Author: Tona.Today

Posted on by — Leave a comment

North Korea bans foreigners from seaside resort weeks after opening

North Korea has announced that its newly opened seaside resort will not be receiving foreign tourists.

The Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, opened on 1 July, has been touted as a key part of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s ambitions to boost tourism.

In the lead-up to its opening, the resort was promoted as an attraction for both locals and foreigners. But as of this week, a notice on North Korea’s tourism website says that foreigners are “temporarily” not allowed to visit.

Last week, the first Russian tourists reportedly arrived at the resort in Wonsan – around the same time that Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov met Kim in the city.

Lavrov hailed the seaside development as a “good tourist attraction”, and said he hoped it would become popular among Russians, AFP reported. The two countries are set to launch direct flights between Moscow and Pyongyang by the end of the month.

A Russian tour guide previously told NK News that they had planned several more trips to the resort in the coming months.

Wonsan, a city along North Korea’s east coast, is home to some of the country’s missile facilities and a large maritime complex. It’s also where Kim spent much of his youth, among holiday villas belonging to the country’s elites.

The new seaside resort has lined 4km (2.5 miles) of its beachfront with hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and a water park. It has a capacity of some 20,000 people, according to state media.

However, since the resort began construction in 2018, human rights groups have protested the alleged mistreatment of its workers. They point to reports of people being forced to work long hours to finish the massive project, under harsh conditions and inadequate compensation.

Russian ambassadors attended the resort’s completion ceremony on 24 June, along with Kim and his family.

Last year, North Korea allowed Russian tourists to visit North Korea after a years-long suspension of tourism during the pandemic.

In February, North Korea also started to receive tourists from the West, including Australia, France, Germany and the UK. It abruptly halted tourism weeks later, however, without saying why. (BBC)

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Police kill suspected kidnapper, arrest 5, rescue victim in Enugu

The Police Command in Enugu State has killed a suspected kidnapper, arrested five suspects and rescued a victim in multiple operations in the state.

The Command’s Spokesman, SP Daniel Ndukwe, in a statement on Friday in Enugu, said that police operatives also recovered an AK-47 rifle with two rounds of live ammunition.

Ndukwe said that other items recovered included a Toyota Corolla car, ₦10 million in cash obtained as ransom and other incriminating exhibits.

He said that the command achieved the feat through series of intelligence-driven operations conducted from July 5 to July 16.

According to him, the command has recorded significant breakthroughs in its sustained fight against violent crimes, particularly kidnapping.

“On July 16, at 3p.m, operatives attached to Okpuje Division, in collaboration with members of the Neighbourhood Watch, Forest Guards, and local hunters, swiftly responded to a distress call regarding suspected armed kidnappers.

“The armed kidnappers were sighted in a forest at Okpuje-Ani community in Nsukka Local Government Area.

“Upon arrival, the armed suspects engaged the team. The operatives returned fire, neutralising one of the suspects while others escaped.

“An AK-47 rifle loaded with two live rounds of ammunition was recovered from the neutralised suspect,” he said.

The spokesman said that in a separate operation on the same day at about 4.00p.m., operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad, acting on credible intelligence, arrested one Aliyu Adamu, 23, at Ugwu-Onyeama axis of Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.

“During interrogation, the suspect confessed to participating in multiple kidnappings and stated that he had been invited from Awka, Anambra, by another suspect now at large for criminal operations in Enugu State,” he said.

Ndukwe said that on July 15, at about 2:20p.m., the Commands Anti-Cultism Tactical Squad apprehended two female suspects – Juliet Chukwu, 39; and Nancy Chukwu, 40; – in an intelligence-led operation.

“The suspects, who are sisters and claimed to be law enforcement officers, were apprehended while sharing a ransom of ₦10 million.

“The ransom was obtained from their kinsman, whom they had conspired to kidnap on July 14, 2025, after initially demanding ₦50 million.

“The victim was rescued unharmed, and the operatives recovered the ransom cash and a Toyota Corolla vehicle belonging to one of the suspects,” he said.

The spokesman said that earlier, on July 5, at about 5:30p.m., operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad arrested two suspects – Usman Musa, 20; and Musa Zaria, 24; both from Kogi State.

He said that the two suspects were apprehended during a tactical operation at Okemmou, 9th Mile Corner in Udi Local Government Area.

“The suspects were found in possession of clothing and a wristwatch belonging to two male victims kidnapped on July 4, 2025.

“The victims later identified both the items and the suspects as those involved in their abduction.

“The detained suspects will be arraigned in court once investigations are concluded. Efforts are ongoing to detain other suspects at large,” he added.  (Vanguard)

Posted on by — Leave a comment

British spies and SAS named in Afghan data breach

The identities of more than 100 British officials, including members of the special forces and MI6, were compromised in a data breach that also put thousands of Afghans at risk of reprisal, it can be reported.

The latest fallout from the breach was kept secret by an injunction until Thursday, when the order was lifted in part by a High Court judge.

That allowed media organisations to reveal that detailed case notes in the database contained secret personal data of special forces and spies.

The government had already admitted on Tuesday the data of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had worked with the British during the 20-year war in Afghanistan and had applied to resettle in the UK had been inadvertently leaked.

Many were judged to be at risk of serious harm or even death as the Taliban sought retribution against those who had worked with the British government during the conflict.

This was part of the reason the information was protected by a so-called “super-injunction” – a kind of gagging order that prevents the reporting of even the existence of the injunction.

The data breach occurred in February 2022 but was not discovered by the government until August 2023, when someone in Afghanistan who had obtained the data posted part of it on Facebook and indicated he could release the rest.

The BBC revealed on Wednesday that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had offered to expedite a review of the individual’s application and brought him to the country after he posted the data – a sequence of events that government sources said was “essentially blackmail”.

The MoD declined to comment on the actions of the individual but said that “anyone who comes to the UK under any Afghan relocation schemes” must go through “robust security checks in order to gain entry”.

The discovery of the breach in 2023 forced the government to covertly set up the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR) – a resettlement scheme for those affected, who were not told about the breach despite the risk to their security.

The scheme has already allowed 4,500 Afghans and family members to move to the UK and a further 2,400 people are expected, at an estimated cost of £850m.

The accidental leak was the result of someone working at UK Special Forces headquarters in London inadvertently emailing more than 30,000 resettlement applications to an individual outside of government, thinking that he was sending data on just 150 people.

After the lifting of the super-injunction on Tuesday, a secondary injunction had prevented the revelations about special forces and security services personal being compromised.

But that was also lifted on Thursday that barristers representing both the MoD and a group of media organisations reached a compromise that meant journalists could report the additional facts.

Defence Secretary John Healey told Parliament on Tuesday that the breach was a “serious departmental error” and acknowledged that it was “just one of many data losses” relating to the Afghan relocation schemes.

The shadow defence secretary, James Cartlidge, apologised on behalf of the former Conservative government, which was in power when the leak was discovered.

The MoD has refused to say how many people in Afghanistan may have been harmed as a result of the data breach. The Taliban government said on Thursday that it had not arrested or monitored Afghans affected by the leak.

But relatives of Afghans named in the leak told the BBC that they fear for their family still in the country, with one saying efforts by the Taliban to find their named relative intensified following the leak.

An MoD spokesperson said: “It’s longstanding policy of successive governments to not comment on special forces.

“We take the security of our personnel very seriously, particularly of those in sensitive positions, and always have appropriate measures in place to protect their security.” (BBC)

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Police nab notorious bandit Tambaya, recover N11m in Kwara crackdown

The ongoing offensive against criminal elements in Kwara State has resulted in another mass arrest of several outlaws who were involved in recent security breaches in Edu and Patigi Local Government Areas of the state.

A government House statement released on Thursday said that more than 15 criminals, including an outlaw criminal named Tambaya, have been arrested in the new security clampdown in the area.

“Tambaya was the major mastermind of the recent attack on security forces and vigilantes in Gada, Lafiagi. Tambaya and eight others were arrested in one encounter with the security forces, while several of his gang members were eliminated.

“During the operation, we rescued two victims of their criminality and recovered N11m, which is apparently proceeds of the crime,” the official said.

The crackdowns on the criminals were at the instance of the state government in partnership with the Office of the National Security Adviser, state security commanders, and local vigilante.

It would be recalled that the state commissioner of Police Mr Adekimi Ojo while addressing journalists in Ilorin on Friday, July 11, 2025 or so said the Command’s renewed focus on intelligence-led operations and tactical fieldwork is yielding results in curbing insecurity across the state.

In another twist, three women were arrested on June 25 at Babanla Motor Park in connection with arms smuggling. The police recovered an AK-47 rifle with 31 rounds of ammunition hidden in a passenger’s bag.

Interrogations revealed links to a kidnapping syndicate operating out of the Baba-Sango forest. One of the women admitted she was on her way to join her husband, a known kidnapper hiding in the forest. A fourth female suspect fled and is currently at large.

Also alarming was the arrest of Suleiman Jamiu and Mumini Mohammed on July 6 in Share. The duo were found in possession of ₦11.3 million during a late-night stop-and-search. The CP revealed that Jamiu was linked to a February 2025 kidnapping case where ₦20 million ransom was demanded. Investigators believe the cash may be proceeds from ransom payments.

On May 30 and June 1, suspected kidnappers launched deadly attacks in Oro, abducting six people and killing one during raids on a cashew factory and a residential community. Three men, including Mohammed Olaiya Dende and Mohammed Dende, have been arrested and charged with conspiracy, kidnapping, and culpable homicide.

Six other suspects were arrested in connection with the kidnapping of Alhaji Abbass and Abubakar Issa in Lafiagi. Acting on intelligence, police and local vigilantes stormed Gbugbu and apprehended the men, recovering two firearms. The suspects confessed to being part of a syndicate operating between Kwara and Niger States and working under a wanted ringleader known as Tambaya.

In another case, one Buba Lawal was caught in Oko, Ifelodun LGA, with an AK-47 magazine loaded with eight rounds. Police say the suspect is linked to multiple kidnapping attempts and is being profiled for further investigation.

Ojo assured that operations would intensify until all criminal hideouts are uncovered. “These arrests and recoveries are proof that no part of Kwara is safe for criminals,” he said. “We will continue to disrupt their networks and bring every last accomplice to justice.”

In Amoyo on July 4, officers uncovered a locally-made double-barrel pistol after three young men fled from an uncompleted building during a patrol. One of the suspects, known as Olamide alias “Bold”, a notorious drug dealer in the area, is now being sought.

Perhaps the most daring encounter occurred in Okuta, Baruten LGA, where a reported case of kidnapping on June 22 sparked a counter-operation by the police and local security groups.

According to the CP, “One of the suspects was neutralised, another arrested, and the victim found abandoned in the bush.”

An AK-47 rifle and 13 rounds of ammunition were recovered, alongside a red Golf car believed to be used by the kidnappers. One suspect, Idirisu Sariki, is in custody and has confessed to multiple kidnappings in the border region.

(Punch)

Posted on by — Leave a comment

White House says Trump diagnosed with vein condition after questions about bruises

US President Donald Trump is suffering from a chronic vein condition, the White House announced on Thursday, after days of speculation regarding photographs showing bruising on the president’s hand.

After recently experiencing swelling in his legs, Trump underwent a “comprehensive exam” including a diagnostic vascular study, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Leavitt said Trump’s bruised hand was consistent with “tissue damage from frequent handshaking” while taking aspirin, which she said is “part of a standard cardio-vascular prevention regimen”.

Trump, 79, has regularly touted his good health and once described himself as “the healthiest president that’s ever lived”.

The vein condition discovered in the recent exam is called chronic venous insufficiency, which occurs when leg veins fail to pump blood to the heart, causing it to pool in the lower limbs, which can then become swollen.

Leavitt said that there was “no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease” and that all results from the test were “within normal limits”.

According to a note from White House physician Sean Barbabella released to reporters, the condition is “benign and common”, especially in people over age 70.

Additional testing showed “no signs of heart failure, renal impairment, or systemic illness” in Trump, Barbabella said in the note, which confirmed the information from Leavitt’s earlier briefing.

Overall, Trump is in “excellent health”, the doctor wrote.

Photographers captured what appeared to be Trump’s swollen legs during the Fifa Club World Cup final in New Jersey on 13 July, with subsequent photos taken earlier this week showing his bruised hands during a meet with Bahraini Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa at the White House.

A bruised hand on the president had previously been photographed during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in February.

The swollen legs and bruising prompted online speculation and rumours that the president may have been experiencing an illness that hadn’t been made public.

Following an annual physical exam in April, Barbabella wrote that Trump “exhibits cognitive and physical health”.

Trump was 78 years and seven months old when he was sworn in for his second term in January, making him the oldest president to ever be inaugurated as US leader. (BBC)

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Benue uncovers 4,000 substandard schools

Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has said that about 4,000 mushroom schools have been discovered in the state.

Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Kula Tersoo, while briefing journalists about his achievements in the educational sector in the past two years on Thursday, the governor said that the mushroom schools were not conducive for learning and they do not have qualified teachers.

While he declined to comment on the next step the government would take, Tersoo stated that 9,700 qualified teachers have been recruited into primary schools across the state.

The governor further said that in 2023/2024, the government paid the external examination fees for about 19,000 students who sat for the West Africa Examination Council, the National Examination Council, and the National Business and Technical Examinations Board.

He further stated that the present administration had cleared the backlog of 38 months of earned allowance for staff of the Moses Adasu University, formerly Benue State University.

He said, “The present administration has stabilised the educational sector in the state with its various interventions, which is the reason our tertiary institutions have been having uninterrupted sessions since this administration came into office.

“For instance, the backlog of 38 months of earned allowance owed to staff of the State University has been cleared.

“It will also interest you to know that the present administration has recruited 9700 qualified primary school teachers to reposition our schools.

“Also, the government has identified 4,000 schools that are substandard and not good for learning and do not have qualified teaching personnel.

“In the 2023/2024 academic session, this administration paid the WAEC fees for 8,119 students, NECO fees for 8,979 students, and also NABTEB fees for 1,547 students.

The governor said that his administration had successfully secured a license to establish a State University of Technology at Ihugh in the Vandeikiya local government area of the state. (Punch)

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Buhari left his boots in corridors of power – Akpabio

Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Thursday paid tribute to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, describing him as a man of discipline and integrity who left a lasting imprint on Nigeria’s leadership.

Speaking during the special session of the Expanded Federal Executive Council meeting held in Buhari’s honour, Akpabio said the former president may not have been perfect, but he stood firmly for discipline, honour and patriotism.

“President Buhari did not merely pass through the corridors of power. He left his boots and his imprints in them. Buhari was not perfect. No leader is. But he was principled. He stood for something.

‘In a world where it is easy to chase headlines, he chose instead to chase honour. Where others sought glory, he sought duty,” Akpabio said.

The Senate President, who once served as a minister under Buhari’s administration, described the late leader as austere and unflamboyant, yet driven by a deep sense of duty and patriotism.

Akpabio said, “As a minister in his cabinet, appointed by him, I saw President Buhari unplugged. He was not flamboyant—far from it. His voice was measured. His steps, deliberate. His public demeanour, austere.

“But beneath that calm exterior beat the heart of a patriot—unyielding, unbending, and utterly uninterested in personal comfort when duty called.”

He added that Buhari’s legacy was not only in his achievements but also in the moral standard he upheld in governance.

“He believed that discipline mattered. That integrity mattered. That leadership, even when lonely, must be anchored in something greater than power,” he stated.

Akpabio acknowledged that Buhari’s style may have attracted criticism but maintained that even his critics could not question his moral uprightness.

He said, “Let us be honest—he was tough. He was a soldier who did not flinch under fire, a leader who did not flee from responsibility, and above all, a Nigerian whose loyalty to this nation was never up for sale.

“And yes, some disagreed with him. That is the nature of democracy. But even his fiercest critics will admit: he did not pilfer the nation’s purse, nor pander to its pleasures. He remained, to the very end, a sentinel of Spartan simplicity and austere integrity.”

Akpabio concluded that Buhari’s name would be remembered in history not for flamboyance or fanfare, but for his resolute commitment to national duty.

“Let it be said by generations to come, that a man once walked this land with a firm gait, a steady gaze, and an iron sense of duty. His name was Muhammadu Buhari,” he stated. (Punch)

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Ekiti court restrains herders from farmland over crop damage

A farmer and owner of MAO Organic Farms, Mr Dele Okunoye, has expressed excitement over the ruling of an Ekiti State Chief Magistrate Court, which restrained some herders from encroaching on his farmland.

The farmer hailed the state government for responding to the situation when his farmland was ravaged by herds last year and for the legal support he received to seek court redress.

Okunoye had dragged a Fulani herdsman, Alhaji Ibrahim Wakili, and others associated with him before the court over alleged destruction of his crops by their herds last year.

The Chief Magistrate, Mr Abayomi Adeosun, in a ruling on the matter on Wednesday, granted “an order restraining the Fulani herder, Alhaji Ibrahim Wakili, prohibiting him and other herdsmen associated with him from further encroaching on MAO Organic Farms or any farmland within the state”.

Responding, Wakili pledged that he would never return to the said farmland or any of its surrounding areas.

The herder also vowed that “we (he and other herders under my supervision) will not trespass on the property again under any circumstances.”

Wakili expressed his commitment to peace and assured the court of his willingness to abide by the laws of the state.

Okunoye, in a chat with journalists after the court proceeding, explained how over 100 acres of his crops, including rice, maize, cassava, and high-grade Malaysian oil palm valued at over N30m, were destroyed in a series of attacks in August 2024.

He said, “I am excited. I commend Governor Biodun Oyebanji and key agencies of the state government for the justice done following the destruction of my farmland by the cattle belonging to the herders.”

The farmer also praised the prompt and coordinated response of government officials and security agencies, including the Commissioner for Agriculture, Ebenezer Boluwade; the Special Adviser on Security, Brig. Gen. Ebenezer Ogundana (retd.); Amotekun Corps Commander, Brig. Gen. Olu Adewa (retd.); Agro Marshal Commander, ACP Olamide Oni (retd.); and the Ekiti State Police Command Rapid Response Squad led by CSP Marcus Ogundola.

PUNCH Metro recalls that the Ekiti State Government is intensifying efforts to resolve clashes between farmers and herders through dialogue, enforcement of grazing regulations and support for legal redress for victims of farm invasions. (Punch)

Posted on by — Leave a comment

60 dead after fire tears through Iraqi shopping centre, officials say

A fire that tore through a five-storey shopping centre in the Iraqi city of Kut has left at least 60 dead, officials said.

The blaze at the mall, which opened seven days ago, broke out on Wednesday night and has since been brought under control.

Social media videos showed firefighters rescuing people from the mall’s roof, but state media reported that many are still missing.

“A tragedy and a calamity has befallen us,” regional governor Mohammed al-Miyahi said, adding that legal action would be brought against the shopping centre’s owner.

The governor has also declared three days of mourning.

Videos on INA’s news channel show flames ripping through several floors of the Corniche Hypermarket in the city’s centre, as firefighters try to douse them.

Other clips circulating on social media appear to show a small number of people on the roof during the fire, as well as the burned out insides of the centre.

A number of people were rescued from the building by firefighters, al-Miyahi told local media.

Ambulances were still taking casualties to hospitals in the city, which is about 160 km (100 miles) southeast of Baghdad, at 04:00 local time.

“The tragic fire claimed the lives of 61 innocent citizens, most of whom suffocated in bathrooms, and among them 14 charred bodies yet to be identified,” the interior ministry said in a statement.

It added that 45 people were rescued from inside the building.

Nasir al-Quraishi, a doctor in his 50s, told AFP he lost five family members in the blaze.

“A disaster has befallen us,” he said. “We went to the mall to have some food, eat dinner and escape power cuts at home.

“An air conditioner exploded on the second floor and then the fire erupted and we couldn’t escape it.”

Ali Kadhim, 51, had been looking for his cousin, who is missing alongside his wife and three children, at the main hospital and the mall where rescuers were searching the wreckage.

“We don’t know what happened to them,” he said.

Moataz Karim, 45, identified the bodies of two of his relatives – one of whom began working at the mall three days ago – on Thursday morning.

“There is no fire extinguishing system,” he told AFP, as he waited for further news of a third missing relative outside the forensic department.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani expressed condolences to the families of victims in a statement.

He has also asked the interior ministry to launch an immediate investigation into the fire’s causes, as well as to identify shortcomings and “to take all necessary strict measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents”.

The mall, which included a restaurant, opened a week ago, according to the interior ministry.

Safety standards are often poorly observed at Iraqi construction sites, which have face decades of mismanagement and corruption. (BBC)

Posted on by — Leave a comment

US Senate approves $9bn cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting funds

The US Senate has passed a bill that seeks to cut $9bn (£6.7bn) from funds previously approved for spending by Congress, including cuts to public broadcasting and foreign aid.

The 51-48 vote happened just before dawn on Thursday, following an hours-long overnight “vote-a-rama”, as the Republican-led Senate negotiated amendments.

The bill – a so-called rescissions package that allows Congress to claw back approved funding – is part of a larger effort to reduce federal spending by President Donald Trump.

It now returns to the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Congress that had previously passed a version of the bill with $9.4bn in proposed cuts.

“It’s a small but important step toward fiscal sanity that we all should be able to agree is long overdue,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said before the final vote.

Senators had previously disagreed over a proposition in the House version of the bill that would have included roughly $400m in cuts to Pepfar, the US-backed HIV/Aids programme.

Republicans were able to reach a majority after an amendment was made to keep the funding in the budget.

However, dozens of other amendments to maintain international aid spending levels and funding for public broadcasting were rejected.

The Senate version of the bill approved on Thursday would still cut roughly $8bn from multiple aid programmes, including global health programmes under USAID, the US’s main philanthropic arm.

The bill would also cut more than $1bn from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, disproportionately impacting radio stations relied upon by rural Americans.

Senator Lisa Murkowski, from Alaska, was one of two Republicans who joined all Democrats in voting against the bill, in part due to the cuts to public broadcasting.

The bill will next head to the House for a vote, where its path remains unclear after $400m was reduced from House-proposed spending cuts.

When asked about the changes, House Speaker Mike Johnson said: “We wanted them to pass it unaltered like we did.”

Both the House and Senate must agree on a version of the rescissions package before it expires on Friday, and Republicans lose their chance to cut the funds. (BBC)