Latest news with #Ritchies
France 24
21 hours ago
- Politics
- France 24
Nearly two centuries on, quiet settles on Afghanistan's British Cemetery
Dating back to the Anglo-Afghan wars of the 19th century, the small plot of land in the city centre has interred and memorialised foreign fighters, explorers and devotees of Afghanistan who have died in the country over some 180 years. In the two decades of war between Western forces and the Taliban that ended in 2021 with the latter's victory, there were a handful of burials and memorials attended by ambassadors and dignitaries at the British Cemetery. But these days, Rahimi quietly tends to the garden of roses and apricot trees, the calls of caged partridges louder than the rumbling traffic beyond the high stone wall that secludes the cemetery. "Before the Taliban came to power, many foreigners used to come here to visit every week," he told AFP. "No one visits here much now, only sometimes a few tourists," he said. The paint on the walls -- hung with commemorative plaques for the dead of NATO countries who fought the Taliban, as well as journalists who covered the conflict -- has chipped and weathered since the Taliban takeover in 2021, when Western embassies emptied. Where Kabul was once teeming with Western soldiers, diplomats, journalists and humanitarians, their presence has thinned dramatically. Adventurers from around the world are increasingly travelling to the country, despite lingering security risks and Taliban-imposed restrictions primarily targeting Afghan women -- including a general ban on women entering Kabul's parks. For those who know what's behind the wall marked only by a small sign reading "British Cemetery", they can pause in the shade in one of the few green spaces in the city fully open to foreign women. "This is a historical place," Rahimi said, noting he hasn't had interference by the Taliban authorities. Those whose countrymen are memorialised there are welcome, he added -- "it's their graveyard". The Ritchies The last time the cemetery was full of the living, Rahimi said, was the burial of the latest person to be interred there -- Winifred Zoe Ritchie, who died in 2019 at the age of 99. Ritchie's family brought her body from the United States to Afghanistan to be laid to rest next to her husband, Dwight, who was killed in a car crash in southern Afghanistan 40 years earlier. The Ritchies had worked and lived in Afghanistan, one of their sons later following in their footsteps -- cementing the family's ties to a country far from their homeland. The couple's daughter, Joanna Ginter, has memories of her family wandering through markets, flying kites and raising pigeons in Kabul years before the city was engulfed by the first of many conflicts that wracked the country for 40 years. Their mother's burial "was the first time (we visited) since we were there for my dad's funeral", Ginter told AFP, having travelled back to Kabul with relatives. "I was very happy to get to go there, even though it was for a funeral." Her mother's grave marker stands out in light marble among the headstones, wobbly letters next to a long cross -- a rare sight in Afghanistan. Older gravestones of some of the more than 150 people buried there bear the scars of conflict, names pockmarked into near unrecognisability by weapon fire that breached the wall. Other than thieves who broke through a fence where the cemetery backs onto a hill dotted with Muslim graves -- "our graveyard", Rahimi calls it -- the caretaker says he is left mostly alone to his watch. The 56-year-old grew up helping his uncle who raised him tend to the cemetery, taking over its care from his cousin who fled to Britain during the chaotic withdrawal of foreign forces as the Taliban marched into Kabul. He had in turn taken up the post from his father, who guarded the cemetery and dug some of its graves for around 30 years. "They also told me to go to England with them, but I refused and said I would stay here, and I have been here ever since," Rahimi said, certain one of his sons would follow in his footsteps.
RNZ News
27-05-2025
- RNZ News
Man charged over Auckland school bus crash that injured child
The school bus was operated by Ritchies. Photo: Supplied / NZME A 66-year-old man has been charged over a bus crash in Auckland's North Shore that injured a child earlier this month. A 12-year-old suffered moderate injuries after a bus crashed into a planter box, which in turn hit the child, in Torbay on 12 May. The man is facing a charge of careless driving and is expected to appear in court later this week. Auckland Transport (AT) earlier confirmed that the bus was a school bus operated by its contractor Ritchies. This is the second person to be charged over a bus crash in Auckland involving a Ritchies operated bus this month. A 59-year-old was charged last week over a bus crash in Pahurehure in South Auckland that injured five students. AT and Ritchies have been approached for comment.
RNZ News
19-05-2025
- RNZ News
Man charged over bus crash that injured five students
The scene of the bus crash on 7 May. Photo: RNZ/Calvin Samuel A 59-year-old man is facing a charge of careless driving causing injury after a bus crashed into a tree in South Auckland earlier this month, injuring five students. Auckland police have confirmed that the man has been summoned to appear in court over the bus crash. The crash happened on Elliot Street in the South Auckland suburb of Pahurehure, on the morning of 7 May. The bus was a public service operated by Ritchies and carried students from Rosehill College and Rosehill Intermediate. Five of those students were injured in the crash, with three taken to hospital. Police said an investigation was continuing to determine if further charges would be laid. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
13-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
AT backs bus operator Ritchies in wake of two crashes in a week
The school bus that crashed into a tree injuring five children last week. Photo: RNZ/Calvin Samuel Auckland Transport says it is confident that two recent bus crashes are isolated incidents, but admits it is unaware of the full circumstances. Five children were injured last week when a school bus crashed into a tree, and another child and a pedestrian were injured on Monday when their bus crashed into a planter box. Both buses were operated by contractor Ritchies. "We are fully investigating the circumstances of the Pāhurehure and Torbay incidents and are resolved to implement any learnings we can across our fleet and our Team," Ritchies director of people, safety and culture Sharon Scott said. "We already have a large and experienced team of driver trainers and experienced driver coaches at every depot. We are also investing in ground-breaking technology to enhance the safety experience across our AT fleet, for every journey, to ensure the safety of everyone aboard." Auckland Transport said it was confident in Ritchies' operations. "AT has confidence in the measures in place to ensure Ritchies has the necessary systems, processes, and procedures to operate its bus services safely and adequately," public transport operations group manager Rachel Cara said. "We are confident that Ritchies complies with New Zealand standard bus driver work time regulations, and that safe work practices with driver shifts are being met." Cara also noted that Ritchies was introducing new technology which included driver fatigue management systems and autonomous emergency braking on new buses. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
13-05-2025
- RNZ News
Police expect to lay charges over a bus crash that injured five
Police have interviewed a man over the bus crash in South AUckland last week. Photo: RNZ/Calvin Samuel Police say they have interviewed a 59-year-old man regarding a bus crash that injured five students and charges will follow. Emergency services were called to Elliot Street in the South Auckland suburb of Pahurehure, after a bus crashed into a tree last Wednesday. The bus was a public service operated by Ritchies and had carried students from Rosehill College and Rosehill Intermediate. Five students were injured, including two who suffered serious injuries. Police said on Tuesday that a 59-year-old man had been interviewed and charges would follow. They said they were continuing to support the children who had been affected. Yesterday, another bus operated by Ritchies crashed in Auckland's North Shore and resulted in a 12-year-old child being injured. The child was taken to hospital with moderate injuries. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
