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By Pitcha DANGPRASITH Indian rescue teams crept forward Tuesday in a painstaking dig by hand through rock and rubble towards 41 workers who have been trapped in a collapsed road tunnel for 17 days. Soldiers and skilled miners are using a so-called “rat-hole” mining technique to clear the final stretch, digging through some two metres (six feet) of rubble to leave only an estimated seven metres (23 feet) to go. Rajput Rai, a drilling expert, […]
LONDON, Nov 27, 2023 (AFP) – UK public health officials on Monday said they had confirmed a first human case of a swine flu strain similar to one that has been circulating in pigs. The variant of the H1N2 virus was confirmed in an individual who had been tested by their doctor after experiencing respiratory symptoms. It has not previously been detected in humans in the country, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. “This […]
SYDNEY, Nov 27, 2023 (AFP) – A 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck off northern Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said, with one witness saying the ground swayed “like you are on a boat”. The epicentre was detected at an estimated depth of 12 kilometres (seven miles) at 8:46 am local time (2146 GMT Monday), the USGS said. The quake hit about 20 kilometres (12 miles) off the coast, a short distance from the […]
By Adel Zaanoun with Michael Blum in Jerusalem GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Nov 27, 2023 (AFP) – Israel said Monday that 11 more hostages released in the Gaza Strip had arrived safely, hours after the announcement that a truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza will be extended by two days, opening the way for further releases. Hamas announced the agreement to prolong the truce by 48 hours shortly before it was due to end […]
MOSCOW, Nov 27, 2023 (AFP) – Almost two million people in Russia and occupied Ukraine were left without power on Monday, after hurricane force winds and heavy rains cut electricity lines and caused widespread flooding. Huge waves crashed over beachside areas of Russia’s Black Sea coast, video from social media showed, as wind speeds reached over 140 kilometres (about 90 miles) per hour in some places. At least four people were killed during the […]
SILKYARA TUNNEL , India, Nov 27, 2023 (AFP) – Indian military engineers were preparing to dig by hand Monday to reach 41 workers trapped in a collapsed road tunnel for 16 days, a rescue operation hit by repeated setbacks. Soldiers plan to use a so-called “rat-hole mining” technique, digging by hand to clear the rocks and rubble over the remaining nine metres (29 feet), with temperatures plummeting in the remote mountain location in the Himalayan […]
MOSCOW, Nov 27, 2023 (AFP) – Over 400,000 people in Crimea were left without power on Monday, after hurricane force winds and heavy rains battered the Russian-annexed peninsula over the weekend. One local official said a man on the peninsula’s southern coast was killed, according to early reports, while wind speeds of over 140 kilometres per hour (about 90 mph) were recorded in some places. “The man went out to look at the waves and, […]
AHMEDABAD, India, Nov 27, 2023 (AFP) – At least 18 people were killed in lightning strikes across western India’s Gujarat state during unseasonably intense storms on Sunday, officials said. Such big rainstorms are not expected in Gujarat during winter months, and fierce downpours caught many off guard. While flash floods and lightning kill dozens of people in India each year, scientists warn that rising global temperatures are unleashing a cascade of extreme weather events. At […]
PARIS, Nov 26, 2023 (AFP) – Nine children, four women and a Russian-Israeli were released Sunday by Gaza rulers Hamas, according to accounts given to AFP by their relatives, Israeli media and the Hostage Families Forum. The releases bring to 63 the total number of freed hostages from around 240 taken to Gaza after the unprecedented October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. The releases came following a Friday agreement between Israel and Hamas, which is […]
By Adel Zaanoun with Hazel Ward in Tel Aviv GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Nov 27, 2023 (AFP) – The truce between Israel and Hamas entered its final 24 hours Monday, with the militant group saying it was willing to extend the pause after it freed more hostages, including a four-year-old orphaned by its attack. The pause that began Friday has seen dozens of hostages freed, with over 100 Palestinian prisoners released by Israel in return. […]
WELLINGTON, Nov 27, 2023 (AFP) – Former airline boss Christopher Luxon formally took office as New Zealand’s prime minister Monday, vowing to tame inflation and bring down interest rates. Luxon took over six weeks after his conservative National Party won national elections, ending a six-year Labour Party reign ushered in by Jacinda Ardern. Luxon, 53, once chief executive of Air New Zealand, was sworn in as head of a new coalition government by New Zealand’s […]
DUBAI, Nov 27, 2023 (AFP) – A tanker linked to an Israel-affiliated company was seized off Yemen Sunday by armed individuals, US defence officials said, but the crew members were later brought to safety. “There are indications that an unknown number of unidentified armed individuals seized the M/V Central Park in the Gulf of Aden Nov. 26,” a US defence official told AFP. The maritime security firm Ambrey said that “US naval forces are engaged […]
