World

Russia declared a partial ceasefire on Saturday to allow humanitarian corridors out of the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha, Russia’s Defence Ministry said.

“From 1000 am Moscow time (0700 GMT), the Russian side declares a ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to leave Mariupol and Volnovakha,” Russian news agencies quoted the Russian Defence Ministry as saying.

At least 17 people were killed in a blast in western Ghana today (21) after a motorcycle collided with a vehicle carrying explosives, according to officials.

"The reports that I'm getting from the bureaus, hospitals, is that [there are] roughly about 17 people that have passed away," Isaac Dasmani, the municipal chief executive for the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipal Assembly, told local media.

An additional 59 people were injured in the explosion, according to AFP.

The blast appeared to have completely leveled Apiate, a small town in western Ghana.

Kwadwo Bempah, who works in the area and heard the explosion, told CNN that nearly every building there had collapsed, trapping people and animals under rubble.

The dead, he said, were "all around."

"It is a real tragedy for Ghana," Bempah said.

Police said most of the victims have been rescued and admitted to various hospitals and clinics. No more details were released on their condition.

"The police and other emergency service providers have activated a full emergency recovery exercise," a police statement said. "We urge all to remain calm as we manage this unfortunate situation."

"The police have taken charge of the situation providing security to enable the emergency workers including the Ghana National Fire Service, NADMO and the Ambulance Service to manage the situation," another statement read.

"The public has been advised to move out of the area to nearby towns for their safety while recovery efforts are underway," it added.

The police statement urged nearby towns to open classrooms, churches and other buildings to accommodate surviving victims.

Apiate, Bempah said, is small and residential, with a population of no more than 10,000. "Most of the people are farmers and miners," he said.

In the initial aftermath of the accident, Bempah said the local community stepped in as first responders, pulling people and animals from collapsed debris and rushing the wounded to hospitals before ambulances arrived.

The explosives were being delivered to a nearby mine run by Chirano Gold Mines, according to a press officer for the company, Kwabena Owusu-Ampratwum.

"We are closely monitoring the situation and the rescue efforts," Owusu-Ampratwum said.

Rescue workers arrive at the scene of the explosion in Apiate on Thursday.

Ghana has witnessed a series of gas explosions in recent years, with one of the worst blasts killing more than 150 people in the capital Accra in 2015. The explosion occurred as hundreds of residents sought shelter at a gas station from heavy rains.

Last October, at least one person was killed and another injured in a gas-related explosion in Accra, local media reported.

In the same month, three people died in another blaze in the country's Ashanti region.

Ukraine has told its citizens not to visit Russia and warned any Ukrainians already there to leave immediately.

"The foreign ministry recommends that citizens of Ukraine refrain from any trips to the Russian Federation, and those who are in this country to leave its territory immediately," a statement says (in Russian).

It says the "intensification of Russian aggression against Ukraine" means it won't be able to offer consular assistance to Ukrainians in Russia.

The move could affect several million Ukrainian nationals who are estimated to live in Russia.

(BBC)

A large fire is raging at the Houses of Parliament in the South African city of Cape Town.

Video footage shows a plume of black smoke filling the sky, with huge flames coming out from the roof of the building.

Dozens of firefighters are at the site battling the blaze; it is not yet clear what caused the fire.

It comes hours after Archbishop Desmond Tutu's state funeral at St George's Cathedral, near Parliament.

The roof area had caught fire and the National Assembly building was on fire too, the city authorities said.

"The fire is not under control and cracks in the walls of the building have been reported," a spokesman for the city's emergency services told the AFP news agency.

The fire was currently on the third floor, with initial reports indicating it started in the office space of the building and was spreading towards a gym at the site, city officials said.

The Houses of Parliament in Cape Town are made up of three sections, with the oldest dating back to 1884. The newer sections built in the 1920s and 1980s house the National Assembly.

(BBC)

A court in India has sentenced 38 people to death for their role in a series of bomb blasts in 2008 in the western state of Gujarat.

Fifty-seven people were killed and hundreds injured in the bombings, which took place in Ahmedabad, the commercial capital of Gujarat.

The court in Ahmedabad also sentenced 11 other convicts to life in prison until death.

The accused can challenge their sentences in a higher court.

On 26 July 2008, around 20 bombs exploded in the space of an hour across residential areas, market places, public transport and hospitals in Ahmedabad. Several unexploded bombs were also found.

The Indian Mujahideen - then an unknown Islamic militant group - had claimed responsibility for the attacks in an email sent to some media outlets.

The Indian government declared the group a terrorist organisation and banned it in 2010 after it was accused of an attack on a German bakery in Pune in which 17 people were killed and scores injured.

In the Ahmedabad blasts, 78 people had faced trial - one of the accused, Ayaz Saiyed, later helped investigating agencies.

The remaining 28 have been acquitted.

The prosecution examined 1,163 witnesses over the course of the trial, according to The Indian Express.

Special Judge AR Patel also ordered to give compensation of 100,000 rupees (£982; $1,337) each to families of the victims.

In 2013, authorities had said they foiled an attempt by some of the accused to tunnel their way out of jail.

(BBC)

At least 12 people were killed and several others injured after a stampede at a religious shrine in India.

Pilgrims were visiting the shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi in Indian-administered Kashmir on Saturday when the tragedy unfolded.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "saddened" by the loss of life.

Tens of thousands of people usually visit the shrine every day, and it is thought there was a peak in visitors because of the holiday season.

According to a senior police officer, 14 people were injured in the stampede, with all of them taken to hospital.

One senior government official told AFP news agency that the death toll could rise as the shrine was incredibly busy with people trying to visit for the New Year.

The shrine, located near the town of Katra, is among India's most revered pilgrimage sites. Visitor numbers have been capped to around 25,000 because of the pandemic.

It is not yet clear caused the stampede in the early hours of the morning, but some eyewitnesses claimed crowds at the site were not being managed properly.

An investigation into the incident has been launched.

In a tweet, Modi said "Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to a stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan. May the injured recover soon."

(Source: BBC)

At least 13 people have died after falling into a well during a wedding ceremony in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Police said the victims - all women and children - were sitting on a metal slab covering the well when it collapsed under their weight.

Two more people have been injured in the accident, which took place in Kushinagar district.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the deaths "heart-wrenching".

The tragedy took place on Wednesday evening during the traditional "haldi" ceremony, in which relatives apply turmeric paste to the faces of the bride and groom as a marker of prosperity.

When the slab broke, other guests ran to rescue the victims and took them to a nearby hospital.

While 11 people were declared dead immediately, two others died later during treatment, police said.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has asked district authorities to assist the families of the victims.

(BBC)

The Indian government announced on Sunday (26) that a curfew will be imposed in New Delhi with effect from 11pm to 5am (IST).

The announcement was made as there was a surge in Covid 19 cases when the national capital touched 0.55%

On Sunday, Delhi recorded 290 COVID-19 cases, with a 0.55 percent positivity rate. A ‘yellow’ alarm is sounded if the positive rate stands at 0.5 percent for two days in a row, according to the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

With the ‘yellow alert,’ a series of restrictions take effect, including night curfews, school and college closures, decreased seating capacity in Metro trains and buses, and the closure of non-essential shops and malls, among others.

With cases of Omicron seeing a sudden spike across the country, various states have announced stricter regulations, including compulsory vaccination for accessing public places, home quarantine for all international passengers, night curfew and restrictions on the number of people who can assemble in places like markets.

U.S. Special Operations forces carried out what the Pentagon called a “successful” counterterrorism mission in northwest Syria early Thursday.

The risky commando assault targeted someone believed to be a senior jihadist leader, but rescue workers said women and children were among at least 13 people killed during the raid.

A senior Iraqi intelligence official said the target of the raid was the leader of the Islamic State, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, but U.S. officials did not confirm that and have not said who the target was.

The helicopter-borne commando assault resembled the raid in October 2019 that culminated in the death of Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi, the previous leader of the Islamic State.

That raid took place not far from the one on Thursday.

“Last night at my direction, U.S. military forces in northwest Syria successfully undertook a counterterrorism operation to protect the American people and our Allies, and make the world a safer place,” President Biden said in a statement. “Thanks to the skill and bravery of our Armed Forces, we have taken off the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi—the leader of ISIS.”

(Source: The New York Times)

An explosion at a bank in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi has killed at least 14 people, police say.

Many others were injured in the blast, which is believed to have been caused by a gas leak from a sewage drain.

Witnesses told local media many people were buried in the debris. There are fears the death toll will rise.

Footage from the scene showed windows and doors at the Habib Bank building blown out, vehicles damaged, and documents strewn across the street.

"Our explosives teams are at work trying to ascertain the nature of the blast, but apparently the structure was constructed on a drain and gas could be a probable cause," police officer Sarfaraz Nawaz told reporters.

In a statement on Twitter, Habib Bank said "an unfortunate incident, involving an explosion, took place at our branch" on Saturday afternoon.

"Our sympathies are with the bereaved families".

(BBC)

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has cancelled her wedding after announcing new Covid restrictions.

The entire country is set to be placed under the highest level of Covid restrictions after an outbreak of the Omicron variant.

The restrictions include a cap of 100 vaccinated people at events and mask wearing in shops and on public transport.

New Zealand has recorded 15,104 Covid cases and 52 deaths.

Ms Ardern confirmed to reporters on Sunday that her wedding to television host Clarke Gayford would not be going ahead.

"I am no different to, dare I say it, thousands of other New Zealanders who have had much more devastating impacts felt by the pandemic, the most gutting of which is the inability to be with a loved one sometimes when they are gravely ill," she said.

"That will far, far outstrip any sadness I experience," she added.

The new restrictions come into force at midnight on Sunday local time (11:00 GMT).

It comes after a cluster of nine Omicron cases were confirmed.

A family who had attended a wedding in Auckland tested positive after returning home to the South Island. A flight attendant also contracted the virus. Officials say the level of community transmission from the group is expected to be high.

Indoor hospitality venues and events will have their capacity capped to 100 vaccinated people or 25 if vaccine passes are not being used. This also includes gyms and weddings, the New Zealand Herald reports.

Students including year four and above will be required to wear masks in school.

New Zealand has operated under strict Covid rules since the start of the pandemic, allowing it to keep deaths to a minimum. It was one of the first countries in the world to close its borders and quashed earlier outbreaks with lockdowns.

But since the emergence of the Delta variant, Ms Ardern has switched from a total Covid elimination strategy to pushing for higher vaccination rates and treating the virus as endemic.

It's thought that about 94% of the country's population over the age of 12 is fully vaccinated and 56% of those have had their boosters.

Last year, the country announced plans to reopen borders as part of a staged reopening. Foreign travellers will be the last group to be granted entry into the country, from 30 April.

(BBC)

A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia on Tuesday triggering a tsunami warning, the meteorological department of the Southeast Asian nation said, but there was no immediate word on any casualties or damage.

“Everyone ran out into the street,” Agustinus Florianus, a resident of Maumere town on Flores island, told Reuters.

Tsunami warnings were issued for the areas of Maluku, East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara and Southeast and South Sulawesi, after the quake hit 112 km (69.59 miles) northwest of Larantuka, in the eastern part of Flores, at a depth of 12 km.

The U.S. Geological Survey later said the quake, which struck at 0320 GMT, had a magnitude of 7.3. An aftershock of 5.6 magnitude hit Larantuka after the first quake, the Indonesian agency said.

“It felt like a wave, up and down,” Zacharias Gentana Keranz, a resident of Larantuka told Reuters.

Alfons Hada Betan, head of East Flores Disaster Mitigation agency in Larantuka said there were no immediate reports of damage and the quake was felt for several minutes as people fled from their homes.

People said on social media the earthquake was also felt strongly in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

The U.S-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that based on preliminary earthquake parameters, hazardous tsunami waves were possible for coasts located within 1,000 km (621.37 miles) of the earthquake’s epicentre.

Muhamad Sadly, an official with the meteorology agency told Metro TV people should stay away from beaches adding that the tsunami warning would be lifted at least two hours after it was issued.

Indonesia straddles the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, an area of high seismic activity that rests atop multiple tectonic plates.

At least 48 people were killed and hundreds injured when the Mount Semeru volcano erupted on Java island on Dec. 4.

Meanwhile, The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) of Sri Lanka said there are no Tsunami threats to the island nation from the earthquake off Indonesia.

Source: Reuters