- Swedish police probe 'intimidation' at Eurovision
- Djokovic 'fine' after bottle strike drama at Rome Open
- Malaysia football kicks off under heightened security after attacks
- Djokovic 'fine' after being hit on head with water bottle at Rome Open
- More than 200 dead in Afghanistan flash floods: UN
- Hundreds evacuated from Ukraine border after Russian offensive
- Israel strikes Gaza as US report criticises war conduct
- French art group uses brainwaves and AI to recreate landscapes
- Nuggets, Pacers claw back in NBA conference semi-finals
- Lomachenko unruffled by brash Kambosos ahead of world title fight
- Eurovision in Gaza's shadow as Israel competes in final
- No.1 Scheffler prepares to face fatherhood as PGA looms
- Scheffler sizzles ahead of PGA as Koepka, McIlroy eye major win
- China consumer prices rise at faster rate in April
- Nembhard the hero as Pacers down Knicks to claw back in series
- US slams Israel's use of American weapons in Gaza
- Pyongyang to deploy new multiple rocket launcher this year: KCNA
- For some residents of Mexico's Cancun, beach seems world away
- Zendaya: a superstar, not a challenger
- First 'extreme' solar storm in 20 years brings spectacular auroras
- Sagstrom shares LPGA lead with Zhang but Korda lurks
- Train crash in Argentine capital sends nearly 60 to hospitals
- Gotterup grabs lead at PGA Myrtle Beach Classic
- 'Hell' is even more real in this year's MLS Ohio derby
- Schauffele grabs four-stroke lead at PGA's storm-hit Wells Fargo
- Spurs boss Postecoglou won't give up on Champions League ambition
- Guardiola expects Man City to be pitch perfect against Fulham
- European stock markets hit records as Dow rises for 8th straight day
- Girona's Liga runner-up hopes hit by draw at Alaves
- Brest draw opens door for Lille in Champions League race
- Bath edge closer to Premiership play-offs as Russell returns
- Powerful solar storm pummels Earth, threatening disruption
- Rovanpera leads Portugal Rally after see-saw day
- Endrick in Brazil's Copa America squad but no Neymar
- Djokovic bottle strike overshadows Rome Open cruise past Moutet
- Train crash in Argentine capital leaves 30 injured
- Pandemic talks extended as deadline passes
- Yellen urges action to curb US mortgage market risks
- Paris museum files complaint over MeToo graffiti on nude painting
- Flash floods kill 62 in one day in north Afghanistan
- Record-equalling partnership takes Gujarat to victory over Chennai in IPL
- US giving Ukraine $400 mn in new military aid
- Djokovic struck with bottle from stands after winning Rome opener
- Musk says Tesla charger network will grow, days after layoffs
- 'Gave his youth for us': Hundreds mourn iconic Ukrainian soldier
- Oscars Academy, at pivotal point, launches $500 mn fundraising drive
- Row over Israel's Eurovision slot overshadows run-up to final
- Djokovic cruises past sorry Moutet in Rome opener
- Chopra falls short in Doha, Bednarek blitzes before Olympics
- Mbappe confirms he will leave PSG at end of season
Kenya flood death toll since March climbs to 70
The number of people killed in floods in Kenya due to heavier than usual rainfall since the start of the monsoon in March has risen to 70, a government spokesperson said Friday.
Kenya and other countries in East Africa -- a region highly vulnerable to climate change -- have been pounded by heavier than usual rainfall in recent weeks, compounded by the El Nino weather pattern.
El Nino is a naturally occurring climate pattern typically associated with increased heat worldwide, leading to drought in some parts of the world and heavy rains elsewhere.
"The official tally of fellow Kenyans who regrettably have lost their lives due to the flooding situation now stands at 70 lives," government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said on X, after torrential rains killed more than a dozen people in the capital Nairobi this week.
Mwaura said the government would issue a "comprehensive brief" following a meeting with the national emergency response committee after the extreme weather caused chaos across Nairobi this week, blocking roads and engulfing homes in slum districts.
Kenyans have been warned to stay on alert, with the forecast for more heavy rains across the country in coming days as the monsoon batters East Africa.
At least 155 people have died in neighbouring Tanzania due to flooding and landslides.
Tanzania Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said Thursday that more than 200,000 people had been affected by the disaster, with 155 fatalities and 236 people injured.
He said homes, property, crops and infrastructure such as roads, bridges, railways and schools had been damaged or destroyed.
- Regional destruction -
In Burundi, one of the poorest countries on the planet, around 96,000 people have been displaced by months of relentless rains, the United Nations and the government said this month.
Meanwhile, the UN humanitarian response agency, OCHA, said in an update this week that in Somalia, the seasonal Gu rains from April to June are intensifying, with flash floods reported since April 19.
It said four people had been reportedly killed and more than 800 people affected or displaced nationwide.
Uganda has also suffered heavy storms that have caused riverbanks to burst, with two fatalities confirmed and several hundred villagers displaced.
Late last year, more than 300 people died in torrential rains and floods in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, just as the region was trying to recover from its worst drought in four decades that left millions of people hungry.
From October 1997 to January 1998, massive flooding caused more than 6,000 deaths in five countries in the region.
P.Anderson--BTB