Japanese police are on the hunt for a person who sent bomb and death threats to hundreds of schools, prompting hasty closures. The threats were faxed to high schools and universities earlier this week from a Tokyo-registered number. No explosives have been found in school buildings, according to police, and there have been no reports of attacks on pupils and staff so far. Bomb threats are rare in Japan, which is known for its low crime rate. The first wave of messages began on Monday, reaching schools and universities across the country. In one prefecture, Saitama, more than 170 schools received bomb threats, said officials.

Local media reported that one message claimed that over 330 bombs had been set up, while another read: “I planted a major bomb.” Some reports said the messages demanded ransoms ranging from 300,000 yen (£1,870; $2,320) to 3 million yen. On Tuesday, messages threatening to kill students and teachers with homemade weapons were sent from the same number to high schools in various prefectures including Osaka, as well as Saitama and Ibaraki near Tokyo. The threats saw many schools in Japan shutting down as a precaution, though most had re-opened by Thursday. Fax machines are still commonly used in Japan.(BBC)…[+]

The production of opium increased sharply in Myanmar, rising to a nine-year high, according to the UN. It touched nearly 795 metric tonnes in 2022, nearly double the production in 2021 – 423 metric tonnes – the year of the military coup. The UN believes this is driven by economic hardship and insecurity, along with higher global prices for the opium resin that is used to make heroin. The coup plunged much of Myanmar into a bloody civil war that still continues. “Economic, security and governance disruptions that followed the military takeover of February 2021 have converged, and farmers in remote, often conflict-prone areas in northern Shan and border states, have had little option but to move back to opium,” said Jeremy Douglas, the regional representative for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The region, where the borders of Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos meet – the so-called “Golden Triangle” – has historically been a major source of opium and heroin production.(BBC)…[+]

One person has died and at least one other injured after a man wielding a machete carried out attacks at two churches in southern Spain. According to the interior ministry the suspect first entered the church of San Isidro in Algeciras where the priest was attacked and seriously injured. The alleged attacker then went to a second church where a verger was stabbed to death. The suspect was disarmed and arrested shortly afterwards. A statement by the Ministry of the Interior said: “Just after 19:00 local time (18:00 GMT) this evening, a man entered the church of San Isidro in Algeciras, where, armed with a machete, he attacked the priest, leaving him seriously wounded.” “Subsequently, he entered the church of Nuestra Senora de La Palma in which, after causing damage, he attacked the verger.” The statement added that the alleged victim managed to get outside the church but was attacked again and fatally wounded. “Moments later, (the assailant) was disarmed and arrested and is currently in police custody,” the ministry said.(BBC)…[+]