Explosion and fire kill 18,000 cattle in Texas
About 18,000 cattle were lost in a "horrific" explosion and fire at a dairy farm in Texas, and one farm worker was hurt, according to authorities. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said, "This was the deadliest barn fire for cattle in Texas history, and the investigation and cleanup may take some time." An explosion and a fire tore through the Southfork Dairy Farms in the Texas Panhandle, close to the town of Dimmitt last week. After arriving on the site in a hurry, firefighters and law enforcement officers "determined that one person was trapped inside," the Castro County Sheriff's Office wrote on Facebook.
Chinese SC judge jailed for 12 years
A Chinese supreme court judge who accepted bribes totaling 22.7 million yuan over a 20-year period was sentenced to 12 years in prison. According to the intermediate people's court in Zhengzhou city, Judge Meng Xiang, a former director of the Supreme People's Court's enforcement bureau and member of its trial committee, was also penalised two million yuan after he admitted taking bribes between 2003 and 2020. According to the court, Meng accepted bribes in exchange for aiding others with issues like court decisions and law enforcement, winning building contracts for businesses, and influencing cadre selection, according to the Hong Kong-based media.
Norway expels 15 Russian diplomats
Norway said that it has expelled 15 Russian officials who Oslo claimed were spies operating under diplomatic cover. Anniken Huitfeldt, Norway's foreign minister, said the country would not permit Moscow to conduct "covert intelligence activities" through its embassy. It is the most recent in a series of Russian expulsions that have taken place since it started its invasion of Ukraine last year. According to a Russian news service, the Kremlin will respond and is considering an "appropriate answer". Before they were deemed persona non grata, or unpleasant or unwelcome, Norwegian authorities had "over time" monitored the individuals, according to a government statement.
32 Kenyans jailed for possession of weapons
A court martial in Uganda convicted 32 Kenyan herders who admitted to illegally possessing guns to 20 years in prison, a military source said. The 32 men were detained and tried in Moroto, which is in northeastern Uganda and borders Kenya. They were found "guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition," according to Brigadier General Joseph Balikuddembe, who is stationed in Moroto. This officer claims that after lengthy firefights, the 32 herders from Turkana County in northern Kenya were captured. Security forces and intelligence services worked together to retrieve about 31 weapons and 762 rounds, he said.