World Tour: Female suicide bombers attack in Nigeria

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Wednesday, July 3rd. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: And I’m Lindsay Mast.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It, World Tour with our reporter in Africa Onize Ohikere.

AUDIO: [Crying]

Nigeria attack — We begin today in Nigeria’s northeast, where female suicide bombers killed more than 30 people over the weekend.

The first suicide bomber set off her explosives at a wedding ceremony in Borno state’s town of Gwoza. State police spokesman Nahum Kenneth Daso said the woman with the explosives had a baby strapped to her back.

A second explosion went off minutes later near a general hospital, and a third at a funeral service.

At least 42 other people sustained injuries. No group claimed responsibility. The insurgent group Boko Haram had seized the town of Gwoza during its insurgency in 2014, but a joint military force regained control a year later.

Jihadists have continued with sporadic attacks in the region.

Fatima Musa is the local government secretary.

MUSA: You see there’s going to be so much fear in people and movements in Gwoza, not only in Gwoza even the surroundings.

Authorities have imposed a curfew in the city.

AUDIO: [Singing]

Hong Kong-China handover — Over in Hong Kong, celebrating crowds waved flags and sang together on Monday as they celebrated the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from Britain to China.

Pro-democracy activists usually stage demonstrations to mark the anniversary, but the controversial national security law has squashed dissent. Authorities also deployed thousands of police officers across the city.

China pledged a pair of giant pandas as a gift to Hong Kong.

Here’s Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee.

LEE: [Speaking Cantonese]

He thanked China for its care and support, adding that the pandas will bring amusement and happiness to Hong Kongers.

Hong Kong also hosted a series of activities, including performances and exhibitions in Victoria Park.

AUDIO: [Sound from meeting]

EU-Hungary — In the European Union, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban took leadership of the bloc on Monday.

The EU presidency rotates among member countries for six months each.

The position holds little power, but allows countries to push their priorities forward.

Just before assuming the role, Orban on Sunday announced a new alliance with Austria’s far-right Freedom Party and the Czech Republic’s main opposition party.

The group named Patriots for Europe will need the support of at least four other countries to be recognized in the EU parliament.

ORBAN: [Speaking Hungarian]

Orban says here that the new political faction will change European politics.

AUDIO: [Music salute]

Australia’s governor-general — We wrap up today in Australia, where authorities on Monday appointed the country’s second-ever female governor-general.

Samantha Joy Mostyn is a businesswoman who became the first female commissioner of the Australian Football League in 2005.

MOSTYN: If I can capture in a few words my aspirations for our country, I believe that these testing times call for an unstinting focus on kindness, on care, and on respect. Across my career and particularly in the past decade, I have seen how care can be an uplifting force.

The governor-general’s role is a largely ceremonial position representing the British monarch who is also Australia’s head of state.

That’s it for today’s WORLD Tour. Reporting for WORLD, I’m Onize Ohikere in Abuja, Nigeria.

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