The tomb of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s father has been burnt by rebel fighters.
Pictures show men circling the burning coffin of Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria for 29 years, after they stormed his mausoleum in the Assad family’s ancestral village of Qardaha, near Latakia.
Other footage showed the fighters posing with the flag of the revolution at the incinerated grave site before they dragged the coffin into a car park.
Bashar al-Assad was forced to flee Syria for Moscow on Sunday, when the rebel coalition forces entered Damascus, claiming victory in the Syrian civil war that had raged for nearly 14 years.
After taking control of the capital, fighters ripped down and burnt banners and portraits of the Assad family and dragged statues of their former rulers around with trucks.
Hafez al-Assad, a former air force pilot, was the president of Syria from 1971 until his death in 2000.
The Rural Access and Mobility Project, a World Bank-funded project, is to construct 534 kilometres of rural roads across Benue to facilitate the transportation of agricultural produce.
The State Project Coordinator, Mr. Stephen Numbeve, disclosed in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Makurdi.
Numbeve said that the project would also construct warehouses across the state for the storage of agricultural produce.
“We prioritised the development of engineering road designs for the 534 kilometres of roads we intend to construct. Surveys, geophysical studies, and final designs have been completed.
“With all these in place, we are ready to move forward once the funds are available. These roads will connect farms to markets, enabling farmers to transport their produce with ease.
“Beyond roads, we plan to build warehouses where farmers can store fresh or dry produce securely. This infrastructure will significantly boost agricultural productivity and market access.
The roads span across all local governments in the state. However, there is no specific allocation or sequence for the 534 kilometres.
These are not trunk A or trunk B roads, which are federal and state roads, respectively. Instead, they are trunk C or D roads designed to create access for farmers to reach markets,” he added.
The SPC said that the slight delay in the commencement of the roads was caused by nonpayment of the counterpart fund by the previous administration.
He said other states had paid their dues and moved ahead, but since the new administration came on board, we have done the needful.
“We are now at the stage of accessing funds from the World Bank and the European Investment Bank.
“These funds will be directed toward building roads and markets. So far, we haven’t accessed any funds, but progress has been made.
“While access to funds is a challenge, it’s important to understand that international funding involves statutory requirements.
“These funds are not government resources, so certain prerequisites must be met. For example, counterpart funding is mandatory. If it isn’t paid, the funds cannot be accessed,” he said.
He stated that when he assumed office, there was also the issue of inadequate office accommodation.
According to him, the previous administrative setup did not meet the standards of the International Technological Association.
He said that they required an exclusive office space to avoid undue political influence.
The president is obviously at loggerheads with the opposition controlled parliament, they've even banned him from traveling abroad
You see the difference between advanced democracy and and what we practice in Nigeria, police searching presidential palace without informing him, and no obstruction from his security team
In Nigeria, a member of the house of representatives will tell the police, do you know who I am, who is inspector general of police
•Police in South Korea are raiding the presidential office, following last week's attempt by President Yoon Suk Yeol to impose martial law in the country
•The president and his allies are currently facing insurrection charges, and a travel ban has been slapped on several of them
•South Korea's ex-defence minister who took responsibility for the declaration has attempted suicide in detention, a justice ministry official has told parliament
•President Yoon has apologised for the attempt but has not accepted growing calls for him to step down
•Last weekend, an attempt to impeach the president failed, after members of his own ruling party boycotted the vote - but opposition members are set to hold another impeachment vote this weekend and have vowed to hold one every Saturday until Yoon is gone
•North Korean media reported on the martial law declaration on Wednesday, calling it an "insane" attempt by a "fascist dictator"
The president's security team was not told about the search beforehand, according to local media reports.
The last time a president’s office was searched was December 2019 over a corruption accusation into the former vice mayor of Busan. The prosecution did not get inside the office grounds at the time but was handed the material by the office, as per protocol.
At the time, the country was led by former president Moon Jae-in, with Yoon only assuming the role in 2022.
The magnitude of this raid will differ depending on whether the officers are going inside the presidential office or are simply being handed materials by the office.
The president is now being investigated from many directions – by police, prosecutors, and anti-corruption officials.
And yesterday, the opposition managed to secure an independent investigation into his failed attempt to impose martial law.
He has been accused of treason, a crime he doesn’t have immunity from as president, and investigators have said they will arrest him if sufficient evidence emerges.
The country is in political turmoil. It’s unclear what, if any, authority Yoon now has, and protesters are still on the streets calling for him to stand down.
Overnight, the former defence minister, Kim Yong-hyun, tried to take his life in custody. He’s accused of helping to lead the martial law effort, and is the highest-ranking official to have been arrested so far.
Investigators looking for meeting records from night of martial law
More details are emerging on today's raids. According to news site Yonhap, 18 investigators were sent to the presidential office to seize records related to a cabinet meeting held on the night of the martial law declaration.
President Yoon, who was among the suspects listed on the search warrant, was not in his office during the raids.
As we mentioned earlier, investigators have also been sent to the National Police Agency, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, and the National Assembly Police Guards to gather evidence on how events in the National Assembly unfolded last Tuesday night.
Who is leading South Korea now?
Since the chaos of last Tuesday, it is unclear how much power Yoon still holds.
The head of his party, Han Dong-hoon, has said that Yoon would no longer be involved in state affairs until his early exit from power is arranged - adding that Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would manage government affairs in the meantime.
Details of the ruling party's early exit "roadmap" for Yoon are expected to come closer to Saturday.
However, according to the defence ministry, said Yoon still has command of the armed forces.That means in the event of any foreign policy incidents, including any possible threat from North Korea, Yoon is still, in theory, able to make executive decisions.
Yoon himself has only made one public appearance since his botched martial law attempt. In his public statement Saturday, he apologised for declaring martial law.
N Korea mocks Yoon's 'insane' martial law attempt
North Korea publicly commented on Yoon's failed attempt to impose martial law for the first time on Wednesday and accused the president of trying to run a "fascist dictatorship".
An article on page six of the North's state newspaper Rodong Sinmun on Wednesday said Yoon's "insane act" was "akin to the coup d'etat of the decades-ago military dictatorship era".
"He brazenly brandished blades and guns of fascist dictatorship at his own people," the article said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is himself known for his unpredictability and provocative foreign policy style.
A chaotic week since a short-lived martial law attempt
It has been a chaotic week in South Korea since President Yoon's short-lived martial law declaration late last Tuesday.
Calls have been growing for Yoon to step down. Protesters have been out on the streets and workers have gone on strike in Seoul calling for the president's removal.
However, a vote on whether to impeach him last Saturday failed - all but three MPs from Yoon's ruling People Power Party left the voting chamber ahead of it.
The opposition, which has a parliamentary majority, have said it will propose a new impeachment today, which will be put to a vote this Saturday.
Authorities have since placed travel bans on Yoon and other leaders, including former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun. Many have also stepped down from their posts.
Even before declaring martial law, Yoon had faced decreasing popularity. His approval ratings tumbled to a record low of 13%, according to a survey last Friday.
Investigation chief to seek Yoon's arrest 'if conditions are met'
The head of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) has said that his office would seek Yoon's arrest if conditions are met.
Earlier this morning, Oh Dong-woon also said during a parliamentary legislation committee meeting that his team is conducting a thorough investigation into the matter. When asked if he had the "will" to arrest Yoon, he answered that he had "plenty of will".
Speaker of National Assembly kickstarts probe into Yoon
The speaker of the National Assembly and opposition politician Woon Woo-shik, has said he has invoked his authority to conduct a parliamentary probe into Yoon, reports Yonhap.
It is one of several investigations that have been launched by various branches of the government into Yoon's imposition of martial law.
A parliamentary probe is needed so that they can obtain a testimony from Yoon that can be made public, said Woon, who added that a special committee will be formed to handle the investigation.
Ex-defence minister attempted suicide
Former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun attempted suicide while in detention, South Korea's justice ministry said.
Kim tried to kill himself late last night and gave up when he was discovered. He is currently being kept in a guarding room and "has no current health issues", the ministry told parliament.
Kim reportedly proposed the martial law declaration to the president. He resigned last Thursday, saying he took full responsibility for it.
Yoon not in office when raids happened:
As we mentioned earlier, apart from the presidential office, South Korean police have also raided the offices of Seoul Metropolitan Police and the National Assembly Police Guards.
Yoon was not in the presidential office during the raid, according to the Yonhap news agency.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the witness for the first time on Tuesday in his long-running corruption trial to give testimony that will likely force him to juggle between the courtroom and war room for weeks.
Netanyahu, 75, is Israel’s first sitting prime minister to be charged with a crime. He is the country’s longest serving leader, having been in power almost consecutively since 2009.
“I have been waiting for eight years for this moment to tell the truth,” Netanyahu told the three judges hearing the case. “But I am also a prime minister … I am leading the country through a seven-front war. And I think the two can be done in parallel.”
He smiled confidently when he entered the Tel Aviv District Court around 10 a.m. (3 a.m. ET). The trial was moved from Jerusalem for undisclosed security reasons and convened in an underground courtroom, a 15-minute walk from the country’s defense headquarters.
Before Netanyahu took the stand, his lawyer Amit Hadad laid out for the judges what the defence maintains are fundamental flaws in the investigation. Prosecutors, Hadad said, “weren’t investigating a crime, they were going after a person.”
A few dozen protesters gathered outside the courthouse, some of them supporters and others demanding he do more to negotiate the release of some 100 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.
Israel has been waging war in Gaza against the Palestinian militant group for more than a year, during which Netanyahu had been granted a delay for the start of his court appearances. But last Thursday, judges ruled that he must start testifying.
Charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust, Netanyahu will testify three times a week, the court said, despite the Gaza war and possible new threats posed by wider turmoil in the Middle East, including in neighboring Syria.
Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in three cases involving gifts from millionaire friends and for allegedly seeking regulatory favors for media tycoons in return for favorable coverage. He denies any wrongdoing.
In the run-up to his court date, Netanyahu revived familiar pre-war rhetoric against law enforcement, describing investigations against him as a witch hunt. He denies the charges and has pleaded not guilty.
“The real threat to democracy in Israel is not posed by the public’s elected representatives, but by some among the law enforcement authorities who refuse to accept the voters’ choice and are trying to carry out a coup with rabid political investigations that are unacceptable in any democracy,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
At a Monday night press conference Netanyahu said he had waited eight years to be able to tell his story and expressed outrage at the way witnesses had been treated during investigations.
Before the war, Netanyahu’s legal troubles bitterly divided Israelis and shook Israeli politics through five rounds of elections. His government’s bid last year to curb the powers of the judiciary further polarized Israelis.
The shock Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the ensuing Gaza war swept Netanyahu’s trial off the public agenda as Israelis came together in grief and trauma. But as the war dragged on, political unity crumbled.
In recent weeks, while fighting abated on one front after Israel reached a ceasefire with Hamas’ Lebanese ally Hezbollah, members of Netanyahu’s cabinet, including his justice and police ministers, have clashed with the judiciary.
In power almost consecutively since 2009, Netanyahu is Israel’s longest serving leader and its first sitting prime minister to be charged with a crime.
His domestic legal woes were compounded last month when the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him and his former defense chief Yoav Gallant along with a Hamas leader, for alleged war crimes in the Gaza conflict.
We all know that Nigeria isn't where it supposed to be, the character of our leaders is nothing to write about as well, but UK of all countries should not lecture us
You Can Remove 'Kemi' From Your Name – VP Shettima Accuses UK Party Leader Badenoch Of Denigrating Nigeria
He made the statement on Monday during the 10th Annual Migration Dialogue at the State House in Abuja.
Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has accused the newly elected leader of the United Kingdom Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, of disparaging her country of origin, Nigeria.
He made the statement on Monday during the 10th Annual Migration Dialogue at the State House in Abuja.
Shettima said, “Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the British Labour or Conservative Party. We are proud of her in spite of her efforts at denigrating her nation of origin.”
He further added, “She is entitled to her own opinions; she has even every right to remove the Kemi from her name but that does not underscore the fact that the greatest black nation on earth is the nation called Nigeria.”
The Vice President highlighted Nigeria’s significance on the world stage, stating, “One out of every three, four black men is a Nigerian and by 2050, Nigeria will support the United States, and will be the third most populous nation on earth.”
In his address, Shettima also emphasised the key role of migrants in shaping society and contributing to economic growth.
He reaffirmed the government's commitment to protecting migrant rights and celebrating their contributions to national development.
In 2022, Badenoch, a UK member of parliament of Nigerian descent, accused Nigerian politicians of misappropriating public funds.
Following her election as the UK Conservative Party leader in November 2024, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) reached out to her office but received no response, according to NIDCOM Chairman, Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
Murderers are terrorists, I also have the same view about them, it's just a matter of time, these war criminals will be punished for their heinous crimes, you can't waste 43k lives and get away with it, not even America will be able to protect them when the time comes
Queen Elizabeth was a woman of integrity, she made the right decision not to associate with Israeli officials, unfortunately the current UK leaders are doing the opposite
Israelis should look for good leaders that will listen to the international community on the way forward with two-state solution, Netanyahu is not that kind of person.
Botragelad: No need to pretend, yeah? I know your kind of person. You're a terrorist sympathizer, and you'd back them to burn Israel to the ground. Don't bother trying to hide your petty act. Your true colors are showing.
Times of Israel is your source, how credible is this news
By the way, you see why a constituted authority is far better, no matter what
These rebels will now operate freely with so much weapons in their hands, israel is happy with the collapse of Assad regime but there's another big problem now to deal with.
Kobojunkie: Everybody in Nigeria knows this at this point in time. I mean thanks to Bobrisky we all know now. But I doubt this pastor and wife team are concerned about such. Na to pose for that picture dey up there for them.
The victory of John Mahama really helped John Dumelo, the same thing happened last year in Nigeria when so many national assembly candidates under labour party won their seats because of Peter Obi, though Mr Obi didn't win the presidency but his good performance helped the party
Ghanaian Actor, business man and Politician John Dumelo has won parliamentarian seat in West Wuogon, Ghana.
John is the first NDC candidate to win a seat in that part of Ghana after 24 years. Mr. Dumelo is one of the biggest producers of coco yam in Ghana and his second time to contest for a seat.
Hopefully the Assad regime isn't replaced by something even worse, the displaced syrians can now go back home and rebuild their country.
Syrian soldiers didn't put up a fight at all, the same thing afghan soldiers did when the Taliban swept through Afghanistan and their president fled away in August 2021
Syrian rebels have swept into the capital, Damascus, bringing an end to the long rule of President Bashar al-Assad. Video footage shows the rebels escorting Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali purportedly to a hotel to transfer authority. CNN's Christiane Amanpour analyzes the collapse of the country's regime.
Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia concedes defeat, congratulates former President John Mahama.
Ghana’s former President John Dramani Mahama has won the country’s presidential election after his main opponent, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, conceded defeat.
“The people of Ghana have spoken, the people have voted for change at this time and we respect it with all humility,” Bawumia said in a news conference on Sunday.
The defeat in Saturday’s election ends two terms in power for the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) under President Nana Akufo-Addo, marked by Ghana’s worst economic crisis in years, involving high inflation and a debt default.
Bawumia said he called Mahama, of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), to congratulate him.
Earlier, NDC spokesman Sammy Gyamfi told reporters the party’s internal review of results showed Mahama won 56.3 percent of the vote against 41.3 percent for Bawumia.
“It is very clear the people of this country have voted for change,” Gyamfi said.
The vice president said Mahama won the presidency “decisively
The NDC won the parliamentary election, according to the NPP’s internal tally of votes.
Mahama, who was president of Ghana between July 2012 and January 2017, confirmed on X he had received Bawumia’s congratulatory call over his “emphatic victory”.
Blaring horns and cheering, the 65-year-old’s supporters were already gathering and celebrating outside the party campaign headquarters in the capital, Accra.
During his campaign, he promised to “reset” the country on various fronts and tried to appeal to young Ghanaians.
His win marks a historic victory, making him the first president in the three decades of Ghana’s Fourth Republic – since the 1992 return to multi-party democracy – to reclaim the presidency after being voted out.
Ghana’s economic woes dominated the election after the gold and cacao producer went through a crisis of default and currency devaluation, ending with a $3bn International Monetary Fund bailout.
On corruption, Mahama vowed during the campaign that he will create a new office tasked with scrutinising government procurement above a $5m threshold.
He said unchecked procurement processes are a major source of corruption.
But Mahama also voiced support for the anti-LGBTQ bill passed by Ghana’s parliament in February but which is yet to be signed into law and has sparked international criticism.
Ghana’s election commission had said official results were likely due by Tuesday.
With a history of democratic stability, Ghana’s two main parties, the NPP and NDC, have alternated in power equally since the return to multi-party politics in 1992.
OkpaNsukkaisBae: Even more shocking is how Western media is running a PR campaign for terrorist group. These are group made up of Al Qaeda terrorist/operatives
Foreign Affairs › Re: Syrian Rebels Burn Coffin Of Assad’s Father by God1000(op): 7:25pm On Dec 11, 2024
