London Christmas Scare As Driver Plows Into Crowd And Injures Four

United Kingdom Metro Police

by Admin Dec 26, 2024 Christmas almost got messy on the streets of West London when a driver plowed into a crowd in the early hours of Christmas day. The police confirmed the incident when they received a call at 12:45 a.m. that a car had been driven on the wrong side of the road on Shaftesbury Avenue in Soh. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said officers were called to “reports of a traffic collision and a car driving on the wrong side of the road”. The police revealed that they arrested a 31-year-old man who was allegedly the driver of the car and on suspicion of murder. The police further revealed that four people were injured while one is in critical condition in the ICU.  Stuart Cundy, the Deputy Assistant Commissioner said “Detectives are quickly progressing inquiries as part of this investigation.”  He added, “It’s believed that the suspect was involved in an altercation at a nightclub before getting in his car and mounting the pavement.” The police clarified that the incident was not linked to any terrorist act nor was the suspect on the terrorist watch list.  However, various cordons remain in place around Shaftesbury Avenue.

South Korean Parliament Vote to Impeach Acting President Han Duck-soo

South Korean Prime Minister and Acting President Han Duck Soo

by Admin Dec 27, 2024 The South Korean Parliament has voted to impeach their acting President Han Duck-Soo just two weeks after he assumed office.  Prime Minister Han became the President after President Yoon was removed by the parliament over a failed martial law on December 3. Several 192 lawmakers voted for his impeachment, which was more than the 151 votes needed to push for the impeachment to succeed. The acting president was tasked with leading the country out of the political turmoil caused by his predecessor President Yoon but was accused by the opposition members of parliament of deliberately failing to complete the impeachment proceedings of President Yoon. Protest broke out in the parliament when the  Woo Won-shik, the National Assembly speaker announced that only 151 votes would be required to pass the impeachment bill which was met by stiff resistance from lawmakers of People Power Party (PPP) the party of former President Yoon and prime minister Han. The ruling party lawmakers of the People Power Party (PPP) argued that the required 151 votes for the impeachment of acting President Han was way below the 200 votes needed for the impeachment process of President Yoon. The ruling party lawmakers kept chanting “invalid” which led to a slight confrontation between them and their opposition members on the parliament floor, and called on the National Assembly Speaker to step down. The impeachment trial began at the early hours of Thursday morning when Acting President Han blocked the appointment of three judges that parliament had chosen to oversee President Yoon’s case. Choi Sang-mok, the finance minister is set to replace Acting President Han as the new Acting President of the country. He said “I respect the decision of the National Assembly,” Han said Friday, adding that he “will wait for the Constitutional Court’s decision.” He further added that he would suspend his duties as the finance minister of the country and would face the responsibility of the acting president in order to lead the country out of the ongoing political turmoil.

Ethics Committee Accused Matt Gaetz Of Breaking State Law For Drug Usage and Underage Sex

Matt Gaetz

by Admin Dec 25, 2024 Matt Gaetz, a former Republican and a former House of Representatives member who is also a key ally of President-elect Donald Trump, has been found guilty of breaking state law after the ethics committee found out he paid an underage girl for sex and use of a lot of drugs. The former Florida representative whose nomination for the position of Attorney General was short-lived after he was accused of rape by several women in his past which prompted him to step down from the race while investigation commenced into the allegations. The ethics committee’s full report indicated that Matt Gaetz violated several state laws while in office, the report said “The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress,”  The report further revealed that “From 2017 to 2020, Representative Gaetz made tens of thousands of dollars in payments to women that the Committee determined were likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use,” “Victim A recalled receiving $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex,” the committee wrote. “Victim A said that she did not inform Representative Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask her age.” The former congressman retired from Congress in November after he was nominated by President Donald Trump for the next Attorney General.  Matt Gaetz’s nomination was met with stiff resistance from some of his fellow Republicans who questioned his integrity for the position. Matt Gaetz however denied all the allegations against him and argued the claims were a “smear” invented by his political enemies.  The Ethics Committee said the congressman refused to sit for sworn testimony but rather submitted written answers to some of the committee’s questions.  The report gives fresh voice to allegations of misconduct that have circulated the Congressman for years, despite his firm denials of the allegation.  The conclusion of the Ethic Committee draws from the testimony of witnesses who told the committee they were paid to have sex with Gaetz, text messages discussing the transactions, and Venmo and PayPal receipts.  In his defense, the former congressman said  “The Committee’s apparent intention to release its report after explicitly acknowledging it lacks jurisdiction over former members, its failure to follow constitutional notions of due process, and failure to adhere to its own procedural rules and precedent represents an unprecedented overreach that threatens fundamental constitutional rights and established procedural protections.” However, Matt Gaetz has revealed that he is spending the next year fighting and supporting the success of the presidency of Donald Trump.

Vietnam Activates New Security Protocol For Social Media Users

Vietnam Parliament Building

by Admin Def 25, 2024 The Vietnamese government has activated a new social media law that requires all users to submit and register on big-tech social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok to verify their phone numbers or national identity information alongside their full name and date of birth. The new law, activated under Decree 147 of the Vietnamese social media law, came into full force on Wednesday. Decree 147 demands that all social media platforms must remove any content deemed illegal within 24 hours. The decree also demands that only verified users be authorized to livestream, which limits the significant number of people who earn a living through social commerce on sites such as TikTok. The new social media law also seeks the ramifications for social media firms to curb gaming for under-18s in a bid to prevent addiction among Vietnamese children.  Game publishers are expected to enforce a time limit of an hour per game session and not more than 180 minutes a day for all games. Vietnam is a country of 100 million population with more than half active users of YouTube and TikTok. According to statistics released by the Vietnamese Ministry of Information, the country has around 65 million Facebook users, 60 million on YouTube, and 20 million on TikTok. The Decree has been met with strong criticisms from the people, calling the act an infringement on the Human Rights Act of Expression and Freedom.  Le Anh Hung, a former Vietnamese political prisoner said The decree was “the latest sign of infringement of basic freedoms… with a vague line between what is legal and what is not,” He added, “No one wants to go to jail, so of course some activists will be more cautious and afraid of this decree.” Decree 147 was established on a 2018 Vietnamese cybersecurity law that has been widely criticized by the United States, European Union, and internet freedom advocates who said it imitates China’s repressive censorship of the internet.

Islamic Jihadist Kills At Least Over Twenty People In Mali

Mali Soldiers

by Admin Dec 21, 2024 Islamic jihadists struck a deadly blow across six villages in Bandiagara eastern province of Mali on Friday evening killing 22 people including women and children. A local elected official who pleaded to be anonymous told AFP reporters that “Six villages in the region of Bandiagara were attacked yesterday (Friday) by jihadists. Grain silos were burned, the local populations fled. There were also about 20 dead”. A Mali security official also told AFP that five villages in Bandiagara were attacked. “We counted 21 dead and many injured,” he said. Bocary Guindo, a representative of a local youth association, revealed that there had been at least 22 deaths in four villages, and two other villages had been burned down by the Jihadist. Since 2012 Mali has suffered from various waves of violent attacks from Islamic Jihadist militants who have ties with Al Qaeda and Islamic State (IS). However, since 2016 Mali has not experienced such a devastating attack until September this year when a police academy and a military airport in Bamako, the country’s capital was attacked by the Islamic jihadists. Mali experienced a simultaneous coup in 2020 and 2021 with the ascension of General Assimi Goita. The Mali government severed its relationship with its former colonial ruler France, and expelled its foreign diplomats and mining companies from the country. However, the country’s human rights groups have accused the country’s new ally the Russian military of human rights violations against the civilians in their war against the Islamic militants.

Anti Islam Man Drives Into Christmas Market In Germany, Kills Five And Several Others Injured

People paying their last respect outside Magdeburg Cathedral on Saturday evening

by Admin Dec 21, 2024 Tragedy struck in the city of Magdeburg, Germany, when a man deliberately drove his car into the Christmas market killing at least five people and injuring several others on Friday night. The Police apprehended a Saudi Arabian citizen who allegedly drove the car into the flood of people who were shopping for Christmas at the Magdeburg market. Confirming the incident Reiner Haseloff, the premier of Saxony-Anhalt state on Saturday morning disclosed that 41 people are currently in critical condition in the hospital. The Premier disclosed that a 50-year-old Saudi citizen who arrived in Germany in 2006 and had worked as a doctor was being held responsible for the horrific attack. He further explained that a preliminary investigation revealed that the Saudi citizen acted alone and had no ties to any terrorist organizations or had an accomplice in the attack but ongoing investigation would not allow him to reveal more information due to the circumstances surrounding the attack. The investigation revealed that the man had no ulterior motive in terms of being a Saudi citizen and his social media posts revealed that he was an anti-Islamism activist but had a grudge against the German government. German media identified the suspect as Taleb A, a psychiatrist who lives in Bernburg, around 40 km (25 miles) south of Magdeburg. The German chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the attack and said “What a terrible act it is to injure and kill so many people there with such brutality”. He further added, “We have now learned that over 200 people have been injured, and almost 40 are so seriously injured that we must be very worried about them.” The Chancellor made this statement in the central city, part of the former East Germany, where he laid a white rose at a church in honor of the victims.  He further revealed that there would be a memorial service for the victims at the Magdeburg Cathedral later on Saturday. The incident occurred, when Magdeburg’s football club was playing against Fortuna Dusseldorf in the Second Bundesliga Division. After the match, the team came together and formed a straight line in front of their fans. The Magdeburg club said, “Its thoughts are with those affected by the terrible events and the Magdeburg Christmas market”. Meanwhile, a minute’s silence was observed at the end of Bayern’s match against RB Leipzig in Munich. Friday’s incident is not the first time people at a Christmas market have been attacked in Germany. In 2016, a Tunisian refugee man Anis Amri, drove a truck into a crowd at the market church in Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring 11 others because the German government denied him asylum.

President Macron’s Visit Cyclone Hit Mayotte French Territory

President Emmanuel Macron of France in Mayotte

by Admin Dec 20, 2024 President Emmanuel Macron took it upon himself to go and examine the level of damage caused by Cyclone Chido on the French-controlled territory of Mayotte.  The President landed at the Petite-Terre airport which had the evident scars of surviving the devastating Cyclone Chido, from the shattered glass to the roofless building, an epileptic electricity that fluctuates due to the damage caused on the island power plants and low access to the internet. President Macron did not need a diviner or special spectacles to grasp the damage caused by Cyclone Chido. While 31 people have been confirmed dead, over a thousand injured, and another thousand still missing, the Island has become a shadow of itself even though Mayotte is the poorest French-controlled territory the island was hit by a storm traveling 220km and has left destruction in its wake. The President and entourage arrived at the Island as a beacon of hope amid the chaos with tonnes of food and other humanitarian aid he met his colonial citizens who had suffered the worst natural disasters in over 90 years. As the president walked through the destruction left in the wake of the cyclone, the survivors whispered that the underdevelopment of the Island aided the destruction. In its defense, the French government said the influx of undocumented migrants in the country will see a drastic increase if there is a developed Mayotte.  While on tour with French President, François-Noël Buffet, the minister responsible for overseas territories, said “Faced with this exceptional situation, exceptional resources must be deployed to quickly restore vital services and implement a sustainable reconstruction plan for Mayotte.”. However, emergency services have been delivering food and water and clearing roads, while operations are still ongoing to find the missing. Health workers are concerned infectious diseases could spread, as residents have reported clean drinking water shortages and shops are rationing supplies.

Cyclone Chido Claims Several Lives in France‘s Mayotte

Aftermath Of Cyclone Chido In Mayotte

by Admin Dec 20, 2024 France’s Mayotte territory has been left devastated by Cyclone Chido which killed 31 people have been confirmed dead and over a thousand people were injured after the storm swept across the Indian Ocean island on its way to east Africa. Mayotte which is located around the French Indian Ocean archipelago has never experienced such a disaster in 91 years.  Confirming the tragic incident, préfet Francois-Xavier Bieuville, a senior Mayotte official said “I think there will certainly be several hundred, maybe we will reach a thousand, even several thousand”. The French Interior Minister said  “It will be difficult to account for all victims”  adding that a certain figure can’t be ascertained at the moment. However, rescue operations have commenced while the government has also announced that an air bridge was being put in place from Reunion Island, another French overseas territory on the other side of Madagascar. Mohamed Ishmael, a resident of Mamoudzou, Mayotte’s capital, said “Honestly, what we are experiencing is a tragedy, you feel like you are in the aftermath of a nuclear war … I saw an entire neighborhood disappear”. Cyclone Chido hit Mayotte with winds of more than 200km/h (124mph), damaging housing, government buildings, and a hospital.  Mayotte, located 5,000 miles from Paris, is significantly the poorest French-controlled country and has been crippled with gang violence and social unrest for decades. More than 100,000 undocumented migrants live in Mayotte, according to French Interior Ministry  More than 40 percent of the people in Mayotte live below the French poverty line. 

Mumbai Boat Accident Kills Four Naval Officers, Leaves One Critical Injured

Indian Navy Patrolling Mumbai Coast For Survivors

by Admin Dec 19, 2024 An accident between an Indian Naval boat and a ferry on the Coast of Mumbai has claimed the lives of four naval soldiers, and another in critical condition while ten other passengers of the ferry were also killed in the accident and two others in critical condition. According to a press release by the Indian Naval Command the Naval boat collided with the ferry which led it to capsize with the 110  passengers onboard it including 20 children.  The Naval Command also said four separate operations which included eight naval crafts have commenced in a search and rescue mission to help recover missing bodies. Confirming the awful incident Devendra Fadnavis, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra disclosed that the Naval boat had an engine failure and ran into the ferry on Wednesday evening. The naval craft was undertaking engine trials on the Coast of Mumbai to avoid engine malfunction while on missions. As of 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 101 people had been rescued in the ongoing rescue operations. The Indian Navy, Coast Guard, and police deployed 11 crafts and four helicopters for the rescue operation. Droupadi Murmu, the President of India has expressed condolences for the death of the people that died in the Mumbai Boat accident near the Gateway of India. Prime Minister Modi has also expressed his grief and has related with Devendra Fadnavis, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra to provide an ex-gratia of of Rs 5 lakh ($5,800) to the families of the victims who lost their lives in the tragic accident 

20 Feared Dead After a Boat Mishap in Benue, Nigeria

Wooden Boat

by Admin Dec 18, 2024 Tragedy struck in Nigeria after a boat carrying over 100 people sank in the River Benue along Ocholonya in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State.  According to local reports, the boat was carrying passengers from Ocholonya village, Benue State, to Doma, Nasarawa State, after the passengers attended a market day in Ocholonya.  Prodesq News further gathered that the wooden boat was filled with goods and people when it capsized half into the journey killing everyone on board with local divers still searching for more bodies after they had recovered 20 dead bodies. Confirming the incident is  Melvin James the Chairman of Agatu Local Government Area, who disclosed that more bodies are yet to be recovered by the local divers and the authorities, he said: “Reports indicate that over 20 people might have died. Local divers claim to have recovered bodies, but I am waiting for an authoritative update to confirm the exact number”. He further added that the Nigerian Navy has been contacted by the state authority to help aid in the search for the missing bodies. Adanyi James, a community leader in Ocholonya disclosed that most of the passengers on the capsized boat were women and children he said,  “Yesterday was Ocholonya market day. The boat was carrying women and children back to Odenyi-Doma in Nasarawa State when it capsized, and everyone drowned.” Prodesq News further gathered that the victims were indigenes of the Apochi and Odenyi communities in Nasarawa State.  While rescue missions are still ongoing the Benue and Nasarawa state governments have issued joint operations to help recover the missing bodies. In contrast, the Nasarawa state government has declared a three-day mourning for the victims.