Comment on Syrian lawmaker is first to announce his candidacy in presidential elections

Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf resigned on Monday ahead of a vote of no confidence on Wednesday that appeared he would lose. His resignation comes little more than a year after he took up the post, becoming the first non-white and first Muslim leader of Scotland. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Read More: Meet the New Face of Scotland “I cannot tell you what an honour it is being the first minister of the country I love, the country I’m raising my family in and the only country I will ever call home,” Yousaf said from Bute House, the official residence of the First Minister.

NAIROBI, Kenya — A dam collapsed in western Kenya early Monday, killing at least 40 people after a wall of water swept through houses and cut off a major road, police said. The Old Kijabe Dam, located in the Mai Mahiu area of the Great Rift Valley region that is prone to flash floods, collapsed and water spilled downstream, police official Stephen Kirui told The Associated Press. Ongoing rains in Kenya have caused flooding that has already killed nearly 100 people and caused the opening of schools to be postponed. Heavy rains have been pounding the country since mid-March and the Meteorology Department has warned of more rainfall. The East African region is experiencing flooding due to the heavy rains, and 155 people have reportedly died in Tanzania while more than 200,000 people are affected in neighboring Burundi. Kenya’s main airport was flooded on Saturday, forcing some flights to be diverted, as videos of a flooded runway, terminals and cargo section were shared online. More than 200,000 people across Kenya the country have been affected by the floods, with houses in flood-prone areas submerged and people seeking refuge in schools. President William Ruto had instructed the National Youth Service to provide land for use as a temporary camp for those affected.

PARIS — French media are reporting that police have summoned actor Gérard Depardieu for questioning about allegations made by two women that he sexually assaulted them on movie sets. Broadcaster BFMTV and the daily Le Parisien both reported that the 75-year-old actor was called in for police questioning in Paris on Monday. The Paris police, the Paris prosecutor’s office, Depardieu’s lawyers and a lawyer for one of the alleged victims did not immediately respond to Associated Press emails seeking comment. BFMTV and Le Parisien reported that the police summons relates to accusations of sexual assault filed by two women who accuse him of groping during filming — one in 2014, the other in 2021. Depardieu has also been accused by more than a dozen other women of harassing, groping or sexually assaulting them.

HONG KONG — A Hong Kong transgender activist on Monday received a new ID card reflecting his gender change, after a yearslong legal battle to change the document, and he vowed to continue working for equality for the LGBTQ+ community. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Henry Tse won his appeal over the government’s refusal to change the gender on his ID card in February 2023.

WASHINGTON — U. S. intelligence officials have determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin likely didn’t order the death of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny in February, according to an official familiar with the determination. While U. S. officials believe Putin was ultimately responsible for the death of Navalny, who endured brutal conditions during his confinement, the intelligence community has found “no smoking gun” that Putin was aware of the timing of Navalny’s death—which came soon before the Russian president’s reelection—or directly ordered it, according to the official. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Read More: From Beyond the Grave, Russian Dissident Alexei Navalny Challenges Vladimir Putin at the Polls The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. Soon after Navalny’s death, U.

Scotland First Minister Humza Yousaf is preparing to quit on Monday after he decided he wouldn’t survive a confidence vote, The Sunday Times reported. Senior Scottish National Party members were informed of Yousaf’s decision, made over the weekend, the newspaper said. John Swinney has been approached to become interim first minister in the event of Yousaf’s departure, though the former SNP leader is reluctant to step up because of personal reasons, the Times said. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Yousaf’s position had become increasingly tenuous after he decided to end his party’s power-sharing deal with the Greens last Thursday, saying the cooperation agreement reached after the SNP fell one seat short of a majority in the 2021 election had “served its purpose.” Read More: Exclusive: Meet the New Face of Scotland While Yousaf made clear he intends to continue to run Scotland as a minority government, the opposition Conservatives lodged a vote of no-confidence in him that was set to take place this week.