Friday, July 9, 2021

Six In The Morning 9 July 2021

 

Jovenel Moïse: Foreign hit squad killed Haiti's president, police say


A group of 28 foreign mercenaries, including retired Colombian soldiers, assassinated Haiti's President Jovenel Moïse earlier this week, police say.

After a gun battle in the capital Port-au-Prince, 17 were detained, some at the house they were using, others after entering Taiwan's diplomatic compound.

Three suspects were killed by police and eight are still being sought.

Bloodied and bruised, arrested suspects were shown to the media on Thursday, along with a slew of seized weapons.


Taliban sweep through Herat province as Afghan advance continues



Fears grow for Kabul government after militant group seizes two key border crossings



The Taliban has swept through western Herat province, seizing two key border crossings to Iran and Turkmenistan, and much of the countryside beyond city limits.

It was the latest part of Afghanistan to collapse in the face of a rapid militant advance, during which they have taken control of areas far beyond their original southern strongholds. Their speed has fuelled fears the government in Kabul could fall within months.

In Herat, the civil war era warlord Ismail Khan called up his supporters overnight, and deployed armed units to guard key parts of the city and its outskirts. He is in his mid-70s, but called on all armed men in the city to join the fight and promised to go to the frontline himself.

South Sudan: Dashed hopes after 10 years of independence

South Sudan's 10 years as an independent country have been marked by pervasive insecurity, a catastrophic humanitarian crisis and endemic corruption.

The euphoria following South Sudan's independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011 was short-lived.

Less than a year and a half later, the resource-rich country was plunged into a brutal civil war, at a cost of almost 400,000 lives.

As a result of the civil war, 1.6 million people of the country's 11 million people are currently displaced within South Sudan while more than 2 million South Sudanese have sought refuge in other nations.


Pharmacies go on strike in crisis-hit Lebanon over medicine shortages

Pharmacies in crisis-hit Lebanon began an indefinite strike on Friday over medicine shortages as the cash-strapped state struggles to afford subsidies on key imports.

The country is facing what the World Bank has called one of the world's worst economic crises since the 1850s, and its foreign currency reserves are fast depleting.

Drug importers warned on Sunday that they were running out of hundreds of drugs, and that the central bank had failed to pay suppliers abroad millions of dollars in accumulated dues under a subsidy scheme.

Suga vows safe Olympics after decision to ban spectators at most venues


Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga pledged Friday to work toward a safe and secure Tokyo Olympics later this month after organizers said the global sporting event will be held mostly without spectators amid a resurgence in COVID-19 infections.

"I will give my utmost in achieving safety and security, including taking border control measures," Suga told reporters. "I have repeatedly said it is the government's responsibility to realize a safe and secure games."

The Olympics organizers said Thursday the Tokyo Olympics will be held without spectators at all venues in and around the Japanese capital after the government decided to put Tokyo under another state of emergency until Aug 22.

World Cup 2022: Qatar is ready as it strongly contests accusations of workers' rights abuses

Updated 1226 GMT (2026 HKT) July 9, 2021

They're impossible to miss. On a drive around Qatar, at every turn, it seems, a new football stadium rises out of the desert -- each design offering a futuristic take on its traditional culture.

One of them, located in an area that was long known for pearl diving and fishing, is shaped like a dhow boat, a traditional vessel that ply Gulf waters.
Another is designed like a woven hat known as a "gahfiya," mostly worn by men in Gulf countries as a base for their traditional white headscarves. Each stadium design represents Qatar's history and culture and are testaments to its future ambitions on the world stage.













No comments:

Translate