(CNN) — A man who killed 35 people by ploughing his car into a crowd at a sports centre in southern China has been sentenced to death, state media reported on Friday. Fan Weiqiu, 62, rammed his car into people exercising at the outdoor venue in the city of Zhuhai last month, in the country’s deadliest known act of violence against the public in a decade. China has been gripped by a surge of sudden episodes of violence targeting random members of the public – including children – in recent months as economic growth stutters, unnerving a public long accustomed to low violent crime rates and ubiquitous surveillance. Fan was sentenced at the Zhuhai Intermediate People’s Court on Friday after pleading guilty earlier in the day, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Shortly before 8 p.m. on November 11, Fan drove his car into the crowd, in a rage caused by his failed marriage and what he saw as an unfair divorce settlement, the court concluded. As his small off-road vehicle mowed across the grounds of Zhuhai Sports Center, he hit dozens of people exercising around a track. After the attack, officers found Fan in the car trying to injure himself with a knife and took him to hospital, police said in their previous statement. “The court finds that defendant Fan Weiqiu’s criminal behavior was despicable; the nature of the crime particularly was brutal; the way the crime was committed was particularly cruel,” the court said, as quoted by CCTV. The attack had the highest such death toll has seen since 2014, when a string of attacks rocked the far western region of Xinjiang. The hit-and-run prompted Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who described the attack as “extremely vicious,” to call for severe punishment, CCTV previously reported. Fan’s sentencing came just days after another Chinese court handed down a suspended death sentence to a man who rammed his car into crowds outside a primary school in central Hunan province injuring 30 people, including 18 students. A wellwisher lights a candle near flowers placed outside the Zhuhai People’s Fitness Plaza, where a man deliberately rammed his car into people. (Photo: Ng Han Guan/AP)

(CNN) — Homelessness in the United States soared to the highest level on record, according to government data released Friday. More than 770,000 people experienced homelessness in 2024, an 18% increase from 2023, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development reported. It was the largest annual increase since HUD began collecting the data in 2007 (excluding the jump from 2021 to 2022, when the agency didn’t conduct a full count due to the Covid-19 pandemic). The surge in homelessness was driven by a lack of affordable housing, a rise in migrants seeking shelter and natural disasters, which caused some people to be displaced from their homes, the report said. The data was collected on a single night in January 2024 and represents an annual snapshot of the number of people staying in shelters, temporary housing and unsheltered settings. The data from earlier this year likely does not represent the current state of homelessness, given government efforts to curb border crossings, according to HUD. Still, the report sheds light on a tragic outcome of America’s affordable housing plight. After decades of under-building, demand for homes has vastly outstripped supply. That drove home prices to record highs in 2024. The cost of borrowing to purchase a home has remained persistently high this year, as well, even as the Federal Reserve cut interest rates three times this year. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.85% last week, down from a high of 7.22% earlier this year. Rents have continued climbing since briefly dipping lower during the pandemic, as well. As of 2023, nearly half of renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing, qualifying them as cost-burdened, according to the US Census Bureau. “No American should face homelessness, and the Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring every family has access to the affordable, safe, and quality housing they deserve,” Adrianne Todman, the US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, said in a statement. “While this data is nearly a year old and no longer reflects the situation we are seeing, it is critical that we focus on evidence-based efforts to prevent and end homelessness.” The HUD report showed many cities saw more people experience homelessness compared to last year, though Dallas and Los Angeles showed decreases. Veterans were one group that saw a marked improvement in their long-term housing prospects, though. Homelessness among veterans decreased by nearly 8% from last year to the lowest number on record, from 35,574 in 2023 to 32,882 in 2024. This year, the Department of Veterans Affairs said it permanently housed the largest number of veterans experiencing homelessness since 2019.

Here is today’s weather forecast according to the Barbados Meteorological Services. Weather Forecasts Today From 6:00 a.m. Synopsis: A ridge pattern is the dominant feature. General Forecast: Mix of sunshine and clouds with brief isolated light showers. Tonight From 6:00 p.m. Synopsis: A ridge pattern will be the dominant feature. General Forecast: Clear with cloudy periods with brief isolated light showers. Wind Forecasts Today From 6:00 a.m. Gentle east-northeasterly to easterly breeze at around 20 km/h (12 mph). Tonight From 6:00 p.m. Gentle easterly to east-northeasterly breeze at around 20 km/h (12 mph). Marine Forecasts Today From 6:00 a.m. Smooth to moderate in open water with swells ranging from 1.0 to 1.5 meters ( 3 to 5 ft ). Tonight From 6:00 p.m. Smooth to moderate in open water with swells ranging from 1.0 to 1.5 meters ( 3 to 5 ft ) and increasing. Tides, Sunrise & Sunset High Tide (First) 2:39 a.m. High tide (Second) 1:44 p.m. Low Tide (First) 7:32 a.m. Low tide (Second) 8:40 p.m. Sunrise 6:19 a.m. Sunset 5:41 p.m.