Migrant rescue boat arrives in Barcelona
A humanitarian rescue boat carrying 60 migrants rescued off Libya docked in Barcelona on July 4 after being turned away by Malta and Italy, in the latest example of European divisions on immigration. Spain's new Socialist Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, had offered for the second time in a month to take in migrants rejected by Italy and Malta, which where both closer.
In a video tweeted by a crew member, men, women and children sang and cheered as the rescue ship Open Arms, operated by the Spanish charity ProActiva Open Arms, arrived in Barcelona's busy port to dock alongside cruise and cargo ships.
Last month, Spain had accepted 629 migrants on another charity rescue boat, the Aquarius. Barcelona mayor Ada Colau tweeted that the migrants ”could have died, but they are alive”
“This is the Mediterranean Sea and the Europe we want, where life is celebrated and protected,” she added.
The migrants, including five women and four children, are of various nationalities, including Palestinians, Syrians and Guineans. They received medical attention before being processed by police. Most Spaniards are in favour of welcoming and helping to integrate refugees, and feel that their previous, conservative government did not do enough, pollsters say.
Last week, European Union states agreed to tighten their external borders and spend more in the Middle East and North Africa to bring down the number of migrants and to set up new centres to handle new arrivals.
A rescue boat run by the Spanish Proactiva Open Arms charity, arrives to port in Barcelona on July 4, 2018 carrying migrants rescued off Libya, after Italy and Malta, both much closer to the place of rescue, had refused to let it dock in their ports.
3,708 pilgrims leave Jammu for Amarnath
Pilgrims cross mountain trails during their journey to the Amarnath cave on the Pahalgam route in south Kashmir.
Pilgrims cross mountain trails during their journey to the Amarnath cave on the Pahalgam route in south Kashmir.
Braving light showers, seventh batch of 3,708 pilgrims, today left Jammu for the 3,888-metre high cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, amid tight security, a senior official said.
On Tuesday, at least five Amarnath pilgrims were hit by flash floods and landslides apparently caused by cloudbursts near Baltal area in the evening. The incident took place between Brari Marg and Rail Pathri stretch, said an official.
Koreas begin basketball games in latest peace gesture
Players of Team Peace enter the stadium during an inter-Korean basketball match at Ryugyong Chung Ju-yung Gymnasium in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Players of Team Peace enter the stadium during an inter-Korean basketball match at Ryugyong Chung Ju-yung Gymnasium in Pyongyang, North Korea. Both North and South Koreans faced each other on the basketball court in Pyongyang on July 4 and 5 to commemorate the announcement of the South and North Joint Communique in 1972. The games was televised in South Korea and the fourth time both Koreas have met on the basketball court since the first match 15 years ago.
Many killed in explosion at cracker manufacturing unit in Warangal
Eleven persons died and five were seriously injured in a fire accident at a fire cracker manufacturing unit in Kashibugga area
Eleven persons died and five were seriously injured in a fire accident at a fire cracker manufacturing unit in Kashibugga area
Eleven persons died and five were seriously injured in a fire accident at a fire cracker manufacturing unit in Kashibugga area in Warangal. The reason for fire is yet to be ascertained but short circuit in the power supply is suspected.
It was said about 15 members were working in the unit at that time.
Western Railway resumes train services
Railway workers and fire brigade personnel clearing debris from railway track, a day after Andheri foot overbridge crashed.
A day after an overbridge collapsed at a railway station in Mumbai's suburban Andheri area, the Western Railway restored its train services on Wednesday, though the trains were running slightly late due to speed restrictions. Meanwhile, a day after the partial collapse of a bridge in suburban Andheri, another railway overbridge developed visible cracks at downtown Grant Road on Wednesday. The bridge on Grant Road station of Western Railway (WR) has developed cracks and as a precaution, traffic has been diverted to Nana Chowk towards Kennedy Bridge, Mumbai Traffic Police announced.
Another Philippine Mayor shot dead
Gina Halili, the widow of Tanauan city Mayor Antonio Halili, talks to students who visited the wake for slain Mayor Halili at family residence in Tanauan city, Batangas province south of Manila, Philippines on July 4, 2018.
Another Philippine mayor was shot and killed on Tuesday by an unidentified man in a road attack a day after a city Mayor was gunned down in brazen back-to-back killings that prompted an Opposition senator to call the country the “murder capital of Asia.” Mayor Ferdinand Bote of northern General Tinio town was leaving a government compound on board an SUV in northern Nueva Ecija province when a motorcycle-riding man shot him repeatedly with a pistol. The gunman escaped, police said. On Monday, Mayor Antonio Halili was shot in the heart and killed while singing the national anthem with hundreds of employees in a flag-raising ceremony in his city of Tanauan, south of Manila.
Bike-sharing fever
Commuters ride bicycles of bike-sharing companies parked against a billboard depicting forest in Beijing, Wednesday, July 4, 2018.
Bike-sharing has become a ubiquitous part of living in major Chinese cities like Beijing as commuters use them to travel either long or short distance in heavy traffic cities.
Kailash pilgrims evacauted
Kailash-Mansarovar yatra pilgrims waiting to board a Nepal military helicopter at the Simikot airport.
Following India's request for Kathmandu’s assistance for the ongoing evacuation of hundreds of Indian pilgrims, enroute to Kailash Mansarovar, the Mission in Nepal has initiated evacuation with the help of commercial flights. “The Mission has been able to evacuate about 150 pilgrims from Hilsa to Simikot,” said an official. The route to Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage through Simikot is arduous due to lack of proper road network and the pilgrims have to depend on air service which can operate only in clear weather. As of Tuesday, the Indian embassy in Kathmandu is looking at various routes of evacuating the people from Simikot. According to available information, the Nepal Army has reserved helicopter in state of readiness to operate as and when the weather permits.
We are healthy, say Thai boys
In this image taken from video provided by the Thai Navy Seal, Thai boys are with Navy SEALs inside the cave, Mae Sai, northern Thailand.
The Thai soccer teammates stranded more than a week in a partly flooded cave said they were healthy on a video released Wednesday, as heavy rains forecast for later this week could complicate plans to safely extract them.
Najib Razak charged with criminal breach of trust
Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak reacts as he walks to a courtroom, after his arrival in court in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia July 4, 2018.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was charged on Wednesday with three counts of criminal breach of trust and one count of using his position for gratification as part of a probe into missing money from state fund 1MDB.
