Police in the US state of Ohio have released video footage showing eight officers in the city of Akron firing dozens of bullets that killed a Black man who left his car after fleeing a traffic stop.

The video recording shared by the Akron City Police Department showed the officers firing a barrage of bullets at Jayland Walker, a driver for the DoorDash food delivery service, in the early hours of June 27 as he was attempting to run from them after allegedly refusing to stop his vehicle when they tried to pull him over for unspecified traffic and vehicle violations, which led to a car chase.

As he was being pursued, the officers claimed he discharged a firearm while driving.

Walker eventually stopped his car and got out while wearing a ski mask and ran. Officers said they attempted to use stun guns to stop him but were unsuccessful.

As he was running, the police claimed he turned towards them and was preparing to shoot at them.

They then opened fire on Walker, who was actually unarmed at the time, with reports saying as many as 90 shots were fired at him. Walker suffered at least 60 bullet wounds to his face, abdomen and upper legs. When ambulance workers arrived, they reportedly found him lying on his back in handcuffs. He still had a pulse but died at the scene.

The attorney for Walker’s family, Bobby DiCello, said he was on lying the ground while officers continued to fire.

Akron Police Chief Stephen Mylett said he did not know exactly how many shots were fired by the officers but admitted that the number could be more than 90.

Mylett described the footage of the shooting as "difficult to watch" and "shocking" while saying there was evidence that Walker used a gun from inside his vehicle during the traffic pursuit.

He added that when a police officer makes the most critical decision in his life and shoots someone, he must be prepared to account for every bullet that comes from the barrel of his gun.

The department also published an image of a gun in Walker's vehicle along with his personal belongings.

No evidence has been found that Walker, whose back was turned to the police officers chasing him, opened fire when he was shot.

Walker’s shooting caused outrage in Akron, and following protests, the police officers involved in the incident were put on administrative leave as part of standard procedure.

Protests over Walker’s killing were held Sunday in the city which were largely peaceful but escalated at nightfall, with some property destruction. Police used teargas to disperse the demonstrators and officials set a curfew between 9 p.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday for downtown Akron./aa

Ali Akpinar has been unable to erase the traces of the painful barbaric incident that occurred 29 years ago on July 5, when a group of approximately 100 PKK terrorists stormed his village in Türkiye's eastern Erzincan province and massacred 33 innocent civilians, five of whom were burned alive.

"That night, they burned five people alive in their homes, massacring 33 people in total,” recalled Akpinar, a mukhtar or local elder of Basbaglar village who survived the horrible tragedy, which still saddens him.

“During the massacre, I and two others from the village survived despite serious bullet injuries,” he told Anadolu Agency, adding that hundreds of bullet shells were scattered where the terrorists carried out the massacre.

On July 5, 1993, PKK terrorists raided Basbaglar village, located 220 kilometers (136 miles) from the city center. They gathered all of the village’s women at a nearby stream and set fire to their houses after stealing valuables.

Five people who challenged the terrorists were pushed into burning houses and killed.

Terrorists gathered 28 men who had left the mosque after offering prayers in the village center and executed them by firing squad.

The scars of the Basbaglar carnage linger in the memories of those who survived or witnessed the barbaric terrorist attack.

Every year on July 5, the victims are remembered in the village with a ceremony.

"We are now commemorating the 29th anniversary. We pray that no more massacres like the Basbaglar occur," Akpinar said while hoping that "no more tears be shed.”

“We are not seeking revenge or anything else. We only want justice,” he remarked.

Mehmet Kaya, who was 12 at the time of the tragedy and escaped the PKK terrorists' onslaught unharmed, told Anadolu Agency that his grandfather, uncle, and brother-in-law were "martyred" in the attack.

"When I returned home in the village from the upland, I suddenly encountered a terrorist group," Kaya reckoned of his encounter with the terrorists.

“They stopped us and questioned as to who owned this place. Yahya, who was standing next to me, spoke first of Allah, then of the state, and finally of ours,” he added.

"Thereupon, the terrorists said this is ours from now on, and that we will establish a Kurdistan state here… you will not join the army again and you will not let your children attend schools.”

The terrorists gathered children and women along a stream. Everyone started to scream, and he recalled the terrorists setting all houses and vehicles on fire after stealing valuables.

"We all remained there until the morning. Then I went to a cemetery where they were all massacred. I found the bullet-riddled bodies of my grandfather, uncle, and a number of other victims," he said.

The purpose of the massacre was to plant seeds of hatred within the Turkish community but it was vehemently rejected by them, he said.

"We have not forgotten about the Basbaglar… We will not make it be forgotten," he added.

Serif Gul, a villager who returned home after the massacre, said they bore their pain without complaining, but they never forget what happened.​​​​​​​/aa

TASHKENT (AA) At least 18 people were killed and 243 others were injured in Uzbekistan’s protest-hit autonomous region of Karakalpakstan on July 1-2, prosecutors said on Monday.

In a statement, Uzbekistan's General Prosecutor's Office said that protests began in Nukus, the capital of Karakalpakstan, over proposed constitutional changes that would have affected the region’s autonomous status.

The prosecutor’s office said that the protesters tried to storm government buildings.

Some 94 of the injured people were hospitalized and several of them are in serious health conditions. Also, 516 people were detained in connection with the incidents, it added.

On Saturday, Uzbekistan announced a month-long state of emergency in Karakalpakstan. The decree was signed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev after demonstrations erupted in the region.

The decree limits entry and exit from the province and all public events are prohibited.

Mirziyoyev also visited the region’s capital on Saturday and announced that changes relating to Karakalpakstan will remain unchanged.

“It is necessary to leave the draft norms of the legal status of the Republic of Karakalpakstan unchanged,” he said, adding that “we will definitely build a new Uzbekistan and a new Karakalpakstan together."

Meanwhile, Türkiye on Monday expressed confidence that the Uzbekistan administration and people will resolve the issues with “common sense and in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility.”

"We attach great importance to the stability and prosperity of our strategic partner, friendly and brotherly Uzbekistan, with which we have common civilization, culture and historical ties," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

Educational institutes and government offices in Tehran and other Iranian cities were forced to close on Monday over the deteriorating air pollution in the country.

According to the Tehran Air Quality Control Company, the air quality index (AQI) in the city was recorded at 116 on Monday, deemed unhealthy for all sensitive groups.

Since the beginning of the year, Tehran has had 63 days of acceptable air, four days of unhealthy air (for all people), 34 days of unhealthy air (sensitive groups), two days of dangerous air, and two days of clean air, the company said.

It's the second time since April that schools and government offices have been shut in Tehran due to worsening air quality fueled by severe sand storms.

All sports venues across 22 districts of the capital were also closed for activities.

On Sunday, for the fourth time in the current Iranian calendar year that starts March 21, Tehran became the most polluted city in the world, with an alarming dip in the air quality index.

IQAir, the Switzerland-based air quality technology firm, announced that the air quality index in Tehran was 277 units.

The problem of sand storms in Iran has taken an alarming turn in recent months, with authorities saying they originate in neighboring countries such as Iraq and Syria.

"It's become worse in the past few months so much so that at times things are barely visible beyond 50-60 meters," said Amir Saedi, a trader in downtown Tehran.

For Alireza Hashemi, a Tehran-based university student, the scourge of air pollution was assuming alarming proportions, making it difficult to walk out without protective masks.

"Even with COVID-19 ghosts going away, we still cannot afford to give up masks," he said.

Mohammad Darvish, a leading Iranian environmentalist, told Anadolu Agency that the region's population growth rate has seen a "four-fold increase" in recent decades, which has compounded environmental woes as well.

He also attributed it to "global climate change" with many lakes and rivers drying up and the phenomenon taking a heavy toll on the environment.

The third factor, he said, was that some regional countries were "unable to properly address environmental issues,” citing the cases of Iraq and Syria, where "years of war and chaos" has diverted attention from environmental issues.

"Governments in the region cannot tackle haze unless they adopt a water policy that prioritizes environment over agricultural and industrial sectors," he asserted. "Environment can be a field of cooperation between regional governments."/aa

Criminal defense barristers in England and Wales on Monday continued the strike they started last week.

The strike was triggered by a dispute over pay and conditions, and the criminal defense barristers will stage a new three-day walkout starting on Monday.

The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) argued that barristers have lost 28% of their real earnings since 2006.

Barristers will gather at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Liverpool Crown Court, Nottingham Crown Court and Birmingham Crown Court in support of CBA action.

The Ministry of Justice last week said that the criminal barristers will see a 15% pay rise from October; however, the CBA members rejected the rise and said they are planning new walkouts in the next two weeks.

Due to the action, many cases are being adjourned across England and Wales, creating a backlog.

"Our energetic efforts to tackle the courts backlog are working but the strike action by criminal barristers threatens all that progress, despite the very generous pay offer on the table," said Justice Minister James Cartlidge./aa

The occupancy rate in Europe's natural gas storage facilities reached 60% as of the end of June from 28% at the end of winter, according to Gas Storage Europe's Aggregated Gas Storage Inventory (AGSI+).

Due to the energy crisis in Europe arising from the Ukraine-Russia war, the continent, which is heavily dependent on Russian gas supplies, has agreed to diversify its resources and fill up its gas storage ahead of the winter months.

AGSI+ showed that at the end of February, the total storage occupancy rate was 28% and this dwindled to 26% at the end of March. This rate rose to 33% at the end of April, 47% at the end of May and 60% at the end of June.

European Union (EU) institutions reached a consensus on May 19 on legislation to make it mandatory to fill at least 80% of underground natural gas storages in member countries by next winter.

Portugal is the only country that has filled all of its natural gas tanks to 97%. Similarly, the UK has a 94% storage occupancy rate.

However, Germany, a country with high natural gas consumption, has storage occupancy of 62% in its warehouses./aa