Police in southern China said they arrested a man who injured several people in a knife attack outside a hot pot restaurant.
A police statement issued on Monday evening said that authorities received reports that the suspect, a 35-year-old man surnamed Li, carried out the attack in the Panyu district of Guangzhou at 5:20 p.m.
He added that several people were slightly injured, without mentioning the number of victims or the possible motive behind the attack, according to what Agence France-Presse reported.
Footage of the incident posted on the Internet showed that the attacks occurred in a mall, and at least 3 victims suffered injuries to their faces.
A video clip, which appears to have been captured by a surveillance camera, showed a masked man stabbing a woman in the face as he passed by her in front of a restaurant.
Another video shows the police rushing to a mall, while passersby flee.
Police said they were investigating the incident.
China has witnessed several attacks using knives in recent years, including an incident that occurred in May, when three people, including two Japanese citizens, were injured in an attack inside a restaurant in Shanghai.
In November 2024, a former student at a vocational college in eastern China killed 8 people and injured 17 others in a knife attack after failing exams.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to provide “steadfast and unwavering support” to Russia, describing the war it is waging in Ukraine as “sacred,” according to what official media reported on Tuesday.
Pyongyang is a major ally of Moscow, as it sent forces to support it in its war against Ukraine in exchange for economic advantages and military technologies, according to analysts' estimates. Estimates of the South Korean intelligence service last year showed that about two thousand North Korean soldiers were killed in the war, while more recent estimates indicated that the number of dead and wounded North Korean soldiers reached about 6 thousand.
The official Korean Central News Agency quoted Kim as saying in a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, “Fully confident of the victory of the Russian Federation in this ongoing holy war in defense of the country’s security interests and international justice, I pledge to you, dear friend, and to the brotherly Russian people, my firm and unwavering support.” He added, "My will and the will of the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are undoubtedly firm in expanding and deepening joint cooperation with the Russian Federation in a comprehensive manner."
The message comes in light of reports that Pyongyang is preparing to send more soldiers to Russia to support its military operations in Ukraine. Kiev had stated that up to 50,000 North Korean soldiers may be deployed in Russia, without providing evidence or a time frame to support this estimate.
Announcing this figure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on South Korea to provide his country with air defense systems to confront Russian missiles, but Seoul has not yet responded to his request.
Voters across the autonomous Muslim province of Bangsamoro in the Philippines cast their votes on Monday in a historic vote to elect the region's first parliament, hours after at least three people were killed in armed violence that occurred outside a polling station.
These elections are the culmination of an intermittent peace process that began in the late 1990s, and led to the establishment of what became known as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, in the far south of the country.
More than two million voters have the right to vote to choose 80 representatives, amid competition from 13 parties.
In Marawi City, whose name has long been associated with bloody confrontations between government forces and Islamist groups, Agence France-Presse journalists monitored long lines of voters in front of polling stations, while tanks and security personnel were monitoring and guarding.
Muhammad Akhtar Makpada (18 years old) said after casting his vote: “We are excited. We came here early in the morning.”
He added: “I feel nervous about the possibility of chaos. There was chaos before, but now the situation is calm,” adding: “I am excited to know the results.”
In Cotabato, the regional capital in the south, engineering student Mark Martírez, 22, said he hoped incoming members of parliament would not “waste” the “votes of the people.” He added: “I see the rapid development that the Bangsamoro region is witnessing in terms of infrastructure... but I am still not satisfied with what I see in terms of security.”
Party leaders told Agence France-Presse last week that given the region's long history of political violence and bloody vendettas between powerful families, holding peaceful elections would be considered a success. But the fragile calm began to crack in the early hours of Monday.
Shooting
Three people were killed and 15 others were injured after gunfire broke out outside a polling station in Cotabato City, the provincial capital, a few hours before voting began.
Cotabato Police Chief Jibin Bongkayao said that the shooting incident occurred shortly before midnight when members of different political factions jostled to compete for priority in casting their votes.
Regarding the incident that occurred outside a polling station in the regional capital, Bongkayao said: “The matter began with a dispute between two groups over a position in the waiting line... then it evolved from a stampede into a fistfight, ending with gunfire in a crowded area.”
Bongkayao explained that the men belong to rival parties that emerged from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which has struggled for decades to gain autonomy in this predominantly Catholic country. At least 14,000 of the front's men still carry weapons.
Authorities said that four people, including a police officer, were injured by gunfire at another polling station in the morning.
Authorities indicated that another man, who was initially believed to have died in hospital, was injured when an improvised explosive device he was carrying exploded.
The Philippine National Election Commission said Monday that it will directly supervise Cotabato City throughout the election period.
In recent days, security measures have been strengthened throughout the Bangsamoro region, with more than 20,000 security personnel deployed in voting areas, and rapid response teams were formed to deal with any potential violence.
Committee Chairman Jorge Garcia said he was confident that there would be no “election failure” despite the violence that occurred. He added: “It is not a walk in the park, but rather full of challenges... What is important is to show our determination to end this day peacefully while enabling people to cast their votes.”
