hundreds

Opposition party Chadema said that its deputy secretary-general, Amani Golugwa, was arrested early on Saturday.

Police in Tanzania have arrested a senior opposition official after more than 200 people were charged with treason over a wave of protests against last month’s general election.

Opposition party Chadema said that its deputy secretary-general, Amani Golugwa, was arrested early on Saturday. He is the third senior Chadema official in detention, after leader Tundu Lissu and deputy leader John Heche were arrested before the October 29 vote.

The arrest comes a day after more than 200 people were charged with treason for alleged involvement in the protests triggered by the disputed election.

Lawyer Peter Kibatala told the news agency AFP that more than 250 people “were arraigned in three separate cases … and they’re all charged with two sets of offences.”

“The first set of offences is a conspiracy to commit treason. And the second set of offences is treason itself,” he said.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who took office in 2021 after the death of her predecessor, won the poll with 98 percent of the vote, according to the electoral commission, but Chadema has branded the election a “sham”.

It said in a statement on X that the government intended to “cripple the Party’s leadership” and “paralyse its operations”, adding that police were now targeting “lower levels”, with some being “forced to confess to organising demonstrations”.

Police confirmed the arrest of Golugwa and nine other people in connection with an investigation into the unrest, which saw security forces launch a crackdown on protesters.

“The police force, in collaboration with other defence and security agencies, is continuing a serious manhunt,” the police said in a statement, adding that Chadema’s Secretary-General John Mnyika and the party’s head of communications, Brenda Rupia, were on its wanted list.

High death toll

Protests erupted on October 29 in the cities of Dar-es-Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza and Mbeya, as well as several regions across the country, police said in Saturday’s statement, laying out the extent of the unrest for the first time.

The authorities have so far declined to release the death toll.

The Catholic Church in Tanzania has said that hundreds of people were killed. Chadema has claimed that more than 1,000 people were killed and that security forces had hidden bodies to cover up the scale of the brutality.

The Kenya Human Rights Commission, a watchdog group in the neighbouring country, asserted in a statement on Friday that 3,000 people were killed, with thousands still missing.

The commission provided a link to pictorial evidence in its possession showing many victims “bore head and chest gunshot wounds, leaving no doubt these were targeted killings, not crowd-control actions”.

The African Union said this week that the election “did not comply with AU principles, normative frameworks, and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections.”

AU observers reported ballot stuffing at several polling stations, and cases where voters were issued multiple ballots.

Single-party rule has been the norm in Tanzania since the advent of multiparty politics in 1992. But Hassan is accused of ruling with an iron fist that does not tolerate opposition.

Hotels are one of the priciest parts of a holiday, with UK travellers now spending around £92 per night on domestic overnight trips on average. But there’s a way to save money

If you’re planning a holiday, it’s always a bonus to save some money. The costs can quickly mount up between flights, accommodation and of course, activities.

However, there’s a brilliant way to book your hotel that could save you hundreds. Hotels are often the most expensive part of a holiday, with UK travellers now spending around £92 per night on average for domestic overnight trips.

If you’re staying in a big city, that cost can soar even higher.

Take London, for instance, where recent industry data shows average room rates nearing the £200-a-night mark.

But experts at Webpop design have shared a simple trick that could save your hard-earned cash.

Once you’ve decided where you want to book, clear your browser cookies and cache or use a private window, then search again, reports the Express.

The price you find could be significantly lower.

This is because booking sites use dynamic pricing and tailor your results based on what they know you’re looking for.

By clearing your cache and cookies, you give yourself a fresh start to search from, free from dynamic pricing.

There are also certain times of day which are better for booking holidays – for example, Tuesdays are likely to offer lower prices. This is because the weekend rush is over, and there is often more availability.

Sites will also be keen to fill any remaining slots quickly. And booking sites are eager to fill up their remaining hotel stays – fast.

If you’re flexible with your travel dates, consider booking your stay from Sunday to Thursday. You’ll avoid the weekend price hikes and likely snag a bargain.

So if you don’t mind missing out on a weekend in your dream destination, aim to book your accommodation during these days.

Israel is holding a record 360 Palestinian children from the occupied West Bank in its prisons, many without charge or trial, in what rights groups call a system of control and abuse. Families say the detentions, marked by torture and neglect, are meant to crush Palestinians.

Tuesday’s protest comes nearly two years after violent anti-immigration riots broke out in central Dublin.

At least 1,000 protesters have clashed with police in southwest Dublin, throwing bottles and launching fireworks at authorities during anti-immigration demonstrations sparked by allegations of an attack on a young girl.

Protesters came out in droves after a report that a 26-year-old man had sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl on the grounds of the Citywest Hotel, which houses asylum applicants in Saggart, southwest of the Irish capital.

The unnamed man, who appeared in court on Tuesday, was charged in connection with the sexual assault.

Local media reported that the man, who asked for a Romanian interpreter in court, was an asylum seeker. Police have not confirmed his ethnicity.

The young girl was reportedly under the care of the state at the time of the incident. Tusla, Ireland’s child and family agency, said the girl “absconded” during a trip to the city centre and was reported missing.

The protests, held near the grounds of the hotel on Tuesday, turned violent, with anti-immigrant protesters launching fireworks at police, carrying signs that read “Irish lives matter”, and chanting, “Get them out!”

A police van was set on fire as officers charged at protesters, using pepper spray to push them away from the hotel complex, the news agency AFP reported.

“The weaponising of a crime by people who wish to sow dissent in our society is not unexpected,” Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said in response to the protests. “This is unacceptable and will result in a forceful response.”

Earlier in the day, Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said the events were “extremely serious and very, very grave”.

Tuesday’s protests come nearly two years after riots broke out in central Dublin in November 2023, after three children were injured in a knife attack outside a school. At the time, police identified the suspect as a man in his 50s from Algeria.

A far-right mob, comprised of at least 100 people, took to the streets of Dublin in the aftermath of the stabbing, torching vehicles and attacking riot police. Some were armed with metal bars and had their faces covered.

Police said that more than 400 officers, including many in riot gear, were deployed to contain the unrest, which they said was “caused by a small group of thugs”. At least thirty-four people were arrested following the rampage.

While Ireland is unique in that it has no far-right members of Parliament, Ireland and the United Kingdom have seen rising anti-immigration sentiment in recent years. Anti-immigration protests across Northern Ireland in June escalated into clashes with police.

Those protests began in Ballymena, a town of about 31,000 people, located 40km (25 miles) northwest of the city of Belfast, when two Romanian 14-year-old boys were arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a teenage girl.

During that unrest, hundreds of masked rioters attacked police and set buildings and cars on fire.

NESTLED in the Northumberland countryside is a pretty village that dates back to the second century.

It has Roman roots, and looks like it goes back years thanks to its stone buildings and nearby historical ruins.

The village of Corbridge is 16 miles out of Newcastle and it caught the attention of The Times last year, all thanks to its high street.

The publication ranked it as number four in its list of seven loveliest high streets in the UK, praising its unique independent shops and cafés.

It said: “If you’re visiting this postcard-pretty Northumberland town to indulge one of these niche interests, the good news is there’s a fantastic high street too.

“Try Baby at the Bank for cute kidswear, sold in a former bank (babyatthebank.co.uk); or there’s RE for furniture (“an eclectic mix of the raRE, REmarkable, REcycled, REscued and REstored”; re-foundobjects.com) and Corbridge Larder, where you can stock up on fine local foods — chutneys, pies, cakes — after taste-testing them in the adjoining café (corbridgelarder.co.uk).

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“The Angel of Corbridge, built in 1569, is a lovely pub with rooms, moments from St Andrew’s Church and Market Place — the venue for many of the above events.”

Lots of the shops are independent, and there are lots of beauticians, hairdressers, cafés, restaurants, pubs and delis.

Part of the village’s charm is thanks to its buildings with stone exteriors that give it an old English look.

But Corbridge does itself have a rich history dating back to the Roman period.

On the outskirts of the village is the famous Hadrian’s Wall where visitors can walk on the original surface of its Roman main street.

The museum has artefacts like the Corbridge Hoard, which is a Roman time capsule that was buried in the 2nd century AD.

The site of Hadrian’s Wall is managed by English Heritage and is open daily, 10am – 5pm. Tickets for adults start from £12.70 and children from £7.70.

There’s the Steam Rally which annually takes place in the summertime, where there’s over 700 exhibits of steam engines, vintage cars, and tractors.

There’s also a bar, fairground, live music and food stalls.

It holds A Midsummer’s Evening in Corbridge which has market stalls, street food, live music, dance and late night shopping.

Each year on the first Monday in December, the village hosts Christmas in Corbridge with carol singing, food stalls and late night shopping.

To get to Corbridge, the best link is up to Newcastle then jump on the Tyne Valley Line to the village which takes just under 40 minutes.

Plus, there’s read more on the tiny pretty village in ‘trending’ English county that has its own castle and beach.

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And a historic English town in Northumberland that used to be a city and is now one of the happiest places to live.

Here’s The Times’ list of the seven loveliest UK high streets…

1. Lymington, Hampshire
2. Narberth, Pembrokeshire
3. North Berwick, East Lothian
4. Corbridge, Northumberland
5. Greenwich, London
6. Royal Hillsborough, Co Down
7. Stamford, Lincolnshire