The South African government is looking into expanding the deployment of the military after days of looting and violence, President Cyril Ramaphosa said, according to a statement from his office on Wednesday.

Ramaphosa made the comments during consultations with the leaders of political parties on ways to address the ongoing unrest. The leaders urged him to put more troops on the streets.
-President Ramaphosa welcomed proposals made by political leaders and said expanded deployment of the South African National Defence Force was being addressed- the statement said.

Ramaphosa made the comments during consultations with the leaders of political parties on ways to address the ongoing unrest

President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers his State of the Nation address in parliament in Cape Town, South Africa, February 11, 2021.

S.Africa looking into deploying more military to quell unrest, president says

The process to withdraw American forces from Afghanistan by the end of August is more than 95% complete, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Tuesday.

CENTCOM said 984 C-17 loads of material have departed Afghanistan while more than 17,000 pieces of equipment have been marked for destruction.
-The 17,074 pieces of equipment comprise almost entirely federal excess personal property. Most of this equipment is not defensive articles or considered to be major equipment- CENTCOM said in a weekly update.
The US officially handed more than seven facilities to the Afghan defense ministry.
CENTCOM has been providing weekly updates on the process to meet US President Joe Biden's commitment to end America’s longest war by his initial deadline of Sept. 11.
Intense fighting between Afghan forces and the Taliban continues amid the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country.
The country is on the brink of another humanitarian crisis as the escalating conflict increases human suffering with more than 3.5 million people internally displaced, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said Tuesday.
-A failure to reach a peace agreement in Afghanistan and stem the current violence will lead to further displacement within the country, as well as to neighboring countries and beyond- said Baber Baloch, spokesman for the UN High Commission for Refugees.
According to UNHCR, Iran and Pakistan host nearly 90% of displaced Afghans – more than 2 million.

US officially has handed more than 7 facilities to Afghan defense ministry, says US Central Command

The US officially handed more than seven facilities to the Afghan defense ministry

US withdrawal from Afghanistan more than 95% complete

Spain on Tuesday called on the Cuban government to allow protests after thousands of people took to the streets in the communist nation in a rare demonstration of anger over a worsening economic situation and the lack of freedom.

-Spain defends the basic right to peaceful and free protest for all citizens and asks Cuban authorities to respect that- said the Foreign Affairs Ministry in a statement.
It said that the crisis provoked by the coronavirus pandemic and the collapse of the tourism industry means it’s “necessary” for Cuba to “speed up the rhythm of its reforms.”
In the gently worded statement, Spain said it was studying ways to help alleviate Cuba’s economic situation and the “serious shortages” of goods in the country.
The statement comes as members of Spain’s Podemos party, the junior coalition partner in Spain’s progressive government, side with the Cuban government in blaming the US-led economic blockade for the country’s dire situation.
-I don’t consider Cuba to be a dictatorship- said Alejandra Jacinto, Podemos MP in Madrid, in an interview with Spain’s public television.
According to exiled rights group Cubalex, at least 100 protesters, activists and journalists have been detained in Cuba since Sunday.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Monday that demonstrators “got what they deserved.”
-Yesterday we saw criminals. The protest was not peaceful, there was vandalism, they stoned foreign currency stores, items were stolen- the president said, as he blamed US-orchestrated social media campaigns for manipulating the protesters.
He said the country is trying to “face and overcome” difficulties amid the US "policy of economic asphyxiation to provoke social outbursts in the country."
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Mexico’s left-wing president, has denounced the US “interventionism” and offered to send Cuba humanitarian aid.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden said: "We stand with the Cuban people and their clarion call for freedom and relief from the tragic grip of the pandemic and from the decades of repression and economic suffering to which they have been subjected by Cuba's authoritarian regime.”

Extremely concerned about shortages of goods population is dealing with: Foreign Affairs Ministry

It said that the crisis provoked by the coronavirus pandemic and the collapse of the tourism industry means it’s “necessary” for Cuba to “speed up the rhythm of its reforms”

Spain calls on Cuban government to allow peaceful protests

An Australian apartment block was placed under strict lockdown with police posted outside Tuesday, as authorities stepped up efforts to curb a fast-growing coronavirus outbreak.

Police guarded both the front and rear exits of an apartment block in Sydney's Bondi neighbourhood, where nine people have tested positive for Covid-19, with movement in and out of the building restricted.
A sign taped to one apartment window read "Send Beer" while another asked, "where is the vaccine?"
Sydney is currently in its third week of a partial lockdown as authorities try to stamp out the spread of the virus in the community.
Most residents of Australia's largest city are allowed to leave home for exercise, essential shopping, work or health reasons, but are encouraged to remain at home.
Tougher restrictions are placed on people who have visited locations that are declared a virus hotspot, which may include mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Australia's latest Covid-19 outbreak began in mid-June and has since grown to 767 cases.
An entire apartment block in Melbourne was also placed under isolation for 14 days, after removal workers who visited from Sydney tested positive.
Authorities are now asking Australians living in other apartment buildings to wear a mask when in common areas. 
-When you're in apartment buildings, we're not wanting you to congregate in any shared spaces- said New South Wales chief health official Kerry Chant.
-We are really requiring under a public health order that you wear masks when you're transiting through common areas.-Residents in one southwest Sydney neighbourhood, where the virus is currently spreading most quickly, are now required to get tested every three days if they leave the area for work. 
Under 10 percent of Australians have been fully vaccinated, leaving the population highly vulnerable to the quick-spreading Delta variant. 
Sydney's lockdown had been scheduled to end Friday, but an extension is now looking likely, despite a drop in new infections to 89 in the past 24 hours.

A sign taped to one apartment window read "Send Beer" while another asked, "where is the vaccine?"

Sydney police patrol outside a Bondi Junction apartment block. The building has been locked down under armed guard after eight residents across five different units tested positive to Covid-19. An apartment building in Melbourne’s Maribyrnong is also in lockdown

Australian apartment blocks placed in hard lockdown

Haiti President Jovenel Moise was assassinated at his residence while the first lady was injured, said the country's interim prime minister on Wednesday.

According to a statement by Claude Joseph, a group of unidentified people, including those speaking Spanish, attacked the private residence of the president and fatally injured him.
First lady Martine Moise was also injured at the incident that occurred around 1 a.m. local time (0500GMT), and later taken to a hospital for treatment.
Joseph condemned the "heinous, inhumane and barbaric" attack, and urged all citizens to remain calm as security forces in the country are controlling the case.
Haiti has endured decades of political upheaval, poverty, and a devastating earthquake in 2010 and remains highly vulnerable to natural hazards -- mainly hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes.
The tiny Caribbean island of nearly 12 million people has been hit hard by an economic crisis exacerbated by the coronavirus outbreak as the country is one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere.

Country's interim premier says first lady injured during incident

Haiti president assassinated at his residence

At least 22 civilians were killed in two separate but related incidents in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the army and a local civil society group that monitors violence in the eastern part of the country said Monday.

The Kivu Security Tracker (KST), an NGO, said 14 people were killed last Friday in three areas of Djugu territory in Ituri province by assailants from an armed group known by its acronym CODECO-URDPC.
The CODECO militia, one of a myriad of armed groups that roam eastern DR Congo, is an armed political-religious sect claiming to defend the Lendu ethnic group, largely farmers who have had historic differences with their Hema community counterparts, who are mainly herders.
CODECO has reportedly been linked to more than 1,000 deaths since 2017.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, the army spokesman in Ituri, told reporters that eight civilians suspected of collaborating with a notorious armed group were lynched Thursday in the town of Komanda, located 75 kilometers (46 miles) south of the Ituri capital Bunia, bringing the deaths to 22.
The army condemned mob justice, he said.
President Felix Tshisekedi has placed the gold-rich Ituri and neighboring North Kivu province under a “state of siege” following the violence.

8 suspected collaborators of armed group lynched in Ituri province, says army

CODECO has reportedly been linked to more than 1,000 deaths since 2017

22 killed in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo

At least 150 people were killed in the three-day Fourth of July holiday weekend, known as Independence Day in the US, according to a tracker.

The casualties took place in more than 400 shootings nationwide, data from Gun Violence Archive revealed. The data is compiled from more than 7,500 sources.
In Chicago, Illinois alone, gunfire left 14 dead and 67 wounded.
The US has been hit by a surge in shootings since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
President Joe Biden unveiled a strategy to combat gun violence on June 24 that urged a united effort to reduce gun violence.
-We have an opportunity to come together now — as Democrats and Republicans, as fellow Americans — to fulfill the first responsibility of government and our democracy: to keep each other safe. Enough- Biden said at the White House.

More than 400 shootings nationwide, according to Gun Violence Archive

The casualties took place in more than 400 shootings nationwide

At least 150 dead in shootings on July 4 weekend

Coastguards in Tunisia have retrieved the bodies of 21 sub-Saharan migrants and rescued 50 after their boat sank off the port city of Sfax, authorities said on Monday.

-Twenty-one bodies of migrants were recovered after their boat was shipwrecked on July 4, and 50 were rescued- National Guard spokesman Houcem Eddine Jebabli told AFP.
He said the migrants, all from sub-Saharan Africa, had been trying to reach Europe.
The spokesman said four boatloads of migrants had sunk since June 26 after setting off from Sfax, with the bodies of 49 people recovered and 78 rescued.
On Saturday, a boat that had set off from neighbouring Libya the previous day with 127 people on board went down off Zarzis on Tunisia's southern coast.
The country's Red Crescent said 43 migrants were missing after the accident. 
The defence ministry said the navy had rescued "84 illegal migrants of various nationalities" including from Bangladesh, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea and Sudan.
Tunisia and neighbouring Libya are key departure points for migrants, many from sub-Saharan Africa, who attempt the dangerous crossing from the North African coast to Europe, particularly Italy.
In early May, the UN's refugee agency UNHCR said that at least 500 people had died trying to cross the central Mediterranean this year, more than triple the 150 in the same period of 2020.

The migrants, all from sub-Saharan Africa, had been trying to reach Europe

Migrants on a wooden boat are rescued by a patrol vessel of the Tunisia Navy, seen from the migrant search and rescue vessel MV Seefuchs of the German NGO Sea-Eye in the search and rescue zone south of the Al Jurf Oilfield in international waters off the coast of Libya, September 30, 2017.

21 migrants' bodies retrieved off Tunisia

Gunmen have kidnapped 140 students from a boarding school in northwestern Nigeria, a school official said on Monday, the latest in a wave of mass abductions targetting schoolchildren and students.

Heavily-armed criminal gangs often attack villages to loot, steal cattle and abduct for ransom in northwest and central Nigeria, but since the start of the year they have increasingly targeted schools and colleges.
Gunmen scaled a fence to break into the Bethel Baptist High School in Kaduna state in the early hours of Monday, taking away most of the 165 pupils boarding overnight.
-The kidnappers took away 140 students, only 25 students escaped. We still have no idea where the students were taken- Emmanuel Paul, a teacher at the school told AFP.
Kaduna state police spokesman Mohammed Jalige confirmed the early Monday morning attack, but could not give details on the number of pupils taken.
-Tactical police teams went after the kidnappers- he said. -We are still on the rescue mission.-Bethel Baptist High School is a co-education college established by Baptist church in 1991 at Maramara village in Chikun district outside the state capital Kaduna.
Monday's attack was the fourth mass school kidnap in Kaduna state since December.
Around 1,000 students and pupils have been abducted in different Nigerian states since December last year. Most have been released after negotiations with local officials, although some are still being held.

Monday's attack was the fourth mass school kidnap in Kaduna state since December

Gunmen scaled a fence to break into the Bethel Baptist High School in Kaduna state in the early hours of Monday

Gunmen kidnap 140 school students in northwest Nigeria

Iran's only nuclear power plant has been brought back online, its manager said early Monday, after two weeks off-grid amid conflicting reports over an apparent regular maintenance operation.

The "technical fault" that shut down the Bushehr plant and its 1,000-megawatt reactor on Iran's southern coast "was fixed", Mahmoud Jafari, who is also deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), told ISNA news agency around midnight.
That allowed the plant to resume power generation and be reconnected, he said. 
Jafari said power generation had resumed "from Sunday", and urged Iranians to "help" the Islamic republic's overburdened grid by minimising power consumption as weather forecasts predicted rising temperatures in the coming days.
The Bushehr plant was built by Russia and officially handed over in September 2013. 
Russian and Iranian firms started work on two additional 1,000-megawatt reactors in 2016, with construction was expected to take 10 years.
On June 20, the AEOI had blamed "a technical fault" for the shutdown and said it had given the energy ministry one day's notice before going offline.
It said two days later that the issue was with the plant's "power generator", without explaining further.
But Iran's foreign ministry at the time described the shutdown as "routine," saying it was carried out "once or twice each year".
Bushehr going off-grid had raised concerns of worse blackouts after a string of power cuts in Iran blamed on heat, drought impacting hydro-electrical facilities, and surging electricity demand.
Iran introduced planned, rolling blackouts in May after Tehran and several other cities were hit by unannounced power cuts, sparking complaints from consumers and an apology from the energy minister.
Power cuts are not uncommon during Iran's hot summers, when air-conditioning use spikes.
Adding to the problem, the country's hydropower capacity has been hit by low rainfall. 
A government report in May said precipitation was down 34 percent compared to the long-term average, and warned of reduced water supplies for the year.
Since late May, the energy ministry has regularly notified citizens of potential blackouts lasting at least two hours a day.

The "technical fault" that shut down the plant and its 1,000-megawatt reactor on Iran's southern coast "was fixed"

This file photo taken on August 20, 2010 shows the reactor building at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran

Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant back online after two-week pause

A huge forest blaze in Cyprus has killed four people, destroyed homes and forced evacuations of villages as Greece, Israel and other countries deployed fire-fighting aircraft to the Mediterranean island.

The fire began Saturday afternoon and has swept through districts in the southern foothills of the Troodos mountains as the country grapples with a blistering heatwave.
-It is a tragedy- President Nicos Anastasiades said on Twitter, describing it as "the largest fire since 1974" when the island was divided after Turkey occupied its northern third. 
The blaze had caused "loss of life" and destroyed property and forest lands, Anastasiades said, adding that "the government will provide immediate assistance to the victims and the families of the victims.
-We will not leave anyone abandoned in the destruction of the fire.-Interior Minister Nicos Nouris said that four charred bodies were found outside the village of Odos in Larnaca district. 
-Forensic examiners are going to the scene for identification- he told reporters on Sunday. 
-All the indications support the fact that these are the four missing persons we have been searching for since yesterday- he said, adding that all four of the dead are thought to be of Egyptian nationality.
The daily Phileleftheros newspaper said the four bodies were found about 400 metres (yards) from their burnt-out vehicle.
Janez Lenarcic, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, said on Saturday its "aerial firefighting capacity" had been mobilised, with Italy and Greece sending planes to help.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said "two firefighting planes" would be sent. They were expected to arrive on Sunday.
Local media reported that a 67-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion he started the blaze.

The fire began Saturday afternoon and has swept through districts in the southern foothills of the Troodos mountains as the country grapples with a blistering heatwave

A car drives on a road in the village of Vavatsinia in the Larnaca district of Cyprus as a giant wildfire rages on the hills above during the night of July 3

Four dead in Cyprus' worst forest fire in decades

The Taliban have captured a key district in their former bastion of Kandahar after fierce night-time fighting with Afghan government forces, officials said Sunday, the latest area to be seized since US troops began their final withdrawal.

The insurgents have pressed on with their campaign to capture territory across Afghanistan's rural areas since early May when the US military began the pullout.
The fall of Panjwai district in the southern province of Kandahar comes just two days after US and NATO forces vacated their main Bagram Air Base near Kabul, from where they led operations for two decades against the Taliban and their Al-Qaeda allies.
Over the years, the Taliban and Afghan forces have regularly clashed in and around Panjwai, with the insurgents aiming to seize it given its proximity to Kandahar city, the provincial capital.
The province of Kandahar is the birthplace of the Taliban, who went on to rule Afghanistan with a harsh version of Islamic sharia law until being overthrown by a US-led invasion in 2001.
Panjwai district governor Hasti Mohammad said Afghan forces and the Taliban clashed during the night, resulting in government forces retreating from the area.
"The Taliban have captured the district police headquarters and governor's office building," he told AFP.
Kandahar provincial council head Sayed Jan Khakriwal confirmed the fall of Panjwai, but accused government forces of "intentionally withdrawing".
Fighting has raged across several provinces of Afghanistan in recent weeks and the Taliban claim to have seized more than 100 out of nearly 400 districts in the country.
Afghan officials dispute the claims but acknowledge that government troops have retreated from some districts. It is difficult to independently verify the situation.
The exit of foreign troops from Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul, has fuelled concerns the insurgents will ramp up their campaign to capture new territory.
Bagram Air Base has great military and symbolic significance, with foreign forces previously stationed there offering vital air support in the fight against the insurgents.
Afghan authorities who have taken control of the base say they will use it to fight terrorism, and have already re-activated its radar system.

The insurgents have pressed on with their campaign to capture territory across Afghanistan's rural areas since early May when the US military began the pullout

Afghan soldiers stand guard at a road checkpoint outside Bagram Air Base, after all US and NATO troops left

Taliban seize key Kandahar district after fierce fighting

A military plane carrying at least 85 people crashed in the southern Philippines on Sunday, the armed forces chief said.

So far 15 people have been rescued from the burning wreckage of the C-130, which crashed as it tried to land on Jolo island in Sulu province, General Cirilito Sobejana told AFP.
-Responders are at the site now, we are praying we can save more lives- Sobejana said.
Many of the passengers had recently graduated from basic military training and were being deployed to the restive island as part of a joint task force fighting terrorism in the Muslim-majority region.
The military has a heavy presence in the southern Philippines where militant groups, including the kidnap-for-ransom outfit Abu Sayyaf, operate.

So far 15 people have been rescued from the burning wreckage

First responders work at the site after a Philippines Air Force Lockheed C-130 plane carrying troops crashed on landing in Patikul, Sulu province, Philippines July 4, 2021. Armed Forces of the Philippines - Joint Task Force Sulu

Philippine military plane carrying 85 people crashes

President Joe Biden on Friday said there is no plan for an imminent withdrawal of the final US troops in Afghanistan.

-No. We're on, we're on track exactly as to where we expect to be- he told reporters at the White House, following growing speculation the final contingents were due to leave within the next few days.
Biden has set a deadline of September 11 for the final pullout of the few remaining troops, following 20 years of war.
Biden responded to concerns that the internationally backed Afghan government might quickly crumble to Taliban insurgents once its foreign backers have fully left, saying they "have the capacity to be able to sustain government down the road."
The US military is keeping an "over the horizon capacity" which could bring firepower to help the government, but the "Afghans are going to have to be able to do it themselves."

Biden has set a deadline of September 11 for the final pullout of the few remaining troops, following 20 years of war

Biden says 'no' final withdrawal of US troops in next few days

Restaurant owner and single mother Pimonta Suksaen is pinning her hopes on a revival for Thailand's most visited island, after a turbulent, year-long struggle to manage debts and keep her business afloat during the pandemic.

Pimonta has taken to selling food like pizza on the beach in Patong, a once thriving town in Phuket, and hopes a pilot scheme launched on Thursday to lure tourists back by waiving quarantine requirements can help rescue her restaurant.
Tourism, a source of income for millions in Thailand, ground to a halt last year when the government imposed tight entry requirements to keep out COVID-19. Pimonta, nicknamed "Micky", has been offering car rental and laundry services to try to pay off nearly 500,000 baht ($15,622) of debt.
-I was so hopeless to the point that I wanted to commit suicide because I can't carry on anymore- she said, tears streaming down her face
She said another Phuket restaurant owner had taken his own life.
-That was a wake up call to me," Pimonta said. "So I decided to pick myself up and fight again.-Phuket reopened on Thursday to tourists fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, Thailand's biggest step so far towards rejuvenating a battered industry that drew 40 million annual visitors before the pandemic struck.&nbsp;Authorities are hoping the "Phuket Sandbox" project will catch on in the coming months and plan to replicate it in other holiday hotspots.&nbsp;About 400 visitors were expected on Thursday, when direct flights arrived from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Singapore and Israel.
Pimonta said she had received no help from the government, but said she was encouraged by its decision to take a risk with the reopening.
-Even if tourist arrivals increase by only 5% to 10%, or even just 1%, I will still have hope because this is the only thing I have left- she said.

Tourism, a source of income for millions in Thailand, ground to a halt last year when the government imposed tight entry requirements to keep out COVID-19

Pimonta "Micky" Suksaen, a 39-year-old single mother, and her daughter sell food on the beach after a lack of customers at her restaurant due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, while waiting for the reopening of the resort island to restore her income, in Phuket, Thailand June 30, 2021.

In Thailand, hopes for a revival as tourists trickle back

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Nayef al-Hajraf, met on Wednesday in Riyadh with commander of the US Navy, Lieutenant-General Charless Cooper, to discuss ways of strengthening the security and safety of waterways and marine navigation in the region.

A statement issued by the Gulf bloc said the discussions focused on "the importance of enhancing cooperation in marine security within the framework of the partnership strategy between the GCC and the United States."
The two sides also discussed fields of joint cooperation to ensure safety and freedom of navigation movement in the Arabian Gulf, the statement said.
The Gulf countries host a number of US navy, air and ground military bases, including the command of the fifth fleet in Bahrain.
The region witnesses a high level of tension between Iran and some Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia. Both Riyadh and Washington accuse Tehran of threatening marine navigation by targeting oil ships, an accusation denied by Iran.

Riyadh and Washington accuse Tehran of threatening marine navigation by targeting oil ships

The two sides also discussed fields of joint cooperation to ensure safety and freedom of navigation movement in the Arabian Gulf

S.Africa looking into deploying more military to quell unrest, president says

US withdrawal from Afghanistan more than 95% complete

Spain calls on Cuban government to allow peaceful protests

Australian apartment blocks placed in hard lockdown

Haiti president assassinated at his residence

22 killed in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo

At least 150 dead in shootings on July 4 weekend

21 migrants' bodies retrieved off Tunisia

Gunmen kidnap 140 school students in northwest Nigeria

Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant back online after two-week pause

Four dead in Cyprus' worst forest fire in decades

Taliban seize key Kandahar district after fierce fighting

Philippine military plane carrying 85 people crashes

Biden says 'no' final withdrawal of US troops in next few days

In Thailand, hopes for a revival as tourists trickle back

Gulf, US discuss safety of marine navigation in region

World

S.Africa looking into deploying more military to quell unrest, president says

US withdrawal from Afghanistan more than 95% complete

Spain calls on Cuban government to allow peaceful protests

Australian apartment blocks placed in hard lockdown

Haiti president assassinated at his residence

22 killed in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo

At least 150 dead in shootings on July 4 weekend

21 migrants' bodies retrieved off Tunisia

Gunmen kidnap 140 school students in northwest Nigeria

Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant back online after two-week pause

Four dead in Cyprus' worst forest fire in decades

Taliban seize key Kandahar district after fierce fighting

Philippine military plane carrying 85 people crashes

Biden says 'no' final withdrawal of US troops in next few days

In Thailand, hopes for a revival as tourists trickle back

Gulf, US discuss safety of marine navigation in region