Nine killed by police in India during protest over Tutticorin mining plant

Indian police on Tuesday killed nine demonstrators after opening fire on thousands of people demanding the closure of a copper factory. (Screenshot: Times Of India Chennai)
Updated 22 May 2018
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Nine killed by police in India during protest over Tutticorin mining plant

  • Thousands of people were demanding the closure of a copper factory due to pollution concerns
  • Protesters rampaged for hours in the port city of Tutticorin in the southern state of Tamil Nadu

NEW DELHI: Indian police on Tuesday killed nine demonstrators after opening fire on thousands of people demanding the closure of a copper factory due to pollution concerns, a police officer said.
Protesters rampaged for hours in the port city of Tutticorin in the southern state of Tamil Nadu calling for the closure of the plant run by British-based mining giant Vedanta Resources.
“Nine protesters were killed in police firing after they attacked the collectors’ office,” the officer told AFP from the state capital Chennai.


Spain swine fever spreads outside containment zone

Updated 7 sec ago
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Spain swine fever spreads outside containment zone

BARCELONA: African swine fever has been detected outside a containment zone in Spain’s northeastern Catalonia region for the first time since its outbreak in November, officials said on Friday.
African swine fever is a viral disease that is harmless to humans but nearly always fatal for pigs and wild boars.
Although it has not spread to domestic pig farms, the outbreak has disrupted exports from Spain, the world’s third-largest producer of pork and its derivatives.
Thirteen new cases in wild boars have been reported, including two in areas outside the six-kilometer containment zone near Barcelona, Catalonia’s agriculture department said.
Authorities then expanded the high-risk zone to the affected municipalities and restricted access to the surrounding woods to prevent further spread.
The outbreak was Spain’s first reported case since 1994, and more than 100 cases have now been detected in wild boars.
“More than ever, it is essential not to lower our guard against a disease that remains present,” said Oscar Ordeig, regional agriculture minister.
The origin of the outbreak remains unknown, and a judicial investigation is ongoing.