Headline

Brazil Hit By Two New School Attacks In 24 Hours

Published

3 years ago

April 11, 2023

A 13-year-old boy stabbed three classmates Tuesday at a school in Brazil, the second such assault in 24 hours, adding to fears over spiraling school violence after a series of deadly attacks.

Brazil is on edge after a man armed with a hatchet burst into a preschool last week and hacked four children to death, shocking the nation and thrusting the issue of school safety into the spotlight.

Police said a student in the central city of Santa Tereza had thrown a firecracker into a classroom, then attacked classmates with a knife when they fled into the hallway.

He wounded three before being subdued by a janitor.

On Monday, a student in the northern city of Manaus stabbed a teacher and two classmates, media reports said.

Justice Minister Flavio Dino said Monday that a climate of panic was spreading in the wake of last Wednesday’s attack on the Good Shepherd preschool and day care center in the southern city of Blumenau.

The 25-year-old attacker climbed over the school’s wall and went on a rampage on the playground, killing four children between the ages of four and seven before handing himself in to police.

Messages have been circulating on social media warning of further school attacks, including a viral video telling parents not to send their children to school on April 20, the anniversary of the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in the US state of Colorado.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s government has announced 150 million reais (around $29 million) in federal funding to local governments to bolster security in schools.

Dino called for social networks to actively monitor content related to school violence. The government has proposed requiring the companies to fast-track requests from authorities to remove such posts.

Deadly school violence used to be relatively rare in Brazil, but has been increasing in recent years.

Last month, a 13-year-old boy killed a teacher in a knife attack at a school in Sao Paulo.

In November, a 16-year-old shooter killed four people in twin attacks on two schools in the southeastern city of Aracruz.

Brazil’s deadliest school shooting was in 2011, when a man opened fire at his former elementary school in the Rio de Janeiro suburb of Realengo, killing 12 children and then himself.

Headline

Netanyahu Asks Israeli President For Pardon From Corruption Charges

Published

19 hours ago

November 30, 2025

Editor

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has asked the country’s president for a pardon in his long-running corruption case, saying the criminal proceedings are hindering his ability to govern and that ending the trial would benefit the nation.

Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, has denied the bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges.

His lawyers told the president’s office that he still believes the legal process will eventually lead to a complete acquittal.

“My lawyers sent a request for pardon to the president of the country today. I expect that anyone who wishes for the good of the country support this step,” Netanyahu said in a brief video statement released by his Likud party.

The prime minister, who has been on trial for five years, has not admitted guilt, and neither have his lawyers. Opposition leader Yair Lapid said Netanyahu should not receive a pardon unless he admits wrongdoing, expresses remorse and immediately withdraws from political life.

Pardons in Israel are usually granted only after a conviction, but Netanyahu’s lawyers argued the president can step in when public interest is at stake, saying intervention could help heal national divisions and promote unity.

President Isaac Herzog’s office described the request as “extraordinary” with “significant implications”. His office said the president “will responsibly and sincerely consider the request” after receiving the necessary opinions.

United States President, Donald Trump, recently wrote to Herzog urging him to consider approving the pardon, describing the case against Netanyahu as “a political, unjustified prosecution”.

Herzog’s office said the request will be sent to the justice ministry’s pardons department to gather assessments that will be forwarded to the president’s legal adviser, who will prepare a recommendation.

(Reuters)

Headline

US: Four Killed, 10 Others Wounded In California Shooting

Published

1 day ago

November 30, 2025

Editor

Four people were confirmed dead and 10 others injured after a shooting at a family gathering in California, United States on Saturday night, according to US police, who described the attack as a “targeted incident.”

The incident occurred inside a banquet hall in Stockton, northeast of San Francisco, shortly before 6:00 pm, spokesperson for the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, Heather Brent, told reporters during a news briefing.

Brent said the victims, ranging from “juveniles to adults,” were rushed to nearby hospitals, noting that details about the shooting remained limited.

“What we have confirmed at this time is that there was a banquet hall where a family was celebrating. We have 14 victims of this shooting. Four of those are deceased,” Brent said.

“Early indications suggest that this may be a targeted incident. Investigators are exploring all possibilities at this time.”

The sheriff’s office posted on social media that detectives were “working to determine the circumstances leading up to this tragedy.”

“We are urging anyone with information, video footage, or who may have witnessed any part of this incident to contact the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office immediately,” the post added.

Authorities said no suspect had been identified at the time of the report.

California Governor Gavin Newsom was briefed on the development, his office said in a social media statement.

Data from the Gun Violence Archive shows there have been 504 mass shootings in the United States so far this year, including the Stockton attack.

(AFP)

Headline

FULL LIST: US To Review Green Cards From 19 ‘Countries Of Concern’ After Washington Shooting

Published

3 days ago

November 29, 2025

Editor

The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it will review the immigration status of all permanent residents, or “Green Card” holders, from Afghanistan and 18 other countries following the attack on National Guard troops in Washington, D.C.

U.S. officials identified the suspect in Wednesday’s shooting as a 29-year-old Afghan national who previously worked alongside American forces in Afghanistan.

The individual was granted asylum earlier this year, not permanent residency, according to AfghanEvac, an organisation that assists Afghans resettled in the United States after the Taliban takeover in 2021.

“I have directed a full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern,” said Joseph Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), on X.

The review follows a June executive order from President Trump classifying 19 countries as “of Identified Concern.”

The order banned entry for nearly all nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan. The full list of these countries is:

Afghanistan

Myanmar

Chad

Congo-Brazzaville

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Haiti

Iran

Libya

Somalia

Sudan

Yemen

A partial travel ban applies to seven additional countries, though some temporary work visas remain allowed: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.