07/05/2026

THURSDAY | MAY 7, 2026

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13-year-old shooter kills two staff at Brazil school

North Korea drops unification clause SEOUL: North Korea has deleted all references to uniting with South Korea from its constitution, according to a document seen by AFP yesterday, underscoring Pyongyang’s push for a more hostile policy towards Seoul. A clause stating that North Korea aimed “to realise the unification of the motherland” no longer appears in the latest version of the constitution, which was shared at a news conference held at South Korea’s Unification Ministry. The development comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un labelled Seoul as the “most hostile state” in a policy address in March. The revised constitution, which the document indicated was introduced in March, also includes a new clause delineating North Korea’s territory. Using South Korea’s official name, it says that includes the area bordering China and Russia to the north, “and the Republic of Korea to the south”. North Korea “absolutely does not allow any infringement on its territory”, it added. South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung has called for talks with the North without any preconditions, saying the countries are destined “to make the flowers of peace bloom”. But the North has not responded to the Lee administration’s overtures and has repeatedly called the South its “most hostile” adversary. Kim has vowed to boost his nuclear forces, and Pyongyang conducted four missile tests last month, the most in a single month for more than two years. Pyongyang has also drawn closer to Russia, sending troops and artillery shells to support its invasion of Ukraine. – AFP CONSULATE AFTER DEATHS PESHAWAR: The United States will close its consulate in Pakistan’s Peshawar, citing the safety of its diplomats, the State Department said. The US embassy in Islamabad will handle all diplomatic engagement with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Peshawar is the capital, the department said. “This decision reflects our commitment to the safety of our diplomatic personnel and efficient resource management,”it said. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa borders Afghanistan, and has seen attacks and fierce fighting between Pakistan forces and what Islamabad says are Afghan-backed militants. Ten people were killed in March when protesters breached the outer wall of the US consulate in Karachi, Pakistan’s biggest city, after Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed. – Reuters SYRIA RETURNEES MAY FACE ARREST IN AUSTRALIA SYDNEY: A group of 13 Australians related to alleged IS fighters is returning home from Syria, Australian authorities said yesterday, warning some will face arrest. The four women and nine children, who had been living in Roj camp in Syria, are expected to land in Sydney and Melbourne airports today. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said he received an alert yesterday when the group’s travel booking was made. “The government is not assisting and will not assist these individuals,” he told a news conference. “They made an appalling, disgraceful decision. If any of these individuals find their way back to Australia, if they have committed crimes, they can expect to face the full force of the law, without exception.” Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said: “Some individuals will be arrested and charged.” – AFP U.S. CLOSES PESHAWAR

BR I E F S

o Student surrenders to police after attack

families of the victims, the school community of the Sao Jose Institute, and all education professionals affected by this event,” the state government said. It said classes had been suspended for three days at all schools in the state and that psychological support teams had been mobilised to assist students and teachers. Brazil has seen a sharp increase in attacks on educational institutions in recent years. In September 2025, two teenagers were shot and killed, and three others were wounded at a school in the northeastern state of Ceara. In October 2023, a shooting at a school in Sao Paulo left a 17-year-old student dead and three others wounded. Shortly beforehand, a teenager was killed and three others wounded in a knife attack as they left a school in the state of Minas Gerais. In April of the same year, a 25-year-old man entered a daycare centre in the southern state of Santa Catarina and killed four children. – AFP

pistol used in the attack, was also arrested. Police have identified other students who may have cooperated with the attacker, Russo said. Eduardo Rodrigues Cavalcante, a receptionist at a hotel next to the school, described scenes of terror, as some students tried to jump over a wall separating the school from the hotel. “The wall is 6m high, and only one person managed to jump over and take refuge here in the hotel. The other people were left on the school roof trying to escape,” the 19-year-old receptionist said, adding that he heard “gunshots and a lot of screaming”. Images released by a local media outlet showed a woman being evacuated on a stretcher and scenes of heartbreak outside the school, with people crying and hugging each other. “In the face of this tragedy, the state expresses its deepest condolences to the

RIO DE JANEIRO: A teenager shot dead two staff members and injured two other people, including an 11-year-old girl, on Tuesday in the latest school shooting to rock Brazil. A 13-year-old boy was arrested over the attack at Sao Jose Institute, a junior high school in Rio Branco, capital of northwestern Acre state, the local government said. The injured girl was shot in the leg. The teenager, who is a student at the school, entered the building and fired several shots in a hallway leading to the principal’s office, Lieutenant Colonel Felipe Russo of the Acre military police department told reporters. He surrendered to police after the attack. His stepfather, who owns the .380-caliber

A woman embraces students after the shooting at the Sao Jose school. – REUTERSPIC

Accused Bondi attacker faces 19 extra charges SYDNEY: A man accused of murdering 15 people at Bondi Beach is facing a raft of fresh charges, court records released yesterday showed. His father and alleged co-conspirator Sajid, 50, was shot and killed by police during the assault.

intelligence agency in 2019, but he slipped off the radar after it decided that he posed no imminent threat. Police documents released following the attack said he and his father had carried out “firearms training”in what was believed to be the New South Wales countryside before the shooting. They said the suspects “meticulously planned” the attack for months, releasing pictures showing them firing shotguns and moving in what they described as a “tactical manner”. The pair also recorded a video in October railing against “Zionists” while sitting in front of a flag and detailing their motivations for the attack, police said. – AFP

The charges were released after a sweeping inquiry opened public hearings into Australia’s deadliest mass shooting for 30 years. The mass shooting has sparked national soul searching about antisemitism and widespread anger over the failure to shield Jewish Australians from harm. Australia announced a suite of gun law reforms following the shootings, including a nationwide gun buyback scheme. The buyback scheme has since stalled as the federal government struggles to convince Australia’s states and territories to sign on. Naveed Akram was flagged by Australia’s

Naveed Akram is accused of opening fire as families thronged Bondi Beach for a celebration in December. The 24-year-old has already been charged with dozens of serious crimes, including 15 murders and committing an act of terrorism. Court records showed he is now facing 19 additional charges, including multiple counts of shooting with intent to murder, wounding with intent to murder, and discharging a firearm with intent to resist arrest. Akram, who is being held in a high-security prison, is yet to indicate how he will plead.