Gaza protesters defy Columbia deadline to leave campus

Student demonstrators at Columbia University have defied an ultimatum to disperse or face immediate suspension, as tensions rose at the epicentre of pro-Palestinian protests that have erupted at US colleges.Police arrested around 275 people on four separate campuses across the United States over the weekend, with the White House calling on the demonstrations to remain peaceful.Authorities at Columbia in New York issued a statement on Monday saying that the protesters’ encampment must be cleared, and adding that the university would not divest financial holdings linked to Israel – a key demand of demonstrators.However, student protesters pushed back, vowing to defend their camp on the prestigious institution’s main lawn, despite threats of suspensions and disciplinary action after a 2pm (1800 GMT) deadline.Protests against the Gaza war, with its high civilian death toll of Palestinians, have posed a challenge to university administrators trying to balance free speech rights with complaints that the rallies have veered into anti-Semitism and hate speech.For almost two weeks now a wave of protests against Israel’s war in Gaza has swept through US university campuses from coast to coast, after around 100 protesters were arrested at Columbia on April 18.Footage of police in riot gear summoned at various colleges to break up rallies have been viewed around the world, recalling the protest movement that erupted during the Vietnam war.At University of California, Los Angeles skirmishes broke out on Sunday between pro-Palestinian protesters and supporters of Israel.Columbia University president Minouche Shafik, in her statement announcing talks had broken down, said that “many of our Jewish students, and other students as well, have found the atmosphere intolerable in recent weeks. Many have left campus, and that is a tragedy”.“Anti-Semitic language and actions are unacceptable and calls for violence are simply abhorrent,” she said. “One group’s rights to express their views cannot come at the expense of another group’s right to speak, teach, and learn.”Protest organisers deny accusations of anti-Semitism, arguing that their actions are aimed at the Israeli government and its prosecution of the conflict in Gaza.They also insist some incidents have been engineered by non-student agitators.Columbia classics professor Joseph Howley told AFP that the school’s statement amounted to yielding to outside political pressure.He said Columbia is “affirming the false premise that the mere presence of political speech on behalf of Palestine is a threat to Jews like myself”.He called such a position “absurd and dangerous”.The Gaza war started following the events of October 7 that left around 1,170 people dead, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.Palestinian militants also took roughly 250 people hostage.Israel estimates 129 hostages remain in Gaza, including 34 the military says are dead.Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed almost 34,500 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.

Heatwave in Southeast Asia triggers health alerts

The Philippines has closed schools down and warned of overloading on its power grid, as authorities across Southeast Asia issued a series of health alerts for a crushing and deadly heat wave.The Philippines’ country’s education ministry cancelled in-person classes at public schools for two days on Sunday.“We already have reports of high blood pressure and dizziness, and fainting for pupils and teachers in the past days,” Benjo Basas, chairperson of Teachers’ Dignity Coalition, a group of educators, told DWPM radio station.Temperatures in the Philippines are forecast to reach 37° Celsius (98.6° Fahrenheit) in the next three days, with many classrooms crowded and without air conditioning.The country’s weather agency said the heat index – the actual temperature felt by the body to include relative humidity – is expected to remain at a record 45C (113F), in the range which it classes as “dangerous” as conditions can trigger heat stroke from prolonged exposure.In Thailand, temperatures are forecast to surpass 40C in Bangkok and the country’s central and northern regions with the meteorological agency advising people to avoid being outdoors for extended periods.Temperatures soared to 44.2C in the northern city of Lampang on April 22, with the meteorological department saying on Monday that it expects the extreme heat will continue this week.In the past month, 30 have died from heat stroke, data from Thailand’s health ministry showed.People are seeking respite from the heat in air-conditioned shopping malls in Vietnam’s business hub Ho Chi Minh City, state media reported, with the country’s national weather agency warning of risks of forest fires, dehydration, and heat shock.Maximum temperatures measured in several parts of northern and central Vietnam ranged from 40.2C and 44.0C the agency said on Sunday, adding that temperatures won’t subside until the middle of the week.Malaysia’s meteorological department issued hot weather warnings on Sunday for 16 areas that have recorded temperatures between 35C and 40C for three consecutive days.A total of 45 cases of heat-related illnesses have been reported in the country as of April 13, the health ministry said, without specifying when it began tracking the cases.Two deaths due to heat stroke have been reported, the ministry said in a statement.In the neighbouring city state of Singapore, the meteorological service said the country’s temperatures could soar higher in 2024 than last year, which was Singapore’s fourth-warmest year since records began in 1929.Singapore’s hottest day recorded was May 13 last year when the highest daily maximum temperature hit 37C.Since last month some schools have relaxed rules on uniforms to allow students to wear more comfortable physical education attire amid the persistent heat. – Reuters

source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/681566/international/heatwave-in-southeast-asia-triggers-health-alerts

20 Cambodian soldiers killed in ammunition base explosion

Twenty Cambodian soldiers have been killed in an ammunition explosion at an army base, Prime Minister Hun Manet said yesterday. The blast at around 2.45pm (0745 GMT) at the army base in Kampong Speu province to the west of the capital also wounded several soldiers, according to the PM, with the army saying that an entire truck of munitions had exploded. “I am deeply shocked to receive the news of the ammunition explosion incident,” Hun Manet said in a statement on Facebook, expressing his “deepest condolences” to the families of those killed. It was not immediately clear what had caused the explosion. Pictures on social media showed a destroyed one-storey building wreathed in smoke, with residents of a nearby village also sharing images online of broken windows. Other images showed what appeared to be civilians, including a child in diapers - with cuts and gashes being treated in hospital. Munitions accidents are not uncommon in Cambodia, which is awash with ammunition following decades of civil conflict - accidents that are exacerbated by frequently lax safety standards. Cambodia’s army said the incident was a “warehouse ammunition explosion”, that had destroyed a truck fully loaded with weaponry. An office building as well as nearby barracks were destroyed, with 25 nearby homes also battered by the resulting explosion. In his statement, Hun Manet said he had ordered the defence minister and the commander-in-chief of Royal Cambodian Armed Forces to urgently arrange funerals for the soldiers who died. He also said that the families of those killed would receive roughly $20,000 each, while injured soldiers would get $5,000. Cambodia is littered with discarded ammunition and arms from decades of civil war from the 1960s. In 2005, five Cambodians were killed and three injured after an explosion in a major military arms depot some two kilometres outside the northwestern town of Battambang. It was unclear what had caused the explosion and resulting fire. Deaths from mines and unexploded ordnance are more frequent, with roughly 20,000 people killed in Cambodia since 1979 and twice as many wounded in landmine and unexploded ordnance accidents. In 2018, an Australian and a Cambodian were killed when war-era ordnance exploded during a de-mining training exercise in southern Cambodia. Clearance work continues to this day, with the government vowing to clear all mines and unexploded ordnance by 2025. Only last week four people were also killed by unexploded ordnance (UXO), according to the Cambodian Mine Action Centre. Last year thousands of pieces of UXO left over from the civil war were unearthed inside a northeastern school, including some 2,000 explosives.

source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/681413/international/20-cambodian-soldiers-killed-in-ammunition-base-explosion

UK ship sets sail to help building of Gaza aid jetty

A UK ship to house hundreds of US army personnel building a jetty to speed up aid delivery to Gaza has set sail from Cyprus, a UK defence source said Saturday.Royal Navy support ship 'Cardigan Bay' will help support the international effort to construct the temporary floating pier, which is set to be completed early May, according to the Pentagon.The pier will initially facilitate the delivery of 90 truckloads of international aid a day into Gaza, rising to up to 150 truckloads once fully operational, according to US estimates.The aid will be pre-screened in Cyprus and delivered directly to Gaza via the pier off the coast or via Ashdod Port, which Israel has said it will open.'It is critical we establish more routes for vital humanitarian aid to reach the people of Gaza and the UK continues to take a leading role in the delivery of support,' UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said.The UN insists that an increase in the flow of humanitarian aid by land is needed to help a starving population facing shortages of medical supplies.The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 34,356 people in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

Pentagon: US military starts aid pier construction off Gaza

US troops have begun construction of a maritime pier off the coast of Gaza that aims to speed the flow of humanitarian aid into the territory, the Pentagon said.'As an update for our humanitarian assistance support operations to establish the maritime corridor off the coast of Gaza, I can confirm that US military vessels to include the USS Benavidez, have begun to construct the initial stages of the temporary pier and causeway at sea,' Pentagon spokesman Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a press briefing.He added, 'We'll provide much more information in the very near future as we work alongside the international community to rush aid to the people of Gaza.'Ryder said the pier would likely be up and running by early May, and last month said it would take up to 1,000 servicemembers to complete it.The modular causeway system would consist of an offshore platform where ships could deposit aid that would be taken by the Army to a motorized string of steel causeway sections that have been pushed to the shore.'Simply put, they'll establish a temporary offshore maritime pier that allows for shipping vessels to transfer cargo to smaller vessels to transport and offload cargo to a temporary causeway for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza,' Ryder said in March, while adding, 'The concept that is being planned involves the presence of US military personnel on military vessels offshore, but does not require US military personnel to go ashore.'The US government announced at the beginning of March that it intended to help set up a temporary harbor to bring food, water and medicine to the war zone in view of the humanitarian emergency in the Palestinian territory.

source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/681360/international/pentagon-us-military-starts-aid-pier-construction-off-gaza

Hundreds of colonists storm Al-Aqsa Mosque

Around 430 colonists stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque on Thursday, heavily guarded by the Israeli occupation police.The colonists stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque from Mughrabi Gate, carried out provocative tours and performed Talmudic rituals in its courtyards, Palestenian news agency (WAFA) reported.The occupation police also tightened its military procedures, obstructing the movement of worshipers and checking their ID cards.The incursions of colonists and extremists into Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem have increased significantly since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.

Fire, evacuation after Ukraine drone attacks on Russia's Smolensk, Lipetsk

Fire broke out at energy facilities in Russia's Smolensk region after a Ukraine-launched drone attack and people were evacuated from parts of Lipetsk in Russia's southwest after a drone there fell on an industrial park, regional officials said.'Our region is again under attack by Ukrainian UAVs,' Vasily Anokhin, the governor of the Smolensk region in Russia's west, said on the Telegram messaging app.'As a result of the enemy attack on civilian fuel and energy facilities, fires broke out in the Smolensk and Yartsevo districts,' Anokhin said on the Telegram messaging app.It was not immediately known what facilities were on fire. There are no large oil refineries in the Smolensk region.Separately, Igor Artamonov, the governor of the Lipetsk region in Russia's southwest, said that a drone there fell on an industrial zone. He said on Telegram that there were no injuries, but nearby residents were evacuated as a precaution measure.'The object was isolated, there was no threat of an attack on residential area,' Artamonov said. 'It was decided not to turn on warning systems in the city and to evacuate only the area where the UAV fell.'He did not say whether there was any damage and what object was targeted.Reuters could not independently verify the reports.There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Kyiv rarely comments on attacks inside Russia, but Ukrainian officials have said that destroying Russia's critical energy, military and transport infrastructure undermines Moscow's overall war efforts.

'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines

Extreme heat scorched the Philippines on Wednesday, forcing schools in some areas to suspend in-person classes and prompting warnings for people to limit the amount of time spent outdoors.The months of March, April and May are typically the hottest and driest in the archipelago nation, but conditions this year have been exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenon.'It's so hot you can't breathe,' said Erlin Tumaron, 60, who works at a seaside resort in Cavite province, south of Manila, where the heat index reached 47 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.'It's surprising our pools are still empty. You would expect people to come and take a swim, but it seems they're reluctant to leave their homes because of the heat.'The heat index was expected to reach the 'danger' level of 42C or higher in at least 30 cities and municipalities on Wednesday, the state weather forecaster said.The heat index measures what a temperature feels like, taking into account humidity.There was a 50 percent chance of the heat intensifying in the coming days, said Ana Solis, chief climatologist at the state weather forecaster.'We need to limit the time we spend outdoors, drink plenty of water, bring umbrellas and hats when going outdoors,' Solis told AFP.Solis said El Nino was the reason for the 'extreme heat' affecting swathes of the country.Around half the country's provinces are officially in drought.The northern municipality of Aparri endured a heat index of 48C on Tuesday, the highest in the country, and was expected to hit 45C on Wednesday.The actual maximum air temperature was 36.4C on Tuesday, with 35C forecast for Wednesday.'It's really hot here,' Eric Vista of the municipal disaster agency told AFP.Vista said a shower of rain on Tuesday night offered some temporary relief, but it was 'back to being super hot' on Wednesday.Sweltering temperatures in the capital Manila forced many schools to switch to remote learning. The heat index reached 45C on Tuesday and was expected to hit 44C on Wednesday.Tuesday's actual high in the city was 37.1C.In Dagupan city, north of Manila, university employee Edz Alteros said she and her colleagues no longer went out for lunch because of the heat.The heat index there reached 47C on Tuesday.'We get somebody to buy food and we eat inside the office,' Alteros, 27, said.'The air conditioning is set at 14-18C during the hottest part of the day, but we ease up at other times to prevent the aircon breaking down.'Global temperatures hit record highs last year, and the United Nation's weather and climate agency said Tuesday that Asia was warming at a particularly rapid pace.The Philippines ranks among the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

RSF: More than 100 journalists killed within 6 months in Gaza

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Tuesday that the Israeli army killed around 105 journalists since Oct. 7, including at least 22 who were killed while carrying out their work. Access to Gaza remains impossible under daily bombardment, while the gradual evacuation of reporters continues.RSF reiterates its call to the international community to step up pressure on Israel for an end to this massacre, and make efforts to protect Palestinian journalism.When asked by RSF about what journalists in Gaza need the most, they said that 'protection' is the most important thing that the profession needs today in the Strip, as they live in daily terror where the Strip has become completely besieged.Despite repeated calls from various non-governmental organizations, including RSF, for the Rafah border crossing to be opened, entry into the Gaza Strip is still limited to journalists accompanying Israeli military forces, and they are restricted to covering Israeli permitted areas only. Meanwhile, only a small number of Palestinian journalists were evacuated from Gaza. (QNA)

UNRWA welcomes results, recommendations of independent review committee

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) welcomed the results and recommendations of the Independent Review Committee regarding the Agencys commitment to the humanitarian principle of neutrality.UNRWA is strongly committed to implementing UN values and humanitarian principles. The recommendations contained in the Independent Review Groups report on the Agencys work 'will further strengthen efforts and response during one of the most difficult moments in the history of the Palestinian people', UNRWA said in a press statement.A report submitted by the Independent Review Group on the work of UNRWA concluded that it had established a large number of mechanisms and procedures to ensure compliance with the principle of neutrality.The review was conducted after the Israeli occupation authorities claimed that employees of the UN Agency participated in the 'Al-Aqsa Flood' operation.

Russia takes out TV tower in Ukraine’s Kharkiv

Police officers are seen near a part of a television tower partially destroyed by a Russian missile strike in Kharkiv

A Russian missile strike that broke in half a 240m television tower in Kharkiv yesterday is part of a deliberate effort by Moscow to make Ukraine’s second largest city uninhabitable, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.Footage obtained by Reuters showed the main mast of the television tower breaking off and falling to the ground in the city that has been pounded by missile and drone strikes for weeks.The Ukrainian leader said he told US President Joe Biden about the airstrike that was carried out several minutes before they spoke by telephone.“It is Russia’s clear intention to make the city uninhabitable,” he said in a readout of the call published on the Telegram messaging app.An AFP journalist in Kharkiv saw the red-and-white spire of the structure toppled a barrage by Russian forces.The northeastern city of Kharkiv, with a population of 1.3mn, lies just 30km from the Russian border, making it an easy target for ballistic missiles and other weapons as Ukraine’s air defences have dwindled.“At the moment there are interruptions to the digital television signal,” regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.There had been no casualties because its workers had taken shelter, he added.Russia first attacked Kharkiv’s television tower several times in early March 2022 soon after it launched its full-scale invasion.Moscow has recently stepped up its attacks, while Ukraine is suffering a shortage of air defence capabilities.Zelensky has warned that Moscow would try to score battlefield victories before May 9 – a patriotic Russian holiday celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany – “regardless of its losses”.

Seven killed, 21 hurt at Lanka motor race

At least seven people were killed and another 21 wounded when a race car ploughed into spectators at a packed motorsport event hosted by Sri Lanka’s army yesterday, police said.A driver crashed into the crowd on an unprotected stretch of the track at the Fox Hill circuit, which is maintained by the Sri Lankan army.A video shared widely on social media showed track marshals waving yellow flags to warn other drivers to slow down after a car overturned on the track.The drivers are seen speeding past in clouds of orange dust until a red car slams into the crowd, and people are heard screaming.“A total of 27 people were taken to hospital and seven of them succumbed to their injuries,” spokesman Nihal Thalduwa said, adding that an eight-year-old girl was among the dead.Shortly before the crash, army chief Vikum Liyanage announced that the gates had been opened to spectators free of charge to promote motorsports, with the event being held for the first time in five years due to the Covid pandemic and the island’s economic crisis.

Slovenia’s umbrella doctor weathers economic storm

Marija Lah, one of Europe’s last umbrella repairers, poses for a photo in her workshop in Ljubljana. (AFP)

While most people believe a malfunctioning umbrella means you have to buy a new one, Slovenian Marija Lah — one of Europe’s last umbrella repairers — has spent her life proving them wrong.“Everything can be repaired! I believe I can repair 98 percent of all the umbrellas I get,” the 56-year-old laughs, waving around a 50-year-old model to demonstrate its quality.While most umbrella repairers have closed shop as millions of broken, cheap umbrellas are tossed out each year around the world, Lah is catering to a growing base of new customers who try to throw away less due to environmental concerns.“It is a fashionable thing now,” she told AFP in her shop packed with umbrellas, an old sewing machine and thousands of different spare parts, including ribs, caps and wires piled on shelves.Founded almost 60 years ago by Lah’s father, the tiny shop in a stone-paved Ljubljana street is one of the oldest in Slovenia.Lah, who used to work as a kindergarten teacher, never thought of working there until her father — then struggling with an advanced cataract condition — asked her to join as an apprentice.Reluctantly, she agreed, to save the shop, working alongside him from 1991 for 14 years. And after his death, customers encouraged her to keep going.“I told myself: ‘Marija, you can’t just throw away a knowledge that nobody else has in Ljubljana!’” she recalls.Lah explains that to make or repair an umbrella you need to master the craft of sewing and fine mechanics.Some umbrellas take just minutes to repair, sewing the rib to the canopy for example; others, with complex mechanisms or plastic parts, can take weeks to disassemble and put back together.Mass production of umbrellas by thousands of different factories — and with customers constantly demanding new models — also makes repairs difficult.“You have to learn constantly,” Lah said.She is unsure whether her children want to take over the shop one day, saying it was up to them as she does “not intend to force them”.Lah believes besides satisfied customers, rain is her “best advertisement” though she does not fear dry summers, which gives her time to clean up her shop.As scientists warn that extreme weather is becoming more intense as a result of climate change, the Alpine nation of 2mn last year suffered its worst flooding since 1991 independence, hitting two-thirds of the country.Refusing to reveal business figures, Lah insists she can make a living as customers from all over Slovenia bring their and often their friends’ umbrellas for repair.“I like to repair my umbrellas,” customer Danica Tercon, a pensioner in her early 70s from Ljubljana, told AFP, adding those who throw away their old umbrellas “are not aware what we are doing to our planet”.Another customer, Katja Buda, who brought her grandmother’s umbrella for repair, described “Mrs Marija” as “a saviour” and regretted the vanishing profession.“We throw away old things that were of much better quality instead of repairing them,” the philologist in her late 30s said.“I love umbrellas. They can make the rainy days much nicer.”

source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/681093/international/slovenias-umbrella-doctor-weathers-economic-storm

Kenya pays military homage to army chief killed in copter crash

President Ruto deliver message during the tribute ceremony 

With a 19-gun cannon salute and a religious ceremony, Kenya paid a military tribute yesterday to its army chief who died in a helicopter accident this week.Kenyan President William Ruto, along with Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and opposition leader Raila Odinga, attended the ceremony at the Ulinzi Sports Complex in the capital Nairobi.Francis Omondi Ogolla’s coffin, topped with the Kenyan flag, entered the enclosure at 1pm (1000 GMT), accompanied by great fanfare before a minute of silence for the former chief of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).Ogolla and nine other military officials died on Thursday when their helicopter went down in a remote region in the west of the country, just short of a year since his appointment as armed forces head by Ruto.“It was a sad and very tragic moment for Kenya,” Ruto said in a speech.The general died aged 62. The defence ministry had previously mistakenly stated that Ogolla was 61.“General Ogolla represents the best of what Kenya has to offer,” Ruto added, saying that he was “very proud” to have appointed him. “We are here to say bye-bye to a consummate military officer, an accomplished military commander and a patriotic citizen of Kenya, with great humility.”Ogolla, a trained fighter pilot, was killed when his helicopter went down shortly after takeoff in the remote Sindar forested area in Elgeyo Marakwet county in northwestern Kenya, some 400km (250 miles) from Nairobi.He had been visiting troops deployed in a security operation in the North Rift region, which is plagued by violence caused by armed bandits and cattle rustlers.Two military personnel aboard survived the crash.According to Ruto, the crew were on a Bell UH-1B copter, nicknamed “Huey”, a model developed in the 1950s and used notably by US forces serving in the war in Vietnam.For his part, Odinga saluted his “personal friend...rest in peace”.Kenyan media have reported that Thursday’s crash was the fifth involving a Kenyan military copter in the past year with a considerable number old and poorly maintained.The Kenya Air Force has dispatched a team of investigators to determine what caused the accident which sparked three days of mourning from Friday across the country.Ogolla’s family said in a statement on Friday that his funeral would be held today at his home in Siaya in the west of the country, followed by a memorial service in a Nairobi suburb on April 26.Ogolla, a married father of two with one grandchild, had headed his country’s air force between 2018 and 2021.He had joined the KDF in April 1984, rising through the ranks to command the air force before going on to become vice-chief of the defence forces in 2021 and then chief 12 months ago.In June 2021, at least 10 soldiers died when their helicopter crashed during a training exercise to the south of Nairobi.In 2012, then-internal security minister George Saitoti, seen as a possible presidential candidate, was another high-profile victim as one of six people killed in a police helicopter crash.Messages of condolence for Thursday’s crash came in from across Kenya and the African continent on Friday as well as the United Nations, the United States 

Thai divers seek to take on ‘ghost gear’ threatening marine life

Beneath the surface of the turquoise waters off a beach on Thailand’s holiday island of Phuket, divers laboriously collect abandoned fishing gear, much of it made from plastic, that is tangled on coral and trapping sea life.This discarded or lost fishing equipment is known locally as “ghost gear” and is a growing problem in waters off Thailand and beyond, ensnaring marine life and adding to microplastics pollution as nets and ropes break down over time.According to Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, estimates of the percentage of endangered marine life affected by plastic pollution in the upper Andaman Sea off Thailand have grown from 20% in 2021 to at least 30% as of 2023.Scuba diving groups and marine organisations in Thailand have been working to remove the abandoned fishing gear from reefs through cleanup missions, but have a problem tracking its scale.Experts say the lack of a coordinated strategy is hindering the pursuit of more comprehensive and effective solutions to track, manage or outlaw dumping of fishing equipment.“We constantly collect discarded fishing gear. We have a strong scuba diving community. We have many government sectors working on this cleanup drive,” said Salisa Traipipitsiriwat, senior campaigner and Southeast Asian plastic manager from the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), which is partnering with other organisations to compile data.The aim is to help marine scientists assess the impact of abandoned fishing gear in Thai waters. “Even though there is collection of waste, there is no uniform data collection,” Salisa added. Off the Phuket shore, about 20 volunteer divers equipped with submersible gear, scissors, nets, and notebooks dive down to collect discarded fishing nets, recording data during cleanup missions. They are also encouraging other recreational divers to join their initiative.The group also engages about 500 fishermen to collect abandoned nets. The trash is sorted and weighed and, where possible, sent for recycling. About 130 tonnes of used fishing equipment has been collected by EJF from local fishing communities along Thai coastal areas and recycled into new products.In one case, a dead turtle is found on the shore and taken for a necropsy performed by marine veterinarians. Inside its stomach are pieces of rope and plastic. “As of today, plastic waste is one of the main causes of endangered marine animals washing ashore,” said Patcharaporn Kaewmong, head of the marine rescue centre in Phuket.“Waste management is a very big problem.”

Two schoolgirls wounded in knife attack in France

Parents collect their children with police officers and a firefighter keeping watch at a school in the eastern France city of Souffelweyersheim, after two girls were wounded in a knife attack outside the school.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has announced measures to crack down on teenage violence in and around schools, as the government seeks to reclaim ground on security from the far-right two months ahead of European elections.Attal revealed his plan hours before a man stabbed two young girls, aged six and 11, outside their school in the east of the country, further underlining concerns of security at educational establishments.Their wounds were not deemed serious.France has in recent weeks been shaken by a series of attacks on schoolchildren by their peers, in particularly the fatal beating earlier this month of Shemseddine, 15, outside Paris.The issue has come to a head with the far-right National Rally (RN) accusing Attal of not doing enough on security as the anti-immigration party soars ahead of the government coalition in polls for the June 9 election.Speaking in Viry-Chatillon, the town where Shemseddine was killed, Attal condemned the “addiction of some of our adolescents to violence”, calling for “a real surge of authority... to curb violence”.“There are twice as many adolescents involved in assault cases, four times more in drug trafficking, and seven times more in armed robberies than in the general population,” he said, also noting increased “Islamist” influences.Measures will include expanding compulsory school attendance to all the days of the week from 8am-6pm for children of college age.“In the day the place to be is at school, to work and to learn,” said Attal, who was also marking 100 days in office since being appointed by President Emmanuel Macron to turn round the government’s fortunes.Parents needed to take more responsibility, said Attal, warning that particularly disruptive children would have sanctions marked on their final grades.Promoting an old-fashioned back-to-basics approach to school authority, he said: “You break something – you repair it. You make a mess – you clear it up. And if you disobey – we teach you respect.”The prime minister also floated the possibility of children in exceptional cases being denied the right to special treatment on account of their minority in legal cases.Thus 16-year-olds could be forced to immediately appear in court after violations “like adults”, he said.In France, the age of majority is 18, in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.A man born in 1995 was arrested after stabbing an 11-year-old in front of the school in the town of Souffelweyersheim just outside the main eastern French city of Strasbourg, and then a six-year-old nearby.Both received superficial wounds, police said, adding the attacker did not appear to have any known links to radicals and was not previously known to the security services.Both girls are being treated in a paediatric hospital.The attacker was arrested in the area where he attacked the second girl, the police said.

UNRWA Commissioner-General: Famine tightens grip across Gaza

Commissioner-General of the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini warned that a man-made famine is 'tightening its grip' across the Gaza Strip, accusing Israel of obstructing aid deliveries and seeking to liquidate UNRWA's activities in the Strip.'Today, an insidious campaign to end UNRWA's operations is underway, with serious implications for international peace and security', Lazzarini said, adding 'In the north, infants and young children have begun to die of malnutrition and dehydration. Across the border, food and clean water wait. But UNRWA is denied permission to deliver this aid and save lives.'The agency provides aid, education and health services to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/680873/international/unrwa-commissioner-general-famine-tightens-grip-across-gaza

Denmark’s treasured stock exchange to be rebuilt after fire

A fire crew member stands inside a damaged portion of the Old Stock Exchange building, in Copenhagen, on Wednesday.

Denmark’s Old Stock Exchange will be rebuilt after a devastating fire destroyed half the building and damaged much of the rest, the owner of the Copenhagen landmark said on Wednesday.The blaze ripped through the 400-year-old structure on Tuesday, toppling its spire and also triggering the collapse of a large roof section, in scenes reminiscent of the 2019 fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.In parts of the building only outer brick walls remained as everything else had burnt up, while some of the sections still standing had floors that were waterlogged from efforts to put out the fire, according to reporters briefly allowed inside.A strong smell of burnt wood filled the air, and long tubes of bright-white led-lights were laid out in the remaining dry sections as workers entered to remove office furniture that survived the fire.Among the parts lost in the blaze was the large hall which in the 17th century had housed the stalls of commodities traders, said the Danish Chamber of Commerce, which owns the building.As the flaming spire slammed into the ground, its ornamented metal tip that had sat 52 metres (179 feet) above street level of the Dutch Renaissance-style building was recovered and will eventually resume its rightful place, the Chamber said.“At six o’clock this morning I met a fireman who gave me this... the top of the stock exchange,” Chamber CEO Brian Mikkelsen told Reuters, holding the metal piece in the air.“It gives me hope because we have decided to rebuild the stock exchange because it’s part of European history as a trading continent,” he said.Mikkelsen declined to comment on the building’s insurance policy. The building no longer houses the stock exchange but serves as the Chamber of Commerce headquarters.A bouquet of sunflowers had been laid in front of the building, which had been undergoing extensive restoration when the fire broke out.Police investigating the incident said it could take months to determine the cause. No one was hurt in the blaze.The loss of the 17th century landmark was a sad moment for the capital, teacher Eva Simoni Lomholdt, 58, told Reuters.“My first thought was I hope that they rebuild it, it’s never going to be the same but it’s iconic to Copenhagen and Denmark.”Emergency services were joined by passers-by on Tuesday in carrying paintings away from the building shortly after the fire broke out in a race to save historic artefacts from the flames. “When the building was on fire yesterday we were saving almost all of the valuables in there. Things that were 300-400 years old and part of our national heritage,” the chamber’s Mikkelsen said.Employees and firefighters knew what to get out as they already had a “worst case” emergency plan in place, he said.While the fire was largely out, efforts to quell any remaining embers would continue at least until today morning.

US high court hears challenge to law used against Trump, Capitol rioters

Supporters of defendants including Micki Witthoeft, the mother of Ashli Babbitt, who was killed on January 6, 2021, sing outside the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, yesterday.

A divided US Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday in a case that could lead to the dismissal of some of the charges filed against former president Donald Trump and hundreds of his supporters who took part in the January 2021 attack on the Capitol.Special Counsel Jack Smith has slapped the 77-year-old Trump with four felony charges related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.Several of the conservative justices on the nation’s highest court appeared to be sceptical yesterday of the filing of obstruction charges against Trump and other participants in the assault on the Capitol.The Republican presidential candidate is charged with conspiracy to defraud the US, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and obstruction of an official proceeding — the session of Congress held to certify Biden’s victory.Trump is also charged with conspiracy to deny Americans the right to vote and to have their votes counted.Joseph Fischer, a former police officer, is among hundreds of Trump supporters facing or convicted of obstruction charges and is seeking to have them tossed out, which could have a knock-on effect for all of the cases — including Trump’s.A district court judge, a Trump appointee, agreed to dismiss Fischer’s obstruction charges on the grounds the law used was intended to prosecute financial crimes — specifically the destruction of documents during the 2001 Enron scandal — and did not apply to his conduct on January 6.That ruling was reversed by an appeals court in a 2-1 decision.The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, including three justices nominated by Trump, devoted 90 minutes to hearing Fischer’s appeal.Jeffrey Green, Fischer’s attorney, told the justices that “attempting to stop a vote count or something like that is a very different act than actually changing a document or altering a document” as the law was applied in the Enron case.Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a liberal, pushed back against Green’s reading.“There is a sign in the theatre — you will be kicked out of the theatre if you photograph or record the actors or otherwise disrupt the performance,” Sotomayor said.“If you start yelling, I think no one would question that you can be expected to be kicked out under this policy.“It’s not the manner in which you obstruct, it’s the fact that you’ve obstructed.”Justice Neil Gorsuch, a conservative, expressed concerns with the potential application of the law.“Would a sit-in that disrupts a trial or access to a federal courthouse qualify?” Gorsuch asked. “Would a heckler in today’s audience qualify?” “Are those all federal felonies subject to 20 years in prison?” Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, representing the government, said the examples were not comparable with what happened on January 6.“It’s in a fundamentally different posture than if they had stormed into this courtroom, overrun the Supreme Court police and required the justices and other participants to flee for their safety,” Prelogar said.In Fischer’s case, she said, he “specifically intended to prevent Congress from certifying the vote and so used his actions to obstruct that proceeding.” Prelogar also noted that of the 1,350 people charged in connection with the Capitol riot, only around 350 were charged with obstruction.The court is expected to issue a ruling by the end of its term in June — four months before the November 5 election in which Trump is expected to face Biden again.Trump’s trial on the election interference charges had been scheduled to begin on March 4 but is on hold pending a Supreme Court examination of Trump’s claim that as a former president, he is immune from criminal prosecution. The court is to hear arguments on the immunity claim, which has been dismissed by two lower courts, on April 25.There are a total of four criminal cases hanging over Trump and jury selection began in the first one in New York on Monday.In that case, Trump is accused of falsifying business records in a pre-2016 election scheme to cover up an alleged encounter with a porn star.Trump’s lawyers have sought to delay his court cases until after the election, when he could potentially have the federal charges against him dropped if he wins.

Trump trial not a referendum on his presidency: prosecutor

Former president Donald Trump speaks as attorney Todd Blanche looks on, on the second day of his trial at Manhattan Criminal Court, New York City, yesterday.

Donald Trump’s criminal trial on charges stemming from hush money paid to a porn star is not a referendum on his presidency, a prosecutor told prospective jurors yesterday in asking whether they could put personal politics aside.Trump’s defence lawyer, in his opportunity to question prospective jurors, pressed them for their opinions on the former US president.Jury selection for Trump’s trial got underway on Monday. He faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election. Daniels says she had an encounter with Trump about a decade beforehand.Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies an encounter took place. The Republican presidential candidate has called the case, brought by Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a partisan witch hunt meant to interfere with his campaign to unseat President Joe Biden, a Democrat, in the Nov 5 election.Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass told the 18 prospective jurors who remained of an initial pool of 96 that the case had nothing to do with their personal politics.“This case is really not about whether you like Donald Trump,” Steinglass said. “This case is about the rule of law and whether Donald Trump broke it.” The proceedings so far have underscored the challenges of choosing a jury of 12 residents of heavily Democratic Manhattan who can try the case fairly and impartially.Roughly half of 96 potential jurors summoned on Monday were dismissed after saying they could not impartially judge the polarising businessman-turned-politician. Those who remained largely said they could put any opinions they have aside and be fair to both sides.“I don’t think it matters what my political beliefs are, or in relation to the defendant,” said one woman, a high school teacher who lives on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and enjoys reading and hiking.Trump’s defence lawyer Todd Blanche, in his chance to question jurors, said he did not care about jurors’ politics but wanted to get a sense of whether they could be fair to Trump as an individual.“It’s extraordinarily important to President Trump that we know that we’re going to get a fair shake,” Blanche said.Several prospective jurors said they did not have strong opinions about Trump, or said their opinions were not relevant to the case.“If we were sitting in a bar, I’d be happy to tell you,” said one jury candidate, a man who works at a bookstore and enjoys going to Broadway shows. “But in this room, what I feel about President Trump is not important.” Trump, wearing a blue tie, looked toward the panel gathered in the jury box as Blanche questioned them.The hush money case is one of four criminal indictments he faces, which stem from alleged mishandling classified information and trying to overturn his 2020 loss to Biden. He has pleaded not guilty in those cases, which may not go to trial before the election.Though the New York case is centred on events that took place more than seven years ago, prosecutors are trying to hold Trump accountable for more recent conduct as well.On Monday, they asked Justice Juan Merchan to fine Trump $1,000 for each of three social media posts this month that criticised Daniels and Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer who is expected to be a prominent witness in the trial.Under a gag order imposed by Merchan, Trump is barred from making statements about witnesses, court staff and family members that are meant to interfere with the case.Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche said the former president was only responding to their criticism of him.“A finding of criminal contempt, imposition of sanctions, and stark warnings from this Court are the minimum remedies necessary to achieve this indispensable objective,” prosecutors wrote in a court filing made public yesterday.Merchan said he will consider the fines on April 23.Jury selection is expected to consume the rest of the week, and the trial is scheduled to last through at least 

World in grip of new major coral bleaching event, reefs at risk

Scientists are seen conducting in-water monitoring in Arlington Reef, Australia, amidst bleached coral reefs, in this handout picture obtained by Reuters.

Along coastlines from Australia to Kenya to Mexico, many of the world’s colourful coral reefs have turned a ghostly white in what scientists said amounted to the fourth global bleaching event in the last three decades.At least 54 countries and territories have experienced mass bleaching among their reefs since February 2023 as climate change warms the ocean’s surface waters, according to the US National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Coral Reef Watch, the world’s top coral reef monitoring body.Announcement of the latest global bleaching event was made jointly by the NOAA and the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), a global intergovernmental conservation partnership.For an event to be deemed global, significant bleaching must occur in all three ocean basins – the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian – within a 365-day period.Recurring bleaching events are upending earlier scientific models that forecast that between 70%-90% of the world’s coral reefs could be lost when global warming reached 1.5° Celsius (2.7° Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial temperatures.To date, the world has warmed by some 1.2C (2.2F).In a 2022 report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, experts determined that just 1.2C of warming would be enough to severely impact coral reefs, “with most available evidence suggesting that coral-dominated ecosystems will be non-existent at this temperature”.The consequences of coral bleaching are far-reaching, affecting not only the health of oceans but also the livelihoods of people, food security, and local economies.Severe or prolonged heat stress leads to corals dying off, but there is hope for recovery if temperatures drop and other stressors such as overfishing and pollution are reduced.“As the world’s oceans continue to warm, coral bleaching is becoming more frequent and severe,” said Derek Manzello of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). “When these events are sufficiently severe or prolonged, they can cause coral mortality, which hurts the people who depend on the coral reefs for their livelihoods.”The NOAA’s heat-stress monitoring is based on satellite measurements from 1985 to the present day.The current bleaching event is the fourth on record, with previous events in 1998, 2010 and 2016.Coral – which are marine invertebrates made up of individual animals called polyps – have a symbiotic relationship with the algae that live inside their tissue and provide their primary source of food.When the water is too warm, coral expel their algae and turn white, an effect called “bleaching” that leaves them exposed to disease and at risk of dying off.Since early 2023, mass bleaching of coral reefs has been confirmed throughout the tropics, including in Florida in the United States, the Caribbean, Brazil, and the eastern Tropical Pacific.Florida’s 2023 heatwave started earlier, lasted longer and was more severe than any previous event in that region ever recorded, said the NOAA.Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef system in the world and the only one visible from space, has also been severely impacted, as have wide swathes of the South Pacific, the Red Sea and the Gulf.“We know the biggest threat to coral reefs worldwide is climate change. The Great Barrier Reef is no exception,” Australia’s Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said recently.Often dubbed the world’s largest living structure, the Great Barrier Reef is a 2,300km (1,400 miles) expanse of tropical corals that house a stunning array of biodiversity.Repeated mass bleaching events have threatened to rob the tourist drawcard of its wonder, turning banks of once-vibrant corals into a sickly shade of white.Roughly 850mn people worldwide rely on coral reefs for food, jobs and to protect coastlines from storms and erosion, according to the nonprofit WWF.The ecosystems provide a haven for ocean life, with over a quarter of marine species calling them home.The NOAA estimates the world has already lost 30-50% of its coral reefs already, and they could disappear entirely by the end of the century without significant intervention.“If we need a specific, visual, contemporary case of what’s at stake with every fraction of a degree warming, this is it,” said the WWF’s Pepe Clarke. “The scale and severity of the mass coral bleaching is clear evidence of the harm climate change is having right now.”“What is happening is new for us, and to science,” said marine ecologist Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. “We cannot yet predict how severely stressed corals will do even if they survive immediate heat stress.”“A realistic interpretation is that we have crossed the tipping point for coral reefs,” said ecologist David Obura, who heads Coastal Oceans Research and Development Indian Ocean East Africa from Mombasa, Kenya. “They’re going into a decline that we cannot stop, unless we really stop carbon dioxide emissions that are driving climate change.”Despite the grim outlook, the NOAA said it had made “significant strides” in developing interventions against coral bleaching.These included “moving coral nurseries to deeper, cooler waters and deploying sunshades to protect corals in other areas”.

Donald Trump's criminal trial begins in hush money case

Trump faces a criminal trial in Manhattan, criticizing the White House leadership and emphasizing his 2024 presidential candidacy amid jury selection lasting up to two weeks.

Ukraine needs help, like Israel: Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned Iran’s drone and missile attack on Israel and said that his country needed help from its allies to fend off threats from the air, just as Israel did. Zelensky again called on the US Congress to approve a vital aid package that has been blocked by political wrangling for months. Ukraine’s forces are facing new onslaughts from Russian troops in the east and daily attacks on cities and infrastructure from Russian missiles and drones. Writing on the social media platform X, Zelensky said: “Iran’s actions threaten the entire region and the world, just as Russia’s actions threaten a larger conflict, and the obvious collaboration between the two regimes in spreading terror must face a resolute and united response from the world.” Speaking later in his nightly video address, the president said the world had seen that “Israel was not alone in its defence – the threats in the sky were also destroyed by its allies”. “And when Ukraine says allies cannot turn a blind eye to Russian missiles and drones, it means that it is necessary to act, and act strongly,” he said. Ukraine’s skies, he said, were “not protected by rhetoric”. “And the fact that we in Ukraine have been waiting months for a vital support package – the fact that we are still waiting for a vote in Congress – testifies to the fact that the confidence of terrorists has also been growing for months,” he said. “There is no more time to be wasted.” Steve Scalise, majority leader in the US House of Representatives, said on Saturday in response to the Iranian attack that the House would change its schedule to consider legislation that supports Israel and holds Iran accountable. It was not immediately clear to which legislation he was referring. Iran has supplied thousands of Shahed kamikaze drones to Russia throughout its invasion of Ukraine launched in February 2022. They have been used to exhaust Ukrainian air defences and hit infrastructure far from the front lines. For months Zelensky has urged Ukraine’s Western allies, particularly the United States, to summon the “political will” to provide the air defences and weaponry Ukraine needs. The president said on Saturday that Germany would supply a US-made Patriot air defence system and air defence missiles to Ukraine at a “critical time”. Meanwhile, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said that the situation was “tense” on its eastern front, where the Russian army is doubling down on efforts to seize the strategic town of Chassiv Iar. He said he had visited troops on the frontier, where Ukrainian forces are outnumbered and running low on ammunition. He said “the situation is tense”, a day after Kyiv warned that the situation on its eastern front was significantly worsening. If Moscow manages to capture Chassiv Iar, it would “create conditions for a deeper advance” towards the key Ukrainian transport hub of Kramatorsk, said Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky. Kramatorsk town is the major rail and logistics hub for the Ukrainian army, 30km (19 miles) from Chassiv Iar. Russia has been trying to break through to the west of Bakhmut – a town conquered by the Russians in May 2023 after a bloody battle – according to Umerov. In recent weeks, Moscow has claimed the capture of several small villages, notably near the industrial town of Avdiivka on Saturday. It has also ramped up its aerial bombardments on Ukraine’s infrastructure in recent weeks, with Zelensky saying the Kremlin was aiming to drive people from second city Kharkiv. Kyiv’s brigades were holding back the assaults near Chassiv Iar for now and had been reinforced with ammunition, drones and electronic warfare devices, Syrsky said in a statement on the Telegram messenger. “The threat remains relevant, taking into account the fact that the higher Russian military leadership has set its troops the task of capturing Chassiv Iar by May 9,” he said, without elaborating. Russia marks May 9 with a big military parade on Red Square overseen by President Vladimir Putin who won a new six-year term in the Kremlin at a tightly-controlled election in March.

SA’s Zuma steals spotlight ahead of crunch poll

With less than two months to South Africa’s crunch election, scandal-tainted former president Jacob Zuma has stolen the spotlight in an unlikely comeback, further wounding the ruling ANC, analysts say.Arguably the most polarising politician in the country’s history of democracy, Zuma’s politicking can be enthralling or perplexing.The ex-leader who has made headlines almost daily in the southern African nation for a series of political engagements and court battles over his legitimacy to run in the May 29 poll — remains at the centre of discourse both on and offline.In December Zuma stunningly announced he would campaign for a new party, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK). That saw him suspended by the African National Congress (ANC), which is on the brink of dropping below 50% of the vote for the first time since it came to power in 1994.“Zuma’s comeback epitomises his intense anger with the ANC...almost a revenge on a political party that he believes has alienated him,” political analyst Susan Booysen said.“So for his supporters the MK is a form of loyal revenge.” Many believed the 82-year-old’s career would end when he was sentenced to 15 months in jail in June 2021 after refusing to testify to a panel probing financial corruption and cronyism under his presidency. He was later freed on medical parole just two months into his term, but his jailing sparked protests, riots and looting that left more than 350 dead in South Africa’s worst violence since the advent of democracy.But why does the prominent freedom fighter turned corruption emblem still garner so much support? Often the first to sing and dance, captivating large crowds with his jokes and one-liners the politician is constantly leveraging his charisma to hold onto power.In the face of scandals and graft allegations, Zuma, remains popular particularly among the country’s more than 10mn Zulus who affectionally call him by his clan name “Msholozi”.His home KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province is a key electoral battleground in this election. “If his long-term objective is to become president again, that’s never going to happen, I mean the guy is old,” said author and sociologist Leslie Dikeni, with a slight chuckle. “The objective here is to scatter the ANC and he is doing exactly that.” The ruling party unsuccessfully tried to have his MK disqualified and has taken it to court to stop it from using the MK name. It has been taken from the disbanded military wing of the ANC and they are alleging intellectual property theft.“His clinging onto power suggests fear to live as an ordinary citizen because he has seen the brunt of what it’s like to live like an ordinary citizen with his imprisonment” said Nelson Mandela University politics lecturer Ongama Mtimka.Despite being barred by the electoral board to run in the May poll last month, Zuma was cleared to run by an electoral court on Tuesday. A verdict the board has appealed. If the Constitutional court hears the appeal, “It will keep MK in the headlines and further unite the party around a narrative of persecution — a narrative fmr pres Zuma thrives on,” political commentator Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh wrote on X.In recent months members of the leftist MK have threatened unrest if Zuma is excluded.“They really trade on the threat,” Booysen said, admitting it was “realistic” considering the past.“But because...they are being scrutinised for this I think that reduces the chance of actual violence,” but, “there is a possibility”.MK is expected to cut into the governing party’s vote share, with the latest poll from South African think tank Social Research Foundation predicting the MK would be the second largest opposition at 13%. The ANC would take 36% and the official opposition 25%.“Unlike last time, if violence happens again the army must act” Dikeni said.

Knife attacker shot dead after killing six at Sydney mall

An attacker who fatally knifed six people in a Sydney mall was shot dead by police in the beachside suburb of Bondi yesterday, police said, as hundreds fled the scene.The assailant was shot by a police officer after he attacked shoppers in the busy Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre, a police statement said. Five of the six victims killed were women, while eight people, including a nine-month-old baby, were taken to hospital with stab wounds, New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb told a press conference.Police at this stage do not believe the attack was terrorism-related, Webb said.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there was no indication yet of the man’s motive.“This was a horrific act of violence, indiscriminately targeting innocent people going about an ordinary Saturday doing their shopping,” he told a press conference.“Tonight the first thoughts of all Australians are with the victims of these terrible acts.”Australia, a country of about 26mn people, has some of the world’s toughest gun and knife laws, and attacks such as this are rare.Emergency services were called to the mall, about 3kms from Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach and popular with children and families, just before 4pm (0600 GMT) after the stabbing reports, police said. Ayush Singh, 25, was working in a cafe in the mall when he saw the attack and then heard gunshots as police responded.“I saw the guy with the knife running and chasing people. As he walked just past beside me I heard two or three gunshots and the guy was neutralised,” he said.“People around me were terrified. There were some old ladies I helped to get them inside a safe place inside the cafe.” Two other witnesses said they heard shots. “Even 20 minutes after people were rushed out of the mall, I saw SWAT teams of people sweeping the surrounding streets,” one witness said. The other witness said they saw a woman lying on the ground and took shelter in a jewellery store.An eyewitness described the police officer shooting the attacker to state broadcaster ABC.“If she did not shoot him, he would have kept going, he was on the rampage,” said the man, who did not give his name. “She went over and was giving him CPR. He had a nice big blade on him. He looked like he was on a killing spree.”Other witnesses said the man was wearing shorts and an Australian national rugby league jersey, and looked confused and appeared to attack randomly.

Six killed in Sydney shopping centre attack

Six people were killed and several others injured -- including a nine-month-old baby -- when a knife-wielding attacker rampaged through a busy Sydney shopping centre on Saturday.Australian police said multiple people were stabbed by the unidentified assailant, who was tracked down and shot dead by a policewoman who is being hailed as a national hero.The incident occurred at the sprawling Westfield Bondi Junction mall complex, which was packed with thousands of Saturday afternoon shoppers.New South Wales police commissioner Karen Webb said five women and one man had died. A baby was undergoing emergency surgery.Police said the attacker is believed to be a 40-year-old man who was known to law enforcement, but he has not yet been formally identified.Webb played down suggestions that the attack could have been an act of terrorism and said it is believed the attacker acted alone.'If it is in fact the person we believe it is, then... it's not a terrorism incident,' she said.A New South Wales Ambulance spokesperson told AFP that eight patients were taken to various hospitals across Sydney, including the baby who was taken to the city's Children's Hospital.'They all have traumatic injuries,' the official said.Security camera footage showed a man wearing an Australian rugby league jersey running around the shopping centre with a large knife.Injured people lay lifeless on the floor, or surrounded by pools of blood.Eyewitnesses described a scene of panic, with shoppers scrambling to safety and police trying to secure the area.Many people took shelter in shops, trying to protect themselves, their families and frightened strangers.Ayush Singh was working at a cafe inside the centre when the incident occurred.'I saw the whole thing in front of me,' he told AFP. 'I saw a lot of people running around, I saw the guy running with the knife and people running away.'Singh helped two elderly ladies who were having a coffee to hide inside his cafe. He heard three gunshots ring out, then saw the man lying on the ground.'It was really scary,' he said. 'I've felt really safe (in Australia). I've been here for six years. I didn't feel unsafe but now I feel scared.'Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the bravery of strangers who helped each other and the woman police inspector who rushed headlong toward danger.'She is certainly a hero. There is no doubt that she saved lives through her action,' Albanese said.Pranjul Bokaria had just finished up work and was doing some shopping when the stabbing occurred.She ended up running to a nearby shop and taking shelter in a break room.'It was scary, there are some people who were emotionally vulnerable and crying,' she told AFP.She escaped using an emergency exit with other shoppers and staff, which took them to a back street.She described a scene of 'chaos', with people running and police swarming the area.'I am alive and grateful,' she said.As night fell, dozens of heavily armed police and ambulances were still outside the shopping complex, with stretchers ready to take people to nearby hospitals.The sound of police sirens and helicopters filled the air.The mall has been locked down and police have urged people to avoid the area.Britain's King Charles III said he and his wife Queen Camilla were 'utterly shocked and horrified' by the stabbing.Pope Francis said he was 'deeply saddened' by the attack and sent his 'spiritual solidarity to all those affected' in a message addressed to the archbishop of Sydney.Such attacks are virtually unheard of in Australia, which has relatively low rates of violent crime.