Russian forces storm detention facility to rescue staff
Moscow, June 16: Security forces stormed a detention centre in southern Russia on Sunday, killing inmates accused of links to Islamist terror cells who had taken two staff members hostage, state-funded news channel RT reported. Journalists on the scene reported the sounds of gunfire, while multiple ambulances were seen arriving at the prison in footage on social media. The hostages at the pretrial detention centre in Rostov-on-Don were uninjured, Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service said in an official statement. It said that the hostage takers had been “liquidated,” but did not comment further. A number of local news outlets, including RT, reported that at least some of the prisoners had been killed. (AP)
German cops shoot a man threatening them with axe
Berlin, June 16: German police said Sunday they shot and wounded a man who was threatening them with an axe and a firebomb in the northern city of Hamburg, hours before it hosted a match in the Euro 2024 tournament. The man was receiving medical treatment, Hamburg police said in a post on X, without providing further details. The incident occurred in the downtown St. Pauli area of the city, which German media said was thronged with thousands of fans ahead of Sunday’s match between the Netherlands and Poland. (AP)
People want Imran to be kept in jail for 5 years: Minister
Lahore, June 16: A Pakistani minister has claimed that the people in the country believe keeping Imran Khan imprisoned for five years till 2029 is necessary for economic stability. Federal Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal expressed concern that the 71-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) release could lead to renewed protests and unrest, which the country cannot afford. “People come to us and tell us if Pakistan has to progress then Imran Khan will have to be kept in jail for five years,” Iqbal, the Secretary-General of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (N), said while talking to reporters on Saturday. Khan has been in jail since August last year in different cases. Iqbal said Khan was an “angry man”. He said the people felt it was necessary to keep him behind bars for the country’s economic stability. (PTI)
Heavy rainfall triggers flooding in 22 rivers in China
Beijing, June 16: Heavy rainfall has caused flooding in 22 rivers in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the regional hydrology centre reported on Sunday. According to the centre, a total of 30 hydrologic stations in 22 rivers in Guangxi reported water levels between 0.03 and 2.63 metres above the warning levels, Xinhua news agency reported. The Hezhou hydrologic station of the Hejiang River reported the largest flooding in a decade. The centre also predicted that the water levels in some swollen local rivers will continue to rise by up to one metre in the next 24 hours. (IANS)