Lazarus Chakwera sworn in as Malawi president after historic win

The new President of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera said his win in the rerun election was a "victory for democracy and justice".

He defeated incumbent Peter Mutharika with 58.57% of votes in Tuesday's poll.

"I do feel like Lazarus, I've come back from the dead," Mr Chakwera said, referring to the biblical character of the same name.

In February, Malawi's constitutional court annulled Mr Mutharika's poll win in May 2019, citing vote tampering.

The country was bitterly divided in the run-up to this week's election. But Mr Chakwera said those who did not support him had nothing to fear.

"There's no cause for fear because I will be your president and my policy for inclusivity means we are building a new Malawi for all of us," Mr Chakwera told the BBC Newshour programme.

"I'm not a president of a faction, I'm a president of everyone in the country," he added.

Mr Chakwera dismissed allegations by Mr Mutharika that the poll was marred by violence and irregularities, saying his predecessor was "misled by rumours".

However, he said he would not stand in the way of Mr Mutharika should he want to challenge the election.

BBC News

Coronavirus: Number of Covid-19 infections tops 10m worldwide

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases around the world has passed the milestone of 10 million, according to Johns Hopkins University in the US.

The virus emerged in China late last year and spread across the globe. It has led to almost 500,000 deaths.

Half the world's cases have been in the US and Europe, but Covid-19 is now rapidly growing in the Americas.

The virus is also affecting South Asia and Africa, where it is not expected to peak until the end of July.

Outbreaks are still spreading in many parts of the world, with one million new cases recorded in the last six days.

BBC News

Somalia's refurbished national theater reopens in Mogadishu

Somalis can now boast a functional national theater after the facility located in the capital Mogadishu was formally reopened having been closed for refurbishment.

According to reports, the refurbishment was funded by some businesses, the chamber of commerce and contributions by civilian workers.

The reopening was made to coincide with the 60th independence day celebration with the president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo and other top government officials in attendance.

The president officially cut the ribbon for the reopening before joining a sizeable audience to enjoy performances. The state-affiliated news agency reported that the president also cut the ribbons for recently renovated Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism and the Police Command Headquarters buildings.

africannews.com

Outrage mounts over deaths in Indian police custody

Outrage is mounting over the deaths in custody of a father and son in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

P Jeyaraj, 58, and his son Fenix, 38, were arrested for allegedly keeping their stores open past permitted hours - Tamil Nadu is still observing a lockdown to curb the spread of Covid.

Both men were kept in police custody an entire night and died within hours of each other two days later.

Relatives of the two men say the men were subjected to brutal torture.

What has happened since their deaths?

As details of the alleged torture emerged, people began demanding action.

State opposition lawmakers have taken to the streets in protest, a traders body has condemned the actions of police, and a local court has taken up the issue for hearing.

The policemen who arrested the two men have been transferred, and the state government has awarded compensation of one million rupees (£10,716; $13,222) to their families.

The incident has also found its way to social media, which has in turn brought it into the national spotlight.

BBC News

US imposes visa restrictions on Chinese officials over Hong Kong security law

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that Washington is imposing visa restrictions on Chinese Communist Party officials believed to be responsible for undermining freedoms in Hong Kong.

Mr Pompeo said the sanctions targeted "current and former" party officials.

He said the move followed President Donald Trump's promise to punish Beijing over a proposed security law that could erode Hong Kong's autonomy.

China said the US decision was a "mistake" that should be withdrawn.

It comes just days ahead of a meeting of China's parliament.

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress will discuss the new law at its meeting, which starts on Sunday.

China has proposed security legislation that would make it a crime to undermine Beijing's authority in Hong Kong, and could also see China installing its own security agencies in the territory for the first time.

The move has sparked a new wave of anti-mainland protests in Hong Kong.

BBC News

Instagram Celebrity Arrested

Dubai's police force say they have arrested Nigerian Instagram celebrity Raymond Igbalodely, known as Hushpuppi, on allegations of fraud amounting to $435m (£346m).

In an operation police called "Fox Hunt 2", 12 other people were arrested in six simultaneous raids in Dubai.

Nearly two million people from different parts of the world were said to have fallen victims to the plot.

The social media star was based in Dubai and claimed he was successful businessman.

The local authorities published video on Twitter, documenting the four-month investigation that led to the arrests.Police say they discovered a hidden online fraud network that was committing crimes outside the UAE, including money-laundering, cyber fraud, hacking, criminal impersonation, banking fraud and identity theft.

The group is accused of hacking corporate emails and cloning websites to redirect payments to their own accounts.

The Dubai police has not yet said when they would be charged

BBC

Coronavirus: US cases ‘may have topped 20 million’

At least 20 million people in the US may already have been infected with Covid-19, according to the latest estimate by health officials.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says the true number of cases is likely to be 10 times higher than the reported figure.

It comes as the state of Texas halted its reopening as infections and hospitalisations surged.

The US has recorded 2.4m confirmed infections and 122,370 deaths.

Some southern and western states have been reporting record numbers of cases in recent days.

BBC News