Fire at retirement home leaves 3 dead
Paris, Feb 1: At least three people died in a fire that broke out in a retirement home near Paris on Saturday, according to the town mayor. A further eight people were injured in the blaze at the residence located in the town of Bouffemont. “This is a serious event for our town,” Mayor Michel Lacoux said. “It seems to have been an accident.” Lacoux said the fire was under control at the residence, which was home to 75 elderly residents. Speaking to BFM TV, he said the fire is thought to have started in a laundry room and spread to part of the third floor of the building. (AP)
Sick, wounded children begin crossing from Gaza to Egypt
Rafah Crossing, Feb 1: A group of 50 sick and wounded Palestinian children began crossing to Egypt for treatment through Gaza’s Rafah crossing on Saturday, in the first opening of the border since Israel captured it nearly nine months ago. The reopening of the Rafah crossing represents a significant breakthrough that bolsters the ceasefire deal Israel and Hamas agreed to earlier this month. Israel agreed to reopen the crossing after Hamas released the last living female hostages in Gaza. Egyptian television showed an Palestinian Red Cross ambulance pulling up to the crossing gate, and several children were brought out on stretchers and transferred to ambulances on the Egyptian side. (AP)
Sri Lanka lifts ban on vehicle imports
Colombo, Feb 1: Sri Lanka has finally lifted the import ban on cars, having last week allowed only trucks, buses and double cabs. Through a new special gazette notification on Friday, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake lifted the ban on vehicle imports with effect from February 1. This has completely ended the ban on vehicle imports imposed in early 2020 with the Covid outbreak. The ban was continued when Sri Lanka suffered its economic crisis triggered by forex shortage. In April 2022, Sri Lanka declared its first ever debt default. (PTI)
Greek parl fails to elect new Prez in 2nd round of voting
Athens, Feb 1: The Greek parliament failed to elect the country’s next President in the second round of voting. A majority of 200 votes in the 300-seat parliament was needed for one of the four candidates to assume the post. All 300 members of parliament participated in the voting on Friday. Today’s attempt followed an inconclusive voting on January 25. Constantine Tassoulas, former parliament speaker and nominee of the ruling conservative New Democracy party, received 160 votes, like in the first round. The other three candidates each secured less than 50 votes again. (IANS)
Former German President dies
Berlin, Feb 1: Horst Kohler, a onetime head of the International Monetary Fund who became a popular German president before stunning the country by resigning abruptly in a flap over comments about the country’s military, has died. He was 81. Kohler, who was head of state from 2004 to 2010, died Saturday morning in Berlin. (AP)
