international news Archives - Page 11 of 13

Panic and disbelief as thousands flee Taliban onslaught in Afghanistan.

13Aug

By Nasra HusseinNo Comments

International news

Panic and disbelief as thousands flee Taliban onslaught in Afghanistan.

The UN has urged Afghanistan's neighbours to keep their borders open as the number of civilians fleeing the Taliban onslaught swells. Many of those internally displaced have been arriving in Kabul, seeing the capital as their last safe refuge. Food shortages are "dire", the World Food Programme (WFP) said. It warned of a humanitarian catastrophe. On Friday, the Taliban seized the country's second largest city Kandahar, the latest provincial capital to fall. The southern city of 600,000 people was once the Taliban's stronghold, and is strategically important as a trade hub. The insurgents also took the nearby city of Lashkar Gah and now control about a third of Afghanistan's provincial capitals. Many of those seeking safety in Kabul are sleeping on the streets. About ...

BARACK OBAMA 11th Hour Bday Cancelation SCREWING GUESTS.

5Aug

By Nasra HusseinNo Comments

Entertainment

BARACK OBAMA 11th Hour Bday Cancelation SCREWING GUESTS.

Barack Obama nixing his epic 60th birthday bash at the last minute is creating a potential nightmare for many out-of-town guests ... who might lose out on major dough. We did some digging around Martha's Vineyard -- where the shindig was supposed to go down -- and as it turns out, a bunch of hotels in the area are not issuing refunds for ObamaFest guests who had rooms booked this weekend. The reason, we've learned, is many of these hotels have strict cancelation policies -- especially at the Winnetu Oceanside Resort -- where you had to have canceled by February 1st to get any money back!!! 😩A few of these places -- like The Charlotte Inn and the Vineyard Square Hotel have a 30-day cancelation rule ... so those guests are outta luck too. Ditto for a hotel called Hob Knob (whic...

Ethiopia temporarily closes Bole airport to civilian aircraft over mist

26Jul

By Nasra HusseinNo Comments

International news

Ethiopia temporarily closes Bole airport to civilian aircraft over mist

Ethiopia has temporarily closed Bole International Airport to civilian aircraft due to bad weather. In a statement on Monday, Ethiopia airlines said all flights have been diverted to nearby airports. There was severe fog and heavy rain on Sunday overnight that forced the aviation to reroute all flights. Passengers were seen complaining about the flights as planes were orbiting at Bole International Airport. Two Ethiopian Airlines flights and one from Turkish Airlines were scheduled to land at Bole Airport could not do so over the weather. “Out of an abundance of caution, flights heading to Addis Ababa are diverting to nearby airports due to bad weather at around Bole Airport,” the airline said. “As safety is our top priority, flights to Addis Ababa are now landi...

First group of Zimbabweans to be deported from UK arrive home

23Jul

By Nasra HusseinNo Comments

International news

First group of Zimbabweans to be deported from UK arrive home

The first group among dozens of Zimbabweans slated for deportation from Britain landed in the southern African country Thursday on a charter flight. According to Harare, as many as 150 of its citizens are held in detention centres awaiting removal from the UK after being convicted of crimes. Fourteen arrived in the Zimbabwean capital on Thursday following what the UK Home Office described in a statement as "a landmark and historic agreement to return foreign national offenders". UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said the Zimbabweans "committed murder, rape and other despicable crimes." Last-minute legal challenges against the deportations delayed the removal of many among the 50 scheduled to be on the first flight. Tendai Biti, vice-president of Zimbabwe's main opposition p...

22Jul

By Nasra HusseinNo Comments

International news

Record rains kill 25 in central China

People look out at cars sitting in floodwaters after heavy rains hit the city of Zhengzhou in China's central Henan province on July 21, 2021. (Photo by STR / AFP) / China OUT The military blasted open a dam to release floodwaters threatening one of its most heavily populated provinces, as at least 25 died in torrential rains in central China. Those who died include a dozen passengers trapped in a flooded subway. The dam was blasted late Tuesday night in the city of Luoyang, just as severe flooding overwhelmed the Henan provincial capital of Zhengzhou, trapping residents in the subway system and stranding them at schools, apartments and offices. President Xi Jinping described the situation as "extremely severe" with flood control measures entering a "critical stage"...

South Africa looting: Government to deploy 25,000 troops after unrest

15Jul

By Nasra HusseinNo Comments

International news

South Africa looting: Government to deploy 25,000 troops after unrest

The South African government plans to deploy 25,000 troops after days of widespread looting and violence. The military deployment - to counter riots sparked by the jailing of former President Jacob Zuma - is the biggest since the end of apartheid. At least 72 people have died and more than 1,700 have been arrested in South Africa's worst unrest in years. Hundreds of shops and businesses have been looted and the government says it is acting to prevent food shortages. Citizens are arming themselves and forming vigilante groups to protect their property from the rampage. More than 200 incidents of looting and vandalism were recorded on Wednesday, the government said, as the number of troops deployed doubled to 5,000. But Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said she...

Libya’s stateless ethnic groups and an upcoming election

28Jun

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International news

Libya’s stateless ethnic groups and an upcoming election

Libyan expectations are high and candidates are beginning to express interest in running for the elections scheduled for December this year. These have been delayed three years following a military campaign on the capital Tripoli by renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar’s Tobruk-based government in the east. The new interim Government of National Unity (GNU) is a provisional government body that was sworn in on March 15. It was tasked to lead the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to presidential and parliamentary elections later this year. Although many Libyans are eager to take to the polls, the country’s ethnic minorities risk being overlooked in the electoral process. These include the Amazigh, Tuareg, and Tebu. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNH...

Hong Kong pro-democracy paper announces closure

23Jun

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International news

Hong Kong pro-democracy paper announces closure

Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy paper Apple Daily has announced its closure, in a blow to media freedom in the city. The tabloid's offices were raided last week over allegations that several reports had breached a controversial national security law. Police detained the chief editor and five other executives, and company-linked assets were frozen. The publication had become a leading critic of the Hong Kong and Chinese leadership. The digital version of the 26-year old paper will no longer be updated after midnight. A separate announcement by publisher Next Digital thanked the readers for their "loyal support" as well as its journalists, staff and advertisers. The tabloid has long been a beacon of media freedom in the Chinese-speaking world, and is a widely read an...

Italy to lift mandatory masks outdoors as pandemic slows

22Jun

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International news

Italy to lift mandatory masks outdoors as pandemic slows

People in Italy will no longer have to wear masks outdoors from June 28, the government has said, as COVID-19 cases and hospitalisations decline in one of Europe’s worst-hit countries by the pandemic. Mandatory masks were imposed in October last year, when the country was entering a second wave of infections and authorities were struggling to curb a surging national caseload. Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s government has been steadily lifting restrictions since April, allowing restaurants, bars, cinemas and gyms to reopen and permitting freedom of movement around the country. The wearing of masks was one of the last rules to remain in place. It will not be lifted entirely, the government said on Monday; people will still be required to wear masks in indoor public areas and ...

Ikea France fined €1m for snooping on staff

15Jun

By Nasra HusseinNo Comments

International news

Ikea France fined €1m for snooping on staff

A French court has ordered Ikea to pay a fine of €1m (£860,000; $1.2m) after the Swedish furniture chain was found guilty of spying on staff in France. The former CEO of Ikea France, Jean-Louis Baillot, was given a two-year suspended jail term and €50,000 fine. The French subsidiary was found to have used private detectives and police officers to collect private data on staff. Evidence came to light in 2012. Stung by the affair, Ikea fired four managers and got a new code of conduct. The 15 people in the dock at the Versailles court included top executives and former store managers. Four police officers were also on trial for handing over confidential information. The mass surveillance system was used by store managers to vet job applicants, as well as checking up on...