Niger Blames France for Inciting Soldiers’ Mutiny

A military armored vehicle takes position on the street following a mutineers' attack on the airport and the presidency in Niamey, Niger, August 30, 2026. (Reuters)

06:43-5 September 2026 AD ـ 23 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

A military armored vehicle takes position on the street following a mutineers' attack on the airport and the presidency in Niamey, Niger, August 30, 2026. (Reuters)

Niger ‌has blamed France for inciting an attack on a key military airbase by mutinous soldiers last week, according to a government statement read on TV on Friday.

Mutinous soldiers in the West African country attacked the airport and the presidency in the capital, Niamey, ‌on August ‌29, the latest threat to ‌the ⁠rule of Abdourahamane ⁠Tiani, who seized power in a 2023 coup.

Explosions and gunfire also rang out at a military airbase, but Niger's army, backed by Russian paramilitary forces, regained control ⁠over it the next ‌day.

The ‌Council of Ministers on Friday concluded ‌that the attack had been incited ‌by a vast network of accomplices led by France, according to the statement.

"A substantial body of evidence has ‌been compiled regarding this attack, and Niger reserves the right ⁠to ⁠bring the matter before international courts," the government said in the statement.

The attack highlighted tensions within Niger's armed forces, which have suffered repeated battlefield losses while fighting an extremist insurgency.

Tiani blamed France and other West African countries for unrest in the capital earlier this year, without providing evidence.

Storm Causes Power Outages and Train Disruption across Northwest France

File photo: A huge wave crashes on the jetty of the harbor of Le Conquet in western France, on January 8, 2026. Fred Tanneau, AFP

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08:02-23 October 2026 AD ـ 12 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

Asharq Al Awsat

08:02-23 October 2026 AD ـ 12 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

Storm Causes Power Outages and Train Disruption across Northwest France

File photo: A huge wave crashes on the jetty of the harbor of Le Conquet in western France, on January 8, 2026. Fred Tanneau, AFP

Hundreds of thousands of people were hit by power outages and train services were disrupted by heavy winds and ‌rain sweeping ‌across France ‌on Friday, said Reuters.

-Utility Enedis said ⁠in a situation update on Friday morning that 161,000 clients had ⁠no electricity from ‌the ‌storm.

-National rail ‌network manager ‌SNCF said it would suspend train service or limit train ‌speeds.

-Meteo France, France's weather ⁠agency, ⁠has issued orange alerts for much of the country's northwest, saying that heavy wind and thunderstorms would continue into late Friday.

World

Taiwan Shuts Schools and Grounds Flights as Typhoon Champi Brushes by

A woman struggles with winds generated by Typhoon Champi in Taipei, Taiwan, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP)

07:41-23 October 2026 AD ـ 12 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

Taiwan Shuts Schools and Grounds Flights as Typhoon Champi Brushes by

A woman struggles with winds generated by Typhoon Champi in Taipei, Taiwan, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP)

Taiwan shut down schools and offices and grounded hundreds of flights as Typhoon Champi brushed by the island Friday, packing strong winds and torrential rains.

Champi peaked at 298 kph (185 mph) maximum sustained winds earlier this week but has weakened to 155 kph (96 mph) winds as it approached Taiwan from the southwest. Its center is forecast to remain offshore as it sweeps by the island's northeastern tip before turning north toward Japan's southwestern islands.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration urged residents in coastal areas to avoid outdoor activities and driving and be cautious of falling objects.

One person was killed Thursday after being swept by waves in Liuqiu, a small island off the southeastern coast of Taiwan’s main island, according to the fire department. Ninety-four others were injured in the storm.

Almost 1,300 people have been evacuated from vulnerable, mountainous areas, the government said.

All of Taiwan’s 262 domestic flights were cancelled along with 669 international flights, according to the transport ministry. High-speed rail services on the western coast were operating normally.

In southwestern Japan, the typhoon has injured one person, grounded flights and knocked out power.

On Miyako island, a woman in her 70s suffered a broken leg in the blowing wind, according to the Okinawa prefecture government.

On Ishigaki island, nearly 2,000 homes were without electricity.

Dozens of flights in and out of the southwestern islands, including Miyako, Ishigaki and Okinawa, have been canceled.

In the Philippines, the coast guard prohibited ships and ferries from venturing into the increasingly choppy waters off several northern towns and cities Friday.

The main domestic airport in Batanes provincial capital of Basco was shut down Friday and two local flights were canceled, Philippine aviation officials said. The airport’s windows were boarded up as a safety precaution.

In Cagayan province, nearly 200 people evacuated to safer grounds as a precaution, including nearly 100 who moved to government-run emergency shelters. Classes were suspended in all levels in the island town of Calayan off Cagayan due to the typhoon, provincial officials said.

Champi earlier this month blew past several Pacific islands, including Guam, where a federal disaster area was declared.

World

Powerful Earthquake in China’s Tibet Region Collapses Hundreds of Homes, Kills at Least 16 People

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, firefighters inspect an earthquake-hit village houses in Baqen County of Nagqu City in China's Tibet autonomous region, on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (Xinhua via AP)

07:19-23 October 2026 AD ـ 12 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

Powerful Earthquake in China’s Tibet Region Collapses Hundreds of Homes, Kills at Least 16 People

A magnitude 7 earthquake hit China's Tibet region on Thursday evening, killing at least 16 people, injuring 54 and collapsing hundreds of homes in the northern regional city of Nagqu, official media said.

Search and rescue efforts continued following the collapse of at least 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds, the Nagqu media office said, citing city government officials.

More than 1,600 people from the local county were deployed for rescue efforts. Supplies including 1,000 prefabricated housing units, around 3,000 tents and folding beds, as well as flashlights and winter clothing arrived in the region.

The US Geological Survey said the quake occurred at 10:33 p.m. local time, with its epicenter 191 kilometers (119 miles) east-northeast of Nagqu, in a sparsely populated, high-altitude area of northern Tibet. It put the earthquake’s depth at 18 kilometers (11 miles).

The US agency recorded at least seven aftershocks with magnitude between 4.3 and 5.2, all of them with a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) , according to its website

China’s official news agency Xinhua said on Friday that communication in some areas hit by the quake was down. Local railway authorities have taken emergency actions to halt trains passing through the region.

The earthquake also caused rockfalls that have forced local authorities to close a section of National Highway 317, allowing only emergency, rescue and official support vehicles through as crews worked to clear debris, according to Xinhua.

Intermittent snows are expected in the earthquake region over the next three days, Xinhua said.

It was the biggest earthquake in the region in the last five years, China's national broadcaster CCTV said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all-out efforts in rescue operations and medical relief work.

Niger Blames France for Inciting Soldiers’ Mutiny

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Storm Causes Power Outages and Train Disruption across Northwest France

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Powerful Earthquake in China’s Tibet Region Collapses Hundreds of Homes, Kills at Least 16 People

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