A six-year-old boy was stung by a scorpion while at school on Monday. Masood Ali was sitting in the First Year classroom of Rochard Douglas Presbyterian School when the scorpion stung him on his left foot around 2 p.m. The Express was told by the child’s mother, Maltee Ali, that her son was discharged from hospital as he did not show signs of poisoning.

Ali met her son at the health centre when he was being examined by doctors, then accompanied him to the San Fernando General Hospital where he was examined further and kept for several hours for observation. The child was discharged from hospital on Monday night. Speaking with the Express yesterday at the family’s home in Barrackpore, Ali said her son is feeling well and should return to school this week.(Trinidad Express)…[+]

VIENNA  Austria’s Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a decision granting a U.S. request to extradite Ukrainian tycoon Dmytro Firtash, paving the way for him to face trial in the United States over bribery allegations. Firtash, who denies wrongdoing, is a former business partner of veteran U.S. Republican political operative and convicted felon Paul Manafort. He is also a former supporter of Ukraine’s ousted pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovich. Firtash made a fortune selling Russian gas to the Kiev government.

ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia held a memorial on Tuesday for the army chief of staff slain with four other senior officials in weekend attacks that posed the biggest threat yet to the prime minister’s reforms. Abiy Ahmed, who survived a grenade attack at a rally in his honor last year, sat in the front row at the memorial and wiped tears from his eyes with a white handkerchief.

Abiy took power 15 months ago and has won widespread international praise for kickstarting political and economic reforms, but his shake-up of the military and intelligence services has earned him powerful enemies at home. His government is also struggling to contain discontent from Ethiopia’s myriad ethnic groups fighting the federal government and each other for greater influence and resources. The foiled plot to seize control of the northern Amhara region and the assassinations in the national capital Adis Abeba underscored the threat of spiraling violence in Africa’s second-most populous nation. In addition to the killing of the chief of staff in the capital, Amhara state president Ambachew Mekonnen and an adviser were killed in the region’s main city Bahir Dar.(reuters)…[+]

Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith says that the Intelligence agencies have revealed that there are over 50 “ shooters”, linked to various gangs, with most being active in taking out hits on opposing gang members. And this has proven to be the root cause of a significant number of homicides in this country via gang activity, he says. These individuals walk around with their firearms, knowing quite well that if held, it is usually a simple case of going to court next day, acquiring bail, and being issued with another firearm, to carry out their trade; which involves killing persons in cold blood, according to Griffith.

In a statement yesterday, Griffith said the Bail Amendment Bill was a critical tool to providing both a strong deterrent as well as ensuring that if and when such criminal elements are held, they can remain where they belong. In the last decade, over 75% of homicides were carried out by persons with illegal firearms in this country, and most by a select few, he said. Presently, anyone who is apprehended with a firearm, could be released on bail and be free to possibly assassinate the same person who was the informant that caused their initial arrest.(Trinidad Express)…[+]