Sydney, Australia (AFP) Two police officers were among three people killed in a shooting in the Australian state of Queensland, authorities said on Monday, and a hunt for the offenders was underway. Queensland Police ordered residents of the remote rural community of Wieambilla, about 270 kilometres (170 miles) west of the state capital Brisbane, to remain indoors until further notice while they hunted the killer or killers. Australia has some of the toughest gun laws […]
International
Musk targets US Covid response lead Fauci in viral tweet
San Francisco, United States (AFP) Elon Musk on Sunday targeted America’s outgoing top infectious disease official and key advisor of the US response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Anthony Fauci, in a viral tweet that sparked backlash. “My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci,” the billionaire Twitter CEO said, alluding to the practice of indicating gender pronouns after one’s name as well as the right-wing campaign to charge Fauci with crimes related to his involvement in US Covid […]
Unidentified gunmen attack China hotel in Afghan capital
Kabul, Afghanistan (AFP) by Abdullah HASRAT Unidentified gunmen attacked a hotel popular with Chinese business people in the Afghan capital Monday, with witnesses reporting multiple blasts and several bursts of gunfire. Smoke could be seen pouring from the multi-storey Kabul Longan Hotel as Taliban security forces rushed to the site and sealed off the neighbourhood. The Taliban claim to have improved security since storming back to power in August last year but there have been […]
Japanese startup launches historic Moon mission
Washington, United States (AFP) A Japanese startup’s spacecraft was launched to the Moon on Sunday in the country’s first-ever lunar mission and the first of its kind by a private company. The launch was carried out by Elon Musk’s SpaceX at Cape Canaveral in the US state of Florida after two postponements for additional pre-flight checks. The spacecraft, produced by Tokyo-based startup ispace and carrying a UAE-built rover, blasted off aboard a Falcon 9 […]
Pres. Putin will not hold annual year-end press conference: Kremlin
Moscow, Russia (AFP) Russian President Vladimir Putin will not hold his annual end-of-year press conference this year, which has been dominated by Moscow’s Ukraine offensive, the Kremlin said on Monday. “There will not be (a press conference) before the New Year,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He added that Putin “regularly speaks to the press, including on foreign visits”. Peskov gave no reason for the break with tradition. Putin, who has been in power since […]
Three boys die after falling into frozen lake in UK: police
London, United Kingdom (AFP) Three boys aged eight, 10 and 11 have died and another boy remains in critical condition after they fell into an icy lake near Birmingham, central England, police said Monday. “Three boys have tragically died after falling into the lake at Babbs Mill Park in Solihull yesterday afternoon,” West Midlands Police said in a statement. The boys suffered cardiac arrest and were rushed to hospital after being pulled from the water. […]
AirAsia to launch new branch in Cambodia to spur growth
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AFP) AirAsia parent company Capital A plans to start a new branch of the low-cost airline in Cambodia, its chief executive said Friday, as the firm jump starts expansion plans thwarted by the pandemic. The latest move to reorganise the Malaysia-based firm’s network comes after setbacks in recent years that saw it exit Japan and India. “2022 was about restarting our airline to pre-Covid levels. That machine is in place and will […]
Loud blast, shots heard near China hotel in Afghan capital
Kabul, Afghanistan (AFP) A loud blast and gunfire were heard in the Afghan capital Monday near a hotel popular with Chinese business visitors, a witness said. The Taliban claim to have improved national security since storming back to power in August last year but there have been scores of bomb blasts and attacks, many claimed by the local chapter of the Islamic State group. “It was a very loud explosion and then there was a […]
Japan picks ‘war’ as kanji character of the year
Tokyo, Japan (AFP) Japan chose the kanji character for war on Monday as the symbol for 2022 after a year marked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the assassination of former leader Shinzo Abe. The public votes in the annual event for the written character they think best represents the past year. Olympic-themed choices dominated 2021. The mood was darker this year, however, according to the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, which organises the vote. […]
China faces soaring Covid cases as hardline policy eases
Beijing, China (AFP) by Jing Xuan TENG / Laurie CHEN Covid cases are surging in the Chinese capital, officials said Monday, as the country navigates a rapid turn away from its zero-tolerance coronavirus strategy. Just a few days after China began loosening restrictions, Beijing authorities said more than 22,000 patients had visited hospitals across the city in the previous day — 16 times the number a week ago. “The current trend of the rapid spread […]
Palestinian girl found shot dead after Israeli raid: Palestinian ministry
Ramallah, Palestinian Territories (AFP) A teenage Palestinian girl was found shot dead on the roof of her house after an Israeli raid in the occupied West bank, official Palestinian sources said Monday. Israel’s army said troops had exchanged fire with suspects in the area. Without commenting specifically, the army said it was “aware of reports regarding a killed Palestinian female” and the incident “is under review”. The Palestinian health ministry identified the girl as Jana […]
Iran publicly executes second man over protests, defying outcry
Paris, France (AFP) by Stuart WILLIAMS Iran on Monday executed a second man convicted in connection with protests that have shaken the regime for almost three months, defying an international outcry over its use of capital punishment against those involved in the movement. Majidreza Rahnavard had been sentenced to death by a court in the city of Mashhad for killing two members of the security forces with a knife, and wounding four other people, the […]
