Police in central Thailand said they barricaded themselves into their own station over the weekend after a menacing mob of 200 escaped monkeys ran riot in the town.

The human inhabitants of Lopburi have long suffered from a growing and aggressive monkey population and authorities have built special enclosures to contain groups of unruly residents.

But on Saturday, around 200 of the primates broke out and rampaged through town, with one posse descending on a local police station.

“We’ve had to make sure doors and windows are closed to prevent them from entering the building for food,” police captain Somchai Seedee told AFP on Monday.

He was concerned the marauders could destroy property, including police documents, he added.

Traffic cops and officers on guard duty were being called in to fend off the visitors, the Lopburi police said on Facebook on Sunday.

Around a dozen of the intruders were still perched proudly on the roof of the police station on Monday, photos from local media showed.

Down in the streets, hapless police and local authorities were working to round up rogue individuals, luring them away from residential areas with food.

While Thailand is an overwhelmingly Buddhist nation, it has long assimilated Hindu traditions and lore from its pre-Buddhist era.

As a result monkeys are afforded a special place in Thai hearts thanks to the heroic Hindu monkey god Hanuman, who helped Rama rescue his beloved wife Sita from the clutches of an evil demon king.

Thousands of the fearless primates rule the streets around the Pra Prang Sam Yod temple in the centre of Lopburi.

The town has been laying on an annual feast of fruit for its population of macaques since the late 1980s, part religious tradition and part tourist attraction.

But their growing numbers, vandalism and mob fights have made an uneasy coexistence with their human neighbours almost intolerable.

Lopburi authorities have tried quelling instances of human-macaque clashes with sterilisation and relocation programs.

President Bola Tinubu has landed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to participate in the 19th Heads of State and Government Summit of the G20.

The President arrived on Sunday at 11:03 p.m. local time (3:03 a.m. on Monday in Nigeria) and was welcomed by Ambassador Breno Costa from Brazil’s Ministry of External Relations.

He was joined by several officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar; the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha; and the Minister of Art, Tourism, Culture, and Creativity, Hannatu Musawa.

Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, and Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed, Director General of the National Intelligence Agency accompanied him.

Tinubu is anticipated to engage in bilateral discussions during the summit to further Nigeria’s socio-economic development initiatives.

Brazil’s President, Lula da Silva, is presiding over the 2024 G20 summit, having assumed the group’s rotating leadership on December 21, 2023, with his term concluding on November 30.

The summit, themed “Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet,” will center on three aspects of sustainable development—economic, social, and environmental—and the transformation of global governance systems.

It will also emphasize the increasing global temperatures and the fundamentals of the digital economy, among other topics.

The Brazilian leadership will prioritize addressing the Israel–Hamas conflict and the growing geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the outcomes of the work undertaken by the nation holding the rotating G20 presidency are typically presented at the annual summit.

Here’s the paraphrased version of the sentences:

It marks the occasion when heads of state and government endorse agreements formed over the year and outline strategies to address global issues.

NAN further notes that the Leaders’ Summit represents the culmination of the G20’s year-long efforts through Ministerial Meetings, Working Groups, and Engagement Groups, with their outcomes to be finalized at the summit.

The event will bring together 19 member nations, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, and Indonesia.

The other participating countries are Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Reflecting the summit’s theme, Da Silva outlined a three-point agenda to tackle hunger, poverty, and inequality during the event set to take place from November 18 to 19.

Tinubu is participating in the 2024 G20 summit after being invited by the organizers, who also invited representatives from the African Union and the European Union.

On August 29, the Brazilian Ambassador to Nigeria, Carlos Areias, formally invited Tinubu to the 2024 G20 summit on behalf of Da Silva while presenting his Letter of Credence.

Areias mentioned that Da Silva was eager to host Tinubu at the G20 Leaders’ Summit, highlighting food security as the primary focus of the Brazilian presidency to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030.

NAN

President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, has revealed that technology mogul Elon Musk will take on a role within the Department of Government Efficiency.

Musk will work alongside patriotic figure Vivek Ramaswamy, as the two will jointly oversee the department.

This announcement was made in a statement from Trump on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, and was posted on Musk’s X account early Wednesday.

The Republican noted that their appointments will help his administration “dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excessive regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies.”

Former President Donald Trump, 78, who won the 2024 U.S. presidential election against Vice President and Democrat Kamala Harris, stated that the department, widely known as DOGE, will collaborate with the White House and the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large-scale structural reform and create an entrepreneurial approach to government never seen before.”

The statement read, “I am pleased to announce that the great Elon Musk, working in conjunction with American patriot Vivek Ramaswamy, will lead the Department of Government Efficiency (‘DOGE’). Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excessive regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies — essential to the ‘Save America’ movement. This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in government waste, which is a lot of people!” stated Mr Musk.

“It will become, potentially, ‘The Manhattan Project’ of our time. Republican politicians have dreamed about the objectives of ‘DOGE’ for a very long time. To drive this kind of drastic change, the Department of Government Efficiency will provide advice and guidance from outside of government and will partner with the White House and the Office of Management and Budget to drive large-scale structural reform and create an entrepreneurial approach to government never seen before.”

“I look forward to Elon and Vivek making changes to the federal bureaucracy with an eye on efficiency and, at the same time, making life better for all Americans. Importantly, we will drive out the massive waste and fraud that exists throughout our annual $6.5 trillion of government spending. They will work together to liberate our economy and make the US government accountable to ‘We the People.’”

“Their work will conclude no later than 4th July 2026. A smaller government, with more efficiency and less bureaucracy, will be the perfect gift to America on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. I am confident they will succeed!”

Elon Musk, who owns the social media platform X, electric vehicle company Tesla, and internet provider Starlink, was outspoken in backing the Trump-Vance presidential campaign during the previous election.

He contributed $75 million to a pro-Trump spending organization, as reported by Reuters.

Trump’s cabinet also includes other appointed members, such as:

• Lee Zeldin — Environmental Protection Agency Administrator
• Mike Waltz — National Security Advisor
• Susie Wiles — White House Chief of Staff
• Tom Homan — Border Czar
• Elise Stefanik — Ambassador to the United Nations
• Stephen Miller — Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy

President Joe Biden called Donald Trump to congratulate him on his victory Wednesday and invited his Republican successor to hold a meeting in the “near future,” the White House said.

In his call with Trump, “President Biden expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition and emphasized the importance of working to bring the country together,” a White House statement said.

Biden also spoke with Kamala Harris and “congratulated the Vice President on her historic campaign,” the statement said, adding that the president on Thursday “will address the nation to discuss the election results and the transition.”

US Vice President Kamala Harris called Donald Trump on Wednesday to congratulate him for winning the 2024 presidential election, one of her senior aides said, following a bitter and contentious race.

Democrat Harris discussed with Trump the importance of a peaceful transfer of power and being a president for all Americans, said the aide speaking on background, confirming that Harris will deliver remarks in Washington later Wednesday.

Donald Trump has won the US presidential election, media said Wednesday, defeating Kamala Harris in a stunning political comeback that will send shock waves across the world.

The polarizing Republican’s victory, following one of the most hostile campaigns in modern US history, was all the more remarkable given an unprecedented criminal conviction, a near-miss assassination attempt, and warnings from a former chief of staff that he is a “fascist.”

“It’s a political victory that our country has never seen before,” Trump told a victory party in Florida.

Vice President Harris, who only entered the race in July after President Joe Biden dropped out, ran a centrist campaign that highlighted Trump’s inflammatory messaging and use of openly racist and sexist tropes.

But his apocalyptic warnings about immigration and championing of isolationism found their mark with voters battered by the post-Covid economy and eager for a change from the Biden years.

The campaign pointed to a nail-bitingly close contest, but the results came surprisingly fast, delivering a crushing victory that included wins in the swing states of Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Trump is the first president in more than a century to win a non-consecutive second term.He is also the only person to be elected as a convicted felon — he will face sentencing in a New York court for fraud on November 26.

Already 78, Trump is on course to break another record as the oldest-ever sitting president during his four-year term. He will surpass Biden who is set to step down in January at the age of 82.

– Impact on foreign policy –

The US dollar surged and bitcoin hit a record high while most equity markets advanced, with traders betting on a victory for Trump as the results rolled in.

But turmoil likely lies ahead.Trump’s victory comes with his promise of radical policy shifts — not just at home but also abroad, where his unrestrained isolationist and nationalist “America First” stance is likely to have enormous consequences.

He has repeatedly suggested he would end the conflict in Ukraine by pressuring Kyiv to make territorial concessions to Russia, and his threat of mass deportations of illegal immigrants has stirred deep concern in Latin America.

He also returns to the White House as a climate change denier, poised to dismantle his predecessor Biden’s green policies and jeopardize global efforts to curb human-caused warming.

Even before Trump’s stunning victory was fully confirmed, foreign leaders rushed to send congratulations.

These included longtime Trump allies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Also messaging Trump was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is predicted to see a rapid reduction in US military aid once Biden leaves office.

Zelenksy said he hoped the “impressive victory” would help his country find a “just peace.”NATO’s chief, Mark Rutte, said Trump, who has frequently expressed displeasure with the US-led alliance, would make it “strong.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined the stream of well-wishers, while French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to join Trump in working “with respect and ambition.”

– Showman’s instinct –

For all his dark promises of political revenge against enemies at home and his criticisms of longstanding allies overseas, Trump remains famously unpredictable when it comes to matching words with actions.

His campaign rallies, filled with grievance, insults and misinformation, featured extreme rhetoric.

But he won positive coverage with viral online moments that played on his everyman appeal and his showman’s instinct — like his appearance at a McDonald’s drive-thru and impromptu news conference from a garbage truck.

He campaigned on tax cuts, less regulation and the most significant increase in import tariffs in nearly a century to promote growth and boost manufacturing, despite warnings of trade wars and higher prices for US consumers.

Trump’s more mainstream messaging often became overshadowed by his tendency to lurch into foul language and violent imagery.

But that hard-charging style played well with his unfailingly loyal base, which sees him as a Washington outsider.And he gained traction with his hard-line anti-immigration message and outreach to working-class voters hit by Covid-triggered inflation.

When Harris joined the race in July, replacing Biden, she soon managed to close the yawning gap Trump had opened over the president in opinion polls.

Her message of unity, focus on abortion rights and warnings of the threat Trump posed to democracy appeared to resonate, evidenced by a huge surge in fundraising that swelled her campaign war chest way beyond her rival’s.

Ultimately, however, she fell short of what would have been a historic win as the first Black woman elected to the White House.