Skip to main content

Death toll of shooting in Afghanistan's Herat hits 11

The death toll from a shooting in western Afghanistan rose to 11 on Saturday, the provincial authority said, after gunmen targeted civilians at a picnic spot in Herat. Bullet marks were visible on a wall of the Sayed Mohammad Agha Shia shrine, an AFP journalist said, while bloodstains marked a blanket abandoned at the scene. "Eleven people have been recorded dead and eight others wounded from Friday's incident, with the condition of two of the wounded reported as critical," Herat's information office said in a statement. Read: Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to explore comprehensive peace solution: China The update raises a toll of seven killed, provided on Friday by the interior ministry. The attack southwest of Herat city was carried out by "unidentified armed men riding motorcycles", ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said. So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the shooting. People from different parts of Herat usually gather beside the shrine to ...
Post a Comment

Djibouti president wins election with 97.8% of vote, state media says

Djibouti's President Ismael Omar Guelleh has won re-election with 97.8% of the vote, state-owned Radio Television Djibouti said on Saturday, handing him a sixth term that extends his 27-year rule over the small but strategically located East African country. Guelleh posted an image of himself with the French word "RÉÉLU" on X, which translates to "re-elected". Résultat des élections présidentielles du 10 avril 2026 pic.twitter.com/YcpabHo80h — Ismail Omar Guelleh (@IsmailOguelleh) April 10, 2026 The country of less than 1 million people sits on the Gulf of Aden at the entrance to the Red Sea and hosts United States, Chinese, French, Italian and Japanese military bases. Since 2023, several commercial ships damaged in attacks by Yemen's Houthi militants have docked in the country. Victory for the 78-year-old Guelleh, who was handpicked in 1999 to succeed his uncle Hassan Gouled Aptidon and whose party dominates national institutions, was never in doubt. Last October, parliament voted to remove the 75-year age limit for presidential candidates and also scrapped a referendum previously required to approve a new constitution. Two main opposition parties boycotted election In Friday's vote, Guelleh faced a lone opposition candidate, Mohamed Farah Samatar, from a small party with no representation in parliament. Two of the main opposition parties have boycotted elections since 2016, accusing election authorities of lacking impartiality. Data from state-owned media showed that there was voter turnout of 80.4%. In the last election in 2021, Guelleh won with over 97% of the vote. Read: Government explores Djibouti route for Africa trade In contrast to several other Horn of Africa nations, Djibouti has been relatively stable in recent years, and Guelleh's government has invested heavily in port infrastructure to become the main gateway to landlocked Ethiopia. But human rights groups accuse the Djiboutian authorities of repressing political opponents, activists and journalists. The government has denied allegations of widespread abuses and rejected criticism of the electoral process. In 2020, security forces quelled rare anti-government street protests, which erupted after the arrest of a former air force pilot who had denounced alleged corruption and clan-based discrimination.

from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt/pkZ4J01
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

At least 32 miners dead after bridge fails at cobalt site in southeast DR Congo

A bridge collapsed at a cobalt mine in southeast Democratic Republic of Congo killing at least 32 wildcat miners, a regional government official said Sunday. The bridge came down Saturday onto a flooded zone at the mine in Lualaba province, Roy Kaumba Mayonde, the provincial interior minister, told reporters. He said 32 bodies had been recovered and more were being searched for. The DRC produces more than 70 percent of the world supply of cobalt, which is essential for batteries used in electric cars, many laptop computers and mobile phones. More than 200,000 people are estimated to be working in giant illegal cobalt mines in the giant central African country. Local authorities said the bridge collapsed at the Kalando mine, about 42 kilometres (26 miles) southeast of the Lualaba provincial capital, Kolwezi. "Despite a formal ban on access to the site because of the heavy rain and the risk of a landslide, wildcat miners forced their way into the quarry," said Mayonde. He said ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Indian devotees splurge on jets, gold idols as Hindu temple opens

The private jet parking lots at airports near the Indian city of Ayodhya are full and the shops have run out of gold-plated idols, as wealthy devotees prepare for the invite-only opening ceremony of one of Hinduism's holiest temples. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Asia's richest man Mukesh Ambani are among the 8,000 or so attendees at Monday's inauguration event for the Ram Temple, which devotees believe is built on the birthplace of Lord Ram, a sacred Hindu deity. The construction of the temple, which began after the Supreme Court awarded the site to Hindus in 2019 more than two decades after a Hindu mob razed a mosque there, triggering deadly riots, fulfils a key campaign promise of Modi and his Hindu nationalist party. Read BJP-promised temple transforms Ayodhya: Muslims, locals feel neglected The opening ceremony, organised by the trust that built the temple, comes months before a national election which the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is widely expected to w...
Post a Comment
Read more

US, Philippines kick off joint military drills in South China Sea with 16,000 troops

Some 16,000 US and Philippine troops kicked off the annual joint military drills on Monday in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), local media reported. WPS is the official designation by Philippines to the parts of the South China Sea that are included in the country's exclusive economic zone. The 19-day exercises, dubbed "Balikatan 2024," will involve around 5,000 Philippine and 11,000 US troops, making it the largest joint military drills between the two allies conducted in decades, local English daily Manila Times reported citing the military. A total of 14 nations, including Japan and India, will take part in the drills as observers amid mounting maritime tensions in the South China Sea. Contingents from the Australian Defence Force and the French Navy will also join the exercise as participants. Read also: China urges US to stop using Philippines as a pawn to destabilise South China Sea France will join the group sail but will only navigate on the edge of the Philippine E...
Post a Comment
Read more