Press statement by Gift of the Givers' (GoG) Dr Imtiaz Sooliman: Following the "capture" of Shiraaz Mahommed on Tuesday night in Darkoush one of our medical team members, Dr Ahmad Ghandour, was summoned to the Investigation Department of Al-Nusra (now Fath Al Sham), an ex Al Qaeda affiliate to answer questions on Shiraaz Mahommed. He met two armed indivdiuals in military uniform, their faces veiled, then was taken blindfolded to […]
Gift of the Givers says it has not yet established the motive for the reported kidnapping of South African photojournalist Shiraaz Mohamed in Syria, but believes the incident may be a misunderstanding. The organizations Dr Imtiaz Sooliman says the drivers travelling with the journalist were told by the reported abductors that they represent several groups inside Syria. Gift of the Givers confirmed that it is engaging with the Turkish government […]
The South African Police Service (SAPS) on Sunday confirmed that the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting of 43-year-old Aneesa Arrison and her 21-year-old son, Waseem Arrison, remain under investigation. The incident included the shooting of Arrisons14-year-old twin boys, Yaqoob and Yusuf. While Yusuf is currently fighting for his life, after a bullet was lodged in his brain, Yaqoob, who was shot in the hand, is stable. The incident occurred at […]
A South African photojournalist has reportedly been kidnapped in Syria near the Turkish border. According to aid organization Gift of the Givers, Shiraz Mohamed was abducted by a group of men en-route to Turkey. Gift of the Givers Imtiaz Sooliman says the information he has from his team in Syria is that his abductors just wanted to question him. "When they took him they didn't threaten him. They didn't ask […]
OPINION By Avi Shlaim [Avi Shlaim is an emeritus professor of international relations at Oxford University.] There is no denying that from time to time anti-Semitism raises its ugly head in the UK, as it does in many other countries. What is striking, however, about contemporary Britain is the use of anti-Semitism as a political tool to silence legitimate criticism of the policies and practices of the Israeli government and […]
Absa said a preliminary report by Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane that recommends the bank pay back R2.25bn it received as part of an unlawful apartheid-era bailout is “regrettable”. The bank said that the Davis Panel of experts appointed by former South African Reserve Bank (Sarb) governor Tito Mboweni in 2000 found that Absa’s shareholders did not derive any undue benefit from the Sarb’s intervention, and as such no claim of […]
The environmental affairs department on Friday, sent a contingent of about 1000 firefighters from its Working on Fire (WoF) programme to assist with disaster management officials in containing fires raging across the Western Cape. “The fire crews, bolstered by aerial support, have been busy at multiple fires in Somerset West, Simons town, Tulbagh and Grabouw in the Western Cape. Over 1000 firefighters have been deployed – with some mobilised from […]
President-elect Donald Trump has expressed openness to lifting sanctions against Russia under certain conditions, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. When asked about the ‘One China’ policy, he said, “everything is under negotiation.” In the hour-long interview on Friday, Trump said he is willing to keep the sanctions that the Obama administration recently imposed on Russia “at least for a period of time.” Trump stated, however, that he […]
The African Union says it will cease to recognise Yahya Jammeh as The Gambia's legitimate president after last-ditch attempts to persuade the longtime leader to step down failed. Jammeh, a former coup leader who has ruled the country since 1994, lost a December 1 election to Adama Barrow by a slim margin. He initially conceded defeat but a week later contested the poll's results, stating irregularities. He now refuses to […]
VOC became the first Muslim radio station in South Africa when a special events license was granted to the station in Ramadan/January 1995. Subsequent temporary broadcast licenses were granted, permitting the station to broadcast for 24 hours.
