Indian Paddle Festival to be held in Mangaluru from March 8-10
Mangaluru, Feb 21: Japanese world champion Shuri Araki, the youngest to win the title, will be the cynosure of all eyes in the India Paddle Festival, the country's first-ever international stand-up paddling event, which will take place at the Sasihithlu Beach here from March 8 to 10.
Araki was 16 when he won the world title.
With this event the Association of PaddleSurf Professionals World Tour (APP) will mark its entry into the country.
The event will be conducted prior to the launch of the 2024 APP World Tour.
Some top athletes from the APP World Tour, as well as other aspiring professionals from the region, will participate in the event, presented by Karnataka Tourism and organised by Surfing Swami Foundation.
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India No.1 Sekar Patchai and the 17-year-old Japanese Araki will be seen in action among others.
"We are extremely pleased to make our first entry into India with the Surfing Swami Foundation and Karnataka Tourism. We hope that the India Paddle Festival will help the sport get the much-needed push to expand in the region," CEO of the APP World Tour, Tristan Boxford said in a statement. "This championship will also provide an opportunity for the athletes to experience an international competition."
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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.
