JOHANNESBURG (AP) – Weeks of nationwide Gen Z protests in Madagascar sparked by power and water shortages escalated and led to a military coup that forced President Andry Rajoelina into exile. Army officer Col. Michael Randrianirina has been sworn in as the new leader of the Indian Ocean nation.
Stock indexes closed higher on Wall Street. The S&P 500 added 0.2% Friday. Tech stocks led the way, with Dell Technologies in a stunning 32.8% gain. The Dow added 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.2%. European and Asian markets mostly rose. Brent crude fell 1.7%.
ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) – An army colonel who seized power in a military coup was sworn in as Madagascar’s new leader Friday in a lightning-fast power grab that ousted the president and sent him fleeing the country and into hiding.
BANGKOK (AP) – Rescue workers in Laos said Saturday they have safely evacuated four villagers trapped in a flooded cave for 10 days, the day after another one was successfully extracted. Two men remain missing. Lao and Thai rescue groups posted about the successful operation on social media, along with photos of the men lying on stretchers, wearing oxygen masks and being wrapped in foil blankets.
ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) – The head of an elite Madagascar military unit ousted the African island country’s president in a coup, capping weeks of youth-led protests over water and power cuts, the high cost of living and endemic poverty, among other issues.
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) – Russia’s intelligence agencies have grown more aggressive in their efforts to steal Western technology and defense secrets as sanctions squeeze the country’s wartime economy, three senior European intelligence officials told The Associated Press.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) – Andry Rajoelina was a young, man-of-the-people mayor when he led popular protests against the Madagascar government 16 years ago. The uprising resulted in a military-backed coup that brought Rajoelina to power as the transitional leader of his Indian Ocean country at the age of just 34.
Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:
ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) – The leader of Madagascar’s military coup told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he is “taking the position of president” and that the armed forces would be in charge of the African island nation for up to two years before any elections are held.
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