Foreign News
Fireworks in Hawaii home spark deadly explosion, killing at least three
An explosion set off by fireworks has killed at least three people in a residential neighborhood in Honolulu, Hawaii, marking a tragic start to the new year on the island of Oahu. Two were pronounced dead on the scene.
The blast happened just after midnight local time (10:00 GMT) on Wednesday, as revellers celebrated the arrival of New Year’s Day. As many as 20 others were injured
The explosion took place at a house, and drone footage of the blast shows a profusion of fireworks erupting into a column of smoke against the night sky.
Jim Ireland, the director of the Honolulu Emergency Services Department, said he saw many burns and “blast-type injuries” when he arrived at the site of the explosion, including from shrapnel.
“I’ve been in the EMS [emergency medical services] for over 30 years, and this is probably the worst call I’ve ever been on, as far as just the immense tragedy and amount of patients and the severity of the injuries,” Ireland said.
He explained that the injuries required a “massive response”. Ireland’s department deployed 10 ambulances, and he noted the presence of ambulances from the federal fire department as well.
The explosion took place not far from a joint base for the United States Air Force and Navy. Fire engines from nearby Pearl Harbor responded to the scene.
At a news conference, Justin Brownfield, a representative for the Honolulu Fire Department, said his agency also sent eight units and two battalion chiefs. He described “massive wreckage” at the site. “The initial units on scene were confronted by dozens of victims, including many who were critical,” Ireland said, describing his initial impressions of the scene.
The US government frequently warns about the risks associated with amateur firework use during the holiday season.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission, a government agency,reports that eight deaths and an estimated 9,700 injuries were attributed to firework use in 2023 alone.
No details have been revealed about the cause of Wednesday’s fireworks explosion in Honolulu.
But Hawaii Governor Josh Green called out the use of unpermitted fireworks in a statement responding to the blast.
The use of aerial fireworks, as well as ground-based fireworks like sparklers and fountains, are considered illegal in Oahu. “Because combating illegal fireworks has been a priority, we established the Illegal Fireworks Task Force last year to identify and disrupt supply chains,” Governor Green said in Wednesday’s statement. “It has seized 227,000 pounds [103,000kg] of illegal fireworks to date, but incidents like this remind us of the ongoing challenges we face.”
The mayor of Honolulu, Rick Blangiardi, likewise issued a press release to local media pledging to pursue stiffer penalties against those who use fireworks illegally. “This incident is a painful reminder of the danger posed by illegal fireworks, which put lives at risk, drain our first responder resources, and disrupt our communities,” Blangiardi said in the statement.
“Year after year, a minority of individuals recklessly endanger us all. This is absurd and unacceptable. My administration remains committed to working with federal and state agencies to shut down this illegal firework trade once and for all.”
[Aljazeera]
Millions of people in South Asia celebrated Holi, the Hindu festival of colours, by smearing each other with brightly coloured powder, dancing to festive music and feasting on traditional sweets prepared for the occasion.
The raucous spring festival sees Hindus take part in a kaleidoscopic celebration of the end of winter and the triumph of good over evil. The festival is a national holiday in India, while in Nepal it’s a two-day event that began on Thursday. It’s also observed in other South Asian countries as well as among the Indian diaspora.
Holi has its origins in Hindu mythology and celebrates the divine love between the Hindu god Krishna and his consort Radha, signifying a time of rebirth and rejuvenation.
Across the country, people dressed mostly in all-white clothes celebrated the festival by hurling coloured powder at each other. Children, perched on rooftops and balconies, flung water balloons filled with coloured pigments at passersby.
Groups of young men also used water guns to chase people down in public parks and on the roads, while others danced on the streets to music blaring from speakers.
In some places, people hurled marigolds, roses and jasmine petals instead of coloured powder.
[Aljazeera]
A British man has been killed in a hit-and-run incident involving a vehicle in the motorcade of Kenyan President William Ruto.
The man, who has been named as 79-year-old Edgar Charles Frederick, died on Thursday after being struck in the accident on a main road in the capital, Nairobi.
Police detained a driver, who has since been released on bail.
They say he was driving a support vehicle that was travelling as part of President Ruto’s official convoy of cars.
Police spokesman Michael Muchiri told the BBC that Mr Frederick had been visiting Kenya to see his sister and nephew who are residents of the country.
The victim’s next-of-kin have been informed, and a post-mortem is likely to be conducted later on Friday.
The police said the driver, who failed to stop after the incident, would appear in court following an investigation.
A spokesperson for the UK High Commission said officials were aware of the reports and were seeking more information.
Videos posted on social media show a man in blue jeans and a light-coloured shirt lying bleeding on the road outside a busy shopping area.
Other pictures show the victim covered in a checked shawl, known locally as a Maasai Shuka.
Mr Muchiri told the BBC the vehicle belonged to the regional administration and was providing support to the presidential detail.
President Ruto held events in the vicinity of the scene on Thursday as part of ongoing political engagements with the public in the capital.
[BBC]
China’s biggest hotpot chain Haidilao has offered to compensate more than 4,000 diners who visited one of its Shanghai branches, where two teens urinated into their hotpot broth.
A video of the boys peeing into their broth pot while dining in a private room was widely shared online last month. It is not clear who might have filmed the incident.
Police said the 17-year-olds, who were drunk at the time, were detained soon after the incident.
There is no suggestion anyone consumed the affected broth. Haidilao has apologised to customers, saying it has replaced all hotpot equipment and dining utensils, as well as disinfecting other crockery and utensils.
The incident happened late in February, though the company’s management only found out about it days later, after videos circulated on social media.
Haidilao said the staff on duty at the time had failed to stop the teens.
It took another week to find out which outlet it was, the company said, as it has dozens of outlets in the city.
Diners in Haidilao use their own personal hotpot equipment to cook their food, and broths are not re-used again for other customers. However, it is unclear in this case if the hotpot in question was thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before it was used by the next customer.
“We fully understand that the distress caused to our customers by this incident cannot be fully compensated for by any means, but we will do our utmost to take responsibility,” the company said in a statement.
Haidilao said customers who dined at the outlet between 24 February and 8 March will receive a full refund, followed by cash compensation that is 10 times the amount they were billed.
The company has expanded quickly since it opened its first restaurant in Jianyang in Sichuan province. It now operates more than 1,000 restaurants across the world.
Haidilao is known for its customer service and family-friendly atmosphere, where ladies can receive manicures and kids are treated to candy floss while waiting for a table.
[BBC]
South Asia erupts in colour for vibrant Holi celebrations
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