Latest news with #TV5
The Star
05-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Govt open to views for online ecosystem growth
On the ground: Fahmi (left) attending the launching ceremony of TV5 Free-to-Air Digital Movie Channel at Dadi Cinema, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. — Bernama KUALA LUMPUR: The government is always open to receiving views and suggestions from various parties as part of efforts to strengthen the country's online ecosystem, says Datuk Fahmi Fadzil. The Communications Minister said concern towards online business conduct is extremely crucial to ensuring the interests of users are always protected. 'It is also to ensure fair and healthy competition in the digital economy,' he posted on Facebook. Fahmi, who is also the government spokesman, said he received a memorandum from Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung outside Dewan Rakyat here yesterday regarding a proposal for a more integrated mechanism to monitor digital business conduct, Bernama reported. He said that Lee's proposal came amid the rapid development of social media and e-commerce platforms, such as WeChat, Xiaohongshu, Shopee Live and TikTok Shop, in the country.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Yahoo
North Macedonia nightclub where blaze killed 59 lacked safety measures, says prosecutor
By Fatos Bytyci and Aleksandar Vasovic The packed nightclub in North Macedonia where 59 people were killed in a blaze at the weekend had just one emergency exit, which was locked, lacked fire extinguishers and sprinklers and contained flammable materials, the state prosecutor said. The fire broke out during a hip hop concert at the club in the town of Kocani at around 3 a.m. (0200 GMT) on Sunday when sparks from flares set a patch of ceiling alight. Hundreds of people scrambled for the venue's only exit as flames spread across the roof in the country's deadliest incident in years. "It did not have two exit doors, but only one single improvised metal door at the back of the building, which was locked and without a handle on the inside," North Macedonia's state prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski said late on Sunday. The "Pulse" nightclub, which local media reports described as a former carpet warehouse, had only two fire extinguishers and no fire alarm, Kocevski said. The ceiling was made of flammable materials and the plasterboard walls were not fire resistant. More than 150 people were injured. "(The nightclub) operated in substandard conditions. It does not have this and that, and people were making money from it. Who is responsible?" said Sasa Djenic, a school teacher whose 15-year-old daughter escaped the fire with burns on her arms. Draghi Stojanov's son died in the fire. "After this tragedy, what do I need this life for? I had one child and I lost him," he told Reuters. Some people with missing loved ones queued outside the hospital in Kocani on Monday to give DNA samples in case their relatives were not immediately identifiable. On the edge of town, which lies around 50 miles (80 km)east of the capital Skopje, bulldozers and workers with shovels dug a line of fresh graves in the Kocani cemetery. Authorities have arrested 20 people in connection with the fire, including government officials and the nightclub's manager. Kocevski said his office was working to determine the criminal liability of a number of people for "serious offences against public security" and other crimes. "The individuals acted contrary to the regulations and technical rules of the protection measures and thereby caused a danger to the life and work of people on a large scale," he said. ILLEGAL LICENCE Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said the club's licence was issued illegally by the economy ministry and promised those responsible would face justice. Former economy minister Kreshnik Bekteshi was questioned by police over the disaster, the local TV 5 broadcaster said. Reuters pictures on Monday showed the club's corrugated iron roof burned through and collapsed in places, its interior wooden beams exposed and blackened. Forty-seven people were treated in hospitals in Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Turkey. Burn specialists from Serbia, the Czech Republic and Israel were expected in North Macedonia on Monday to assist local medical staff. More would be taken to hospitals in Croatia and Romania, officials said. A nationwide week of mourning began on Monday, and a vigil for the victims was scheduled in the capital Skopje.
Reuters
17-03-2025
- Reuters
North Macedonia nightclub where blaze killed 59 lacked safety measures, says prosecutor
March 17 - The packed nightclub in North Macedonia where 59 people were killed in a blaze at the weekend had just one emergency exit, which was locked, lacked fire extinguishers and sprinklers and contained flammable materials, the state prosecutor said. The fire broke out during a hip hop concert at the club in the town of Kocani at around 3 a.m. (0200 GMT) on Sunday when sparks from flares set a patch of ceiling alight. Hundreds of people scrambled for the venue's only exit as flames spread across the roof in the country's deadliest incident in years. "It did not have two exit doors, but only one single improvised metal door at the back of the building, which was locked and without a handle on the inside," North Macedonia's state prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski said late on Sunday. The "Pulse" nightclub, which local media reports described as a former carpet warehouse, had only two fire extinguishers and no fire alarm, Kocevski said. The ceiling was made of flammable materials and the plasterboard walls were not fire resistant. More than 150 people were injured. "(The nightclub) operated in substandard conditions. It does not have this and that, and people were making money from it. Who is responsible?" said Sasa Djenic, a school teacher whose 15-year-old daughter escaped the fire with burns on her arms. Draghi Stojanov's son died in the fire. "After this tragedy, what do I need this life for? I had one child and I lost him," he told Reuters. Some people with missing loved ones queued outside the hospital in Kocani on Monday to give DNA samples in case their relatives were not immediately identifiable. On the edge of town, which lies around 50 miles (80 km)east of the capital Skopje, bulldozers and workers with shovels dug a line of fresh graves in the Kocani cemetery. Authorities have arrested 20 people in connection with the fire, including government officials and the nightclub's manager. Kocevski said his office was working to determine the criminal liability of a number of people for "serious offences against public security" and other crimes. "The individuals acted contrary to the regulations and technical rules of the protection measures and thereby caused a danger to the life and work of people on a large scale," he said. ILLEGAL LICENCE Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said the club's licence was issued illegally by the economy ministry and promised those responsible would face justice. Former economy minister Kreshnik Bekteshi was questioned by police over the disaster, the local TV 5 broadcaster said. Reuters pictures on Monday showed the club's corrugated iron roof burned through and collapsed in places, its interior wooden beams exposed and blackened. Forty-seven people were treated in hospitals in Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Turkey. Burn specialists from Serbia, the Czech Republic and Israel were expected in North Macedonia on Monday to assist local medical staff. More would be taken to hospitals in Croatia and Romania, officials said. A nationwide week of mourning began on Monday, and a vigil for the victims was scheduled in the capital Skopje.
USA Today
16-03-2025
- USA Today
'What a tragedy': Fire at North Macedonia nightclub kills 59, injures over 100
'What a tragedy': Fire at North Macedonia nightclub kills 59, injures over 100 Fire ripped through a packed nightclub early on Sunday in the North Macedonian town of Kocani, killing 59 people and injuring more than 100, after sparks ignited the roof over a live band. Arrest warrants have been issued for four people in connection with the fire, said interior minister Pance Toskovski. State news agency Mia said that police have detained the owner of the club over the incident. One video from the event, verified by Reuters, showed a band playing on stage flanked by two flares, the white sparks of which set the ceiling alight. Friends and family were separated in a panicked rush to the exits. "Everyone was trying to save themselves," survivor Marija Taseva, 22, told local TV 5. As she tried to escape, Taseva fell to the ground and people trod over her, leaving her with an injury on her cheek. In the rush, she lost contact with her sister, who is still missing. "We can't find her in any hospital," she said. Interior Minister Pance Toskovski confirmed that the fire, which began at around 3 a.m., was caused by "pyrotechnic devices" whose sparks triggered the blaze. About 148 people were hospitalised in Skopje, Kocani and surrounding towns, Health Minister Arben Taravari said at a press conference. Eighteen people were critically injured, Taravari said. North Macedonia's MRT public broadcaster reported that 27 people were hospitalized at the Skopje City Hospital with severe burns, and another 23 were being treated at the Clinical Center. Among the injured were minors, it said. People searched for missing loved ones online and at hospitals across the country on Sunday. Simeon Sokolov, 50, found his daughter Anastasija at the emergency ward of the September 8 hospital in the capital Skopje, where she was being treated for burns and smoke inhalation. "I just know that there are many children who have suffered," he told Reuters. "Doctors are doing their job and the number is big." Some patients were flown to neighbouring Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece for treatment, authorities from those countries said. Investigation North Macedonia's Public Prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski said five prosecutors would investigate the incident. "At the moment, orders have been issued for collecting of evidence" and some people were being interviewed, Kocevski said, without elaborating. Firefighters doused the charred and smoking entrance to the "Pulse" nightclub before dawn as ambulances rushed from the scene, TV footage from a local broadcaster showed. Reuters pictures showed the club's corrugated iron roof burned through and collapsed in places, its interior wooden beams exposed and blackened. North Macedonia Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said on Facebook: "This is a difficult and very sad day for Macedonia! The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, the pain of the families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable." After visiting the injured in a hospital in Skopje, North Macedonia's President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, dressed in black and fighting tears, said authorities were ready to do everything to help all affected. "I simply cannot comprehend this ... what a disaster, what a tragedy." (Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic, Fatos Bytyci and Lefteris Papadimas; Writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Yahoo
'What a tragedy': Fire at North Macedonia nightclub kills 59, injures over 100
Fire ripped through a packed nightclub early on Sunday in the North Macedonian town of Kocani, killing 59 people and injuring more than 100, after sparks ignited the roof over a live band. Arrest warrants have been issued for four people in connection with the fire, said interior minister Pance Toskovski. State news agency Mia said that police have detained the owner of the club over the incident. One video from the event, verified by Reuters, showed a band playing on stage flanked by two flares, the white sparks of which set the ceiling alight. Friends and family were separated in a panicked rush to the exits. "Everyone was trying to save themselves," survivor Marija Taseva, 22, told local TV 5. As she tried to escape, Taseva fell to the ground and people trod over her, leaving her with an injury on her cheek. In the rush, she lost contact with her sister, who is still missing. "We can't find her in any hospital," she said. Interior Minister Pance Toskovski confirmed that the fire, which began at around 3 a.m., was caused by "pyrotechnic devices" whose sparks triggered the blaze. About 148 people were hospitalised in Skopje, Kocani and surrounding towns, Health Minister Arben Taravari said at a press conference. Eighteen people were critically injured, Taravari said. North Macedonia's MRT public broadcaster reported that 27 people were hospitalized at the Skopje City Hospital with severe burns, and another 23 were being treated at the Clinical Center. Among the injured were minors, it said. People searched for missing loved ones online and at hospitals across the country on Sunday. Simeon Sokolov, 50, found his daughter Anastasija at the emergency ward of the September 8 hospital in the capital Skopje, where she was being treated for burns and smoke inhalation. "I just know that there are many children who have suffered," he told Reuters. "Doctors are doing their job and the number is big." Some patients were flown to neighbouring Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece for treatment, authorities from those countries said. North Macedonia's Public Prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski said five prosecutors would investigate the incident. "At the moment, orders have been issued for collecting of evidence" and some people were being interviewed, Kocevski said, without elaborating. Firefighters doused the charred and smoking entrance to the "Pulse" nightclub before dawn as ambulances rushed from the scene, TV footage from a local broadcaster showed. Reuters pictures showed the club's corrugated iron roof burned through and collapsed in places, its interior wooden beams exposed and blackened. North Macedonia Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said on Facebook: "This is a difficult and very sad day for Macedonia! The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, the pain of the families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable." After visiting the injured in a hospital in Skopje, North Macedonia's President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, dressed in black and fighting tears, said authorities were ready to do everything to help all affected. "I simply cannot comprehend this ... what a disaster, what a tragedy." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fire at North Macedonia nightclub kills 59, injures over 100
