BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: Argentina has dismissed the head of its navy as part of the investigation into the disappearance of a submarine with 44 crew members aboard last month.
State news agency Telam said Saturday that Defense Minister Oscar Aguad had requested Admiral Marcelo Srur step down while authorities look into what happened to the ARA San Juan, which disappeared November 15.
An internal navy investigation led to the suspension of two commanders this week.
Authorities say an explosion occurred near the time and place where the sub disappeared in the South Atlantic. The navy is no longer looking for survivors although a multinational operation continues to search for the vessel.
It was sailing from the southernmost port of Ushuaia to the coastal city of Mar del Plata when it went missing.
Argentina dismisses navy chief amid submarine investigation
Argentina dismisses navy chief amid submarine investigation
Gabon suspends access to social media as critics accuse its leader of crackdown on dissent
- “The High Authority for Communication has decided to immediately suspend social media throughout Gabon until further notice,” Mendome said
- Social media platforms were severely impacted on Wednesday
LIBREVILLE: Gabon has suspended access to social media and digital platforms throughout the central African nation until further notice, the authorities said as critics accuse the country’s leader of crackdown on dissent.
The communications agency said it had observed on social media and digital platforms what it described as inappropriate, defamatory, hateful and insulting content that undermines human dignity, the country’s institutions and national security.
The agency’s statement added that this constitutes offenses punishable under national and international laws, as well as under policies on moderation adopted by major digital platforms.
“The High Authority for Communication has decided to immediately suspend social media throughout Gabon until further notice,” Jean Claude Franck Mendome, the spokesperson for the agency, known as High Authority for Communication, said in a statement that was read out on national media on Tuesday evening.
Social media platforms — including Meta and TikTok — were severely impacted on Wednesday. The two, along with WhatsApp, the messaging service owned by Meta, are the most widely used by Gabonese citizens. WhatsApp calls were also experiencing significant disruptions on Wednesday.
The country’s leader, Gen. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema had toppled President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who was accused of irresponsible governance.
Last year, Oligui Nguema won the presidential election, raising hopes for a return to constitutional democracy. However, critics say he has been increasingly clamping down on critical voices, targeting independent media and trade unionists. A journalist and two trade unionists were imprisoned last year.
