A farmworker reportedly burned to death while trying to put out a veld fire on Farm Okarumwe, situated outside Kalkfeld in the Otjozondjupa Region yesterday.
Namibian Police Force (NamPol) spokesperson in the region, Inspector Maureen Mbeha in an interview with Nampa today said the deceased has been identified by his close relatives as 33-year-old Kamulitua Jona.
It is alleged that Jona was surrounded by the flames which he tried to put out on the commercial farm at about 14h00 on Saturday.
“He was burned beyond recognition while he was trying to escape the fire,” she said.
No foul play is suspected so far in the matter, and an inquest has been opened at the Kalkfeld Police Station. Police investigations continue.
NAMPA
2 (TRIPOLI, 09 OCT, AFP) – The United Nations mission in Libya condemned today the ‘heinous killing’ of 15 migrants near the Mediterranean coastal city of Sabratha, accusing smugglers and demanding justice.
The bodies were found on a beach on Friday morning, most of them burned inside a charred boat, according to the UN and the Libyan Red Crescent.
‘While the exact circumstances remain to be determined, the killings reportedly resulted from clashes between rival traffickers,’ the UN mission UNSMIL said in a statement.
It urged authorities in the North African nation ‘to ensure a swift, independent and transparent investigation to bring all perpetrators to justice’.
Libya was a key route for clandestine migration even before the 2011 uprising that overthrew dictator Moamer Kadhafi.
AFP
3 (JERUSALEM, 09 OCT, XINHUA) – The Israeli top court today overturned a ban preventing the Arab party of Balad from running in the country’s parliamentary elections due on Nov. 1.
The Supreme Court’s nine-judge panel unanimously decided to cancel the decision by the Central Elections Committee to disqualify Balad from running in the elections, according to a statement released by the court that did not mention reasons for the decision.
On Sept. 29, the Central Elections Committee, the body that authorizes parties and candidates ahead of votes and is made up of lawmakers from several political parties, voted nine-to-five to disqualify the Arab party.
Hassan Jabareen, general director of Adalah, an Israeli Arab rights group that petitioned the Supreme Court on behalf of Balad, said in a statement that the Central Elections Committee has tried to ban other Arab lists and candidates ahead of each of the election rounds over the past few years.
The purpose of the moves by the committee ‘is to incite against Arab political representatives and push them beyond the boundaries of legitimate political discourse,’ he said.
XINHUA
4 (ISLAMABAD, 09 OCT, XINHUA) – A fire erupted in the Pakistani capital Islamabad’s Centaurus, a prime building consisting of a major shopping mall and elite residential apartments, this afternoon, officials and police sources said.
The fire initially broke out at the food court on the third floor and is now spreading toward the residential apartments on the upper floors, the commissioner of Islamabad told the media.
Sixty per cent of the fire at the mall has been doused, and helicopter support has been requested to control the fire and stop its spread to other parts of the building, the commissioner added.
Sources from the police told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that the main duct of the building that starts from the base to the top was also on fire.
The sources said that no casualty has been reported in the fire, and people in the building are being helped to get evacuated from the mall.
XINHUA
5 (VIENNA, 09 OCT, AFP) – Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen has been re-elected, projections showed today, on promises of stability as the Alpine country struggles with an energy crisis and inflation.
The projections showed the 78-year-old incumbent swept 54.6 per cent of the votes with six other candidates — all men — lagging far behind.
The final official result is not expected until Monday.
Campaigning on a slogan of ‘clarity’ and ‘stability’, Van der Bellen had been widely tipped to clinch a second mandate.
‘It would be nice if we had clarity today — nice for Austria, nice for us — if we can then fully concentrate on the diverse tasks ahead, the multitude of crises… that we in Austria, in Europe, are facing,’ the economics professor said after casting his ballot in central Vienna earlier today.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
