North Korea Fires 60 Rounds Of Artillery Near Yeonpyeong Island

 

North Korea Fires 60 Rounds Of Artillery Near Yeonpyeong Island

  North Korea’s military fired over 60 artillery rounds near Yeonpyeong Island on Saturday, Seoul’s military said, a day after both sides staged live-fire drills in 

North Korea’s military fired over 60 artillery rounds near Yeonpyeong Island on Saturday, Seoul’s military said, a day after both sides staged live-fire drills in the same area near their contested maritime border.

“North Korean forces conducted artillery fire with over 60 rounds from the northwest area of Yeonpyeong Island today between approximately 16:00 and 17:00 (0700 to 0800 GMT),” Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

On Friday, North Korea fired more than 200 rounds of artillery shells near Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong, two sparsely populated islands situated just south of a defacto maritime border between the two sides.

Residents of the two islands were ordered to evacuate to shelters and ferries were suspended amid one of the most serious military escalations on the peninsula since Pyongyang fired shells at one of the islands in 2010.

Both Friday and Saturday, North Korea’s shells landed in a buffer zone created under a 2018 tension-reducing deal, which fell apart in November after the North launched a spy satellite.

Seoul’s military said Saturday that “the repeated artillery fire within the prohibited hostile act zone by North Korea poses a threat to the peace on the Korean Peninsula and escalates tensions”.

They issued “a strong warning”, and urged North Korea to immediately stop such actions.

“North Korea, following its claim of the complete nullification of the ‘September 19 Military Agreement’, continues to threaten our citizens with ongoing artillery fire within the prohibited hostile act zone,” the JCS said.

“In response, our military will take appropriate measures to safeguard our nation,” it said.

 ‘No effect’

North Korea said Friday that its live-fire drills had not even had “an indirect effect” on the border islands.

Yeonpyeong, which has around 2,000 residents, is about 115 kilometres (70 miles) west of Seoul. Baengnyeong, with a population of 4,900, is about 210 kilometres west of Seoul.

In November, Seoul partially suspended the 2018 military accord to protest Pyongyang’s putting a spy satellite into orbit. Pyongyang then scrapped the deal completely.

In 2010, in response to a South Korean live-fire drill near the sea border, North Korea bombarded Yeonpyeong Island, killing four South Koreans — two soldiers and two civilians.

That was the first attack on a civilian area since the 1950-53 Korean War.

South Korea returned fire in an exchange that lasted more than an hour, as the two sides traded more than 200 shells, sparking brief fears of a full-fledged war.

Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in decades, after the North’s leader Kim Jong Un enshrined the country’s status as a nuclear power into the constitution while test-firing several advanced inter-continental ballistic missiles.

At year-end policy meetings, Kim warned of a nuclear attack on the South and called for a build-up of the country’s military arsenal, warning that conflict could “break out any time”.

On Friday, KCNA said Kim called for the ramping-up of missile launcher production “given the prevailing grave situation that requires the country to be more firmly prepared for a military showdown with the enemy”.

His comments came after the White House accused North Korea of providing Russia with ballistic missiles and missile launchers that were used in recent attacks on Ukraine. Washington has called this an escalation of Pyongyang’s support for Moscow.

The two Koreas remain technically at war because the 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice, not a treaty, and most of the border between them is heavily fortified, with their contested maritime border never officially delineated.

‘Starsky & Hutch’ Star David Soul Dies At 80

Soul, who was also known for his social activism, particular around animals, had six children from multiple marriages, and seven grandchildren.

US-born actor and singer David Soul, a 1970s icon for his role as Detective Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson in the classic TV crime series “Starsky & Hutch”, has died aged 80, his family announced Friday.

UK-based Soul, whose decades-spanning career included work as a director, producer and singer-songwriter, died Thursday “after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family”, his wife Helen Snell said.

“He shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend,” she added in a statement.

“His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.”

Heartthrob Soul starred opposite Paul Michael Glaser’s wisecracking tough guy Detective Dave Starsky in the wildly popular 1970s US series that was exported around the world.

The pair had cameos in a 2004 feature film remake of the hit show, starring Ben Stiller as Starsky and Owen Wilson as Hutch, which introduced the legendary characters to another younger generation.

Soul — who had been living in London for more than a decade after marrying Snell, a Briton — was also known for his roles in “Here Come The Brides”, “Magnum Force” and “The Yellow Rose”.

At the height of his acting fame, he also embarked on a music career, recording five albums, as well as later releasing a compilation album.

The tracks “Don’t Give Up On Us”, released in 1976, and “Silver Lady” a year later both topped the singles chart in Britain.

“Silver Lady” was used as the soundtrack to a commercial for Britain’s National Express coach operator in 2014, with Soul — in his trademark aviator sunglasses — singing along at the wheel.

In the UK, among his starring roles was the lead in “Jerry Springer: The Opera”, the controversial stage show about the US television talkshow host which led to a blasphemy case in the courts.

Soul, who was also known for his social activism, particular around animals, had six children from multiple marriages, and seven grandchildren.

The former BBC war reporter Martin Bell, who Soul helped in his successful 1997 UK parliamentary election campaign, spoke warmly of their friendship.

“I like the fact that David seems unaffected by being famous,” he told the Independent newspaper in 1999.

“It can’t have been easy when Starsky and Hutch finished, but he just got on with life and forged a career for himself as a singer and stage actor.”

Akeredolu’s Body Arrives In Nigeria

Akeredolu died on December 27, 2023 at 67 years.

The body of former Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu has arrived in Nigeria.

It arrived at the private wing of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport on Friday and was received by the widow, Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu and other family members.

It was flown from Germany where the former governor had gone to get medical attention.

According to close sources, he will be embalmed at a private morgue ahead of the funeral expected to be in the second week of February.

Akeredolu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), died on Wednesday, December the 27, 2023, exactly three weeks after leaving for Germany on medical vacation.

He had transmitted power to his deputy Lucky Aiyedatiwa who has since been sworn in as governor of Ondo State.

Health Battle & Controversy

Aketi won his re-election as Ondo State governor in October 2020 and was sworn in for a second term in office in February 2021. However, his second term was marred with controversy and a health battle.

The governor had to be flown abroad for treatment for his medical condition in June. He had returned to Nigeria in September after months overseas but stayed in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

As his health worsened, Akeredolu was under intense pressure from opposition parties and activists to resign or hand over power to his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, in line with the 1999 constitution.

Also, the governor’s loyalists in the state House of Assembly were at loggerheads with Aiyedatiwa attracting President Bola Tinubu’s intervention.

Eventually, the governor transmitted power to Aiyedatiwa early December when he embarked on another medical leave to Germany, the second in 2023.

Life and Family

A devoted Christian with a warm and accommodating heart for people of other faiths, Akeredolu, in addition to a distinguished and Spartan career of legal practice, also donated his lifetime to a career of mentorship and social service.

Former Ondo First Lady, Betty Akeredolu and other family members receive the remains of former Governor Rotimi Akeredolu in Lagos on January 5, 2024.

 

He was a member, Oyo State Football association, 1992-1994, an associate Member, Nigerian Red Cross Society, Oyo State Branch. He also accepted and became the Patron, The Nigerian Law Society, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, Patron, Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN), Patron The law society, Faculty of Law, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko. He was also the Patron, Sports Writers association of Nigeria, Oyo State branch.

Aketi was married to Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu and blessed with four children and many grandchildren.

AFCON: Klopp Will Be ‘Happy’ If Egypt Go Out In Group Stage

Salah is away with Egypt for the tournament in Ivory Coast while Japan captain Wataru Endo will be involved at the Asian Cup in Qatar, with both players expected to go deep in the respective competitions.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp joked Friday that he is not wishing Mohamed Salah too much luck at the Africa Cup of Nations as he prepares for a crucial spell of games without his top scorer.

Salah is away with Egypt for the tournament in Ivory Coast while Japan captain Wataru Endo will be involved at the Asian Cup in Qatar, with both players expected to go deep in the respective competitions.

That could mean they will not be back until the second week in February but Klopp said he sent them on their way this week without wishing them too much success.

“I said if I wish you good luck it would be a lie,” Klopp said ahead of Liverpool’s FA Cup third-round tie at Arsenal on Sunday.

“From a personal point of view, I would be happy if they go out in the group stage but that’s probably not possible. They can go on and win it.

“So it was ‘Good luck and come back healthy’. We have to deal with it and we will deal with it. I am pretty positive that we will find a way.”

Klopp does not really have a suitable replacement for Salah, who plays on the right side of his attack and has scored 18 goals in all competitions this season.

Midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai was touted as a potential option but he has been ruled out for at least two matches with a hamstring injury sustained in the New Year’s Day win over Newcastle.

But Klopp, whose side are top of the Premier League, is confident Liverpool can fill the hole left by Salah.

“I think we played against West Ham (in last month’s League Cup quarter-final) without Mo on that side and Harvey Elliott played there,” he said.

“We have different offensive options who can all play that wing in a different way. Nobody else can play like Mo, it is not possible — we just have to use the boys with their skills.

“Do we want to play without Mo? No. In the past we didn’t have to do it often but we always found a way.

“But we play Arsenal and you can lose to Arsenal with Mo Salah so it’s possible to lose to them without him.”

Klopp said he was braced for a challenging January, even though there are fewer Premier League games due to a mid-season player break.

Liverpool’s game at the Emirates comes just two weeks after the title-chasing sides drew 1-1 at Anfield in the Premier League and will be followed by the first leg of their League Cup semi-final against Fulham on Wednesday.

“Some teams obviously don’t play that often in January,” he said. “We don’t have that, we have now with the semi-final, we have a proper rhythm.

“I think a re-match against Arsenal would really not be helpful, that’s how it is, because it just doesn’t fit in, would kill the winter break, stuff like this.”

Angry Farmers Block German Minister On Ferry

In total, around 100 farmers descended on the port in their tractors to intercept the minister, with police using pepper spray to disperse the crowd.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck expressed concern Friday after farmers angry at government plans to cut tax breaks for agriculture trapped him on a ferry in the northern town of Schluettsiel.

Around 30 protestors prevented Habeck from disembarking the vessel on Thursday as he returned from a winter break on the North Sea island of Hallig Hooge, a police spokesman told AFP.

After negotiations failed to end the farmers’ blockade, Habeck decided to stay on the ferry and travel back to the island.

Order restored, Habeck returned to the mainland at around 1:50 am Friday (0050 GMT), police said.

descended on the port in their tractors to intercept the minister, with police using pepper spray to disperse the crowd.

“I regret that it was not possible to establish talks with the farmers,” Habeck said in a statement.

“What worries me… is that the mood in the country is becoming so inflamed,” he said.

The incident was “shameful and goes against the rules of democratic coexistence”, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said on X, formerly Twitter.

“Blockades of this kind are a no-go,” the head of the German Farmers’ Association (DBV) Joachim Rukwied said in a statement.

Farmers have been up in arms over government plans to withdraw tax breaks for the agricultural sector this year.

Thousands travelled to Berlin to protest the move in December, blocking roads with their tractors and dumping manure on the street.

The display of disaffection precipitated the government to partially walk back the planned subsidy cuts on Thursday.

A discount on vehicle tax for agriculture would remain in place, while a diesel subsidy would be phased out over several years instead of being abolished immediately, the government said.

The agriculture sector however said the move did not go far enough and urged the government to completely reverse the plans, announced after a shock court ruling forced the government to find savings in the budget for 2024

South Africa’s Pistorius Released From Prison

Having served more than half his sentence, the 37-year-old double-amputee was quietly whisked out from the Atteridgeville prison on the outskirts of the capital Pretoria, avoiding the hordes of media gathered outside.

South Africa’s ex-Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius was released from jail on parole Friday and “is now at home”, authorities said, almost 11 years after he shot dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in a crime that gripped the world.

Having served more than half his sentence, the 37-year-old double-amputee was quietly whisked out from the Atteridgeville prison on the outskirts of the capital Pretoria, avoiding the hordes of media gathered outside.

“He was admitted into the system of Community Corrections and is now at home,” the department of correctional services said in a statement.

Pistorius, known worldwide as “Blade Runner” for his carbon-fibre prosthetics, will not be allowed to speak to the media as a condition of his parole.

Prison authorities had previously warned the press that there would be no opportunity to photograph or speak to him.

Pistorius killed Steenkamp, a model who was 29 years old at the time, in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013, firing four times through the bathroom door of his ultra-secure Pretoria house.

The shooting came a year after Pistorius made history by being the first double-amputee to race at Olympic level when he appeared at the London 2012 games.

He was found guilty of murder and given a 13-year jail sentence in 2017 after a lengthy trial and several appeals.

He had pleaded not guilty and denied killing Steenkamp in a rage, saying he mistook her for a burglar.

 Therapy Required 

 

A South African Police Service (SAPS) vehicle is seen outside Oscar Pistorius’ uncle’s house in Waterkloof, a suburb of Pretoria, on January 5, 2024. 

 

The morning ahead of his release, Steenkamp’s mother June issued a statement saying that while she accepted the decision of the justice system and conditions of his parole, “the pain is still raw and real”.

“There can never be justice if your loved one is never coming back, and no amount of time served will bring Reeva back,” she said.

“We, who remain behind, are the ones serving a life sentence.”

Offenders in South Africa are automatically eligible for parole consideration after serving half their sentence.

Pistorius lost a first bid in Marches when the board found he had not completed the minimum detention period required to be let out.

The Constitutional Court in October ruled that was a mistake, paving the way for a November hearing that approved his release.

As part of his parole, until the end of his sentence in 2029, Pistorius must undergo therapy for anger and gender-based violence issues.

He will also be banned from consuming alcohol and other substances, required to complete community service and also be home at certain hours of the day.

The conditions “send out a clear message that gender based violence is taken seriously” by the country’s justice system, June Steenkamp said Friday.

Suspected Boko Haram Insurgents Kill Pastor, Five Others In Yobe State

The assailants attacked the community early Friday and also set houses and cars ablaze during the assault.

Suspected Boko Haram insurgents have killed Pastor Luka Levong of the Church of Christ In Nations (COCIN) in Kwari, Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe state. The attackers also killed five others. 

Some residents who evacuated the corpses to the Specialist Hospital Geidam told Channels Television that the attackers invaded the community around 2: 00 am on Friday and shot the pastor and his church treasurer Maina Abdullahi.

According to them, the other victims were also killed in their separate houses one after the other before the arrival of the security men, while many houses including one church and vehicles were also set ablaze.

Both the military and the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) are yet to comment on the incident as of now and efforts to speak with them have proved abortive.

Geidam is located 177 kilometers away from Damaturu, the state capital, and is about 40 kilometres away from Nigeria/Niger Republic border.

The incident is coming days after Boko Haram insurgents attacked a community in neighbouring Yobe State, killing 12 persons and injuring two others.

That attack took place in the Gartamawa community of Chibok Local Government Area which is 125 kilometers from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

“The terrorists stormed the community of Gatamarwa around 5 pm on Monday during the New Year celebration heavily armed with AK-47 rifles, came on motorcycles and Hilux vans, and opened fire on mourners returning from Gatamarwa.

“They later attacked another Tsiha community near Shikarkir and killed three people and abducted a young lady burning houses and looting their foodstuffs,” a source told Channels Television.

At least 40,000 people have been killed and more than two million others displaced since the hardline group launched a rebellion in 2009.

The insurgency has spread into neighbouring Chad, Niger, and Cameroon, prompting a regional military force to be set up to fight the militants.