News in Brief-2024-05-28

Tornadoes, storms kill 18 in US
TEXAS, May 27: At least 18 people were killed as tornadoes and storms tore across central areas of the US, destroying homes and cutting power to hundreds of thousands. Seven people were killed in northern Texas, eight in Arkansas, two in Oklahoma and one in Kentucky. Scores more were injured, and almost 500,000 were without electricity across several states on Sunday. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said more than a third of all counties in his state were now subject to a disaster declaration. Sheriff Ray Sappington of Cooke County, Texas, said the death toll there included two children aged two and five and three members of the same family. — BBC
France to lift state of emergency to allow
political dialogue in New Caledonia
PARIS, May 27: French President Emmanuel Macron decided Monday to lift the state of emergency in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia in a move meant to allow political dialogue following the unrest that left seven people dead and a trail of destruction, his office said. The president's office said in a statement the state of emergency won't be extended "for the moment" and will therefore end at 5 am Tuesday in New Caledonia. The decision aims at "enabling meetings of the various components" of pro-independence movement FLNKS, the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front, and allow elected officials and other local leaders "in a position to call" for lifting the barricades to go there and meet with protesters, the statement said. — AP
Putin visits Uzbekistan to cement ties
MOSCOW, May 27: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived Sunday in the capital of Uzbekistan where he is to hold talks with President Shavkay Mirziyoyev that are expected to focus on deepening the countries' relations. Putin laid a wreath at a momument to Uzbekistan's independence in Tashkent and held what the Kremlin said were informal talks with Mirziyoyev. The formal meeting of the presidents is to take place Monday. The visit is Putin's third foreign trip since being inaugurated for a fifth term in May. He first went to China, where he expressed appreciation for China's proposals for talks to end the Ukraine conflict, and later to Belarus where Russia has deployed tactical nuclear weapons. — AP
Thai MP jailed for insulting monarchy
BANGKOK, May 27: A Thai court sentenced a lawmaker from the progressive Move Forward Party to two years in jail on Monday for insulting the monarchy. Chonthicha Jaengraew was found guilty under Thailand's strict lese-majeste laws over a speech she made during an anti-government protest in 2021. MFP won the most seats in last year's general election but was blocked from forming a government by conservative forces opposed to its pledge to reform the royal defamation laws, which shield King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his close family from criticism. The court in Thanyaburi, north of Bangkok, reduced the sentence from three years because Chonthicha cooperated, her lawyer said. — AFP
US actor shot dead by car thief
NEW YORK, May 27: American actor Johnny Wactor has been shot dead in Los Angeles by a thief who was trying to steal a part from his car. The 37-year-old suffered fatal injuries after interrupting three men who were attempting to remove the catalytic converter from his parked vehicle. Wactor - who previously featured in the US soap opera General Hospital - was pronounced dead early on Saturday. Wactor's mother Scarlett told NBC4 her son was returning to his car after work and discovered a man tampering with it. Believing it was being towed and not suspecting danger, he approached the man to ask what was happening, then was immediately shot, she said. — BBC
Houthi rebels free over 100 war prisoners
CAIRO , May 27: The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on Sunday released more than 100 war prisoners linked to the country's long-running conflict, the International Committee of the Red Cross said. The unilateral release came more than a year after Yemen's warring sides freed more than 800 prisoners in a major exchange in the country in April last year. — AP