Briefly

KENYA

Ecuador's intel chief killed in helicopter crash

Seven people, including Ecuador's intelligence head, were killed on Wednesday when the tourist helicopter they were flying in crashed in Kenya. The aircraft was flying to the Loisaba Conservancy in the northern Samburu County when it crashed, according to a preliminary report from Archers Post police station seen by Reuters. All seven people — six passengers and one pilot — were killed, authorities said. A United States State Department spokesperson said five US citizens were among the dead, while Ecuador's presidential office confirmed intelligence head Michele Sensi-Contugi and his wife Stephany Hollihan were also killed.

JAPAN

Thousands protest militarization push

Tens of thousands of Japanese citizens gathered in front of the National Diet Building in Tokyo on Wednesday evening to protest a series of dangerous moves by the government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, including its distorted view of history and push toward military expansion. Organizers said about 15,000 people attended the demonstration, while another 25,000 joined online. One of the themes of the rally was, "Politicians who refuse to reflect on the war and confront Japan's history of aggression should step down immediately." Protesters held banners reading "Oppose military expansion" and chanted slogans including "Defend the pacifist Constitution" and "Takaichi, step down now".

4 workers dead after being struck by train

Four workers were killed after being struck by an express train while carrying out maintenance work on the tracks at a train station in Japan's Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, on Thursday morning, public broadcaster NHK reported. The four men were on the tracks removing weeds when the accident occurred around 10:45 am at Shin-Kanuma Station on the Tobu Nikko Line, Kyodo News reported. The four were taken to the hospital unconscious and were later pronounced dead. Police and firefighters were investigating the details of the incident.

GERMANY

Heat-related fatalities total 14,000 in summer

Germany registered around 14,000 heat-related deaths this summer as Europe struggled through a series of punishing heat waves, worse than a previous record high in 2018, official data showed on Thursday. Around 9,600 of those took place in one week in late June when Germany baked in temperatures of over 40 C, according to public health authority Robert Koch Institute. "In some cases — such as heatstroke — exposure to heat leads directly to death, whereas in most instances, death results from a combination of heat exposure and pre-existing medical conditions," it said.

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