International

Over 2,300 dead in Libya floods ‘calamity,’ thousands missing

Published

1 year ago

September 13, 2023

This handout picture provided by the office of Libya’s Benghazi-based interim prime minister on September 11, 2023 shows a view of destroyed vehicles and damaged buildings in the eastern city of Derna, about 290 kilometres east of Benghazi, in the wake of the Mediterranean storm “Daniel”. (Photo by The Press Office of Libyan Prime Minister / AFP)

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At least 2,300 people were killed in Libya and thousands more were reported missing after catastrophic flash floods broke river dams and tore through an eastern coastal city, devastating entire neighbourhoods.

As global concern spread, multiple nations offered to urgently send aid and rescue teams to help the war-scarred country that has been overwhelmed by what one UN official labelled “a calamity of epic proportions”.

Massive destruction shattered the Mediterranean coastal city of Derna, home to about 100,000 people, where multi-storey buildings on the river banks collapsed and houses and cars vanished in the raging waters.

Emergency services reported an initial death toll of more than 2,300 in Derna alone and said over 5,000 people remained missing while about 7,000 were injured.

“The situation in Derna is shocking and very dramatic,” said Osama Ali of the Tripoli-based Rescue and Emergency Service. “We need more support to save lives because there are people still under the rubble and every minute counts.”

The floods were caused by torrential rains from Storm Daniel, which made landfall in Libya on Sunday after earlier lashing Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey.

Derna, 250 kilometres (150 miles) east of Benghazi, is ringed by hills and bisected by what is normally a dry riverbed in summer, but which has turned into a raging torrent of mud-brown water that also swept away several major bridges.

The number of dead given by the Libyan emergency service roughly matched the grim estimates provided by the Red Cross and by authorities in the east, who have warned the death toll may yet rise further.

“The death toll is huge and might reach thousands,” said Tamer Ramadan of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, three of whose volunteers were also reported dead.

“We confirm from our independent sources of information that the number of missing people is hitting 10,000 persons so far,” Ramadan added.

Elsewhere in Libya’s east, aid group the Norwegian Refugee Council said “entire villages have been overwhelmed by the floods and the death toll continues to rise”.

“Communities across Libya have endured years of conflict, poverty and displacement. The latest disaster will exacerbate the situation for these people. Hospitals and shelters will be overstretched.”

‘Catastrophic’ Situation

People look at the damage caused by freak floods in Derna, eastern Libya, on September 11, 2023. (Photo by AFP)

The storm also hit Benghazi and the hill district of Jabal al-Akhdar. Flooding, mudslides and other major damage were reported from the wider region, with images showing overturned cars and trucks.

Libya’s National Oil Corporation, which has its main fields and terminals in eastern Libya, declared “a state of maximum alert” and suspended flights between production sites where it said activity was drastically reduced.

Oil-rich Libya is still recovering from the years of war and chaos that followed the 2011 NATO-backed popular uprising which toppled and killed longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

The country is divided between two rival governments — the UN-brokered, internationally recognised administration based in Tripoli, and a separate administration in the disaster-hit east.

Access to the east is limited. Phone and online links have been largely severed, but the administration’s prime minister Oussama Hamad has reported “more than 2,000 dead and thousands missing” in Derna alone.

A Derna city council official described the situation as “catastrophic” and asked for a “national and international intervention”.

Aid Offers

Libya’s UN-backed government under Abdelhamid Dbeibah announced three days of national mourning on Monday and emphasised “the unity of all Libyans”.

Aid convoys from Tripoli were heading east and Dbeibah’s government announced the dispatch of two ambulance planes and a helicopter, as well as rescue teams, canine search squads and 87 doctors, and technicians to restore power.

Rescue teams from Turkey have arrived in eastern Libya, according to authorities, and the United Nations and several countries offered to send aid.

Egypt announced three days of mourning “in solidarity” with Libya and earthquake-hit Morocco and offered to send aid to both countries.

Algeria said it was sending aid aboard eight military planes and Italy said it was “responding immediately to requests for support” with an assessment team on the way.

The United States embassy said it had “issued an official declaration of humanitarian need in response to the devastating floods in Libya”.

AFP

International

Man shoots wife, 2 children and himself dead three months after his arrest for domestic violence

Published

2 days ago

September 10, 2024

Advocate News Nigeria

Man shoots wife, 2 children and himself dead three months after his arrest for domestic violence

Jose Olmos, 42, with Jazele and Daniel, the children he is suspected of murdering before killing himself at the family home in Amarillo on Saturday evening

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A family has been shattered after a violent husband shot dead his young wife and their two children at their home in Texas.

Police were called to the 3600 block of NE 14th Avenue in Amarillo early on Saturday evening after a family member found the bodies of Jose Olmos his wife Jessica, 33, and their children Jazele and Daniel.

The 42-year-old electrician had been arrested by Amarillo Police on May 19 on charges of assaulting a family member but returned to the family home after being released on a $500 bond.

Investigators believe Olmos killed himself and his family in a murder-suicide and mugshot taken at the time of his arrest reveals scratch marks on the neck of the suspected killer.

‘Oh Jessica Olmos! I’m so sorry that I couldn’t help you out of this,’ family friend Clara Nunez wrote on Facebook.

Jose Olmos, 42, with Jazele and Daniel, the children he is suspected of murdering before killing himself at the family home in Amarillo on Saturday evening

• The body of the children’s mother Jessica Olmos, 33, was also found by a horrified relative

Jazale and Daniel are amazing kids. I promise you that I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that you’ll be remembered forever. It doesn’t end here I promise!’

The couple who marked their tenth wedding anniversary on July 4 had lived at Olmos’s address since their marriage.

Jessica worked as an office manager for Jeff Bara State Farm Agency in the town and her 7th grade daughter was a keen wrestler.

Just months earlier the family had posed for a seemingly idyllic photoshoot in the fields near their home, and photographer Anna Vega spoke of her shock at their violent deaths.

‘I am so devastated by the news this morning,’ she wrote as she reposted the pictures on Facebook.

‘I told you while you were here but Jessica it was an absolute honor to have worked with you and your beautiful kids.

‘Jazele and Daniel were so sweet, I can still picture them giggling and laughing when Daniel jumped on her back.

‘In a world that’s so morbid, the reason I posted these photos was so hopefully people get to see a small glimpse of the shining light you all were and not just the final moments that took you all away.’

Jessica had lost her younger sister in February last year, and the troubled couple joined the rest of her family to celebrate mother’s day with mother Blanca Menendez just six days before Olmos’s arrest for domestic violence in May this year.

The deaths took place less than four months after Olmos was freed on a $500 bond after being released on domestic abuse charges

Jessica’s stepdaughter Arianna Olmos pointedly omitted the father as she paid a moving tribute to his murdered family.

‘When I was told three of the most caring souls I knew gained their angel wings my heart sunk and broke into pieces,’ the West Texas A&M University student wrote.

‘You three were loved by all those around you and will be missed.

‘Jazale my baby I’m going to miss that smile of yours, your laugh, and goofy faces.

‘Daniel I will miss your smile and your love for cars.

Jessica I was thankful to have someone like you as a stepmom and still showed me love and cared for me.

‘I’m grateful that God had put you and the kids in my life. I can’t even put into words how hurt I am.’

Daily Mail

International

American activist shot dead as IDF opened fire in West Bank protest

Published

6 days ago

September 6, 2024

Advocate News Nigeria

American activist shot dead as IDF opened fire in West Bank protest

•Ambulance vehicle in the town of Beita, in the occupied West Bank. From August 2024.

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A 26-year-old American woman has been shot dead in the occupied West Bank during a protest.

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who was born in Turkey, is reported to have been taking part in a protest against Jewish settlement expansion in the town of Beita near Nablus.

Ms Ezgi Eygi was allegedly shot by Israeli troops, according to local media reports. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) say they “responded with fire toward a main instigator of violent activity who hurled rocks at the forces and posed a threat to them” in the Beita area.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington is “urgently gathering more information about the circumstances of her death and will have more to say as we learn more”.

Mr Miller also offered his “deepest condolences” to Ms Ezgi Eygi’s family and loved ones.

His comments were echoed by US ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew, who said Washington has “no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens”.

The American activist was rushed to a hospital in Nablus with a gunshot to the head and was later pronounced dead, AFP news agency reported.

Dr Fouad Naffa, head of the hospital to which Ms Ezgi Eygi was admitted, confirmed that a US citizen in her mid-20s died from a “gunshot in the head”.

In a statement, the IDF said it was “looking into reports that a foreign national was killed as a result of shots fired in the area”.

“The details of the incident and the circumstances in which she was hit are under review,” the Israeli military added.

According to reports by Palestinian media, the 26-year-old had been involved in a campaign to protect farmers from Israeli settler violence.

Ms Ezgi Eygi was both American and Turkish, having been born in Antalya, as reported by Turkish media.

In a statement, the Turkish foreign ministry described her death as “murder”, adding that Ms Ezgi Eygi was “killed by Israeli occupation soldiers in the city of Nablus”.

It comes after Israeli forces withdrew from Jenin city and its refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, following a major nine-day operation there.

During the operation, at least 36 Palestinians were killed – 21 from Jenin governorate – the Palestinian health ministry says. Most of the dead have been claimed by armed groups as members, but the ministry says children are also among those killed.

In the past 50 years, Israel has built settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where more than 700,000 Jews now live.

Settlements are held to be illegal under international law – that is the position of the UN Security Council and the UK government, among others – although Israel rejects this. (BBC)

International

Visa restrictions: Financial crisis hits UK varsities

Published

7 days ago

September 5, 2024

Advocate News Nigeria

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United Kingdom universities are grappling with severe financial difficulties due to recent restrictions on visas for international students.

On Thursday, university leaders called for an urgent increase in domestic tuition fees to help offset significant deficits, as reported by AFP.

The President of Universities UK, Sally Mapstone, which represents 141 higher education institutions, warned that the sector is “feeling the crunch” following the introduction of visa curbs last year. visa

She stated, “There is now a clear choice. We can allow our distinguished, globally competitive higher education system to slide into decline or we can act together.”

According to a report from the House of Commons, UK higher education institutions generated over £50 billion in total income during 2022-23, with a significant portion coming from tuition fees and grants.

International students, who pay higher fees than domestic students, have become a crucial revenue source for universities.

However, the government under former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak implemented restrictions on overseas student visas, including a ban on students bringing family members.

This policy was part of an effort to reduce record levels of immigration. As a result, there were 30,000 fewer international student applications in the first four months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, according to official data.

University officials have repeatedly raised concerns over the financial impact of the visa restrictions.

Mapstone revealed that the higher education sector is currently facing a £1.7 billion deficit for teaching and a £5 billion shortfall for research. Without urgent intervention, there are fears that some institutions may be forced to cut courses or even close their doors.

To address the growing crisis, university leaders are urging the government to raise domestic tuition fees, which have been capped at £9,250 since 2017.

Shitij Kapur, head of King’s College London, argued that fees should now be set between £12,000 and £13,000 to reflect rising costs.

At a Universities UK conference in Reading, new Labour Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson acknowledged the financial challenges faced by the sector.

“I can’t promise painless or immediate resolutions. But I do promise that these issues will get the attention and the commitment they deserve,” Phillipson said in a video message to attendees.