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Drama, disappointment in Nairobi as Ruto wins Kenyan election

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Drama, disappointment in Nairobi as Ruto wins Kenyan election

Kibera, Kenya – On the eve of the August 9 elections, Joyce Achieng stood for hours exterior the city corridor centre at Kamukunji within the coronary heart of Kibera, in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. The 41-year-old mom of 10 went residence solely to cook dinner for her kids within the morning earlier than returning the following night and repeating the cycle till Monday, she mentioned.

She was able to spend one other week celebrating if former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, her candidate for president and a large favorite in Kibera, received, she instructed Al Jazeera on Monday afternoon.

Simply after 6pm (15:00 GMT), Wafula Chebukati, chairperson of the Impartial Electoral and Boundaries Fee (IEBC), introduced that Deputy President William Ruto had received the election with 50.49 p.c of the vote to Odinga’s 48.85 p.c.

Achieng and tons of of others took to the streets of the densely populated slum, residence to an estimated 250,000 folks, to protest. “I can’t discuss to you,” she mentioned, her voice hoarse from all of the screaming and wailing. “My voice is gone. I can’t converse.”

Beside her, Maureen Akinyi’s voice was loud and her speech was succinct. “They steal [the election] from us on a regular basis,” the Kibera resident instructed Al Jazeera. “This time, no Raila, no Kenya.”

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Round them, there have been bonfires and youths hitting zinc partitions with roads and sticks, angered by the flip of occasions.

Their disappointment reverberated throughout many elements of Nairobi, extensively thought-about an Odinga stronghold. Nevertheless it was particularly sturdy in Kibera, which till 2013 was a part of the Langata constituency that the previous prime minister represented in parliament for a few years.

Residents mentioned he has been essential within the push towards their eviction from the slum. Additionally they mentioned the city corridor sq. hosted many technique conferences within the ’80s for Odinga and fellow comrades within the battle to finish single-party politics in Kenya.

In 1992, their battle resulted in triumph as Daniel arap Moi, president on the time, reinstituted a multi-party democracy.

Seven years later, when he received one other time period as president, the second runner-up was Odinga, who received solely 10 p.c of the votes in that election.

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Subsequent makes an attempt in 2007, 2013 and 2017 additionally resulted in failure for Odinga.

A 2018 truce with longtime foe President Uhuru Kenyatta, who handed him two of these defeats, was seen as an opportunity for the serial aspirant to lastly discover success this August.

Opinion polls predicted a win for Odinga forward of the elections, and a few media homes that collated outcomes from the IEBC’s portal additionally positioned him within the lead within the days after the election.

Nonetheless, he and the incumbent president have been outwitted by Ruto, who obtained his first break as a preferred campaigner for President arap Moi in 1992, however first obtained into authorities as an Odinga ally within the 2008 coalition authorities – the place the latter was prime minister.

Ruto, who known as himself a hustler, promised to revive the economic system and provides extra alternatives to on a regular basis residents, a message that resonated in a rustic with excessive unemployment and big debt.

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He referenced his poor beginnings as a rooster vendor, in comparison with Odinga and Uhuru, whose fathers turned the primary vice chairman and president of Kenya, respectively, again in 1963 when the nation turned impartial from British colonial rule.

Drama and divergence

Ruto’s victory didn’t come with out drama.

The outcomes have been because of be introduced at 3pm Nairobi time (12:00 GMT), however the IEBC moved it twice, first to 4pm after which 5pm.

Round that point, 4 of the IEBC’s commissioners broke ranks to stage a quick press convention on the plush Serena Resort within the coronary heart of the capital and disown the outcomes.

IEBC Deputy Chairperson Juliana Cherera mentioned they left the tallying centre “due to the opaque nature of how this part has been dealt with”.

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“We due to this fact can’t take possession of this outcome that’s going to be introduced,” she instructed the press at Serena.

Cherera and the opposite three commissioners have been appointed to the fee final yr by President Kenyatta.

Simply as their press convention ended, residents of Kibera and neighbouring areas mobilised to go there. Younger males on bikes, some with vuvuzela horns and others with Maasai fleece blankets, stood exterior the premises singing till a few police autos drove and parked in entrance of the resort, which had rapidly locked its gates.

There have been additionally ongoing demonstrations throughout elements of the capital.

And Martha Karua, Odinga’s operating mate tweeted: “It isn’t over till it’s over”.

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In his acknowledgement speech, the president-elect appeared keen to maneuver on with the duty of dousing pressure within the nation and on to governance itself.

“There is no such thing as a room for vengeance,” Ruto mentioned, whereas praising the electoral fee for publishing outcomes on its portal. “I’m acutely conscious that our nation is at a stage the place we want all palms on deck.”

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa wasted no time in congratulating Ruto. “I’ve little doubt he’ll serve his nation, his folks and our continent with distinction,” he tweeted on Monday night.

On the Langata highway that connects to Bomas, the vacationer village that moonlights because the nationwide tallying centre throughout elections, to the upscale suburb of Nairobi the place each Ruto and Odinga reside, kids stayed out previous 7 pm to wave at a convoy of VIPs, believed to be Ruto’s.

“It’s by prayers and trusting God that Ruto received this election, he was a David combating Goliath” Martin Mwangi, a Nairobi bus driver instructed Al Jazeera. “His ethnicity doesn’t matter. He’s self-made and has the curiosity of the frequent Kenyan.”

In Ruto’s hometown of Eldoret, 1000’s spilled onto the streets in celebration of their native son’s victory over the five-time veteran whose trigger he as soon as championed.

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Jay-Z’s Accuser Can Remain Anonymous, Judge Criticizes His Lawyer’s ‘Relentless’ Filings

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Jay-Z’s Accuser Can Remain Anonymous, Judge Criticizes His Lawyer’s ‘Relentless’ Filings

The woman accusing Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexually assaulting her when she was 13 can proceed anonymously (“at least for now”) in her lawsuit against the rappers, a judge ruled Thursday.

New York Judge Analisa Torres also condemned the legal team representing Jay-Z (real name Shawn Carter) for the “relentless filing of combative motions containing inflammatory language and ad hominem attacks [on accuser’s lawyer, Tony Buzbee],” according to a court order obtained by Variety. “Since Carter’s attorney first appeared in this case seventeen days ago, he has submitted a litany of letters and motions attempting to impugn the character of Plaintiff’s lawyer [Buzbee].”

Judge Torres continues, calling the complaints “inappropriate, a waste of judicial resources, and a tactic unlikely to benefit his client [Jay-Z].”

Jane Doe, who filed her original lawsuit against Combs in October, and re-filed it with Carter’s name in early December, will remain anonymous at this early stage of the litigation. She could still be required by the court to reveal her identity.

Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Carter, recently asked the judge to dismiss the entertainer from the woman’s lawsuit. He cited a report from NBC News that revealed the accuser had admitted to some “inconsistencies and outright impossibilities” in her allegations. His team has also issued public statements referring to Buzbee as a “1-800 lawyer” who is “in the pursuit of money and fame.”

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Judge Torres denied Carter’s request to dismiss the case. Representatives for Carter did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.

In the last few weeks, Buzbee issued his own lawsuit against Roc Nation, the entertainment company owned by Carter, claiming they are using “shadowy operatives” to bribe his former clients into filing “frivolous” complaints against him. Carter has also sued Buzbee for defamation.

Jane Doe, who alleges she was 13 when Combs and Carter raped her in 2000, says she encountered the pair at an afterparty for the MTV Music Video Awards.

Carter responded to the allegation almost immediately. “You have made a terrible error in judgment thinking that all ‘celebrities’ are the same,” Carter wrote in a letter addressing Buzbee. “I’m not from your moral world. I’m a young man who made it out of the project of Brooklyn. We don’t play these types of games. We have very strict codes and honor. We protect children, you seem to exploit people for personal gain. Only your network of conspiracy theorists, fake physics, will believe the idiotic claims you have levied against me that, if not for the seriousness surrounding harm to kids, would be laughable.”

Combs has been held in a Brooklyn jail since September. He will remain there until his trial is scheduled to begin in May.

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China unveils world's largest amphibious warship

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China unveils world's largest amphibious warship

China has launched the first of its new line of amphibious assault ships and its biggest warship yet, strengthening what is already the world’s largest navy.

The Sichuan, a type 076 new-generation amphibious assault ship, was put into the water at a launch and naming ceremony on Friday. 

With a full load displacement of 40,000 tons, the warship ranks among the world’s largest amphibious assault ships, featuring a dual-island superstructure and full-length flight deck, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) said in a statement.

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A launching ceremony is held to unveil China’s first Type 076 new-generation amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, a Shanghai-based subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corp, on December 27, 2024, in Shanghai, China. (Pu Haiyang/VCG via Getty Images)

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China Bugle, an news outlet associated with the PLAN’s news media center, reported the ship will play a key role in transforming and developing the Chinese navy and enhancing its combat capabilities in the far seas. 

The Sichuan is capable of launching fighter jets and unmanned drones from an electromagnetic catapult. It is designed to carry ground troops in landing craft with air support. 

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China Launches First Type 076 Amphibious Assault Ship

Named after southwest China’s Sichuan Province, the independently-developed new vessel was put into the water at a launch and naming ceremony. (Pu Haiyang/VCG via Getty Images)

The ship also features “arrester technology” that Chinese researchers boast will allow fighter jets to land on its deck, similar to an aircraft carrier.

China launched its first amphibious assault ship, a type 075 class warship called the Hainan, in 2019.

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Launch ceremony for the Sichuan

Chinese military officials celebrate at the launch ceremony for the Sichuan.  (Pu Haiyang/VCG via Getty Images)

The PLANmi has been working on modernizing its forces for more than a decade, with the aim of being able to operate globally rather than being restricted to waters near the Chinese mainland. China first managed to launch fighter jets with the new electromagnetic technology on its homemade aircraft carrier, the Fujian, which launched two years ago.

The Sichuan will now undergo additional tests at sea. 

China has the largest navy in the world and is consistently trying to upgrade its fleet. Recently, researchers found that the country is working on designing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which would allow it to deploy its ships in distant waters without needing a base to refuel.

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The U.S. Navy currently has 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers deployed in strategic locations globally, including in the Asia-Pacific.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Health worker displaced by Israeli attacks in Gaza dies of ‘extreme cold’

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Health worker displaced by Israeli attacks in Gaza dies of ‘extreme cold’

Many people in Gaza lack adequate shelter and are malnourished after more than a year of Israeli attacks and blockades.

A Palestinian healthcare worker has died due to “extreme” weather conditions, according to a statement by the enclave’s Ministry of Health, as severe cold compounds the hardship faced by people displaced by Israel’s relentless attacks.

The body of Al-Hakim Ahmed al-Zaharneh, who worked at the European Gaza Hospital, was found inside his tent in al-Mawasi area, west of the city of Khan Younis, southern Gaza, the ministry said on Friday.

“This incident comes in light of the difficult humanitarian conditions that displaced citizens are experiencing, as the suffering of Gaza residents increases due to low temperatures and the lack of heating means in tents,” the ministry said.

The ministry said earlier that four Palestinian babies have died in tents in recent days amid the cold weather and widespread malnutrition.

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Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said that the number of casualties in vulnerable groups is increasing due to worsening weather conditions.

“For 14 months now, people here have been lacking basic necessities to help them survive these difficult conditions – even in summer,” he said.

“Now in winter, the temperature has dropped very low, [and] people in tent camps feel the cold as being [colder] than the actual levels.”

He said that mothers often lack the strength or ability to breastfeed as they are malnourished and unwell.

“The conditions are worse for vulnerable groups like babies and, in the absence of [humanitarian aid], it is natural that deaths will happen.”

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The vast majority of the Gaza Strip’s 2.4 million residents have been displaced at least once since war broke out with the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7, 2023, with many people living in tents that offer little protection from the cold, rain and flooding.

The United Nations and other organisations have repeatedly decried the worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza, as Israeli attacks and blockades severely curtail access to food, water, medicine and other supplies.

A leading United States government organisation monitoring food crises around the world withdrew a new report this week warning of imminent famine in north Gaza under what it called Israel’s “near-total blockade,” after the US asked for its retraction, US officials told The Associated Press.

The move follows public criticism of the report from the US ambassador to Israel.

The report by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) had warned that a “famine scenario” was unfolding in northern Gaza where Israel launched a renewed offensive in early October.

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Meanwhile, on Friday, the director of Gaza’s Health Ministry told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces stormed the Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of the few remaining medical facilities in north Gaza, and forced the 350 people there to evacuate, including all the patients and staff. He said contact with the hospital had been lost.

Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 45,436 Palestinians and wounded 108,038 since October 7, 2023, according to figures released on Friday by Gaza’s Health Ministry.

An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day and more than 200 were taken captive.

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