• Current President Emmerson Mnangagwa

Zimbabwe’s upper house of parliament has approved a bill to extend presidential terms from five to seven ‌years, which will allow current President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain in office until 2030.

75 senators voted in favour of the draft legislation while four voted against it, above a threshold needed for a two-thirds ⁠majority.

The bill, which also includes a provision for the president to be elected by parliament rather than by direct popular vote, will become law when Mnangagwa signs it.

Evidence that 83 years old Mnangagwa wanted to stay in power beyond the end of his second term in 2028 emerged about two years ago, when his supporters started ‌chanting ⁠slogans at ZANU-PF rallies that he needed more time to complete his agenda.The ruling party last year resolved to change the constitution to prolong presidential terms, and the plan ⁠received cabinet backing in February.President Mnangagwa came to power after a 2017 military coup ousted longtime leader Robert Mugabe, who had been ⁠in power since independence in 1980.

Critics say the bill is a ruse for Mnangagwa to stay in ⁠power for longer, though its backers say it will strengthen accountability and foster political stability.

Photo: The wall of a building is seen partly damaged following an earthquake in Hachinohe, Aomori prefecture northern Japan, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (Kyodo News via AP)

A powerful earthquake struck off Japan’s northern coast on Thursday, the meteorological agency said.

The quake — off the eastern coast of the Iwate prefecture — had a magnitude of 7.2, upgraded from an initial reading of 6.9, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The quake had a depth of about 50 kilometers (30 miles), it said.

The U.S. Geological Survey also reported the quake, giving its magnitude as 6.9.

The temblor occurred in an area where strong earthquakes have repeatedly been reported in recent months, including one that triggered a weeklong mega-quake caution advisory in December.

Eight people were injured in northern prefectures of Aomori and Iwate, mainly from falling or being hit by falling objects, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.

The quake also mildly shook Tokyo, where Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters that her government’s emergency team is “putting people’s lives first,” while assessing information and preparing for relief operations, if needed

Image credit : Associated Press (AP)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — At least 164 people have died and 971 were injured after a pair of powerful quakes rocked Venezuela, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said Thursday.

Wednesday evening’s 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes were among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century and could be felt throughout the region.

Buildings were evacuated in places as far away as Brazil’s Amazon, about 1,700 kilometers (1,050 miles) from Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.

Footage on state TV showed three children, covered in dust but alive, pulled from the rubble in La Guaira state, which Rodríguez described as a “disaster zone” and one of the areas hardest hit by the quakes because of the large number of collapsed buildings.

Rodríguez said authorities were shifting rescue teams from other parts of the country to La Guaira, which sits north of Caracas on the coast.

She said officials were trying to make the most of the daylight hours to speed up efforts to rescue people believed to remain trapped under the rubble.