Eswatini, Pakistan, Colombia.

Today's three stories you should know.

Jan 23, 2023

Eswatini

Prominent Eswatini opposition politician Thulani Maseko has been shot dead at his home by unknown attackers, according to a party spokesman. The killing of Maseko, who was also well known as a human rights lawyer, comes days after the country’s absolute monarch, King Mswati III, warned anti-government activists against opposing his government. “People should not shed tears and complain about mercenaries killing them,” King Mswati said, referring to allegations that he has hired mercenaries from neighbouring South Africa to put down growing opposition to his rule. “Somehow the stunning news that Thulani Maseko has been gunned down in cold blood comes as no surprise,” the Freedom Under Law rights group said.

Pakistan

Millions of people are without electricity across Pakistan after a massive power cut was caused by a fault on the national grid. Power was out in the capital Islamabad and the country’s biggest city Karachi, as well as in Lahore and Peshawar. Power minister Khurram Dastgir Khan told a news conference that restoring electricity could take about 12 hours and that authorities were working round the clock to fix the problem. It’s the second time in four months that Pakistan has been hit by a major power outage after a 12-hour power cut across the south of the country last October.

Colombia

A horrifying statistic out of Colombia today. According to the country’s human rights watchdog, a staggering 215 human rights activists were killed there last year. The ombudsman’s office said the murders mostly happened in areas that are strategically important to organized crime groups involved in drug trafficking, illegal mining and smuggling. Despite a peace deal between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group in 2016, violence has surged in Colombia in recent years, particularly in areas where armed groups hold sway.