A COUP attempt in Ethiopia has been foiled while the country’s military chief was shot dead, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said.
Abiy said the failed coup in the Amhara region – located north of the capital – was led by a high-ranking military officer and others within the military on Saturday.
In a related development, the head of Ethiopia’s military was shot dead in the capital Addis Ababa not long after the attack in Amhara.
In Amhara, soldiers attacked a building in which a meeting of regional officials was taking place, a spokesman for Abiy said.
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The regional president and at least two other officials were among the victims, he said.
In Bahir Dar, the capital of Amhara, residents said they could still hear gunshots late on Saturday. Ethiopia’s internet appeared to be shut down on Sunday.
The attempted coup is the latest challenge to Abiy, who was elected last year as a reform-minded young leader.
IN Ukraine, thousands of supporters of LGBT+ rights have marched through the centre of Kiev under a heavy police presence to separate them from opponents.
Police said nine people were arrested on suspicion of preparing provocations against participants in the Kiev Pride event.
Ukrainian news reports estimated the number of marchers at about 2500.
Several people protesting against the rally scuffled with police as the march assembled. Others stood along the route, shouting and holding a banner reading “sodomy is the road to hell”.
Opponents of gay rights say homosexuality is contrary to Ukraine’s traditional culture. In turn, a large banner at the head of the march declared that “our tradition is freedom”.
RESCUERS combing through the rubble of a collapsed seven-storey building in Cambodia have recovered the bodies of 17 construction workers and pulled out 24 injured, as investigations into the incident continue.
Construction workers said the unfinished building in the coastal city of Sihanoukville doubled as their housing.
Officials said 1000 people were taking part in the operation that continued into Sunday morning.
It was not immediately clear what caused the collapse.
AND finally, in Thailand, some of the 12 young footballers rescued from a flooded cave have marked the anniversary of their ordeal with a marathon in northern Thailand.
Around 4000 people took part in the event, organised to raise funds to improve conditions at the Tham Luang cave complex.
British cave expert Vernon Unsworth was also among the participants.
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