5 killed, 2 injured in Norway bow-and-arrow attack
Five people were killed and two others were injured after a man armed with a bow and arrow went on a rampage in the Norwegian town of Kongsberg. The police said the alleged attacker has been arrested. He acted alone but his motive is not clear. Both of the injured – one of them a policeman – are in hospital. The attack, southwest of the capital of Oslo, is the deadliest in Norway since 2011, when far-right extremist Anders Breivik killed 77 people.
Putin denies using gas as a weapon
President Vladimir Putin has denied Russia was using gas as a weapon and said he was ready to help ease Europe’s energy crunch as the EU called an emergency summit to tackle skyrocketing prices.Energy demand has surged as economies have rebounded from the pandemic, driving up prices of oil, gas and coal, stoking inflationary pressures. China, the world’s second biggest economy, has boosted coal output and imports, as domestic coal prices have hit record levels and power stations have struggled to keep the lights on in homes and factories. The International Energy Agency has called for tripling investment in renewables to steady markets and fight climate change.
UK urges ‘intensive talks’ for N. Ireland protocol
The UK Government has said it was “ready to work hard” to safeguard peace in Northern Ireland, after the European Union announced proposals to cut red tape in trade across the Irish Sea. EU Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic yesterday unveiled a series of measures that would slash regulatory checks and dramatically cut customs processes on the movement of goods between Britain and the island of Ireland. The UK Government has called for “intensive talks” to follow the EU’s proposals, which would see an 80% reduction in checks envisaged for retail agri-food products arriving in N.Ireland from the UK.
‘China to examine 2019 blood samples in Wuhan’
In an exclusive, CNN reports China is preparing to examine up to 200,000 blood samples taken in the city of Wuhan before the COVID-19 pandemic exploded, to help shed light on how and when the responsible coronavirus passed from animal to man. Meanwhile, WHO says a new taskforce may be the last chance to find the origins of COVID-19. It has nominated 26 experts to join the Scientific Advisory Group on the Origins of Novel Pathogens (Sago).
German health expert calls on government to legalise cannabis
Social Democratic Party health expert Karl Lauterbach on Wednesday urged the SPD, the Greens and Free Democrats (FDP), hoping to form Germany’s next government, to legalise cannabis should they come to power. Speaking with Germany’s Rheinische Post newspaper, Lauterbach, who was against legalising cannabis for years, said his change of heart was prompted by the fact that police now report finding other substances mixed into cannabis. Lauterbach said legalisation would protect consumers. However, police and teachers have spoken out against the idea.
Pope John Paul I to start the road for beatification
Pope John Paul I will be beatified. Pope Francis has authorised the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree concerning the miracle attributed to his intercession. This is the healing that took place on 23 July 2011 in Buenos Aires, of an eleven-year-old girl suffering from numerous daily seizures and a septic state of bronchopneumonia.
World record holder Agnes Tirop found dead
Kenyan world record holder Agnes Tirop has been found stabbed to death at her home in the western town of Iten, with police treating her husband, who has gone missing, as a suspect. The 25-year-old, two-time World Athletics Championships bronze medallist, who finished fourth in the Olympic 5,000m final two months ago, last month set the world record for a women’s only 10km road race in Germany.
‘Mom hosted teen sex parties and plied kids with alcohol’
A California woman has been charged with hosting parties for teenagers where she provided alcohol and encouraged sex acts, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. The 47-year-old allegedly bought alcohol and provided condoms to the teens at the parties, and discouraged them from telling their parents about the events or calling emergency services for help when they passed out or vomited from intoxication. Many of the children at the parties were as young as 14 and 15 years old. The woman faces 39 criminal counts, including felony child abuse, sexual assault and providing alcohol to minors.
