International News
Trump Nears Historic Comeback As Republicans Sweep Key Swing States
Following Tuesday’s high-stakes election, former President Donald Trump appears set to return to the White House, with Republicans also on track to secure majorities in both the House and Senate.
Trump’s victories in key battleground states, including Georgia and North Carolina, have moved him closer to the 270 electoral votes required to win the presidency.
READ ALSO: Sustainability: Dangote Eyes Planting 10,000 Mangrove Trees In Nigeria
As of early Wednesday, his lead continues to grow as ballots are counted and media outlets project his advantage across crucial states.
For the third election in a row, the American electorate remains nearly evenly divided over Trump’s polarizing presence.
The race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris has narrowed in several pivotal states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
These three states, which were critical in both Trump’s 2016 victory and President Joe Biden’s win in 2020, once again look poised to determine the outcome.
Current vote patterns in the Rust Belt indicate that Trump may be on the verge of flipping these states back into the Republican column.
In 2016, his victories in these industrial regions disrupted the Democratic “Blue Wall” that had held for six consecutive elections from 1992 to 2012, with a razor-thin margin of about 80,000 votes across the three states.
Four years later, Biden reclaimed them for the Democrats by roughly 260,000 votes.
This time, early returns suggest the Rust Belt may swing back to Trump, bolstered by his renewed support in rural and exurban areas where culturally conservative, non-college-educated white voters continue to dominate.
If Trump holds on to his leads in North Carolina and Georgia and secures Arizona, his path to victory becomes all but certain with just one of the three Rust Belt states tipping in his favor.
Should he succeed, he would become only the second president in U.S. history—following Grover Cleveland in the late 1800s—to lose the presidency and regain it in a later election.
Results as of midnight highlight ongoing trends familiar to Trump’s base and Harris’s supporters alike.
Trump is building strong numbers in smaller towns, rural areas, and exurban counties, while Harris has captured significant—albeit, in some places, diminished—support in affluent, diverse suburbs around Philadelphia, Detroit, and Milwaukee.
A new factor this year is Trump’s modest gains among Black and Latino voters, particularly men, according to exit polls from Edison Research.
These shifts are evident in the former “Blue Wall” states as well as in other key regions.
The overall election landscape, despite Trump’s unique role, underscores the historical challenge of retaining the White House when an outgoing president leaves with low approval ratings.
Since World War II, the White House has often flipped to the opposite party in similar situations, as occurred in 1952, 1968, and 2008.
While popular presidents have not always guaranteed a win for their successors, historically unpopular leaders have presented significant barriers to their parties.
International News
Turkish Model Arrested Over Plan To Sleep With 100 Men In 24 Hours
A 23-year-old Turkish OnlyFans model, Ezra Vandan, also known as Azranur AV, has been detained in Istanbul for publicly announcing her plan to engage in sexual activity with 100 men within 24 hours.
The announcement, made on social media, sparked outrage and led to her arrest by the Istanbul Security Branch Directorate’s Morality Bureau.
Vandan had shared her intentions on January 14, 2025, posting a photo of herself in red lingerie with the caption: “My goal is to break a Turkish record first, then a world record! I’m starting with 100 men in 24 hours.”
She reportedly planned to live-stream the event, which was widely criticised as “obscene” and “damaging to societal morals.”
- READ MORE:
How Trump Plans To Grow American Economy By $1 Trillion Daily
According to reports, the post drew the attention of authorities, who initiated an investigation and apprehended her while she awaited a cosmetic surgery operation in Atasehir. Footage captured her being escorted down the stairs of a hospital by female officers, her wrists bound behind her.
In a controversial twist, Vandan allegedly uploaded a revealing image taken during her arrest by a police officer, captioning it, “I had the photo taken by one of the officers, he didn’t object much.”
Her husband, Pedram Behdar Vandan, 25, was also briefly detained but later released.
The Istanbul 6th Criminal Judgeship of Peace has charged Vandan with obscenity, resisting an officer on duty, and slander, stating that her actions and posts were “damaging to moral values” and “provocative to society.”
Defending herself in court, Vandan argued that her posts were personal and did not harm anyone. “I do not deserve to be judged,” she said.
The case has reignited debates in Turkey about personal freedom and societal values.
International News
Train Accident In Maharashtra Claims 11 Lives After Panic Over Fire Alarm
Eleven passengers tragically lost their lives on Wednesday in Maharashtra, India, after jumping off a moving train amid fears of a fire, only to be struck by an oncoming train.
The incident occurred in Jalgaon district, approximately 400 kilometres from Mumbai, and has once again highlighted safety issues in India’s extensive railway network, which serves millions of passengers daily.
Ayush Prasad, a senior district official, confirmed the fatalities and stated that five other passengers are receiving medical treatment. “People were run over by a train,” he said, without clarifying if the fire alarm was genuine or false.
READ MORE: NCC Approves 50% Tariff Increase On Phone Calls, Data, SMS
According to a spokesperson for Indian Railways, the chaos began when someone activated the “alarm chain” on the Mumbai-bound train, prompting several passengers to disembark. Tragically, they were struck by a train traveling in the opposite direction.
India’s interior minister, Amit Shah, expressed his grief over the incident, saying, “Deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this accident.” Maharashtra’s chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, described the tragedy as “deeply disturbing” and said he was “deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives” in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Despite efforts to modernise the railway infrastructure with a $30 billion investment aimed at improving safety and connectivity, accidents remain a significant concern. Official records indicate that an average of 20,000 people died annually in rail-related accidents between 2017 and 2021.
In 2023, one of the country’s deadliest rail disasters claimed nearly 300 lives when a passenger train collided with a stationary goods train, leading to further collisions.
India continues to grapple with balancing its rapid economic growth with ensuring the safety of its ageing railway network.
International News
WHO Expresses Regret Over US’ Withdrawal
The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed regret on Tuesday over the decision by President Donald Trump’s administration to withdraw the United States from the global health body.
WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic addressed the media, stating, “The World Health Organization regrets the announcement that the United States of America intends to withdraw from the organisation.
“We hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe.”
The move comes after Trump, on his first day back in the White House, signed an executive order initiating the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO, citing dissatisfaction with the organization’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and its failure to implement necessary reforms.
He also criticized the alleged political influence over the WHO. “That’s a big one,” Trump said, referring to his previous attempt to exit the organization in 2020, which was blocked by President Joe Biden in 2021.
Public health experts have sharply criticized the decision. Dr. Ashish Jha, former White House COVID-19 response coordinator, called the move a “strategic error,” warning that it could potentially increase China’s influence in global health matters.
READ ALSO: CSR: Dangote Awards Scholarships To 473 Students
Lawrence Gostin, a professor at Georgetown University, labeled the decision as “a cataclysmic presidential decision,” adding that it undermines both world health efforts and U.S. leadership on the global stage.
In response, China reiterated its support for the WHO.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Guo Jiakun, emphasized, “The role of the WHO should only be strengthened, not weakened. China will, as always, support the WHO in fulfilling its responsibilities… and work towards building a shared community of health for humanity.”