JOHANNESBURG, May 25, 2023 (AFP) – South African police said on Thursday four people believed to be of “Bulgarian descent” were shot dead in a upmarket Cape Town district. Police did not identify the victims, but one of the deceased was believed to be Krasimir Kamenov, a high-profile Bulgarian organised crime figure, according to judicial and government sources in Sofia. The bodies of two women and two men aged between 40 and 50 were discovered […]
International
Three killed, including two police, in Japan gun and knife attack
TOKYO, May 25, 2023 (AFP) – A woman and two male police officers were killed in a shooting and stabbing attack at a farm in central Japan on Thursday, media reported. A suspect, believed to be a farmer in his 30s, was holed up inside a building after the incident, which also left a fourth person injured, the reports said. Residents were urged by authorities to stay indoors in the semi-rural area around the city […]
Nigerian surfers brave oil pipelines, tankers to catch waves
By Yasmine CANGA-VALLES and Camille MALPLAT Agence France-Presse TARKWA BAY, Nigeria, May 25, 2023 (AFP) — Surfing aficionados Michael Gabriel and his friends are undeterred by the coming and going of oil tankers, too focused on catching the next wave as they paddle through the polluted waters of Lagos. Tarkwa Bay, in Nigeria’s economic hub, has become a hotspot for young people seeking an escape from their daily grind. Taking part in one of […]
China steps up response to US chip moves but economic reality limits how far
By Poornima WEERASEKARA, Luna LIN Agence France-Presse BEIJING, May 25, 2023 (AFP) — Beijing’s restrictions on American chipmaker Micron in retaliation to sweeping US chip curbs mark a major step up in its response to Washington’s pressure and could open the door for further measures in the geopolitical standoff, analysts say. But they warned President Xi Jinping’s ability to raise the stakes will be limited as he battles to re-energize the world’s number two economy […]
Six drones downed in Crimea, no victims: governor
MOSCOW, May 25, 2023 (AFP) – Six drones were downed or blocked overnight in Russian-annexed Crimea, the region’s Moscow-appointed governor said on Thursday. “During the past night, six drones were shot down or blocked … in different parts of Crimea,” Sergei Aksyonov wrote on Telegram, adding “there were no victims or injured”. The incident comes after Moscow deployed jets and artillery against an armed group that crossed from Ukraine in the most serious attack on […]
US Government stands by for immediate support to Guam in the wake of Super Typhoon Mawar
HONOLULU (Eagle News) – Experts and other sources have described the latest typhoon to hit Guam as the “strongest storm to hit the territory of over 150,000 people in decades.” According to the territory’s homeland security agency as of 12:00 midnight, May 25, typhoon-force winds from Typhoon Mawar are expected to slowly subside as the center of the storm slowly pulls away from Guam. However, the agency also warned that the residents can still […]
Bolivian Catholic Church admits was ‘deaf’ to abuse victims
LA PAZ, May 24, 2023 (AFP) – The Bolivian Catholic Church on Wednesday admitted having been “deaf” to the suffering of victims of pedophile priests amid a fresh scandal over the alleged abuse of dozens of children. Bolivia has been shocked by revelations that have emerged since confessions of abuse were found in the personal diary of a Spanish priest who died of cancer in Bolivia in 2009 after decades of service there. In the […]
DeSantis White House launch derailed by glitches
By Frankie TAGGART WASHINGTON, May 25, 2023 (AFP) – Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s hotly-anticipated entry into the 2024 presidential campaign descended into a fiasco on Wednesday as the live Twitter event intended to announce his candidacy was all but derailed by glitches. The conversation repeatedly crashed as the platform’s servers were apparently overwhelmed, and many of the more than 400,000 users who were hoping to listen in missed the 44-year-old ultra-conservative throwing down the gauntlet […]
Typhoon Mawar pounds Guam with destructive winds
LOS ANGELES, May 24, 2023 (AFP) – Typhoon Mawar made a slow and brutal pass over the US territory of Guam on Wednesday, knocking out power as ferocious winds smashed windows and storm surges flooded buildings in the worst storm to hit the Pacific military outpost in decades. People on the remote speck of America hunkered down as the eye of the storm passed just north of the island with winds gusting at up to […]
Mexico keeps close watch on ash-spewing volcano
SANTIAGO XALITZINTLA, Mexico, May 24, 2023 (AFP) – A volcano southeast of the Mexican capital spewed more gas and ash into the sky on Tuesday as authorities maintained their warning level at one step below red alert. Dozens of shelters have been opened near Popocatepetl — located around 70 kilometers (about 45 miles) from Mexico City — which has seen various periods of increased activity since awakening from decades-long slumber in 1994. The government is […]
Indonesia’s Merapi volcano erupts, spewing ‘avalanche’ of lava
JAKARTA, May 23, 2023 (AFP) – Indonesia’s Mount Merapi, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, erupted on Tuesday, spewing lava more than two kilometres from the crater. Dramatic images of lava pouring from the volcano’s smoking crater were published by the government-run Merapi Volcano Observatory. Dozens of small tremors related to Merapi’s eruption were recorded on Tuesday, according to the Centre for Research and Development of Geological Disaster Technology (BPPTKG), a government agency that […]
Record number of Russians moved to Finland in 2022
HELSINKI, May 24, 2023 (AFP) – Record numbers of Russians, by far the highest in three decades, moved to neighbouring Finland in 2022, official statistics published Wednesday showed. A total of 6,003 people moved from Russia to Finland last year, according to Statistics Finland, making it the top country of origin for immigration. Immigration to Finland was up overall, with almost 50,000 people moving to the country, compared to an average of between 29,000 and […]
