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Trump is an unserious man — consequences of re-electing him will be serious, says Kamala

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Kamala Harris, US presidential hopeful, aimed jabs at Donald Trump during her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC).

Harris’ speech late Thursday night ended four days of a star-studded and super-charged DNC in Chicago.

Centering her speech around patriotism and freedom, the vice-president reminded Americans of the “chaos and calamity” her Republican rival oversaw when he was in office.

Trump served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.

Harris urged citizens to vote in the November 5 polls, describing the election as one of the most important in US history.

“In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man. But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious,” the former prosecutor said.

“Consider not only the chaos and calamity when he was in office but also the gravity of what has happened since he lost the last election.

“Consider his explicit intent to set free the violent extremists who assaulted those law enforcement officers at the Capitol. His explicit intent to jail journalists, political opponents, anyone he sees as the enemy. His explicit intent to deploy our active-duty military against our own citizens.

“Consider the power he will have — especially after the United States supreme court just ruled that he would be immune from criminal prosecution. Just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails.

“How he would use the immense powers of the presidency of the United States not to improve your life, not to strengthen our national security, but to serve the only client he has ever had — himself.”

On security, Harris said she would not hesitate to defend US interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists.

“And I will not cozy up to tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong Un, who are rooting for Trump because they know he is easy to manipulate with flattery and favours,” she added.

“They know Trump won’t hold autocrats accountable because he wants to be an autocrat.”

The vice-president also touched on the war in Gaza, reiterating the US stance on Israel’s right to self-defence, while also voicing support for Palestinian right to dignity and self-determination.

HARRIS AHEAD IN THE POLLS

Harris is the first woman of colour to run for US president on the platform of a major political party.

During her acceptance speech, the Democratic Party candidate spoke about her Indian mother and Jamaican father — their divorce, her childhood growing up in a middle class family, and her political journey.

The vice-president said she would reform border security and the immigration system.

“I know we can live up to our proud heritage as a nation of immigrants — and reform our broken immigration system,” she said.

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Comoros president wounded in knife attack

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Comoros President Azali Assoumani was slightly wounded in a knife attack Friday, the presidency said, adding that the attacker had been arrested.

“The President of the Republic Azali Assoumani was slightly wounded by a knife while attending the funeral” of a well-known religious leader, it said in a statement.

“His injuries are not serious, and he has returned home. The attacker is in the hands of the security services,” it added.

Government spokeswoman Fatima Ahamadael told AFP that the attack happened in Salimani-Itsandra, an area on the outskirts of the capital Moroni.

“Thank God, his life is not in danger,” she said, declining to give further details.

Witnesses told AFP that the attacker was a 22-year-old with no criminal history, who had joined the army in 2022. He was dressed in a boubou, and was in the room with the religious leader’s body, as mourners were paying respects, they said.

The knife injured the president’s hand, but the attacker was stopped by another mourner, the witnesses said.

A source close to the presidency, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “The president has received appropriate care. He is out of danger.”

A second source, also speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that the attacker was a young “active-duty gendarme”.

No other details were immediately available.

After the attack, the neighbourhood remained tense, with gendarmes on the scene. Residents hurried home, sometimes pausing to whisper in small groups on the streets.

Azali, 65, a former military ruler who came to power in a coup in 1999, was re-elected president in January after a disputed vote was followed by two days of deadly protests.

He has been accused of growing authoritarianism.

In August, he granted new powers to his son, in a move that critics said was a step towards consolidating the family’s rule over the small African island nation.

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Australia to ban children from using social media

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The Australian government has proposed a bill on a minimum age limit for children to use social media, citing mental and physical health concerns.

Anthony Albanese, prime minister of Australia, said his government would run an age verification trial before introducing the legislation.

“I want to see kids off their devices and onto the footy fields and the swimming pools and the tennis courts,” Albanese said.

“We want them to have real experiences with real people because we know that social media is causing social harm.”

The law would place Australia on the list of countries to impose age restriction on social media.

Australia’s internet regulator, eSafety Commissioner, said in June that “restriction-based approaches may limit young people’s access to critical support” and push them to “less regulated non-mainstream services”.

‘GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO STEP IN’

The proposal follows South Australia’s plan to restrict social media access to people aged 14 and over.

Peter Malinauskas, South Australian premier, said the proposal was fuelled by concerns that social media was harming young people and affecting their mental health, leaving parents “almost powerless”.

“The government is now going to step in, we’re going to ban kids from getting access to these accounts,” he said.

“We’re going to ban the social media services from providing access in that first place and where they do it and do it knowingly, they are subject to severe punishment, heavy financial penalties that will act as a major deterrent to ensure this doesn’t occur in the future.”

Malinauskas said the proposed regulation put “a positive obligation and duty” on social media companies to ensure children under 14 cannot access such platforms.

“That positive duty and obligation doesn’t just extend to prevent individual children from getting access to the platform but creates a systemic responsibility on the social media platforms to ensure they are undertaking all reasonable steps to prevent children from getting access,” he said.

If passed, the legislation will require social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent access by any South Australian child under the age of 14.

They would also have to ensure teens aged 14–15 could only access platforms with parental content.

Bans and limited access would be overseen by a state regulator who would monitor compliance and impose sanctions, such as: warnings, infringement notices and fines; and court proceedings that impose corrective orders or civil penalties.

Legal action could also be taken against providers by either a regulator or parents on behalf of a child who has suffered significant mental or physical harm.

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UK to release 5,500 prisoners in two months to ease overcrowding

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The UK government is expected to release about 5,500 prisoners in England and Wales to ease overcrowding.

The BBC reports that more than 1,700 detainees are expected to be freed at first, with subsequent releases in September and October.

Data from the UK ministry of justice shows that there are a total of 88,521 prisoners in England and Wales as of September 6.

The “usable operational capacity” — the total number of people a prison can hold while taking into account issues like control and security — was 89,619, leaving spare capacity of just 1,098 places.

This is well above the prison service’s own measure of a “good, decent standard of accommodation”, which was 79,856 at the end of July.

Jonathan Reynolds, UK secretary of state for business and trade, told Sky News that the “emergency decision” had to be made because the previous government could not manage the justice system.

“Of all the scandals we inherited, I think the prison system, the justice system, is probably the worst of all,” he said.

Martin Jones, chief inspector of probation, told BBC radio that the pressure on prisons was “extreme”.

“It’s the highest population we’ve ever seen in this country. Prisons are absolutely close to 100 percent capacity”.

ELIGIBILITY

Prisoners who have served only 40 percent of their fixed term sentence, rather than the usual 50 percent, will be automatically released.

However, those who are in jail for serious violent offences with sentences of four years or more, as well as sex offenders, are not included.

The scheme also excludes those convicted of domestic abuse and what the government calls “connected crimes”, such as stalking and controlling or coercive behaviours.

More serious offenders serving life sentences, for example, will only be released after the Parole Board has assessed whether they still pose a risk.

Anyone released will be monitored by the probation service and this could involve the use of electronic tagging and curfews.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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