Nearly 40 missing in Nepal landslide
Kathmandu: Nearly 40 people were missing after powerful landslides buried dozens of houses in central Nepal’s Sindhupalchok district on Friday, according to media reports.
The landslips descended from uphill Lama Tole at 6.00 am, The Himalayan Times reported.
Security personnel were carrying out rescue operations. Speaker of the House of Representatives Agni Prasad Sapkota had reached the spot and was inspecting the damages and rescue works, the newspaper said.
Sapkota’s press coordinator Shreedhar Neupane said over 30 houses were buried and 37 people were missing. The number of missing may increase after a final count. (PTI)
Tropical Storm Josephine forms
Miami (US): Tropical Storm Josephine formed in the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday morning, making it the earliest J-named storm in a record-setting hurricane season.
Josephine was located 760 miles east-southeast of the northern Leeward Islands, according to the 11 p.m. advisory from the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. It was moving west-northwest with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect.
Josephine was the earliest tenth Atlantic named storm on record, breaking the previous record of Jose, which formed August 22, 2005, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. (AP)
14 killed in Nigeria armed attack
Abuja: At least 14 people were killed when gunmen invaded a village in Nigeria’s north-central state of Niger, police said.
Five others sustained gunshot wounds during the incident on Wednesday at the Ukuru Village, Xinhua news agency quoted Wasiu Abiodun, a spokesman for the police, as saying on Thursday.
Abiodun said the gunmen were suspected to be bandits. They rode into the village on more than 50 motorcycles one night before the attack, according to Ashafa Maikera, leader of the village’s local vigilante group. (IANS)
Kim appoints new premier
Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appointed a new premier during a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party in Pyongyang, state-media reported on Friday.
According to Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the appointment was made during the meeting on Thursday.
Workers’ Party Vice Chairman Kim Tok-hun took over as the country’s new premier, while replacing Kim Jae-ryong, Yonhap News Agency quoted the KCNA as saying. (IANS)