Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Ruling party in Tanzania expelled former Vice-president a day after resignation
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania
The Tanzania's ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi has today expelled the former Vice-president, Dr. Emmanuel Nchimbi from the party effective today.
Nchimbi resigned from Vice-presidency on Tuesday.
The decision to expel him was announced tonight, Wednesday, August 26, 2026, by the ruling party's Secretary General, Asha-Rose Migiro, while speaking to press at the CCM Sub-Office, Lumumba, in Dar es Salaam.
Migiro said the decision was based on the resolutions of the ruling party's Central Committee and National Executive Council meetings that sat in Dar es Salaam from morning to dusk.
She said that among the agenda discussed in the meetings was the issue of ethics facing Nchimbi, where all meetings discussed the issue and reached a decision to expel him from party membership.
Nchimbi held crucial positions in the party leadership as Secretary General, chairman of youth wing among others.
At least 160 killed, hundreds missing, as flash flood hits Nepal and Tibet
KATHMANDU, Nepal
At least 160 people have been killed and hundreds are missing after a huge flash flood swept away villages in Nepal, damaging roads, bridges and power projects in areas near Tibet, authorities said.
Nepali police said late on Wednesday that they had recovered 157 bodies and that officers were continuing to try to move people away from risk areas.
Nepal’s tourism ministry said some 403 tourists – 341 of them foreigners – were unaccounted for following the flash flood.
The missing foreigners included 142 Indians, and others from Australia, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea and the United States.
Police spokesman Abi Narayan Kafle said that 28 police personnel were also missing.
Chinese authorities said at least three people had died and 265 others remained missing on their side of the border in Tibet’s county of Gyirong.
State broadcaster CCTV said that specific casualty figures were still being verified.
Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah urged the Himalayan nation to stand united following the disaster.
“Please be patient. The government takes full responsibility for your rescue, treatment, food and shelter. In times of such a disaster, we all need to stand together,” Shah said in a statement shared on social media.
The waters were too high for helicopters to land in Nepal’s affected areas of Syapru Besi and Timure in the mountainous district of Rasuwa, with a population of about 50,000, officials said.
District administrator Narendra Pariyar urged those living on the banks of the Bhote Koshi River in the area to seek higher ground, pointing to reports that nearby villages and infrastructure project sites were washed away.
“We have asked both India and China to help us with the rescue efforts,” said Sasmit Pokharel, a Nepali government spokesperson.
Across the border, Tibet reported “major casualties” with people missing in the neighbouring county of Gyirong after a mudslide hit a land crossing between China and Nepal, the Xinhua official news agency said.
The mudslide hit China’s Gyirong port, cutting off roads, communications and power in the Shigatse region, Xinhua added, without giving details.
Uganda President’s son Muhoozi announces 2031 presidential bid
KAMPALA, Uganda
Uganda's military chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba has announced plans to run for president in 2031, signalling a possible bid to succeed his father, President Yoweri Museveni.
Kainerugaba, 52, said in a series of posts on X on Tuesday that he would seek Uganda's highest political office in the next presidential election.
"I will stand for the highest office in the land in 2031. And we will win by the grace of Almighty God," he wrote.
He also said he expected to win 90% of the vote with the support of his father, referring to Museveni as "Mzee", an honorific commonly used for the president.
Kainerugaba has for years been viewed as a possible successor to Museveni. He heads the Patriotic League of Uganda, a political pressure group.
He had previously said he planned to contest the 2026 presidential election but later withdrew from the race.
Museveni, 81, has governed Uganda since 1986 and leads the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
He won a seventh term in the January 2026 election, extending his nearly four-decade rule.
The election was held amid tensions between the government and opposition. Opposition leader Bobi Wine left Uganda for the United States earlier this year, saying he feared for his safety.
Another prominent opposition figure, Kizza Besigye, has been held in prison since 2024 and is facing a treason trial.
It remains unclear whether Museveni intends to seek another term in 2031.
Asked whether the president would run again, government spokesman Alan Kasujja said Museveni and the NRM would decide "when the time comes".
Kainerugaba's announcement nevertheless puts the question of succession at the centre of Uganda's political debate ahead of the next presidential election.
Guinea-Bissau to vote on constitution expanding presidential powers
BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau is set to vote on a new constitution this Sunday that would significantly expand the powers of the presidency and reshape the country's political system ahead of elections planned for December.
The referendum comes less than a year after military officers seized power in a coup, just one day before electoral authorities were due to announce the results of a presidential election.
Under the proposed constitution, the president would gain the power to appoint and dismiss the prime minister and cabinet, create or abolish ministries and chair the Council of Ministers. The president could also dissolve parliament in the event of a grave political crisis and dismiss the government in certain circumstances.
The reform would also reduce parliament from 102 seats to 65 and cut the number of electoral constituencies from 29 to 12.
Supporters say the changes could reshape the country's political institutions, but critics warn they would concentrate too much power in the presidency.
Manuel Nobre de Barros, a professor at Lusofona University in Guinea-Bissau, said the reforms would fundamentally alter the balance between the executive and legislature, arguing that they could give the president virtually unchecked power.
The proposed constitution would also introduce a new requirement for presidential candidates to have lived permanently in Guinea-Bissau for the previous five years.
The referendum is due to take place on August 30, followed by general elections in December.
The vote is therefore being closely watched as Guinea-Bissau attempts to move from military rule back toward an elected government — while facing questions over whether the proposed constitutional changes will strengthen institutions or concentrate power at the top.
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Tanzania Vice President resigns from office
DODOMA, Tanzania
Tanzania’s Vice President, Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi, has resigned from office and active politics, with his departure set to take effect on September 4, 2026.
In a public notice dated August 25, 2026, and issued by the Office of the Vice President in Dodoma, Nchimbi formally notified President Samia Hassan of his decision to step down from public service.
Nchimbi cited constitutional provisions under Article 50(2)(c), read together with Article 149(2) of the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania, which allow the President to appoint a new Vice President without the need for fresh elections.
The resignation comes a year after Nchimbi made a personal commitment to President Hassan to serve with “utter faithfulness” and leave office whenever the Head of State deemed it necessary.
“I am fully satisfied, without any doubt, that Her Excellency the President desires change, and thus I have decided to fulfil my promise,” Nchimbi said in his resignation notice.
He thanked the President and the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) for entrusting him with the position, while assuring Tanzanians that he would continue serving the country as a patriotic citizen despite withdrawing from active politics.
Born on December 24, 1971, in Mbeya Region, Nchimbi has had a long career in Tanzania’s political and public administration.
He joined active politics through CCM’s youth wing, UVCCM, becoming its chairman in 1998 while working at the National Environment Management Council.
He was elected Member of Parliament for Songea Town in 2005 after securing 67.6 per cent of the vote. The following year, then-President Jakaya Kikwete appointed him Deputy Minister for Information, Culture and Sports.
Nchimbi subsequently held several government positions, including Deputy Minister for Labour, Employment and Youth Development and Deputy Minister for Defence and National Service.
He later served as Minister for Information, Culture and Sports before being appointed Minister for Home Affairs, a position he held from May 2012 to December 2013.
Recent Dr. Nchimbi's security detail
He retained his parliamentary seat in the 2010 General Election after defeating his CHADEMA rival with 59.9 per cent of the vote.
Nchimbi also pursued higher education during his political career, earning an MBA in Banking and Finance and later a PhD from Mzumbe University.
Monday, August 24, 2026
Iran says ready for what US calls 'greatest financial offensive ever'
TEHRAN, Iran
Iran says it has a two-year plan to counter widened sanctions after the US announced an "economic D-Day" against the country and threatened its supporters.
In response to what US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said was "the single greatest financial offensive ever", Iran's economy minister Ali Madanizadeh said it was "fully prepared for the US sanctions", which would result in another defeat for Washington.
Under the latest threat to the Iranian regime, Bessent said the US would cut all economic ties with the country and added that any nation financially partnering with Iran would be isolated.
It follows U-turns and extended deadlines from the White House in its efforts to end the conflict.
Hours after the announcement from Bessent, Madanizadeh said Iran had been "waiting for these plans for a long time".
"The government is and was ready and has a two-year plan to manage these events," he told state television. "We also have our own tools and know how to play the game."
He also said neither China nor Russia had "accepted" the US measures, and predicted other countries would resist them.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said sanctions and pressure tactics did not help and Beijing would do what was necessary to protect China's interests.
The war has led to hikes in global oil prices, and in response to the latest threat Iran warned it would shut down all oil exports from the region if the war continued
The Iranian regime has also issued a fresh warning to ships not to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without permission.
One fifth of the world's oil and gas usually passes through the strait, a narrow waterway south of Iran, but the flow has been effectively blocked by the country since the conflict began at the end of February, leading to higher oil prices globally.
At a press conference earlier on Monday outlining what has been called "Operation Economic Outcast", Bessent said the US was launching an "economic onslaught against Iran's financial connections around the globe".
"Iran now faces a very clear choice with only two paths before them: complete global isolation....or a path back to normalcy with an opportunity to rejoin the global economy," he said.
Mission to verify DRC-M23 ceasefire gets underway in South Kivu
KIVU, DR Congo
A mission to verify the ceasefire between the Congolese army and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels got underway on Monday in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
On Sunday, Switzerland announced that, following negotiations, the two parties had agreed on a roadmap for peace.
Eastern Congo has seen decades of conflict as multiple armed groups fight over its mineral-rich territory.
Peace efforts led by the United States and Qatar tried to end the crisis, with the signing of two accords - one between Kinshasa and the M23 in July 2025, the other between Kinshasa and Rwanda in December.
But fighting has continued.
The mechanism for verfiying ceasefire violations includes representatives of the Congolese government and M23, as well as observers from member countries of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).
The team departed by United Nations helicopters on Monday to Minembwe in South Kivu province, which has seen intense clashes in recent months, according to UN and government sources.
The mission will travel to town of Uvira, from where the M23 withdrew in January, as well as to Kalehe, where fighting has been reported in recent weeks.
Neither the DRC nor the M23 have commented on the mission.
Several international mediation efforts have failed to silence the guns in the eastern DRC, where a myriad of armed groups are active.
In April, the DRC and M23 agreed to facilitate humanitarian aid and release prisoners following talks in Switzerland.
An initial group of prisoners was handed over to the M23 by the Congolese government earlier this month.
New talks were held behind closed doors from August 17 to August 21 which included representatives from the United States, Qatar, Switzerland, the African Union Commission and Togo, serving as African Union mediator.
The two sides said they had "agreed on the importance of a standardised method for reporting allegations of ceasefire violations," according to the Swiss government statement on Sunday.
They also agreed to establish a "mechanism tasked with reviewing progress and addressing challenges in implementation of obligations and commitments under the Doha Framework Agreement," the statement said.
The DRC in a statement on Monday condemned alleged "crimes and serious human rights violations" committed by the M23 in the territories under its control and accused the group of killing "more than 300 people" in June and July.
Meanwhile, in a post on social media, an M23 spokesperson accused government forces of having launched a "deadly attack" with artillery on a village near Minembwe.
Both sides have regularly accused the other of alleged abuses and ceasefire violations, often unverifiable by independent parties.
The area surrounding Minembwe, which has been fiercely contested for months, has been particularly difficult for international organisations to access.
Reports by NGOs and UN experts have said the M23 has also silenced dissenting voices, including journalists and human rights activists in areas under its control.
Chelsea beats Fulham as Rogers scores in debut
LONDON, England
Cole Palmer was back to his best to get Xabi Alonso's Chelsea career off to a winning start in a chaotic 3-2 victory at Fulham on Monday Night Football.
The Blues' attacking trio of Palmer, Joao Pedro and Morgan Rogers looked every bit the most potent in the Premier League as all three scored in a game where entertainment reigned and defending was an afterthought.
Palmer, finally injury-free and all the better for a summer off from England's World Cup campaign, scored one and made another in the kind of performance he had found so difficult to reproduce last season.
It took just 31 seconds for him to lay down a marker by teeing up an opener for Joao Pedro - himself refreshed after his surprise Brazil omission. The front three never looked back from there.
Rogers got in on the act on debut with a late run to finish Maxence Lacroix's cross just before half-time, before his flick-on released Joao Pedro to set up Palmer for a third shortly after the break.
Chelsea would have had an easier night despite the surprise absence of Moises Caicedo without a nightmare performance from goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, whose mistakes twice let Fulham back into the game.
The Spaniard, whose position as the Blues' No 1 has long been questioned, let Josh King's powerful but saveable drive in at his near post to level matters midway through the opening period before spilling a shot straight into the path of Goncalo Garcia to allow Fulham to make it 3-2.
The first taste of the Alvaro Arbeloa era suggested the Cottagers will play on the front foot regardless of opposition and they created plenty against their west London rivals - but will need to significantly improve their defensive discipline after being cut wide open for each of Chelsea's goals.
On this evidence they will have score plenty too - and could have snatched a late equaliser when Antonee Robinson horribly miscued a chip with Sanchez in no man's land. But anything less than an away victory would have been harsh on Chelsea, who ran out deserved winners thanks to their electric front three.
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