Mystery As Briton 'Vanishes' In Thailand

Jordan Jacobs is believed to have messaged his mother from Ko Phi Phi Don saying he is sorry he can never see heJordan Jacobs was days away from flying home to Lyneham, Wiltshire when he was last seen at a restaurant on Ko Phi Phi Don.

The 21-year-old's sister, who has asked for help in finding him onFacebook, said he is believed to have accepted a free ride to the largest of the Phi Phi islands from a local Thai man on Friday night.

He had previously been staying at the Pak Up hostel in the mainland resort of Krabi with friends.

A few hours later, Jordan contacted his mother and claimed he was unable to see them ever again.

Emily Jacobs told Mail Online: "Saturday morning, my mum received a message via Facebook from my brother, which basically said he can never see us again, that he is sorry he can't see us one last time, that he loved us."

After giving her a phone number, his mother Debbie called her son who told her he was upset and that "the man wouldn't let him leave. That he was scared of him," Ms Jacobs said.

The phone is understood to have belonged to another tourist who told Mr Jacob's family that Jordan had approached him and asked him if he could borrow it.

Ms Jacobs told the website that she had been in contact with him for "90 seconds" on Facebook messenger on Monday when he told her: "I need to keep you all safe," before saying: "I've said too much. I can't talk. I love you."

His sister told the Phuket Gazette that Mr Jacobs has mentioned visiting a Buddhist temple

Jordan's family have been unable to make contact with their son since.

In one of her latest Facebook updates, Emily said: "Any information, no matter how small you think it is, could be huge. Any sightings or potential sightings. Any contact. Anything. We want to have him home safe."

Phi Phi Police Chief Jetsada Junphum told the Phuket Gazette: "We’ve been in touch with all local businesses, but have had no sign of him. We’re worried that he’s already left Phi Phi."

Jordan is bearded, has black hair, and sports distinctive tattoos on his arms and chest.

He is estimated to be between 5ft 5in and 5ft 6in tall.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We can confirm that a British national, Jordan Jacobs, was reported missing in Thailand on 12 December 2015. We are providing consular assistance to the family."

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Former Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi called for the ANC to fire President Jacob Zuma, amidst applause f

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Vavi: #ZumaMustFall or SONA will be disrupted

16 DEC 2015 15:05 NELLY SHAMASE

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Former Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi called for the ANC to fire President Jacob Zuma, amidst applause from the 3 000-strong crowd.

Parliament, and the African National Congress in particular, will have to brace itself for a disruption of the State of the Nation Address (SONA) come February next year if the ANC fails to fire President Jacob Zuma.

That was the warning shot fired by former Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi on Wednesday, as an estimated 3 000 people gathered in the Johannesburg CBD to march under the #ZumaMustFall campaign.

In between loud approving cheers and applause from the crowd, Vavi also made the following demands:

• Early national elections because “we can’t wait until 2019 under these conditions”.
• The scrapping of the current proportional representative system; MPs must be elected by their constituents.
• South Africans must be allowed to vote for the president they want and not have one imposed on them.

Vavi said should the ANC fail to bow down to these demands, people will be mobilised so they can occupy Cape Town next February because the country can no longer afford to be under Zuma’s thumb.

A spirited crowd shouted “Vavi! Vavi! Vavi!” in between chants of “Zuma must go!” and “Phansi ngoZuma phansi!”.

The march, organised by the Unite Against Corruption (UAC) coalition, attracted representatives from various civil organisations, trade unions and political parties, some of whom gave speeches lamenting Zuma’s leadership.

Peaceful but lively demonstrators gathered at the foot of Bertha Street before marching across the Nelson Mandela Bridge carrying anti-Zuma placards. Posters were spotted depicting slogans such as “Recall Zuma now”, “Zoom Zuma out of office,” and “After 2 Zuma terms the nation needs a shower,” amongst others which the protestors waved with pride as they sang anti-Zuma songs and danced over the bridge.

Marshalls, police and traffic authorities were effective in keeping an eye over proceedings and the unexpected arrival of Congress of the People leader Mosiuoa “Terror” Lekota pleased the crowd, who later cheered him on when he addressed them saying: “Zuma must go now. If the ANC doesn’t act they must never be voted for ever again.”

Speaking on behalf of the UAC, Steven Faulkner told the Mail & Guardian that overall they were pleased with the event, especially as it had been organised over a six-day period.rom the 3 000-strong crowd.

Pakistan Marks the First Anniversary of the Peshawar School Massacre

Last year's attack by the Taliban claimed over 150 lives, most of them children

Pakistan marked the first anniversary of one of its worst terrorist attacks on Wednesday, with hundreds gathering for a somber memorial ceremony at the Army Public School in the northwestern city of Peshawar where over 150 people — most of them children — were gunned down by Taliban militants on Dec. 16 last year.

The service was attended by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, army chief Raheel Sharif and opposition leader Imran Khan, among several other top dignitaries, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported.

Parents of the young victims, most of whom were under the age of 16, were given medals during the ceremony, as were survivors of the massacre. The school will also inaugurate a new auditorium and a Martyr’s Monument on its premises.

Various other tributes to the students that lost their lives were announced, including an initiative to rename 122 schools in the capital city Islamabad after many of the victims and a government fund of about $17.5 million for their families. Many families of the victims and survivors, however, have expressed unhappiness with the way they have been treated by the Pakistani government in the aftermath of the attack, with many tellingReuters that promises of funding and medical treatment have not been upheld.

Pakistan’s teenage Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai meanwhilehosted two of the attack’s survivors at a ceremony in Birmingham, England, where she has resided since being shot by Taliban militants in 2012 for her advocacy of women’s education.

The country remains on high alert, with news agency Agence France-Pressequoting a senior Interior Ministry official saying that thousands of extra police and paramilitary troops had been deployed in several cities

Senate committee calls on banks to support customers struggling to meet credit card repayments

A Senate committee has made 11 recommendations, including forcing banks to advertise more information about the ongoing costs of credit cards, as well as establishing a Productivity Commission inquiry.

The Labor-led report has also called on banks to make it easier for consumers to switch credit card providers, and to make reasonable attempts to contact a cardholder if they are struggling to meet minimum repayments.

The committee has heard evidence that increasing consumer awareness about credit cards could help improve competition and put pressure on interest rates and fees.

It has recommended an expansion of financial literacy programs and that the Government considers a minimum repayment requirement for all credit cards.

Labor senator Sam Dastyari said the report was a "wake-up call" for the big banks and for the Federal Government.

"This industry has been a rort," Senator Dastyari said.

"Australians have been gouged and continue to be gouged by exorbitant rates, and exorbitant fees and half-hearted measures from the government are not going to be solving.

"It's time to take decisive action. We have to stop pussyfooting around this issue."

In a statement, Government senators in the committee said they had already commenced addressing some of the 11 recommendations, including legislating a ban on surcharges that exceed the "reasonable costs" faced by merchants in accepting cards.

The Coalition has expressed an interest in one specific recommendation, which would allow consumers to keep their credit card account numbers when switching banks, saying it bears "further investigation".

But the Coalition has cast doubt on one proposed change, which involves developing "a system that informs consumers about their own credit card usage and associated costs", claiming it could be unduly prescriptive

SOUTH AFRICANS EXPLORE OPTIONS TO EMIGRATE

JOHANNESBURG – There’s a growing number of South Africans exploring their options about leaving the country, with some citing the current political climate as the main reason.

Cape Talk host Africa Melane spoke to immigration consultants Dianne Acres and Marlene Prentice about the emigration trends.

Listen to the Soundcloud above to hear what South Africans think about living in this country under the current political and economic climate.

Nepal set conditions to host Namibia

The International Cricket Council has set conditions for Nepal to host its World Cricket League Championship home matches. The world cricket governing body have set April 16 and 18 dates for Nepal’s third round home games against Namibia but under certain conditions. In a release, ICC said Nepal’s hosting rights is “subjected to infrastructure, security assessment and approval”. ICC had also set similar conditions for Nepal in hosting their second round fixtures against Papua New Guinea (PNG). ICC later relocated the fixtures to the United Arab Emirates. Nepal lost both the matches played on November 16 and 18.

PM Narendra Modi a ‘coward, psychopath

PM Narendra Modi a ‘coward, psychopath

Delhi chief minister Mr Kejriwal alleged that his office had been raided by the Central Bureau of Investigation or CBI and in a strong attack on PM Modi tweeted, "When Modi cudn't handle me politically, he resorts to this cowardice," and also, "Modi is a coward and a psycopath." The government and the BJP have denied that Mr Kejriwal's office was raided or sealed, as has the CBI, which said it only searched the office of bureaucrat Rajender Kumar, principal secretary to the Delhi chief minister, on allegations of corruption.