MARSEILLE (AP) – A French man with a knife injured three police officers in the southern city of Marseille on Saturday, and was killed by police after repeatedly ignoring warning shots, authorities said. The reason for the attack was unclear. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin described a “violent attack with a knife” and said police were able to “neutralize the victim and avoid the worst.” Speaking from the site of the attack, Darmanin said the attacker was not known to police and had no police record. He said the officers tried various ways to warn him that didn’t work, and “then they opened fire and stopped him.” City officials at the scene said three officers were injured and one was hospitalized. The national antiterrorism prosecutor’s office said it is examining what happened before determining whether to open an investigation into terrorism. France has been hit by several deadly extremist attacks in recent years. 

 

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WASHINGTON (Xinhua) – Two women were killed and nine others injured after a vehicle plowed through an outdoor seating area of a restaurant in northwest Washington, DC at lunchtime Friday.  A preliminary investigation shows that an elderly man lost control of his SUV while driving alone, and “he’s remained cooperative,” Commander Duncan Bedlion of the Second District within the Metropolitan Police Department told reporters. “All indications are this was truly accidental,” Bedlion said. “There were no indications this was intentional,” Xinhua news agency reported. Eight people were taken to hospitals with various injuries, and five of them were in critical condition, including the two women who later died. Three others were treated and released on the scene, according to DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services officials. “This is rare, we haven’t had an incident like this in many years,” DC Fire Chief John A. Donnelly said. “Hitting a crowd of people is a very serious event that results in a lot of injuries, that’s what we’re dealing with right now.”

 

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NAIROBI (Reuters) – Ethiopia’s government said on Saturday it would act against the perpetrators after a video appeared on social media showing armed men, some in military uniforms, burning civilians to death in the country’s west. The Ethiopia Government Communication Service said in a statement on its Facebook page that the incident occurred in the Ayisid Kebele of Metekel Zone in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, a site of frequent ethnic violence for more than a year in which hundreds of civilians have died. “A horrific and inhumane act was recently committed... In a series of horrific images circulated on social media, innocent civilians were burned to death,” the statement read. It did not say when the events took place or who was responsible. “Regardless of their origin or identity, the government will take legal action against those responsible for this gross and inhumane act.” Reuters was not able to verify the time and location where the video was filmed or the actions it showed. In the video, some of the men in the crowd are wearing Ethiopian military uniforms as well as uniforms from other regional security forces. Military spokesperson Col. Getnet Adane and government spokesperson Legesse Tulu did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The violence in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, which is home to several ethnic groups, is separate from the war in the northern Tigray region that erupted in November 2020 between Ethiopian federal forces and rebellious forces of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

 

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PENNSYLVANIA (AP) – A late winter storm blowing into the northeastern United States on Saturday had forecasters warning of as much as a foot of snow and high winds after the system brought wintry conditions to southern states. The National Weather Service said 7 to 12 inches (18 to 30 centimeters) could be expected in northern areas of Pennsylvania and New York with winds gusting as high as 45 mph (72 kph). Philadelphia residents, while expecting only a few inches of snow, were warned that blizzard-like conditions were possible at one point, and later a flash freeze was possible with wet surfaces rapidly becoming icy due to falling temperatures. Gale warnings were in effect in coastal New Jersey and Delaware areas, with gusts of 40 to 50 mph possible and forecasters warning of tree damage and resulting power outages as well as rough boating conditions. A wind advisory was in effect for other areas. The system also brought snow and rain to several southern states, including Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi, on Friday and Saturday. There were over 75,000 customers without power in Georgia as of Saturday morning, according to utility tracking website.

 

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NEW DELHI (Xinhua) – The Indian government Saturday said over 100 rallies were carried out to raise public awareness about under-nutrition across the country. The rallies were organized by the federal ministry of rural development and nearly 5,000 women were part of the campaign - Freedom From Malnutrition - to spread the word. With an aim to create awareness on under-nutrition, anemia and low birth babies amongst rural women, more than 5,000 female trainees organized more than 100 rallies across the country, according to the ministry. “Women candidates marched and cycled across villages holding informative placards and posters as part of the rallies,” the ministry said. Various stakeholders, state rural livelihood missions, rural self employment training institutes, project implementation agencies and program beneficiaries also rallied to reinforce the importance of nutrition amongst rural women. Last year, the Indian government’s women and child development ministry said 3.3 million children in India were malnourished and more than half of them fall in the severely malnourished category with Maharashtra, Bihar and Gujarat topping the list.