Four hurt in California shooting
San Francisco: At least four people were injured in a shooting along a highway in Oakland, California, police said.
The shooting took place at around 3.30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Interstate 580 and four occupants in a vehicle were injured, Xinhua news agency reported.
“At this time 4 victims have been reported injured. Traffic stopped, please use alternate routes,” the Oakland Police Department tweeted on Wednesday.
The victims were sent to local hospitals for medical treatment, and all remain in stable condition, according to the CHP. (IANS)
Philippines frees prisoners
Manila: The Philippines has released a total of 15,322 prisoners amid a rising number of Covid-19 cases, officials said on Thursday.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) of the Philippines said these inmates called “persons deprived of liberty” jailed in the facilities run by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, were freed from March 17 to June 22, Xinhua reported.
The majority of the freed prisoners are “elderly and have committed light or bailable offences,” the DILG said in a statement. It further said the freed inmates were from Metro Manila and several jail facilities across the country. (IANS)
LAPD funding slashed
Los Angeles: City leaders voted on Wednesday to slash the Los Angeles Police Department budget by USD 150 million, reducing the number of officers to a level not seen for more than a decade amid nationwide demands to shift money away from law enforcement agencies during America’s reckoning over police brutality and racial injustice.
About two-thirds of the funding was earmarked for police overtime and will be used to provide services and programs for communities of colour, including a youth summer jobs program. (AP)
80 killed in Ethiopia unrest
Addis Ababa (Ethiopia): More than 80 people have been killed in unrest in Ethiopia after a popular singer was shot dead this week, the state-run Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation says. He was buried on Thursday amid tight security.
The deaths reported on Wednesday, citing police in the Oromia region, followed the killing of Hachalu Hundessa on Monday. He had been a prominent voice in anti-government protests that led to a change in leadership in 2018. (AP)