Unidentified militants opened fire on a polio vaccination team in Pakistan, killing one of those handing out doses and two policemen, while a child was injured, officials said, but there was no immediate claim of responsibility. The attack in the region bordering Afghanistan comes a day after Pakistan launched its latest national campaign to stamp out the virus. An official report from the region’s deputy commissioner said a search for the culprits had begun.
Journalist attacked for calling generals 'property dealers'
Ayaz Amir, 77, a senior journalist and political analyst has been assaulted by unidentified masked men a day after he termed Pakistan’s powerful army generals “property dealers.” Ayaz was returning home after recording his television show, when unknown people stopped his car and assaulted. The attackers also tortured his driver before fleeing from the scene. Ayaz said that “the masked men not only hit him and tore his clothes; they also took away his cell phone and wallet”. He referred to the army generals as “property dealers” during a seminar on “Regime Change and its fallout on Pakistan”.
US, Taliban talk earthquake aid
Talks between the United States and the Taliban continued in Doha earlier this week to discuss earthquake aid. Following a devastating earthquake last month, The Taliban is seeking a way to unlock some of the country’s foreign reserves which are currently frozen by US. The US is looking for assurances that the money would go to help the population. During the talks, the US reiterated an earlier pledge of $55 million in new assistance for earthquake relief, according to State department.
Iran, Argentina want to join Brics
Iran, which holds the world’s second largest gas reserves, has applied to join the Brics group of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa that Beijing and Moscow cast as a powerful emerging market alternative to the West. Iran’s membership in the group “would result in added values for both sides”, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said. Russia said Argentina had also applied to join. Russia cast the applications as evidence that the West, led by the US, was failing to isolate Moscow after the invasion of Ukraine.
3 killed in Copenhagen shopping mall shooting
Three people were killed and three others seriously wounded hen a gunman opened fire at on of Denmark's biggest shopping malls. The 22-year-old man, described as "an ethnic Dane", was arrested and charged with the attack which sparked panic at Field's mall in south Copenhagen. Police chief Soeren Thomassen said the motive was unclear and he could not rule out an "act of terrorism". Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she wanted to encourage Danes to stand together and support each other in this difficult time. The alleged gunman wandering around inside Field's Shopping Centre and had a rifle and ammunition when he was arrested, police said.
No Covid cases in Beijing, Shanghai now
China’s capital Beijing and the financial hub of Shanghai reported no new local Covid infections, the first time both cities were in the clear at the same time since late February. The milestone achieved came after their daily caseloads dropped to single digits over the past week, allowing Shanghai to gradually resume eating in at restaurants and Beijing to reopen some leisure venues. Authorities, however, remained wary and were adamant that the government’s so called dynamic zero Covid policy, which aims at blocking flareups from spreading as they crop up, remains in place.
First black women joins top US court
Ketanji Brown Jackson, 51,the newest associate Supreme Court justice, becoming the first black women to serve on the nation’s highest court. She will replace Justice Stephen Breyer, joining the court’s three-member liberal minority. In a statement, she said “she accepts the solemn responsibility of the role”. The addition of her to the court means that its liberal minority- with the Justice Elena Kagan and Justice Sonia Sotomayor, will be made up entirely of women. She previously sat on the influential US court of appeals for DC circuit. She got the support from three Senate Republicans, delivering Biden a bipartisan 53-47 approval for his first Supreme Court nominee.
Australia’s population doubles in 50 years
Australia’s population has doubled over the last 50 years, data from the national census revealed. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) published the results of the 2021 census, which was conducted on August 10 last year. It found there were 25,422,788 people living in Australia at the time of the census, an increase of 8. 6 per cent since the 2016 census and about 103. 4 per cent from 12,493,001 counted in the 1971 census. More than 1 million residents migrated to Australia from overseas between 2017 and 2021, with more than 20 per cent coming from India. More than 50 per cent of Australian residents in 2021 were either born overseas or had at least one parent born overseas. The number of Australians who reported speaking a language other than English at home increased by about 800,000 from 2016 to over 5. 5 million.
Ship sinks in storm off HK, dozens of crew in danger
An industrial support ship operating in the South China Sea has sunk with the possible loss of more than two dozen crew members, rescue services in Hong Kong said. Authorities dispatched planes and helicopters to aid in the rescue, with at least three people from the crew of 30 brought to safety. The accident occurred about 300 km south of Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Flying Service did not give the name or origin of the vessel. It said in a statement that crew members were negotiating difficulties brought on by Severe Tropical Storm Chaba, which was packing maximum winds of 110 km per hour. The storm is expected to make landfall in the western part of the coastal province of Guangdong. The Hong Kong service sent two fixed-wing aircraft and four helicopters for the rescue effort
Former Nazi guard, 101, jailed for aiding murder
A 101-year-old man was convicted in Germany of 3,518 counts of accessory to murder for serving at the Nazis’ Sachsenhausen concentration camp during World War II. The Neuruppin Regional Court sentenced him to five years in prison. The man, who was identified by local media as Josef S, had denied working as an SS guard at the camp and aiding and abetting the murder of thousands of prisoners. In the trial, which opened in October, the man said that he had worked as a farm labourer near Pasewalk in northeastern Germany during the period in question. However, the court considered it proven that he worked at the camp on the outskirts of Berlin between 1942 and 1945 as an enlisted member of the Nazi Party’s paramilitary wing.
Russia passes law against foreign media
Russia’s top prosecutor will be empowered to shut down media from countries that ban or restrict Russian news outlets under a law passed by the lower house of parliament. The bill - following bans by some Western governments on Russian media - creates a legal basis for Moscow to retaliate against foreign media that restrict the activity of Russian journalists.
Mexico mayor weds alligator
A small town Mexican mayor married his alligator bride in a colourful ceremony as traditional music rang out and revellers danced while imploring the indigenous leader to seal the nuptials with a kiss. San Pedro Huamelula Mayor Victor Hugo Sosa obliged more than once during wedding, bending down to plant his lips on the alligator’s snout, which had been tied shut presumably to avoid unwanted biting. The ritual likely dates back centuries to pre-Hispanic times among Oaxaca state’s Chontal and Huave indigenous communities, like a prayer pleading for nature’s bounty. “We ask nature for enough rain, for enough food, that we have fish in the river,” said Sosa, mayor of the small fishing village.
‘American Woman’ gets guitar back after 46 years
They say you never forget your first love, and after pining for his stolen guitar for almost half acentury, Canadian rockstar Randy Bachman has finally been reunited with the instrument which an eagle-eyed fan tracked down in Japan. Bachman, who wrote the original “American Woman” with his band The Guess Who, was in Tokyo for the emotional handover- 46 years after his cherished orange Gretsch was snatched from a hotel. “Wow”, a stunned Bachman said, holding the guitar lovingly before playing it at a special concert at the Canadian embassy.
