Terrorists kill two Indians, abduct one in south-west Niger
Niamey, July 19: Two Indians were killed and one abducted following a terrorist attack in south-west Niger, said the Indian Embassy here. “In a heinous terror attack on 15 July in Niger’s Dosso region, two Indian nationals tragically lost their lives and one was abducted,” the Embassy posted on social media on Friday. Unidentified gunmen attacked an army unit guarding a construction site in Dosso, about 130 kilometres from the capital Niamey, local media reported. The Indian mission said it is working with local authorities to repatriate the mortal remains of those killed. The embassy is also working to “ensure safe release” of the Indian abducted. Indians in the West African nation are also advised by the mission to remain vigilant. (PTI)
Russia pounds Ukraine with over 300 drones
Kyiv, July 19: Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine overnight into Saturday with hundreds of drones, killing at least one person, part of a stepped-up bombing campaign that has dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the more than 3-year-old war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on X, saying Russia fired over 300 drones, along with more than 30 cruise missiles. One person died when Russian forces attacked the Black Sea port city of Odesa with more than 20 drones and a missile, the city’s mayor, Hennadii Trukhanov, said Saturday on Telegram, while five people were rescued when a fire broke out in a residential high-rise building. According to Zelenskyy, six other people were wounded in the attack on Odesa, including a child, and critical infrastructure was damaged in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region. (AP)
Over 180 killed in Pakistan as monsoon batters
Lahore, July 19: At least 11 persons died in different rain-related incidents across Pakistan’s Punjab on Saturday, taking the toll in the province to 120 over the last three weeks, officials said. With the latest deaths on Saturday, the total toll for the country as a whole crossed 180 since June 26, when the first spell of monsoon rains was received. At least 120 people, including women and children, have died and 450 injured in rain-related incidents in Punjab province alone over the past three weeks, according to Punjab Emergency Services Rescue 1122. Sixty deaths were reported from other parts of the country. (PTI)
Tropical storm Wipha threatens southern China
Beijing, July 19: A tropical storm that prompted flight and ferry cancellations in Taiwan is forecast to reach typhoon strength before hitting the southern China coast on Sunday. The storm earlier crossed the Philippines, where a parked truck was crushed by a billboard-like structure that was toppled by high winds in Quezon City, north of Manila. Wipha had maximum sustained winds of 101 kmph and gusts up to 126 kmph as it passed south of Taiwan on Saturday, the island’s Central News Agency said. The storm, the sixth of the season in the western Pacific, is forecast to reach typhoon strength before passing near Hong Kong overnight. (AP)