A gang of South Africans kill foreigners
A mob of South Africans attacked foreigners living in the country Sunday injuring 40 and killing two. The assaulted migrants were from Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. During the attack the South Africans yelled at them to leave. “They took all my money, my stove and other personal possessions,” a Mozambique woman told the BBC about the attack. “They went on to rape my sister. I’m going to hide at the police station as I fear for my life,” she continued. South African police have detained 15 in connection to the attacks. With the nation’s rising immigrant population, has also come a surge in violence towards them by native South Africans who feel as though migrants are taking their jobs and committing crimes. In an attack earlier this year, two foreigners were killed and another 1,000 were left homeless after their houses were burned down. A spokesperson from the Johannesburg police department, Neria Malefetse, says they are working to make sure the problem does not get any worse. “I believe that xenophobia exists in South Africa,” she told the BBC. “But we need to find other means of dealing with problems than resorting to violence.” The country’s president, Thabo Mbeki, has publicly spoken out against the violence.

A massive earthquake kills thousands in China.
An earthquake, measuring 7.8 in magnitude, rocked a southwest province in China, killing more than 8,500 people, reports the BBC. Rescuers recovered 50 bodies from a school of 900 students. And the death toll could rise much higher once the damage in the area near the quake’s epicenter is addressed. Just the initial numbers are staggering. The Mianyang city municipal area appears to have suffered the most damage with 80 percent of the areas buildings being destroyed, leaving between 3,000 and 5,000 people dead and over 10,000 injured, reports the news service. China’s president, Hu Jintao, is promoting “all-out” efforts to find and get aid to victims. Wen Jiabao, China’s Premier, said his that during this time of crisis, his nation needed, “calm, confidence, courage and strong leadership.” Adding that, “We will definitely overcome this major disaster.” President George Bush sent condolences to the families and Japan offered to send aid. The country’s Red Cross sent hundreds of blankets and temporary housing to affected areas. Most of the reported deaths come from China’s most heavily populated Sichuan province (8,533); in the Shaanxi province 61 people died; in the Gansu province 48 died; in the Chonging municipality 50 died and in the Yunnan province one person has died, reports the BBC. This is the worst quake sine 1976’s earthquake in Tangshan in which 242,000 people were killed.

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