Rorisang Modiba delivers daily updates from around the world.
US – Vice-President Kamala Harris is the official Democratic candidate for the 2024 US presidential election. No one else challenged her by the 27 July deadline, so there will be no open contestation at the Democratic Party convention in Chicago from 19 to 22 August. Harris received endorsements from Barack and Michelle Obama, George and Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, George Clooney, Cardi B, Ariana Grande, and Charli XCX. The latest polls show that more Black and women voters now say they’ll vote, compared to July when Biden was the nominee.
Barbados – Rihanna shone at the 2024 Crop Over Festival in Barbados, wearing a sparkling costume with a matching headpiece and feathered wings. The 36-year-old pop star, known for her previous glamorous festival outfits, caused a buzz on social media. The festival, which started during the sugar cane plantations era, celebrates the end of the harvest and is Barbados’s most popular event, showcasing its rich cultural history.
Egypt – An excavation in Damietta, Egypt, has uncovered 63 tombs over 2,500 years old, along with gold artefacts, coins, and pottery. Announced on 23 July by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the discovery reveals ancient Egyptian burial practices and the city’s role in foreign trade. Dating from the 26th Dynasty (664-525 BC), the tombs contained funerary amulets, ushabti statues, and 38 bronze coins from the Ptolemaic era (323-30 BC). Archaeologists also found a large tomb with high-status burials.
Indonesia – Gunmen from the West Papua Liberation Army attacked a helicopter in Papua, Indonesia, killing its New Zealand pilot, Glen Malcolm Conning, and freeing two health workers and two children. The attack happened in the remote village of Alama, in Mimika district, Central Papua. The gunmen set the helicopter on fire but spared the local Indigenous passengers. A joint security force is searching for the attackers. West Papua Liberation Army spokesperson Sebby Sambom said the area is a conflict zone and warned against civilian aircraft landings. New Zealand’s foreign ministry is looking into the incident. Conflicts in Papua between Indigenous groups and Indonesian forces have increased recently.
Pictured above: Kamala Harris.
Source: Instagram
