World Tour - Mozambique routs rebels from Palma

REICHARD: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It:World Tour with our correspondent in Africa, Onize Ohikere.

ONIZE OHIKERE, REPORTER: Mozambique retakes town from rebels—We start today here in Africa.

Residents of Palma in Mozambique are returning home after government forces retook the city from rebel fighters.

The provincial governor toured the damaged port town on Monday.

AUDIO: We are here with our troops and we feel ok.

The rebel fighters launched their attack nearly two weeks ago. Survivors said they were well-armed and fired at residents indiscriminately.

AUDIO: They shoot people, even they were following us, shooting at us, then we ran away.

The fighters are mostly unemployed local youth. Community leaders say some of the men traveled abroad to study on scholarships from Muslim organizations and returned preaching a radical form of Islam.

They began launching small-scale attacks in 2017, and claimed an affiliation with Isalmic State in 2019.

Putin signs law allowing him to stay in power—Next we go to Russia.

PUTIN: [Man speaking Russian]

President Vladimir Putin signed a law Monday that could allow him to stay in power until 2036. The bill resets presidential term limits, giving Putin the chance to run for president two more times.

Putin has been in power for more than two decades. That’s longer than any other Russian leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. When he proposed the constitutional changes last year, Putin said the government needed the expanded term limits so his lieutenants could focus on their work and not worry about who would succeed him.

Nearly 78 percent of voters approved the change.

Tropical storm batters Indonesia, East Timor—Next to Southeast Asia.

AUDIO: [Sounds of women crying]

More than 100 people died and dozens more are missing after a tropical cyclone dumped torrential rain on the remote eastern islands of Indonesia. Another 27 people died in neighboring East Timor.

The deluge triggered mudslides and flash flooding that inundated villages overnight. Damaged roads and bridges, as well as widespread power outages, are hampering search and recovery efforts.

AUDIO: [Man speaking Indonesian]

Indonesian President Joko Widodo offered his condolences in a televised address. Regional governors say they expect to find more victims as the flooding recedes.

Aftermath of train crash in Taiwan—Next to Taiwan.

AUDIO: [Man speaking Mandarin]

The man responsible for the country’s worst train disaster in decades apologized on Sunday. Lee Yi-hsiang owned the unmanned construction truck that slid down a hillside and rolled onto the railway tracks Friday. Investigators said Lee did not set the truck’s emergency break before getting out.

The train that slammed into the truck was packed with nearly 500 passengers.

AUDIO: [Sounds of mourning]

Relatives of the victims visited the crash site Sunday. Fifty people died and nearly 200 suffered injuries.

Mummy parade in Egypt—And finally, we end today back in Africa.

AUDIO: [Sounds of parade]

Egypt opened a new museum in grand style on Saturday. The mummified remains of 22 pharaohs paraded through the streets of Cairo from their old home at the iconic Egyptian Museum to their new resting place: The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.

The 18 kings and four queens traveled the 4 miles in order, oldest first. The Pharaohs’ Golden Parade included live music, floodlights, flaming torches, and performers dressed in ancient Egyptian costumes.

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

(Dave LePoidevin, Associated Press) People fleeing fighting between insurgents and government forces in and around the northern Mozambican town of Palma are evacuated by plane to the Cabo Delgado provincial capital of Pemba, Mozambique, Thursday April 1, 2021.

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