Uganda: Suspected bomb attack in Kampala after terror warnings

One person has been killed and three others injured in a suspected terrorist bombing in Uganda’s capital, Kampala.

The blast went off on Saturday night at a bar, killing a 20-year-old waitress and scattering panicked revellers on to the street outside.

Police say three suspected bombers disguised themselves as customers and planted explosives in a plastic bag.

No group or individual has admitted the attack, which the president described as “a terrorist act”.

The explosion comes one week after the UK government issued an alert about terrorism in Uganda.

It warned British citizens in the East African country – where attacks of this kind are rare – that “terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks”. It advised them to be vigilant at public places, including restaurants and bars.

Police have cordoned off the scene of the blast – a venue popular for roasted pork and beer, in a largely residential area on the city outskirts.

IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS

Image captions Forensics teams have been scouring the site for evidence

A local mayor told the BBC the community were fearful and wondered why anyone would target their neighborhood.

Police spokesman Fred Ennenga said the suspected bombers ordered food and drinks at the bar, before placing the bag under a table. The explosion went off moments after they left.

Investigators have found nails, ball bearings and other metal fragments, Mr Ennenga added, suggesting the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device.

Uganda’s President Loweri Museveni said on Twitter that the blast seemed to be a terrorist act and promised to catch the perpetrators.

“The public should not fear, we shall defeat this criminality like we have defeated all the other criminality committed by the pigs who don’t respect life,” he said.

In 2010, 74 people were killed in bomb blasts that went off at venues in Kampala where football fans were watching the screening of the World Cup final. The masterminds of the attacks, from the Islamist militant group al-Shabab, are serving life sentences.

……………………………………………………

Colombia’s most wanted drug lord Otoniel captured

Colombia’s most wanted drug trafficker and the leader of the country’s largest criminal gang has been captured.

Dairo Antonio Úsuga, better known as Otoniel, was seized after a joint operation by the army, air force and police on Saturday.

The government had offered a $800,000 (£582,000) reward for information about his whereabouts, while the US placed a $5m bounty on his head.

President Iván Duque hailed Otoniel’s capture in a televised video message.

“This is the biggest blow against drug trafficking in our country this century,” he said. “This blow is only comparable to the fall of Pablo Escobar in the 1990s.”

How was he caught?

Otoniel was captured in his rural hideout in Antioquia province in north-western Colombia, close to the border with Panama.

The operation involved 500 soldiers supported by 22 helicopters. One police officer was killed.

Otoniel had used a network of rural safe houses to move around and evade the authorities, and did not use a phone, instead relying on couriers for communication.

In the past, police have found special orthopaedic mattresses for Otoniel in these sparse homes, as he suffered back pain from a herniated disc.

Police chief Jorge Vargas has said the drug lord was fearful of capture, “never approaching inhabited areas”.

• BACKGROUND: Colombia’s hunt for an elusive drug lord

But El Tiempo newspaper said that authorities managed to pinpoint the location where he was eventually captured two weeks ago.

Chief Vargas said his movements were traced by more than 50 signal intelligence experts using satellite imagery. US and UK agencies were involved in the search.

Mr Duque, quoted by AFP news agency, described the operation as “the biggest penetration of the jungle ever seen in the military history of our country”.

IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS

Image caption,Otoniel was escorted by the security forces after his capture – and some posed for photos

Colombia’s armed forces later released a photo showing its soldiers guarding Otoniel, who was in handcuffs and wearing rubber boots.

There have been several huge operations involving thousands of officers to capture the 50-year-old in recent years, but until now none have been successful.

Who is Otoniel?

Born in Antioquia in the early 1970s, Otoniel jumped between several guerrilla and paramilitary groups – including the Farc (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), the major Marxist-Leninist rebel group, and the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC), a far-right paramilitary and drug trafficking gang.

When the AUC dissolved in 2005, he began working for the drug lord Daniel Rendón Herrera, known as Don Mario – head of the Usaga Clan, which later became known as the Gulf Clan.

Otoniel then took charge of the group after its previous leader – his brother – was killed by police in a raid on a New Year’s Eve party almost 10 years ago.

Colombia’s security forces labelled the gang as the country’s most powerful criminal organisation, while authorities in the US describe it as “heavily armed [and] extremely violent”.

The gang, which operates in many provinces and has extensive international connections, is engaged in drug and people smuggling, illegal gold mining and extortion.

It is believed to have about 1,800 armed members, who are mainly recruited from far-right paramilitary groups. Members have been arrested in Argentina, Brazil, Honduras, Peru and Spain.

The gang controls many of the routes used to smuggle drugs from Colombia to the US, and as far away as Russia.

The Colombian government, however, believes it has decimated its numbers in recent years, forcing many leading members to hide in remote regions in the jungle.

Otoniel now faces a number of charges, including sending shipments of cocaine to the US, killing police officers and recruiting children.

He was indicted in the US in 2009, and faces extradition proceedings, which could see him eventually appear in court in New York.

……………………………………………………

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: Husband begins new hunger strike in London

The husband of the detained British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is beginning a hunger strike in Whitehall, demanding the government do more to secure her release.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been held in Iran for five years on spying charges, recently lost her appeal against a second prison sentence.

Richard Ratcliffe said his wife was “increasingly distraught”.

The Foreign Office says it will “continue to press Iran” on the issue.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a 43-year-old mother-of-one from London, has been detained in Iran since 2016 and has not seen her daughter for two years.

She has been serving the second of two prison sentences, this one on parole for a conviction of propaganda against the Iranian regime. She is staying with her mother in Iran – but is not allowed to leave the country.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has always denied any wrongdoing.

But now she faces a return to prison, after losing an appeal against the most recent sentence. Mr Ratcliffe said she had already been summoned back.

• Who is Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe?
• Nazanin husband talks to Truss about detained wife
• UK and Iran in talks over £400m debt – minister

The hunger strike began on Sunday near to the Foreign Office and Downing Street in London. It is the second time Mr Ratcliffe has used the tactic, after a 15-day hunger strike outside the Iranian embassy in London in 2019.

“Two years ago I went on hunger strike in front of the Iranian embassy, on the eve of Boris Johnson taking over as prime minister,” said Mr Ratcliffe in a statement online.

“We are now giving the UK government the same treatment. In truth, I never expected to have to do a hunger strike twice. It is not a normal act. It seems extraordinary the need to adopt the same tactics to persuade government here, to cut through the accountability gap.”

He said that although Iran remained the main country responsible, “the UK is also letting us down”.

“It is increasingly clear that Nazanin’s case could have been solved many months ago – but for other diplomatic agendas. The PM needs to take responsibility for that.”

IMAGE SOURCE,FAMILY HANDOUT

Image caption,Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe after she was released from house arrest in Tehran in March 2021

He added: “It can be difficult to capture the feeling of a life wasting away, watching prison creep closer while we sit in the PM’s in-tray.”

Mr Ratcliffe said he was making four demands from Mr Johnson, including recognising Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe as a hostage, and for the UK to push for an end to hostage-taking when negotiating the Iran nuclear deal.

He also called for the government to pay the £400m debt that the UK owes Iran, dating back from a deal between the two sides over tanks in the 1970s.

Mr Ratcliffe believes his wife has been imprisoned as leverage for the debt.

He spoke to the new Foreign Secretary Liz Truss earlier this month, but said he was told the government’s response was to do nothing yet until Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was returned to prison.

“For us, reimprisonment is too late, it would mean not seeing Nazanin until 2023,” he said.

The MP Tulip Siddiq – who represents the constituency where the Zaghari-Ratcliffes live – called on the government to listen to Mr Ratcliffe.

“It breaks my heart that my constituent Richard Ratcliffe has once again been forced to go on hunger strike to protest against the government’s failure to free Nazanin,” she said.

“It should never have come to this. It’s time for the government to listen to the demands of Nazanin’s family, including paying the debt we owe to Iran, and finally bring her home.”

On Sunday, a Foreign Office spokesperson said: “Iran’s decision to proceed with these baseless charges against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is an appalling continuation of the cruel ordeal she is going through.

“Instead of threatening to return Nazanin to prison, Iran must release her permanently so she can return home.

“We are doing all we can to help Nazanin get home to her young daughter and family and we will continue to press Iran on this point.”

………………………………………………………

COVID-19 killed more people in U.S. than HIV/AIDS did in 40 years: news website

COVID-19 has become the deadliest pandemic in the U.S. history, claiming more lives than HIV/AIDS, according to news website The National.

The U.S. government’s initial approach to both HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 was “denial and indifference,” The National wrote in a report published on Friday.

When AIDS rampaged through communities in parts of the United States in early 1980s, the federal government looked the other way and even slashed spending on public health agencies, the report said.

As to the COVID-19 pandemic, when it was reported in the United States, the White House played down the risks, dismissing it as akin to “a regular flu,” the report said.

Both crises, the report added, have disproportionately affected minority groups and poorer communities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has so far killed about 730,000 people in the United States, while it is believed that at least 700,000 people in the country have died as a result of HIV/AIDS.

……………………………………………………

Texas Drag Race driver slams into spectators, killing 2 kids

A 6-year-old boy and an 8-year-old boy were killed in Saturday's crash at the Kerrville-Kerr County Airport.

KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — A driver lost control during a Texas drag racing event on an airport runway and slammed into a crowd of spectators, killing two children and injuring eight other people, authorities said.

A 6-year-old boy and an 8-year-old boy were killed in the crash Saturday afternoon at an event called “Airport Race Wars 2” at the Kerrville-Kerr County Airport, police said in a news release. The organized event was attended by thousands and involved drivers speeding down a runway as they competed for cash.

The driver “lost control and left the runway, crashing into parked vehicles and striking spectators who were observing the races,” Kerrville police said.

A police officer stands watch over the scene of a fatal drag racing crash at the Kerrville-Kerr County Airport in Kerrville, Texas, on Saturday.

VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS

The injured victims were taken to various hospitals, including a 46-year-old woman who was listed in critical condition. The majority of the other injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, although the condition of a 26-year-old man was unknown, authorities said. A 4-year-old boy and a 3-month-old girl were taken to a hospital for precautionary evaluations.

Authorities have not released the identities of the two children who were killed at the event about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northwest of San Antonio.

The Kerrville Convention and Visitors Bureau’s website promoted the event as an “action packed, family-friendly day” in which fans could watch the “fastest drag cars compete for over $8000 in total prizes.”

Upward of 3,500 people were in attendance, according to Louis Amestoy, a freelance journalist who was at the event.

The race was an eighth of a mile (0.2 kilometers) long, and water-filled plastic barriers lined the course. But Amestoy said they didn’t extend past the finish line, leaving no protection between spectators and cars as they were slowing down at the end of the race.

Spectators could get within about 15 feet (4.6 meters) of the track, and many watched the race from lawn chairs in the absence of stands. Organizers reminded people to stay in the grass and off the asphalt, Amestoy told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

The driver was nearing the end of the strip when the car veered off course, Amestoy said.

………………………………………………………………

World 200m bronze medallist Quinonez dead at 32 after shooting

World 200 metres bronze medallist Alex Quinonez has died at the age of 32 after reportedly being shot in Guayaquil.

The Ecuadorian sports ministry said Quinonez was found dead in the street on Friday.

Quinonez made history when he became the first Ecuadorian athlete to win a global medal in a track event at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, and he held national records at every sprint distance.

The sports ministry tweeted: “With great sadness, we confirm the murder of our sportsman Alex Quinonez.

“We have lost a great sportsman, someone who allowed us to dream, who moved us….he was the greatest sprinter this country produced.”

Ecuador president Guillermo Lasso tweeted on Saturday: “We are very sorry for the painful loss of Alex Quinonez, father, son, a great sprinter. Our sincere condolences to his loved ones. Rest in peace.

“Those who take the lives of Ecuadorians will not go unpunished. We will act forcefully.”

Colombia’s world and Olympic 400m silver medallist Anthony Zambrano, a training partner of Quinonez’s, posted on social media: “Brother, I cannot believe it’s true.

“We do not deserve this. What awful news. It’s a shame that life is such, but to die one has to be alive. You are great and I will always cherish you in my heart.”

Spanish football club Barcelona said Quinonez had been a part of the athletics squad in their wider sporting set-up.

Barcelona stated: “Alex Quinonez had been an FC Barcelona athlete for three years since 2018.”

The club’s athletics technical director Vicente Egido said: “The whole athletics community is shocked by this news. Alex was an excellent person and very much a Barca man, and who was highly committed to competing, and enjoying competing, for Barca.”

……………………………………………………

Kobe Bryant’s wife Vanessa first heard of his death online

Vanessa Bryant, the widow of Kobe Bryant, said she learned about the death of her husband by seeing “RIP Kobe” notifications on her phone.

Basketball star Bryant died with his daughter, 13-year-old Gianna, and seven others in the January 2020 crash.

Ms Bryant is suing the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for negligence and invasion of privacy.

She alleges that officers shared graphic photos of the crash scene, including Kobe and Gianna’s bodies.

During a deposition, a county attorney asked Ms Bryant when she was first made aware of the crash.

Ms Bryant said that she was informed by a family assistant that her husband and daughter had been in a helicopter accident, but that five people had survived. She thought that they were likely among the survivors.

But then messages started popping up on her phone.

“I was holding onto my phone, because obviously I was trying to call my husband back, and all these notifications started popping up on my phone, saying ‘RIP Kobe. RIP Kobe. RIP Kobe’,” Ms Bryant said, according to a transcript of the deposition.

“My life will never be the same without my husband and daughter,” she added.

Image caption,Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others died when a helicopter crashed in California last year

In March, Ms Bryant published the names of Los Angeles County police officers who she said shared graphic photos of the scene of the crash.

She alleges that one of the officers shared with a bartender photos of Kobe Bryant’s body and the others distributed “gratuitous photos of the dead children, parents, and coaches”.

The Los Angeles Times newspaper reported in February last year that an internal police investigation found officers shared photos of victims’ remains.

“I don’t think it’s fair that I’m here today having to fight for accountability,” Ms Bryant said.

“Because no one should ever have to endure this type of pain and fear of their family members. The pictures getting released, this is not okay.”

A giant who had his controversies

Gianna Bryant: Young basketball talent killed alongside father

Vanessa Bryant, her mother’s lawsuit and the value of childcare

Ms Bryant said that she had asked Sheriff Alex Villanueva to make sure nobody took photos at the scene.

The sheriff’s department has declined to comment on the pending lawsuit.

Ms Bryant said that she has kept the clothes her husband and daughter were wearing when they died.

“And if their clothes represent the condition of their bodies, I cannot imagine how someone could be so callous and have no regard for them or our friends, and just share the images as if they were animals on a street,” she said.

………………………………………………………