Cyclone Mekunu pounds Yemen
Seventeen people were missing and hundreds of others evacuated from their homes on May 24 after Cyclone Mekunu hit the Yemeni island of Socotra, causing severe flooding and damage, officials said. Neighbouring Oman is preparing for landfall on May 25, with national weather experts expecting Mekunu to intensify to a category two cyclone from category one, after it hit Socotra on May 23 night.
The missing people had been in two boats that sunk and three vehicles swept away by floods, said Ramzy Mahrous, Governor of Socotra, an island paradise 350 km off Yemen in the Arabian Sea.
Yemen’s internationally recognised central government early on May 24 declared Socotra a “disaster Province” and Mr. Mahrous said it could not handle relief efforts on its own, with the number of missing expected to rise.
2 killed as train smashes into truck in Italy
Firemen walk next to a regional train that ploughed into a big-rig truck that stopped on the tracks, killing at least two people and injuring a dozen others, in Caluso, outside Turin, on May 24, 2018.
Firemen walk next to a regional train that ploughed into a big-rig truck that stopped on the tracks, killing at least two people and injuring a dozen others, in Caluso, outside Turin, on May 24, 2018.
A regional train ploughed into a big-rig truck stopped on the tracks outside the northern Italian city of Turin late Wednesday, killing at least two people and injuring 18, authorities said. Rescuers worked through the night to make sure no passengers were trapped in the wreckage.
The Italian news agency ANSA said the first fatality was the engineer of the train, which smashed into the truck near the town of Caluso at 11.20 p.m., about 50 minutes after the train began its run from Turin to the suburb of Ivrea.
Later, one of two critically injured people who were flown by helicopter to a hospital died, ANSA said.
One of the less seriously injured was reported to be a crew member, while the others were passengers. Ambulance dispatches said a total of 18 people were injured, most of them not critically.
The truck driver escaped injury, ANSA said. The rig, which carried Lithuania license plates, was headed to a warehouse not far away, ANSA said. The truck’s cargo wasn’t immediately known.
The Rfi regional railroad said the railway barrier had lowered properly before the train’s approach but for reasons unknown the truck smashed through the barrier and ended up on the tracks.
Modi welcomes Mark Rutte
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Thursday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Thursday.
Delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte are underway with an aim to step up economic and political ties between the two countries. Earlier, Mr. Modi welcomed the Dutch Prime Minister to India and said he looks forward to holding talks with him later in the day. “India welcomes you Prime Minister Rutte. I look forward to our talks today,” Mr. Modi tweeted in English and Dutch.
Suicide bomber kills 7 in northern Baghdad park
Municipality workers clean the site of a suicide attack in the predominantly Shia Shoala district, in northwest Baghdad, Iraq on May 24, 2018.
A suicide bomber blew himself up late Wednesday at a crowded park in Iraq’s capital, killing at least seven people in the first such attack in Baghdad since the start a week ago of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, security officials said. They said police and emergency workers intercepted the bomber as he entered the park in Shoala, a mainly Shia district in northern Baghdad, but he managed to set off his bomb before being caught. At least 16 people were wounded in the attack, which the officials said could have claimed many more victims if the bomber had gotten himself deeper into the park before blowing himself up.
Indonesia ride app Go-Jek to add 4 Southeast Asian nations
Go-Jek drivers wait for customers in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 24, 2018.
Indonesian ride-hailing app Go-Jek will expand into Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines in the next few months, it said today, stepping up competition with rival Grab for Southeast Asian customers. Go-Jek, which currently only operates in Indonesia, said Thursday it will spend $500 million on the regional expansion. It’s potentially good news for consumers in Southeast Asia after competition between ride-hailing apps lessened with Uber’s agreement in March to sell its failing business in the region to Singapore-based Grab.
Two dead after train derails in Italy
Derailed train cars sit after a regional train plowed into a big-rig truck that stopped on the tracks, in Caluso, outside Turin, Italy, early on Thursday.
A regional train ploughed into a big-rig truck stopped on the tracks outside the northern Italian city of Turin late on Wednesday, killing at least two people and injuring 18, authorities said. Rescuers worked through the night to make sure no passengers were trapped in the wreckage. The Italian news agency ANSA said the first fatality was the engineer of the train, which smashed into the truck near the town of Caluso at 11:20 p.m., about 50 minutes after the train began its run from Turin to the suburb of Ivrea. Later, one of two critically injured people who were flown by helicopter to a hospital died, ANSA said.
'China and Germany standing by Iran nuclear deal'
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (right) and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang walk past People's Liberation Army (PLA) honour guards during a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 24, 2018.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday China and Germany are standing by the existing nuclear deal with Iran after the United States left the 2015 accord earlier this month. Ms. Merkel made the comment during a joint news briefing with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at Beijing's Great Hall of the People during a two-day visit to China.
Malaysia's anti-graft agents take ex-PM's statement
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, center, arrives at Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Office in Putrajaya, Malaysia on May 24, 2018.Najib appears again for questioning at the office as part of the corruption and money-laundering investigation into the 1MDB state investment fund that Najib set up and is being investigated.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak arrived at the anti-corruption agency’s office on Thursday for more questioning over a massive graft scandal at a state investment fund that he set up. Mr. Najib, who was ousted in a shock defeat in May 9 national elections marked by public anger over the scandal, smiled and waved at reporters before entering the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission building.
Swiss national Xavier Justo arrives at Anti Corruption Agency in Putrajaya, Malaysia on May 24, 2018.
Swiss national Xavier Justo, a whistleblower in the 1MDB case who met with new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad earlier this week, also turned up at the anti-graft agency Thursday just before Najib arrived. He didn't speak to reporters.
(With inputs from Agencies)
