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Trump Wins South Carolina, Beating Nikki Haley in Her Home State

FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump gestures after speaking Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, at Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump gestures after speaking Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, at Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
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Trump Wins South Carolina, Beating Nikki Haley in Her Home State

FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump gestures after speaking Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, at Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump gestures after speaking Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, at Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Donald Trump easily defeated Nikki Haley in South Carolina's Republican contest on Saturday, extending his winning streak as he marches toward a third consecutive presidential nomination and a rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden.

The former president had been widely favored to win the Southern state, despite his litany of criminal charges and Haley's status as a native of South Carolina who won two terms as governor.

The big win bolstered calls from Trump's allies that Haley, his last remaining challenger, should drop out of the race.

But Haley, who outperformed expectations based on opinion polls, defiantly insisted she would fight on at least through "Super Tuesday" on March 5, when Republicans in 15 states and one US territory will cast ballots.

Trump won with 59.8% support against 39.5% for Haley with 99% of the expected vote tallied, according to Edison Research. Statewide opinion polls before Saturday had given Trump an average lead of 27.6 percentage points, according to the tracking website 538, Reuters reported.

"Forty percent is not some tiny group," Haley said of her vote share. "There are huge numbers of voters in our Republican primaries who are saying they want an alternative."

Trump has dominated all five Republican primary contests thus far - in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, the US Virgin Islands and now Haley's home state - leaving Haley with no evident path to the Republican nomination.

Trump gave his victory speech in Columbia, the state capital, minutes after the polls closed and did not mention Haley, claiming his party's mantle as he looked ahead to November's general election.

"I have never seen the Republican Party so unified as it is right now," he said.

In recent days Haley had notably sharpened her attacks on Trump, questioning his mental acuity and warning voters he would lose the general election to Biden.

But there is scant evidence that a majority of Republican voters is interested in any standard-bearer except Trump.

Immigration, which Trump has made a focus of his campaign, was the number one issue for voters on Saturday, according to an Edison exit poll. Some 39% cited that issue, above the 33% who said the economy was their top concern.

Approximately 84% of voters said the economy is not so good or poor, highlighting a major potential weakness for Biden in November's general election.

Once again, however, exit polls also pointed to Trump's own vulnerabilities. Nearly one-third of voters said he would be unfit to serve as president if he were convicted of a crime.

Trump's first criminal trial is scheduled to begin on March 25 in New York City. He is charged with falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign.

He faces three other sets of charges, including a federal indictment alleging he conspired to reverse Biden's election victory in 2020. Trump has pleaded not guilty in every case and claimed, with no evidence, that the charges stem from a Democratic conspiracy to derail his campaign.

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World

A Parliamentary Election Runoff Puts Hard-liners Firmly in Charge of Iran's Parliament

Iranians walk in a street in Tehran, Iran March 3, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Iranians walk in a street in Tehran, Iran March 3, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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A Parliamentary Election Runoff Puts Hard-liners Firmly in Charge of Iran's Parliament

Iranians walk in a street in Tehran, Iran March 3, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Iranians walk in a street in Tehran, Iran March 3, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

Iran's hard-liners won most of the remaining seats in an election run-off to give them full control over the country's parliament, authorities said Saturday, while not sharing any details on the turnout.
The result, and that of the previous vote in March, gives hard-liners 233 of the 290 seats in Iran's parliament, according to an Associated Press tally.
Hard-liners seek more cultural and social restrictions, they also express enmity toward the West, particularly the United States.
Those politicians calling for change in the country’s government, known broadly as reformists, were generally barred from running in the election. Those calling for radical reforms or for abandoning Iran’s theocratic system were also banned or didn’t bother to register as candidates.
Vote counting began after the ballots closed late Friday, with the election authority publishing the names of the winners the day after.
Interior minister Ahmad Vahidi said Saturday the election saw “good participation,” without elaborating.
“All elected people have had a relatively good and acceptable" number of votes, he said.
The result requires approval by a constitutional watchdog. It is expected next week. The new parliament will begin its job on May 27.
The parliament in Iran plays a secondary role in governing the country though it can intensify pressure on the administration when deciding on the annual budget and other important bills. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has the final say in all important state matters.
In March, a total of 25 million ballots were cast, for a turnout of just under 41%, the lowest since the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

World

Flash Floods Kill More than 300 People in Northern Afghanistan after Heavy Rains

An Afghan man carries his belongings as he walks through a mud covered street following a flash flood after a heavy rainfall in Laqiha village of Baghlan-i-Markazi district in Baghlan province on May 11, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
An Afghan man carries his belongings as he walks through a mud covered street following a flash flood after a heavy rainfall in Laqiha village of Baghlan-i-Markazi district in Baghlan province on May 11, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
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Flash Floods Kill More than 300 People in Northern Afghanistan after Heavy Rains

An Afghan man carries his belongings as he walks through a mud covered street following a flash flood after a heavy rainfall in Laqiha village of Baghlan-i-Markazi district in Baghlan province on May 11, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
An Afghan man carries his belongings as he walks through a mud covered street following a flash flood after a heavy rainfall in Laqiha village of Baghlan-i-Markazi district in Baghlan province on May 11, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

Flash floods from unusually heavy seasonal rains in Afghanistan have killed more than 300 people and destroyed over 1,000 houses, the UN food agency said Saturday.
The World Food Program said it was distributing fortified biscuits to the survivors of one of the many floods that hit Afghanistan over the last few weeks, mostly the northern province of Baghlan, which bore the brunt of the deluges Friday.
In neighboring Takhar province, state-owned media outlets reported the floods killed at least 20 people.
Videos posted on social media showed dozens of people gathered Saturday behind the hospital in Baghlan looking for their loved ones. An official tells them that they should start digging graves while their staff are busy preparing bodies for burial, The Associated Press reported.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesman for the Taliban government, posted on the social media platform X that "hundreds ... have succumbed to these calamitous floods, while a substantial number have sustained injuries.”
Mujahid identified the provinces of Badakhshan, Baghlan, Ghor and Herat as the worst hit. He added that “the extensive devastation” has resulted in “significant financial losses.”
He said the government had ordered all available resources mobilized to rescue people, transport the injured and recover the dead.
The floods hit as Afghanistan is still reeling from a string of earthquakes at the beginning of the year as well as severe flooding in March, said Salma Ben Aissa, Afghanistan director for the International Rescue Committee.
“Communities have lost entire families, while livelihoods have been decimated as a result,” she said. “This should sound an alarm bell for world leaders and international donors: we call upon them to not forget Afghanistan during these turbulent global times.”
The IRC said that apart from the lives lost, infrastructure including roads and power lines had been destroyed in Baghlan, Ghor, Kunduz, Badakhshan, Samangan, Badghis and Takhar provinces. It said the agency is preparing to scale up its emergency response in affected areas.
The Taliban Defense Ministry said in a statement Saturday that the country’s air force has already begun evacuating people in Baghlan and had rescued a large number of people stuck in flooded areas and transported 100 injured to military hospitals in the region.
Richard Bennett, UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, said on X that the floods are a stark reminder of Afghanistan’s vulnerability to the climate crisis and both immediate aid and long-term planning by the Taliban and international actors are needed.
At least 70 people died in April from heavy rains and flash floods in the country. About 2,000 homes, three mosques, and four schools were also damaged.

 

World

Mali National Dialogue Recommends Longer Military Rule

A major part of the opposition boycotted the dialogue, accusing the army officers of exploiting it to stay in power. - AFP
A major part of the opposition boycotted the dialogue, accusing the army officers of exploiting it to stay in power. - AFP
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Mali National Dialogue Recommends Longer Military Rule

A major part of the opposition boycotted the dialogue, accusing the army officers of exploiting it to stay in power. - AFP
A major part of the opposition boycotted the dialogue, accusing the army officers of exploiting it to stay in power. - AFP

Hundreds of participants in a Malian national dialogue mainly boycotted by the opposition recommended that military rulers, who took power in 2020, keep power for several more years.

They also said that when elections were eventually held junta chief Colonel Assimi Goita should be a candidate for the presidency, according to a statement read on state television, AFP reported.

The rapporteur of the steering committee for the consultations, Boubacar Sow, said they had recommended extending the transition "from two to five years".

They also recommended promoting "the candidacy of Colonel Assimi Goita in the next presidential election", he added.

That implies the colonels would stay in power for three more years from the end of March 2024 until 2027.

The dialogue also recommended "opening doctrinal dialogue with the so-called jihadist armed groups", said Sow.

A major part of the opposition boycotted the dialogue, accusing the army officers of exploiting it to stay in power.

The West African nation has been ruled by juntas since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021, with the military promising to hand over power through the ballot box in February.

But they have postponed elections indefinitely, citing a precarious security situation aggravated by jihadist attacks.

In April, military authorities suspended all party political activities after muzzling opponents, journalists and human rights activists.

Goita has insisted the dialogue had been "entirely inclusive" in line with his wish for all Malians to "take part and express themselves freely".

World

Russia Claims Gains in Ukraine's Kharkiv Region

Russian drone attacks started blazes in Kharkiv - AFP
Russian drone attacks started blazes in Kharkiv - AFP
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Russia Claims Gains in Ukraine's Kharkiv Region

Russian drone attacks started blazes in Kharkiv - AFP
Russian drone attacks started blazes in Kharkiv - AFP

Russia on Saturday said it had captured five villages in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region during a surprise ground offensive that prompted mass evacuations, as President Volodymyr Zelensky made an urgent call for military aid.

Moscow's defense ministry said its troops had "liberated" five villages in Ukraine's Kharkiv region near the Russian border -- Borysivka, Ogirtseve, Pletenivka, Pylna and Strilecha -- as well as taking one village in the Donetsk region.

Ukraine's defense ministry said Friday Russia had launched a surprise attack on the Kharkiv region, making small advances into a border zone from where it had been pushed back nearly two years ago. Later Saturday, Ukraine's military command said that Russia's ground troops had had air support.

Zelensky said in his nightly address on Saturday that Ukrainian troops had been carrying out counterattacks in border villages in Kharkiv region.

"Disrupting Russian offensive plans is now our number one task," he said, AFP reported.

There has been "heavy fighting" in the border area and 1,775 people have been evacuated, Kharkiv regional governor Oleg Synegubov wrote on social media earlier Saturday.

Also Saturday, a missile strike killed three people when it hit a restaurant called Paradise in the Russian-held city of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine.

The attack using US HIMARS precision rocket launchers killed two diners and a restaurant worker and wounded nine, officials from the Russian-backed administration said.

Officials in Kyiv had warned for weeks that Moscow might try to attack its northeastern border regions, pressing its advantage as Ukraine struggles with delays in Western aid and manpower shortages.

Military expert Olivier Kempf told AFP Saturday that Russia's ground operation was most likely aimed at creating a buffer zone near its Belgorod region, recently raided by pro-Ukrainian units, or diverting Ukraine's resources from the Donetsk region.

"Twenty-four hours after the launch of the operations, it doesn't look like a big offensive," said the associate fellow at the Foundation for Strategic Research, a French think tank.

Washington announced a new $400 million military aid package for Kyiv hours after the offensive began, and said it was confident Ukraine could repel any fresh Russian campaign.

World

In Nigeria, Prince Harry Speaks of 'Brave Souls' Losing Lives in Conflict

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex pose on the day they attend a volleyball match played with wounded army veterans, at the Nigerian army officers' mess in Abuja, Nigeria May 11, 2024. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye
Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex pose on the day they attend a volleyball match played with wounded army veterans, at the Nigerian army officers' mess in Abuja, Nigeria May 11, 2024. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye
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In Nigeria, Prince Harry Speaks of 'Brave Souls' Losing Lives in Conflict

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex pose on the day they attend a volleyball match played with wounded army veterans, at the Nigerian army officers' mess in Abuja, Nigeria May 11, 2024. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye
Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex pose on the day they attend a volleyball match played with wounded army veterans, at the Nigerian army officers' mess in Abuja, Nigeria May 11, 2024. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

Prince Harry spoke in Nigeria on Saturday of the tragic loss of the "brave souls" in the country's military who had lost their lives in conflicts, and said he felt "goosebumps" after seeing plans for a new center to rehabilitate injured troops, Reuters reported.
Nigerian forces are fighting militants in the northeast of the country and armed kidnapping gangs in the northwest.
Harry, the 39-year-old Duke of Sussex, and his wife Meghan arrived in Africa's most populous nation on Friday in a trip linked to the Invictus Games, an international sporting event that the Duke of Sussex started a decade ago for troops injured in action.
Nigeria first participated in the Games in 2023.
At a reception for military families in Abuja, Harry said he had on Friday met 50 wounded soldiers during a trip to northern Kaduna and could see that the injuries were defining their lives, but there were some who had smiles on their faces.
"What this proved to me, what this reminds me of, is the power of seeing what is possible post injury," said Harry, adding that "seeing the plans for the new Invictus Centre gives me goosebumps."
Harry, the youngest son of King Charles, lives in the United States with Meghan and their two children after he gave up working as a member of the royal family in 2020. He served as a military helicopter pilot in Afghanistan.
Abike Dabiri Erewa, chairperson of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission, brought wide smiles and claps from Meghan when she exclaimed: "Princess Meghan is a Nigerian."
She was referring to a podcast in which Meghan said she had Nigerian heritage.
Harry earlier played in a volleyball match as an animated Meghan clapped every point for both teams and broadly smiled and cheered when Harry's first point was notched up.

World

Gunmen Kidnap More Than 100 in Attack on Villages in Nigeria

A military officer stand guards in front of a car carrying Prince Harry and Meghan during there visit at the Defense headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
A military officer stand guards in front of a car carrying Prince Harry and Meghan during there visit at the Defense headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
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Gunmen Kidnap More Than 100 in Attack on Villages in Nigeria

A military officer stand guards in front of a car carrying Prince Harry and Meghan during there visit at the Defense headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
A military officer stand guards in front of a car carrying Prince Harry and Meghan during there visit at the Defense headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

More than 100 people were kidnapped by gunmen during Friday night raids on three villages in northwest Nigeria, a district head and residents said on Saturday, the latest abduction of villagers in a region blighted by widespread insecurity.
Kidnapping has become endemic in Nigeria's northwest as roving gangs of armed men abduct people from villages, highways and schools, and demand ransom money from their relatives.
Alhaji Bala, head of a district in the Birnin-Magaji local government area of Zamfara, said gunmen attacked the villages of Gora, Madomawa and Jambuzu and that 38 men and 67 women and children were missing.
"But the number of people abducted could be more than that," he said.
Zamfara is a hotspot for kidnapping gangs who carry out attacks and retreat into forests where they have set up camps. The Nigerian military has bombed some of the camps but attacks continue, Reuters reported.
Yezid Abubakar, Zamfara police spokesperson, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Aminu Aliyu Asha, the Madomawa village head, said gunmen arrived in his village on motorbikes and shot sporadically before kidnapping several people.
"The abduction breaches the peace agreement between us and bandits. In February this year, we made several ransom payments in order to stop them from attacking our territory," said Asha.
Nusa Sani said his two brothers were among those abducted, while another resident, Garba Kira, added that among the abducted were 15 passengers in a lorry that was passing through the villages.
Mass kidnappings were first carried out by Boko Haram when they seized more than 200 students a decade ago, but the practice has been adopted by armed gangs with no known ideological affiliation and has grown as Nigerians grapple with economic hardship.

World

Renewed Russian Offensive on Ukraine’s Kharkiv Forces Evacuations

Residents from Vovchansk and nearby villages step off a bus during an evacuation to Kharkiv due to Russian shelling, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at an undisclosed location near the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv region, Ukraine May 10, 2024. REUTERS/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy
Residents from Vovchansk and nearby villages step off a bus during an evacuation to Kharkiv due to Russian shelling, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at an undisclosed location near the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv region, Ukraine May 10, 2024. REUTERS/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy
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Renewed Russian Offensive on Ukraine’s Kharkiv Forces Evacuations

Residents from Vovchansk and nearby villages step off a bus during an evacuation to Kharkiv due to Russian shelling, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at an undisclosed location near the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv region, Ukraine May 10, 2024. REUTERS/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy
Residents from Vovchansk and nearby villages step off a bus during an evacuation to Kharkiv due to Russian shelling, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at an undisclosed location near the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv region, Ukraine May 10, 2024. REUTERS/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy

Russian forces began a renewed ground assault on Ukraine's northeast, killing and injuring several and forcing more than 1,700 civilians to evacuate from the Kharkiv region, local officials said Saturday.
Artillery, mortar, and aerial bombardments hit more than 30 different towns and villages, leaving at least three people dead and five others injured, said Kharkiv governor, Oleh Syniehubov.
Ukraine rushed reinforcements to the Kharkiv region on Friday to hold off a Russian attempt to breach local defenses, authorities said.
Russian forces stepped up their bombardment of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, in late March. Friday’s attack signaled a tactical switch in the war by Moscow that Ukrainian officials had been expecting for weeks.
Russian military bloggers said the assault could mark the start of a Russian attempt to carve out a “buffer zone” that President Vladimir Putin vowed to create earlier this year to halt frequent Ukrainian attacks on Belgorod and other Russian border regions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Friday evening that Russian forces were expanding their operations. According to The Associated Press, he also called on the country’s Western allies to ensure that promised deliveries of military aid would swiftly reach the country’s frontlines.
“It is critical that partners support our warriors and Ukrainian resilience with timely deliveries. Truly timely ones,” he said in a video statement on X. “A package that truly helps is the actual delivery of weapons to Ukraine, rather than just the announcement of a package.”
The Kremlin’s forces have repeatedly sought to exploit Ukraine’s shortages of ammunition and manpower as the flow of Western military aid to Kyiv has tapered off in recent months, with promised new support still yet to arrive.
Ukraine previously said it was aware that Russia was assembling thousands of troops along the northeastern border, close to the Kharkiv and Sumy regions. Intelligence officials also said they had expected an attack there though Russia’s most recent ground offensive had been focused on parts of eastern Ukraine farther south.

World

Pyongyang to Deploy New Multiple Rocket Launcher This Year

A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) overseeing the test fire of the 240mm multiple rocket launcher system in an undisclosed location in North Korea, 10 May 2024 (issued 11 May 2024). EPA/KCNA
A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) overseeing the test fire of the 240mm multiple rocket launcher system in an undisclosed location in North Korea, 10 May 2024 (issued 11 May 2024). EPA/KCNA
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Pyongyang to Deploy New Multiple Rocket Launcher This Year

A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) overseeing the test fire of the 240mm multiple rocket launcher system in an undisclosed location in North Korea, 10 May 2024 (issued 11 May 2024). EPA/KCNA
A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) overseeing the test fire of the 240mm multiple rocket launcher system in an undisclosed location in North Korea, 10 May 2024 (issued 11 May 2024). EPA/KCNA

North Korea will equip its military with a new 240mm multiple rocket launcher starting this year, state media said Saturday, adding a "significant change" for the army's artillery combat capabilities was under way.

Leader Kim Jong Un on Friday oversaw a live-fire test of the "technically updated" rocket system, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said.

The announcement comes as analysts say the nuclear-armed North could be testing and ramping up production of artillery and cruise missiles before sending them to Russia for use in Ukraine.

Pyongyang in February said it had developed a new control system for its 240mm multiple rocket launcher that would lead to a "qualitative change" in its defense capabilities, and last month executed a test-firing of new shells.

The updated rocket launcher will be "deployed to units of the Korean People's Army as replacement equipment from 2024 to 2026", KCNA said Saturday.

South Korea's defense ministry told AFP it could not confirm the Friday test launches.

But Pyongyang said eight shells had "hit point target to intensively prove the advantage and destructive power of the updated 240mm multiple rocket launcher system".

Images released by state media showed leader Kim conversing with military officials during an inspection of the launcher, as well as what appeared to be the live-fire test of the system.

The tests also proved the power of the "controllable shells for (the) multiple rocket launcher", it added.

The largely isolated country has recently bolstered military ties with Russia, and Pyongyang thanked Moscow last month for using its UN Security Council veto to block the renewal of a panel of UN experts that monitored international weapons sanctions on Kim's regime.

South Korea and the United States have accused North Korea of supplying weapons to Russia, despite UN sanctions banning such a move.

KCNA said Saturday that Kim discussed ways to raise production of the new rocket launcher system and shells to "the highest level".

It also said a "significant change will be soon made in increasing the artillery combat ability of our army", without providing details.

World

Heavy Rains Set Off Flash Floods in Afghanistan, Hundreds Dead

An elderly man collects his belongings from his damaged home after heavy flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)
An elderly man collects his belongings from his damaged home after heavy flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)
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Heavy Rains Set Off Flash Floods in Afghanistan, Hundreds Dead

An elderly man collects his belongings from his damaged home after heavy flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)
An elderly man collects his belongings from his damaged home after heavy flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)

Flash floods from seasonal rains in Afghanistan have killed hundreds of people and injured a “substantial number,” a Taliban official said Saturday, without giving exact figures.
The floods hit mostly the northern region of the country. The province of Baghlan bore the brunt of the deluges Friday with officials preliminary reporting at least 50 people dead and properties destroyed in multiple districts.
In neighboring Takhar province, state-owned media outlets reported the floods killing at least 20 people.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesman for the Taliban government posted on social media platform X on Saturday, saying that "hundreds ... have succumbed to these calamitous floods, while a substantial number have sustained injuries.”
Mujahid underscored the provinces of Badakhshan, Baghlan, Ghor and Herat as the worst hit. He added that “the extensive devastation” has resulted in “significant financial losses.”
According to The Associated Press, he also said the government had ordered all available resources mobilized to rescue people, transport the injured and recover the bodies of the deceased.
The Taliban defense ministry said in a statement Saturday that the country’s air force has already begun evacuating people in Baghlan and has so far rescued a large number of people stuck in flooded and transported a hundred injured people to military hospitals in the region.
Officials previously said that in April, before Friday's floods, at least 70 people died from heavy rains and flash flooding in the country. About 2,000 homes, three mosques, and four schools were also damaged.

World

Police Arrest Dozens as they Break Up Pro-Palestinian Protests at US Universities

A police officer watches as workers dismantle the remains of a pro-Palestinian encampent at MIT, at dawn on Friday, May 10, 2024, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)
A police officer watches as workers dismantle the remains of a pro-Palestinian encampent at MIT, at dawn on Friday, May 10, 2024, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)
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Police Arrest Dozens as they Break Up Pro-Palestinian Protests at US Universities

A police officer watches as workers dismantle the remains of a pro-Palestinian encampent at MIT, at dawn on Friday, May 10, 2024, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)
A police officer watches as workers dismantle the remains of a pro-Palestinian encampent at MIT, at dawn on Friday, May 10, 2024, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

Police made dozens of arrests as pro-Palestinian protest encampments were dismantled Friday at the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, hours after police tear-gassed demonstrators and took down a similar camp at the University of Arizona.
Philadelphia and campus police at Penn took action around daybreak to remove protesters from an encampment in place for more than two weeks. School officials said protesters were given warnings and the chance to leave without being detained, The Associated Press reported.
Initially, officials said 33 people, including faculty members and seven students, were among those arrested and charged with trespass, the school said. Later, school officials said nine students were among those arrested and that the remainder were people who had no affiliation with Penn. Upon searching the encampment, Penn police recovered several long lengths of heavy gauge chains, as well as smaller chains with nuts and bolts attached that police said could be used as weapons, officials said.
Protest camps have sprung up across the US and in Europe in recent weeks as students demand their universities stop doing business with Israel or companies that support its war efforts. Organizers seek to amplify calls to end Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which they describe as a genocide against the Palestinians. The top United Nations court has concluded there is a “plausible risk of genocide” in Gaza — a charge Israel strongly denies.
In Cambridge, Massachusetts, police in riot gear arrived at MIT around 4 a.m., encircled the camp and gave protesters about 15 minutes to leave. Ten students who remained were arrested, the university’s president said. A crowd outside the camp began chanting pro-Palestinian slogans but was quickly dispersed.
At the University of Arizona in Tucson, campus police in riot gear fired tear gas at protesters late Thursday — the day before the school's main commencement ceremony — before tearing down an encampment that included wood and plastic barriers. The school said police vehicles were spiked, and rocks and water bottles were thrown at officers and university staff. Two people were arrested, a university spokesperson said. Friday night's commencement will go forward, university President Robert Robbins said.
And at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, police arrested 13 people Thursday night after they refused to leave a damaged and vandalized building. The charges ranged from misdemeanor trespass to felonies including battery on a peace officer, school spokesperson Amanda Bradford said. The building, Hadley Hall, was cleared and open Friday.
Protesters at the University of Wisconsin-Madison agreed Friday to permanently dismantle their 2-week-old encampment and not disrupt graduation ceremonies this weekend, in return for the opportunity to connect with “decision-makers” who control university investments by July 1. The university agreed to increase support for scholars and students affected by wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
Graduates from Pomona College in Southern California will have to travel 40 miles (65 km) for their commencement ceremony Sunday, as administrators seek to avoid a current encampment. The college said it will provide transportation to the venue, a historic theater in Los Angeles. In April, protesters entered an administration building and police arrested 20 people.
The protest movement began nearly three weeks ago at Columbia University in New York City. Some colleges nationwide cracked down immediately, while others tolerated the demonstrations. Some recently started calling in the police, citing concerns about disruptions to campus life and safety.
The Associated Press has recorded at least 75 instances since April 18 in which arrests were made at US campus protests. Nearly 2,900 people have been arrested at 57 colleges and universities. The figures are based on AP reporting and statements from schools and law enforcement agencies.
Arizona State University on Friday confirmed that it had placed its campus police chief on paid administrative leave pending a review of “complaints filed related to his actions” two weeks ago when an encampment was removed and police made more than 70 arrests during a pro-Palestine rally on the campus in Tempe.
The school said it was reviewing actions surrounding the establishment and removal of the encampment. Local news outlets reported earlier that ASU Police Chief Michael Thompson had been placed on leave after he had been seen out of uniform cutting and removing tents during the protest. The school told ABC15 Arizona earlier he had left a meeting to respond to the rally.
Although their encampment was cleared after two weeks, demonstrators at George Washington University vowed Friday to keep up their protest campaign.
Police arrested 33 people on Wednesday while ousting the initial encampment. The next night, a crowd of chanting demonstrators returned to the university about five blocks from the White House, setting up tents while a large Metropolitan Police Department force assembled. After multiple warnings to disperse, protests leaders ended the demonstration around midnight. One person was arrested for throwing water at a police officer.
The move at MIT came several days after police first attempted to clear the camp, only to see protesters storm past barriers and restore the encampment, which includes about a dozen tents in the heart of the campus in Cambridge.
Before removing the encampment, MIT earlier in the week started suspending dozens of students, meaning they're barred from academic activities or commencement.
Protesters insist they will keep demanding MIT cut all ties to the Israeli military. The encampment was up for weeks and especially angered Jewish students, who held counterprotests nearby.
“This is only going to make us stronger. They can’t arrest the movement," said Quinn Perian, an undergraduate student and organizer for MIT Jews for Ceasefire. “MIT would rather arrest and suspend some students than they would end their complicity with the genocide going in Gaza.”
MIT President Sally Kornbluth, in a letter confirming Friday's arrests, wrote that her responsibility is “to make sure that the campus is physically safe and functioning for everyone ... and that everyone feels free to express their views.” The encampment, she wrote, “increasingly made it impossible to meet all these obligations.”