International

41 Worshippers die as fire engulfs church in Egypt

Published

2 years ago

August 14, 2022

Advocate News Nigeria

At least 41 people have been confirmed dead in a fire outbreak at Abu Sefein church in the working-class neighbourhood of Imbaba in Giza Governorate, Egypt.

According to a report by Bloomberg, another 14 people were injured in the fire incident that started at the Coptic church during Sunday morning service.

The report added that fifteen firefighting vehicles were dispatched to the scene to put out the flames while ambulances ferried the casualties to nearby hospitals.

A police statement confirmed that the fire was ignited by an electrical short-circuit.

Reacting to the incident in a tweet on his verified Twitter handle, Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, Egypt’s president, expressed his condolences to the victims’ families.

He said government has put in place necessary measures to mitigate the effect of the fire outbreak.

“I am closely following the developments of the tragic accident in Al-Munira Church in Giza Governorate, and I have directed all concerned state agencies and institutions to take all necessary measures, and immediately deal with this accident and its effects, and to provide all aspects of health care for the injured,” the president wrote.

“I offer my sincere condolences to the families of the innocent victims who moved to the side of their Lord in one of the houses in which they are worshipped.”

International

Tanzania floods and landslides kill more than 150 – PM Kassim Majaliwa

Published

3 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Advocate News Nigeria

• Many thousands have had to leave their homes, such as these people in the Coastal region earlier this month

At least 155 people have died in floods and landslides in Tanzania following heavy rains caused by El Niño, the prime minister, Kassim Majaliwa said Thursday.

Majaliwa warned that the rains might continue into May, and urged families to leave flood-prone areas.

About 200,000 people and more than 51,000 households were already affected by the disaster, he added.

Heavy rains have also swept through neighbouring Kenya and Burundi, causing a humanitarian crisis in the region.

Giving a report to Tanzania’s parliament on the situation in his country since January, Mr Majaliwa said that in addition to the 155 people killed, 236 had been injured.

“The heavy El Nino rains, accompanied by strong winds, floods, and landslides in various parts of the country, have caused significant damage.

“These include loss of life, destruction of crops, homes, citizens’ property, and infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and railways,” he added.

A resident in northern Tanzania’s Siha district told the BBC that his home had been destroyed.

“I have nothing left, everything has been wiped away,” he said.

In Kenya, President William Ruto has ordered the army to help with rescue operations, as heavy rains pounded large parts of the country, including the capital, Nairobi, where homes in some slum areas have been swept away, along with furniture and other goods.

More than 10 have died in Kenya this week, bringing the death to at least 45 people since March, the Red Cross said.

In Burundi, heavy rains have displaced nearly 100,000 peoples.

BBC Weather’s Chris Fawkes says that one of the biggest drivers of the rains is the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD).

The IOD – often called the “Indian Niño” because of its similarity to its Pacific equivalent – refers to the difference in sea-surface temperatures in opposite parts of the Indian Ocean.

During a positive phase, the waters in the western Indian Ocean are much warmer than normal and this can bring heavier rain regardless of El Niño.

However, when both a positive IOD and an El Niño occur at the same time, as was the case last year, the rains in East Africa can become extreme.

One of the strongest positive IOD patterns on record coincided with one of the strongest El Niño patterns in 1997 and 1998, with severe flooding reported. These caused more than 6,000 deaths in five countries in the region. (BBC)

International

Israeli strikes on Rafah kill 13, as Gaza death toll surpasses 34,000

Published

4 days ago

April 21, 2024

Advocate News Nigeria

Israeli attacks on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza killed 13 people overnight, including nine children, health officials said Sunday.

The first Israeli strike late Saturday killed a man, his wife and their 3-year-old child, the Associated Press reported.

The second strike killed eight children and two women, it said. An airstrike in Rafah the night before left nine people dead, including six children.

The fresh attacks in southern Gaza come as the death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has climbed to more than 34,000 Palestinians killed, according to local health officials, the AP reported. The conflict has devastated Gaza’s two largest cities and left a swath of destruction across the besieged enclave.

The lastest strikes came within hours after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to provide Israel with $26.3 billion in assistance. The measure, which includes $9 billion in humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip, now goes back to the Senate, which about 10 weeks ago cleared legislation with nearly identical aid to Israel.

The House bill will now get bundled with three other measures. The Senate will receive them as a single package that includes aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, along with new sanctions, a TikTok ban and U.S. power to freeze Russian assets.

Israel has carried out near-daily air raids on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million has sought refuge from fighting elsewhere. It has also vowed to expand its ground offensive to the city on the border with Egypt despite international calls for restraint, including from the U.S.

International

Nigerian dancer, Korra Obidi attacked with acid, stabbed in UK

Published

2 weeks ago

April 12, 2024

Advocate News Nigeria

Nigerian dancer, Korra Obidi attacked with acid, stabbed in UK

• Anita Chukwumfumnaya Obidi aka Korra Obidi

Nigerian dancer, Anita Obidi, popularly known as Korra Obidi, has come under a knife and acid attack in the United Kingdom.

Celebrities Kimora Lee Simmons’s 21-year-old daughter Aoki breaks up with 65-year-old boyfriend.

According to the dancer, the attack occurred while she was in the middle of a live stream on Thursday, April 11, 2024.

The mother of two announced this on her social media.

In the trending video on her instagram page, she was seen washing her face with coca-cola.

“My face is burning, can I have some coke to wash it please,” Obidi screamed as she groaned in pain.

The livestream footage reportedly showed Korra Obidi in distress, frantically washing her face with a Coca-Cola beverage, likely to neutralize the burning sensation of an acid attack.

Two uniformed officers arrived at the scene, captured on video. One officer applied a liquid solution to her face, presumably to ease the pain. The other officer can be seen spraying her back, likely administering first aid.

In a caption accompanying the disturbing video, Obidi pleaded with the public for any information that could identify and apprehend her attacker.

Describing the assailant, Obidi stated it was a Black female of approximately five feet in height. She further revealed she had been subjected to hateful comments online in the past, but this physical assault serves as a stark wake-up call.

“Currently in an ambulance to the hospital, there was a knife, acid attack on me in the UK 🇬🇧 in the middle of a live stream.

“There’s been a lot of hate in the past but this physical assault is a wake up call.

“If you have any information as to the attacker, black female. 5 foot. please forward to Korramanagement@gmail.com,” she wrote.