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JUST IN: Mozambique opposition leader returns from self-exile, declares self President Elect

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Mozambique opposition leader Venancio Mondlane returned from self-exile on Thursday, defiantly claiming to have won a hotly contested October election, but security forces later used tear gas to disperse supporters who had gathered to greet him.

The disputed Oct. 9 poll, which Mondlane says was rigged, has sparked demonstrations over the past few months in which hundreds of protesters have been killed in the southern African nation of 35 million.

“My return does not result from any political agreement. My return is a unilateral decision to be in Mozambique,” he told reporters at Maputo airport upon his return.

“I’m here to prove that I didn’t leave Mozambique out of fear,” he said, ending a period of exile that began a few days after the vote, when Mondlane had said his life was in danger.

Mondlane’s return could further exacerbate protests which have continued sporadically since the electoral commission declared victory in mid-October for the candidate of the ruling Frelimo party, extending its half-century in power.

The official winner of the presidential vote, Daniel Chapo, is to be sworn in next week, another potential flashpoint in Mozambique’s political crisis.

Chapo and Frelimo deny accusations of electoral fraud.Mondlane reiterated his view that he was the true winner of the election, despite officially only securing 20% of the vote.

“I, Venancio Mondlane, (am the) president elected by the Mozambicans,” he said at the terminal, holding a Bible.

Not by the Constitutional Council, not by the national commission of elections, but by the genuine will of the people”.

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International

Death toll in Spain rail crash reaches 64, injures 80

More than 500 passengers were travelling on the trains involved in today’s collision, the spokesperson for the regional government says.

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At least 64 people have been killed, officials say, after a Spanish high-speed train collided with another train south of the capital Madrid, killed 64 passengers and injured 80.

The updated death toll makes the rail disaster the country’s worst since 2013, when 80 people died after a train derailed in north-western Spain.

More than 500 passengers were travelling on the trains involved in today’s collision, the spokesperson for the regional government says.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says he is “shocked by the serious train accident” and is in constant contact with the transport minister.

Rail operator Adif says the incident occurred between a Renfe train and another of the Iryo company, which covers the Madrid to Seville route”

It was a catastrophe” – a 17-year-old, who was travelling on one of the trains, tells a Spanish broadcaster there was “chaos” at the scene

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Luxury cruise passengers stranded in Cambodia due to soaring fuel costs

Global fuel prices have soared since the Iran war started earlier this year. The ship’s operator said the monthly fuel cost per cabin in parts of Asia has risen to as much as $8,000 (£6,000) from $1,800.

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•Villa Vie Voyage ship

A luxury cruise ship on a years-long voyage around the world said it suspended operations due to extraordinarily high fuel costs, leaving over 200 passengers stranded in Cambodia.

The US-based operator of the Villa Vie Odyssey said it was working with passengers on disembarkation plans and “temporary living arrangements”.

According to the BBC, the nearly 200m (656ft) vessel departed Belfast in October 2024 for a “continuous voyage around the world”.

Global fuel prices have soared since the Iran war started earlier this year. The ship’s operator said the monthly fuel cost per cabin in parts of Asia has risen to as much as $8,000 (£6,000) from $1,800.

Villa Vie Residences said it had taken “significant steps to reduce fuel consumption, including slowing the itinerary and spending more time in port”. But those measures turned out to be insufficient to “offset the extraordinary increase in fuel costs”

“Passing the full increase on to residents is not a realistic solution,” it said.The company would spend the next 60 days on “restructuring and recapitalisation”, though “no outcome is assured”, it said.

There were reportedly around 200 passengers on board when they were ordered to disembark in the Cambodian port city of Sihanoukville, a once sleepy beach town that has gained global notoriety in recent years as a hub for Chinese casinos and scam centres.

The Villa Vie Odyssey’s voyage was expected to span 3.5 years and cover nearly 150 countries, according to its website.

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Brazil’s Lula Wins Fourth Term In Presidential Runoff

Flávio Bolsonaro rejected the runoff result, describing it as “inexplicable” and calling for the election to be annulled.

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Brazil’s left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won a fourth term in office after defeating right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro in a closely fought presidential runoff.

The 80-year-old secured just under 52 per cent of the vote, overturning Bolsonaro’s first-round lead in a surprise victory that runs against a wider shift towards right-wing leadership across Latin America.

Addressing cheering supporters in São Paulo, Lula thanked voters for what he described as their defence of Brazilian democracy.

The victory follows a bitter election campaign between the veteran left-wing leader and Bolsonaro, whose father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a prison sentence under house arrest for plotting a coup after losing the previous presidential election.

Flávio Bolsonaro rejected the runoff result, describing it as “inexplicable” and calling for the election to be annulled.

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