Category Archives: SECURITY

At least 50 people killed in accidents on the same highway in Ghazni province between Kabul and southern Kandahar city. Two bus crashes in central Afghanistan have killed at least 50 people and injured dozens more, according to officials. The accidents took place on the same highway in Ghazni province between the capital, Kabul, and southern Kandahar city late on Wednesday, provincial head of information and culture Hamidullah Nisar said on X on Thursday. In the first, a passenger bus collided with a fuel tanker near Shahbaz village in central Ghazni. In the other accident, a bus hit a truck in the eastern district of Andar, Nisar said. Hafiz Omar, a spokesman for the governor of Ghazni province, said 50 people were killed in the accidents. Taliban chief government spokesman

Staff Reporter PRESIDENT Nangolo Mbumba has officially commissioned two brand new medium transport aircraft, known as Y-9E, into the service of the Namibian Air Force. “The acquisition of these Medium Transport Aircraft will go a long way in improving and enhancing the Namibian Defence Force’s operational capacity and readiness to respond at short notice to any situation that might require the involvement of our soldiers, both during peacetime and wartime emergencies,” President Mbumba said. He revealed that the aircraft were built to the Namibian Defence Force’s specifications by the China Aeronautic Technology and Import Corporation (CATIC) in the People’s Republic of China, highlighting this as a symbol of the longstanding partnership and friendship between the two nations. “Namibia values its all-weather friendship with the People’s Republic of China. Therefore, the

Judicial Integrity at Stake: The Controversy Over Former President Dr. Edgar Lungu’s 2026 Eligibility By Thandiwe Ketis Ngoma The debate around former President Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu’s eligibility to contest in the 2026 elections has reignited deep divisions within Zambia’s political and legal landscape. UPND sympathizers have repeatedly argued that it is the Constitution—and not President Hakainde Hichilema (HH)—that has barred Dr. Lungu from seeking a return to office. However, this narrative does not hold water when examined against the backdrop of the Constitutional Court’s precedents and the suspicious circumstances surrounding this latest ruling. The Constitutional Court’s Previous Rulings on Dr. Lungu’s Eligibility The Constitutional Court, Zambia’s ultimate authority on constitutional matters, had on several occasions unequivocally ruled that Dr. Lungu was eligible to run for office. These rulings were

At this stage, no suspects have been arrested, with police “continuing investigative efforts to identify suspects involved in the smuggling.” By ELI ASHKENAZI DECEMBER 15, 2024 09:32 The Lebanese hashish seized by the police in northern Israel. (photo credit: via walla!) Police seized some 7.3 kg. of Lebanese hashish in Israel’s Upper Galilee area, amounting to the sum of NIS 378,000.  At this stage, no suspects have been arrested, and the police refrained from making any accusations. Given the recent events on the northern border, there is a possibility that the smugglers may be IDF soldiers.  Amal Aazam, a police officer at the Safed police station, said that the operation came as a result of intelligence information, with police “continuing investigative efforts to identify suspects involved in the smuggling.” Lebanese

Pope Francis’ one-day visit to the French island of Corsica on Sunday, two days before his 88th birthday, will put a dual focus on the Mediterranean, highlighting local traditions of popular piety on the one hand and migrant deaths and wars on the other. The visit to Corsica’s capital Ajaccio, birthplace of Napoleon, will be one of the briefest of his papacy beyond Italy’s borders, just about nine hours on the ground, including a 40-minute visit with French President Emmanuel Macron. It is the first papal visit to the island, which Genoa ceded to France in 1768 and is located closer to the Italian mainland than France. Papa Francescu, the pope’s name in Corsican, will address more than 400 participants at the Conference on Popular Religiosity in the Mediterranean, organised

Reuters The US has made “direct contact” with the HTS rebels who now control Syria after toppling the Assad regime, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said. It is the first acknowledgement of direct American contact with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which the US currently still designates as a terrorist organisation. Blinken was speaking in Jordan after talks with representatives from several Arab countries, Turkey and Europe to discuss the future of Syria. Officials agreed to support a peaceful transition process in the country, with Jordan’s foreign minister saying that regional powers did not want to see it “descend into chaos”. A joint communique called for an inclusive Syrian government that respects the rights of minorities and does not offer a base for “terrorist groups”. The talk both inside and outside

Israeli strikes in the northern and central Gaza Strip on Wednesday killed at least 31 Palestinians, most of them in Beit Lahiya town in the north of the enclave, medics said. Health officials said an Israeli air strike on a house in Beit Lahiya killed at least 22 people, including women and children. Relatives listed the names of the dead on social media. The Palestinian news agency WAFA said at least 30 people were living in the multi-storey building before it was struck, adding that several members of the family remained missing as rescue operations continued through morning hours. The Israeli military said it was checking the report. Destroyed houses in the Nuseirat camp, central Gaza Strip. Photo: Xinhua Earlier on Wednesday, at least seven Palestinians were killed and several

The Israelis reportedly left the shop quickly but the shopkeeper was said to have followed them outside with her shovel raised. The backpackers recorded the incident. By JERUSALEM POST STAFF NOVEMBER 24, 2024 09:36 A shopkeeper at Flinders Tobacco, Queensland, Australia, calls a customer a ‘dirty f***ing Jew’ outside the shop. November 23, 2024. (Credit: Anti-Defamation Commission) Two Israeli backpackers visiting Townsville, in Queensland, Australia, were subjected to an antisemitic verbal attack on Saturday by a local tobacco shop worker, the Anti-Defemation Commission (ADC) reported on Sunday.  The ADC is an Australian civil rights organization that combats antisemitism and other forms of hate. It was established in 1979 and now works to bridge communities, collect data on antisemitism and other biases, and respond to incidents of discrimination. As the two

The NGOs want the Netherlands to ban the export and transit of weapons, weapon parts, and dual-use items to Israel. Pro-Palestinian organisations have taken the Dutch state to court, urging a halt to arms exports to Israel and accusing the government of failing to prevent what they termed a “genocide” in Gaza. They argue that the Netherlands, a staunch ally of Israel, has a legal obligation to do everything in its power to stop violations of international law and the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention, in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. “Today, the plaintiffs are here to hold the Dutch state accountable for failing to comply with international law by failing to intervene against violations of the rights of the Palestinian people committed by the state of

Washington’s provision of advanced boat drones to Manila will act as “a force multiplier” for the Philippine Navy, analysts say, allowing the US to enhance its ally’s surveillance and operational capabilities in the South China Sea while avoiding direct provocations that could escalate Beijing’s territorial challenges. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that the US government has given the Philippine Navy an undisclosed number of unmanned surface vessels (USVs) for its operations in the West Philippine Sea – Manila’s term for the parts of the South China Sea that lie within its exclusive economic zone and the Kalayaan Island Group in the Spratlys – on Tuesday during a two-day visit to the Philippines . He promised that “many more” would be delivered before the end of the Biden administration. “We

Parliament was briefly suspended as people in the gallery joined in, and shouting drowned out others in the chamber. By REUTERS NOVEMBER 21, 2024 05:07 People march to the parliament in protest of the Treaty Principles Bill, in Wellington, New Zealand, November 19, 2024. (photo credit: REUTERS/Lucy Craymer)  New Zealand’s parliament was briefly suspended on Thursday after Maori members staged a haka to disrupt the vote on a contentious bill that would reinterpret a 184-year-old treaty between the British and Indigenous Maori. First signed in 1840 between the British Crown and more than 500 Maori chiefs, the Treaty of Waitangi lays down how the two parties agreed to govern. The interpretation of clauses in the document still guides legislation and policy today. Rulings by the courts and a separate Maori

An overwhelming majority of Southeast Asian elites prefer the Asean bloc to lead the region, especially as issues such as China ’s assertive actions in South China Sea tensions strain relations with Beijing, according to a new study. The findings come from the study, “Elite Perceptions of a China-Led Regional Order in Southeast Asia” by National University of Singapore political science professors Selina Ho and Terence Lee. The study surveyed nearly 600 politicians, business leaders, diplomats, bureaucrats, and experts from Indonesia , Malaysia , the Philippines , Singapore , Thailand , and Vietnam as “they are directly responsible for formulating their countries’ foreign policy.” Respondents said that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( Asean ) was the most influential entity in the region, followed by China and then the

Ukraine said the nuclear-capable missile had targeted the central city of Dnipro, and while Russia declined to confirm. Kyiv on Thursday accused Russia of launching a non-nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine in what would mark the first-ever use of the weapon in combat and a sharp escalation of the conflict. Ukraine said the nuclear-capable missile had targeted the central city of Dnipro, and while the Kremlin declined to confirm it had launched the strike, it said it was doing everything possible to avoid a nuclear escalation. The Russian missile barrage on the industrial city, which authorities said had injured two people, is only the latest escalation since Ukraine fired Western-supplied long-range missiles on Russia this month. The Ukrainian air force said in a statement that Russia had launched several

Police in KwaZulu-Natal fatally wounded three hijacking suspects in a shoot-out in Mariannhill. South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson in the province, Colonel Robert Netshiunda, said the trio had just hijacked a Hyundai H1, loaded with home appliances on Wednesday. “Police intelligence traced the hijacked vehicle to the Klaarwater hostel in Mariannhill and information indicated that the suspects were loading the hijacked goods into a bakkie,” Netshiunda said. He said when police approached the area they spotted the identified bakkie and signalled for the driver to stop, however, the driver chose to ignore police’s instructions and sped off and police gave chase. “During the high speed vehicle chase, the suspects started firing shots at the police and a shoot-out ensued. The suspect’s vehicle came to a standstill at the corner