Niger general Tchiani named head of transitional government after coup
Self-appointed leader says coup necessary to avoid ‘the gradual and inevitable demise’ of the country.
Abdourahmane Tchiani, head of Niger’s presidential guard, has named himself head of a transitional government in the West African country, two days after his unit overthrew democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
He made the announcement on Friday on state-run television, saying he was the “president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland”.
The 62-year-old general also said the intervention had been necessary to avoid “the gradual and inevitable demise” of the country. He said while Bazoum had sought to convince people that “all is going well… the harsh reality (is) a pile of dead, displaced, humiliation and frustration”.
Hong Kong judge defies government’s bid to ban pro-democracy protest song
Judge refuses Hong Kong government’s request for injunction against Glory to Hong Kong, saying it could have chilling effect
Hong Kong’s high court has rejected a government attempt to ban a protest song, Glory to Hong Kong, saying an injunction could create a chilling effect and undermine freedom of expression.
The government had sought the injunction banning online publication or distribution of the song, arguing it insulted China’s national anthem and could give people the impression that Hong Kong was an independent country.
The song became an unofficial anthem after the 2019 pro-democracy protests and ensuing government crackdown. Its Cantonese lyrics integrated a key protest slogan – “break now the dawn, liberate our Hong Kong; in common breath, revolution of our times” – and was widely adopted by protesters.
Burning ship off Dutch coast has more e-cars than thought
A freighter carrying thousands of cars is still burning off the Dutch coast, with a spokesperson for the charter company saying there were close to 500 electric cars on board — far more than the 25 initially reported.
A freight ship that caught fire off the Dutch coast and has been burning since, as fire extinguishers try to figure out ways to tackle the incident, has been carrying nearly 500 electric cars, far more than previously reported, the company that chartered the ship said.
Initial reports said that the ship was carrying 25 electric cars.
The Fremantle Highway vessel, which has burning for a fourth day off the Dutch coast, was chartered by Japanese transportation company K Line.
A spokesperson for the company said there were 3,783 vehicles on board, including 498 battery-electric vehicles. The spokesperson declined to comment on the kinds of car brands that were on the ship.
Myanmar's Suu Kyi moved from prison to govt 'compound', says party official
Myanmar civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was ousted in a 2021 military coup, has been moved from prison to a government building, an official from her party said Friday.
Suu Kyi has only been seen once since she was held after the February 1, 2021 putsch -- in grainy state media photos from a bare courtroom in the military-built capital Naypyidaw.
The coup plunged the Southeast Asian nation into a conflict that has displaced more than one million people, according to the United Nations.
"Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been moved to a high-level venue compound on Monday night," an official from the National League for Democracy told AFP Friday on condition of anonymity.
The party official also confirmed Suu Kyi had met the country's lower house speaker Ti Khun Myat and was likely to meet Deng Xijuan, China's special envoy for Asian Affairs, who is visiting the country.
South Africa’s stance on Russia puzzles many. Could a mine in the desert hold answers?
To many observers, South Africa’s stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine is puzzling.
While the country professes to be “non-aligned,” Western diplomats and policy experts point to a series of actions that they say proves otherwise.
Their list is long: South Africa abstaining from votes condemning Russia at the United Nations; hosting war games with the Russian Navy; repeatedly, and publicly, criticizing the United States; and even, allegedly loading weapons and ammunition onto a sanctioned Russian cargo ship.
This week, while many African leaders stay away, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is attending a Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg along with key ministers.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa has historic ties to the former Soviet Union, but that ideological legacy can generally only go so far.
On the frontline in battle against searing heat
Chief heat officers are a new and rare phenomenon - only three US cities have appointed one - but experts say they are quickly becoming key figures on the frontline of climate change.
In Phoenix, Arizona - where daily temperatures have soared above 110F (43C) every day for nearly a month - David Hondula is working nonstop.
"I've been on the phone and sending more text messages than I can remember in my life," says the city's first chief heat officer. "There's this constant coordination and engagement and creativity and brainstorming that's been a different part of this heat experience."
This weekend, almost 200 million Americans - 60% of the population - are under severe weather alerts as a heatwave battering the south expands into large swaths of the central and eastern US.
Human-induced climate change has made heatwaves more frequent, more intense and longer-lasting. July is not only likely to be Phoenix's hottest month, but also Earth's warmest period since records began.
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