Weekend News in Tweets: Haiti recovers after Hurricane Matthew & #Khwezi dies

haiti hurricane matthew 2016 uk department for international development flickr

News moves at the speed of social media in today’s world, and that’s especially the case on the weekend. Take a look at the world news you might’ve missed this weekend through the 140-character lens of Twitter.

Welcome to the Weekend News in Tweets (7 October – 10 October 2016).

African news

Ethiopia’s crisis deepened this weekend after the government decreed a six-month state of emergency. The country, which has been experiencing ongoing civil uprisings and protests against the government. According to reports, over 500 people have died since the unrest began in early August 2016.

Reports from within the country also suggests that the internet is inaccessible.

The Western Cape’s three major tertiary educations remain temporarily shuttered this week following the #FeesMustFall demonstrations. In Johannesburg’s Wits University, a large police presence remains.

Fezekile Ntsukela Kuzwayo, also known as Khwezi, has died. Known for her role in HIV/AIDS activism, Khwezi died Sunday but the circumstances of her death remains unknown.

Khwezi accused President Jacob Zuma of rape back in 2005. Zuma was acquitted of the charges a year later.

“It is with our deepest sorrow that the Kuzwayo family announces the passing of our daughter Fezekile Ntsukela Kuzwayo. In our family she was lovingly known as Fezeka‚ and in the public domain her supporters called her Khwezi,” her family announced in a statement.

News abroad

An extremely heated Second Presidential Debate was the highlight of the US’s news this weekend. Trump and Clinton squared off yet again behind the podium, just days after lewd comments made by Trump in 2005 surfaced. Clinton latched onto these remarks, while Trump vowed he would jail Clinton if he won the election.

According to a CNN poll, Clinton beat Trump in the debate by 57% to 34%.

Hurricane Matthew (now a post-tropical storm) has left much of North Carolina under water, and at least 19 people dead in mainland USA. While Matthew is now predicted to move away from continental America, there is a chance of it clipping the edge of Newfoundland, Canada in the coming days.

In Haiti, the situation is even worse, with over 1000 people succumbing to the storm.

Haiti last suffered a hurricane strike in 2010, with Hurricane Tomas.

2010’s Hurricane Tomas was the last hurricane to strike Haiti, killing 10

Weekend sport

The first race of the third season of Formula E, saw last season’s bitter rivals, Sebastien Buemi and Lucas di Grassi finish first and second. Taking place in Hong Kong’s city centre, the race also saw Jaguar take the grid as a manufacturer for the first time.

South Africa beat Australia yet again in a low-scoring ODI in Port Elizabeth. Abbott and Shamsi were the pick of the bowlers. After bowling Australia out for just over 160, South Africa chased the total down with over 15 overs to spare, with six wickets remaining. The final ODI takes place in Cape Town this week.

The Springboks experienced their second heavy loss to New Zealand of the season, going down 15-57 in Durban Saturday night. At half-time, the score was 12-9 to the All Blacks.

Wayne Rooney was booed by fans at England’s match against Malta Saturday, despite the team winning 2-0. Rooney, who has been dropped from Manchester United’s first team, could now also face time on the sidelines in national colours too.

Feature image: UK Department of International Development via Flickr

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