Mercury的2023-10-16目录

Dieketseng Maleke dieketseng.maleke@inl.co.za THE MARKET cheered Sasfin Holding’s R3.2 billion sale of its Capital Equipment Finance (CEF) and Commercial Property Finance (CPF) businesses to African Bank as it focuses on strengthening its core business. The shares closed 40.02% higher at R31 on Friday and have increased by 24% in the past six months. African Bank will purchase the CEF loan book; plus a R100 million in goodwill, while as regards the CPF business, African Bank will pay Sasfin the Agterskot Amounts “as and when they are realised”. The deal must still be approved by shareholders in a general meeting. If approved, the proceeds of the transaction will be redirected to the continued growth of the group's core businesses and enhancing total return for shareholders. The group retains its…

The WORLD Bank is in talks about a poten- tial $1 billion loan to help enable South Africa to reform its energy sector, a bank official told Reuters, as the country tries to overcome record power cuts that have crippled the economy. The loan, which would be directly to the government rather than to State utility Eskom, is “under discussion”, Marie Fran- coise Marie-Nelly, the bank’s director for South Africa, said in an interview in Marra- kech, Morocco. “It is going to come very soon,” she added, declining to specify a timeframe. South Africa is facing its worst power crisis, with Eskom’s ageing, coal-fired plants often breaking down. Rolling power cuts have crimped economic growth, while fuelling private investment in renewable energy. “It’s a policy development loan which supports critical…

This is an open letter to IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa. It is with a heavy heart that I am writing you this open letter to raise my serious concerns about what seems to be perennial incidents of rape and the disregard of women’s rights allegedly perpetrated by men who occupy positions of public importance within the IFP. At the outset, let me declare that I pen this letter as a member of the Africa Women Leaders’ Network (AWLN) which was initiated by the AU in collaboration with the UN. Our main task is to champion women’s rights in all facets of life. I meant to write to you as the president of the IFP promptly after the first sexual abuse allegations surfaced in KwaZulu-Natal at the beginning of the year,…

AGONISING times we live in. You can choose which major war, or smaller-scale insurrection, you want to follow. For diversion you can switch channels to get the latest on earthquakes, floods, wildfires and global warming. This is not cheering fare. Is there a way out of it all? And will the UN perhaps relocate to Isipingo? Will Climate Change HQ also set up there? Isipingo? Why Isipingo? Well, the island in the Isipingo lagoon would be a splendid spot for UN HQ, and it’s ideologically neutral. However, the idea comes from a story that used to be told long ago by one of my schoolmasters. He was taking a class at Merchiston, in Maritzburg, at a time World War II was raging. In a General Knowledge test he posed a…

The chairperson of the NSFAS board, Ernest Khosa, has announced that he has received the report on CEO Andile Nongogo’s conduct in alleged tender irregularities, and it will be presented to the full board early this week. The probe was conducted by a team from Werksmans firm of attorneys and advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi SC. Khosa said that after studying the report, the board would determine the next steps to be taken. Nongogo was put on a leave of absence in August following an uproar over the direct payment system at NSFAS which left tens of thousands of students without allowances and subjected to evictions by certain landlords. The media also published reports on allegations of Nongogo’s conduct in the appointment of four service providers to disburse student allowances over…

Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu has raised concern about the deteriorating state of sewerage systems in the country and hopes the intervention measures they are implementing will alleviate the situation. He said the national department would continue to support municipalities to avoid sewer spillages. Municipalities have to follow compliance procedures to prevent sewer spillages. Mchunu said the latest Green Drop report had painted a gloomy picture about the state of sewerage systems in the country. The report shows that almost half of the wastewater treatment plants were functioning properly. It found that out of 850 wastewater treatment plants, 334 were in a critical state. Late former minister of water affairs Edna Molewa said almost 10 years ago that the country would need more than R300 billion to fix…

TB expert and research scientist Professor Kogie Naidoo has been inducted as a fellow of the prestigious Royal Society in South Africa for her research over three decades in TB-HIV co-infection, and multidrug-resistant TB. Naidoo, who is the deputy director and leads the HIV-TB treatment programme at the Centre for the Aids Programme in South Africa (Caprisa) in Durban, was inducted at an event in Cape Town on Saturday. Born in Durban, she obtained her MBChB and PhD at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where she is an honorary associate professor in the College of Health Sciences, and was among the first to implement public antiretroviral therapy (ART) services for people living with HIV more than 25 years ago. In a statement, Caprisa said together with her colleagues, her research showed…

THE ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) said it missed an opportunity to deal with hijacked buildings in various metros when it failed to act after people were evicted. The party was providing a progress report on a number of service delivery issues and challenges as it held a special NEC meeting in Joburg at the weekend. In August, a fire engulfed an illegally occupied, abandoned, state-owned building in Joburg, killing 77 people and injuring 88 in one of the deadliest fires in the country’s history. The eThekwini Municipality has said it has 88 problem buildings and planned to take steps to deal with them including demolishing buildings if necessary. The party’s NEC member and Deputy Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Parks Tau, said a number of plans had…

Sekunjalo case is a test of our commitment to upholding the principles of justice IN THE realm of law and justice, Aristotle’s timeless aphorism that, “The law is reason free from passion” stands as a guiding light, urging us to uphold the principles of impartiality, fairness, and rationality. In today’s world, however, these principles face an arduous test as the justice system grapples with the relentless onslaught of media and social media courts of public opinion. The case of South Africa’s Sekunjalo Group, its affiliated companies including Independent Media, and their much-maligned group chairman, Dr Iqbal Survé, is emblematic of this predicament. In a world where the court of public opinion often precedes due legal process, South Africa’s banks have made a collective and sweeping decision to close all Sekunjalo…

Australian Indigenous leaders called yesterday for a week of silence and reflection after a referendum to recognise First Peoples in the constitution was decisively rejected. More than 60% of Australians voted “No” in the landmark referendum on Saturday that asked whether to alter the constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people with an Indigenous advisory body, the “Voice to Parliament”, that would have advised parliament on matters concerning the community. Australia’s first referendum in almost a quarter of a century needed a national majority and majorities in at least four states to pass. All six states rejected the proposal. “This is a bitter irony,” the Indigenous leaders said in a statement. “That people who have only been on this continent for 235 years would refuse to recognise those…

Poles voted yesterday in a parliamentary election which the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) hopes will earn it an unprecedented third term in office, while the opposition, the liberal Civic Coalition (KO), led by former European Council president Donald Tusk, warns that it could put the country on a path to leaving the EU. Opinion polls suggest PiS will come out ahead but could lose its majority amid intensifying discontent over its democratic record, which has cost Poland billions of euros in EU aid, and concerns over women’s rights and the cost of living. PiS has cast the election as a choice between security from migration, which it says its opponents support, and a creeping Westernisation. PiS says its reforms aim to make the country and its economy more fair…

KHANKENDI: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev yesterday raised the national flag in the capital of the former breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh after a military operation last month brought the territory back under Azerbaijan’s control. The capital, known as Khankendi by Azerbaijan and as Stepanakert by Armenians, fell to Azerbaijan after security forces crushed ethnic Armenian fighters last month, prompting most of Karabakh’s 120 000 ethnic Armenians to flee to Armenia. Nagorno-Karabakh, known as Artsakh by Armenians, is a landlocked mountainous area in the South Caucasus. The territory is recognised as part of Azerbaijan. | Reuters…

Kabul: The Taliban will attend China’s Belt and Road Forum underscoring Beijing’s growing official ties with the administration despite its lack of formal recognition by any government, reports say. Taliban officials and ministers have travelled to regional meetings, mostly those focused on Afghanistan, but the Belt and Road Forum is among the highest-profile multilateral summits it has been invited to attend. The forum in Beijing tomorrow and Wednesday marks the 10th anniversary of President Xi Jinping’s global infrastructure and energy initiative. China has been in talks with the Taliban over plans for a possible copper mine in Afghanistan. | IANS…

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos will need a few players to fire on all cylinders if the national team is to emerge with some credit from tomorrow's international friendly against Ivory Coast. The team had a warm-up match against Eswatini on Friday but failed to show any sense of urgency and merely went through the motions at the FNB Stadium. The players who can turn around the team's performance in Ivory Coast are Siyanda Xulu, Themba Zwane, Bongokuhle Hlongwane and Lyle Foster. Xulu, the well-travelled centre-back can show big match temperament against the strong teams. He did well against Morocco and has become an immovable force on the national side. He does an excellent job when called on to organise the SA defence and leads by example when the side…

Eggplant is enjoyed by vegetarians and meat-eaters alike all over the world. With a flavour profile that lends itself to just about any preparation, this extra-friendly food has limitless possibilities and is worth getting to know better. It is best to use eggplant soon after buying or picking it from the garden. Within one to three days is a good rule of thumb. Eggplant is delicate and does not store well for long periods. General manager of Granny Mouse Country House & Spa, Sean Granger, shares a tasty smoked brinjal dish you can try at home. Baba ghanoush Ingredients 2 medium-sized eggplants 2 medium cloves of garlic, pressed 2 tbs lemon juice, more if necessary ¼ cup tahini ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing the eggplant and…

POLITICAL parties have called on the Department of Defence to take tough action against eight SANDF members who have been recalled from a UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo following allegations of sexual exploitation. The Department of Defence said it had recalled the implicated SANDF members after it received a UN report about allegations against SANDF members who were deployed under the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (Monusco). “It is alleged in the UN report that on Sunday, October 1, 2023, eight SANDF soldiers deployed in Beni were apprehended by the UN Military Police (UN MP) for being in direct breach of the curfew time and other regulations related to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA).” Kobus Marais, the DA spokesperson on Defence and…

The many responses over the years that came from Western superpowers and their mechanisms, including their media, are largely responsible for this ongoing oppression of the Palestinians and the committing of war crimes by the Zionist Israelis in blatant contravention of international laws. All these violations and more being reminiscent of apartheid South Africa but on a more horrendous scale. Instead of addressing the occupation and gross human-rights abuses for what they truly are, Western superpowers choose to continue their deceptive narrative that the Israeli regime has the right to defend itself. Regrettably, the global community, stood watching, decade after decade, knowing full well that neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians can ultimately be victorious. As we witness these horrific moments and mourn the loss of lives, our commitment awaits…

the government has been accused of dragging its feet and failing to assist the affected farmers dealing with the outbreak of avian flu. The DA in Gauteng has urged the government to speed up the process to procure vaccines to deal with the outbreak. The DA’s Gauteng spokesperson on Agriculture and Rural Development Bronwynn Engelbrecht said the party had been engaging with poultry producers in Gauteng, and according to one of the top poultry producers, at least 50% of their production line had been lost due to the avian virus, saying, with 4 500 employees, they were forced to retrench at least 50% of their workforce. “Gauteng has been the hardest hit by the H7 strain of avian flu, which has led to a dire shortage of chicken and…

Police in Gauteng have launched a manhunt for a gunman who snuck up on a cash-in-transit security officer and killed him at a hardware store in Orange Farm after a brief tussle for the firearm. The altercation was caught on CCTV cameras at the store in Orange Farm on Thursday. The video of the incident was shared at the weekend on social media platforms. In the footage, the G4S CIT guard is seen pushing a trolley of cash towards the cash van when an armed gunman emerges from the hardware store and points a firearm at him at close range. The G4S guard appears to co-operate as the gunman robs him of his cellphone and shoves it in his own pocket. The cash guard then suddenly throws a punch towards…

Police have arrested four men after a high-speed chase on the N2 near uMgababa on the South Coast. The arrest on Saturday afternoon was as a result of a multi-disciplinary operation involving various police disciplines, a vehicle tracking company and private security, said police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda. “Reports indicate that a Toyota Avanza which was reported hijacked in Port Shepstone earlier in the day was spotted on the N2 northbound in uMgababa and relevant law-enforcement agencies were activated. “The driver of the vehicle ignored police instructions for him to stop and a high-speed chase ensued. “The driver of the suspects’ vehicle got out of the vehicle while it was still in motion and the vehicle veered off the road.” Netshiunda said three men were found inside the vehicle with…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has called on the UN to ensure peace is installed in Palestine and that the Israeli government is directed to withdraw their command for people to get out of northern Gaza. International bodies and people across the globe have mixed feelings regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been displaced after Israel ordered 1.1 million residents of northern Gaza to evacuate to the south after the ground offensive takes shape. Hamas launched a terror attack on October 7, leading to scores of people being killed and injured, while a number of people reported torture and abuse. According to The Guardian news website, Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip have killed at least 2 329 Palestinians, with more than 9 714 wounded. In addition, at…

ETHEKWINI Municipality said yesterday that water was returning to areas north of Durban after a planned maintenance shutdown on Wednesday at Durban Heights water treatment plant. The plant was shut down for the completion of repair work on Aqueduct-2 and resulted in delays in water returning to some areas. On Friday, eThekwini announced that the City had shut inlets to reservoirs to build up storage capacity for the affected areas. Municipal spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said that water had started flowing to homes in most areas in the north region following the interventions by eThekwini Municipality and Umngeni-uThukela Water. “City reservoirs have exceeded the 50% mark after Umngeni-uThukela Water increased the inflows and outflows at Durban Heights Water Treatment Works to enable reservoirs downstream to fill up speedily.” Sisilana said the…

THE Census 2022 report released last week has given the ANC more reasons to boast about what its government achieved, but job creation is not among them. In fact, one has to read economist Mushtak Parker’s “Right on the money” column to understand how the static adult unemployment rate – at 33.5% in 2022 and projected at 32.8% in 2023 and 2024 remains the elephant in the room for the country’s economic growth. Worse still are the figures for youth unemployment, which Parker laments as one of the highest in the world. No government would take comfort from these statistics, especially when most of the affected citizens are ANC voters. Out of the population of 62 million in South Africa, the black African population constituted the largest proportion accounting…

The US House of Representatives still doesn’t have a speaker. That the position, which is considered second in line to the president, should be vacant at a time when the US is dealing with two wars – one that started recently between Israel and the Hamas, and the other that has carried on from February 2022 between Russia and Ukraine – has frustrated many Republicans. And the words “clown”, “clown car” and “clown show” are used frequently by them for their fellow Republicans. Some members have even suggested reinstating Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted by a section of the party. Others have floated a coalition speaker elected with bipartisan support from both Republicans and Democrats. Some Republicans are angry with Democrats, accusing them of not bailing out McCarthy earlier by…

Riyadh: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for pressure on Hamas during a meeting yesterday with the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which has warming ties with Israel but has put normalisation on hold. “Very productive,” Blinken said when asked about the meeting. He “highlighted the US’s unwavering focus on halting terrorist attacks by Hamas, securing the release of all hostages and preventing the conflict from spreading”, the State Department said. Prince Mohammed highlighted Riyadh’s diplomatic outreach “to calm the situation”, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said, an effort that has involved calls to regional leaders including Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Blinken was to travel next to Egypt, the sixth Arab country he will visit to pressure Hamas and stop the war…

Nairobi: The collapse of a church after heavy rain in southern Burundi killed at least four children and injured 15 yesterday, officials said. Heavy downpours and strong winds began to lash Kiyange, local government official Esperance Inarukundo said. The weather “caused a lot of damage, including the collapse of the Kiyange pentecostal church”, where children were attending religious education classes, she said. “We are continuing to search the rubble and have already found four children dead and 15 injured in the church,” Inarukundo said. She said residents, the Burundi Red Cross and civil protection were helping the rescue operation. | AFP…

Kibera: Towering models paraded down a 3m high catwalk overlooking the rusting tin roofs of Kibera, the Kenyan capital’s biggest urban slum. The second edition of Kibera Fashion Week concluded in the heart of the sprawling area over the weekend, with hundreds of spectators from Kibera and across the city watching the diverse collections float by on Saturday. “Kibera is full of style,” said designer Avido. “People don’t get to see it because the image they have about Kibera is post-electoral violence, prostitution, drug abuse,” explains the 27-year-old, whose real name is David Ochieng. His creations have attracted global stars from Bruno Mars to Beyonce. | AFP…

There has been a number of occasions where the Proteas have let their guard down when they were clear favourites. The defeat to Bangladesh in the 2015 World Cup is prime example of how the team has a tendency of going into a fixture as favourites only to emerge defeated. Complacency also led to Sri Lanka becoming the first Asian team to win a Test series in South Africa, breaking a long-standing record that has made South Africa one of the toughest places to tour in world cricket. The most recent slip up was the defeat to the Netherlands last year in the World T20 Cup, where South Africa’s performance was shocking, resulting in them being knocked out of the showpiece event. “I wasn’t there,” said Proteas head coach Rob…

The Sharks have a favourite son of Kings Park back at the helm in John Plumtree and they will need all his experience and knowledge this week as they embark on the toughest of United Rugby Championship (URC) tours. The Sharks kick off the new tournament on Saturday in Cork and the first two weeks of a four-match tour are in Ireland, where champions Munster are first up and then in Dublin, mighty Leinster lie in wait. The tour softens slightly in the third week when the Sharks visit Wales to play the Ospreys before finishing against last season’s wooden spoonists, Zebre, in Italy. Interestingly, the Ospreys team is likely to feature Plumtree’s son, Taine, who a few months back relocated to the country of his birth, Wales, to try…

The Proteas women bounced back with a series-levelling victory in the fifth and final T20 international against New Zealand in Benoni yesterday, and coach Hilton Moreeng was content with the improvements the team showed during the tour. Proteas fast bowlers Masabata Klaas and Nadine de Klerk bowled South Africa to victory at Willowmore Park, as the duo picked up three wickets each to help settle the series after suffering a defeat on Saturday at the same ground. Moreeng was pleased with the developments of Klaas and De Klerk. “(Their performances) show a lot of growth,” said Mooreng, following the Proteas’ 11-run victory. “They always had a lot of seniors around them bowling. They always found themselves on the bench because of the quality the other bowlers brought to the squad…

State-owned enterprise seeks deeper accountability framework, cost reduction, and better relations with stakeholders TRANSNET’S board said on Saturday it had developed a turnaround plan that it would submit to its shareholder, the government, this week, and that it would also ask for additional funding to support its operations. On Friday, the Presidency clarified misleading reports saying: “Inaccurate media reports have created the impression that the Presidency seeks to place Transnet under private control. This is not the case. “South Africa’s port and rail infrastructure are strategic national assets and government has taken a clear stance that they will remain in public ownership.” Media reports were leaked that among other plans, the Presidency aimed to set up an independent port and rail regulator and a rolling stock leasing company, which…

Reality TV star Nandipha Mlombi, known as Queen Nandi on social media, has been disqualified from participating in the Mrs Southern Africa pageant. It is believed that the disqualification may be due to certain social media posts made by Mlombi. “After careful consideration and thorough review of recent events and their impact on the reputation and smooth execution of the pageant, the organising committee has determined that it is in the best interest of the pageant and its participants to disqualify Mrs Nandipha Mlombi… from the competition,” the organisation said. “The decision was not taken lightly and was based on concerns regarding the adverse publicity generated as a result of recent actions associated with her participation. “The aim of our pageant is to uphold ubuntu, a positive and respectful image.…

Civil society groups warn that a potential VAT increase being mooted by the Treasury will have a negative impact on the poor and middle-class income earners. Economists also warn that it could lead to a huge spike in the price of cars, clothes and processed foods. Reports have indicated that the Treasury has proposed to increase VAT due to the precarious state of the government’s finances, however no decision has been announced yet. In its report on the household affordability index for September, Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group (PMBJED) said that raising the VAT-rate on food would have severely negative consequences for most South African families. “Increasing the VAT-rate to augment government revenues is likely to cost more money in health care, more money in education, more money to…

There is a certain value in shedding, getting rid of stuff, emptying drawers, taking old books that will never be read and giving them to someone who will read them. We may do it in sync with the seasons and call it “spring cleaning” or “readying for the winter”. When I do this a lightness enters me, and the clean-out not only clears my mind, it cleans the room, the garage, the entire house. There’s a certain value in taking stock, preserving, keeping, assessing what things we really value and keeping them close. These things can be very simple with no monetary value at all. I confess, there’s something to do with Buzz Lightyear and Woody from Toy Story in every room in our house. It’s subtle, but it’s there.…

THE letters in your columns this week regarding the Hamas-Israeli conflict refer. While there is no doubt that your correspondents are entirely sincere in their beliefs, it is clear to anyone who studies history that the Hamas incursion stood no chance of success and could only result in a massive Israeli retaliation – which has happened. So who benefits? The answer is obvious. Hamas is backed by Iran that is an ally of Russia. Both Iran and Russia have problems with Western sanctions and need relief. So what do they do? It is widely reported that Nato allies are running out of stored munitions to send to Ukraine to bolster their offensive against Russia and cracks are starting to show in Nato unity as sending old stocks of ammunition…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has promised a crackdown on the construction mafia and other gangs involved in the extortion of businesses across the country. “We are to go after these gangs. We are to go after those people who hijack building sites,” he said. “All of those, whether they are in the taxi industry or construction industry, who do wrong things, they will have to pay and be accountable for their wrong activities.” He made the undertaking when responding to oral questions posed by DA MP Tim Brauteseth in the National Council of Provinces about the personnel and resources allocated to the special units Ramaphosa mentioned in his State-of-the-Nation address as having been established in every province to combat the scourge. Ramaphosa said the SAPS had established 20 economic infrastructure task…

MORE THAN three decades after he allegedly pulled the trigger, ending a young man’s life, a former security guard is set to stand in the dock at the Durban Regional Court today. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson in KwaZulu-Natal, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, said Wesley “Matiri” Madonsela has been charged with murder. “This is in respect of the February 1989 murder of 17-year-old Siphelele Nxumalo in Chesterville. Siphelele died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds. At the time, he was an activist with the United Democratic Front, which was affiliated with the ANC.” Madonsela was part of an A-team that worked with the Natal Security branch and disappeared after the murder. He was eventually arrested and is out on bail. “This case reveals the atrocities committed against political activists by…

WHILE the deadline to the launch of the long-awaited GO!Durban transport network project has been pushed back to early next year, taxi operators have remained resolute that the multi-million-rand project will not be launched without their buy-in. The deadline for the launch has been pushed back to February next year. Bethuel Manthoadi, senior official in the eThekwini Transport Authority (ETA), unit revealed this while giving an update on the plans to launch the project last week. This is a change from the directive given by mayor Mxolisi Kaunda a few months ago that the project should be live before the end of this year. The launch of GO!Durban’s first route C3 – between KwaMashu and Pinetown – was expected to launch in November last year, after it missed the July…

Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) chairperson Maggie Govender says the committee is satisfied with efforts made by the KwaZulu-Natal Health Department in addressing unnecessary expenditure and finding creative ways to ensure the department functions properly. The improvement in containing expenditure was also highlighted by DA member Edwin Baptie, who said it was an encouraging development. Baptie also welcomed the unqualified opinion from the AG, noting that the department had attended to issues raised in the past. The department, second to the Department of Education in size and budget allocation, has battled to contain costs in the past, and this resulted in it getting qualified audit opinions. Govender commended the department for the improvements that have come about owing to the e-filing system for patient information and how this effort…

More than one million people have been displaced in the Gaza Strip in the last week, the UN said yesterday, after sustained Israeli bombardment and warnings about a ground attack against Hamas commanders. Israel declared war on the Islamist group last Sunday, a day after waves of fighters broke through the heavily fortified border and shot, stabbed and burned to death more than 1 400 people, most of them civilians. Seven days of relentless bombing targeting those who masterminded the attack have flattened neighbourhoods and left at least 2 450 people dead in the Gaza Strip, the majority ordinary Palestinians, the health ministry there said. As Israel seeks to avenge the worst attack in its history, the Arab League and AU warned the invasion could lead to “genocide”. It also…

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake killed two people in western Afghanistan yesterday, with damaged prisons emptied, and residents fleeing a region where tremors claimed at least 1 000 lives this past week. Since October 7, a series of potent quakes have jolted Herat province, levelling whole villages, burying families, and leaving thousands homeless. Doctors Without Borders said two new fatalities and 154 injuries were registered at Herat Regional Hospital. The latest quake’s epicentre was 33km northwest of Herat city and was followed by aftershocks of magnitudes 5.4, 4.2, 4.3 and 4.4, the US Geological Survey said. The quake series began on October 7 with a 6.3 tremor and eight powerful aftershocks, which devastated rural villages north-west of Herat city. The Taliban government said more than 1 000 people were killed, while…

London: Pop legend Madonna kicked off her 40th anniversary “Celebration Tour” at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday, three-and-a-half months after a bacterial infection led to her hospitalisation and its postponement. The 65-year-old singer spent several days in intensive care in New York after being found unconscious in her apartment there in June, and has since been recovering, and rehearsing, for the 78-date tour. Madonna had to overcome some early on-stage technical hitches in the first of four sold-out performances at the O2. | AFP…

Quito: Ecuadorans started voting for a new president yesterday, in the midst of a drug war and a rash of political assassinations that cut short the bid of a popular candidate. The finalists in this run-off election – lawyer Luisa Gonzalez, 45, and banana empire heir Daniel Noboa, 35 – campaigned in bullet-proof vests as a climate of fear grips the once-peaceful country. Both have vowed to prioritise dealing with the escalating violence. Crime and violence plague the country, where the murder rate quadrupled in the four years to 2022, as enemy gangs with links to Mexican and Colombian cartels vie for control. About 3 600 Ecuadorans have been murdered this year. | AFP…

Afghanistan pulled off one of the greatest 50-over World Cup shocks yesterday when they defeated defending champions England by 69 runs in New Delhi. Chasing 285 to win, after opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz had hit a blistering 80, England were bowled out for 215 despite Harry Brook’s 66 with spinners Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan claiming three wickets each. After Gurbaz and the recalled Ikram Alikhil, with 58, had given them a decent target to defend, Afghanistan’s bowlers went to work, striking at regular intervals. Jonny Bairstow (two) was lbw to Fazalhaq Farooqi in the second over before Joe Root was clean bowled by 22-year-old player of the match Mujeeb for 11. Mohammad Nabi got rid of Dawid Malan, who made 140 against Bangladesh, for 32 to precipitate a slide…