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BANGKOK (AP) — Rescue workers in Laos Saturday worked to safely free the villagers found alive in a flooded cave after being trapped there for 10 days, a day after the first of the five survivors was safely evacuated. Rescuers hope to extract the remaining four men later Saturday after saying they were not ready to be taken out on Friday. They are working to drain more water out of the cave as they continue to search for two people who are still missing. “One person has made it out safely, and we will not stop until the remaining four make it home too,” Norrased Palasing, a Thai cave diver participating in the operation, wrote Saturday on his Facebook page. According to rescuers, it took about 30 minutes to evacuate the first survivor from the cave on Friday. Videos showed the moment he emerged from the water alongside a diver, catching his breath before struggling to crawl through a narrow, flooded passage and rising unsteadily to his feet. As rescuers helped him away from the tunnel, one could be heard warning others to be careful because his hands were injured. He was then wrapped in a foil blanket and helped into a seated position. Another video showed the man getting out from the cave’s entrance with a lamp strapped to his forehead. He was walking unsteadily with the assistance of two men, who handed him over to other team members amid a waiting crowd. The villagers had reportedly entered the cave last week to look for valuable minerals before being trapped by flash flooding that blocked their way out. One other villager escaped in time and alerted the authorities to the seven left behind. Five of them were found alive Wednesday. They were identified by their first names as Khamla, Mued, Ee, Ing and Laen. It’s unclear which of them was evacuated Friday. The men had been supplied with water, soft food and foil blankets to keep them warm, although videos shot inside the cave suggested that their conditions continued to deteriorate. Rescue teams from Laos and neighboring Thailand were joined by Japanese and Malaysian colleagues. Indonesian, French and Australian specialists also reportedly arrived at the site in a rugged area in the central province of Xaisomboun, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the capital, Vientiane. Several of them had taken part in the complicated 2018 cave rescue in northern Thailand of 12 schoolboys and their soccer coach. In a video shot Friday, just about an hour before the evacuation of the first man began, Thai rescuer Kengkaj Bongkawong of the Metta Tham Rescue Kalasin detailed the challenge they are facing in the operation. The team has set up a station in a large chamber inside the cave, accessible only by navigating more than 200 meters of twisting, narrow, flooded passages with jagged walls. From there, divers need to dive through a flooded tunnel about 30 meters before reaching the trapped men. “To dive in a cave, there are issues with the temperature, narrow areas, control of movement, and managing the panic of the survivor, which will be difficult, but we have to do it,” Kengkaj said. There is a significant risk for the team of guiding the survivors without diving skills through zero-visibility water. A video showed Thai diver Norrased and Finnish diver Mikko Paasi teaching the men how to use diving gear, including breathing techniques underwater. “All the way, breathe through your mouth only. Do not ever breathe with your nose, do you understand?” Norrased said during the session. Rescuers are also preparing to search for the two villagers who remain missing. Kengkaj said the team plans to explore an area deeper inside the cave, about 20 to 25 meters beyond where the survivors were found. However, he cautioned that the section is heavily flooded. “That area has a lot of water. The water goes there because it’s even deeper than this place,” he said. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Before North America, World Cup magic made a stopover in Greece. Players battled and bonded not at the mega-stadiums of Mexico, Canada and the United States, but on practice fields squeezed into urban neighborhoods of Athens. There were no luxury suites or grand arenas — just a local soccer competition where migrants and Greek players kicked the ball on city fields before crowds pressed to chain‑link fences, as music spilled into the streets. And while Albania, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria and Sudan didn’t qualify for the World Cup, amateur players with ties to those countries brought their best game in Athens. Many migrant players have been bracing for the implementation of Europe’s stricter migration and asylum rules in June. But the tournament for migrant and refugee communities was a joyful distraction, a celebration of football and identity. At one venue near Plato’s Academy, where ancient Athenians once debated the meaning of citizenship, the Acropolis rose in the distance beyond the field. In the densely populated district of Kypseli, supporters waved Congolese and Ivory Coast flags while volunteers led outdoor drumming lessons nearby. Teams competed to the soundtrack of African pop music as coaches shouted instructions and supporters cheered from the sidelines. Amelie Nguedia of Cameroon danced onto the field before kickoff as others joined in, laughing around her. “Coming to play here is a real pleasure,” she said. “We aren’t professionals, but we love participating.” Nguedia said that she would be supporting Ivory Coast at the World Cup, after Cameroon failed to qualify. The Kypseli Mundial tournament was founded three years ago by Ivorian Moussa Sangare, who says he wanted to use football to combat fear and mistrust toward migrants in Greece. The Mediterranean nation is at the forefront of migrants illegally entering the European Union and was the stage of the 2015 refugee crisis. While the number of irregular border crossings to Greece fell in the last decade, anti-migration sentiment has grown, while the government enforces stricter border controls and vows to increase deportations. “People are often afraid of migrants, but we wanted to change this narrative,” he said. “Interacting with migrants and second-generation migrants and doing things together: People change their minds through experience.” Sangare rarely stopped moving throughout the competition — setting schedules, welcoming teams, filming social videos and cleaning up after matches. “For us, this tournament is like a mini–World Cup in Greece,” he said. The timing of the Athens competition carried its own symbolism. The five-week World Cup starts June 11. A day later, new EU migration and asylum rules take effect, with tougher border controls and faster deportations. Greece also wants to move migrant detention facilities offshore to countries in Africa. Despite that backdrop, there was a festive atmosphere in Athens. Matches were competitive, but rarely hostile. Hard tackles drew shouts from the sidelines. Coaches barked instructions from cramped dugouts. Fans joked with rival supporters from opposite sides of the fencing. Moments later, they shared a laugh. For most players, the tournament stood apart from the routines of daily life. Many work long hours away from public view in restaurant kitchens, hotels, construction sites and food delivery jobs across Athens. “I am very proud to be playing in this tournament for the first time,” said Amissi, a midfielder from Mali, shortly after finishing a game. He works in a factory assembling water heaters. After 21 teams participated, Nigeria’s team won the men’s competition, while Greek neighborhood club Fostiras claimed the women’s title. Head referee Chara Vogiatzidaki said that the tournament’s significance extended beyond results on the field. “There are so many countries and different cultures, and I think the main goal is to show respect for all communities,” she said. “There are some teams that are technically very advanced, and others that are less so. But the important thing is that all the teams have the mindset of enjoying themselves,” Vogiatzidaki said. “That’s really beautiful.” Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

MOSCOW, May 30 (Reuters) – Ukrainian drones struck a tanker at Russia’s port of Taganrog overnight and hit an oil depot in the city of Armavir, authorities in the southern regions of Rostov and Krasnodar said on Saturday. Rostov region Governor Yury Slyusar said on Telegram that fires on the tanker and in the port of Taganrog – a city of about 240,000 – had been extinguished, with no oil spill reported. Two people were injured, he said. The city’s mayor, Svetlana Kambulova, said a local state of emergency, introduced on May 27, had been extended. In the neighbouring Krasnodar region, authorities in Armavir, which has a population of 185,000, said a fire at an oil depot in the city’s industrial zone had been brought under control and that there were no injuries. Rostov governor Slyusar said that almost 50 drones had been downed in the region, with attacks reported across the province, which borders Ukraine’s Donbas, the focus of fighting between Russia and Ukraine. Outside Taganrog, he said, only minor damage was reported. (Reporting by Reuters, Writing by Felix Light; Editing by Ros Russell) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

May 30 (Reuters) – Zambia has investigated and cleared two suspected cases of Ebola as it steps up screening and surveillance for the deadly viral disease following an outbreak in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. Congolese authorities said on Friday suspected cases from the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no vaccine, had risen to 1,028. Cases have also been reported in Uganda. Zambia’s health ministry said late on Friday that there was a high risk of Ebola crossing the border but two suspected cases had been cleared by laboratory tests. “Zambia has developed screening tools and protocols, which are already being used to screen for Ebola at entry points into Zambia and on people within the country who have Ebola-like symptoms,” the ministry added in its statement. The Bundibugyo strain, named after a Ugandan province where it was first identified nearly 20 years ago, has alarmed experts because of how long it went undetected while spreading across a densely populated area, making it difficult to trace and isolate the contacts of infected individuals. According to the World Health Organization, Ebola viruses initially cause flu-like symptoms including fever, fatigue, malaise, muscle pain, headache and sore throat that can start suddenly, followed by vomiting and diarrhoea and eventually by internal and external bleeding and multi-organ failure.    (Reporting by Chris Mfula, editing by Nelson Banya and Andrew Cawthorne) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The horn sounded to give Carolina a long-awaited Eastern Conference Final breakthrough. And the Hurricanes immediately made their way across the ice to Frederik Andersen in the victorious crease. Veteran forward Jordan Martinook gave Andersen a hearty hug, tapping the goalie on the helmet the entire time. Then came defenseman Jalen Chatfield. And coach Rod Brind’Amour followed with a long hug and shared some words, with Andersen pausing afterward to bend forward and collect himself before going through the traditional handshake line. Andersen was steady again as the Hurricanes beat the Montreal Canadiens 6-1 on Friday night in Game 5 to send the Eastern Conference’s top seed on to the Stanley Cup Final to face Vegas. It came after an emotionally wrenching 36 hours for Andersen, whose agent — former NHL playing great Claude Lemieux — took his own life Thursday. ”It’s been a difficult couple days, but the way we showed up today and the last couple days for the team for each other, it’s been incredible,” Andersen said in a postgame interview with TNT. “I can’t talk enough good things about this team and the way they’ve supported me. It’s been awesome.” Andersen’s play has been one of the biggest stories in the Hurricanes’ return to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since hoisting the Cup in 2006, back when coach Rod Brind’Amour was the captain. He overcame a shaky start to the year as waiver-wire wonder Brandon Bussi seemed ready to run away with the starting job, had a rejuvenating stretch of playing for Denmark in the Milan Cortina Olympics, played well down the stretch of the regular season and has been a leveled-up version of himself throughout the postseason. Now the 36-year-old veteran is headed to the Cup Final for the first time in his career. He was coming off his third shutout of the postseason with Wednesday’s 4-0 road win as the Hurricanes asserted a tighter and tighter grip on control for the series. And that had come just two days after Lemieux had been the Canadiens’ torch bearer before Carolina’s 3-2 overtime win in Game 3. Andersen didn’t mind Lemieux participating in the pregame Montreal mojo for the franchise where he won one of his four Stanley Cups in 1986 as a rookie. “He’s like family,” Andersen told North State Journal afterward. By Thursday, news had broken of Lemieux’s death, with Andersen set to start as the Hurricanes led 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. “To be honest, wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to play,” Brind’Amour said. “You just don’t know how that was going to shake out. Obviously, he shook it off and battled through it. You saw the emotion after the game. Yeah, that’s a tough time for him. But he made us all proud, that’s for sure.” Andersen finished with 23 saves and, as he has throughout the entire playoffs, came up with just about every timely save the Hurricanes needed against a skilled but desperate Canadiens team. And just as in the previous three wins, the Hurricanes were largely on their game to play a suffocating style that routinely won puck battles and kept the pressure on Montreal in its own end rather than giving up chances going the other way or shots attempted at Andersen. He carried the shutout well into the third period before finally giving up a goal to Cole Caufield on the power play, though with Carolina already up 5-0. Andersen continues to lead the postseason in goals-against average (1.41) and rank among the leaders in save percentage (.931). “I know we were playing for him as best we could,” captain Jordan Staal said. “And it’s a tough couple of days here for him. We’re just family here, and we all felt that hurt. We tried to share as best we could and playing well in front of him as best we could do tonight. “I thought he played unbelievable.” ___ AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl Brought to you by www.srnnews.com