GLOBAL SNAPSHOT
1 People power again
MANILA: Thousands of prodemocracy activists have marked the anniversary of the 1986 “people power” revolt that ousted Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos with a warning against what they say are the incumbent president’s dictatorial tendencies. The activists gathered on Saturday at the “people power” revolt shrine along the main highway in metropolitan Manila, where millions of Filipinos converged 31 years ago in a largely peaceful uprising to oust Mr Marcos.
2 Car hits pedestrians
BERLIN: A man drove a car into pedestrians in a central square in the German city of Heidelberg on Saturday, injuring three people, then fled and was shot after being tracked down by officers, police said. One of the victims later died. The suspect, a 35-year-old German whose identity wasn’t released, was taken to a hospital and underwent an operation. There was no immediate word on the man’s possible motives.
3 Fiery eruption
GUATEMALA CITY: Guatemala’s Volcano of Fire erupted yesterday, spewing lava and sending up plumes of ash that rained down on nearby communities and could eventually reach the capital. The Volcan de Fuego, one of the country’s three active volcanoes, is about 45km southwest of the capital Guatemala City. It was the volcano’s second eruption this year. David de Leon, spokesman for the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction, said the volcanic activity later stabilised.
4 Rush for Canada
MONTREAL: Most of the hundreds of people streaming over the US border into Canada in recent weeks are asylumseekers, coming from Syria, Yemen, Turkey or Sudan, according to the United Nations’ refugee point man in the country. Jean-Nicolas Beuze, the representative in Canada of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said it was too soon to know whether the cross-border flow of people is an uptick or signals a longer trend.
5 Homs attack fury
GENEVA: The Syrian Government says the attacks by gunmen and suicide bombers that hit the Syrian western city of Homs won’t go unpunished. Bashar Al-Jaafari, head of the Syrian Government delegation in UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva, said the attacks were a clear message from sponsors of terrorism. The attacks targeted security offices in central Homs’ Ghouta and al-Mahatta districts, leaving dozens dead.