An Australian politician has been convicted of supplying drugs after he initially dismissed a video showing him snorting a white substance as a “deepfake”. Former South Australian Liberal party leader David Speirs was fined A$9,000 (£4311; $5,720) and ordered to complete 37.5 hours of community service by an Adelaide court on Thursday. Speirs was arrested in September after footage of him snorting off a plate was published by News Corp. He initially denied wrongdoing and reportedly told the news outlet it was a “deepfake” and that he had never used cocaine. However, he later admitted that was a lie and…
Author: Oki Bin Oki
M&S shoppers are facing further frustration at the checkout as the company struggles to recover from a cyber attack. Customers began reporting problems on the weekend, with the retailer confirming on Tuesday it was dealing with a “cyber incident.” It told the BBC on Wednesday that customer-facing systems were back to normal. However, it has since confirmed it has been forced to take some systems offline as part of its “proactive management of the incident.” It said it had stopped processing contactless payments, had paused the collection of click and collect orders in stores, and warned of delays to online…
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has ended an historic visit to South Africa, signalling a dramatic improvement in the once-strained relations between the two nations. The visit marked a diplomatic breakthrough for the Ukrainian leader in his efforts to counter Russia’s strong – and growing – influence in Africa. “I’m sure that Russia will be annoyed by the visit, but I don’t think it can do much about it,” said Steven Gruzd of the South African Institute of International Relations think-tank. But Russia disrupted Zelensky’s visit by carrying out an air strike on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, forcing him to announce that…
A normally bustling border crossing between Tanzania and Malawi was noticeably quieter than usual on Thursday as a result of an escalating regional trade row. From midnight, Tanzania banned the entry of all agricultural imports from Malawi and South Africa in response to what it sees as restrictions on some of its exports. South Africa has for years prohibited the entry of bananas from Tanzania. Malawi last month blocked imports of flour, rice, ginger, bananas and maize from its northern neighbour. “We are taking this step to protect our business interests… in business, we must all respect each other,” Tanzania’s…
One student has been killed and at least three people were injured in stabbing at a privateschool in western France, French media say. The attack took place at Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides school in Nantes on Thursday afternoon, according to reports. The attacker is said to have been arrested at the scene after being restrained by a teacher. A significant police presence and emergency services were sent to the school, with army officers also present. It has since been evacuated. Eye-witness accounts in local media described students running through the site, with some confined to classrooms after an alarm was sounded around lunch…
Pakistan has responded with tit-for-tat measures against India as tensions soared following a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists. Islamabad suspended all visas issued to Indian nationals under an exemption scheme with immediate effect, as well as expelling some of its neighbour’s diplomats and closing its airspace to Indian flights. Indian police have named three of four suspected gunmen behind the attack, saying two are Pakistani citizens and a third is a local Kashmiri man. Pakistan denies Indian claims that it played a role in the shooting. Tuesday’s attack saw a group of gunmen fire on tourists…
Former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi led a faction of Meru leaders to visit former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua at his Wamunyoro residence, Nyeri County. The group included former leaders including Maoka Maore of Ntonyiri. They arrived at the home on Thursday April 24 and were welcomed by Gachagua. They went into a meeting planning their next moves. This comes ahead of Gachagua’s much awaited launch of his political party. It comes shortly after former Meru Governor Peter Munya dismissed claims that he was in talks with President William Ruto. He said he was not interested in a government’s job…
Bamburi Cement Plc, a member of Pan-African Energy and Manufacturing Business conglomerate Amsons Group, has launched a Ksh 100 million Ready-mix (RMX) concrete plant in Mombasa County to meet the growing demand for quality concrete solutions in Mombasa Island and its environs. The new facility by Bamburi Special Products (BSP), located in the Bamburi area, has a production capacity of 120 cubic meters per hour, with potential volumes exceeding 10,000 cubic meters of Ready-mix concrete. It also has a fleet of transit mixers, a mobile and fixed pumping capacity, and a mobile concrete lab, enabling efficiency and support for upcoming…
Interior and National Administration CS Kipchumba Murkomen Thursday put on notice security officers engaging in corrupt activities, warning that their days are numbered. He warned that National Government administration officers, police and the National Police Reservists engaging in corruption will carry their own cross when caught. “Corruption derails government efforts to provide services to the the citizens. Our main client is the Kenyan people and will not allow this to be compromised,” vowed the CS. He stressed that it will not be business are usual for officers engaging in corrupt activists, singling out human trafficking and charging for government services…
India has announced measures targeting Pakistan, a day after 26 people were killed by gunmen in an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. They include the closure of the main border crossing linking the two countries, the suspension of a water-sharing treaty and the expulsion of diplomats. India has also cancelled some visas held by Pakistanis and ordered holders to leave within two days, while demanding Pakistan renounces “support for cross-border terrorism” – something Islamabad denies. Tuesday’s killing of tourists gathered at a Himalayan beauty spot in Pahalgam was one of the deadliest incidents in Indian-administered Kashmir in recent years. There has…