CAMEROON'S BUILDING COLLAPSE DEATH TOLL RISES TO THIRTY-SEVEN.
The death toll from a building collapse in Cameroon's business hub Douala rose to 37, as neighbours recalled the structure's "failings" and "cracks", fearing more bodies lie under the ruins.
The four-storey block of flats collapsed onto another residential building in the north of the city overnight on Saturday.
One of the worst such tragedies in the country's history, it left 37 people dead and 21 injured, five in critical condition.
Littoral region governor Samuel Ivaha Diboua warned that the toll could rise.
Cameroon's urban development minister Celestine Ketcha-Courtes, who visited the scene of the tragedy on Monday, told reporters that the ill-fated building "did not have planning permission".
Rescuers were still trying to clear the rubble with a digger after seeking survivors throughout Sunday and into Monday.
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UNICEF SAYS OVER FOUR HUNDRED CHILDREN KILLED, TWO THOUSAND INJURED IN SUDAN.
No fewer than 435 children had been killed and more than 2,000 others injured in 100 days of fighting in Sudan.
This is according to United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, which stated that the figure is based on credible reports, noting that the true figure was likely to be far higher.
The United Nations agency added that there had been more than 2,500 severe violations of children's rights – an average of more than one per hour – in a country where 14 million youngsters need aid relief.
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UNITED STATES SANCTIONS TOP MALIAN OFFICIALS OVER WAGNER TIES.
The United Sates has announced sanctions against three top Malian officials said to be co-ordinating the spread of Russian private military firm Wagner in the West African country.
U.S Secretary of State, Antony Blinken says they are Mali's defence minister, air force chief and the deputy chief of staff.
He says civilian deaths have tripled since Wagner forces were deployed to Mali in December 2021, adding "many of those deaths were the result of operations conducted by the Malian armed forces alongside members of the Wagner group".
Washington and its allies have for years hit the Wagner group and its supporters with sanctions, accusing the paramilitary group of rights abuses and spreading misinformation. In January, Washington designated Wagner as a "transnational criminal organisation".
Last week, the UK sanctioned 13 individuals with links to Wagner in the Central African Republic, Mali and Sudan.
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CHAD LAYS GROUNDWORK FOR KEY REFRENDUM.
Chad has started preparations for the planned referendum due to take place on 17 December, on a new constitution aimed at returning it to civilian rule.
On Monday the government launched an initiative to revise and update the list of the electoral register from the 2021 biometric file.
A team comprising of the Minister of Territorial Administration, who is also chairman of the national committee in charge of organising the referendum, and other government officials were in the Moyen-Chari region for the launch.
The new electoral register is expected be published on 12 November to pave the way for campaign activities.
Provisional results of the referendum will be announced on 26 December before being transmitted to the Constitutional Court for validation.
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DOZENS KILLED AS WILDFIRES SWEEP ACROSS ALGERIA.
At least 34 people have been killed and thousands evacuated after wildfires broke out across Algeria.
Outbreaks of 97 wildfires were recorded across 16 provinces affecting forest, crops and farmland on Monday.
About 8,000 firefighters were working to bring the blazes under control.
Twenty-six people were also injured and 1,500 evacuated from their homes in Fenaia, Bejaia, Zbarbar and Bouira.
Ten soldiers were killed battling the fires in Bejaia.
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UNITED NATIONS URGES RUSSIA TO RESUME BLACK SEA GRAIN INITIATIVE.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called on the Russian Federation to return to the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, along the lines of his proposals.
Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Farhan Haq said this while briefing journalists in New York on the participation of Guterres at the ongoing UN Food Systems Summit+2 Stocktaking Moment (UNFSS+2) in Rome, Italy.
Commenting on the recent decision by the Russian Federation to terminate the Black Sea Initiative, Haq pointed out the secretary-general said the picture had grown bleaker, given that the initiative had enabled the safe export of more than 32 million tonnes of food from Ukrainian ports.
The Initiative and the Memorandum of Understanding with the Russian Federation to facilitate Russian food and fertilizer exports have been lifelines for global food security and global food price stability.
The secretary-general reiterated his commitment to facilitating the unimpeded access to global markets for food products and fertilizers from both Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
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Israel judicial reform: CROWDS CONFRONT POLICE IN ISRAEL AS KEY JUDICIAL REFORM PASSED.
Israeli police clashed with crowds of protesters at night after parliament adopted a highly controversial law to limit the Supreme Court's powers.
The measure - part of a big reform package - will prevent the court from overruling government actions it considers unreasonable.
Police in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv used water cannon to disperse protesters blocking highways.
Critics say the hard-right government's reforms threaten Israeli democracy.
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Typhoon Doksuri: TAIWAN CANCELS HAN KUANG MILITARY DRILLS OVER TYPHOON DOKSURI.
Taiwan has cancelled parts of its largest military drills as it braces for what could be the strongest typhoon to hit the island in four years.
Doksuri has roared to super typhoon strength with winds of 240km/h (149mph) and is headed to waters that separate Taiwan and the Philippines.
The annual Han Kuang drills that began on Monday test Taiwan's defence in case of an attack from China.
It is unclear if the rest of the five-day-long exercise will be disrupted.
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EUROPE, UNITED STATES HEATWAVES NEAR IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT CLIMATE CHANGE.
The heatwaves battering Europe and the United States in July would have been "virtually impossible" without human-induced climate change.
Global warming from burning fossil fuels also made the heatwave affecting parts of China 50 times more likely.
Climate change meant the heatwave in southern Europe was 2.5C hotter, the study finds.
Almost all societies remain unprepared for deadly extreme heat, experts warn.
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TIKTOK ADDS TEXT-ONLY POSTS AS SOCIAL MEDIA BATTLE ESCALATES.
Chinese-owned video streaming app TikTok says it will offer text-only posts as competition between social media giants heats up.
The platform says the new feature gives users "another way to express themselves".
Earlier this month, TikTok launched a new music streaming service to rival platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
And on Monday, Elon Musk's Twitter ditched its famous blue bird logo and switched to a black and white X.
TikTok users will now be offered three options on the app - whether to post photos, videos or text.
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