Foreign
‘Multiple’ Victims In Shooting At Super Bowl Victory Parade
Multiple people were injured when gunfire broke out at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory rally on Wednesday, triggering panic among huge crowds of fans gathered to celebrate their team’s success.
Kansas City police said two armed individuals were taken into custody following the shooting at Union Station, just yards from where Chiefs players had addressed cheering supporters moments earlier.
“Anyone nearby needs to leave the area as quickly as possible to facilitate treatment of the shooting victims,” local police said on X, formerly Twitter.
Fans scrambled to flee the scene as police worked to clear Union Station in an ugly end to what had been a joyous Chiefs victory parade.
Earlier, hundreds of thousands of red-clad fans had greeted Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his team-mates as they made their way along a two-mile (three-kilometer) route on a procession of double-decker buses, enveloped by a blizzard of red and gold confetti.
Mahomes, at one stage clutching a can of beer and the Vince Lombardi Trophy, and several Chiefs players dismounted the buses, high-fived and took selfies with fans, many of whom began lining up before dawn to snaffle prime viewing positions.
– Huge crowds –
Local media had cited local officials as saying more than one million people were expected for the parade, which was held in unseasonably sunny, warm conditions in downtown Kansas City.
The Chiefs were celebrating their third Super Bowl title in five seasons after beating the San Francisco 49ers in overtime in Las Vegas on Sunday to cement the team’s dynasty status.
But the team’s most famous fan — music superstar Taylor Swift, who is dating Chiefs icon Travis Kelce — was not part of the celebrations.
The singer, whose relationship this season with Kelce became a cultural phenomenon, sprinted back to the United States on Saturday from the latest leg of her money-spinning world tour in order to watch Sunday’s Super Bowl in ‘Sin City’.
However as Kelce and the Chiefs celebrated on Wednesday, Swift was reportedly en route to Australia where she is due to perform in Melbourne on Friday.
The charismatic Kelce appeared on stage with his team-mates at the victory rally looking wobbly on his feet.
Team-mates appeared to prop Kelce up as he attempted to sing a version of country singer Garth Brooks’ song “Friends in Low Places.”
At one stage, Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay Jr was captured lying flat on the ground, holding what appeared to be a bottle of Hennessy cognac.
Running back Isiah Pacheco also jogged down the parade route holding a baby goat wearing a Mahomes jersey.
AFP
Foreign
10-Storey Hotel in Argentina, Collapses, Leaving One Dead, Several Trapped
A hotel collapse in Villa Gesell, Argentina has resulted in one confirmed fatality and numerous individuals believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.
The 10-storey Dubrovnik Hotel collapsed early on Tuesday, according to reports. The hotel, which was undergoing renovations, is thought to have had up to 15 occupants at the time of the incident.
Rescue teams are currently on-site, working to free those who may be trapped. Local reports indicate that an elderly man in his 80s has perished in the collapse.
Municipal authorities had ordered a halt to the construction work in August due to the renovations proceeding without the necessary permits. Despite this, neighbours reported that work continued in defiance of the suspension order.
Argentina’s National Security Minister, Patricia Bullrich, announced on X that two specialised rescue teams, including structural engineers, rescue specialists, and a dog unit trained for collapsed buildings, had been deployed to the site in Buenos Aires province. The teams have specialist machinery and resources to aid the rescue efforts.
Javier Alonso, the province’s Security Minister, informed local radio that four bricklayers working on the site had survived the collapse and were subsequently detained by police.
Foreign
Iran moves to triple military budget amid Israel tensions
By Francesca Hangeior
Iran’s government has proposed to triple its military budget, its spokeswoman said Tuesday, as tensions with arch-rival Israel rise following recent tit-for-tat missile strikes.
Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani outlined the move that would see “a significant increase of more than 200 per cent in the country’s military budget” at a news conference in Tehran.
She did not elaborate and Tehran has not disclosed any figures, but according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute think tank, Iran’s military spending in 2023 was about $10.3 billion.
The proposed budget will be debated, with lawmakers expected to finalise it in March.
Iran and Israel on Monday accused each other of endangering Middle East peace in a heated exchange at a UN meeting.
It came days after Israel carried out strikes on Iran in response to an October 1 missile barrage that the Islamic Republic launched against Israel.
Iran’s October 1 strike, involving 200 missiles, was in retaliation for attacks that killed the leaders of the Iran-backed groups Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as one of its own commanders.
“All efforts have been made to meet the country’s defence needs and special attention has been paid to this issue,” the government spokeswoman Mohajerani said.
The regional tensions flared after Israel launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip to eliminate the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in response to the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
Since last month, Israel has also been battling Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement.
Foreign
Suicides among Japan’s youth remain high – Report reviewed
By Francesca Hangeior
A government report on Tuesday showed that the number of suicides among elementary, junior high and high school students in Japan remained high in 2023.
According to the country’s 2024 Suicide Prevention White Paper, the number of elementary to high school students, who committed suicide in Japan, stood at 513 in 2023, against the record high of 514 in the previous year.
The data breakdown shows that 347 high school students, 153 junior high students, and 13 elementary students died by suicide in 2023.
I sold wristwatch, did okada, keke work; now I have fame but no money — Angel Babaorobo, Skit Maker0:00 / 0:00
The white paper stated that common causes of elementary students’ suicides included “discipline and reprimands” from family.
Junior high and high school boys cited school-related issues such as “academic struggles” and “career concerns”, according to the report.
Japan’s total number of suicides in 2023 reached 21,837, a decrease of 44 from the previous year.
The suicide rate, indicating deaths per 100,000 people, held steady at 17.6.
Since 2020, suicide rates have increased across most age groups in Japan.
The highest suicide rates were among the unemployed, although the number of suicides among working individuals also increased, the data showed.
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