Overnight reports: Power outage disrupts Zimbabwe parliament amid economic woes
It happened while you were asleep. Here's what global agencies reported during the night from Saturday to Sunday.
1 December 2024 06:01
- After midnight local time, police in Tbilisi began pacifying the protest in the city centre, using water cannons, pepper spray, and stun grenades. The protesters, in turn, threw fireworks at the officers. Demonstrators gathered at the rear entrance to the parliament, protesting against the government's decision to suspend EU accession talks.
- Thousands protested on Saturday in the centre of Valencia against the regional authorities' handling of the aftermath of the tragic floods that killed over 220 people in eastern Spain a month ago. Government estimates indicate that around 100,000 people participated in the demonstration. "Resignation!", "Murderer!" chanted the crowd on Saturday, demanding the resignation of the head of the regional government, Carlos Mazón.
- Kosovo's Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla confirmed on Saturday the arrest of eight individuals linked to Friday's explosion in the north of the country. Kosovo's services also seized military uniforms and various weapons and ammunition. The explosion, which occurred on Friday night, damaged a channel that supplies water to the cooling systems of two coal power plants near the town of Zubin Potok, which are major sources of electricity for Kosovo. The channel also supplies drinking water to northern Kosovo and Pristina.
- From December 1, South Africa will take over the leadership of the G20 group. Johannesburg will lead it until the end of 2025. This is the first time that leadership of this group is going to Africa, which is the youngest continent globally, with about 70% of the population being under 30 years of age. According to the United Nations, this number will continue to grow until 2050.
- This was supposed to be the most important session of the current year in the Zimbabwean parliament. The finance minister admitted that the forecasts for the country are challenging—the agricultural sector shrank by 15%. Zimbabwe has experienced severe consequences from this year's drought. When the minister wanted to offset this bad news with somewhat better news and announce that he predicts next year's economic growth for the country at over 6%, the power went out in the parliament building. Members of parliament, ministers, and the president sat in silence and darkness for quite a while, which the opposition immediately commented on through social media, suggesting it was a symbolic image of the situation in the country.