Rare Show of Unity Among G-20 in a Polarized World
South Africa appears to have achieved something that's proved almost impossible in recent years: getting world powers to agree.
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Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
US forces capture ISIS finance chief in Somalia
American military forces successfully captured multiple members of ISIS-Somalia on Friday in a ground raid in Somalia's Puntland state. U.S. Africa Command announced on Saturday that it carried out an operation against ISIS-Somalia on July 25. The release did not include details on the nature of the operation or if any ISIS members were killed or captured; saying that '[s]pecific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security.' 'AFRICOM, alongside the Federal Government of Somalia and Somali Armed Forces, continues to take action to degrade ISIS-Somalia's ability to plan and conduct attacks that threaten the U.S. homeland, our forces, and our citizens abroad,' AFRICOM's release said. However, the Puntland Defense Force, the main counter-terrorism body for the state, posted on X that their U.S. partners successfully captured ISIS-Somalia's finance chief Abdiweli Mohamed Yusuf, along with two others. Additionally an AFRICOM spokesperson said in a statement to Task & Purpose that AFRICOM is 'currently assessing the results of the operation and will provide additional information on ISIS-Somalia individuals captured as appropriate.' Yusuf, also known as Abdiweli Walalac, has served as the chief financial leader for the terrorist group in Somalia since at least 2019. In June 2023, the U.S. Department of the Treasury listed him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist and imposed sanctions on him. In that same announcement naming Yusuf as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, the Treasury Department noted that ISIS-Somalia generated millions in funds, mainly through extortion of local businesses, which it then used to finance its operations. Yusuf, as the chief money man for the group, answered directly to the leaders of ISIS-Somalia and ISIS al-Karrar, a subgroup that oversees several ISIS cells throughout the African continent. Top Stories This Week Culture Top Air Force enlisted leader apologizes for uniform slip-up Top Air Force enlisted leader apologizes for uniform slip-up By Jeff Schogol Culture An Army pilot and mechanic switched units for a week. Here's how that went. An Army pilot and mechanic switched units for a week. Here's how that went. By Patty Nieberg News Air Force Global Strike Command suspends use of M18 pistol after airman's death Air Force Global Strike Command suspends use of M18 pistol after airman's death By Jeff Schogol Puntland, on the northeasternmost part of Somalia, is geographically the closest part of the country to the Middle East and has been home to ISIS-Somalia for several years. The raid in Puntland happened the same day that U.S. forces killed Dhiya' Zawba Muslih al-Hardani, a senior leader of ISIS in Syria. The U.S. military has long had a presence in Somalia during the Global War on Terror. In recent years it has focused on targeting ISIS and al-Shabab militants, in support of the federal government of Somalia's fight against them. After scaling back the number of airstrikes during the Biden administration, the U.S. has significantly ramped up operations against militants in Somalia this year. That included several major airstrikes, including ones carried out by the fighter jets on the USS Harry S. Truman while it was operating in the Red Sea.
News24
6 hours ago
- News24
EFF councillor Banzi Dambuza details being strangled by law enforcement
Facebook A contentious incident unfolded during a councillor's meeting on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at the Cape Town City Council chambers, involving EFF party council leader, Banzi Dambuza, and law enforcement officers, as seen in the widely circulating video online, where EFF council leader Banzi Dambuza is seen allegedly being choked by another man. The meeting, which included representatives from the DA, Good Party and many others, took a dramatic turn when EFF whip Ntsikelelo Tyandela was cut off by Speaker Felicity Purchase while posing a question to the City's mayor regarding the violent riots in Happy Valley, Blue Downs, related to service delivery. Read more | WATCH | EFF councillor 'choked' during ejection from Cape Town City Council chambers When Ntsikelelo was denied the opportunity to express himself fully, Banzi intervened, prompting the Speaker to call out his name multiple times, leading to her calling the 'Peace officers' to escort the EFF councillors out of the chambers. Speaking to Drum, Dambuza recalled the moments before the incident unfolded. 'I am the party leader, and Mr Tyandelo is the whip, so when the speaker was done speaking, she opened the floor to questions, and the five parties in attendance had to ask questions. My whip, Ntsikelelo, asked questions, and while he was doing so, there was a scuffle happening in the background from the DA councillors, and I asked why people are making a noise when the EFF is taking the floor,' he says. 'The speaker got upset and said she's kicking me out, and after that she said I must leave the council chambers, which I refused because she was not utilising the rules correctly as she was protecting DA councillors, and she called the peace officers who, in this case, were not peaceful at all,' he exclaimed. Read more | EFF celebrates 12th birthday in Cape Town with more than 10k supporters He added that while he was being escorted out, the EFF members built a protective layer around him, and that's when the violence from the officers started. 'They then started pushing, shouting, beating, and assaulting women and I was underneath a table grabbing onto the arms of it, and they came under to drag me out, but upon realising that I'm holding on, then this one officer who's a SWAT trainer strangled me and when I started grabbing his arm with my right arm to stop him his colleague reached out for my hand, and I passed out for a minute, and they were also beating me, I eventually gained consciousness but he choked me even more,' he said. 'The executive director, Vincent Botto, eventually stopped the situation after watching the situation unfold in front of him, doing nothing.' 'It has always been said that councillor Dambuza is problematic and there's an element of that was done to ensure that I don't challenge the Speaker again, I'm saying this because one of the DA councillors after the whole incident came to me directly and said; 'I hope you've learned your lesson and you'll never challenge the speaker again,' he mentioned. A case of attempted murder has been opened by the EFF party to the South African Police Services (SAPS), but Dambuza says he's not confident in them bringing him the justice he deserves. 'We've opened an attempted murder case with SAPS at the Cape Town police station, but we believe that there's an element of politics playing a role here as the detective handling the case told us they can't detain him unless they interview him, whereas we've been arrested before without being asked any questions and we'd be told we'll present our arguments in court in front of a judge, so why can't the same happen to him? And we've also been told that this is not attempted murder but just an assault, hence we say there's an element of politics involved,' he says. 'It's the DA making sure it protects the person they had sent to do their job,' he claimed. Dambuza also concluded by saying he has been to a doctor to tend to the injuries he suffered during the incident. 'My body is in total pain, and I'm struggling to move my neck around. I am at the doctors' as we speak.' A video of the incident, which includes disturbing footage of Banzi Dambuza being physically restrained and allegedly strangled by the law enforcement officer, can be viewed below. Trigger Warning: The footage may be distressing to some viewers, and we advise readers to proceed with caution. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ntsikelelo Tyandela (@ntsido) Drum reached out to the Cape Town police station where the case was opened for a comment, and the media liaison officer, Captain F.C. Van Wyk, confirmed that indeed a case of assault has been opened. 'This office can confirm that an assault common case was registered at Cape Town Central SAPS for investigation following an altercation between security personnel and the victim, yesterday, Wednesday, 30 July 2025. Investigations continue, no arrest has been made,' he told Drum. Furthermore, Drum reached out to Speaker Felicity Purchase for a comment, but no response has been received at the time of publication.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
French bill clears path to return artefacts looted during colonisation
A bill to make it easier for France to return cultural objects taken during the colonial period was presented at a ministerial council in Paris this week by Culture Minister Rachida Dati. Despite a pledge by President Emmanuel Macron in Burkina Faso in 2017, and follow-up reports, only a small number of items have been returned so far. The new bill would allow artefacts to be given back by government decree, without needing a full vote in Parliament each time. It would apply to objects taken from their countries of origin under conditions described as "illicit". A similar bill planned for 2024 was blocked by France's highest administrative court, the Conseil d'Etat, and its review was postponed. On 30 July, the French government said its goal is to speed up restitution. The bill would set out clear rules for what counts as looted, and would cover items acquired between 1815 and 1972. It cites theft, looting or forced transfer as reasons for return. The word "colonisation" is not used, but the references point directly to France's colonial past. France passes law to allow return of Ivorian drum stolen by colonial troops Scientific commission Dati said the bill would apply mostly to African countries, but could be used for objects taken from anywhere. France will be among the first countries to pass such a law, said Catherine Morin-Desailly, a senator and member of the French Senate Culture Committee. "Apart from Belgium so far, such a framework law has not yet seen the light of day," Morin-Desailly told RFI. Asked whether the process would really be faster, she said: "Yes and no". "I'm going to be nuanced because for each object it is also necessary to examine the request and to have a scientific, historical and legal study that allows us to affirm that it is indeed the right object," she explained. What's new in the bill is that objects can only be returned if their acquisition is proven to be illegal. If that hasn't yet been shown, a scientific commission can be set up to help. It would bring together French and international experts to research the object's history and trace its true origin. How an RFI investigation helped return an ancient treasure to Benin "There will be a lot of work [for the] special commission to allow these restitutions. But what is important is that it will avoid specific laws that clutter the parliamentary agenda and make it take time," Morin-Desailly said. She said public attitudes have changed, and that a shift is now possible. "Not all objects from foreign countries were necessarily acquired illicitly," she added. "This is where we will have to look closely." The aim of each return should be either "reparation" or "reappropriation". These terms were not included in the last bill, which was more cautious and referred only to "international relations" or "cultural cooperation". Thousands of requests France has returned only 27 works to African nations in the past six years. This includes 26 royal treasures from Dahomey handed back to Benin in 2021, and one item returned this year from Finland, though it belonged to a French collection. At least 10 countries have filed official requests for thousands of other items, including Algeria, Madagascar and Côte d'Ivoire, based on 2023 data. The new law would allow the principle of "inalienability" to be waived by decree in these cases. That rule normally bars French public museums from giving away state-owned items. Many of the objects are still held in French collections and have never been properly listed or documented. Lack of transparency Experts and lawmakers have criticised the lack of transparency around how these items ended up in France. "France has not yet finished its process of coming to terms with its colonial past," Pierre Ouzoulias, a Communist senator from Hauts-de-Seine and a member of the Senate Culture Committee, said on Wednesday in an interview with France Culture. He wants to see a permanent, independent commission created. 'Titanic' task of finding plundered African art in French museums "It is absolutely essential that these restitutions are carried out with complete transparency," he said, "and that opinions are made public, to assure Parliament and the nation – who own these items – that everything has been done according to the rules and in accordance with a codified code of ethics that will be upheld regardless of future governments." Saskia Cousin, a sociologist and anthropologist at the University of Nanterre, also supports the plan. She has long studied the issue of looted African heritage. Cousin said thousands of artefacts have been returned to African nations from other parts of the world, but that France is "lagging behind". Netherlands prepares to return looted Benin bronzes to Nigeria "This is an issue that goes beyond cultural diplomacy," she told France Culture. "We must return to the primary stakeholders – especially the youth, their heritage and matri-heritage – so they can reclaim not only this history but also a sense of pride." The bill is due to be debated by the French Parliament during an extraordinary session in September, after the summer break.
