An Indian American teenager is believed to have jumped off the famous Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and died, according to his parents and officials of the US Coastal Guards. The 16-year-old boy's bicycle, phone and bag were found on the bridge. The twelfth grader is believed to have jumped off the bridge, they said. The coastal guards said they immediately carried out a two-hour search and rescue operation after they confirmed they saw "a human" jumping from the bridge. They said there is little reason to believe that the boy is alive. Community leader Ajay Jain Bhutoria said this is fourth incident involving an Indian American jumping off the Golden Bridge in an apparent suicide attempt. According to Bridge Rail Foundation, 25 people ended their lives here last year and nearly 2,000 suicide cases have been reported since the bridge opened in 1937.
Woman faces murder charges
A 29-year-old Indian-American woman has been charged with first-degree murder for causing the death of her newborn infant by allegedly tossing the baby into a seaside inlet in Florida in 2018 because “she didn’t know what to do with her”, according to media reports. Arya Singh, the mother of the female infant known only as ‘Baby June’, was arrested after she confessed to the crime. The arrest was made after investigators from Palm Beach County Sherriff’s cold case unit found the father who cooperated in the probe, the WPTV report said. “He knew nothing about the baby,” detective Brittany Christoffel said. Singh confessed to putting the baby in the water and told that she hadn’t realised she was pregnant until she gave birth to the baby in the bathroom of a hotel room, said Christoffel.
4 Pak cops killed as ultras attack police station
At least four policemen were killed and as many critically injured when terrorists, suspected to be from the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) Pakistan, attacked a police station in northwest Pakistan’s Lakki Marwat district. Two groups of heavily armed terrorists closed in on Burgai police station from opposite sides around midnight and took on a contingent of more than 60 cops. The terrorists hurled hand grenades and fired rocket launchers, killing four of the policemen instantly and injuring several. The police traded gunfire with the terrorists for almost 45 minutes before they fled under the cover of darkness.
19 killed in fuel tanker blast in Kabul
At least 19 people were killed and 32 injured when a fuel tanker exploded in a tunnel north of the Afghan capital Kabul, a local official said. The Salang Tunnel, which is around 128km north of Kabul, was originally built in the 1960s to assist the Soviet invasion. According to Said Himatullah Shamim, a spokesman for Parwan province, the tunnel explosion killed at least 19 people, including women and children. He said survivors remain trapped under rubble and that the number of casualties could rise. It was not immediately clear what caused the incident.
Landslide toll in Malaysia hits 24
Rescuers on Saturday found the bodies of a woman and two children, raising the toll from a landslide on an unlicensed campground in Malaysia to 24 with nine others still missing. Selangor state fire chief Norazam Khamis told reporters the bodies of a mother and son were found buried under a meter (3ft) of mud and debris. The body of a little girl was discovered later. He said there was hope of finding survivors if they clung on to piles or branches or rocks with pockets of air but that chances were slim. Authorities said 94 people were sleeping at the camp site on an organic farm when the dirt tumbled from a road about 30 meters above them and covered about 1 hectare. Most were families enjoying a short vacation during the year end school break. The 24 victims included seven kids and 13 women.
Iran censures EU for new sanctions
Iran condemned the EU for imposing new sanctions on the Islamic republic over its response to protests, with the foreign ministry calling the move “unacceptable and groundless”. The EU announced on Monday sanctions targeting Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB, its army chief, Revolutionary Guards commanders and a cleric over what it called “repression” of protests.
Gunfight kills 6 in Australia
Six people, including two police officers, were killed in a gunfight at a remote property in Australia’s Queensland, authorities said. When four officers arrived at the property in Wieambilla, about 300km outside of Brisbane, two armed people opened fire and killed two of them, police said, without identifying the suspects. Police said there was then a “siege” at the house. Police said 16 officers responded and, in a gun battle, killed four people.
Greek lawmaker axed over graft charges
The European parliament stripped Greek lawmaker Eva Kaili of her senior assembly post over allegations that World Cup host Qatar had bribed her to influence decision-making, charges she has denied. Kaili, one of 14 vice presidents in the parliament, was among four people arrested and charged in Belgium over the scandal that has triggered outrage in Brussels and risks damaging the EU’s image. Qatar has denied any wrongdoing. The parliament acted quickly to loosen ties with Kaili, with 625 MEPs voting in favour of the move, only one against and two abstaining.
Iran footballer faces death over protest
The world union of professional footballers FIFPRO said it was “shocked and sickened” by the risk of Iranian footballer Amir Nasr-Azadani being sentenced to death in connection with protests which have shaken the country for three months. Nasr-Azadani was arrested in the city of Isfahan two days after allegedly taking part in an “armed riot” in which three security agents were killed on September 16, Isfahan’s judiciary chief Abdullah Jafari said. Jafari said the 26-year-old had been accused of “rebellion, membership in illegal gangs, collusion to undermine security and therefore assisting in moharabeh”- a capital crime in Iran.
Embattled Peru president refuses to quit
Peru’s embattled President Dina Boluarte said she would not step down in the face of violent protests over her predecessor’s ouster as she called on lawmakers to bring forward elections as a way to quell unrest. “What is solved by my resignation? We will be here, firmly, until Congress determines to bring forward the elections,” Boluarte told Peruvians, a day after lawmakers voted against a bill to hold elections next December, more than two years early. The South American nation has been wracked by violent unrest since then-president Pedro Castillo was impeached and arrested on December 7 after he attempted to dissolve Congress. At least 18 people have been killed, including minors.
Norway PM, minister labelled as Nigerian
Has Norway become part of Nigeria? The Scandinavian country’s top diplomats asked Twitter to stop presenting its senior politicians as being from the African country. The certified Twitter accounts of Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Store, foreign minister Anniken Huitfeldt and her ministry were all presented as Nigerian government officials or institutions. “Dear @TwitterSupport, as much as we enjoy our excellent relations and close alphabetical vicinity with Nigeria, we would appreciate if you could label us as Norway,” the foreign ministry wrote in a tweet. More than three hours after the Norwegian request, the mistake had still not been rectified.