MALAYSIA
Villagers die in landslide
Police say a landslide triggered by heavy rain has killed seven villagers at an indigenous settlement near the Cameron Highlands hill resort. A police official said hundreds of searchers using tracker dogs found two survivors and recovered seven bodies. The eight-hour rescue mission ended early yesterday at a village for the Orang Asli tribe. He said dozens of families were evacuated after three hillside homes were buried by a mudslide following a downpour. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make public statements.
NEW ZEALAND
Airplane engine kills man
A 51-year-old engineer working at an airplane testing facility has been sucked into an engine and killed. Air New Zealand confirmed the man was performing routine maintenance on a Lockheed C-130 Hercules airplane engine just after 8am yesterday at the Woodbourne air field in Blenheim when he was sucked into the engine. An airline spokeswoman said the engine was sitting on a stand, without propellers attached, and was not affixed to a plane at the time of the accident. Tasman Police communications manager Barbara Dunn said emergency services personnel performed CPR, but could not revive the man. The man worked for a Safe Air, a subsidiary of Air New Zealand. He has not been named pending notification of his family.
MALAYSIA
Men drown fleeing police
Police say five men have drowned in the north of the country after leaping into a river to escape a gambling raid. A police spokesman in Kedah state said the men were among 20 suspects who were playing dice games by a river on Saturday when police tried to detain them. He said five men sought to escape by swimming to another village across the river, but a search team found their bodies over the next few hours. Most of them were in their 40s and 50s. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make public statements. Betting and gambling in public without a license is punishable by a six-month prison term and a fine.
INDONESIA
Locals run from volcano
A volcano that has been spewing lava and clouds of searing gas high into the air let out a new, powerful burst yesterday, sending panicked villagers streaming down the sides of the mountain. One person was injured, said Ludianto, head of the search and rescue team — a man who fell as he was fleeing, but suffered only cuts and bruises. Mount Karangetang on Siau — part of the Sulawesi island chain — started spitting clouds of gas and lava up to 600m on Friday, volcanologist Surono said. Early yesterday, hot ash tumbled down its slopes triggering fresh panic. Nearly 600 people have been evacuated.
NIGERIA
Convicts climb out of jail
Five militants escaped from a prison in Nigeria’s main oil hub Port Harcourt on Sunday by using their metal beds as ladders to climb over the walls, a spokesman for the prison said. “Seven inmates escaped, but two have been re-arrested. The five escapees are dangerous criminals, notorious militants. We appeal to the public to assist us in re-arresting them,” said a spokesman for Port Harcourt prison. “Breaking was achieved by the use of iron beds as ladders to cross into the waterfronts.” He said 23 other inmates attempted to escape, but did not manage to get out of the prison.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
A prominent Christian leader has allegedly been stabbed at the altar during a Mass yesterday in southwest Sydney. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was saying Mass at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley just after 7pm when a man approached him at the altar and allegedly stabbed toward his head multiple times. A live stream of the Mass shows the congregation swarm forward toward Emmanuel before it was cut off. The church leader gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, amassing a large online following, Officers attached to Fairfield City police area command attended a location on Welcome Street, Wakeley following reports a number