Rationalists in Mangaluru to celebrate solar eclipse to dispel myths
Mangaluru (PTI): Seeking to dispel myths associated with solar eclipse, members of the ‘Aid Without Religion’ trust and Dakshina Kannada Rationalists' Association will organize a celebration of solar eclipse here on Tuesday.
The program will be held at the MCC swimming pool compound here during the eclipse period.
The program is aimed to allay the fears and misconceptions about solar eclipses that exposure to sunlight during eclipse could cause skin disease and physical harm.
The members will also watch the eclipse through specially procured glasses and also consume food during the time.
“A meeting in the open will be organized and the members will have food during the time of the eclipse,” Prof Narendra Nayak, president of the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations (FIRA), said in a statement on Sunday.
“We will have an open-air meeting at 5.30 pm, swimming between 4.45 pm and 5.15 pm, and watch the eclipse and consume food in the open air under the eclipsed sun,” he said.
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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.
