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Prayers and Tears Mark 20 Years Since Indian Ocean Tsunami That Killed 230,000

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Prayers and Tears Mark 20 Years Since Indian Ocean Tsunami That Killed 230,000

Banda Aceh, Indonesia (DT) —People gathered in prayer and visited mass graves Thursday in Indonesia’s Aceh province to commemorate 20 years since the Indian Ocean tsunami, one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern history.

In Ulee Lheue village, where more than 14,000 unidentified and unclaimed victims are buried, mourners openly wept. This site is one of several mass graves in Banda Aceh, the capital of Indonesia’s northernmost province, which was among the areas hardest hit by the disaster.

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On Dec. 26, 2004, a powerful 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra, triggering a tsunami that killed an estimated 230,000 people across a dozen countries. The waves reached as far as East Africa and displaced 1.7 million people, mostly in the four worst-affected nations: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand.

Indonesia bore the brunt of the disaster, with more than 170,000 lives lost. Survivors still grapple with the memory of the towering waves that devastated Aceh’s coastline, leaving flattened buildings and unthinkable grief in their wake.

An elephant which belongs to forest ministry removes debris Monday Jan. 10, 2005 in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

Today, Aceh’s infrastructure has been rebuilt and is more resilient. Coastal communities are equipped with early warning systems, providing residents with critical time to evacuate during potential tsunamis.

The recovery was made possible by international donors and organizations, whose contributions helped rebuild schools, hospitals, and essential infrastructure. These structures have been reconstructed with improved strength and durability, better preparing the region for future challenges.

Thailand also suffered immense loss, with over 8,000 people killed, many of whom remain missing. Nearly 400 bodies remain unidentified, underscoring the profound emotional scars the tsunami left behind.

Even two decades later, the pain of that day lingers, as communities across the affected regions continue to honor the memories of their lost loved ones while striving to build a safer and more prepared future.

SOURCE : APNEWS |  Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube |

Blast at explosives factory in western Turkey kills 11

Diplomat Times
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Blast at explosives factory in western Turkey kills 11

8 women among dead, 7 people injured in explosion in western Balikesir province’s Karesi district, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya tells Anadolu

Balikesir, Turkey (DT) – A blast at an explosives production facility in Türkiye’s western Balikesir province Tuesday claimed the lives of 11 people, including eight women, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed to Anadolu, revising the earlier reported death toll of 12.

Yerlikaya further said that seven people were also injured in the blast in the Karesi district.

Regarding the latest situation, Balikesir Governor Ismail Ustaoglu said Turkish prosecutors are currently conducting investigations at the scene.

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“We foresee that no other citizens remain inside. The injured are in good health and have no issues. The explosion occurred due to technical reasons; there is no possibility of sabotage,” he said.

Earlier, Ustaoglu stated that the blast occurred in the capsule production section of the factory, located in the rural Kavakli neighborhood of the Karesi district, for reasons yet to be determined. The explosion caused the building to collapse, he added.

Emergency crews, including 112 emergency medical and fire teams, were dispatched to the site shortly after the incident.

A screenshot of a video shows the blast at an explosives and ammunition factory in Turkey’s northwest Balikesir province on Tuesday. 
IHA/Reuters

Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said that an investigation has been launched into the explosion.

On X, Tunc stated that the Balikesir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has assigned one deputy chief prosecutor and four prosecutors to oversee the investigation. “The investigation is being conducted comprehensively and meticulously.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed sorrow over the incident, saying, “I am deeply saddened by the loss of 12 of our brothers.”

Erdogan stated that all relevant institutions, starting with the Balikesir governor, have been instructed to immediately launch a thorough investigation into the incident.

He extended his condolences to the families of the victims and wished the injured a swift recovery.

SOURCE : AA |  Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube |

Brazil bus crash death toll rises to 41

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Brazil bus crash death toll rises to 41

São Paulo, Brazil (DT) – The death toll from a bus crash in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais has risen to 41, regional police reported Sunday.

The tragedy occurred on Saturday when a bus carrying 45 passengers veered off the federal highway BR 116 in the municipality of Teófilo Otoni, Minas Gerais. The vehicle plunged into a ravine and caught fire after a block of granite fell from a truck traveling in the opposite direction, striking the bus.

A total of 11 bodies have been identified so far, but security forces have not provided a timeline for identifying the rest, as the bus and two other vehicles involved were either totally or partially consumed by the fire. Initial reports from firefighters counted 22 fatalities, but the number rose as rescue efforts continued.

According to the civil police of Minas Gerais, the granite block dislodged from a truck overloaded with cargo, causing the bus to burst into flames upon impact. A car traveling behind the truck also collided with it, but its three occupants survived with serious injuries, according to the fire department.

Authorities are searching for the truck driver, who fled the scene. Reports indicate his license was suspended in 2022 after refusing a breathalyzer test, and the truck was carrying excess weight, which may lead to criminal charges.

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President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his condolences, offering prayers for “the recovery of the survivors of this terrible tragedy.” He also promised government support for the victims’ families and survivors.

The government of Minas Gerais released a statement pledging to remain mobilized to provide “necessary responses” to the disaster, which has become one of the deadliest road accidents in Brazil’s recent history.

The crash serves as a stark reminder of ongoing safety concerns on Brazil’s roads, particularly in regions with dangerous curves and heavy freight traffic.

SOURCE : EFE|  Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube |

Rekha Gupta’s name is almost confirmed for BJP candidate from Shalimar Bagh

Ahsan Ansari
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Rekha Gupta’s name is almost confirmed for BJP candidate from Shalimar Bagh

New Delhi, India (DT) – While AAP has released the list of candidates for all 70 seats for Delhi assembly elections, Congress has also released the list for some of its seats. In Shalimar Bagh assembly, both BJP and AAP have fielded their candidates. Praveen Jain from Congress and current MLA Bandana Kumari from AAP have been made their candidates. BJP has not released any list yet.

The name of Rekha Gupta, former BJP candidate from Shalimar Bagh assembly and currently Municipal Councilor Ward No. 56, is almost confirmed this time too.

Rekha Gupta’s name is at the top in the survey and it is believed that there is no better candidate than Rekha Gupta for BJP, it is not easy for the current MLA Bandana Kumari to win the Shalimar Bagh assembly seat this time, many AAP party workers have expressed their displeasure over Bandana Kumari being given the ticket, in such a situation, if BJP trusts Rekha Gupta, then this time Rekha Gupta can be successful in winning her seat. In such a situation, BJP will not want to take the risk by making any other new face a candidate, the name of former candidate Rekha Gupta is almost certain.

BJP can release its list soon.

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Putin Expresses Willingness to Speak with Trump

Diplomat Times
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Putin Expresses Willingness to Speak with Trump

Moscow, Russia (DT) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he was ready to meet US President-elect Donald Trump “any time.”

“I haven’t spoken to him for more than four years, I’m ready for it at any time,” Putin said at his annual marathon press conference.

Putin admitted that he still did not know when the possible meeting would take place because Trump had “not said anything” about it.

However, he said he was sure that they would have plenty to discuss.

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“If we ever have a meeting with President-elect Trump, I am sure we’ll have a lot to talk about,” he said, adding that Russia was prepared for “negotiations and compromises.”

Last week, the Kremlin said that the Russian president had not received an invitation from Trump to attend his inauguration on Jan. 20.

The last meeting between the two leaders took place in June 2019, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan.

Trump, who recently met with Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskyy, has repeatedly said that one of his priorities after returning to the White House will be to end the war in Ukraine.

SOURCE : EFE |  Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube |

At least 75 dead from cyclone Chido in northern Mozambique

Diplomat Times
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At least 75 dead from cyclone Chido in northern Mozambique

Maputo, Mozambique (DT) – The death toll from the passage of cyclone Chido in northern Mozambique went up to 75, with at least 768 injured and 329,565 affected, according to data from the Mozambique National Institute of Disaster Management (INGC) obtained by EFE.

In addition, 39,133 houses ended up destroyed, and one person is still missing, the INGD added.

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Two new deaths (updated from 73 from a previous report) registered in the province of Cabo Delgado, the hardest hit with 67 deaths, with 740 injured and 216,930 people affected.

Many public buildings were also affected, including 250 schools with 109,793 students and 1,556 teachers.

Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi, who declared two days of national mourning from early Friday, visited the Mecúfi district of Cabo Delgado, the hardest hit by the cyclone.

Destruction in Pemba, Mozambique, on Wednesday after Cyclone Chido made landfall.Credit…Shafiek Tassiem/Reuters

“The priority we have set ourselves is the immediate restoration of electricity because this will help solve the problem of water distribution, communications and even help the sick,” Nyusi said at a meeting with the local government.

He expressed concern about the “lack of accommodation in Mecúfi” and the possible increase in water-borne illnesses.

“In the next two weeks, there will be rains, which means that these people who are out in the open will get wet with the little they have. What we will distribute to them will get wet (food and basic needs),” warned Nyusi.

Cabo Delgado is the worst-hit province, with 67 deaths. Nampula and Niassa have recorded five and three deaths, respectively.

Although the cyclone near Zimbabwe dissipated between Monday and Tuesday, experts said the death toll could rise as the affected areas continue to be assessed.

Chido made landfall in Mozambique on Sunday with winds of up to 120 kilometers per hour (74 miles per hour) and wreaked havoc in the north of the country before moving into neighboring Malawi on Monday, where at least 13 people died.

The cyclone has also left at least 22 dead and 45 seriously injured on the French archipelago of Mayotte. However, Gallic authorities warned on Sunday that the death toll could reach “several hundred.”

The Indian Ocean islands were battered by wind gusts of up to 220 kilometers per hour (136 miles per hour) and heavy rains.

Southeast Africa typically experiences an annual tropical storm season that lasts from October to April, sometimes resulting in numerous deaths and extensive property damage.

Between February and March 2023, Freddy, the longest cyclone ever recorded, killed more than 1,200 people in Malawi and nearly 200 in Madagascar and affected more than 1.7 million people in these and other areas of the region, such as Zimbabwe and Mauritius. 

Source : EFE |  Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube |

A fire at a nursing home in northeastern Spain claimed the lives of at least 10 people

Diplomat Times
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A fire at a nursing home in northeastern Spain claimed the lives of at least 10 people

Zaragoza, Spain (DT) – A fire at a nursing home near Zaragoza in northeastern Spain left at least 10 people dead and several others injured before firefighters managed to control the blaze, local authorities reported on Friday.

The alarm was raised just before 5 a.m. in Villafranca de Ebro, located about 28 kilometers (18 miles) from Zaragoza. Two individuals remain in critical condition, officials confirmed.

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At the time of the fire, there were 82 people in the residence, located in the town of Villafranca de Ebro, according to the regional government of Aragon.

The casualties resulted from inhalation of smoke, and the two people in critical condition were admitted to the Royo Villanova Hospital in Zaragoza.

According to the Zaragoza authorities, when firefighters arrived at the scene they found the fire spreading in one of the wings of the residence and a large amount of smoke.

Members of the emergency services and relatives of residents are seen outside of a retirement home in Villafranca de Ebro, Zaragoza, Spain, 15 November 2024. EFE/ Javier Cebollada

At least 25 firefighters were involved in putting out the fire and evacuating the elderly.

Besides firefighters, members of the Civil Guard, Civil Protection volunteers, psychologists, social workers and health care from the emergency services, as well as medical personnel from health centers in nearby towns, were deployed to the scene.

The retirement home where the fire broke out is on the outskirts of Villafranca de Ebro, a town of about 800 inhabitants about 30 kilometers from Zaragoza. 

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his condolences to the victims on X, stating he was “shocked by the tragedy.”

The fire occurred only weeks after catastrophic flash floods in Valencia, which claimed over 200 lives and destroyed thousands of homes. The floods are regarded as the worst natural disaster in Spain’s recent history.

SOURCE : AGENCIES |  Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube |

Maori protesters march on New Zealand’s capital to oppose contentious bill

Diplomat Times
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Maori protesters march on New Zealand’s capital to oppose contentious bill

Wellington, New Zealand (DT) — Thousands of Maori protesters continued their determined march toward Wellington today, rallying against the Treaty Principles Bill, which they argue threatens indigenous rights and sovereignty.

The bill, currently being debated in Parliament, seeks to redefine the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, a move that Maori leaders say undermines Maori land claims and environmental protections.

This nine-day protest march, or hikoi, includes rallies in towns across the country and is expected to reach the national capital by Tuesday. An estimated 10,000 protesters gathered in Rotorua, around 450 kilometers north of Wellington, according to a New Zealand police statement. Protesters, some dressed in traditional Maori attire, were met by hundreds waving Maori flags and chanting in solidarity.

Yesterday, Indigenous Maori leaders staged a powerful haka — a traditional Maori dance historically used to challenge opponents — at the first parliamentary hearing on the bill. Demonstrators are calling on lawmakers to withdraw or amend the legislation, emphasizing that it disregards Maori ancestral ties to the land and their rights under the Treaty.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has called for open dialogue between Maori leaders and lawmakers, though he has yet to indicate any plans to amend the bill. The protests are expected to intensify as the hikoi approaches Wellington, with growing national debate over New Zealand’s commitment to honoring its indigenous heritage.

The Maori community and their supporters argue that the bill risks inciting racial tension and erodes the rights of New Zealand’s Indigenous people, who comprise about 20 percent of the nation’s 5.3 million population.

During a parliamentary vote on Thursday, 22-year-old legislator Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke of the Te Pati Maori party tore up a copy of the bill and led fellow members in a traditional haka. The impromptu demonstration prompted a brief suspension of Parliament as supporters in the gallery joined in, their chants overwhelming the chamber and halting the debate.

SOURCE : AGENCIES |  Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube |

At least 43 killed in overnight Israeli attacks across Lebanon

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At least 43 killed in overnight Israeli attacks across Lebanon

Beirut, Lebanon (DT) – At least 43 people have been killed and dozens injured across Lebanon in a series of Israeli attacks in recent hours, including on two Civil Defense centers, authorities said on Friday.

The deadliest attack reported by the authorities took place on Thursday night in the province of Baalbek where at least 12 people were killed at a Civil Defense center, according to Governor Bachir Khodr on X.

The public health ministry confirmed the casualties and added that at least one person was injured.

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“The Ministry of Public Health reiterates its condemnation of this barbaric attack on a Lebanese state-run health center, noting that it is the second Israeli attack on a health emergency facility in less than two hours,” it wrote on X.

Also in Baalbek, according to the ministry, at least eight people, five of them women, were killed in an Israeli attack on Al Shaab neighborhood, injuring 29 others.

Israeli forces also killed six people, including four paramedics, when they attacked a post of the Islamic Health Organization and Civil Defense in the southern town of Arab Salim, according to the same source.

In addition to these three attacks, the ministry reported almost a dozen more in various parts of the country, raising the total number of fatalities to at least 43 in recent hours.

These attacks include one in the city of Shmustar, which killed two, while at least three people were killed and four wounded in Temnine Et Tahta. The ministry also recorded casualties in seven other towns: Saraaine El Tahta, Al Bazurba, Hanawiya, Aytat, Qana, Al Bayad and Shihin.

In more than a year of conflict, at least 3,386 people have been killed in Lebanon and another 14,417 have been injured, including 220 minors and 658 women, according to the latest update from the Lebanese government, prior to these latest attacks.

The vast majority of these deaths have occurred since the start of Israel’s massive bombing campaign just over a month ago, followed by a ground offensive, which in turn has displaced more than 1.2 million people, according to government figures.

SOURCE : EFE |  Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube |

APEC leaders to open Lima summit as Trump prepares to return to office

Diplomat Times
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APEC leaders to open Lima summit as Trump prepares to return to office

Lima, Peru (DT) — Representatives from 21 Pacific Rim economies are convening in Peru on Friday for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, marking the first global summit since U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s victory and featuring several prominent world leaders.

The annual gathering unites countries that together represent nearly two-thirds of global GDP and half of the world’s trade, according to APEC organizers. Confirmed attendees in Lima include outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden, China’s President Xi Jinping, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto, Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, and Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, among others.

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The summit comes as the global community contemplates potential shifts in international relations under new U.S. leadership.

The leaders and representatives are scheduled for private discussions in the morning, followed by an afternoon session with APEC’s business advisory council. On Wednesday, the council urged APEC economies to foster inclusive growth, emphasizing support for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, especially those led by women and Indigenous entrepreneurs.

“While the global economy remains resilient, APEC economies are grappling with persistent inflation, economic disparities, high interest rates and the urgent need to increase investments for a green, climate-resilient future,” said council chairwoman Julia Torreblanca.

APEC is bound to be one of Biden’s last before leaving office, and White House officials insist that his attendance as well as his subsequent visit to Brazil for the Group of 20 meeting next week will be substantive, with talks to focus on climate issues, global infrastructure, counter-narcotic efforts. For the first time since last year’s APEC forum, Biden will meet one-on-one with Chinese President Xi on Saturday. He will also meet with South Korea’s Yoon Suk Yeol, Japan’s Shigeru Ishiba and Peru’s President Dina Boluarte.

The officials say Biden also will use the summits to press allies to keep up support for Ukraine as it tries to fend off Russia’s invasion and persist in negotiating an end to Israel’s wars in Lebanon and Gaza.

Discontent has been brewing in the middle-class San Borja neighborhood outside Lima’s Convention Center, where the APEC conference is sited. Metal barriers and police equipped with riot gear surround the perimeter where, for the past two days, anti-government protesters angry about a recent spate of gang-fueled violence have shouted slogans demanding that their wildly unpopular presiden t take action against the crime wave.

The rallies have devolved into scuffles with police, who used batons to drive away the more aggressive protesters on Thursday.

SOURCE : AP NEWS |  Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | AP writer Isabel DeBre contributed

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