many as 30, people in northeastern Nigeria. No group has claimed responsibility yet, but police say that female bombers struck a wedding and a funeral in Gwoza, in Borno State on Saturday. The region is home to Boko Haram’s Islamist insurgency, which has displaced more than two million people, and Islamic State West Africa Province has carried out similar bombings in Borno state.
55: The West African nation of Mauritania also went to the polls on Saturday, and by Sunday, President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani had was leading with 56% of the vote, according to results from more than 90% of polling stations. His closest rival had garnered just 23% of the vote, so the pro-Western Ghazouani – whose election in 2019 was the country’s first peaceful transition of power since independence in 1960 – looks set for another five-year term.
13: Indian cricket fans are celebrating after the country’s triumph Saturday in the Cricket World Cup, where it beat South Africa by seven runs to end a 13-year dry spell, in a dramatic display of bowling and fielding. This was India’s second T20 World Cup win – the last time it won was in 2007 – and its first international cricket win since clinching the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) protest against the high cost of living and massive suffering following a hike in petrol and devaluation of the Naira in Lagos, Nigeria.
Hard Numbers: Blackouts in Nigeria, Turkey’s soaring inflation, Deadly flooding in Central Europe, A new (but familiar) face in UK election, Murdoch ties the knot (again)
4: Millions have taken to the streets in Nigeria as unions began their fourth (and indefinite) strike against President BolaTinubu’s wage policies. Nigeria unions have shut down six power grids, leading to a national blackout at 2am on Monday that halted much of the country’s aviation activity. Unions assert the strike will not end until the government agrees to raise the monthly minimum wage, over tenfold from 30,000 Naira ($20 USD) to 500,000 Naira ($336 USD).
75.5: Inflation has surpassed 75.5% in Turkey, jumping up 5.65% in the last month. Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek reassured Turkish citizens that “the worst is over,” as the government will begin pushing down inflation in June.
5: Heavy rains over the weekend led to widespread flooding in southern Germany and France, which killed five people, including a rescue worker. States of emergency have been announced throughout the region as highways, railways, and more have been submerged beneath several meters of water.
10: On Monday, Brexit “architect” Nigel Farage announced his plan to “make Britain great again” as the Reform UK party’s candidate in next month’s election. Although his party is only polling at around 10%, it is enough to further destabilize the ruling Tories, who are expected to be beaten soundly by Labour.
5: Is the fifth time the charm? Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, 93, said “I do” last Saturday to Elena Zhukova, a 67-year-old retired molecular biologist. The couple looked very happy tying the knot in Los Angeles, CA, and showed us it’s never too late for love … particularly if you are a billionaire.
60-year-old Alejandra Rodriguez represented the Argentinian province of Buenos Aires in the Miss Argentina 2024 beauty pageant.
Hard Numbers: Argentina’s best face, Deadly US storms, Terror in Nigeria, Monarchy defamation in Thailand, Social media scrub in China
60: Age before beauty? Not anymore – now the two go hand in hand. Alejandra Rodriguez, a 60-year-old Argentine beauty queen, became the first sexagenarian to win the title of Miss Buenos Aires. Although she didn’t snag the crown of Miss Argentina – that went to Magalí Benejam – Rodriguez won the “best face” category. “This is the first step of a change that is coming,” she declared, celebrating the Miss Universe rule change that allowed women of any age to compete.
21: At least 21 people have died due to powerful storms that ravaged the central and southern United States, including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kentucky. Tornadoes caused significant damage and left hundreds of thousands without power, with severe weather conditions forecast Monday for the eastern seaboard from Alabama to New York.
160: Suspected Boko Haram militants killed 10 villagers and kidnapped at least another 160, mostly women and children, in Nigeria’s central Niger state. Armed men on motorbikes looted homes and traumatized the community of Kuchi village on Friday – a scenario that has happened repeatedly since 2021, according to Amnesty International, which condemned the violence and called on the government to protect its citizens.
2: A Thai court on Monday sentenced Chonthicha Jangrew, a member of the opposition Move Forward Party, to two years in prison for defaming the monarchy in a 2021 speech. Under Thai law, criticism of the country’s monarchy is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Chonthicha will be allowed to keep her seat while on bail, and she plans to appeal.
4.4 million: China’s internet regulators have banned the flaunting of wealth on social media, targeting influencers like Wang Hongquanxing, dubbed “China’s Kim Kardashian,” who had 4.4 million followers on Douyin flaunting his seven luxury properties before the government shut down his account. The crackdown comes as China’s slumping real estate market constrains its consumer recovery.
Members of civilian joint task force patrol in Maiduguri May 22, 2014. Civilian joint task force are government-sponsored civilian self-defence and community-policing groups within Borno state that some locals said have brought security to Maiduguri, according to local government officials.
Hard Numbers: Nigerian troops killed by gangs, Americans set to leave Niger and Chad, Russia arrests journalists, Zelensky appeals for aid
23: At least 23 members of Nigeria's civilian joint task force were killed Saturday in attacks by militants and an armed kidnapping gang in the northern part of the country. Suspected Islamic State West Africa Province fighters targeted a vehicle with an improvised explosive device in Borno state, killing nine, and another 14 members were ambushed and killed in Sokoto state by gunmen.
1,000: The United States plans to withdraw most of its 1,000 troops from Niger and 100 from Chad amid deteriorating relations with both governments, which are questioning Washington’s counterterrorism role in the region. Earlier this month, Russian trainers arrived in Niger to work with its air force, another sign of the pivot away from the US.
2: Russia has arrested journalists who work with international news outlets. Sergei Karelin, a Russian-Israeli citizen, and Konstantin Gabov, were charged with "extremism" for allegedly aiding opposition leader Alexei Navalny's banned organization. If convicted, they face a minimum of two years in prison.
21: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskymade yet another appeal for more defensive aid, specifically Patriot missile systems, and urged faster delivery following Russian missile strikes on Saturday that targeted energy facilities affecting EU gas supplies. The attacks, which disrupted water supply in Zelenskiy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih, saw Ukrainian air defenses successfully intercept 21 out of 34 missiles.A Russian Soyuz rocket is carried to the launching pad at Russia's Baikonur cosmodrome on the territory of the former Soviet Kazakhstan on December 18.
Hard Numbers: Russia shoots down space resolution, US economy sputters, Nigerian prisoners make slippery escape, Ecuador gets lifeline
13: A UN Security Council resolution reaffirming a long-standing prohibition on arms races in outer space got 13 votes in favor this week, but it was shot down by a single veto from UNSC permanent member Russia. Moscow says it wasn’t necessary to support a resolution that merely reaffirmed a 1967 treaty that Russia is already part of, but the US ambassador to the UN asked, “What could you possibly be hiding?” In recent months, the US has said it believes Russia is developing a new space-based, anti-satellite weapon.
1.6: The US economy expanded by just 1.6% in the first quarter of the year, lagging analyst forecasts by nearly a full percentage point, as consumer spending slowed. Normally that would create momentum for the Fed to cut interest rates to spur growth, but there’s no joy there either: Core inflation (which excludes food and energy) rose 3.7%, higher than economists expectations, limiting the scope for any near-term rate cuts.
118: Authorities in the Nigerian capital of Abuja are on high alert after a rainstorm destroyed a fence at a nearby penitentiary, allowing as many as 118 inmates to escape. A prison service spokesperson blamed “colonial era” facilities. Weak security and run-down buildings contribute to frequent prison-breaks in the West African nation.
4 billion: After months of talks, Ecuador and the IMF agreed to a $4 billion loan agreement meant to help stabilize the small Andean country’s finances as it grapples with a vicious cycle of economic hardship, rising poverty, and skyrocketing homicides. Just days earlier, Ecuadorians had voted yes in a referendum to boost the government’s ability to crack down on drug violence.US House Speaker Mike Johnson is speaking about the DHS deal and the plan to avert a shutdown during a press conference in Washington DC, USA, on March 20, 2024.
Hard Numbers: US government shutdown averted, Nigerian schoolkids rescued, Israel’s hospital raid proves deadly, Search for Mexican kidnap victims continues
1.2 trillion: The Senate passed the $1.2 trillion spending bill on Saturday in a 74-24 vote, enabling President Joe Biden to sign it into law and avert a partial government shutdown. This will keep the lights on for roughly three-quarters of the federal government until October, raising military pay and increasing funds for US-Mexico border patrol.
137: Nigerian authorities on Sunday rescued 137 schoolkids who were kidnapped two weeks ago in the northern state of Kaduna, with 76 girls and 61 boys found in the neighboring Zamfara state. Earlier reports suggested that 287 children had been kidnapped, but that number was an estimate, and authorities say all of the kidnap victims have been found and will soon return home.
170: Israel says its raid on Gaza’s largest health facility, Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital, has killed 170 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants, with more than 800 detained. Israeli special forces and tanks encircled the hospital early last week, forcing thousands of Palestinians who had been sheltering there to evacuate. On Sunday, Israel reportedly surrounded two more hospitals in Gaza.
42: After 66 people were kidnapped Friday in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa – home to the infamous Sinaloa Cartel – authorities have worked over the weekend to rescue 42 of the hostages, including 18 children. The search continues for the remaining 24.A boy holds a sign to protest against, what a teacher, local councilor and parents said, the kidnapping of hundreds school pupils by gunmen after the Friday prayer, in Kaduna, Nigeria March 8, 2024.
Hundreds of children kidnapped by extremists in Nigeria
Over 300 children have been abducted at gunpoint in northern Nigeria in recent days. On Thursday, gunmen kidnapped at least 287 children from a school in Kaduna state, and another 15 pupils were taken on Saturday. Militants are suspected of kidnapping around 200 women and children from Borno state as well. No group has claimed responsibility, but the region is plagued by Islamic extremism.
Nigeria’s army is mounting an operation to locate and retrieve the victims, but locals fear their loved ones may never return. A decade after Boko Haram attacked and kidnapped 276 schoolgirls sitting their physics exams in Chibok, 100 remain missing, and over 1,400 children have been abducted since then.
Why schoolchildren? Boko Haram, the most menacing terrorist group in the region, targets Western-style schools, which they see as contrary to their radical Islamist beliefs, and often holds survivors for years, ending their education. Female survivors recount being repeatedly raped by militants they were forced to marry, and many fell pregnant. Copycat terrorists now also target schools to extract ransoms from families.
What we’re watching: President Bola Tinubu has sworn to rescue the children, and Nigeria’s army is the best in the region — but the local governor said there weren’t enough boots on the ground. Similar violence from Islamist extremists has driven coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, which Nigeria and the regional bloc ECOWAS have struggled to contain.