Headline

Ministry Confirms Two Dead, 16 Injured In Egypt Train Accident

Published

2 years ago

March 8, 2023

Two people were killed and several others injured Tuesday in a train accident north of Cairo, Egypt’s health ministry said after the country’s latest rail tragedy.

A ministry statement said there were “two dead in the train accident at Qalyub, while the injured are in a stable condition.”

An earlier ministry toll that reported one dead also listed 16 injured, including six already treated and released.

The incident occurred in Qalyub, just north of the capital Cairo in the Nile Delta.

Egypt’s national rail authority said the accident occurred when a passenger train entering Qalyub station went through a stop signal.

“That led to the derailment of the locomotive and the first carriage,” the authority said in a statement.

Pictures from the scene showed first responders converging on rail cars which still appeared to be right side up, behind a high wall in a built-up area.

Police formed a perimeter to hold back crowds who perched on other walls nearby.

A crane was later brought in to lift a derailed car which appeared to be partially crumpled.

Egyptian rail accidents have mostly been blamed on poor infrastructure and maintenance.

In April 2021, Transport Minister Kamel el-Wazir fired the rail authority’s head following an uproar in the Arab world’s most populous country over mismanagement of dilapidated train lines.

The sacking came two days after an accident that cost 23 lives.

– Sacking –

Ashraf Raslan was dismissed as part of a shuffle of 10 top railway officials.

“The goal of these decisions is not merely about leadership changes of the authority but are in line with the next stage which demands… a complete upgrade of the railway network,” the transport ministry said at the time.

The changes “underway aim to provide better services, working around the clock to serve commuters and to upgrade… this essential service which transports millions of passengers yearly”, it said in a statement.

In March 2021, at least 20 people died and nearly 200 were injured in a train crash in southern Egypt, according to an official toll which authorities revised several times.

The prosecution service later alleged the driver of the speeding Egyptian train and his assistant had both left the driver’s cabin when it crashed into another train, which was stationary.

The assistant on the second train had used cannabis and was under the influence of the painkiller tramadol, as was a track signalman, the prosecutor also alleged.

Wazir, a former general, was named transport minister after a 2019 train collision blamed on human error.

“We have a problem with the human element,” he said, pledging to set up an automated network by 2024.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has vowed to hold to account those responsible for the recurrent deadly accidents on Egypt’s railways in recent years.

One of the deadliest came in 2002 when a fire ripped through a crowded train south of the capital, killing 373 people.

Egypt’s roads are also the scene of regular deadly accidents. Roads are often poorly maintained and driving rules flouted.
AFP

Headline

Again, Russia Claims Another Village In Ukraine’s Region

Published

1 day ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

The Russian army Monday claimed to have captured another village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, moving deeper into Ukrainian territory as peace efforts stall.

Russian forces are slowly but steadily gaining ground in costly battles for largely devastated areas in eastern and central Ukraine, normally with few inhabitants or intact buildings left.

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had seized the settlement of Zaporizke in the region, which Russian troops recently advanced into for the first time in the three-and-a-half-year offensive.

Kyiv denies that Russian troops have gained a foothold in the Dnipropetrovsk region, an important industrial hub.

After another push by US President Donald Trump to broker a Ukraine-Russia summit, hopes for peace dimmed when Russia last week ruled out any immediate meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

The central region of Dnipropetrovsk has previously been largely spared from fighting that has ravaged swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, until Russia said its forces broke through in July.

Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea — that Moscow has publicly claimed as Russian territory.

Ukraine said Russia had launched over 100 drones Monday, killing a 37-year old civilian driver and wounding two people in the northeastern Sumy region.

Moscow said Kyiv had launched about two dozen drones targeting western Russia

Headline

US Comedian Reggie Carroll Shot Dead In Mississippi

Published

1 day ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

A United States comedian, Reginald “Reggie” Carroll, has been shot dead in Southaven, Mississippi.

The 52-year-old Carroll, widely known as the Knockout King of Comedy, was reportedly killed on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds.

The Southaven Police Department confirmed the incident in a Facebook statement on Saturday.

“Southaven officers located one male victim suffering from gunshot wounds.

“The officers and medical personnel provided life saving techniques but the individual succumbed to his injuries,” the statement partly read.

The victim was later identified as Carroll, a Baltimore native.

Police said one suspect was arrested and charged with his murder.

“One male is in custody and has been charged with the murder of Reginald Carroll.

“Our thoughts are with the family of Mr. Carroll.

“Thank you to the community for their patience and understanding,” the department added.

The police further assured that there was no ongoing threat to residents, describing the case as “an isolated shooting.”

Carroll, who built his career in stand-up comedy, gained national recognition touring with Katt Williams and headlining his own showcase, Knockout Kings of Comedy.

He also featured in the 2000 edition of Showtime at the Apollo, appeared on the UPN sitcom The Parkers alongside Mo’Nique and Countess Vaughn, and starred in the 2022 television film Rent & Go.

In 2023, he produced the stand-up special Knockout Kings of Comedy.

The Southaven Police Department disclosed that an investigation into his death is ongoing.

Headline

US Defends New Social Media Vetting For Nigerian Visa Applicants

Published

1 day ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

The U.S. Mission in Nigeria on Monday reaffirmed that the safety and security of the United States remain the cornerstone of its visa application and decision-making process.

The US said this following its directive last week that mandates Nigerians to disclose all social media usernames and handles used over the past five years as part of the visa application process.

US Mission said Nigerian visa applicants must provide a comprehensive list of their social media profiles on the DS-160 visa application form, and warned that omitting the information could lead to visa denials.

Reacting to the development, the Federal Government said US citizens intending to visit Nigeria will be subjected to the same measures.

“The best we can do is to carry out reciprocal action. Some people from the US might want to apply for a visa, and we will adopt the same measures,” spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said last Monday.

However, in a statement released Monday on X, the US Mission said prospective visa applicants undergo careful vetting to maintain a safe and welcoming environment in the US.

It said, “The safety and security of the United States is at the heart of every #USVisa application and decision process.

“That’s why prospective applicants undergo careful screening to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all.”

The Mission added, “These measures help protect American citizens and communities while supporting secure and responsible travel.”