News in Brief

Date: 31 October 2021 - 21:35

News ID: ۹۶۰۴۰

TEXARKANA, Texas (AP) – One man died and nine other people were wounded in a shooting at a Halloween party in eastern Texas, police said. Gunfire erupted late Saturday at an event center in Texarkana, police said in a news release. Police estimate that “at least a couple hundred people” were there. The 10 people who were shot went to two hospitals for treatment; either by ambulance, police unit or private vehicle, police said. A 20-year-old man was later pronounced dead at one of the hospitals. His name was not released. Police said the injuries of the other nine people didn’t appear to be life-threatening. The suspected shooter hasn’t been taken into custody. Police said the suspect left the scene in an unknown vehicle.

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BANGKOK (Al Jazeera) – Protesters once again turned out onto the streets of Bangkok, calling for reforms to the Thai monarchy and the military government. With thousands in attendance, Sunday’s rally was one of the biggest protests in recent months, despite being temporarily disrupted by rain. Small-scale demonstrations have been a constant fixture, particularly in Bangkok’s Din Daeng neighborhood, some of which have led to clashes with police. It was at one of these protests that a teenage boy was shot in the head in August, leaving him in a coma for two months before he eventually died last week. One of the main themes of Sunday’s demonstration was to call for the repeal of Section 112, a draconian piece of legislation that criminalizes criticism of the king. While it was once taboo to call for reforms to the monarchy, young protesters are becoming increasingly bold in their demands.

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PAPUA (Al Jazeera) – Church leaders in Indonesia’s conflict-wracked Papua region called for calm Sunday as thousands fled to shelters after a two-year-old boy was killed in a firefight between government troops and independence-seeking rebels.
The restive region at the easternmost edge of the Southeast Asian archipelago has been the scene of intermittent clashes for decades in one of the world’s longest-running insurgencies. This week, a two-year-old boy was killed in an exchange of gunfire while a six-year-old was hospitalized for bullet wounds sustained in the midst of a firefight in Intan Jaya district, according to authorities, who said the rebels later tried to take control of the local airport. Police earlier blamed the guerrillas for the deadly shooting, but AFP could not independently verify responsibility for the killing. Conflicting accounts are common in Papua, where Indonesian security forces have long been dogged by allegations of gross rights abuses against civilians. Fearing more violence, about 2,000 Papuans have taken shelter in church-run buildings, said Father Dominikus Hodo at the Catholic Diocese in conflict-hit Timika.

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LONDON (AFP) – UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to work on “practical and operational measures” to resolve the UK-EU row over fishing rights. “The goal for both the president and the prime minister was to work towards de-escalation,” a French presidential adviser stated, AFP reported. Macron on Sunday asked Johnson to respect the rules on the question of fishing he accepted by signing the Brexit agreement with the European Union, according to an Elysee adviser. Macron and Johnson met for about 25 minutes on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Rome. France on Wednesday announced it would announce the first sanctions against Britain on November 2 for non-compliance with an agreement regarding licenses for French fishermen. Earlier, the French authorities stated that they consider the UK’s position on issuing licenses to French fishermen absolutely unacceptable and intend to consider the possibility of retaliatory measures.

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TOKYO (AP) – A man brandishing a knife on a Tokyo commuter train on Sunday stabbed several passengers before setting a fire, police said. NHK public television said at least 15 passengers were injured, including one seriously. The attacker, only identified as a man in his 20s, was arrested on the spot and is being investigated, NHK said. Tokyo police officials said the attack happened inside the Keio train near the Kokuryo station. The attacker’s motive was not immediately known. Television footage showed a number of firefighters, police officials and paramedics rescuing the passengers, many of whom escaped through train windows. The attack was the second involving a knife on a Tokyo train in two months. In August, the day before the Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony, a 36-year-old man stabbed 10 passengers on a commuter train in Tokyo in a random burst of violence. The suspect later told police that he wanted to attack women who looked happy.