Category Archives: SECURITY

Nato is increasing its surveillance operations in the Baltic Sea region with two ships deployed to the area following the suspected sabotage of undersea cables between Finland and Estonia. The move was unveiled on Friday by Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, who called on policymakers to increase technical surveillance of the area, noting that it is impossible to monitor all submarine activity with ships. A wider presence in the area by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation has a “calming and stabilising effect and we are very pleased about the decision”, Valtonen told reporters in Helsinki. The decision comes after Finland retrieved the anchor of a tanker, Eagle S, from the seabed as it probes aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference of communications in the cable breach incident that happened in

Zorena Jantze THE bail hearing of Wentzel Maasdorp, who stands accused of murdering his domestic partner, Delia Weimers-Maasdorp, was a sombre environment, with the deceased woman seeming to speak from the grave, as the State presented texts from her journal showcasing how she struggled to end her relationship with Wentzel Maasdorp, who she claimed in her diary stole her bank cards as well as money from her purse to buy drugs. State Prosecutor Eric Naikaku also presented evidence of WhatsApp messages, provided by the State’s first witness, Raymond Lorenzo Maasdorp, the ex-husband of the deceased Weimers-Maasdorp, who is also a relative of Wentzel Maasdorp. Raymond added that he separated from the deceased in 2022, due her addiction issues and that the deceased started dating his relative Wentzel in August 2023

At least two people were killed as several fast-growing wildfires raged out of control on Wednesday near Los Angeles, destroying hundreds of buildings, scorching hillsides and prompting officials to order some 70,000 people to evacuate their homes. Fierce winds were hindering firefighting efforts and fuelling the fires, which have expanded unimpeded since they began on Tuesday. The biggest blaze has consumed more than 5,000 acres in Pacific Palisades, a picturesque neighborhood in west Los Angeles County between the beach towns of Santa Monica and Malibu that is home to many film, television and music stars. More than 1,000 structures have been destroyed, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a press conference on Wednesday. Another fire, the Eaton fire, had grown to more than 2,000 acres as it

A huge Chinese coastguard vessel was spotted sailing in contested waters last weekend, in what analysts saw as a pointed warning to the Philippines over its growing military alliance with the US. Nicknamed “the monster” for its 165-metre (180-yard) length, the world’s largest coastguard ship was spotted over the weekend near Scarborough Shoal, which China calls Huangyan Island. The shoal has long been a flashpoint in the South China Sea . Using Canada’s advanced detection technology, the Philippine coastguard tracked the Chinese vessel as it manoeuvred through the West Philippine Sea, a term Manila uses for the parts of the South China Sea within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). In a video posted by the Philippine coastguard, BRP Cabra, a Philippine patrol vessel, radioed the Chinese ship to demand that

Joburg EMS said teams received a call about an incident on corner of Guinea Fowl Street and Smew Avenue on Tuesday evening. (CityofJoburgEMS/X) One person has been rushed to hospital, while emergency rescue teams are digging through rubble searching for another, after a structure collapsed in Lenasia on Tuesday evening. Joburg EMS spokesperson Nana Radebe-Kgiba said that at around 19:45, teams received a distress call about an incident on corner of Guinea Fowl Street and Smew Avenue. “On arrival, rescue technicians managed to remove one patient from the rubble and take them to a nearby medical facility. Search and rescue is under way for the second person, who is believed to be stuck under the rubble,” she said. We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred Who

The highly decorated soldier who exploded a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas used generative AI including ChatGPT to help plan the attack, Las Vegas police said on Tuesday. Nearly a week after 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger fatally shot himself, officials said according to writings, he did not intend to kill anyone else. An investigation of Livelsberger’s searches through ChatGPT indicate he was looking for information on explosive targets, the speed at which certain rounds of ammunition would travel and whether fireworks were legal in Arizona. Kevin McMahill, sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, called the use of generative AI a “game-changer” and said the department was sharing information with other law enforcement agencies. “This is the first incident that I’m aware of on US soil

North Korea says it test-fired a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile on Monday, in a provocative display of its advancing weapons capabilities timed to coincide with a visit by Washington’s top diplomat to the region that came just days before the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump . State media heralded the test as a major milestone. Describing the missile as a cornerstone of his country’s strategic arsenal, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un boasted that it could render enemy defences ineffective. “The hypersonic missile system will reliably contain any rivals in the Pacific region that can affect the security of our state,” Kim said, according to comments carried by state-run news agency KCNA. He added that the missile demonstrated the ability to deliver a “devastating military strike” by breaching even dense

North Korea has claimed it fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead which “will reliably contain any rivals in the Pacific region”. The launch on Monday – Pyongyang’s first in two months – came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Seoul for talks with some of South Korea’s key leaders. Hypersonic weapons are more difficult to track and shoot down, as they are able to travel at more than five times the speed of sound. North Korea is claiming their missile flew 12 times the speed of sound, for about 1,500km. South Korea’s military earlier said the missile flew 1,100km before falling into the sea, adding that it “strongly condemns” this “clear act of provocation”. North Korea has previously test-fired hypersonic missiles. Pictures

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country was a “a solid ally” of US president-elect Donald Trump on Monday as he outlined his vision for global diplomacy in 2025, while warning that France could lose the incoming US leader’s respect by being “weak and defeatist”. “Donald Trump knows that he has a solid ally in France , an ally he does not underestimate, one who believes in Europe and carries a lucid ambition for the transatlantic relationship,” Macron said in a New Year speech at the Élysée Palace, emphasising France’s commitment to fostering cooperation while urging European nations to fortify their unity and resilience. “If we decide to be weak and defeatist, there is little chance we will be respected by the United States under President Trump,” Macron warned. The