China
Horrifying images today showed passengers inside a subway carriage in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou up to their necks in water as flooding intensified in Henan province. At least 25 people died on Wednesday and 200,000 have been evacuated from Zhengzhou, a sprawling metropolis with a population of about 10 million.
More from the Guardian here.
Tunisia
Tunisia’s Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi has sacked the country’s health minister as COVID-19 cases surge and the health system nears total collapse. Faouzi Mehdi was accused of making “criminal” decisions that led to vaccine and oxygen shortages. Less than five percent of Tunisia’s 12 million people have been fully vaccinated.
More from The National here.
Nigeria
As mentioned in previous newsletters, kidnapping gangs have sent terror through northwestern Nigeria in recent months, snatching about 1,000 mostly schoolchildren and students for ransom since December. One hundred people, mainly nursing mothers with babies, who had been held since June 8 were today released by one such gang. The government, which has come under increasing pressure to stop the kidnappings, said it secured the release without paying a ransom. About 200 kidnap victims are still missing and being held by various gangs, according to local officials.
More from the Associated Press here.