News in Brief -(06-05-2019)

FE Team | Published: May 06, 2019 01:36:31

Sudan protester dies after clashes at Darfur sit-in
KHARTOUM, May 05: A Sudanese protester has died after being shot during clashes with security forces at a sit-in in the western Darfur region. The Sudan Doctors Committee, one of the groups behind nationwide protests that drove President Omar al-Bashir from power last month, says Saad Mohammed Ahmed, 18, was shot Saturday when security forces tried to forcibly disperse a sit-in outside a military facility in Nyala. He died Sunday. Maj. Gen. Hashim Mahmoud, the governor of south Darfur province, says around 5,000 people marched to the facility from a nearby displaced persons camp, and that security forces used tear gas to try and disperse them. — AP
Progressive Christian author Evans dies at 37
NASHVILLE, May 05: Progressive Christian author Rachel Held Evans died in Tennessee on Saturday after spending two weeks in a hospital for treatment for an infection and brain seizures. She was 37. Sarah Bessey, a writer and friend of Evans', says she died in Nashville early Saturday morning, surrounded by her husband and friends. Bessey said Evans challenged the evangelical community by addressing sexism and racism and "championing voices of people who have been marginalized in the church," including the LGBTQ community. — AP
Senegal MPs pass reform to scrap post of PM
DAKAR, May 05: Senegalese lawmakers on Saturday approved a constitutional reform to scrap the post of prime minister, the first initiative of President Macky Sall's second term in office. The motion passed with 124 MPs voting in favour and only seven against, National Assembly president Moustapha Niasse said Saturday evening after a nine-hour debate. — AFP
Ramaphosa vows more jobs at election rally
JOHANNESBURG, May 05: Campaign rallies for South Africa's upcoming elections have reached a climax Sunday with mass rallies by the ruling party and one of its most potent challengers. The national elections for president and parliament will be held on Wednesday. South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa promised more jobs, economic growth and a drive against corruption at the rally for the African National Congress, the party of Nelson Mandela which has governed the country since the end of apartheid in 1994. — AP
Thai king celebrates coronation with parade
BANGKOK, May 05: Thailand's newly crowned King Maha Vajiralongkorn made a spectacular public appearance in front of his countrymen Sunday, carried atop a golden palanquin by soldiers in ancient fighting uniforms in a procession through Bangkok's historic quarter. Soldiers marched in front, behind and alongside the palanquin in scorching heat as the procession set off from Bangkok's Grand Palace just after 5.0 pm as a marching band set the pace. — AFP