World Tour - Protests in Zimbabwe, and elections in Hong Kong

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

ONIZE OHIKERE, REPORTER: Zimbabwe protesters arrested—We start today here in Africa.

Police cracked down on anti-government protests in Zimbabwe and arrested dozens of people last week. Demonstrators had gathered to protest alleged government corruption and call for a new ruling party.

Police also arrested a prominent politician and a well-known author involved in the protests.

ZIMBABWE POLITICIAN: It does confer the right to demonstrate and to petition peacefully but it seems to be very difficult to do that practically because you run the risk of being arrested if you do.

The two were charged with “unlawful gathering,” as well as “incitement to commit violence,” but were later released.

Zimbabwe’s president described the protests as “an insurrection to overthrow our democratically elected government.” But human rights groups have said the government is stifling dissent by arresting and beating protesters.

ISIS attack in Afghanistan—Next, we go to the Middle East.

AUDIO: [Afghan gunshots]

Islamic State fighters stormed a prison in Afghanistan on Sunday. The attack started when a suicide bomber detonated a car loaded with explosives at the prison’s main gate. Then ISIS fighters moved in through the breach, firing on prison guards.

The attackers freed almost 1,500 prisoners. Most were ISIS and Taliban fighters. The daylong battle left at least 29 people dead and 50 wounded. Even after Afghan troops retook the prison on Monday, fighting continued in the streets nearby. Afghan troops eventually secured the area. They recaptured about 1,000 prisoners, but many others remain at large.

The attack came a day after Afghan special forces announced they had killed a senior ISIS commander in the area.

India flooding—Next, we go to Asia.

AUDIO: [India flooding]

Monsoon rains have slammed India for the past two months, triggering severe flooding. The deluge has inundated thousands of villages and killed at least 85 people. Tens of thousands have fled.

AUDIO: [Sound from Kaziranga National Park]

The floodwaters have also swamped a well-known reserve. The Kaziranga National Park is home to many animals like tigers, elephants, and water buffalo. More than 80 percent of the park is underwater. Over 100 rare wild animals have died, including a dozen rhinos.

Hong Kong elections postponed—Next, we go to Hong Kong.

Leader Carrie Lam announced Friday that the government will postpone elections until next year. The new date is September 5, 2021. Lam said the move was due to worsening coronavirus cases.

CARRIE LAM: This decision to postpone the 2020 election has nothing to do with politics.

Opposition lawmakers disagreed. They accused the government of using the outbreak as an excuse to delay the vote.

The postponement is a setback for the pro-democracy movement. Many people are dissatisfied with the current Hong Kong government, and opposition leaders were hoping to use that momentum to gain a majority in the legislature.

London’s Natural History Museum reopening—And finally, we end today in Europe.

AUDIO: [Sound of reopening]

London’s Natural History Museum is preparing to welcome visitors after a long coronavirus break. Museum staff dusted off exhibits, specimens, and fossils. They also started deep-cleaning Hope—the giant blue whale skeleton that soars above the central hall.

The museum usually sees around 15,000 visitors a day, but will open with a limit of 2,800.

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

(AP Photo/Anupam Nath) Flood-affected women travel on a boat past submerged houses in Morigaon district of Assam, India, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020.

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