Archive November 1, 2025

Tanzanian President Hassan declared winner of disputed vote with 98 percent

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by news organizations

Leading rivals were expelled from the race, but Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan emerged with nearly 98 percent of the vote and was declared the winner of the country’s disputed presidential election.

Hassan had won 97.66 percent of the vote on Wednesday, dominating every constituency, according to the final results released on Saturday.

Later on Saturday, according to state media, a swearing-in ceremony would take place.

Days of violent demonstrations followed the election of Hassan’s main rivals to the presidency and parliament, prompting what they termed widespread repression.

Despite having a heavy security presence, election day sprang into chaos, with some demonstrators tossing Hassan banners and setting government buildings on fire, according to reports citing witnesses.

According to figures gathered from a network of hospitals and health clinics, “about 700” people have been killed, according to Chadema, the main opposition force, who was prohibited from participating in the election.

At least 10 people were killed in three cities, according to credible reports, according to the UN’s human rights office.

Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, the country’s foreign minister, claimed on Friday that the elections were conducted fairly and that the authorities had acted appropriately.

He claimed that the government had “no official figures” regarding any protesters killed, and that “no excessive force has been used.” These 700 are not anywhere to be found.

UN Secretary-General “deeply concerned”

Hassan faced 16 candidates from smaller parties as she was elevated from vice president in 2021 following the sudden passing of her predecessor, John Magufuli.

After calling for electoral reforms, which he claimed were a prerequisite for free and fair elections, Chadema leader Tundu Lissu was imprisoned for months and charged with treason. He denies the accusations. Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo group, another opposition figure, was prohibited from running.

Before the election, rights groups claimed that Hassan oversaw a “wave of terror” in the nation, including a number of well-known abductions that grew worse in the following days. The government’s human rights record has been refuted by critics.

Hassan hasn’t made a statement in the media since the unrest started.

Dodgers win Game 6 against Blue Jays in World Series to force decider

By in News, World News
by news organizations

With a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays, the Los Angeles Dodgers put the World Series series in its final seventh game to restrain their hopes of becoming Major League Baseball’s (MLB) first repeat champion in 25 years.

A Dodgers team with no room for error and facing elimination for the first time this postseason started with Mookie Betts and Will Smith providing the offense in six solid innings starting against Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

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On a bizarre play in the ninth inning, Toronto thought it had tied the game after hitting a homerun inside the park at the bottom of the outfield fence, where Dodgers outfielder Justin Dean raised his hands to declare the play dead.

A video review turned out to be a ground rule double, leaving Toronto with runners on second and third without an out.

Before Kike Hernandez turned the double play when he fired the ball into second base to end the game, Ernie Clement then hit an infield pop and Andres Gimenez lined out to left.

Fans of the lone MLB team in Canada are desperate to celebrate the Blue Jays’ first World Series victory in 32 years with a one-day delay at least.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, hits Bo Bichette in the sixth inning of Game 6 [Ashley Landis/AP]

Game 6 puts the Dodgers’ entire season on the line.

Few people expected the Blue Jays to present much of a challenge and even fewer called for it to go the distance because the Dodgers were already an overwhelming favorite at the start of the season.

Los Angeles opened the scoring in the third inning with a run-scoring double from Smith before Betts added a pair of runs to put them ahead 3-0.

After scoring on a George Springer single in the bottom half of the third, Barger doubled before leading the Blue Jays to within two.

The Dodgers’ starting rotation had been their strength this postseason, but Yamamoto once more took matters into his own hands and took the team’s 3-2 lead in the World Series.

Before the Dodgers switched to a bullpen, which has been their weak link all season, the Japanese ace, who threw complete-game gems in his previous two starts, struck out six batters and gave up one run on five hits in six innings.

Before Roki Sasaki retired Bo Bichette and Daulton Varsho grounded out to end the inning, the Blue Jays made a threat in the eighth inning when they had one more out. Then they faced another run of the same name.

A spectator scaled the outfield wall and stormed the field with a United States flag in the sixth inning before being promptly taken down by security guards and escorted away.

On Saturday in Toronto, Game 7 will be played.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto in action.
In the final game of Game 7 between the Blue Jays and Yamamoto, Yamamoto and the Dodgers will battle it out on the road.

Melissa leaves 50 dead, toll expected to rise in Jamaica, Haiti

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After enduring days of abuse in Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba, Hurricane Melissa has finally left the Caribbean, leaving behind a trail of devastation that has claimed the lives of about 50 people.

Residents of Jamaica were weighing their losses and the lengthy road to recovery on Friday as a result of the hurricane’s powerful force that it had smashed into the country on Tuesday as a Category 5 storm.

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Nearly half of Jamaica’s water systems are offline, and more than 60% of the country is still without power.

Up to 90% of all structures in the historic seaside town of Black River, southwest of Jamaica, were left without roofs, and the storm also shattered power lines and toppled concrete structures.

As she watched a bag of groceries and household items for herself and a group of Greenfield residents, one of the many black-river communities that have been devastated by Hurricane Ike, “People are hungry,” said Monique Powell, “People are hungry.”

Michelle Barnes and her 13-year-old daughter were distributing their portion of handouts from neighborhood food stores, many of which had soaked and damaged and were now water-soaked.

According to a study conducted by Imperial College London, climate change contributed four times to the magnitude of the storm, one of the most powerful ever recorded.

Death trail

Authorities had “quite credible” reports of a potential five additional deaths, but had not yet been able to confirm, according to Jamaica’s Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon, who spoke at a briefing.

Although we’re only 19 confirmed, she said, “we do anticipate that to change today.”

Authorities in the nearby Haiti reported 21 missing and at least 31 fatalities, primarily in the southern region of the nation. More than 15 800 people were still in shelters.

More than 735, 000 people were evacuated from Cuba on Friday, but no deaths were reported. Dangerous flooding persisted in some areas on Friday as a result of the civil defense’s efforts to stop the island’s eastern region.

Climate finance and disaster bonds

Jamaica’s recovery costs are unknown, but the Caribbean nation has already made money available for disaster response, including through a special bond deal with the World Bank.

According to Dixon, the bond, which was issued in 2024, provides $150 million in financial security for Jamaica during the four hurricane seasons.

She stated on Friday that Hurricane Melissa had triggered this bond, which provides payouts in the event of natural disasters until 2027.

Jamaica is one of the many nations that is pressing wealthy countries to increase climate financing to cover the costs of climate-induced disasters.

In addition, Jamaica’s Minister of Science, Energy, and Technology, Andrew Wheatley, praised the country’s “deep appreciation of the global outpouring of support” following Melissa, but urged potential donors to be cautious of scams and to use the official government portal for donations.

Cuba rescues stranded residents who have been flooded.

After the Cauto River flooded due to Hurricane Melissa, a woman in Rio Cauto, Granma Province, Cuba, was taken away from her home by emergency personnel on Friday. [Norlys Perez/Reuters]

In response to Melissa, Cuba was attempting to rescue residents who were still stranded by previously inaccessible floodwaters on Friday.

Around 380mm (15 inches) of rain fell on some areas of the island’s eastern end shortly after the Hurricane struck Cuba as a risky Category 3 hurricane.

Residents of the country’s longest river were rescued from the still-rising waters on Friday by emergency workers wad waist-deep in wetsuits and used military vehicles and boats.

Eduardo Verdecia, 83, a resident of Rio Cauto, claimed that while expected, the river would still be flowing. However, the persistent rains, runoff from nearby mountains, and a rapidly expanding reservoir, had surprised them.

Demonstrators call for governor’s resignation after deadly Rio police raid

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In a protest against Rio state governor Claudio Castro’s resignation, hundreds of protesters have marched through one of the favelas that were the target of the most recent police raid.

The protesters’ vocal voices were heard on Friday in Vila Cruzeiro, a part of the Penha complex of favelas that were assaulted, as they gathered to protest the police operation that killed at least 121 people, including four police officers.

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On Tuesday, about 2,500 police and soldiers stormed the crowded, low-income neighborhoods known as the Complexo de Alemao and Complexo da Penha favelas in Rio de Janeiro, killing the notorious gang Comando Vermelho (Red Command) in the Complexo de Alemao and Complexo da Penha.

The officers drew retaliation from gang members, causing chaos in the city, with the aid of armored vehicles and helicopters.

Capturing gang leaders and halt Red Command’s territorial expansion were the stated goals. In recent years, the organization has grown in control of the city’s favelas and other locations.

Authorities initially claimed only 64 people had died, but residents discovered numerous bodies in a nearby wooded area the following day.

On October 29, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, relatives and the Comando Vermelho gang were killed in a police raid that targeted the Complexo da Penha favela.

As they gathered in Vila Cruzeiro, where residents had laid out dozens of dead bodies days earlier, activists, and grieving mothers who lost their sons in previous operations, expressed their anger.

The right-wing governor of Rio de Janeiro received a lot of the support, with protesters calling him an “assissassin.”

Stop the massacres, Castro, out with us! protesters chanted and demanded that the governor resign or that he be imprisoned.

“Favelas isn’t public policy,” says the statement. Monica Benicio, a member of the local council, called it a massacre.

Castro argued that the operation was a “success” against “narco-terrorists,” claiming that those killed were drug users who opposed police. Of the 99 suspects so far, 42 had outstanding arrest warrants, according to the state government, and 78 had long-running criminal histories.

At the protest on Friday, there was a sign that read, “120 lives lost is not a success,” and another that read, “Castro has blood on his hands.”

Many also criticized the location of the bodies’ bodies. Several bodies were reportedly found with puncture wounds or tied up, while others were not.

Rights groups and the UN condemned the death toll, which was the highest level ever recorded during a Rio police operation. Human Rights Watch called for Brazilian authorities to conduct “a prompt, thorough, and independent investigation of each of the killings” and denounced the “disastrous operation.”

Castro is required to provide detailed details about how the operation was carried out in Brazil, according to the Supreme Court and lawmakers. A hearing with Castro and the heads of the military and civil police is scheduled for November 3 according to Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

Castro claims that the government of leftist president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is anti-crime, saying Rio de Janeiro has abandoned Rio in its fight against gangs.

G7 slams Russian attacks on energy as Ukraine decries ‘nuclear terrorism’

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Following the accusations that Moscow’s most recent barrage was comparable to “nuclear terrorism,” the Group of Seven nations’ energy ministers have jointly condemned Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy system.

The G7 energy ministers, which include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, stated in a statement that Russia’s attacks “continue to have devastating social, environmental, and economic consequences on the Ukrainian people.”

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According to the statement, “Russia’s recent attacks on Ukraine’s natural gas infrastructure have put communities and human lives at risk,” as well as weakened civilian infrastructure and Ukrainian people’s energy security.

The G7 stated that it continues to support Ukraine’s energy sector’s recovery “through direct financial assistance, credit facilities, risk insurance, policy and resource alignment, as well as setting conditions for long-term private sector investment.”

In recent weeks, Ukraine has accused Russia of repeatedly attacking its population’s suffering in preparation for the bitterly cold winter months.

Following a string of Russian attacks on energy facilities in the country’s central, western, and southeast on Thursday, which left seven people dead, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said “the goal is to plunge Ukraine into darkness.”

On the eve of winter, Svyrydenko said, “Russia continues its systematic energy terror. It is striking at the lives, dignity, and warmth of Ukrainians.”

She continued, “We need more air defense systems, tougher sanctions, and maximum pressure on the aggressor” in order to stop the terrorism.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized what it claimed were “targeted strikes” by Russian forces on Ukrainian nuclear power stations on Friday.

It stated that “deliberate strikes on civilian energy facilities that directly affect the safe operation of nuclear installations are a grave violation of international humanitarian law.”

Following the attacks on Thursday, Kyiv announced nationwide restrictions on the supply of electricity to retail and industrial customers, and some regions also experienced disruptions to water and heating systems.

Three Ukrainian nuclear power plants were forced to reduce output as a result of the assault, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi warned that “the threats to nuclear safety continue to be very real and ever-present.”

He continued, “I call for maximum military restraint in the area of nuclear facilities.”

Moscow denies that it is attacking people who are civilians. It asserts that Ukraine’s strikes were merely an attack on Russian civilian infrastructure.

Moscow and Kyiv frequently accuse one another of attacking one another’s energy centers and engaging in military exercises that compromise the safety of Ukraine’s four active nuclear plants.

As fighting rages nearby, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which was taken over by Russian forces in the first few weeks of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, has become a major concern for the IAEA.

The Zaporizhia-based administration, which was installed in Russia, announced on October 23 that it had restored external power to the plant and repaired a damaged high-voltage line.

Since September 23, when its last external power line was severed in attacks that each side blamed on the other, it has been without external electricity for 30 days and relying on backup diesel generators.

Trump says not planning US strikes on Venezuela

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In the midst of a significant US military expansion in the area, US President Donald Trump has stated that he is not considering conducting strikes in Venezuela. This appears to contradict his own statements from earlier this month.

The US is currently sending its largest warship, the USS Gerald R Ford, to Venezuelan coast along with fighter jets, warships, and thousands of soldiers there.

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Trump responded, “No,” when reporters on Air Force One on Friday asked if the media had any knowledge that he was considering engaging in strikes in Venezuela.

In response to a statement in the Miami Herald that claimed Washington’s forces were on the verge of hitting Venezuela, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered the same message.

Rubio claimed in a post on X that “your’ sources, who claiming to have knowledge of the situation, manipulated you into writing a fake story.”

Trump’s quick response on Friday appeared to contrast with remarks he made earlier this month about Venezuela on at least twice.

The US president said last week that he would not “necessarily request a declaration of war” and would instead declare, “I think we’re just going to kill people who are bringing drugs into our country.” OK? We’re going to murder them.

He continued, “Now they]drugs are coming in by land… you know, the land will be the next.”

At least 62 people have died and 14 boats and a semi-submersible have been destroyed as a result of the US military’s string of strikes on ships in the Caribbean and eastern the Pacific since early September.

The Trump administration has stated that the attacks are aimed at alleged drug trafficking, but it has not yet provided any proof to the public to back up its claims.

In a statement released on Friday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk referred to the attacks as “unacceptable” and “and their mounting human cost.”

Whatever the criminal conduct alleged against them, Turk urged the US to stop these attacks and take all necessary steps to stop extrajudicial killings of those aboard these ships.

Meanwhile, a new YouGov poll found that less Americans voted for the US Navy’s presence in Venezuela than it did in September.

Only 30% of respondents to the most recent poll said they were completely or partially supportive of the naval deployment, while 37% said they were not.

In contrast, 36% of people in September were approve, compared to 38% who were not.

Nicolas Maduro, president of Venezuela, has accused the US of “fabricating a new eternal war” against him in response to the US escalation.

He has also refuted US allegations of drug use.

According to him, “Venezuela is a country that does not produce cocaine leaves,” according to experts who claim US citizens smuggle drugs into the country through the Mexican land border.

Military is on alert in Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago, which is close to Venezuela and has hosted a US warship, raised the alarm of its military on Friday and recalled all personnel to their bases in response to Trump and Rubio’s comments.

According to the AFP news agency, Trinidadian forces are being placed on “STATE ONE ALERT LEVEL,” according to a message the army sent. According to police, “all leave is prohibited” until further notice.

Additionally, soldiers’ orders to report to duty were confirmed by the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian newspaper.

Venezuela suspended a significant gas deal with Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday, citing Trinidad and Tobago’s acceptance of the USS Gravely US warship.

Trinidad and Tobago claims that the warship is used for regular, planned joint military exercises with the US.

US senators are looking for answers to “anti-drug” strategy questions.

The Republican and Democratic-controlled branches of the US Senate Armed Services Committee have said that there haven’t been any responses to their inquiries into the legal justification for the US’s attacks on Caribbean vessels.

Republican Senators Roger Wicker and Democrat Jack Reed both released a statement on Friday, along with two letters requesting more details about the strikes, both of which were dated September 23 and October 6, both of which were addressed to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.