At least 14 civilians killed in Ecuador attacks: Police
'We have approximately 12 people dead and three wounded,' Major Oscar Valencia, police chief of the southwestern town of El Empalme, told reporters, adding the attackers fired at another group near the site of the initial massacre, killing two more people.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
12 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Four killed, hundreds arrested in Angola protests over fuel hike
Violent protests in Angola over a fuel price hike killed at least four people and led to hundreds of arrests, with unrest continuing in a few parts of the capital Luanda on Tuesday, police said. Monday's violence, which involved looting, acts of vandalism and clashes with police, followed a government decision early this month to increase the diesel price by one-third to ease the strain of costly fuel subsidies on public finances. Minibus taxi associations, which in turn hiked their fares by up to 50 percent, launched a three-day strike to protest the move on Monday, when the violence erupted. More than 500 people were arrested, and shops, banks, buses and private vehicles were vandalized, national police spokesperson Mateus Rodrigues told a press conference, saying there were still 'pockets of disorder' in parts of Luanda. The Southern African oil-producing country has been gradually cutting fuel subsidies since 2023, when protests over a petrol price hike also turned deadly.
Arab News
17 hours ago
- Arab News
Britain tries to tackle youth knife crime crisis
HINDHEAD: A year after one of Britain's most harrowing knife attacks, the government is urging young people to drop off bladed weapons at 'amnesty' bins or mobile vans in a month-long campaign — part of efforts to control knife-related violence, particularly when it involves youths. On July 29, 2024, teenager Axel Rudakubana, who was obsessed with violence and genocide, attacked a Taylor Swift-themed children's dance event in the northern English town of Southport, killing three girls and stabbing 10 other people. Since then, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government has pledged tougher age checks for knife buyers, warned social media firms they could face fines for failing to curb sales and promotion of weapons, and banned zombie-style knives and ninja swords. Starmer launched a coalition in September last year aimed at tackling youth knife crime. Actor and anti-knife campaigner Idris Elba joined the conversation at a meeting this month, alongside King Charles. Charities and experts interviewed by Reuters call the government's efforts a step forward but say they largely fail to address the root causes. Some charities involved in classes and workshops aimed at young people are urging the government to make such education part of the national curriculum. Overall, knife crime in England and Wales has risen 87 percent over the past decade, with 54,587 offenses last year alone, a 2 percent rise from 2023 and among the highest rates in Europe, figures from Britain's interior ministry show. It did not provide a breakdown of knife crime offenses by age group. But data from the justice ministry showed that in the year to March 2024 there were just over 3,200 knife or offensive weapon offenses committed by children (aged 10-17) resulting in a caution or sentence. Of the 262 people killed with a knife or sharp object in the 12 months to March 2024, 57 were under 25. Kitchen knives were the most commonly used weapons. A public inquiry into the Southport murders that opened this month will begin by looking into the specifics of Rudakubana's case before a second phase examines the wider issue of children being drawn into violence, an increasing concern for British authorities. Amanda Marlow, from the youth charity Safety Center, which runs knife crime awareness workshops in schools, says young people carry knives for a range of reasons. These include seeing it as a 'quick fix' to make money when growing up in poverty, trying to gain status among peers, or being drawn into the wrong crowd, such as gangs, where they are often exploited. Some police forces have launched dedicated knife crime units. In the West Midlands, one of the country's worst-hit areas, the Guardian Taskforce focuses on reducing knife crime among under-25s. In June alone, officers patrolled for over 3,000 hours, carried out 366 stop-and-searches, and seized 57 knives or offensive weapons. 'Every knife seized is a life saved,' Inspector Kate Jeffries of the taskforce said in a statement. After surviving the Southport stabbings, Leanne Lucas launched the 'Let's Be Blunt' campaign, calling for safer, rounded-tip kitchen knives instead of pointed ones. POVERTY AND MENTAL HEALTH Jade Levell, a researcher at the University of Bristol who studies masculinity, vulnerability and violence, said anti-knife crime efforts should focus on early intervention, such as mental health care, rather than short-term fixes like amnesty bins. 'Some boys see their only option is to be afraid or to make others afraid of them,' Levell said, referring to those growing up with violence, poverty or discrimination. Some 4.5 million children are growing up in poverty in the UK, according to charities. In 2023, about 1 in 5 children and young people aged 8 to 25 years had a probable mental disorder, according to the National Health Service. The government announced funding this month for hubs offering mental health and career support for young people at risk of gang involvement, violence or knife crime. The scheme, focused on high-risk areas, is starting with eight such centers and aims to have 50 open in the next four years. EDUCATING YOUNG PEOPLE The violent death of his son two years ago prompted Martin Cosser to found a charity dedicated to educating young people about knife crime, one of several such initiatives around the country. Charlie's Promise, named after 17-year-old Charlie who was stabbed multiple times in the chest by another teenager at a packed end-of-term party, has spoken to 41,000 young people in schools and elsewhere. 'Nothing brings my little boy home,' said Cosser, adding that far more must be done to stop the knife crime crisis spiralling out of control. 'We need to understand the emotional drivers behind why people pick up knives.' Charity Safety Center delivers workshops in schools, specifically designed for children aged 9 to 12. At a recent session in a school in the southern English town of Milton Keynes, staff from the charity explained what knife crime is and the dangers it poses, encouraging active participation through questions and games. Safety Center and Charlie's Promise are among several groups calling for such education to become a mandatory part of the national school curriculum. Amani Simpson, who survived being stabbed in 2011 and now shares his story as a youth coach, believes societal pressures and some forms of entertainment such as violent video games also play a role in spawning knife crime. 'Young people feel displaced and disengaged ... those things need to be uprooted,' Simpson said after a talk at TCES North West London, a special education school, emphasising the importance of helping them believe in their own potential so they make better choices. 'Hope for me is the missing piece,' he said.
Al Arabiya
21 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Five dead after Manhattan skyscraper shooting: Reports
Five people including a police officer and the suspected gunman were killed following a shooting Monday in central Manhattan, US media reported. 'Four people, including a New York Police Department officer, were killed in today's shooting in Midtown Manhattan,' a law enforcement source told broadcaster CNN, adding that the suspected gunman died from what is believed to be a 'self-inflicted injury.' Mayor Eric Adams said on X an officer had been 'struck down' and expressed his 'deepest sympathies' to the family of the officer, although a department spokeswoman said she could neither confirm nor deny an officer had been killed. Police said the scene, around Park Avenue and East 51st Street, had been 'contained and the lone shooter is dead,' without providing details about the identity of the suspect. 'At this time, the scene has been contained and the lone shooter has been neutralized,' police commissioner Jessica Tisch wrote on X. Office worker Shad Sakib told AFP that he was packing his things to leave work when a public address announcement warned him and his colleagues to shelter in place. 'Everyone was confused with like, 'Wait, what's going on?' And then someone finally realized that it's online, that someone walked in with a machine gun,' said the witness, who wore a grey suit jacket. 'He walked right into a building right next door. We saw the photo of him walking through the same area that I walked through to get lunch here. 'You would think it won't happen to you, and then it does.' Another witness, a woman who declined to give her name as she left the vicinity of the shooting, told AFP, 'I was in the building. He went floor by floor.' Witnesses told AFP the incident happened in an office block that is home to the Blackstone investment company. Police officers deployed a drone near Park Avenue at the height of the evening rush hour as dozens of officers swarmed the area, some carrying long guns and others wearing ballistic vests. A number of ambulances had gathered in the vicinity and several helicopters hovered above the scene. Police repeatedly pushed back journalists and members of the public who gathered to see what was happening in the normally calm but busy area of Midtown Manhattan. The area is home to several five-star business hotels, as well as a number of corporate headquarters, including Colgate Palmolive and auditor KPMG. Earlier, the mayor had told New Yorkers that 'there is an active shooter investigation taking place in Midtown right now. Please take proper safety precautions if you are in vicinity and do not go outside if you are near Park Avenue and East 51st Street.' New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she had been briefed on the shooting.
