Kenya, Israel-Palestine, China.

Today's three stories you should know.

Aug 15, 2022

Kenya

Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto was this evening declared winner of the country’s presidential election as chaotic scenes erupted at the main tallying centre. Scuffles broke out as the winner was about to be announced and four of the seven members of the electoral commission refused to endorse the result, calling the count “opaque.” Ruto, who positioned himself as a champion of the working class, only very narrowly beat his closest rival Raila Odinga, taking home 50.5 percent of the vote.

Israel-Palestine

An Israeli military court has rejected an appeal for release from a Palestinian prisoner who has been on hunger strike for a staggering 165 days. Khalil Awawdeh is protesting an Israeli policy known as “administrative detention,” under which prisoners can be held indefinitely without charge. Israel says the practise is necessary to protect secret information, while rights groups and Palestinians say it is a denial of due process, which allows Palestinians to be detained with no evidence.

China

Panic has erupted at an Ikea store in Shanghai as desperate shoppers tried to flee while officials attempted to hold them back so they could be quarantined. Footage shared widely on social media showed guards trying to close the doors before the crowd managed to force them open and escape. Apparently a customer in the store had been in close contact with a positive Covid case. China has one of the strictest quarantine regimes in the world and authorities often impose “flash lockdowns.”