Death toll from Iran port blast rises to 28
Tehran, April 27: The death toll from a large explosion at a port in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province has risen to 28, media reported on Sunday. The cause of the incident remained undetermined, the report said. Official IRNA news agency said that the number of individuals injured in the blast and subsequent fire had reached 800, with six people still missing. Footage from closed-circuit cameras at the scene showed a limited fire starting near several containers in an area of the port at 12:05 p.m. local time, which then expanded and caused the significant explosion nearly 90 seconds later, it was reported. (IANS)
Three dead in Sicily shooting
Rome, April 27: At least three people were killed and two others injured in a shooting in Palermo, the capital of Italy’s Sicily, media reported. The report said on Sunday that the incident was triggered by a dispute between two groups of young people in a pizzeria near the busy Duomo di Monreale square. The confrontation then escalated into a shooting. Andrea Miceli, 26, died on Sunday at Palermo’s Civico Hospital, where he had been in critical condition, Xinhua news agency reported. Two others, Salvatore Turdo, 23, and Massimo Pirozzo, 26, were pronounced dead shortly after the shooting. Two additional individuals, aged 33 and 16, sustained gunshot wounds. (IANS)
Uganda declares end of Ebola outbreak
Mbale (Uganda), April 27: Uganda has declared an end to the Ebola Sudan Virus Disease (SVD) outbreak after completing a 42-day mandatory countdown without any new confirmed cases reported, less than three months after the virus was detected in the capital, Kampala. Ugandan Minister of Health Ruth Aceng on Saturday made the announcement at Busamagga Primary School Playground in the eastern city of Mbale, one of the areas affected by Ebola. The World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines require that for a country to be declared Ebola-free, it must spend 42 days (two 21-day incubation cycles of the virus) without any new cases reported. (IANS)
Protesting teachers clash with police in Nepal
Kathmandu, April 27: Police and protesting teachers clashed at New Baneshwar in Nepal on Sunday during a demonstration, according to local media reports. The confrontation broke out when teachers gathered on the Bijulibazar–New Baneshwar road section and attempted to breach a restricted area, prompting police to intervene. Tensions escalated rapidly, as protesters hurled stones at the police. In response, police forces used batons and water cannons to disperse the demonstrators, according to the leading Nepali newspaper, The Kathmandu Post. The Teachers’ Federation Nepal, an umbrella body representing school teachers, has been staging demonstrations for the past 25 days, demanding the immediate promulgation of the School Education Act that incorporates their various demands. (IANS)