9 killed, 10 hurt in South African pub shooting
Johannesburg, Dec 21: Nine people have died, and at least 10 others were wounded after a group of gunmen carried out a shooting at a South African pub during the early hours of Sunday, authorities said. The incident occurred just before 1 am in the township of Bekkersdal, which is located 46 kilometres (28 miles) west of Johannesburg. It is the second mass shooting to happen in South Africa in three weeks. About 12 unknown suspects in a white mini-bus and a silver sedan opened fire at pub patrons at KwaNoxolo tavern, in the Tambo section of Bekkersdal and continued to shoot randomly as they fled the scene, according to police. “Some victims were randomly shot in the streets by unknown gunmen,” the police said of the incident that left nine people dead and 10 hospitalised. (PTI)
US stops second merchant vessel off Venezuela coast
Washington, Dec 21: US forces on Saturday stopped a vessel off the coast of Venezuela for the second time in less than two weeks as President Donald Trump continues to ramp up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The move, which was confirmed by two US officials familiar with matter, comes days after Trump announced a “blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers coming in and out of the South American country and follows the December 10 seizure by American forces of an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast. The officials were not authorized to discuss publicly the ongoing military operation and spoke on condition of anonymity. The action was described as a “consented boarding,” with the tanker stopping voluntarily and allowing US forces to board it, one official said. The Pentagon and White House officials did not immediately respond to a requests for comment. Trump earlier this month announced that Coast Guard had seized an oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea and vowed that the US would carry out a blockade of Venezuela. (PTI)
