S.African court finds radical politician Malema guilty on gun chargesWed, 01 Oct 2025 14:54:15 GMT
A South African court on Wednesday found firebrand opposition leader Julius Malema guilty of violating gun laws for firing an assault rifle at a 2018 rally.Malema, leader of the radical anti-capitalist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, is known for fiery speeches and courting political tensions both at home and abroad.The 44-year-old and his former bodyguard …
Mobile and internet restored across Afghanistan: AFP journalists
Mobile networks and the internet were restored across Afghanistan on Wednesday, 48 hours after the Taliban authorities shut down telecommunications.Confusion gripped the South Asian country on Monday night when mobile phone service and the internet went down without warning, freezing businesses and cutting Afghans off from the rest of the world. The massive blackout came weeks after the government began cutting high-speed internet connections to some provinces to prevent “immorality”, on the orders of shadowy supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.AFP journalists reported on Wednesday that mobile phone signals and wifi had returned to provinces across the country, including Kandahar in the south, Khost in the east, central Ghazni, and Herat in the west.The Taliban government has yet to comment on the telecommunications shutdown. On Wednesday night, hundreds of Afghans poured onto the streets in the capital Kabul, spreading the word that the internet was back. “It’s like Eid al-Adha; it’s like preparing to go for prayer,” said 26-year-old Sohrab Ahmadi, a delivery driver.”We are very happy from the bottom of our hearts.”After days of tension, Afghans celebrated by buying sweets and balloons, as drivers honked their horns, phones pressed to their ears.”The city is alive again,” Mohammad Tawab Farooqi, a restaurant manager in the city told AFP.- Businesses, airports, banks closed -It is the first time since the Taliban government won their insurgency in 2021 and imposed a strict version of Islamic law that communications have been cut in the country.Netblocks, a watchdog organisation that monitors cybersecurity and internet governance, said the blackout “appears consistent with the intentional disconnection of service”.It said connectivity had slowed to one percent of ordinary levels.A government official warned AFP minutes before the shutdown on Monday evening that the fibre optic network would be cut, affecting mobile phone services, “until further notice”.There were widespread closures of businesses, airports, and markets, while banks and post offices were unable to operate.Afghans were unable to contact each other in or out of the country, and many families stopped their children from going to school during the uncertainty. Those living in Herat and Kandahar travelled to border towns to catch signals from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan.The United Nations said on Tuesday the shutdown “left Afghanistan almost completely cut off from the outside world”, and called on authorities to restore access.Internet connections have been extremely slow or intermittent over the past weeks.On September 16, when the first internet services were first cut in northern provinces, Balkh provincial spokesman Attaullah Zaid said the ban had been ordered by the Taliban’s leader.”This measure was taken to prevent vice, and alternative options will be put in place across the country to meet connectivity needs,” he wrote on social media.”Recent studies in Afghanistan found that internet applications have badly affected the ongoing, economic, cultural and religious foundations of society,” he said.
Wall Street stocks slide as US shutdown begins
Wall Street stocks slid on Wednesday as the US government started to shut down after Democrats and President Donald Trump failed to break a deadlock over spending.The prospect of services in the United States being closed pushed gold to another record high over $3,895.The blue-chip Dow gave up 0.2 percent in opening deals, the broader S&P 500 shed 0.4 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite declined 0.6 percent.”There have been previous shutdowns, and typically these have had little effect on financial markets. But much depends on how long the shutdown lasts,” said David Morrison, analyst at Trade Nation.”Given the current intransigence on both sides, there’s a possibility that federal services could be curtailed for some time,” he said.Government operations began grinding to a halt at 12:01 am (0401 GMT) Wednesday after Republicans and Democrats failed to break an impasse in Congress.The closure will see non-essential operations halted, leaving hundreds of thousands of civil servants temporarily unpaid, and many social safety net benefit payments potentially disrupted.Analysts say negative impacts from closures can be reversed once the government reopens.”Investors have been willing to ignore a lot of inconvenient facts for the past several months or even years,” said Steve Sosnick, of Interactive Brokers. “So they might do the same again.”Investors were also digesting data from payroll firm ADP showing the US private sector lost 32,000 jobs in September, despite analysts’ expectations of employment growth. “This is another sign that the US labour market is losing steam,” said Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB trading platform.”This one is worrying, it is the third time in four months that the private sector has shed jobs, which comes after a boom in service sector jobs growth post Covid,” she said.Analysts said the weaker jobs market cement expectations that the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates twice more this year after lowering borrowing costs last month for the first time since December.Investors are concerned the US government shutdown could prevent the release Friday of the key non-farm payrolls report — a crucial data point for the Fed on rate decisions.The dollar remained under pressure on concerns over the shutdown as well as the prospect of more interest rate cuts, which make the currency less attractive to investors. European markets were lifted by pharmaceutical shares after Pfizer was granted reprieve from Trump’s tariffs by agreeing to lower drug prices in the United States. Shares in British pharma giant AstraZeneca rose more than eight percent and GSK was up over four percent in London. In Asia, Tokyo’s stock market sank, while Hong Kong and Shanghai were closed for holidays.- Key figures at around 1330 GMT -New York – Dow: DOWN 0.2 percent at 46,309.42 pointsNew York – S&P 500: DOWN 0.4 percent at 6,659.34New York – Nasdaq Composite: DOWN 0.6 percent at 22,526.38London – FTSE 100: UP 0.8 percent at 9,422.24 Paris – CAC 40: UP 0.7 percent at 7,952.67Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.6 percent at 24,029.38Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.9 percent at 44,550.85 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: Closed for a holidayShanghai – Composite: Closed for a holidayEuro/dollar: UP at $1.1755 from $1.1739 on TuesdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3518 from $1.3448Dollar/yen: DOWN at 146.67 yen from 147.86 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 86.97 pence from 87.29 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.9 percent at $61.80 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.9 percent at $65.43 per barrelburs-rl/lth
Marine Tondelier, plus que jamais en campagne pour 2027
La patronne des Écologistes, Marine Tondelier, qui porte en étendard l’union de la gauche pour la présidentielle de 2027, se dévoile dans un livre, laissant peu de doute sur son intention d’être candidate, même si dans son parti, certains ne cachent pas leur scepticisme. “Demain …si tout va bien” (Albin Michel), titre de son livre qui paraît ce mercredi, révèle l’état d’esprit de la dirigeante connue pour sa veste verte: Marine Tondelier veut continuer à croire “qu’un autre avenir est possible” et entend ferrailler jusqu’au bout pour donner une chance à une candidature commune de toute la gauche et des Écologistes.Celle qui a émergé médiatiquement le 1er juillet 2024 sur France Inter, voix cassée par l’émotion, pour dénoncer “le comportement de lâche et de privilégié” du ministre de l’Économie Bruno Le Maire, qui s’opposait au désistement républicain pour un candidat LFI face au RN, n’a cessé depuis de défendre le rassemblement de toute la gauche et l’instauration d’une primaire.Et ce alors que les deux responsables de gauche les mieux placés dans les sondages, le président de Place publique, Raphaël Glucksmann, et le leader de La France insoumise, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, refusent d’y participer, affirmant avoir des positions irréconciliables.”Je ne lâcherai rien”, persiste l’écologiste. “On ne gagnera pas si Raphaël Glucksmann tout seul et Jean-Luc Mélenchon tout seul sont candidats”. Après un déplacement à Bram (Aude), chez la présidente d’Occitanie Carole Delga, très anti-LFI, où elle s’est fait huer en appelant à une primaire incluant les Insoumis, elle se rend le week-end prochain aux rencontres de Place publique à La Réole (Gironde). Les terres hostiles ne lui font pas peur. Elle a fait du rire “une arme” et s’est forgée en combattant l’extrême droite dans un des fiefs du Rassemblement national, Hénin-Beaumont (Pas-de-Calais). Une expérience racontée dans un précédent livre (“Nouvelles du Front”) et qu’elle relate à nouveau au travers d’anecdotes.Dans son livre qu’elle a voulu “feel good” (qui fait du bien), pour “montrer que la politique et l’écologie, ce n’est pas déprimant” et “lutter contre la résignation”, elle dévoile aussi son amour pour le bassin minier où elle vit encore, ses “racines qui sentent parfois l’huile” des frites, son histoire familiale, et sa façon de faire de la politique. – “Mozart de l’empathie” -Si son livre n’est “pas un programme”, elle y laisse entrevoir quelques grands thèmes qu’elle entend défendre: lutter contre la solitude – une “violence sociale qui amplifie les inégalités” – placer l’enfance au centre de l’action gouvernementale et défendre une “écologie populaire”, qui suppose de “modifier notre manière de militer et de convaincre”. Car l’écologiste de 39 ans ne veut pas se cantonner au rôle de “gentils organisateurs de la primaire” mais être “le moteur de l’union”. Et même sa candidate pour 2027. Quitte à s’insurger quand l’institut Ifop ne teste pas une candidature verte à la présidentielle, dans un sondage très commenté paru lundi. Alors qu’un conseil fédéral de son parti aura lieu les 4 et 5 octobre, pour valider le processus de désignation (dont le premier tour aura lieu du 5 au 8 décembre) du candidat écologiste dans la primaire, sa nomination fait peu de doute. Ses opposants lui reprochent d’avoir “verrouillé” le parti, qu’elle dirige depuis décembre 2022 (elle a été largement réélue en avril), et d’avoir tout fait pour qu’il n’y ait qu’une seule candidature écologiste à la primaire. “Elle a pris une surface médiatique très forte comme jamais une secrétaire nationale n’a eu à ce poste”, justifie un cadre du parti.Mais “décider qu’il n’y aura qu’une seule personne par parti, ne signifie pas que ce soit la meilleure personne qui soit désignée”, estime une parlementaire. Une autre élue verte souligne que “la question de la popularité et de la capacité à dépasser le socle premier des militants, c’est essentiel”. Avant de nuancer: “Mais l’expérience et l’analyse internationale sont des éléments importants”. “Sur quel critère doit-on fonder le fait qu’une personne est apte ou inapte à exercer le pouvoir”, interroge Marine Tondelier dans son livre. Plus qu’un “Mozart de la Finance”, elle plaide pour “un Mozart de l’empathie”.
Kleinfontein, an Afrikaner-only relic from S.Africa’s pastWed, 01 Oct 2025 13:30:20 GMT
Behind a high fence, 20 minutes east of South Africa’s capital Pretoria, the Afrikaner enclave of Kleinfontein stands as a postcard from the country’s bitter past and is now entangled in a very present-day dispute.Moving into the gated community of around 1,500 white Afrikaners entails rigorous screenings and motivational interviews to co-opt residents on an …
Kleinfontein, an Afrikaner-only relic from S.Africa’s pastWed, 01 Oct 2025 13:30:20 GMT Read More »
Mobile and data networks return across Afghanistan: AFP journalists
Mobile networks returned to several provinces across Afghanistan on Wednesday, including the capital Kabul, 48 hours after the Taliban authorities shut down telecommunications.Confusion gripped the South Asian country on Monday night when mobile phone service and the internet went down.The massive blackout came weeks after the government began cutting high-speed internet connections to some provinces to prevent “immorality”, on the orders of shadowy supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.AFP journalists reported on Wednesday that mobile phone signals and wifi had returned to provinces across the country, including Kandahar in the south, Khost in the east, central Ghazni, and Herat in the west.The Taliban government has yet to comment on the telecommunications shutdown. It is the first time since the Taliban government won their insurgency in 2021 and imposed a strict version of Islamic law that communications have been cut in the country.Netblocks, a watchdog organisation that monitors cybersecurity and internet governance, said the blackout “appears consistent with the intentional disconnection of service”.It said connectivity had slowed to one percent of ordinary levels.A government official warned AFP minutes before the shutdown on Monday evening that the fibre optic network would be cut, affecting mobile phone services, “until further notice”.There were widespread closures of businesses, airports, and markets, while banks and post offices were unable to operate.Afghans were unable to contact each other in or out of the country, and many families stopped their children from going to school during the uncertainty. Those living in Herat and Kandahar travelled to border towns to catch signals from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan.The United Nations said on Tuesday the shutdown “left Afghanistan almost completely cut off from the outside world”, and called on authorities to restore access.Internet connections have been extremely slow or intermittent over the past weeks.On September 16, when the first internet services were first cut in northern provinces, Balkh provincial spokesman Attaullah Zaid said the ban had been ordered by the Taliban’s leader.”This measure was taken to prevent vice, and alternative options will be put in place across the country to meet connectivity needs,” he wrote on social media.”Recent studies in Afghanistan found that internet applications have badly affected the ongoing, economic, cultural and religious foundations of society,” he said.