Namibia News API

Supported Countries - 165

Afghanistan

Albania

Algeria

Angola

Argentina

Australia

Austria

Azerbaijan

Bahamas

Bahrain

Bangladesh

Barbados

Belarus

Belgium

Belize

Bermuda

Bhutan

Bolivia

Bosnia And Herzegovina

Botswana

Brazil

Brunei

Bulgaria

Cambodia

Cameroon

Canada

Cape Verde

Cayman Islands

Central African Republic

Chile

China

Colombia

Comoros

Congo

Costa Rica

Croatia

Cuba

Cyprus

Czech Republic

DR Congo

Denmark

Djibouti

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Egypt

El Salvador

Estonia

Ethiopia

Fiji

Finland

France

French Polynesia

Gabon

Georgia

Germany

Ghana

Greece

Guatemala

Guinea

Haiti

Honduras

Hong Kong

Hungary

Iceland

India

Indonesia

Iran

Iraq

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Ivory Coast

Jamaica

Japan

Jordan

Kazakhstan

Kenya

Kuwait

Kyrgyzstan

Laos

Latvia

Lebanon

Libya

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Macedonia

Madagascar

Malawi

Malaysia

Maldives

Mali

Malta

Marshall Islands

Mauritania

Mauritius

Mexico

Moldova

Monaco

Mongolia

Montenegro

Morocco

Mozambique

Myanmar

Namibia

Nepal

Netherland

New Zealand

Niger

Nigeria

North Korea

Norway

Oman

Pakistan

Palestine

Panama

Papua New Guinea

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Puerto Rico

Qatar

Romania

Russia

Rwanda

Samoa

Saudi Arabia

Senegal

Serbia

Singapore

Slovakia

Slovenia

Solomon Islands

Somalia

South Africa

South Korea

Spain

Sri Lanka

Sudan

Sweden

Switzerland

Syria

Taiwan

Tajikistan

Tanzania

Thailand

Tonga

Tunisia

Turkey

Turkmenistan

Uganda

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

United States Of America

Uruguay

Uzbekistan

Vanuatu

Venezuela

Vietnam

Yemen

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Get headlines from Namibia with our JSON API.

🔑 Get API key for the Namibia News API

Country Parameter

The country paramter for the Namibia is NA.

Some example queries:

Below is the search query to fetch random 100 news-sources of Namibia.

https://newsdata.io/api/1/sources?country=na&apikey=YOUR_API_KEY

Some of the well known sources

Live Example

This example demonstrates the HTTP request to make, and the JSON response you will receive, when you use the News API to get headlines from Namibia.

Headlines from Namibia

https://newsdata.io/api/1/latest?country=na&apikey=YOUR_API_KEY

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      • "article_id": "fce5bbf3476f6dafacae0feafb543e06",
      • "title": "El Chapo & Deputy Jesus - why Kenya's president has so many nicknames",
      • "link": "https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cewdl20d8lxo",
      • "keywords": null,
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      • "description": "William Ruto has the uncanny ability to attract numerous alternative handles, most are unflattering.",
      • "content": "Kenya's President William Ruto is a man of many nicknames. Deputy Jesus, El Chapo, Hustler and Chicken Seller are just some that he has acquired in recent years. As is often the case when people are given alternative monikers, some are affectionate but some are intended to mock and reflect a profound anger. A history of the president's aliases offer a window into how the perception of him has changed. Ruto has acknowledged the rechristening trend, joking recently that Kenyans are \"finishing\" him with the numerous labels. \"You have given me so many names. I had the name William Kipchirchir Samoei Ruto. You added Survivor... Zakayo... now you are at Kasongo (the title of a Congolese song about abandonment and heartbreak). Will you stop at ten, or should I prepare for more?\" he recently asked. The crowd, at a rally in the capital, Nairobi, responded that they had yet more. Before he was elected president in 2022, Ruto attracted handles that bolstered his reputation as a man of the people. Hustler - Kenyan parlance for someone eking out a living against the odds - helped portray him as someone who would prioritise the needs of the struggling folk. Chicken Seller, referring to his childhood when he hawked poultry on the roadside, resonated with many who saw his life as an epitome of their own. \"These were very positive [names]. They sold him to the public in terms of votes,\" political analyst Prof Herman Manyora told the BBC arguing that they helped catapult him into the top job. \"Names really stick with Ruto,\" he added. But the president has been a high-profile figure in Kenyan politics for a long time, including serving as deputy president for nine years up until 2022, and has never been far from controversy. Prof Manyora recalls the label Arap Mashamba – which translates as \"son of farms\" – coined just under a decade ago and relates to Ruto's ownership of vast tracts of land across the country. Concerns have been raised about how some of these have been acquired. In 2013, a court ordered Ruto to surrender a 100-acre (40-hectare) farm and compensate a farmer who had accused him of grabbing it during the 2007 post-election violence. He denied any wrongdoing. Ruto's penchant for quoting Bible verses also earned him the Deputy Jesus tag. However, it is since his rise to the presidency that the nickname manufacturers have been working overtime – with at least a dozen being created - and they have become increasingly critical. One that has stood out is Zakayo - Swahili for the name Zaccheaus, a Biblical figure who is portrayed as a greedy tax collector who climbed a tree to see Jesus. Ruto's government ntroduced a raft of unpopular taxes and many Kenyans began to say that he had betrayed the \"hustlers\". \"He failed to deliver after becoming president,\" Prof Manyora said. The pain of paying more taxes, and a perception that the extra money will be wasted, is often the focus many conversations. Last year, young people came out onto the streets of Nairobi for weeks of protests, which turned deadly, against a fresh government proposal to raise taxes that was later dropped. The chant \"Ruto must go\" became a rallying call for the demonstrators and now Must Go has become another way to refer to the leader. The creative christeners have also focussed on the allegation that the president enjoys foreign travel. Hence the title Vasco da Ganya – a play on the name of the 15th Century Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, and the Swahili word danganya, which means \"to lie\". Ruto's honesty has also been called into question with Kaunda Uongoman, which mimics late Congolese musician Kanda Bongoman. The first part refers to the president's love for the Kaunda suit - a safari jacket with matching trousers – and Uongoman, which incorporates the Swahili word uongo, meaning \"lies\". But the president seems impervious to this volley of verbal attacks. Government spokesman Isaac Mwaura said the manifold nicknames \"don't raise concerns\" in the office of the president but simply \"capture how people view a person\". Ruto is \"very hands on and doing his best to transform the economy... It's normal for any leader to have many nicknames as this signifies his various attributes and initiatives as a leader\", he told the BBC. Mwaura also argued that in spite of the Zakayo nickname, the government has had to raise taxes to pay for new projects, reduce the budget deficit and fix the economy. Nevertheless, when people have gone beyond inventing new names and used satire and forms of art to ridicule the president, there has been a negative reaction from officials. Some cartoons and AI-generated images, including showing the president in a casket, have been described as \"reckless\" and \"distasteful\". Some of the alleged producers of this online content have been victims of abductions. This, Prof Manyora said, should been seen as a sign of intolerance by the government. Lachon Kiplimo, a 23-year-old university student, said that while he supported the president, some of the promises he has made are sometimes \"unrealistic\", which fuels the nicknames. He cited the use of El Chapo, referring to the former Mexican drug lord, after Ruto promised a machine that would produce a million chapatis (also known as chapo in Kenya) every day to feed schoolchildren in the capital. Mr Kiplimo however reckons that the way the president brushes off the monikers, and in fact seems to embrace them, shows how strong he is. Prof Manyora believes the young people who come up with the alternative labels for the president do it as a form of catharsis, a way of releasing tension. This view is backed up by 24-year-old student Margaret Wairimu Kahura, who said that many Kenyans \"are in a lot of pain\". She feels that the mockery is a way of letting Ruto know how the youth are feeling. She says that no other Kenyan president has been subjected to this level of lampooning, and \"so this is unique [but] in a bad way\". It is true that previous heads of state had had nicknames but they have not been so numerous. The last President, Uhuru Kenyatta, was called Kamwana (\"young boy\"), Jayden (a Kenyan reference to a pampered or lazy child) and Wamashati (for his love of print shirts). His predecessor, Mwai Kibaki, was known as General Kiguoya (a general who is afraid) and Fence Sitter. Perhaps the age of social media, with its insatiable appetite for new content to keep people amused has increased the trend towards name calling. But for many, like Ms Kahura, the volume of nicknames for Ruto are a genuine reflection of \"the different problems that people are facing\". Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica , on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 23:31:41",
      • "pubDateTZ": "UTC",
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      • "source_id": "bbc",
      • "source_name": "The Bbc",
      • "source_priority": 103,
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        "country": [
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        • "namibia",
        • "guinea",
        • "rwanda",
        • "niger",
        • "south africa",
        • "djibouti",
        • "cape verde",
        • "chad",
        • "nigeria",
        • "benin",
        • "botswana",
        • "burundi",
        • "equatorial guinea",
        • "morocco",
        • "eritrea",
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        • "lesotho",
        • "liberia",
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        • "seychelles",
        • "sierra leone",
        • "togo",
        • "tanzania",
        • "ethiopia",
        • "congo",
        • "central african republic",
        • "sudan",
        • "mozambique",
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        • "madagascar",
        • "cameroon",
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        • "senegal",
        • "zambia",
        • "malawi",
        • "mali",
        • "burkina fasco",
        • "ivory coast",
        • "uganda",
        • "angola",
        • "algeria",
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        • "dr congo",
        • "libya",
        • "mauritania",
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      • "article_id": "c8361585cdf33b04c6cd0bdd95197f5b",
      • "title": "Over 4 400 GBV cases recorded in 11 months",
      • "link": "https://www.namibian.com.na/over-4-400-gbv-cases-recorded-in-11-months/",
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      • "description": "Namibia recorded 4 405 cases of gender-based violence (GBV) between April 2024 and February 2025, with 1 345 of those being rape cases. Inspector general of the Namibian Police, lieutenant general Joseph Shikongo has revealed a rising number of child sexual abuse cases, in particular, which have sparked concern among authorities and civil society. “These [...]The post Over 4 400 GBV cases recorded in 11 months appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "content": "Namibia recorded 4 405 cases of gender-based violence (GBV) between April 2024 and February 2025, with 1 345 of those being rape cases.Inspector general of the Namibian Police, lieutenant general Joseph Shikongo has revealed a rising number of child sexual abuse cases, in particular, which have sparked concern among authorities and civil society.“These statistics are shocking and there is an urgent need for community engagement to assist victims and encourage them to report abuse. Community members must advise victims to report such acts to GBV Protection Units for assistance,” he expressed.Shikongo emphasised the critical role of the GBV Protection Units, which are now decentralised across all 14 regions and offer a comprehensive range of services, including psychosocial support, legal services, investigation and medical care. Victims can also reach out for help via the national GBV toll-free numbers 10111 and 106.He was speaking at Swakopmund on Tuesday at the opening of the high-level stakeholder meeting on enhancing the Gender-Based Violence Information Management System (GBVIMS), coordinated by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA).The GBVIMS is one of the main tools for monitoring and addressing GBV cases. It serves as a national repository for GBV data, but currently lacks real-time capabilities and full integration with other sectoral systems.“The system’s dependence on manual processes hampers timely interventions and undermines a coordinated national response,” said Shikongo.He urged the government and stakeholders to strengthen coordination mechanisms, enhance national and regional GBV clusters, intensify media campaigns and scale up male engagement initiatives.Meanwhile, executive director in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) Gladys Pickering, in a speech delivered on her behalf, reiterated the government’s commitment to tackling GBV through policy leadership and coordination.The OPM plays a central role in aligning GBV responses with the National Gender Policy, National Development Plans (NDPs), and Vision 2030.Pickering added that from a policy implementation perspective, the OPM ensures GBV concerns are mainstreamed across all sectors. They are also working to strengthen the capacity of all stakeholders to effectively use and contribute to the national GBVIMS.“However, if we do not dig deep into the root causes and are brutally honest with ourselves and each other, we are not going to win this fight against gender-based violence, domestic violence and rape. We have some of the best laws in the world, but we are not addressing the root causes,” she said.The post Over 4 400 GBV cases recorded in 11 months appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 19:02:24",
      • "pubDateTZ": "UTC",
      • "image_url": "https://d4f7y6nbupj5z.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/WhatsApp-Image-2025-05-13-at-8.15.34-PM.jpeg",
      • "video_url": null,
      • "source_id": "namibian",
      • "source_name": "The Namibian",
      • "source_priority": 453929,
      • "source_url": "https://namibian.com.na",
      • "source_icon": "https://i.bytvi.com/domain_icons/namibian.png",
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      {
      • "article_id": "3914dfc0db200a8396be686838284962",
      • "title": "Coetzee, Greef claim titles, as Hollard sweep WPP series",
      • "link": "https://www.namibian.com.na/coetzee-greef-claim-titles-as-hollard-sweep-wpp-series/",
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        "keywords": [
        • "sport",
        • "cycling"
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        "creator": [
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      • "description": "Team Hollard maintained their Nedbank Windhoek Power Pedal Race Series (WPP) dominance by winning the overall men’s and women’s individual and team categories on Sunday. Anri Greeff won the sixth elite women’s race on the Heroes’ Acre Bridge, with Jaques Hanekom claiming the men’s victory. Greef defended her title by clocking two hours, 29 minutes [...]The post Coetzee, Greef claim titles, as Hollard sweep WPP series appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "content": "Team Hollard maintained their Nedbank Windhoek Power Pedal Race Series (WPP) dominance by winning the overall men’s and women’s individual and team categories on Sunday.Anri Greeff won the sixth elite women’s race on the Heroes’ Acre Bridge, with Jaques Hanekom claiming the men’s victory.Greef defended her title by clocking two hours, 29 minutes and 39 seconds, followed by Marissa Mouton of Food Lovers Market Ladies in a time of 02:29:39, and Rosemarie Thiel of Cymot Ladies Racing Team in 02:29:39.An elated Greeff says she enjoyed the race even though it was windy and cold.The victory sets her for a couple of upcoming races at home and in South Africa.“As a team, we are pleased to take positions one and two today, as well as the overall win. The tactic was to try to get the second position today. It’s good that I won today and the overall WPP series, so I am happy to defend the title,” she says.Hollard’s Hanekom, who was backed by his teammates, finished third in the overall individual standings after crossing the line first in the sixth and last race of the season in a time of two hours 34 minutes and 10 seconds (02:34:10).Drikus Coetzee claimed the men’s overall title with 970 points.Roger Suren (745 points), who did not participate in the final race of the season, secured second place in the overall individual men’s category, and Hanekom (720 points) claimed third place.On the day, Hanekom was followed by teammate Martin Freyer, who clocked 02:34:39 in second place, and Nicolaas Swart Hollard Ambassadors, who finished the race closely at 02:34:40.Speaking after the race, Hanekom said he was very excited to secure his first elite race victory while paying tribute to his teammate for executing the strategy well.“It is my first-ever win, so I’m very excited. I couldn’t have won without my teammates, especially Martin (Freyer), who devised today’s strategy, which worked out perfectly for my victory,” he said.In the elite men’s team standings, Hollard scored 134 points in first place, followed by Team MBM Men, who scored 117 in second place.Third place belonged to the Cymot men’s racing team 2025, who scored 115 points.Team Hollard, which consisted of Greeff, Louise Breed, Marion Schoneke, and Marguerite Verwey, scored 76 points to claim the elite women’s title, followed by the Food Lovers Market Ladies team of Marissa Mouton, Michelle Doman, Jana von Backstrom, and Jacky Shipena, who scored 58 points.Third place went to Cymot Ladies Racing Team of Rosemarie Thiel, Nicola Fester, Jean Marie Mostert and Susan Pieters, who collected 52 points.Race organiser Stefanus Feris from the Windhoek Pedal Power Road Cycling Club commended the favourable turnout throughout the season.“We had a successful season in terms of participation. In our previous race (the time trial), we had excellent competition and a quality field. The ladies were also quite strong this year.“The younger riders are coming through very strong as well,” he said.Feris said the challenges were mostly route planning, cyclist safety, and some unforeseen circumstances, like wild animals popping up on the side of the road during races.The organisers also said they aim to add new events while also exploring the possibility of getting the Dordabis race back on the calendar.“The safety concern is always our main priority. When you start to plan races, the riders need to be safe. We also had to consider that other road users may become agitated by the presence of cyclists. We always try to minimise all these dangers and get the riders safely to the finish line,” Feris said.Meanwhile, Nedbank Namibia spokesperson Selma Kaulinge congratulated WPP for hosting a successful season, saying they are already excited about the 2026 season.“On behalf of Nedbank Namibia, I extend our warmest congratulations to the Windhoek Pedal Power Road Cycling Club for executing yet another exceptional cycling season, culminating in six successful races for 2025.“We are immensely proud of our long-standing association with WPP and the incredible work they do to elevate the profile of cycling in our nation.“Nedbank Namibia remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting cycling events that not only showcase athletic prowess but also foster community spirit and healthy lifestyles,” she said.Kaulinge urged WPP to continue with efforts to recruit more cyclists from previously disadvantaged communities, ensuring that the benefits of this sport are accessible to all.“We urge the organisers to continuously innovate and work diligently to increase the number of participants and draw even larger crowds of enthusiastic fans to these wonderful events,” she implored.“To all the cyclists who participated, your dedication and spirit are truly inspiring. Congratulations to the winners on your remarkable achievements – your hard work has paid off.“To those who may not have achieved their desired results this season, we encourage you to persevere, train harder, and come back even stronger next year.” – Nedbank NamibiaThe post Coetzee, Greef claim titles, as Hollard sweep WPP series appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 18:32:16",
      • "pubDateTZ": "UTC",
      • "image_url": "https://d4f7y6nbupj5z.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Team-Hollard-1.jpeg",
      • "video_url": null,
      • "source_id": "namibian",
      • "source_name": "The Namibian",
      • "source_priority": 453929,
      • "source_url": "https://namibian.com.na",
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      {
      • "article_id": "b55f8f796dc8c6b83f63fa47cce2d493",
      • "title": "Rabada leads South African pace attack for World Test final",
      • "link": "https://www.namibian.com.na/rabada-leads-south-african-pace-attack-for-world-test-final/",
      • -
        "keywords": [
        • "sport"
        ],
      • -
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        ],
      • "description": "Kagiso Rabada will lead a South African pace bowling attack weakened by injury in the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s in London from June 11 to 15. Coach Shukri Conrad on Tuesday named a 15-man squad which includes six pace bowlers. But three of South Africa’s fastest bowlers missed selection. Anrich Nortje, [...]The post Rabada leads South African pace attack for World Test final appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "content": "Kagiso Rabada will lead a South African pace bowling attack weakened by injury in the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s in London from June 11 to 15.Coach Shukri Conrad on Tuesday named a 15-man squad which includes six pace bowlers.But three of South Africa’s fastest bowlers missed selection.Anrich Nortje, Gerald Coetzee and Nandre Burger have all been hit by injuries before and during the championship cycle.Rabada, who recently returned to cricket after serving a ban for recreational drug use, will be backed up by tall left-arm fast bowler Marco Jansen as well as right-arm seamers in Dane Paterson, Lungi Ngidi and all-rounders Wiaan Mulder and Corbin Bosch.Ngidi missed the home series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in December and January because of a groin injury but played in the Champions Trophy one-day competition in Pakistan in February and March.“I’m particularly pleased to welcome Lungi back in the side,” said Conrad. “He’s put in the work and offers us an experienced option with the ball.”Paterson, 36, is currently playing for English county Middlesex, who are based at Lord’s.There are two spinners in the squad, left-armers Keshav Maharaj and Senuran Muthusamy. Maharaj suffered a recurrence of a groin injury in March, which ruled him out of the rest of the South African domestic season, but has been passed fit to play.South Africa’s batsmen have also had injury problems.Captain Temba Bavuma missed the domestic four-day final in April because of a recurrence of an elbow injury, while David Bedingham suffered a fractured toe while batting for Durham in an English county championship match in April.Conrad said playing in the final would be a “special moment” for his players.“Over the past 18 months, we’ve worked hard to build a competitive red-ball unit, and this achievement reflects that progress.“A key part of our success has been consistency in selection, and we’ve stuck with the core group of players who have been part of this WTC cycle. We’ve selected a balanced squad for the conditions we expect at Lord’s.”South Africa qualified for the final by winning eight of their 12 matches in the championship, including their last seven in a row.Two of their three defeats were against New Zealand in a series which South Africa effectively forfeited because Cricket South Africa gave priority to the SA20 franchise competition.Seven of the squad are currently involved with the Indian Premier League and three in English county cricket. The players will assemble in England on May 31 ahead of a warm-up match against Zimbabwe in Arundel from June 3 to 6.Squad: Temba Bavuma (captain), David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (wkt)The post Rabada leads South African pace attack for World Test final appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 18:14:35",
      • "pubDateTZ": "UTC",
      • "image_url": "https://d4f7y6nbupj5z.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Rabada-1.jpeg",
      • "video_url": null,
      • "source_id": "namibian",
      • "source_name": "The Namibian",
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      {
      • "article_id": "de2db22d0a69706c247a3480805dd512",
      • "title": "Kohli, Rohit exits leave India facing uncertain new era",
      • "link": "https://www.namibian.com.na/kohli-rohit-exits-leave-india-facing-uncertain-new-era/",
      • -
        "keywords": [
        • "uncategorised"
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        "creator": [
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      • "description": "India cricket will enter an uncertain new era next week when selectors name a Test squad without all-time greats Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the first time in more than a decade. Batting stalwarts Kohli and captain Rohit both retired from Tests in the past week, leaving Shubman Gill as the front-runner to lead [...]The post Kohli, Rohit exits leave India facing uncertain new era appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "content": "India cricket will enter an uncertain new era next week when selectors name a Test squad without all-time greats Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the first time in more than a decade.Batting stalwarts Kohli and captain Rohit both retired from Tests in the past week, leaving Shubman Gill as the front-runner to lead a new-look India in England.The retirement last year of veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin leaves India without the backbone of the side that was formerly number one in the world Test rankings.Top order batsman Gill is favourite to be given the task of starting India’s rebuild with the five-Test England series which begins on June 20 at Headingley.“Gill looks like the heir apparent, but his record overseas hasn’t looked too great,” veteran cricket journalist Ayaz Memon told AFP.The 25-year-old Gill has scored 1,893 runs at an average of 35.05 in 32 Tests since his debut in 2020, with five hundreds.But in 13 Tests away from home his average is only 29.50.Gill is likely to move up the order to open alongside the 23-year-old Yahsavi Jaiswal, with the big-hitting Shreyas Iyer in the frame to replace Kohli at the fall of the second wicket.Others who could be charged with the almost impossible task of following in all-time great Kohli’s footsteps are Sarfaraz Khan, Rajat Patidar and Dhruv Jurel.Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has also been mentioned as a future captain, but his current poor form and less-than-inspiring leadership of Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL are counting against his immediate elevation.Leading pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah was Rohit’s deputy in Australia and led the team in two Tests, winning one, and was seen as another candidate for captain.But Bumrah has only recently returned to action after suffering a back injury during the final Test at Sydney in January.The five Tests in England are crammed into six weeks, meaning India will need to manage the workload of their pace attack by resting bowlers for one or more matches, effectively ruling Bumrah out of the captaincy debate.Memon, who called Kohli’s retirement “a big moment in Indian cricket”, said there was enough strength in depth to fill the void left by Kohli, Rohit and Ashwin.“There are senior pros like (Mohammed) Shami, if he is in form and selected, and (Ravindra) Jadeja,” said Memon.“The new crop of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, maybe Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj look good.“They could be looking for a young spinner, maybe Washington Sundar because Ashwin is not there.”Off-spinner Ashwin called an abrupt halt to his international career after playing the second Test in Adelaide last year.He ended his career with 537 wickets in 106 matches, eighth on the all-time list and behind only Anil Kumble for India, who had 619 dismissals.India’s 1983 World Cup-winning all-rounder Sandeep Patil believed the new-look India would come out stronger after a period of transition.“The two stalwarts, the two pillars of Indian cricket have gone,” Patil, who was chief selector when Kohli became captain in 2015, told The Times of India.“It is time to rebuild. It will be a challenge for the national selectors, but I am sure we will find a solution.“If one player exits, the next one is ready.”The post Kohli, Rohit exits leave India facing uncertain new era appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 18:10:34",
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      • "title": "Magic: The Gathering's Final Fantasy Commander Decks Are Packed With Fun, Surprising References",
      • "link": "https://za.ign.com/final-fantasy-vi/209683/news/magic-the-gatherings-final-fantasy-commander-decks-are-packed-with-fun-surprising-references",
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      • "description": "Ha ha ha ha ha!Wizards of the Coast has been gradually rolling out what it's got in store for Magic: The Gathering and its big Final Fantasy crossover this summer. Over the weekend, the team debuted a significant chunk of cards, from both the main set and the Commander decks, and fans are ...",
      • "content": "Wizards of the Coast has been gradually rolling out what it's got in store for Magic: The Gathering and its big Final Fantasy crossover this summer. Over the weekend, the team debuted a significant chunk of cards, from both the main set and the Commander decks, and fans are enjoying some of the fun and even surprising cuts from their favorite Final Fantasy games. Some of the cards shown at last Saturday's Magic: The Gathering panel at PAX East captured the journey of individual characters throughout their games. Final Fantasy IV's Cecil, for example, has an entire mechanic around transforming from a Dark Knight into a Paladin. The summons of Final Fantasy utilize a \"Saga Creature\" set-up, to act as powerful but temporary forces on the field, melding Magic and Final Fantasy concepts in the process. Then you have cards like Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER, with artwork from Square's Tetsuya Nomura. The transformation along the card illustrates Sephiroth's various forms throughout the FF7 universe, from a young fighter into, eventually, Safer Sephiroth on the card Sephiroth, One-Winged Angel. And what would a Final Fantasy be without some Cids? The Final Fantasy set will include a Cid from each of the numbered Final Fantasy games, though Wizards is opting for the older Cid from Final Fantasy XV over his daughter, Cindy. After Saturday's panel, though, Wizards of the Coast released the decklist for the four aforementioned Commander decks , and fans started poring over the art and additions to see how the team adapted those four Final Fantasy games into Magic. Pretty well, it turns out. Reprints, or new versions of existing Magic cards, get some clever crossovers with Final Fantasy lore. Skullclamp, for instance, draws on the Jenova project in Final Fantasy 7 for its art. Together, Forever also takes an emotional stab at the Final Fantasy 10 fans out there. It shouldn't be surprising that Final Fantasy 10 has some emotional wellsprings to draw from, with its central protagonists' journey through a ruined land, on a somber pilgrimage. Several decks' cards reference some notable character moments, by the way, so you might want to go into these decklists aware that there will be some story spoilers for each respective game. But to lighten things up, one of Final Fantasy 10's more iconic, and frequently memed, moments also made the cut with Inspiring Call. In fact, Wizards found more than a few ways to incorporate Final Fantasy's less-serious moments into cards. Clever Concealment puts a spin on the Wall Market scene with Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa in dresses, heading to Don Corneo's, and even has a mechanic that seems fitting for the occassion. I'm a big fan of the Secret Rendezvous card, which has four different versions of the Golden Saucer date scene from Final Fantasy 7 with each potential date: Aerith, Tifa, Yuffie, and Barret. Even still, fans have been discovering the tiny details that show how much homage is being paid to the source material. The Final Fantasy 14 set, in particular, has quite a few references to the critically acclaimed MMORPG. The Hildibrand Manderville card mimics the infamous gentleman's habit of disappearing and returning, making for quite an interesting White/Black card in the process. One user on the FFXIV subreddit noted that the Archaeomancer's Map card uses a real possible location found in a Gaganaskin Treasure Map, for instance. In turn, Final Fantasy 14 players have been having fun with the cards. There are some jokes about wondering who the Thancred card represents , referencing the \"This is Thancred\" meme . And there's the alternative flavor text a user added to the Rite of Replication card, commemorating everyone's favorite speech from A Realm Reborn: Even the Tome of Legends card depicts a Wondrous Tails book, with all the little details you see in-game when a player picks up their Tails and, of course, several missed four-in-a-row connections. There's some clear attention to detail put into these cards, and it's certainly got me intrigued to see the full set. While the Commander games got a lot of love in these cards, a few reveals from Saturday's panel like Commune With Beavers have me eager to see how some of the other Final Fantasy games got adapated into the full Magic set. Magic: The Gathering's Final Fantasy set is out on June 13, 2025, with pre-release weekend one week prior. Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 17:31:30",
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      • "article_id": "b844763d7eb9fd92a2f6fc14ebae9c18",
      • "title": "Namibia’s currency circulation hits N$5.6 billion",
      • "link": "https://www.namibian.com.na/namibias-currency-circulation-hits-n5-6-billion/",
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      • "description": "At the end of 2024, the total value of Namibian currency (both coins and banknotes) in circulation within the Namibian economy was N$5.6 billion. “In 2024, the Namibian economy saw a 6.9% increase in currency circulation, rising from N$5.2 billion in 2023,” said Bank of Namibia (BoN) governor Johannes !Gawaxab during the launch of the [...]The post Namibia’s currency circulation hits N$5.6 billion appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "content": "At the end of 2024, the total value of Namibian currency (both coins and banknotes) in circulation within the Namibian economy was N$5.6 billion.“In 2024, the Namibian economy saw a 6.9% increase in currency circulation, rising from N$5.2 billion in 2023,” said Bank of Namibia (BoN) governor Johannes !Gawaxab during the launch of the new N$50 banknote yesterday in Windhoek. The new note comes with the signature of central bank governor Johannes !Gawaxab.!Gawaxab said there has been an increase in currency circulation post-Covid, adding that the bank has observed instances of banknotes being mishandled or defaced. He said this creates the need to replenish these notes in circulation.“I urge all Namibians to treat our currency with the respect it deserves, understanding that it is not just a means of exchange but also a reflection of our nation’s pride,” said !Gawaxab.The governor also mentioned a decline in counterfeit banknotes in 2024.“In terms of safeguarding our currency from counterfeiting, it is equally significant to note a 10.7% decline in counterfeit banknotes during the same period,” said !Gawaxab.He added that the bank is set to introduce its instant payment system later this year.“At the same time, we recognise the inevitability of digital transformation. To bridge existing gaps, we are exploring technologies such as offline payment systems for areas with limited connectivity,” said !Gawaxab.The modified N$50 banknote was made available to commercial banks yesterday and will be available to the public today.Cindy Fillipus, the deputy director for currency and banking at the BoN said the printing of the new note is to comply with set standards.“This is to ensure that the signature of the sitting governor is part of the notes for authentication purposes,” said Fillipus.She added that the N$50 note is in high demand as it is practical for daily transactions.The post Namibia’s currency circulation hits N$5.6 billion appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 17:00:00",
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      • "article_id": "3659707a1b0a78d24a7867777959798c",
      • "title": "Rundu Town Council closes 10 unregistered businesses",
      • "link": "https://www.namibian.com.na/rundu-town-council-closes-10-unregistered-businesses/",
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      • "description": "The Rundu Town Council (RTC) on Monday closed 10 businesses at the town that were not legally registered. Rundu has 4 700 registered businesses. The RTC, in collaboration with the police, the Namibia Revenue Agency’s customs and excise division, as well as the Ministry of Health and Social Services, has started conducting a joint operation [...]The post Rundu Town Council closes 10 unregistered businesses appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "content": "The Rundu Town Council (RTC) on Monday closed 10 businesses at the town that were not legally registered.Rundu has 4 700 registered businesses.The RTC, in collaboration with the police, the Namibia Revenue Agency’s customs and excise division, as well as the Ministry of Health and Social Services, has started conducting a joint operation to assess business and safety standard compliance at the town.The operation is aimed at ensuring all businesses at Rundu are registered and in compliance with the law.RTC divisional head of public and environmental health Tuwilika Hamukoto on Tuesday said the joint operation started on Monday and will run until 23 May.“On Monday we visited round about 40 businesses, and out of thise we closed down 10 because we did not find a fitness certificate as well as a business registration certificate on site,” he said.The businesses were closed and sealed by law-enforcement officers and were advised to visit the RTC offices to register.Some of the closed businesses are mini markets, retailers and shebeens.Other businesses were given notices as they were found operating in unhygienic conditions, Hamukoto said.“As we are doing the compliance part, we are also educating the community to adhere to the applicable laws and regulations. We are also doing inspections on counterfeit products as well as illicit products,” she stated.The joint operation also confiscated expired items as well as illegal cigarettes found in some business outlets.“The progress has been good thus far as we did not come across any community resistance,” she said.She said the initiative is not intended to be punitive, as some business owners believe, but rather an attempt by the town council to ensure that all businesses operate legally and correctly.The post Rundu Town Council closes 10 unregistered businesses appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 17:00:00",
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      • "article_id": "8f3561b4128da86d37b3631d073ab35d",
      • "title": "Police probe cross-order trade in stolen Namdia diamonds",
      • "link": "https://www.namibian.com.na/police-probe-cross-order-trade-in-stolen-namdia-diamonds/",
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      • "description": "The Namibian Police’s deputy inspector general, Elias Mutota, has confirmed that the three family members arrested in connection with the Namib Desert Diamonds (Namdia) heist in which diamonds worth over N$314 million vanished – allegedly made a swift getaway to South Africa to cash in their loot. George Cloete, his wife Charmaine Cloete and his [...]The post Police probe cross-order trade in stolen Namdia diamonds appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "content": "The Namibian Police’s deputy inspector general, Elias Mutota, has confirmed that the three family members arrested in connection with the Namib Desert Diamonds (Namdia) heist in which diamonds worth over N$314 million vanished – allegedly made a swift getaway to South Africa to cash in their loot.George Cloete, his wife Charmaine Cloete and his brother Bino Cloete are believed to have travelled to Port Nolloth, 80 kilometres south of Oranjemund in South Africa’s Northern Cape province, notorious for its underground diamond trade.According to Mutota, it was revealed during investigations that some of the diamonds were sold in South Africa. “The issue of Port Nolloth, it is true, it was revealed during investigations that some of the diamonds of the suspects were sold in Port Nolloth, South Africa,” he said.Sources close to the investigation claim the suspects exchanged the stolen diamonds for cash at the port town, although the exact value or quantity of diamonds traded remains unclear.“Immediately after the robbery, we understand that the suspects went to Port Nolloth to exchange the diamonds for money. However, I’m not sure how many diamonds or how much money they got,” a source familiar with the case reported.The suspects allegedly purchased some of the assets on behalf of their relative, a security guard who the police said stole the diamonds at the scene of the heist. However, according to Mutota, the suspect in question has not yet been arrested. “We are still busy with the investigations and there are no arrests so far,” he said.“A relative of the suspects, allegedly a security guard who was present at the diamond heist crime scene in January is believed to have stolen the diamonds,” the report says.The security guard has not yet been arrested.Namibian Sun last month reported that the Namibian Police are working closely with their South African counterparts after former soldier Sam Shololo, a key suspect in the high-profile Namdia diamond heist, allegedly smuggled some of the stolen gems into South Africa through intermediaries – as N$274 million worth of gems remain missing. During court proceedings last month, it was revealed that law enforcement in Namibia and South Africa are in communication amid suspicions that some of the stolen diamonds have already been sold across the border.In total, 446 diamond parcels were stolen, 13 of which were allegedly found at the home of Joel Angula, a Namdia security officer.The trio of suspects arrested last week allegedly used the money to buy assets.“Several items that were acquired since the end of January to date, including vehicles, trailers, personal electronic devices, clothing, household equipment, mechanical equipment and documentary evidence relating to the purchase were also seized,” the report says.Among the assets seized were several vehicles worth N$1.37 million and household furniture.They also bought a tyre mag changing machine.To date, only N$40.6 million worth of diamonds have been recovered, according to Namdia spokesperson Beverley Coussement. The three suspects were denied bail when they appeared in the Keetmanshoop Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.They are charged with contravening the Prevention of Organised Crime Act and illicit trafficking of goods under the Diamond Act.The matter was postponed to 7 August 2025 for further police investigation.The Namdia robbery, which occurred in January, involved the theft of diamonds valued at approximately N$350 million from the state-owned diamond trading company’s premises in Windhoek. The high-profile heist shocked the nation and led to a nationwide manhunt.The robbery also claimed the lives of Namdia executive Francis Eiseb and one of the suspects, Max Endjala.This brings the number of suspects arrested in relation to the heist to six including Sam Shololo and Joel Angula – a protection officer at Namdia – and Samuel Shipanga (33), a security guard at a private company.All three have so far appeared in court.In February this year, the Namdia board of directors resolved to suspend its chief executive, Alisa Amupolo, chief operations officer Uahoroka Kauta, and security manager Paulinus Sheyapo following the robbery.The post Police probe cross-order trade in stolen Namdia diamonds appeared first on The Namibian.",
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      • "article_id": "c02e04d92524764efdf0dd186b667455",
      • "title": "Police defend N$56-million Windhoek-Okahandja checkpoint as critics call it wasteful, divisive",
      • "link": "https://www.namibian.com.na/police-defend-n56-million-windhoek-okahandja-checkpoint-as-critics-call-it-wasteful-divisive/",
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      • "description": "The police have defended the decision to build a N$56-million Okahandja-Windhoek checkpoint that will include features such as holding cells and staff offices. The government has over the years splashed money on buildings at roadblocks across the country – a move seen by some as unnecessary. This has attracted criticism that the government is trying [...]The post Police defend N$56-million Windhoek-Okahandja checkpoint as critics call it wasteful, divisive appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "content": "The police have defended the decision to build a N$56-million Okahandja-Windhoek checkpoint that will include features such as holding cells and staff offices.The government has over the years splashed money on buildings at roadblocks across the country – a move seen by some as unnecessary.This has attracted criticism that the government is trying to create an ‘apartheid’ system, which would divide towns instead of promoting crime control.Upgrades to the Oshiko roadblock in the Oshana region, worth N$12 million, and the Onhuno roadblock in the Ohangwena region, worth N$8.3 million, have attracted public scrutiny.The Namibian understands the Okahandja-Windhoek checkpoint upgrade has been delayed for some time due to a lack of funds, but has since commenced.The tender, for what is formally known as the Okapuka roadblock, was awarded to Otesa Civil Engineering – the company that constructed the second and third phase of the main road from Windhoek to Okahandja.HOLDING CELLSThe upgrades will also contain holding cells.Police holding cells are primarily designed for the short-term detention of individuals awaiting legal proceedings or transfer to a longer-term facility.According to the scope of work, the checkpoint will include the construction of police staff offices and overhead steel structures.The client is the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security. National police spokesperson deputy commissioner Kauna Shikwambi this week said road traffic checkpoints are set up in accordance with existing laws and statutes.“The setting up is done with the definite purpose to fulfil the police mandate, which include the preservation of internal security, maintenance of law and order, investigation of crime and alleged offences, the prevention of crime, and the protection of life and property,” she said.Shikwambi said law-enforcement officers have the right to erect traffic barriers and cordons, to search any person or vehicle, and the right to seize any prohibited articles at these checkpoints.“Additionally, it is constructed to ensure our officers are protected and are operating in a conducive working environment,” she said.Shikwambi said the financing of these projects is done in partnership with the Road Fund Administration (RFA). The RFA is a state-owned body that relies on collecting money through levies.“No external donors are involved. And should there be any further construction of road traffic checkpoints, that will be planned and budgeted accordingly,” she said.Shikwambi said the overall cost of the Okahandja-Windhoek checkpoint will be determined once the project is completed, and the public will be provided a detailed cost breakdown upon completion “if needed”.“Just know that the procurement process was completed in accordance with the Public Procurement Act, and that construction is underway. The police anticipate the completion of the structure,” she said.RFA chief executive Ali Ipinge told The Namibian “we make contributions in the form of traffic law enforcement, but the project falls under the police”.MORE ROADBLOCKS TO COMEAt its peak, the Windhoek-Okahandja checkpoint reportedly recorded about 1 000 cars per hour inbound to Windhoek.Shikwambi this week denied that the police are enforcing an apartheid system, saying most of the current static roadblocks have been in existence even before independence and continue to be used to execute the police’s mandate effectively.The police have been splashing millions on upgrading roadblocks. In 2024, the police inaugurated the Oshiko roadblock at a cost of N$12 million, and the Onhuno roadblock at N$8.3 million.Shikwambi said construction methods and specifications of the biggest and busiest roadblocks differ due to roads’ layout, the positioning of office buildings, and services, among others. “The cost of the Onhuno checkpoint and the Oshiko checkpoint differs due to specifications that vary – the Onhuno checkpoint’s structure is smaller than that of Oshiko,” she said.The two checkpoints have attracted criticism from the public due to their perceived high costs.‘MAKING NO SENSE’Official opposition Independent Patriots for Change spokesperson and parliament chief whip Immanuel Nashinge says the cost of some roadblock structures makes no sense.“How can such a simple structure cost N$8.3 million? There is nothing extraordinary there. Even the one that is on the road to Hosea Kutako International Airport is better than that, but it did not cost such an amount,” he says.The N$8.3-million Onhuno roadblock was constructed by August 26 Construction, a military-owned company, which has been accused of controversial dealings.“Are there scanners, or what’s fancy there?” Nashinge asks.He says there are not enough facilities to justify the amount spent on the checkpoint, such as offices and temporary custody facilities for those apprehended at the checkpoint.“What does this infrastructure have that is so costly? This project is overpriced. As a taxpayer, I must see the value of my money.“That structure cannot even be compared to some fire brigade stations at some towns that cost less for more,” he says.Analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah says while the idea might be good, the government should not prioritise the upgrade of roadblocks over pressing needs.“Is it really a priority right now over the country’s socio-economic needs? Why prioritise that over the challenges we are currently facing? From a policy issue, can this not wait?”Popular Democratic Movement leader McHenry Venaani yesterday said the additional infrastructure is necessary for security, but is overpriced.“We must remember our people are sleeping on empty stomachs. We must balance costs and what is needed.”The post Police defend N$56-million Windhoek-Okahandja checkpoint as critics call it wasteful, divisive appeared first on The Namibian.",
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      • "title": "New Superman Trailer Teaser Finally Properly Reveals Brand New Villain, The Hammer of Boravia",
      • "link": "https://za.ign.com/superman-2025/209650/news/new-superman-trailer-teaser-finally-properly-reveals-brand-new-villain-the-hammer-of-boravia",
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      • "description": "Hits hard.DC Studios has released a teaser for tomorrow’s Superman trailer, and with it revealed a brand new villain: The Hammer of Boravia.Eyes up here. Trailer Tomorrow. #Lookup #Superman pic.twitter.com/htyAfiXvDW— Superman (@Superman) May 13, 2025 Warning! Potential spoilers for Superman follow:The teaser shows Superman ...",
      • "content": "DC Studios has released a teaser for tomorrow’s Superman trailer, and with it revealed a brand new villain: The Hammer of Boravia. Warning! Potential spoilers for Superman follow: The teaser shows Superman fighting a heavily armored villain, The Hammer of Boravia, who can fly and use an ocular laser attack. This character, an original character created by James Gunn for the film, was actually first seen on the front page of the Daily Planet in promotional material released last year. According to the newspaper story, The Hammer of Boravia attacked Downtown Metropolis in \"retribution for the recent political interventions in Boravia by Superman.\" The attack resulted in over $20 million in property damage and sent 22 Metropolis citizens to the hospital. It looks like today’s teaser, and tomorrow’s full trailer, will show Superman fighting this \"superpowered mystery man.\" The newspaper article, written by Clark Kent himself, continues: \"Boravia has been the source of numerous headlines worldwide in recent weeks as it invaded its neighboring country Jarhanpur, only for the brief war to be swiftly ended by the Superman. The President of Boravia, Vasil Glarkos, maintains the Hammer of Boravia is not a representative of the national government, but rather an independent vigilante...\" There’s a lot of speculation about the true identity of The Hammer of Boravia (Ultraman in the prevailing theory). But we are getting a better sense of the villains Superman will go up against in the film. Apart from Lex Luthor himself (there’s a new shot of Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor in the teaser), there’s the aforementioned Ultraman and The Hammer of Boravia, and The Engineer , played by María Gabriela de Faría. Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 16:40:03",
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      • "article_id": "23fee918d41e7ffd8dbf469c5ca7c8c6",
      • "title": "Heartbreak for Namibia",
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      • "description": "Zambia and Mozambique sealed their places in the semi-finals of the Cosafa under-17 Girls’ Championship following the latest round of pool matches played at the Hage Geingob Stadium in Windhoek on Tuesday, but there was heartbreak for Namibia who fell one goal short of advancing. Zambia and Mozambique sealed their places in the semi-finals of [...]The post Heartbreak for Namibia appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "content": "Zambia and Mozambique sealed their places in the semi-finals of the Cosafa under-17 Girls’ Championship following the latest round of pool matches played at the Hage Geingob Stadium in Windhoek on Tuesday, but there was heartbreak for Namibia who fell one goal short of advancing.Zambia and Mozambique sealed their places in the semi-finals of the Cosafa under-17 Girls’ Championship following the latest round of pool matches played at the Hage Geingob Stadium in Windhoek on Tuesday, but there was heartbreak for the hosts who fell one goal short of advancing.Defending champions Zambia completed comprehensive 9-0 win over Mauritius in Group B to finish top of the pool with a 100% record.Nancy Lebang then scored a joint competition record seven goals as Namibia defeated Comoros 10-0 in their final Group A encounter, but it was not quite enough to see them into the next round.Group B’s Mozambique will take the best runner-up place across the three pools and earn a semi-final place. They finished with three points, a +10 goal difference and 11 goals scored.Namibia also finished on three points with a +10 goal-difference, but scored 10 goals, one fewer than Mozambique.Namibia led Comoros 8-0 at halftime thanks to Lebang’s heroics and will rue the fact they could only add two more goals in the second half. Lebang draws level with Uganda’s Juliet Nalukenge (vs Comoros, 2019) and Zambia’s Mercy Chipasula (vs Lesotho 2024) as the only players to have netted seven goals in a single Cosafa under-17 Girls’ Championship fixture.Although Group C must still be concluded on Wednesday, there is no scenario where a team in that pool can finish second with a better record than Mozambique.According to the tournament regulations, the best runner-up across the three groups is determined as follows:(a) The higher number of points the teams concerned obtained in their group matches.(b) The superior goal-difference of the teams concerned.(c) The higher number of goals scored by the teams concerned.(d) A Fair Play points of the teams concerned in terms of yellow or red cards accumulated in the pool phase.Group C will conclude on Wednesday when Lesotho take on Zimbabwe at 15h00 CAT (13h00 GMT). Victory for the latter will see all three teams in the pool level on three points, leaving the places to be decided on goal-difference or goals scored.If Lesotho get a draw they will advance to the semifinals and stay on course to repeat last year’s appearance in the decider.All matches at the 2025 Cosafa under-17 Girls’ Championship are streamed live on FIFA+. – Cosafa.com The post Heartbreak for Namibia appeared first on The Namibian.",
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      • "title": "Namibia loses 3 700 lives to AIDS in 2023, but infections and deaths on the decline",
      • "link": "https://www.namibian.com.na/namibia-loses-3-700-lives-to-aids-in-2023-but-infections-and-deaths-on-the-decline/",
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      • "description": "A total of 3 700 Namibians succumbed to AIDS in 2023, with 2 100 being women and 1 600 men. Acting executive director of health and social welfare policy Axel Tibinyane revealed this at the 19th International Conference on HIV Treatment, Pathogenesis and Prevention Research in Resource-Limited Settings, currently underway in Windhoek. In the same [...]The post Namibia loses 3 700 lives to AIDS in 2023, but infections and deaths on the decline appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "content": "A total of 3 700 Namibians succumbed to AIDS in 2023, with 2 100 being women and 1 600 men.Acting executive director of health and social welfare policy Axel Tibinyane revealed this at the 19th International Conference on HIV Treatment, Pathogenesis and Prevention Research in Resource-Limited Settings, currently underway in Windhoek.In the same year, Namibia recorded 6 000 new HIV infections.According to Tibinyane, 400 men between the ages of 15 and 24 tested positive for HIV in 2023, while 1 700 women between the ages of 15 and 24 tested positive for HIV in the same year.Despite these figures, Tibinyane highlighted significant progress in the national HIV response. Since 2010, Namibia has witnessed a 54% decline in new HIV infections and a 33% reduction in AIDS-related deaths. In 2023, approximately 230 000 Namibians were living with HIV, with 150 000 being women and 80 000 men.He further revealed that 93% of Namibians knew their HIV status in 2023, while 95% of those living with HIV have been on treatment.“Of those on treatment, 98% have been virally suppressed,” he said.Victoria Kamule, the executive director of Tonata People Living with HIV, who also spoke at the conference, raised concerns about the impact of reduced funding from the United States government through the United States Agency for International Development.She said this decision has placed a significant strain on community-level HIV response and efforts, affecting crucial peer support networks and outreach programmes.“It is important to remember that behind every funding cut is a person – a mother, a young woman, a peer educator, a father, son, a person who used drugs, and their lives are put at risk,” Kamule said.Prime minister Elijah Ngurare, in a statement delivered on his behalf, said Namibia has made significant progress towards achieving the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV-AIDS (UNAIDS) 95-95-95 fast-track targets, which aim to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 by achieving specific milestones in HIV testing, treatment, and viral suppression.He said Namibia was recognised by the World Health Organisation lasr year for its progress in eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and the hepatitis B virus.Ngurare said Namibia has made history by becoming the first country in the world to receive a ‘Silver Tier’ designation for its efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B – a remarkable achievement resulting from decades of integrated, community-centred health strategies.The post Namibia loses 3 700 lives to AIDS in 2023, but infections and deaths on the decline appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 16:02:54",
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      • "title": "Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade Review",
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      • "description": "Bland and disappointing proof that not every dog shaped like Cerberus can bark like it.Repetition is part of the process when it comes to a certain type of action roguelike. That’s not inherently a bad thing, but Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade commits the cardinal sin of not bolstering the droll byproduct of doing the same thing over and over again with compelling ...",
      • "content": "Repetition is part of the process when it comes to a certain type of action roguelike. That’s not inherently a bad thing, but Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade commits the cardinal sin of not bolstering the droll byproduct of doing the same thing over and over again with compelling meta-progression or hiding it under an interesting story delivered by characters you can’t wait to hear from. Instead, its few attempts at drama and humor miss more than hit, and its decent combat and interesting weapons are let down by room after room of weak monsters and weaker level design. The “legends” part of the title is literal, with the story of Yasha told and retold across three campaigns with different playable protagonists. Each tale remixes the roles of some key characters, almost akin to a theatre troupe that puts on multiple shows with the same small cast. Old man Gengo goes from village elder to adoptive father to benevolent king across the three stories, for example. This idea is maybe the most interesting thing about these stories, though. They are otherwise filled to the brim with some well-worn tropes, like the chosen one whose past is shrouded in mystery or the good soldier just looking to uphold the honor of their patron in the face of certain annihilation. The problem isn’t simply that they aren't super original – reused structure can still make for entertaining fiction. It's that all three are packed with just as much (or more) banal writing as they are with any compelling dialogue. Underwhelming moments of self reflection and bad attempts at humor quickly overstay their welcome in a trio of tales that try and fail to be moving and meaningful. The structure of Yasha doesn't help deliver the story very well, either. It attempts the Hades -like approach of weaving conversations between boss fights at the end of each dungeon run’s three stages, but produces neither memorable moments between the chosen characters and their enemies nor good, or even coherent, reasons to continue down the path. Finishing a run changes the chapter, and everything is done all over again with almost no changes to the structure. In between trips through the gauntlet, the village full of people you are supposedly fighting to protect features a good amount of townsfolk to talk to and not a single one with anything interesting to say. The rinse and repeat nature of it all does the already mid story no favors. These areas are pretty, but aren’t very dynamic, and only the last castle region has features in it like destructible walls and floor traps that can hinder your progress outside of the monsters themselves. This does help you gain some muscle memory and learn the best way to handle challenges from run to run, but the majority of the battles felt trivial on standard difficulty. I only got consistently challenged by the last couple of bosses, who have such large health pools that you can’t kill them so aggressively fast that they don’t even have the chance to do damage to you. Though Yasha is pretty easy, it can still be fun thanks to the snappy combat and how different each of the three playable characters control compared to one another. Every fighter combines light and heavy attacks to vanquish foes while using dashes and parries (successful ones can be turned to big damage counter attacks) to stay alive. Shigure’s sword swinging is capable of a balance between aggressive and defensive strategies that rely on those counters, which feels very different from Sara’s all-in dual wielding style that’s all about overwhelming enemies with naturally empowered dash attacks or Taketora’s patient ranged strategy of creating distance and clobbering enemies from afar, while also having strong melee options to make space if needed. It’s all pretty basic, but it's crisp and crunchy. Like a good, oni-flavored potato chip. The weapon selection is plentiful at around seven options per character, of which you can take any two on a trip through the dungeon. They’re all pretty different from one another, with swords that light enemies on fire or get stronger every time you use certain types of attacks... but across characters, you’ll start to notice they don’t deviate much – for example, all three warriors have a version of that fire weapon or that one that gets stronger. And when most enemies are so easy that they don’t require much strategy to beat, there wasn’t much encouragement to experiment with the more interesting weapons anyway, like a fun looking bow that can mark enemies and make every subsequent shot home in on them. The only real randomness in Yasha comes in the various soul orb buffs you can earn for your weapons after each room of enemies that empower and alter their abilities, as well as amulets that increase your stats that you can buy from a shopkeeper or loot from enemies. The former is where almost all my brainpower was spent, trying to guess how a new ability might work in tandem with ones I already have or if it’s good enough to abandon my original plan entirely for. I spent the majority of my runs across all three warriors focusing on one specific build simply to defeat the frustrating power spike of the last boss, since many of these abilities function similarly between like weapons in each character’s arsenal. As the saying goes: if it’s broken, don’t fix it. After every run, win or lose, you can spend currency earned in battle on some passive abilities that strengthen your damage and health or give you bonuses when certain conditions are met, like bonus attack damage while at less than half HP. Whether you choose to invest in these talents or use those resources to upgrade your favorite weapons instead, I always felt significantly stronger the next time I went down the rabbit hole. None really changed the way I played significantly, but they made everything I planned to do work a bit better than last time. When finishing a character’s story, you gain the ability to add modifiers to future runs that ostensibly make it more difficult. This does add more push back to any given run far earlier and gives you access to special items that let you upgrade your weapons even further, but I ran out of steam on pushing myself to this game’s limits pretty quickly after the main campaigns were buttoned up. At around 21 hours across three characters, seeing the exact same areas and enemies so many times, I just couldn’t be bothered to take any more trips though the demon gate.",
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      • "title": "Romance in the Age of the Space God Is a Quirky, Timely Dystopian Sci-Fi Graphic Novel",
      • "link": "https://za.ign.com/palomino/209681/preview/romance-in-the-age-of-the-space-god-is-a-quirky-timely-dystopian-sci-fi-graphic-novel",
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      • "description": "See the latest from Palomino creator Stephan Franck.Writer/artist Stephan Franck has built up a sizable fan following thanks to his critically acclaimed Palomino graphic novels. Now Franck is taking to Kickstarter to release not only the next two volumes in the Palomino saga, but also a hauntingly topical sci-fi comic called Romance in the Age of ...",
      • "content": "Writer/artist Stephan Franck has built up a sizable fan following thanks to his critically acclaimed Palomino graphic novels . Now Franck is taking to Kickstarter to release not only the next two volumes in the Palomino saga, but also a hauntingly topical sci-fi comic called Romance in the Age of the Space God. Who doesn't love a good dystopian story starring cutesy mice characters? With the Kickstarter campaign for Romance in the Age of the Space God live now, IGN can exclusively debut a new preview of this epic graphic novel. Check it out in the slideshow gallery below: Romance in the Age of the Space God is written and illustrated by Franck and published through Dark Planet Comics. Here's the official description for the book: “Romance in the Age of the Space God is a strange comic for and about strange times,” said Franck in a statement. “It is cute and funny, it is sci-fi and dystopian, it has political satire and the kind of slice-of-life that I love. It introduces Nate, Lydia, Anya, all looking for their place in a difficult world, all profoundly human — even though they are adorable little mice. It started as a webcomic, but the plan was for it to be released in print, in an oversized format like a magazine. We did a very, very limited run last year just before San Diego Comic Con and it immediately sold out. The time has come to pull out all the stops and bring this comic to a much wider audience. It’s a little weird gem of a comic, and I hope you will give it a shot!” Romance in the Age of the Space God and Palomino Volumes 4 and 5 are all crowdfunding on Kickstarter now . In other comic book news, Marvel's new Thunderbolts series is being rebranded as The New Avengers , mirroring the MCU. Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky .",
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      • "title": "TransNamib taken to court over N$48m RedForce tender",
      • "link": "https://www.namibian.com.na/transnamib-taken-to-court-over-n48m-redforce-tender/",
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      • "description": "Transnamib Limited Holdings has been taken to court for allegedly handpicking RedForce Debt Management for a tender to collect N$48 million owed to the national railway company. RedForce was appointed last month on a 12-month contract but industry players immediately criticised the awarding process, claiming they were denied a fair chance to compete for the [...]The post TransNamib taken to court over N$48m RedForce tender appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "content": "Transnamib Limited Holdings has been taken to court for allegedly handpicking RedForce Debt Management for a tender to collect N$48 million owed to the national railway company.RedForce was appointed last month on a 12-month contract but industry players immediately criticised the awarding process, claiming they were denied a fair chance to compete for the contract.RedForce said between 4 April and 7 May 2025 it has already recovered N$4 million of the N$48 million it is supposed to collect.The tender was awarded through a request for proposals, but players say it should have been done through open bidding as the tender amount exceeded the threshold.Qaurtile Debt Collection has since taken TransNamib to court and wants the High Court to declare the awarding of tender to the RedForce was unlawful and void.“The decision of TransNamib to conduct the bidding process for the provision of the debt collection service in terms of the Public Procurement Act should be cancelled and [they should] start the process afresh,” said Qaurtile Debt Collection lawyers Jauch Nyashanu Naunyango.The lawyers said TransNamib wrongfully, unlawfully and unfairly conducted the bidding process in terms of the Public Procurement Act.“TransNamib deliberately excluded Qaurtile Debt Collection from the bidding process and did not include them in the shortlist of bidders drawn up in terms of the Public Procurement Act,” the law firm said.RedForce deputy executive officer and legal adviser Magaret Malambo said Qaurtile Debt Collection has failed to exhaust the internal remedies available under the Public Procurement Act.Malambo also accused Qaurtile Debt Collection of not rendering debt collection services to companies cited as references.Those companies are the Development Bank of Namibia (DBN), Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC), and the Namibia Competition Commision.“The only known debt collection contract held by Qaurtile Debt Collection is that of the Namibia Investment and Development Agency (Nida) awarded in May/June 2024. Prior to this award, Qaurtile Debt Collection was not active in debt collection services for any government or state-owned entity,” Malambo said.Court documents, however, indicate that Qaurtile Debt Collection has reference letters from Nida, MTC, DBN and Old Mutual.TransNamib executive for human capital and acting chief executive Webster Gonzo said Qaurtile Debt Collection’s application to court is not urgent.“Qaurtile Debt Collection delayed bringing this application without reasonable explanation. TransNamib will ask the application to be struck from the court roll for lack of urgency,” he said.The case will be heard tomorrow in the Windhoek High Court.The post TransNamib taken to court over N$48m RedForce tender appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 16:00:00",
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      • "article_id": "1e32d256f8f2147f188cac6043a65454",
      • "title": "Ghanaian journalist's $18m defamation award slashed to $500",
      • "link": "https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdj9gezxd39o",
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      • "description": "An ex-MP was ordered to pay $18m, but a judge rules that the amount was \"disproportionate\".",
      • "content": "A US court has slashed the $18m (£13.6) awarded to Ghanaian investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas in a defamation case to $500. Former Ghanaian MP Kennedy Agyapong was ordered to pay $18m after a jury found he had defamed Anas by calling him a \"criminal\", and of being behind the murder of a fellow journalist. Following a request by Agyapong's legal team for the amount to be reduced, a judge in a New Jersey court has ruled that $18m was \"disproportionate and legally unsustainable\", the former MP said on X. Anas said he would appeal against the ruling, despite his Tiger Eye P.I. media group previously saying that the case was never about money. The journalist began legal action against Agyapong after the ex-MP made the defamatory remarks following his investigation into football corruption in Ghana and elsewhere . Anas had initially filed the case in Ghana where he lost, with the judge describing his work not as journalism but as \"investigative terrorism\". He subsequently brought the case before a court in the US, where Agyapong owns a home and where the ex-MP was when he recorded the defamatory interview on the Daddy Fred Show podcast, according to court papers. Agyapong's lawyers had argued that their client's comments were simply opinions and therefore should not be subject to defamation. However, the eight-panel jury in New Jersey's Essex County Superior Court disagreed, ruling unanimously in Anas' favour in March. At the time, he told the BBC the ruling was a \"vindication of what I have always preached\". \"This goes a long way to encourage African journalists across the continent there's a need for us to be resilient. There's a need for us to have a stomach to take the heat,\" Anas said. After succeeding in his attempt to reduce the defamation award, Agyapong has pledged to \"upholding the values of integrity\" and defending \"truth and accountability in public life\". The journalist is well known for masking his identity by wearing beaded face coverings. He has also won multiple international awards for his reporting and has vowed to continue fighting corruption and holding wrongdoers accountable. Ahmed Suale, an investigative journalist who was shot dead in 2019, was a colleague of Anas who had also investigated corruption and had worked with Tiger Eye P.I. Anas has previously told the BBC that he was still grieving the death of his former colleague. Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica , on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica",
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      • "article_id": "0e2a9b98787df101ae14fdcc285ae415",
      • "title": "Mohcine Hassan Nader: «Achraf Hakimi pode muito bem ser um dos maiores de sempre de Marrocos»",
      • "link": "https://www.rfi.fr/pt/%C3%A1frica/20250513-mohcine-hassan-nader-achraf-hakimi-pode-muito-bem-ser-um-dos-maiores-de-sempre-de-marrocos",
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      • "description": "Achraf Hakimi é o vencedor do prémio Marc-Vivien Foé 2025 RFI-France 24, entregue todos os anos ao melhor jogador africano do Campeonato francês da primeira divisão de futebol.",
      • "content": "O defesa marroquino do Paris Saint-Germain foi eleito por um júri escolhido pela RFI - Rádio França Internacional - e pelo canal televisivo France 24. Achraf Hakimi terminou no primeiro lugar com 364 pontos , à frente do marfinense Evann Guessand com 165 e do senegalês Habib Diarra com 43 pontos. O internacional marroquino de 26 anos é agora uma das principais figuras do clube parisiense após a saída das super-estrelas como Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi ou Neymar. Há quatro temporadas no clube, o lateral é um dos capitães da equipa da capital francesa. Esta temporada, Achraf Hakimi apontou sete golos em 45 jogos disputados , isto para além das 11 assistências. É o novo recorde de golos e de assistências nesta quarta temporada com a camisola do Paris Saint-Germain. Esta época, Achraf Hakimi, com o Paris Saint-Germain, arrecadou a SuperTaça, o Campeonato de França e ainda está em prova para conquistar a Taça e a Liga dos Campeões europeus. Achraf Hakimi sucedeu ao avançado gabonês Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang e tornou-se no quarto marroquino a arrecadar o prémio Marc-Vivien Foé após Chamakh, Belhanda e Boufal. A RFI entrevistou Mohcine Hassan Nader, avançado de 30 anos , que já representou, entre outros clubes, o Olhanense, o Vitória de Setúbal e o Alverca em Portugal, o Dudelange no Luxemburgo e o Persita Tangerang na Indonésia. Para Mohcine Hassan Nader , avançado marroquino que nasceu em Portugal, o prémio é merecido para Achraf Hakimi. RFI: Hakimi recebeu o prémio de melhor jogador Africano da Liga francesa, acha que é um prémio merecido? Mohcine Hassan Nader: Sim, acho que é um prémio merecido. Hakimi teve uma época muito consistente, sendo decisivo tanto defensivamente como no apoio ao ataque. Ele manteve um nível alto em jogos importantes e mostrou grande regularidade, o que é fundamental numa liga tão competitiva como a francesa. O prémio reconhece não só o seu talento, mas também a sua importância no PSG. O que representa Hakimi para Marrocos? Já houve vários jogadores conhecidos e com talento, mas que lugar tem Hakimi? Hakimi representa muito para Marrocos. Ele não é apenas um dos jogadores mais talentosos da geração actual, mas também um símbolo de orgulho nacional. Depois da histórica campanha no Mundial do Qatar, ele consolidou o seu lugar como um dos grandes nomes do futebol marroquino. Se olharmos para nomes como Hassan Nader, Mustapha Hadji, Noureddine Naybet ou até mesmo Mehdi Benatia, todos deixaram a sua marca. Mas Hakimi está a criar uma história própria, e pelo impacto internacional que tem, pode muito bem ser considerado um dos maiores de sempre do país. Pode ser um candidato à Bola de Ouro se vencer a Liga dos Campeões? Sim, pode ser um candidato à Bola de Ouro, mas depende de alguns factores. Se vencer a Liga dos Campeões e continuar a ter impacto tanto no clube como na selecção, as suas hipóteses aumentam. No entanto, como defesa lateral, ele terá sempre mais dificuldades em comparação com jogadores ofensivos. Mas se repetir feitos históricos e continuar em destaque, pode muito bem entrar na conversa.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 15:51:13",
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      • "article_id": "f02402aacbbd0de863fa7a8b33b4418d",
      • "title": "Tekken 8 Boss Says He's Tried To Reach Waffle House For a Crossover, To No Avail",
      • "link": "https://za.ign.com/tekken-8/209679/news/tekken-8-boss-says-hes-tried-to-reach-waffle-house-for-a-crossover-to-no-avail",
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      • "description": "No chair parries just yet.For some time now, Tekken fans have been asking for a trip to Waffle House. Not in real life, mind you, but in-game. And while it sounds like Tekken 8's director is fishing for it, there hasn't been a bit on the line from Waffle House.Over on ...",
      • "content": "For some time now, Tekken fans have been asking for a trip to Waffle House. Not in real life, mind you, but in-game. And while it sounds like Tekken 8 's director is fishing for it, there hasn't been a bit on the line from Waffle House. Harada said he \"fully understands\" fans' requests. So much so, in fact, that he's already been thinking about it, and apparently taken action to try and make something happen. \"Over the past year or more, I've actually tried to make contact through several different channels,\" said Harada on X/Twitter. \"However, and this is purely my own speculation, I suspect that the lack of response may be due to the fact that the project I'm known for revolves around 'fighting-themed video games.'\" Harada noted that \"no response\" equals a very rare case. He also said if using a different name or format is acceptable, as long as \"the core message is maintained,\" then he would be willing to seriously reconsider and explore this again. So it seems like Kazuya and Jin won't be settling their familial differences beneath the yellow light of a Waffle House sign anytime soon. A parody version could happen though, or an in-universe facsimile. Harada suggested \"Hustle House\" in another post , which isn't a bad option. Tekken 8 is currently swinging into a new update with Patch 2.01 , after confirming the impending addition of Fahkumram to the Tekken 8 roster. Back in April , Harada responded to fan frustration over Tekken 8's Season 2, and said the tuning team is working \"around the clock\" to read feedback and work on future changes for the better. Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 15:03:06",
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      • "title": "Adages the Internet Has Proven to Be True",
      • "link": "https://www.namibian.com.na/adages-the-internet-has-proven-to-be-true/",
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      • "description": "Adages are sayings that have stood the test of time. Increasingly, the internet and social media are reinforcing the truth behind many common sayings. Since the advent of the internet, we’ve been inundated with ads promising the impossible – wealth overnight, flawless skin in days, or losing 20kg in seven days. Our feeds are a [...]The post Adages the Internet Has Proven to Be True appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "content": "Adages are sayings that have stood the test of time. Increasingly, the internet and social media are reinforcing the truth behind many common sayings.If it seems too good to be true, it probably isSince the advent of the internet, we’ve been inundated with ads promising the impossible – wealth overnight, flawless skin in days, or losing 20kg in seven days.Our feeds are a minefield of “too good to be true” offers. If someone believes they can cash in on people wanting shortcuts, there’s a good chance they’re online peddling their pseudo-promises. A picture is worth a thousand wordsThis rings especially true regarding social media, where visual content dominates.Platforms are flooded with “look at me” photos showcasing perfect lives – sun-drenched beaches, gourmet meals, families that don’t appear dysfunctional and shiny new purchases. Social media is an endless stream of curated highlight reels jam-packed with mostly staged and photoshopped (easy to do with arificial Intelligence) pictures and videos.I know several couples who always appear flawless on Instagram but are actually facing relationship issues, proving that pictures don’t always reflect the messy reality behind the image.Birds of a feather flock togetherThe internet, having made it easier than ever for people to find and connect with like-minded individuals, provides endless evidence supporting “birds of a feather flock together”.A notable reason for social media’s popularity is that it facilitates digital communities of individuals with similar interests, beliefs and values, providing support by showing that one is not alone in their thoughts.Whether you’re into knitting, extreme pickleball, libertarian politics, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex and other music events, or unidentified flying object hunting, somewhere on the internet there’s a group for you.But be cautious – sometimes, these “flocks” can lead to bizarre rabbit holes, promoting pseudoscience, a conspiracy theory or confirming a limiting belief. Fortune favours the boldIn today’s noisy online landscape, boldness can yield unexpected rewards.As the internet becomes noisier, the boldness required to be seen increases, whether through outrageous stunts (e.g. parkour, extreme eating, hanging off a crane), emotionally vulnerable posts, or the most common: Being deliberately controversial.However, in our judgemental society, boldness can lead to public failures, which last forever on the internet.A controversial opinion may attract engagement, but is it the kind of attention you want? Boldness and strategically managing your online presence are two different things.The only free cheese is in the mousetrap“Free” offers are enticing, which is why the internet is filled with the temptations of free trials, giveaways, get free or “just pay for shipping”.We know “free” is often accompanied by a catch, yet we keep falling for it.Who hasn’t signed up for a “free trial” of a service or box subscription, only to find themselves stuck in a never-ending loop of cancellations? Before biting into that free cheese, ensure you’re not stepping into a mousetrap.A sucker is born every minuteAn extension of “too good to be true” scams has reached a whole new level because of the internet, and there’s no shortage of people falling for them.From phishing emails to fake lottery wins, new scams constantly emerge, ready to part you from your money.The next time you receive an email claiming you’ve won a sweepstakes you never entered, consider it a lesson in scepticism. Bad news travels fastHave you noticed how quickly bad news spreads online?One erroneous tweet brings out all the haters (read: Jealousy and moral superiority) and can snowball into a trending topic faster than you can say “viral”. A minor celebrity mishap can balloon into a full-blown scandal within hours.People are quick to judge a post made by someone they don’t know without knowing the whole story or context behind it; a reminder to think before you post.Save your rants and opinions – there’s no universal popular opinion – and the need to be right for your journal rather than broadcasting them to the world. Advice is cheapThere’s no shortage of advice and opinions online, just as there’s an abundance of money-making schemes.Reality check: Just because someone has a website, blog or 750 000 Instagram followers doesn’t make them an expert.Always take advice with a grain of salt and never take advice from people who aren’t achieving the results you aspire to.A fool and his money are soon partedWhile it might happen less frequently now, it’s not uncommon for my smartphone to ping with delivery notifications, prompting my wife to ask, “What did you buy now?”Who hasn’t impulsively clicked “Buy Now”, only to wonder later what they were thinking?Spending money online is effortless; therefore, before you buy, ask yourself: “Do I really need this, or am I being a fool parting with my cash?” These adages remind us to be savvy and discerning in our lives.They’re as relevant in our digital age, perhaps even more so, as they were when they were first spoken and should be kept in mind to help you navigate the online world safely and wisely.Nick Kossovan is the Customer Service Professionals Network’s social media director. Feel free to send your social media questions to nick.kossovan@gmail.com. On Twitter and Instagram: @NKossovan.The post Adages the Internet Has Proven to Be True appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 15:00:56",
      • "pubDateTZ": "UTC",
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      {
      • "article_id": "39dde116ef6e6f38a2230e4abe7beebc",
      • "title": "Absent Fathers, Lost Futures: Namibia’s Young Men in Crisis",
      • "link": "https://www.namibian.com.na/absent-fathers-lost-futures-namibias-young-men-in-crisis/",
      • -
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        • "opinion"
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        "creator": [
        • "Taapopi John Angula"
        ],
      • "description": "Namibia faces a growing crisis: Too many boys in Namibia are growing up without active fathers. Official data reveals that more than half of Namibian mothers raise children alone, and that 53% of infants under two live only with their mother despite their father being alive. In neighbouring South Africa, about 64% of children live [...]The post Absent Fathers, Lost Futures: Namibia’s Young Men in Crisis appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "content": "Namibia faces a growing crisis: Too many boys in Namibia are growing up without active fathers.Official data reveals that more than half of Namibian mothers raise children alone, and that 53% of infants under two live only with their mother despite their father being alive.In neighbouring South Africa, about 64% of children live without their biological father. These numbers underscore a regional dilemma that must not be ignored.Fathers serve as role models and authority figures, helping instil discipline, values and self-worth.As Cassie Carstens emphasises in ‘Reviving Dad Power’, “the most fundamental flaw in society is fatherlessness”.Without this presence, boys often struggle to learn respect, self-discipline and purpose.Research shows that many children with behavioural issues lack father figures, often leading to emotional instability and defiance of authority.CONSEQUENCESThe educational consequences are striking.Boys without involved fathers are more likely to misbehave or fall behind in school.Namibia has seen a steady decline in male participation in higher education, with females now outnumbering males 140 to 100 in tertiary institutions.This disparity reflects how a lack of guidance can stunt boys’ academic and personal growth.These issues continue into adulthood.With youth unemployment at around 38% (MacroTrends), many young men face a bleak future.Without education, job skills or support networks, they are more likely to experience poverty, hopelessness and identity crises.For many, the absence of a father figure to offer advice or encouragement leaves them adrift, Munyungano Musisanyani writes in ‘Men and Suicide in Namibia’.The social impact is also severe.Studies in Southern Africa show that absent fathers are linked to higher levels of crime and delinquency.Some boys seek belonging through gangs or resort to drug and alcohol use as a coping mechanism.These types of risky behaviour often stem from the absence of a stabilising male role model.Mental health is another major consequence. Depression, anxiety and low self-esteem are frequently reported among youth experiencing parental absence.Between 2020 and 2023, 1 542 Namibians died by suicide – 80% of them were men.The stigma around seeking help and the pressure on men to appear strong only worsens the crisis.SOLUTIONS EXISTCommunity mentorship programmes can match fatherless boys with positive male figures.Mental health services must be accessible and stigma-free.Schools should invest in tutoring, extracurricular, and vocational training to keep boys engaged.And job readiness programmes must equip young men with the tools they need to succeed.Most importantly, Namibia must foster a culture that values and supports fatherhood.Initiatives from community organisations, religious institutions and government agencies can promote active parenting and hold absentee fathers accountable.If society collectively steps in, we can help shape a generation of empowered, respectful and purpose-driven men.Taapopi Angula is a digitalisation adviser at Giz South Africa.The post Absent Fathers, Lost Futures: Namibia’s Young Men in Crisis appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 15:00:06",
      • "pubDateTZ": "UTC",
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      {
      • "article_id": "4815042ef10a7866e467ffc3d379b8dc",
      • "title": "Angola offers Namibia help to build oil and gas sector",
      • "link": "https://www.namibian.com.na/angola-offers-namibia-help-to-build-oil-and-gas-sector/",
      • -
        "keywords": [
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        • "news",
        • "top story 1"
        ],
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        "creator": [
        • "Veripuami Kangumine"
        ],
      • "description": "Angola has expressed readiness to assist Namibia in building its oil and gas sector, drawing from its own experience in the industry. Presidential spokesperson Alfredo Hengari says Angola’s experience in the oil and gas sector has the capacity to provide adequate training to Namibians. “Angola has built capacity in the oil and gas sector, providing [...]The post Angola offers Namibia help to build oil and gas sector appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "content": "Angola has expressed readiness to assist Namibia in building its oil and gas sector, drawing from its own experience in the industry.Presidential spokesperson Alfredo Hengari says Angola’s experience in the oil and gas sector has the capacity to provide adequate training to Namibians.“Angola has built capacity in the oil and gas sector, providing training to Namibians in Angola, and has demonstrably shown readiness to assist Namibia’s nascent oil and gas sector,” he said on Friday.This follows president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s work visit to Angola focused on strengthening cooperation in agriculture, trade, oil and gas last week.Nandi-Ndaitwah’s visit marked the first official foreign trip since taking office on 21 March.Hengari said the purpose of the visit was also to introduce herself to Angolan president João Lourenço and to learn from other southern governments.The president was accompanied by first gentleman Denga Ndaitwah and minister of international relations and trade Selma Ashipala-Musavyi.The two heads of state affirmed the need to continue strengthening their historic bonds by scaling up economic cooperation to deal with the shared challenges of youth unemployment.“President Nandi-Ndaitwah and president Lourenço further agreed to take precise actions to scale up economic cooperation to deal with the shared challenges of unemployment, which disproportionately affects young people,” he said.The two presidents agreed on prioritising agriculture, energy, tourism, oil and gas, logistics and infrastructure, including water cooperation, which are crucial to fighting unemployment in both countries.Ashipala-Musavyi and the minister of external relations of Angola are to agree on a date for the inaugural meeting of the Bi-National Commission.Hengari highlighted that legal instruments and cooperation frameworks must be strengthened to give full effect to the decision both countries undertook in 2019 to raise bilateral cooperation.A joint commission of cooperation will be co-chaired by the two heads of state.In addition to the pursuit of private sector investments, the two presidents expressed urgency in the development of the Baynes Hydropower Plant as a catalyst for economic development in both countries.This is to extend power transmission and water canals to serve the northern parts of Namibia and energy exports to neighbouring countries.To facilitate trade and movement of goods between Namibia and Angola, an envisaged rail connection between the two countries can further strengthen this relationship.The post Angola offers Namibia help to build oil and gas sector appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 15:00:00",
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      {
      • "article_id": "eceef073ec85d5644d353dd2ea3b6ecc",
      • "title": "Teen pregnancy in Zambezi linked to poverty, education policy gaps",
      • "link": "https://www.namibian.com.na/teen-pregnancy-in-zambezi-linked-to-poverty-education-policy-gaps/",
      • -
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        "creator": [
        • "Lugretzia Kooper"
        ],
      • "description": "The Zambezi region recorded a total of 279 cases of teenage pregnancies last year, according to the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture’s deputy executive director Edda Bohn. Bohn told The Namibian last week that teenage pregnancies are not only a concern in the Zambezi region, but in the country at large. [...]The post Teen pregnancy in Zambezi linked to poverty, education policy gaps appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "content": "The Zambezi region recorded a total of 279 cases of teenage pregnancies last year, according to the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture’s deputy executive director Edda Bohn.Bohn told The Namibian last week that teenage pregnancies are not only a concern in the Zambezi region, but in the country at large.She added that between 2021 and 2023, the country recorded about 7 454 teenage pregnancies, with 77 from the Zambezi region during that period.“This confirms that the teenage pregnancy rate has increased in the region. The lack of parental supervision is a contributing factor to these cases, as these children are free to engage in undesirable activities,” she said.Meanwhile, Zambezi’s political and religious leaders have described the region’s 279 teenage pregnancy cases as disheartening.Zambezi Regional Pastors Forum chairperson bishop Benjamin Limbo expressed dismay, saying pregnancy is already difficult for an adult to experience, let alone a child.“On top of the physical and psychological implications pregnancy has on these young girls, it sets them back academically. As much as one would say she will give birth and go back to school, however, it’s not possible without a good support system and motivation. Raising a child is emotionally and financially draining,” he said.Limbo also idenitified poor parental supervision as a contributing factor, as well as the lack of religious and moral education in schools.“Parents are letting children grow as they wish; it’s not a human right. Children grow up without the teachings of the Lord as Bible studies have been removed from schools and parents are not encouraging their children to attend church,” he said.Limbo also called for stern punishment for educators that impregnate young girls, as schools are supposed to be safe havens.“The government should also look into creating a basic income grant for the girls in school to give them stability to avoid them asking for money from older men,” he said.Limbo added that teenage pregnancy is a societal issue and that everyone should be alert and contribute to the reduction of what he called an evil destroying the destiny of many young children.Katima Mulilo Urban constituency councillor Kennedy Simasiku says his heart breaks whenever he sees girls as young as 13 or 14 years old pregnant, and called for collective societal responsibility to curb the issue.He says stern punishment should be given to older men that impregnate underage girls.“We really need to start looking at who the fathers are, whether they are teenagers too or [if] they are older men. Some older men are taking advantage of these vulnerable girls due to their poor economic background, whereby they lure them with money,” he said.Bohn encouraged parents to adopt openness regarding talks or discussions on sexual intercourse with their children, as well as to work closely with stakeholders by taking part in awareness programmes and talk shows.“There is poor stakeholder involvement in preventing and managing pupil pregnancy in school settings, despite the ministry’s call to partner with stakeholders and line ministries. When you interview pupils themselves, they will tell you that stakeholders outside the classroom are not visible,” she said.Bohn further noted that through the Education Sector Policy on the Prevention and Management of Learner Pregnancy, they aim to reduce the cases of pupils falling pregnant and increase pupil-parent completion of education.She further added that if a pupil falls pregnant, she is allowed to continue attending school until four weeks before giving birth or is allowed to take a maternity break at any stage of pregnancy.“After giving birth, pupil-mothers may choose to return to school, extend their break to one year, or transfer to another school. Schools may reserve pupil-mothers’ spaces provided pupils update their intended return date. The parents or caregivers are required to engage with the school and sign a statement to ensure someone will care for the infant while the mother attends classes,” she said.The post Teen pregnancy in Zambezi linked to poverty, education policy gaps appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 15:00:00",
      • "pubDateTZ": "UTC",
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      {
      • "article_id": "fcb2b0998674e4ed5614bfcc240e72ae",
      • "title": "Former offender urges youth to choose a better path",
      • "link": "https://www.namibian.com.na/former-offender-urges-youth-to-choose-a-better-path/",
      • -
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        "creator": [
        • "Otto Gotlieb"
        ],
      • "description": "Hendrik Coleman (51) spent years caught in a cycle of crime and prison. Today, he walks a different path, one he hopes others will choose before it’s too late. Born at Bethanie and now living at Rehoboth, Coleman is part of a growing support group helping former inmates turn their lives around. “Following a history [...]The post Former offender urges youth to choose a better path appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "content": "Hendrik Coleman (51) spent years caught in a cycle of crime and prison.Today, he walks a different path, one he hopes others will choose before it’s too late.Born at Bethanie and now living at Rehoboth, Coleman is part of a growing support group helping former inmates turn their lives around.“Following a history of going in and out of jail throughout my life, I was arrested in 2015 for over 10 charges, including rape, housebreaking, common assault and grievous bodily harm. It was then that I realised I could be sentenced to at least 20 years behind bars,” he says.That moment became a turning point. “I asked God to forgive me and give me a second chance. I am now a changed man. I’ve made peace with those I’ve wronged and committed myself to living a life of integrity,” he says.Coleman admits that the process of seeking forgiveness and rebuilding trust was difficult, but necessary.“It’s not just about asking God for forgiveness. You have to make things right with the people you’ve hurt, and that takes humility and courage,” he adds.He now forms part of a Rehoboth-based support group called ‘Chain Breakers’, a network of former offenders who use their experiences to help others leave behind a life of crime.“We are involved in a lot of outreach activities targeting ex-convicts like myself, preaching the message of change and transformation,” Coleman says.He adds that his new lifestyle requires discipline and accountability, especially as many young people in his community now look up to him. “I can’t tell people to stop doing the things I used to do if I’m still doing them myself. My life has to reflect what I’m saying.”Coleman says change is a process and that trust must be earned.“People watch what you do, not just what you say. You have to show them that you’ve truly changed,” he notes.He is now using his story to caution others, especially the youth, against the dangers of crime.“Life is full of challenges, but the choices we make every day shape our future. I want to encourage young people to make the right choices now, before it’s too late.”He also encourages youth to prioritise their education.“Education is the key. Without it, your options are limited. That’s something I learned the hard way,” he says.By sharing his journey, Coleman hopes others will find the strength to walk away from destructive choices and start over.The post Former offender urges youth to choose a better path appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 15:00:00",
      • "pubDateTZ": "UTC",
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      {
      • "article_id": "dcc62e052b8d5f4bdf325b3287365523",
      • "title": "Man found guilty of murdering pregnant girlfriend in Windhoek High Court",
      • "link": "https://www.namibian.com.na/man-convicted-of-gobabis-knife-murder/",
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        "creator": [
        • "Werner Menges"
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      • "description": "A man who fatally injured his pregnant girlfriend when he stabbed her with a knife more than five years ago has been found guilty on charges of murder and defeating or obstructing the course of justice after standing trial in the Windhoek High Court. Judge Dinnah Usiku convicted the man, Abraham Maasdorp (24), in a [...]The post Man found guilty of murdering pregnant girlfriend in Windhoek High Court appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "content": "A man who fatally injured his pregnant girlfriend when he stabbed her with a knife more than five years ago has been found guilty on charges of murder and defeating or obstructing the course of justice after standing trial in the Windhoek High Court.Judge Dinnah Usiku convicted the man, Abraham Maasdorp (24), in a judgement delivered on Friday.The state alleged that Maasdorp murdered his then girlfriend, Magda van Wyk (26), by stabbing her in the breast at Gobabis during the night of 2 to 3 August 2019.Van Wyk died in a hospital in Windhoek on 13 August 2019.During Maasdorp’s trial, Usiku was told that a post-mortem examination revealed Van Wyk had a small, penetrating stab wound to her heart, which caused bleeding in her chest.The bleeding proved to be fatal 10 days after the injury had been inflicted.The court also heard that Van Wyk visited a clinic at Gobabis on the day after the stabbing. The injury to her left breast was considered to be superficial at that stage, and the wound was stitched.Van Wyk returned to the clinic five days later, complaining of chest pain and lower abdominal pains, and a test then showed she was pregnant, the court heard.She was referred to a hospital at Gobabis, where she was admitted upon arrival.Van Wyk was being treated for an ectopic pregnancy before she died, with the cause of her death not clear at that stage.During Maasdorp’s trial, one of the state’s witnesses testified that she was with Van Wyk at a bar at Gobabis when Maasdorp, who appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, approached Van Wyk and asked her to go home with him.Maasdorp and Van Wyk were living together at the time.The witness said Van Wyk refused to go home with Maasdorp, and he then took out a knife and stabbed Van Wyk in the breast.Van Wyk did not report the incident to the police.One of the state’s witnesses told the court she advised Van Wyk to report the matter to the police, but she refused. Van Wyk also told the witness she could not explain why Maasdorp stabbed her, because she feared she would be killed by him, Usiku recounted in her judgement.According to Maasdorp, he found Van Wyk at a bar at Gobabis and noticed she was not looking well.He said she told him she had been stabbed by an unknown person when she tried to stop a fight between people at the bar.Maasdorp also said Van Wyk said she was well and did not want to go to a clinic then.Usiku rejected Maasdorp’s version about the stabbing as “clearly false”.The judge noted that Maasdorp “in actual fact played down the stabbing of [Van Wyk], claiming that it was no one’s business but theirs”.Usiku concluded that this, together with the nature of the weapon used by Maasdorp and the part of her body in which Van Wyk was stabbed, indicated that Maasdorp acted with an intention to kill Van Wyk.He was also found guilty of defeating or obstructing the course of justice for getting rid of the knife with which Van Wyk was stabbed.Maasdorp has to return to court for a presentence hearing on 6 June.State advocate Basson Lilungwe is representing the prosecution.Maasdorp is being represented by defence lawyer Mbanga Siyomunji.The post Man found guilty of murdering pregnant girlfriend in Windhoek High Court appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 14:00:00",
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      {
      • "article_id": "3fe9585a2fa265eaa64c0d4976b259d7",
      • "title": "Former Employees, Community Members Allege AbleGamers Founder Fostered Abuse Behind Closed Doors",
      • "link": "https://za.ign.com/xbox-category/209671/news/former-employees-community-members-allege-ablegamers-founder-fostered-abuse-behind-closed-doors",
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      • "description": "20 Years after AbleGamers' founding, new reports detail abuse fostered by management, mismanaged funds, and leadership that failed to protect employees.In 2004, AbleGamers was established as a nonprofit dedicated to elevating disabled voices and improving accessibility in the gaming industry. For approximately 20 years, the organization has presented talks across industry events, raised millions through annual charity events, and acted as a consistent resource for developers and ...",
      • "content": "In 2004, AbleGamers was established as a nonprofit dedicated to elevating disabled voices and improving accessibility in the gaming industry. For approximately 20 years, the organization has presented talks across industry events, raised millions through annual charity events , and acted as a consistent resource for developers and players alike. Throughout its existence, video game accessibility and AbleGamers became synonymous, and reporters, developers, and the public viewed them as an integral source of advancing accessibility. However, roughly 20 years after its founding, new reports from former employees and members of the accessibility community describe abuse, financial mismanagement from leadership, and a board that failed to protect its employees. Advocating Under Strenuous Conditions Mark Barlet’s mission with AbleGamers was to create a charity that celebrated disabled inclusion in gaming. According to a post on the AbleGamers website , Barlet led the organization to provide services like peer counseling for clients, a sense of community for disabled individuals, and consulting services. Yet, behind the scenes, sources recount an environment that failed to reflect mission goals. According to the corroborated account of a former employee who wished to remain anonymous, Barlet’s behavior became concerning a few years after the employee joined the organization. Throughout their approximately 10 year employment with the charity, the source describes several instances of sexist and emotionally abusive comments directed toward them. “He kept telling me I was HR for the charity because I’m a woman,” the source said. “At this time, I was the only woman in the charity. He then sent me to work on a literal HR case that I now know was really illegal of me because I didn’t have those credentials.” The source claims that Barlet occasionally made light of the aforementioned HR case for several weeks, causing numerous employees to feel uncomfortable. According to the source, Barlet would periodically tell the source she was HR because she “was the woman of the group.” The source continued to experience behaviors they believed to be aggressive, both directed at her, and others within the company, while employed throughout their 10-year period. They described incidents including overhearing racist remarks about other employees, a time when they felt they had to verbally break up a conflict between Barlet and another coworker, and witnessing a number of inappropriate comments from Barlet such as, “We need to get the most f***ed up disabled person to be on our marketing, the one with real multiple disabilities.” The source notes that in this particular instance, Barlet proceeded to make obscene gestures, mocking individuals with physical disabilities. Barlet would also make sexually explicit remarks and comments about the source in front of others, especially during staff meetings or when working together in person. “During an all-hands internal meeting, I was two months postpartum, and before the meeting, everyone was either in call or in the conference room physically, and he said my jugs had gotten so big that he wouldn’t know how to handle them,” the source said. “About a week later, we were walking past each other, and he went up to me with his hands outstretched hovering over my [chest] and said ‘Haha, they’re so big, I wouldn’t know how to handle them because I’m gay.’” The source acknowledges that Barlet would show support and even befriend new employees, but as they grew within the organization, would begin harassing them. Every time Barlet was confronted because of his inappropriate mannerisms, he would immediately deflect, telling the source, as well as other employees, that he was merely joking. The source acknowledges that his behaviors with her grew increasingly hostile every time she spoke out against him. Toxicity Outside the Charity Barlet’s allegedly hostile and inappropriate behaviors were not relegated to AbleGamers alone. The source notes that Barlet would consistently talk down to or insult other accessibility advocates within the space. To them, it seemed that Barlet wanted AbleGamers to be the only resource of accessibility within the industry, and when others grew in presence, he would speak ill of them at best and threaten them at worst. “Especially at [The Game Accessibility Conference], he said something about almost every speaker that came up,” the source said. “Anyone that either spoke or was an advocate, just how they are idiots. One woman that I know...he would tout that she only got [her position] because of her father, and she doesn’t know what she’s doing.” An anonymous accessibility advocate corroborated Barlet’s behavior at industry events. At a business meeting discussing major initiatives, the source notes that Barlet grew increasingly irate. Every time they would discuss accessibility, Barlet would loudly interrupt by saying “Shut up, shut up, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” The source explains Barlet then spoke over them during the entire 30-minute presentation. Yet another accessibility advocate that wished to remain anonymous also corroborated Barlet’s behaviors. After Barlet discovered they were interested in pursuing accessibility, the source notes Barlet stated over a call, \"You are a drop in the pond of accessibility. And I own the pond.” And finally, still another accessibility advocate noted that upon discussing a collaboration, Barlet demanded the source hand over all their work, declaring AbleGamers would claim ownership. Barlet allegedly threatened to ruin the project through his \"deep industry contacts\" if the source refused. Financial Mismanagement Barlet’s negative impacts extend far beyond his interactions with his employees and fellow members of the accessibility community. As the founder and former Executive Director of AbleGamers, Barlet helped to create new initiatives and programs for the organization. Under the guise of benefiting disabled players, the charity received millions in donations from studios and players alike. Yet, new questions arise as to what the monies helped to purchase. According to another former AbleGamers employee that wished to be anonymous, Barlet’s egregious spending caused tension within the company. Allegedly, his access to funds would do little to help the mission, instead amounting to wasteful spending. “In the fourth quarter of 2023, senior leaders at the org had been talking about [finances] for quite some time,” the source said. “We were really wanting to get a sense of how to develop our budgets as pillar leads. This came to light where a lot of the senior directors had knowledge about the finances, and that the revenues were not great, and that expenses were out of control.” The source notes that frequently, funds were allocated for first-class tickets for certain leadership, hotel rooms before or after the dates of designated events, and even expensive meals for office staff that primarily consisted of remote employees. The source indicates that, internally, employees would regularly question the financials of the organization every time a non-essential expenditure was made. This was especially apparent when Barlet purchased a van for taking AbleGamers services on the road. According to the original source, Barlet “bought a van one day, wrapped it, and said we’re doing this. The money just sunk. The van did nothing for us.” The purchase of the vehicle was during the pandemic, and as the source explains, couldn’t be properly utilized with quarantine and work-from-home orders. Both former employees we spoke to noted the purchase of a Tesla vehicle charger for the headquarters. According to the original source, some members of leadership directed their teams to be more frugal with their budgets, citing funding concerns. The source explains that “Mark paid to have a Tesla charger at the headquarters. None of us drove a Tesla except him.” The second source notes the independent board of AbleGamers began \"combing through credit card statements or bank transfer statements within the past year. They came across the Tesla charger and expressed frustration with [Barlet] using AbleGamers' money to install a Tesla charger.\" The source explains that Barlet claimed to do this for the organization, but like the first source, notes that nobody within the company drove a Tesla besides Barlet. Aside from non-essential expenditures, the second source notes that internally, there was discrepancy amongst staff regarding salaries. Leadership regularly questioned why members of the organization were being paid more than those in higher positions, especially since Barlet controlled salary amounts. According to the source, salaries appeared to target alleged favoritism, with some employees earning far more for doing far less within the company. “A lot of the directors including senior directors did not agree that Mark should be drawing that much of a salary, that was always a point of contention,\" the source said. \"There were people that were not directors making more than directors. There were senior directors making less than directors. There were people doing next to nothing making almost the highest amount, minus [Barlet]. There was a lack of consistency with raises here and there.\" Leadership Failures To coincide with Barlet’s financial misspending, the original source explains that AbleGamers’ board ordered the hiring of a Certified Public Accountant who was granted the role of Chief Financial Officer. For approximately two years, the source was told by leaders that the CFO “rang the alarm, saying ‘Something is terribly wrong with our finances.’” Despite his concerns and warnings, the source notes the board failed to act on them, and according to the source, the CFO left toward the end of last year, but allegedly returned to the organization (IGN reached out to the CFO via email but did not receive a reply). Despite Barlet being the primary source of issues at AbleGamers, both former employees note that others in leadership positions, especially the nonprofit’s independent board, failed to protect employees and act within a timely manner. However, according to the original source, the lack of initiative by the charity’s leaders, specifically the board, was intentionally orchestrated by Barlet. “He kept the board very off limits,” the source said. “He could only communicate with them. I would ask [leadership] ‘Can I talk to the board, this is getting ridiculous,’ and they said, ‘I don’t know who any of them are.’ I would say ‘You’re [top leadership], how do you not know who the board are?’” The second source notes that things escalated in April 2024, when a former AbleGamers employee ordered an investigation to be completed through ADP , a payroll and HR service. After several weeks, the source notes that ADP allegedly advised the independent board to terminate Barlet \"immediately\" due to the severe nature of the allegations. Yet, according to the source, the independent board allegedly ignored the findings of ADP's investigation. This intentional separation between employees and the board eventually came into conflict in June 2024. According to the second former employee, an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaint was filed in May, with at least one other employee following suit months later with their own EEOC complaint. The complaints range from racism, ableism, sexual harassment, misogyny, and failure by certain members of leadership and the board to protect employees. Shortly after ADP’s findings, AbleGamers’ independent board began conducting their own internal investigation. However, as the second source explains, the board’s response was not only untimely, but also too slow to rectify the issues (IGN received two separate copies of EEOC complaints from former employees and can confirm their validity). “June 15 is when I submitted a written complaint,” the source said. “On June 25, 10 days later, the board issued its first communication regarding the organization’s transition process. They did not even name that Mark was being investigated, throughout the whole [investigation]. They finally let staff know, on September 25, 2024, that the board issued communication that Mark was stepping down.” Throughout this process, the source was instructed to speak with AbleGamers’ chosen legal team, but never the board. The source also explains that no communication was given to staff regarding instructions on what projects to pursue, who staff were meant to report to, who was in varying leadership roles, the status of varying budgets, and even the process of the investigation. For travel requests, staff were told to communicate to former Chief Operating Officer Steven Spohn but as the source notes, he “did not hold the interim executive director position by title or power.” The first source also notes that the internal investigation was conducted by a law firm that had direct ties to AbleGamers. According to the source, AbleGamers \"was under contract with the law firm, as we were going to take over the building. I had been to that building and met those lawyers before when touring. When I found out that they were the ones leading the investigation, ones that [Barlet] had a direct working relationship with, I brought that up to one of the board members, saying 'Is this actually a fair investigation?' And they reassured me, saying 'Yes, they are acting in appropriate manners.’ But, I don’t believe that.” The second source notes that the law firm were to be tenants in the building, now owned by AbleGamers, for a period of \"1 to 2 years, ending in 2025 or 2026, when they would move out.\" The second source also acknowledges that the board’s lack of a quick reaction was in part due to Barlet’s control of the charity. According to the source, Barlet had access to “all the social media, bank accounts, all the different logins, control over Google Workspace, giving him the power to shut off everyone’s email.” Yet, a lack of transparency is one of the biggest complaints. Barlet’s removal from the organization was not without controversy. In a statement on his LinkedIn, Barlet states, “As I step aside, I am confident in leaving this mission in the hands of the next generation of leaders, who will carry the torch forward with passion and innovation. The future of AbleGamers is bright, and I am excited to see how they will continue to expand the vision we started.” The board never made a statement, instead instructing staff to simply point others to Barlet’s post. The source also notes that Barlet was given severance after his removal, causing conflict with employees. However, even after Barlet’s departure, the board allegedly retaliated against several employees. According to the first source, several employees were let go from the organization in November and December 2024. The source notes that, allegedly, each employee who spoke out against Barlet’s behaviors, resulting in the investigation and subsequent removal, were later removed. “The people that were fired were all ones that filed reports or talked to lawyers.” The source also believes that they would have been fired alongside former coworkers if they did not choose to leave the organization due to personal reasons. The source acknowledges that the remaining employees at AbleGamers are staff that did not partake in the investigation (AbleGamers officials did not respond to our request for comment via email). Even after the events of the investigation and subsequent rebuilding of AbleGamers, former leadership continues to create roadblocks. According to former employees, Spohn, who acted as a “mediator” between Barlet and employees during tense moments, reached out to several former employees using “manipulative language,” encouraging them not to speak with IGN for this story for fear of “ruining the charity’s reputation,” as well as his own. The employees note that Spohn continued to message multiple times, using similar language. And when reached for a comment via email and X/Twitter, Spohn did not respond. Barlet’s Comments As for Barlet, he, along with the former Director of User Research at AbleGamers, Cheryl Mitchell, founded AccessForge , an accessibility consulting group. However, unlike AbleGamers, this new venture advertises services to groups and businesses ranging from transportation, faith-based, hospitality, and even gaming. When interviewed regarding the allegations, Barlet, with respect to claims specifying workplace abuse and harassment, noted \"After thoroughly being investigated by an independent third-party, it was determined that none of that was true.\" Barlet also claims that these allegations, and their subsequent investigation only occurred after he was allegedly advised to cut back on AbleGamers' workforce. The investigation itself was conducted internally, and Barlet was asked by the board to step down from his position. Sources note that the results, or lack thereof, required further examination, resulting in several EEOC complaints being filed. Sources also question the integrity of the internal investigation, noting that it was conducted by the legal team affiliated with Barlet and AbleGamers. And when asked about allegedly harassing members of the disability community, Barlet stated \"I have had a 20 year career, going to countless events and meeting many, many people. Not everyone liked me. I think no one can say that everyone likes them.\" When questioned about funding being spent toward in-office meals, Barlet explains that of the 17 employees on AbleGamers' staff, seven reported to the office every week. This number would occasionally increase to nine when all local members reported to the office. Barlet notes that due to the location of AbleGamers' headquarters, \"expensive [meals] did not exist.\" He explains that the offerings of the area equated to values similar to \"Chipotle and Chick-fil-A.\" Barlet explains these meals were treated as a \"perk\" for employees who visited the office. As for comments pertaining to the allegations of extended hotel stays, Barlet states that \"I would plan meetings before and after events. I stayed two days after the last GDC I went to. On day one, I met with a large gaming company, who then turned around and purchased $100,000 in training contracts. The next day, I had lunch with a high-value donor, who had already donated over the course of two years, $170,000. After I met with this donor, we discussed everything, and she agreed to donate another $75,000.\" Barlet did not specify the years this took place, nor the donors. And with respect to first class flight purchases, Barlet notes \"AbleGamers had a codified and board approved travel policy. That travel policy stated that 'Directors and above, on flights of four hours or more, could upgrade to business class if that cost was not extravagant.'\" Barlet claims he \"often flew first class\" because of the nature of his disability. And when pressed to provide the information, he states he was unable to share the travel policy with IGN. However, an AbleGamers employee handbook provided to IGN by a source, specifically section 5-19, titled Business Expense Reimbursement, notes \"Employees will be reimbursed for reasonable approved expenses incurred in the course of business. These expenses must be approved by the employee's Supervisor, and may include air travel, hotels, motels, meals, cab fare, rental vehicles, or gas and car mileage for personal vehicles. All expenses incurred should be submitted to the Executive Director along with the receipt in a timely manner. Employees are expected to exercise restraint and good judgment when incurring expenses.\" Sources familiar with the finances dispute Barlet's claim, explaining that he, along with other directors, would regularly use first-class travel for flights across the United States, often equating to thousands of dollars. And when other employees would request upgrades to flights, Barlet would allegedly mock them, brag about his travels in first class, and outright deny requests to upgrade. With relation to employee salaries, Barlet notes that \"Most of our employees were compensated based on their education, experience, and position.\" However, the sources refute that claim, explaining that those with bachelors in computer science, masters degrees, and even years of experience were regularly underpaid compared to those with similar titles or experience. Other allegations, such as the purchase and installation of a Tesla charger were outright denied by Barlet. Instead, he claims the charger was a plug, not a full charger unit. Sources note independent board members familiar with the device distinctly note a charging unit, and sources explained that those familiar with finances were appalled at the overall cost for the unit and its installation. And with claims that employees did not have access to the board, Barlet notes that all members of the board were available through Slack, a workplace chat system. However, sources note that while the internal board, consisting of Barlet, Spohn, and Mitchell, were available to communicate with, the independent board, those responsible for the investigation into Barlet's departure, were allegedly not within the company's Slack. Throughout numerous email exchanges with IGN, as well as the interview, Barlet provided no evidence to refute the allegations, only his word. And when asked to show appropriate documentation, he repeatedly denied, insisting that he was not able to provide information unless correspondence was entirely off the record. He also failed to provide other sources to corroborate his claims, again only willing to provide the information if interviews were completed entirely off the record. For many disabled players, AbleGamers acted as a beacon of positivity. With so little proper disability and accessibility representation in the gaming industry, an organization advertising the uplifting of disabled voices was a welcome sight. However, behind closed doors, and even within the accessibility space, leadership allegedly failed to protect employees, as well as the people they purported to champion. And particularly for the first source, Barlet’s behaviors ruined what was otherwise a dream career. “It definitely crushed me,” the source said. “I cried a lot. I cried a lot to my family, friends, and therapist because that was my dream job. [Barlet] just burned it to the ground.” Grant Stoner is a disabled journalist covering accessibility and the disabled perspective in video games. When not writing, he is usually screaming about Pokémon or his cat, Goomba on Twitter.",
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      • "title": "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Player Continues Bethesda Tradition and Spends 7 Hours Lining Up Books for In-Game Dominoes",
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      • "description": "Page turner.Veteran Oblivion fans might remember Domino Days, during which players would use the game’s physics system to create a chain reaction of falling objects. It went on to become a Bethesda tradition that was continued with 2023’s Starfield and its more advanced physics.Now, with <a href=\"https://www.ign.com/games/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-remastered\" ...",
      • "content": "Veteran Oblivion fans might remember Domino Days , during which players would use the game’s physics system to create a chain reaction of falling objects. It went on to become a Bethesda tradition that was continued with 2023’s Starfield and its more advanced physics . Now, with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered , that tradition lives on, with one player spending seven hours lining up books to get the Dominoes chain reaction just right. Redditor Muaxh03 uploaded the video below showing their work. We see the books slowly fall and knock the following book in a satisfying fashion. Muaxh03 said they did not use mods to place the books, rather placed them one by one, which sounds particularly grueling. They admit to spawning the books, however. The entire process took seven hours. NPCs were disabled, of course: “I would lose my mind if there was NPCs walking around,” Muaxh03 said. While this effort is a good start for Oblivion Remastered Dominoes, previous efforts in past Bethesda games were more elaborate and involved varied objects. But playing around with books in Oblivion, even Oblivion Remastered, is a lot harder than you might think because you can’t rotate and place objects in Oblivion in the same way you can in Starfield or Skyrim. “I spent the first 1-2 hours trying to learn how to place them good, after that the stairs took 2-3 hours because every time I tested it, it gave me different results, every time I loaded the save something broke,” Muaxh03 said. Reaction from Oblivion players has been universally positive, with a mix of disbelief at the time, effort, and patience that went into placing the books so precisely in a game as fiddly as Oblivion. What next? “Cool now fill a bookcase!” joked one player. “I would sooner fight a god in hand-to-hand combat unarmed. Last time I tried to put a book back the whole room ended up in shambles — SHAMBLES!” Oblivion Remastered, developed by remake specialist Virtuos using Unreal Engine 5, has a long list of visual and feature improvements. It runs at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second, as you'd expect, but other changes are more meaningful. Everything from the leveling systems to character creation, and combat animations to in-game menus have been improved. Meanwhile, there's lots of new dialogue, a proper third-person view, and new lip sync technology. The changes are going down well with fans, some of whom believe Oblivion Remastered would be more accurately described as a remake . Bethesda, however, has explained why it went down the remaster route . Now the game is out in the wild, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered players are warning newcomers to do Kvatch before the level scaling makes it an absolute nightmare . We’ve also got a report on a player who managed to escape the confines of Cyrodiil to explore Valenwood, Skyrim, and even Hammerfell, the rumored setting of The Elder Scrolls VI . And be sure to check out our comprehensive guide to everything you'll find in Oblivion Remastered, including an expansive Interactive Map , complete Walkthroughs for the Main Questline and every Guild Quest , How to Build the Perfect Character , Things to Do First , every PC Cheat Code , and much more. Image credit: Muaxh03 / reddit . Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 13:51:11",
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      • "title": "Let’s Make Our Cities and Communities Bird-Friendly",
      • "link": "https://www.namibian.com.na/lets-make-our-cities-and-communities-bird-friendly/",
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      • "description": "Every year, the world celebrates World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) in May to raise awareness about birds and the plight they face while migrating along global routes known as flyways. Annually, millions of birds undertake the world’s longest and largest migrations, travelling thousands of kilometres, traversing continents in search of breeding, feeding and resting grounds. [...]The post Let’s Make Our Cities and Communities Bird-Friendly appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "content": "Every year, the world celebrates World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) in May to raise awareness about birds and the plight they face while migrating along global routes known as flyways.Annually, millions of birds undertake the world’s longest and largest migrations, travelling thousands of kilometres, traversing continents in search of breeding, feeding and resting grounds.During migration, birds play key roles in the environment including controlling pests, pollinating the crops humans depend on for food, and providing economic benefits through bird watching.This year’s WMBD theme is ‘Creating Bird-Friendly Cities and Communities’. It highlights the need for healthy coexistence between birds and humans in the face of expanding urban developments, made worse by the changing climate.GLOBAL BAROMETERSBirds are key indicators of environmental health, which makes them global barometers for assessing human impacts on ecosystems. Rapid urbanisation, experienced in Africa and elsewhere, poses a significant risk to birds and global biodiversity.These developments often take place without careful consideration of the populations’ needs of bird, thus damaging their habitats.Habitat disruption also creates opportunities for invasive alien species to thrive, consequently affecting ecosystems.According to a 2024 study, urbanisation has led to a decrease in the variety of birds species in addition to shrinking their roles in the ecosystem.In contrast, rural or less developed areas support a wider diversity of bird species.The study further noted that urbanisation is driving out specialised species, despite the critical role played by these species in maintaining a healthy and balanced environment.‘WE NEED TO SEE THE LIGHT’Considering this, there are a number of measures that can be taken in urban areas to ensure that migratory birds are protected.Critical sites like grasslands and wetlands which migratory birds depend on are under threat, thus developing green spaces by planting native trees and shrubs, e.g. parks and creating urban wetlands can provide safe places for birds. Collisions with glass buildings is another major cause of bird mortality, resulting in the deaths of millions of birds every year.Use of bird-friendly glass is critical in reducing bird mortalities. Bird-friendly glass incorporates patterns or designs that help birds detect the glass as a barrier, thus minimising collisions.Migratory birds rely on natural light along their migration routes. Light pollution can interfere with the natural environment adversely impacting birds and other species. Many migratory birds, especially those travelling at night, fly over areas of intense urban development where they experience high levels of artificial light, which may impact migration timing and other seasonal behaviour.For instance, birds may misinterpret artificial light at night as a longer period of daylight and begin migration earlier than species not exposed to artificial light.This migration mistiming means the birds end up using up their energy reserves, putting them at risk of exhaustion, collision with buildings and other infrastructure and predation, among others.This can be tackled through reducing light emissions by dimming or turning off unnecessary lights, avoiding high-intensity lighting, or using light shielding among other measures. COEXISTENCEInvasive species including cats, rats and plants, among others, pose significant threats to migratory birds through disrupting ecosystems, causing habitat loss and increasing predation and food competition.Rats and mice negatively affect seabird colonies, including migratory species, preying on eggs, chicks and adults, ultimately leading to population declines or even local extinctions. Further, these invasive species compete with birds for food and nesting sites.Thus, it is vital to put in place effective programmes that minimise the effect of these species on migratory bird populations.Integrating biodiversity conservation into urban planning, protecting green spaces and promoting wildlife friendly policies is imperative for protection of ecosystems that sustain biodiversity and human life.As we mark World Migratory Bird Day, let us remember that building bird-friendly cities and communities is a shared responsibility and we all can make a difference.Alex Ngari is the Migratory birds and flyways programme manager for Africa, BirdLife International. Email: alex.ngari@birdlife.orgThe post Let’s Make Our Cities and Communities Bird-Friendly appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 13:31:43",
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      • "title": "AI can be a danger to students – 3 things universities must do",
      • "link": "https://theconversation.com/ai-can-be-a-danger-to-students-3-things-universities-must-do-255652",
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        • "Nompilo Tshuma, Senior Lecturer and Researcher in Educational Technology and Higher Education Studies, Stellenbosch University"
        ],
      • "description": "Universities should teach AI literacy, emphasise why developing knowledge is important and teach students why being an expert matters.",
      • "content": "Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is trained on enormous bodies of text, video and images to identify patterns. It then creates new texts, videos and images on the basis of this pattern identification. Thanks to machine learning, it improves its ability to do so every time it is used. As AI becomes embedded in academic life, a troubling reality has emerged: students are extremely vulnerable to its use. They don’t know enough about what AI is to be alert to its shortcomings. And they don’t know enough about their subject content to make judgements on this anyway. Most importantly, they don’t know what they don’t know.As two academics involved in higher education teaching, we argue that there are four key dangers facing students in today’s world of AI. They are:blind trust in its abilitiesusing it to side-step actual learningnot knowing how it works perpetuating the gap between expertise and uncritical yet confident noise.Given our experiences as academics who have developed curricula for students and who research generative AI, we think there are three things universities can do. They should teach critical AI literacy, emphasise why developing knowledge is important, and teach students why being an expert matters if they’re going to engage meaningfully with AI. The four dangersBlind trust in AI’s false confidence. A recent Microsoft report showed that those who know the least about a topic are the most likely to accept AI outputs as correct. Generative AI programs like ChatGPT and Claude produce text with remarkable confidence. Students lacking domain expertise can’t identify when these systems are completely wrong. Headlines already demonstrate the consequences of this in the workplace: lawyers submitting fabricated case citations generated by AI, and hospitals using AI transcription tools that invent statements never actually made.Generative AI can get it wrong because it doesn’t understand anything in the human sense of the word. But it can identify and replicate patterns with remarkable sophistication. These patterns include not only words and ideas but also tone and style.Missing the power of education. A core purpose of higher education is to give students a new way of understanding the world and their place in it. When students use AI in ways that sidestep intellectual challenges, they miss this essential transformation.When students simply outsource their thinking to AI, they’re getting credentials without competence. They might graduate with degrees but without knowledge and expertise.The false confidence trap. Even students who develop critical awareness about AI’s limitations face what Punya Mishra, a learning engineer professor at Arizona State University, calls “the false confidence trap”. They might recognise that AI can produce errors but lack sufficient subject knowledge to correct those errors.As Mishra puts it:It’s like having a generic BS detector but no way to separate truth from fiction.This creates a dangerous half-measure where students recognise AI isn’t perfect but can’t effectively evaluate its outputs.Perpetuating the knowledge gap. As AI becomes ubiquitous in workplaces, the gap between those with genuine expertise and those relying solely on AI will widen. Students who haven’t developed their own knowledge foundations will be increasingly marginalised in a world that paradoxically values human expertise more, not less, as AI advances. AnswersThere are three steps universities can take.Integrate critical AI literacy. Students need to understand how generative AI works – how AI is trained on massive databases of human-created texts and images to identify patterns by which to craft new outputs.It’s not enough to have an “Intro to AI” course. Every discipline needs to show students how AI intersects with their field and, most significantly, empower them to reflect on the ethical implications of its use. This includes engaging in questions around the use of copyrighted materials for the training of generative AI, the biases inherent in AI generated texts and images, and the enormous environmental cost of AI use. Emphasise knowledge development. Higher education institutions must actively counter the view that university is merely about the provision of credentials. We need to help students see the value of acquiring domain expertise. This is not always self-evident to those students who understand higher education only as a means to a job, which encourages them to engage with knowledge in an instrumentalist way – and thus to use AI in ways that prevent engagement with complex ideas. It is a personal relationship with knowledge that will prepare them for a future where AI is everywhere. Advocating for the power of knowledge needs to be a central part of every academic’s job description.Model dual expertise. Academics should model what Mishra calls “the dual expertise challenge” — combining domain knowledge with critical AI literacy. This means demonstrating to students how experts engage with AI: analysing its outputs against established knowledge, identifying biases or gaps, and using AI as a tool to enhance human expertise rather than replace it.As AI becomes increasingly sophisticated, the value of human expertise only grows. Universities that prepare students to critically engage with AI while developing deep domain knowledge will graduate the experts that society needs in this rapidly evolving technological landscape.We have our work cut out for us, but expertise remains highly valued.The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 13:24:13",
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      • "article_id": "844b521cee6e188b07dfc72948fbea26",
      • "title": "Strategic investment in Namibia’s judiciary to advance access to justice",
      • "link": "https://www.namibian.com.na/strategic-investment-in-namibias-judiciary-to-advance-access-to-justice/",
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      • "description": "Minister of justice and labour relations Wise Immanuel at the National Assembly, Windhoek, 30 April 2025. Introduction of Vote 21 – Office of the Judiciary for the 2025/26 financial year I rise in application for leave to introduce and present Vote 21 for scrutiny and discussion by this august house. This vote caters for the [...]The post Strategic investment in Namibia’s judiciary to advance access to justice appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "content": "Minister of justice and labour relations Wise Immanuel at the National Assembly, Windhoek, 30 April 2025.Introduction of Vote 21 – Office of the Judiciary for the 2025/26 financial yearI rise in application for leave to introduce and present Vote 21 for scrutiny and discussion by this august house. This vote caters for the budget allocation to the Office of the Judiciary for the 2025/26 financial year.Permit me to begin by extending my sincere appreciation to the minister of finance and the director general of the National Planning Commission, in his absence, for their timely and meticulous formulation of the current budget. This has resulted in a balanced and thoughtful budget that supports national priorities – including justice.To this house, I express gratitude for your unwavering support and vigilant oversight, which continue to empower the judiciary in fulfilling its constitutional mission: upholding the rule of law and ensuring that justice is dispensed impartially, effectively, and swiftly. Again today, here we are praying for your indulgence in having this important and strategic vote cleared and passed.It is pleasing to report to the house that the Office of the Judiciary has once again received an unqualified audit opinion — a testament to the office’s commitment to transparency, accountability and prudent financial management. This continued track record not only signifies the level of integrity that characterises the operation of the judiciary, but also underscores a vote of confidence that the public should have in this third organ of the state.Strategic investment in justiceFor the 2025/26 fiscal year, the judiciary has been allocated a total of N$600 969 000 — a significant increase from the previous year. This includes N$534 869 000 for operations and N$66 100 000 for development projects.This investment is not just a budgetary line – it is a footnote that Namibia values a justice system that is accessible, independent and robust. While the operational budget provides for core functions, the development budget will address critical infrastructural needs that have long suffered under fiscal constraints. Among the projects are:A new magistrate’s court in Nkurenkuru;Renovations and upgrades at courts in Oshakati, Karasburg, Katima Mulilo, Walvis Bay, Omega 1 and others;Improvements to residential accommodation for magistrates;Enhancements to support facilities such as leased office space at Ohangwena.It is also publicly known that legislative amendments to the Judiciary Act of 2015 are underway to formally transfer responsibility for capital projects to the Office of the Judiciary. This shift will enhance both institutional independence and operational autonomy, while maintaining consultations with the Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations.Modernisation and access to justiceInnovation is ongoing at the judiciary. A notable advancement is the phased implementation of cashless payment systems for witness fees – a transformative step to ease the burden on citizens, especially in remote regions.In terms of judicial performance, the Supreme Court and High Court continue to deliver strong case disposal rates despite mounting pressures. However, clearance of ever-increasing caseloads demands more than dedication — it requires resources, including financial and human capital.The approval to fill 27 magistrate vacancies and six High Court bench positions, with N$12.3 million earmarked for the latter, is a watershed moment. These appointments will bring critical relief to our courts, particularly the lower courts, which serve as the frontline of justice for most of our people.In the past year, we inaugurated the Hoachanas Periodical Court and the Environmental Crimes Court at Otjiwarongo, symbolising our commitment to decentralisation and specialised justice delivery.Looking ahead, the establishment of the Public Procurement Court under the Public Procurement Act is a strategic move to ensure speedy and expert-led adjudication of procurement disputes. Similarly, consideration is being given to the possible creation of a Small Claims Court, pending finalisation of the bill.Specialised courts, while transformative, require dedicated infrastructure and judicial personnel. These needs must be met with consistent and forward-looking investment.The judiciary: A strategic pillar of the republicJustice is not a luxury; it is the very fabric of a free and democratic society. As the African proverb reminds us: ‘Smooth seas do not make skilful sailors.’ The judiciary has navigated difficult waters with courage, but continued excellence requires more than resilience – it requires leadership and strategic investment.It is our conviction that with this allocation, we can sustain and strengthen our courts, enhance access to justice, and deepen public confidence in the rule of law.Budget breakdown: Vote 21 – Office of the JudiciaryProgramme 01: Supreme Court adjudication and administration N$36 675 000Programme 02: High Court adjudication and administration N$116 645 000Programme 03: Lower courts adjudication and administration N$240 903 000Programme 04: Policy, support and coordination N$206 746 000Total allocation: N$600 969 000In conclusionI now yield the floor, optimistic that I have logically persuaded every one of you on the importance of justice and why an allocation intended to enable the proper, effective and impartial functioning of our courts should not be delayed.Therefore, your approval of this budget is your commitment to a just Namibia, anchored in the rule of law.I thank you.Vote-21-JudiciaryDownloadThe post Strategic investment in Namibia’s judiciary to advance access to justice appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 13:19:02",
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      • "article_id": "93d35bcbdb88a922d3e202d64c8b9d1a",
      • "title": "Tripoli-based Libyan government declares capital secure",
      • "link": "https://www.rt.com/africa/617465-tripoli-declared-secure-following-clashes/",
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      • "description": "Authorities in Tripoli say order has been restored after recent clashes Read Full Article at RT.com",
      • "content": "Clashes erupted in the city on Monday night, with no official casualty figures released Libya’s Defense Ministry under the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) said Tuesday it has “successfully concluded” a military operation in the capital, following a night of clashes triggered by the reported assassination of a senior security commander.The ministry said in a statement that it had giving instructions “to complete its plan in the region to ensure sustained security and stability,” but provided no details.Fighting reportedly erupted in several parts of Tripoli on Monday evening after the murder of Abdulghani al-Kikli, also known as Ghaniwa, the head of the UN-backed government’s Stability Support Apparatus (SSA). He was reportedly shot inside the headquarters of the 444th Combat Brigade in the south of the city, following what local media described as failed negotiations.According to Al Jazeera, gunfire and explosions were heard in the city’s Abu Salim and Mashrou neighborhoods. Witnesses said armed forces from the 111th and 444th brigades stormed the SSA headquarters. Al Arabiya reported the presence of militias from Misrata and other cities approaching the capital.Graphic images circulating online appeared to show multiple casualties, though the full extent of injuries and deaths remained unclear. Al Jazeera reported that at least six people were wounded. Fighting has erupted in the Libyan city of Tripoli following the assassination of the head of the Stability Support Apparatus. Multiple key installations appear to have been captured by different groups in the middle of the chaos. The airport has been closed.#Breaking #Libya pic.twitter.com/a6OeXNXS43— גשש צבאי (@tzvai_tracker) May 12, 2025 Libya’s Ministry of Interior had earlier warned civilians to stay indoors for their safety. The government later declared it had regained control over the Abu Salim district, a known stronghold of Ghaniwa’s forces. READ MORE: Armed groups clash in Libyan capital (VIDEOS) On Tuesday, the interior ministry announced that the situation in Tripoli was now “safe and stable,” and that security agencies were “doing their duty efficiently in maintaining security and public order.”Libya has remained fragile since a NATO-backed uprising ousted former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, leading to his execution. Rival factions control different parts of the once-prosperous North African country, with rival governments in Tripoli and the city of Tobruk. Read more Gaddafi warned them. Now the EU is living out his grim prophecy Tripoli has seen periodic clashes between armed groups, with militia violence killing 55 people in August 2023. In February, Cabinet Affairs Minister Adel Juma survived an assassination attempt.Late on Monday, the UN mission in Libya said it was concerned about the escalating security situation and called for an immediate end to hostilities, as well as the protection of civilians.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 13:10:55",
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      • "article_id": "51eef1b270338745608ffc659fef36d4",
      • "title": "Namibia’s Orange Basin boom expands into Walvis Basin",
      • "link": "https://www.namibian.com.na/namibias-orange-basin-boom-expands-into-walvis-basin/",
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      • "description": "Namibia’s offshore oil and gas exploration is continuing its rapid expansion, with recent developments indicating that the success of the Orange Basin is spilling into the promising Walvis Basin. Bowmans senior partner Irvin Titus highlights the growing interest in Namibia’s offshore sector, particularly the northward shift of activities into the Walvis Basin. “Since 2022, there [...]The post Namibia’s Orange Basin boom expands into Walvis Basin appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "content": "Namibia’s offshore oil and gas exploration is continuing its rapid expansion, with recent developments indicating that the success of the Orange Basin is spilling into the promising Walvis Basin.Bowmans senior partner Irvin Titus highlights the growing interest in Namibia’s offshore sector, particularly the northward shift of activities into the Walvis Basin.“Since 2022, there has been a clear acceleration in merger and acquisition transactions, and we are now seeing this trend extend northwards towards the Walvis Basin.“This expansion is a promising sign for further offshore exploration and signifies Namibia’s growing importance as an energy player in the region,” he says.Chevron Namibia Exploration has taken a significant step by assuming an 80% operated interest in petroleum exploration licence (PEL) 82, which covers blocks 2112B and 2212A in the Walvis Basin.This strategic move is further strengthened by the involvement of existing partners, the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor) and Custos Energy, which each retain a 10% carried interest in the licence.The Walvis Basin’s potential continues to draw attention, with Global Petroleum actively exploring PEL 94 and engaging in discussions for farm-in opportunities with potential partners.Titus says the ongoing exploration efforts signal growing confidence in Namibia’s offshore hydrocarbon potential.Industry experts anticipate that drilling activity will intensify in the coming years.He attributes this momentum to the significant discoveries made over the past few years, pointing out that 2022 marked a pivotal shift in merger and acquisition (M&A) activity following major finds.Before that, activity remained limited, mainly due to the slow pace of entry into Namibia’s exploration market.“The onset of Covid-19 in 2019 further contributed to the slowdown in deal-making. However, the recovery since 2020, paired with the resurgence of cash flows, has driven a strong boom in M&A activity,” he says.Meanwhile, petroleum commissioner Maggy Shino says offshore exploration, particularly in the Orange Basin, has laid the groundwork for broader discoveries along Namibia’s entire offshore margin.“Our analysis confirms that the petroleum source rock that unlocked the Orange Basin extends across Namibia’s entire offshore margin. From the Walvis to the Lüderitz Basin, we are observing deepwater fan systems with high hydrocarbon potential,” she says.She notes that the prospectivity of the Walvis Basin is immense, and the government anticipates continued exploration success in the coming years.Shino also emphasises that local content remains a cornerstone of Namibia’s resource strategy.Agreements between the government and industry mandate compliance in areas such as competitive bidding and the prioritisation of Namibian goods and services.“There should be no imported drilling mud if Namibian plants at Walvis Bay are operational.No imported bentonite if our local supply is available. We must support those businesses that have invested in Namibia and created local jobs,” she adds.The post Namibia’s Orange Basin boom expands into Walvis Basin appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 13:00:00",
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      • "article_id": "ac190c78e7073bc28500d457b0c6aebb",
      • "title": "Namibia’s salmon headed for Europe soon",
      • "link": "https://www.namibian.com.na/namibias-salmon-headed-for-europe-soon/",
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      • "description": "Namibia’s first salmon farm has secured N$41 million for phase one of the farming project off the coast of Lüderitz. The African Aquaculture Company (AAC) last week announced that the investment came from Norwegian and Namibian investors. The first phase will focus on producing 1 000 tonnes of high-quality Atlantic salmon annually, with plans to [...]The post Namibia’s salmon headed for Europe soon appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "content": "Namibia’s first salmon farm has secured N$41 million for phase one of the farming project off the coast of Lüderitz.The African Aquaculture Company (AAC) last week announced that the investment came from Norwegian and Namibian investors.The first phase will focus on producing 1 000 tonnes of high-quality Atlantic salmon annually, with plans to scale up to an annual production capacity of 51 000 tonnes across three licensed offshore sites.The fish produced during the pilot phase will cater to both local and international markets, with southern Africa, the Middle East and Europe identified as strategic destinations.“These funds, bolstered by loans with Norwegian export finance guarantees, will enable the initial steps of production, starting with smolt farming and the development of key infrastructure,” reads a statement issued by AAC.AAC chief executive Helge Krøgenes says the financing not only sets the project in motion but paves the way for Namibia to become a significant player in the global salmon market.“The collaboration with Norwegian and Namibian investors underscores our shared commitment to economic growth, technological innovation, and the sustainable management of marine resources,” says Krøgenes.According to the statement, the AAC aims to leverage advanced Norwegian aquaculture technology to develop environmentally sustainable fish farming practices.This state-of-the-art operation will utilise the cold waters of the Benguela Current, ideal for salmon farming due to temperatures ranging from 10 to 16°C.The project is estimated to create over 5 000 direct and indirect jobs once full production capacity is achieved.AAC country director Clement Kaukuetu says local workforces will be trained in aquaculture operations while benefiting from technology transfer and support from Norwegian experts“This project is a beacon of opportunity for Namibia. It will not only create jobs but also equip the local population with skills to thrive in the burgeoning global aquaculture industry,” says Kaukuetu.AAC vice president Torben Foss says the company’s mission aligns with the United Nations’ call for the expansion of aquaculture to meet the global demand for marine proteins sustainably.“Namibia’s political stability and favourable investment climate have played a key role in attracting funding and making this project feasible,” says Foss.The post Namibia’s salmon headed for Europe soon appeared first on The Namibian.",
      • "pubDate": "2025-05-13 13:00:00",
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