Two US pilots shot down over Red
Sea in 'friendly fire' incident
WASHINGTON, Dec 22: Two US Navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea early Sunday in "an apparent case of friendly fire," the American military said. Both pilots were recovered alive but "initial assessments indicate that one of the crew members sustained minor injuries," the United States Central Command said late Saturday local Florida time-where CENTCOM is headquartered. "This incident was not the result of hostile fire, and a full investigation is underway." CENTCOM said the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg "mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18" fighter aircraft, which was flown by the Navy pilots off another ship, the USS Harry S. Truman. — AFP
Nigeria stampede toll hits 32
LAGOS, Dec 22: A stampede outside a centre distributing rice to citizens in southern Nigeria killed 32 people, authorities said Sunday, the latest in a spate of such incidents in Africa's most populous country. Saturday's crowd crush in the town of Okija came on the same day a separate stampede outside a church giving food to the "vulnerable and elderly" in the capital Abuja killed at least 10 people, prompting Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu to clear his schedule in the wake of the twin tragedies. A spokesman for the Anambra state police expressed commiserations to the families and friends of those killed in Okija. — AFP
Large earthquake hits Vanuatu again
SYDNEY, Dec 22: A magnitude-6.1 earthquake rattled buildings on Vanuatu's main island early Sunday but did not appear to have caused major damage, five days after a more powerful quake wreaked havoc and killed 12 people. The nation's most populous island, Efate, is still reeling from the deadly 7.3-magnitude temblor on Tuesday, which toppled concrete buildings and set off landslides in and around the capital of Port Vila. The latest quake occurred at a depth of 40 kilometres (25 miles) and was located some 30 kilometres west of the capital, which has been shaken by a string of aftershocks. — AFP
Australia bushfire to burn for weeks
SYDNEY, Dec 22 : Residents who have evacuated several towns in southeast Australia due to a major bushfire have been told they could be away from home for several weeks as the fire continues to grow. Thousands of people in six towns in and around the Grampians National Park, approximately 230 kilometers west of Melbourne in the southeastern state of Victoria, were ordered to evacuate on Friday and Saturday as a bushfire in the park threatened homes and lives. — Xinhua
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