Chaos outside Iran embassy in Paris; one held
Paris, April 19: Police found no weapons on a man detained Friday at the Iranian Consulate in Paris after responding to a report of a suspicious man seen carrying a grenade and explosives vest, an official said. Elite police forces and soldiers surrounded the building and barred traffic in the area during an hours-long security intervention. The incident came at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East, and as Paris is gearing up to host the summer Olympics. The Iranian Embassy did not comment publicly on the incident. The suspect had been previously convicted for setting fire at the embassy gates last year, the Paris prosecutor’s office said. (AP)
Indian students die at waterfall in Scotland
London, April 19: Two students from India who were studying at a university in the UK have been killed in a tragic drowning incident at a scenic waterfall in Scotland. Police Scotland are yet to name the men from Andhra Pradesh in their 20s and a post-mortem is due to take place on Friday. The incident took place at the Linn of Tummel near Blair of Atholl in Perthshire on Wednesday night when two men from a group of friends on an outing fell into the water and got into difficulty. (PTI)
3 dead amid heavy flooding in the UAE
Dubai, April 19: Three people have died in the United Arab Emirates as a result of heavy flooding caused by record-setting rains this week, officials said Friday. A statement by the Philippine’s Department of Migrant Workers said two women suffocated inside their vehicle during the flooding, while a man died when his vehicle fell into a sinkhole. The exact number of deaths caused by the storm is not yet known as UAE officials have not released any information. (AP)
7 killed in PoK road accident
Islamabad, April 19: At least seven people were killed and 22 others injured when a van fell into a ditch in Muzaffarabad of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the rescue service reported on Friday. The accident took place in the Garhi Dupatta area of Muzaffarabad when a passenger van went off the road in mountainous terrain and fell on the roof of a house before eventually hitting the ditch, resulting in casualties, said the rescue service. The deceased included a person who was in the house upon which the bus fell. (IANS)
Jakarta fire kills seven
Jakarta, April 19: Seven people were killed in a fire at a frame shop house on Mampang Prapatan Raya Street in Indonesia’s capital city Jakarta, according to police. “There are five adults and two children who were found in a warehouse on the second floor,” said Mampang Police Chief Commissioner David Kanitero, adding that all the bodies have been evacuated on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported. Meanwhile, five injured are still in intensive care at a hospital. The fire broke out in the shop stocked with wood, paint, and paint thinner on Thursday evening. It was extinguished after 24 fire engines with 110 personnel were deployed. (IANS)