Coast Guard commander visits Mangaluru
Mangaluru (PTI): Indian Coast Guard commander (western seaboard) additional director general K R Suresh, who is on a four-day visit to Karnataka headquarters of the coast guard in Mangaluru, has taken stock of the operational readiness of Coast Guard assets in the state.
A Coast Guard release here said on Saturday that it was his maiden visit to the state after assuming command of the western seaboard.
He also reviewed the progress of infrastructure development in Mangaluru, including the upcoming state-of-the-art Indian Coast Guard Academy project at Kenjar village.
The commander also interacted with men and civilians of Coast Guard to get apprised of their basic functioning and welfare activities being undertaken.
The commander, in his 35 years of service, has led various afloat and ashore units, including Coast Guard district headquarters No. 3, Karnataka from 2015 to 2017 during which he ensured lot of infrastructure development at Mangaluru.
He has also held important key staff appointments at Coast Guard headquarters in Delhi whereas deputy director general (Ops and coastal security).
The commander is a recipient of the prestigious President Tatrakshak medal and Tatrakshak medal by the Union government and has overseen the firefighting operations onboard MT New Diamond and MV X-press Pearl off Sri Lanka as well as pollution response operations of MV Wakashio off coast of Mauritius, the release added.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
