At least four people were killed and more than 20 others injured, mostly teens, in a Saturday night shooting at a birthday party in Alabama, officials said, in the latest spasm of American gun mass violence. Local news reports said the shooting occurred at a Sweet 16 party at a dance studio in Dadeville, a small town northeast of the state capital Montgomery. “There were four lives tragically lost in this incident, and there’s been […]
International
Dubai apartment block fire kills 16: reports
Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | Sunday 4/16/2023 A fire in a residential building in Dubai killed 16 people and injured nine others in the wealthy Gulf emirate, local media reported. The fire broke out at midday Saturday on the fourth floor of the building in the Al-Ras neighbourhood in the old part of the city. The civil defence force, in a statement quoted by UAE media, said that preliminary investigations showed the fire […]
Five bodies, wreckage found in Japan helicopter crash search
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Sunday 4/16/2023 Japan’s army found wreckage and five bodies Sunday during a deep-sea search for crew on board a helicopter that disappeared from radar earlier this month, an army spokesman said. The aircraft with 10 people on board had been on a reconnaissance mission when it went missing on April 6, in what the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) described as an “aerial accident”. Two pilots, two mechanics and six crew […]
Russian Pres. Putin signs electronic military draft system into law
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a bill to create a digital draft system, greatly facilitating mobilising Russians into the army, more than a year into the Kremlin’s Ukraine offensive. The law creates a digital conscription notice system that could bar men from leaving the country and make dodging the draft nearly impossible. It has stirred fresh fears in Russia as Moscow’s Ukraine campaign drags on for a second year. Russia rushed it through […]
Russia claims gains north and south of Ukraine’s Bakhmut
Russia on Saturday claimed advances on the northern and southern outskirts of Ukraine’s embattled city of Bakhmut, the scene of the longest and bloodiest battle of Moscow’s military campaign. Russian troops have been battling since last summer to capture the town in eastern Ukraine, which has taken on huge symbolic importance even though analysts say it has little strategic value. Kyiv has said the battle for the town is key to holding back Russian forces […]
S. Korea fires warning shots after N. Korean boat incursion
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | Sunday 4/16/2023 South Korea’s military fired warning shots to turn back a patrol boat from the North that had crossed the countries’ de facto maritime border, Seoul said Sunday. The boat breached the Northern Limit Line on Saturday morning near South Korea’s Baekryeong Island, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. “Our Navy’s high-speed boat sent warning messages and conducted warning shots and immediately warded it off,” […]
China rocket launch sends debris into sea near Taiwan: Taipei authorities
Taipei, Taiwan | AFP | Sunday 4/16/2023 China said Sunday it had launched a satellite into orbit, with authorities in Taiwan saying rocket debris had fallen into the sea where Beijing announced a no-sail zone this week. Maritime authorities in China’s eastern Fujian province this week banned ships from an area north of Taiwan from 9:00 am (0100 GMT) to 3:00 pm (0700 GMT) on Sunday due to “possible falling rocket wreckage”. Taiwan’s transport ministry […]
Elon Musk forms X.AI artificial intelligence company
Elon Musk has formed an X.AI artificial intelligence corporation based in the US state of Nevada, according to business documents that surfaced on Friday. Musk, who is already the boss of Twitter and Tesla, was listed as director of X.AI Corporation founded on March 9, a state business filing indicated. Musk recently merged Twitter with a newly created “X” shell company, keeping the brand name for the platform but not the business. Musk’s founding of […]
US and Vietnam pledge to boost ties during Blinken visit to Hanoi
The United States and Vietnam said Saturday they hoped to upgrade diplomatic ties, days after a flare-up in tensions with China over Taiwan. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, passing through Hanoi on his way to a Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers’ meeting in Japan, met Vietnamese leaders on Saturday to pave the way for a potential diplomatic upgrade to a “strategic partnership”. The two countries have increasingly close trade links, while both […]
Sixers, Celtics cruise in NBA playoffs, Knicks edge Cavs
Washington, United States | AFP | Sunday 4/16/2023 Joel Embiid and James Harden sparked a Philadelphia 76ers romp while the Boston Celtics cruised to victory behind Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in NBA playoff openers on Saturday. NBA scoring champion Embiid scored 26 points while NBA assists champion Harden added 23 points and 13 assists in the Sixers’ 121-101 rout of visiting Brooklyn. The host Sixers, who led the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage, sank […]
Gunmen kill 7 people at water park in central Mexico
Japan needs to increase security as Group of Seven officials visit, the country’s prime minister said Sunday, a day after an explosive was thrown at him during a campaign event. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida escaped unharmed after the device, reportedly a pipe bomb, was thrown towards him as he campaigned in the western city of Wakayama on Saturday. A 24-year-old man was arrested, but has so far revealed nothing about his motives in the […]
Japan PM urges better security after blast targets speech
Japan needs to increase security as Group of Seven officials visit, the country’s prime minister said Sunday, a day after an explosive was thrown at him during a campaign event. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida escaped unharmed after the device, reportedly a homemade pipe bomb, was thrown towards him as he campaigned in the western city of Wakayama on Sunday. A 24-year-old man was arrested, but has so far revealed nothing about his motives in the […]





