Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation on Monday, saying he will leave office as soon as the ruling Liberal party chooses a new leader.
“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister,” Trudeau, who has been in power since 2015, told reporters in Ottawa following a protracted political crisis that saw top Liberal allies urge him to quit.
More to follow…..
Following the recent outbreak of a new strain of Coronavirus in China, the World Health Organisation has declared the situation as a global health emergency.
The international organisation also expressed concern over the virus’ ability to spread to countries with weak health systems.
Speaking at a press conference in Geneva, Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO’s director-general said the organisation’s committee on epidemic in an almost unanimous decision declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern(PHEIC).
According to Tedros, the decision which was not taken easily is as a result of happenings across countries of the world, not just China.
He said, “Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems and which are ill-prepared to deal with it.
“Let me be clear, this declaration is not a vote of no confidence in China,” Tedros said.
Stating that the WHO is confident that China can contain the disease outbreak, Tedros highlighted recommendations which include the development of vaccines among others for controlling the incidents.
For the past few days China has been inundated with the growing incidents from the outbreak of the disease.
However, no fatality has been reported since the outbreak of the disease which has overwhelmed China hospitals and health workers.
A drunk police officer in Zambia freed 13 suspects from custody so that they could go and celebrate the new year, officials say.
A report by the BBC said detective inspector Titus Phiri was arrested after releasing the suspects from Leonard Cheelo police station in the capital, Lusaka, before running away himself.
The 13 detainees were accused of crimes such as assault, robbery and burglary.
They are all currently on the run and a manhunt has been launched to find them.
Police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga said that Phiri, “in a state of intoxication, forcibly seized cell keys” from constable Serah Banda on New Year’s Eve.
“Subsequently, Detective Inspector Phiri unlocked both the male and female cells and instructed the suspects to leave, stating they were free to cross over into the new year,” he said.
“Out of the 15 suspects in custody, 13 escaped. Following the incident, the officer fled the scene.”
Mr Phiri has not yet commented on the allegations.
Reacting to the incident, former presidential spokesperson and lawyer Dickson Jere wrote on Facebook: “I keep laughing each time I picture the scenario – comical! But then, I remembered a similar incident in 1997.”
On New Year’s Eve in 1997, the late, controversial High Court Judge Kabazo Chanda ordered the release of 53 suspects, some of whom were deemed dangerous by the police.
Mr Chanda was annoyed that the suspects had been arrested as long ago as 1992, but had not yet appeared in court.
“Justice delayed, is justice denied,” he said.
A Tesla Cybertruck exploded and burst into flames Wednesday morning just outside the entrance of Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, killing a person inside the vehicle and injuring several others standing nearby, local officials said.
The suspicious blast is being investigated as a possible terrorist attack, three senior law enforcement members briefed on the matter told NBC News. A motive has yet to be established.
The blast came hours after a driver in a rented pickup truck who was flying an ISIS flag plowed into New Year’s Eve revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 15 and injuring more than 30 others before he was shot dead by police.
That pickup truck and the Tesla in the Las Vegas explosion were rented from the same company, Turo, said Clark County/Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sheriff Kevin McMahill.
“I don’t know,” McMahill said when asked at a news conference whether the two incidents are connected. “But we are investigating whether there is any connectivity.”
Turo, in a statement, said the company is actively aiding investigators.
“We do not believe that either renter involved in the Las Vegas and New Orleans attacks had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat,” the company said.
The blast came hours after a driver in a rented pickup truck who was flying an ISIS flag plowed into New Year’s Eve revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 15 and injuring more than 30 others before he was shot dead by police.
That pickup truck and the Tesla in the Las Vegas explosion were rented from the same company, Turo, said Clark County/Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sheriff Kevin McMahill.
“I don’t know,” McMahill said when asked at a news conference whether the two incidents are connected. “But we are investigating whether there is any connectivity.”
Turo, in a statement, said the company is actively aiding investigators.
“We do not believe that either renter involved in the Las Vegas and New Orleans attacks had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat,” the company said.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has signed a law abolishing the death penalty with immediate effect.
The abolition takes immediate effect, making Zimbabwe the latest African country to eliminate capital punishment.
Rights group Amnesty International praised the decision as a “beacon of hope” for abolitionist movements across the region. However, the organisation expressed concern over a clause that allows the death penalty to be reinstated during a state of emergency.
The move follows a parliamentary vote earlier in December to scrap the death penalty. While Zimbabwe last executed a prisoner in 2005, courts continued to impose death sentences for severe crimes such as murder.
Approximately 60 inmates are on death row at the end of 2023, according to Amnesty. These individuals will now be re-sentenced, with judges instructed to consider factors such as the nature of their crimes, the time they spent on death row, and their personal circumstances, reported the state-owned Herald newspaper.
Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi described the abolition as “more than a legal reform,” calling it a “statement of our commitment to justice and humanity.”
The death penalty was introduced during British colonial rule and has long been a contentious issue in Zimbabwe.
President Mnangagwa, a vocal critic of capital punishment, has often cited his own experience: he was sentenced to death in the 1960s for his role in the guerrilla war for independence, but his sentence was later commuted to 10 years in prison.
The Death Penalty Abolition Act, officially published in the government gazette on Tuesday, represents a culmination of Mnangagwa’s long-standing opposition to the practice.
At least 10 people were killed and 30 others injured when a vehicle drove into a crowd in New Orleans popular tourist district, city authorities confirmed on Wednesday.
The incident occurred at the intersection of Canal and Bourbon Streets, a bustling area known for its nightlife and heavy foot traffic.
In a statement, NOLA Ready, the city’s emergency preparedness program, said, “The 8th District is currently working a mass casualty incident involving a vehicle that drove into a large crowd on Canal and Bourbon Street. There are 30 injured patients … and 10 fatalities.”
Authorities are investigating the incident, and additional details are expected to follow as the situation develops.
In celebration of the New Year, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has extended a gesture of goodwill to North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un.
On December 30, 2024, a floral basket was delivered on behalf of President Tinubu by the charge d’affaires ad interim of the Nigerian embassy in Pyongyang.
KCNA reports that the symbolic gesture marks the ongoing diplomatic relationship between Nigeria and North Korea, with the floral basket representing the President’s warm New Year wishes for Kim Jong Un.
Additionally, Kim Jong Un received congratulatory letters from both the Nicaraguan ambassador and the Nigerian charge d’affaires.
A South Korean court has issued an arrest warrant for impeached and suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol, investigators confirmed on Tuesday. The warrant stems from his brief declaration of martial law on December 3, which led to South Korea’s worst political crisis in decades.
Yoon, who temporarily suspended civilian rule, was stripped of his presidential duties by parliament over the controversial move. A ruling by the Constitutional Court on the legitimacy of his impeachment is still pending.
The arrest and search warrants were issued earlier on Tuesday, according to the Joint Investigation Headquarters, which is leading the probe. “The arrest warrant and search warrant were issued this morning,” the statement read.
Yoon faces serious criminal charges, including insurrection, which carry potential penalties ranging from life imprisonment to the death penalty. Investigators had sought the arrest after Yoon failed to appear for questioning for the third time.
“There is concern that the individual may refuse to comply with summons without justifiable reasons,” a Corruption Investigation Office official told reporters.
The official added that there was “sufficient probable cause” to suspect criminal activity. The arrest warrant is valid until January 6, and Yoon is expected to be held at the Seoul detention center.
In response, Yoon’s legal team called the warrant “illegal and invalid,” asserting that the investigators lacked the authority to probe the former president. “The arrest warrant and search warrant issued at the request of an agency without investigative authority are illegal and invalid,” Yoon’s lawyer, Yoon Kab-keun, said in a statement to AFP. He also denied the charges of insurrection, emphasizing that there was no intent to disrupt the constitutional order or stage an uprising.
In a devastating accident at Muan International Airport in South Korea on Sunday morning, nearly all of the 181 people aboard a Jeju Air flight are presumed dead after the aircraft veered off the runway and struck a concrete barrier.
Authorities confirmed that only two survivors were rescued from the wreckage, both of whom sustained serious injuries.
Footage of the crash shows the Boeing 737-800 skidding along the runway before crashing into the barrier and bursting into flames. Thick plumes of smoke could be seen rising into the air, with parts of the aircraft flying off upon impact.
The plane had been attempting to land after a flight from Bangkok when a reported bird strike and adverse weather conditions led to a failure in the landing gear, causing the plane to veer off course.
Local fire officials believe that the bird strike and weather conditions were likely contributing factors, though a full investigation is underway. The crash has shocked South Korea, with this incident potentially becoming the country’s worst domestic civil aviation disaster.
Jeju Air, a popular low-cost carrier, expressed deep apologies in a statement, acknowledging the severity of the crash and pledging to prioritize the management of the incident.
The airline also confirmed that the aircraft involved had been in operation for 15 years and had no history of accidents.
While most passengers on the flight were South Korean nationals, there were also two Thai nationals onboard.
An American woman, identified as Keirsten White has been charged with raping her own children after confessing and turning herself in.
According to the authorities, White has been charged with first degree rape, sexual battery, two counts of indecent behavior with juveniles and two counts of cruelty to juveniles.
St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz, said the 31-year-old woman based in Opelousas, US presented herself to deputies at the St. Landry Parish Jail on Sunday.
According to Guidroz, she said she wished to turn herself in for physically and sexually abusing her children, both under the age of four.
“With this statement made and no outstanding warrants, detectives with the Juvenile Division were able to determine, through the cooperation of White herself, the extent of the criminal activity involving the children,” Guidroz said.
He added that White admitted to detectives that she was dealing with extreme stress and frustration stemming from a divorce.
“While we, as Christians, should ‘hate the sin, not the sinner,’ law enforcement has the sacred obligation to uphold the law,” Guidroz said.
“We are thankful that White surrendered herself and was completely cooperative with detectives.”
