World Tour - Flooded in China and knighted in England

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: World Tour with Africa reporter Onize Ohikere.

ONIZE OHIKERE, REPORTER: Gunmen attack wedding in Nigeria—We start today here in Africa.

Gunmen attacked a wedding in northern Nigeria Sunday night. The attackers stormed in on motorcycles and opened fire on the wedding guests. They killed at least 18 people and injured 30 others. The bride and groom escaped unhurt.

The shooting is the latest tragedy to hit the region. More than 100 people were killed between April and June. Last week, a senator from the region asked the government to intervene.

AUDIO [0:23] “To please…send police and armed men to come save the land of my people and their property.”

Farmers and herders in the region continue to fight over grazing and water rights. The conflict is also fraught with religious and ethnic tensions: Most of the herders are Muslim and traditionally nomadic, while many of the farmers are Christians of various ethnic groups. Government-brokered truces have failed to stop the violence so far.

Zimbabwe journalist arrested—Next we go to Zimbabwe.

AUDIO [0:19] PEOPLE TALKING

Police arrested a prominent journalist Monday. They barged into Hopewell Chin’ono’s apartment, claiming he incited violence. Chin’ono is a fierce critic of Zimbabwe’s president and has written about government corruption.

His lawyer said the police didn’t have a warrant for the arrest. 

AUDIO “They broke the glass in the door and he has been abducted.”

Amnesty International accused the government of “misusing the criminal justice system” to persecute critics.

Authorities also arrested a politician who was organizing a protest against the government.

Flooding in China—Next to Asia.

AUDIO [0:44] Rushing water

Heavy rains have pummeled China for weeks, causing massive floods and landslides. Rivers in the Yangtze basin have overflowed their banks, submerging homes and streets. Residents piled into boats and makeshift rafts to escape the deluge. At least 140 people are dead or missing. Over 1 million have had to evacuate. 

Seasonal flooding strikes China every year, but this is the worst it has been in decades. One villager said his town had been without electricity for a week. And although it’s time for the rice harvest, that crop was completely underwater.

Arson in France—Next we go to Europe.

AUDIO FLAMES CRACKLING

A 15th-century French cathedral went up in flames on Saturday. The blaze broke out in three different places inside the Gothic structure. More than 100 firefighters battled the blaze for two hours.

They stopped the fire from spreading to the main body of the church … but the flames destroyed a 17th-century organ and multiple stained-glass windows. Police say arson is the likely cause and launched a criminal investigation. They detained a cathedral volunteer for questioning, but later released him.

Tom Moore knighted—And finally, we end today in the United Kingdom.

AUDIO [0:23] BAGPIPES, CAMERAS CLICKING

Queen Elizabeth knighted Tom Moore on Friday in an outdoor ceremony at Windsor Castle. Moore is a 100-year-old veteran of World War Two. He became a national celebrity earlier this year when he raised millions of pounds for the U.K.’s National Health Service. He raised the money by walking laps around his backyard.

The Queen knighted Moore with her father’s sword and praised him for his fundraising efforts.

Earlier in the day, Moore tweeted that he was “ready and raring to go for what is a very special day.”

That’s this week’s World Tour. Reporting for WORLD, I’m Onize Ohikere in Abuja, Nigeria.

The inside of the Gothic St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral after the blaze in Nantes, western France. (SDIS 44 Department of Fire and Rescue via AP)

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