The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has vowed to revenge the murder of five soldiers in Obingwa LGA of Abia state.

Recall that the soldiers were killed on May 30 by gunmen who were reportedly enforcing the sit-at-home directive of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The gunmen opened fire on a military checkpoint in Obikabia junction in the LGA, killing the soldiers.

The governors of the region and Ben Kalu, deputy speaker of the house of representatives, have condemned the murder.

In a statement, Edward Buba, director of defence media operations, said the military will strike back.

“Troops of OP UDO KA deployed at Obikabia Junction Checkpoint in Obingwa Local Government Areas adjourning Aba metropolis in Abia State were attacked and sadly killed by terrorists of IPOB/ESN,” the statement reads.

“The troops deployed to enforce peace in the area and protect the citizens were massively attacked by the terrorists.

“The terrorists, in three-tinted Prado Toyota SUVs and others from built-up areas surrounding the checkpoint, sprang a surprise attack on the checkpoint. The attack sadly took the lives of 5 personnel of the armed forces killed in action.

“The armed forces mourns the death of these troops as each and every soldier lost in battle is a terrible loss.

“Meanwhile, investigations are ongoing concerning the attack. Overall, it must be reiterated that the lifeline of the terrorist is the people and this situation is no exemption.

“Winning the war without the support of the people is close to impossible. The IPOB capitalised on this to perpetrate attacks on the troops. The situation leaves more to be desired.

“Accordingly, it is absolutely imperative that the military retaliate against this dastardly act against troops. The military would be fierce in its response.

“We would bring overwhelming military pressure on the group to ensure their total defeat.”

Chey Tae-won, South Korean billionaire and chairman of SK Group conglomerate, has been ordered to pay his ex-wife 1.38 trillion won ($1bn) in cash, marking the country’s largest-ever divorce settlement.

According to BBC, the divorce settlement comes almost a decade after Chey Tae-won’s marriage ended in scandal, following the revelation of his extramarital affair and the birth of a child with his mistress.

The Seoul High Court, on Thursday, ruled in favour of Roh So-young, awarding her a share of Chey Tae-won’s company assets after their 35-year marriage.

Roh So-young is the daughter of former South Korean President Roh Tae-woo.

Chey’s lawyers announced plans to appeal the court’s decision, arguing that the ruling was based solely on his ex-wife’s version of events.

The Seoul High Court’s award of 1.38 trillion won to Roh So-young marks a substantial increase from the 66.5 billion won settlement initially ruled by a lower court in 2022.

A lower family court had previously denied Roh So-young’s request to receive a portion of Chey Tae-won’s SK shares, but the Seoul High Court overturned this decision on Thursday, ruling that the shares should be considered joint assets and awarding her a portion of them.

The ruling said, “It was reasonable to rule that, as his wife, Roh played a role in increasing the value of SK Group and Chey’s business activity.”

The court estimated Chey Tae-won’s wealth to be approximately 4 trillion won, and accordingly, Roh So-young, with whom he has three children, is entitled to around 35% of that amount.

Acknowledging Roh So-young’s contributions, the court said she had facilitated the growth of Chey Tae-won’s business by helping to resolve regulatory issues, and additionally, her father, former President Roh Tae-woo, had provided influential support, serving as a “protective shield” for Chey Jong-hyon, the former chairman of SK Group, thereby contributing to the company’s success.

The judgment highlighted that Chey had not shown any remorse “for his foul behaviour in the course of the trial… nor respect for monogamy.”

The court added that it factored in Roh So-young’s emotional pain and distress resulting from Chey Tae-won’s infidelity when determining the increased settlement amount.

In their argument, Chey’s legal team contended that his ex-wife’s political connections had actually hindered his business endeavours rather than benefiting them.

Shares of SK Inc., a global semiconductor giant with diverse interests in telecoms, chemicals, and energy, surged 9% following the court’s ruling.

Credit: BBC

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has apologised for the glitch on its results viewing portal.

The results page had gone blank early Friday morning but was later restored after roughly two hours.

At the time of the glitch, the IEC said local offices continued to capture results while its technicians were working on restoring services.

The commission did not state a reason for the disruption but assured that results have not been compromised.

“All services have since been restored and the leaderboard is working normally. Result processing continues unaffected,” the IEC said in a statement.

When the portal returned, results had come in from 54.9 percent of polling stations, giving the ruling African National Congress (ANC) 41.86 percent of votes cast.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) had 23.67 percent while the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) secured 19.98 percent.

A final result near the current preliminary 42 percent would be a steep tumble for the ANC which achieved its lowest victory margin of 57.5 percent in the 2019 elections.

It would also coerce incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is seeking re-election, to begin negotiations for a coalition government, stoking political uncertainty that could bleed into the country’s shaky economic prospects.