At least 26 people were killed and over a dozen injured in a passenger bus accident in the southern Peruvian region of Ayacucho, local authorities have said.

The vehicle belonging to “Empresa Turismo Molina Union SAC” veered off the road and fell into a ravine about 200 meters deep on the Los Libertadores highway, in the district of Paras, Cangallo province, Ayacucho region on Tuesday morning, Xinhua news agency reported.

The bus was travelling on the Lima-Ayacucho route with around 40 passengers on board, according to Jhonny Rolando Valderrama, head of the National Police Road Protection Division.

Five ambulances from local health facilities, the Fire Department, and the Police Health Service were dispatched to the accident site. AGENCIES

At least 40 Palestinians were killed in two attacks by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the Hamas-run media office said in a statement.

One attack in the UN-affiliated Al-Razi School in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed 23 Palestinians, with 73 others injured, the statement said.

The Israeli airstrike, not preceded by any warning, caused partial destruction of the school, Xinhua news agency reported, citing local sources and eyewitnesses.

The other attack in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip killed 17 Palestinians and injured 26 others, the media office said.

Security sources told the news agency that the targeted place housed hundreds of displaced families in tents.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Tuesday that based on precise intelligence, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) struck “terrorists” who were operating in a UNRWA school in the area of Nuseirat.

The IAF also struck a company commander in the Islamic Jihad’s Naval Unit in western Khan Younis, it added.

Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage. AGENCIES

The Australian state government of New South Wales (NSW) said on Wednesday that actions have been taken to halt the affiliation of  the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) Construction and General Division with the NSW Labor Party after “appalling” revelations about the union’s state secretary’s alleged bribery deeds.

The announcement came after major media outlets, including The Australian Financial Review, The Age, and The Sydney Morning Herald, revealed that a hidden camera captured CFMEU NSW Secretary Darren Greenfield being passed a 5,000 Australian-dollar bundle of cash (about $ 3,369) as part of a suspected kickback deal, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to local media, the video was filmed during a joint NSW Police and Australian Federal Police operation, which resulted in him being charged with corruption offences in September 2021.

Despite anticipations that he would step aside as the CFMEU’s NSW boss, Greenfield has continued to retain his official position at the union, with his offences yet to be tested before a jury.

“The revelations that have come to light this morning are appalling. There is absolutely no tolerance for criminal or corrupt behaviour in the building industry, in unions or anywhere. It is clear the CFMEU Construction and General Division will not and cannot clean itself up,” the NSW government said in a statement.

The CFMEU, also known as The Construction, Forestry, and Maritime Employees Union, represents more than 100,000 workers nationwide spanning industries like building, construction, shipping, diving, timber, textile, clothing, and footwear.

Given Wednesday’s revelations, the NSW government has written to the state’s Labor Party General Secretary, calling for necessary steps to immediately suspend the union’s affiliation with the NSW Labor Party and stop any donations or affiliation fees.

“We will also ask the Commonwealth Government to review Enterprise Bargaining Agreements in NSW which the CFMEU is party to. Further, the NSW Construction Compliance Unit will work with federal regulatory bodies and act on any allegations,” the state government added. AGENCIES

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has held a phone talk with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to discuss efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian presidency has said in a statement.

During the call on Tuesday, Sissi briefed Macron on Egypt’s mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas, while highlighting the need for uniting international efforts to ensure the success of mediation and deliver adequate humanitarian aid into the besieged Palestinian enclave, Xinhua news agency reported.

Macron expressed appreciation for Egypt’s persistent efforts since the onset of the ongoing Israel-Palestine crisis. The two leaders agreed on the importance of enhancing international cooperation to prevent the conflict from expanding and the region from slipping into further turmoil.

The two leaders reiterated the need to advance the two-state solution as the best way to achieve lasting security and stability in the region, according to the statement.

Egypt and Qatar hosted a new round of negotiations over the past week, with the participation of the United States, aiming for a ceasefire agreement and a detainee swap deal between Israel and Hamas. However, little progress has been made. AGENCIES

 In a shocking incident, former Sri Lanka U-19 cricket captain Dhammika Niroshana was shot dead on Tuesday night. 

A fast bowler who led the Sri Lanka U-19 squad in 2002, Niroshana was shot by an unidentified individual near his residence in Ambalangoda where he started his career as school boy cricketer.

Sri Lanka police suspect the killing as a fallout of an underworld gang rivalry.

The assailant who had used a 12-bore firearm to kill the 41-year-old ex-cricketer had fled the scene, said police media spokesperson Nihal Thalduwa.

“Investigations are underway to arrest the suspect involved in the shooting which seemed to be a result of a gang rivalry,” the police said.

Niroshan, who fled the country for his life after the murder of one of his close friends Dasun Manawadu in the Ambalangoda area, had only returned to the island nation three months ago.

Police investigations are underway to find whether there is a link between Niroshan’s killing and the murder of first-class cricketer and former southern region cricket administrator H. Premasiri.

On August 12, 2016, Premasiri, the former President of Galle District Cricket Association, was shot by an unidentified gunman near his residence.

It was suspected that the killing of Premasiri was connected to an international match fixing racket for the games played at the Galle International Cricket Stadium.

Galle is infamous for underworld activities and rival gang killings, including victims related to cricket.

Niroshana made his debut for the Sri Lanka U-19 team against Singapore in 2000. Known as a fast bowler who was also useful with the bat, Niroshan maintained a bowling average of under 30 in first-class, List A, and U-19 cricket.

Although he never made it to the senior team, he played alongside several future stars, including Angelo Mathews, Upul Tharanga and Farveez Maharoof, at the U-19 level. AGENCIES

 French President Emmanuel Macron has accepted Prime Minister Gabriel Attal’s resignation, but asked him to stay as the head of a caretaker government until the establishment of a new administration, the presidential office has announced.

“For this period to end as soon as possible, it is up to the Republican forces to work together to build unity around projects and actions in the service of the French people,” the Elysee said in a press release on Tuesday.

As a caretaker government, Attal and his governmental team can only oversee the normal operation of administrations, and intervene in the event of an emergency, Xinhua news agency reported.

Succeeding Elisabeth Borne, Attal was nominated prime minister on January 9 at the age of 34, becoming the youngest to hold the position in the history of the Fifth Republic.

Attal submitted his resignation to Macron on July 8 after the ruling party failed to secure a majority in the snap legislative elections. But Macron asked him to stay on the post “for the moment” to ensure the country’s stability.

On Thursday, the elected deputies are expected to choose the speaker of the new National Assembly. According to the French electoral laws, ministers in office cannot cast their ballots. But with the resignation accepted, Attal and his ministers who were elected deputies, now can vote in the speaker election.

The winner alliance of the legislative elections, the New Popular Front (NFP), has not yet been able to propose a candidate to be the next prime minister. Macron’s decision is seen as an attempt to secure votes for a centrist or right-wing speaker of the National Assembly.

In the two rounds of legislative elections held on June 30 and July 7, Macron’s centrist coalition finished second with 163 seats, trailing the left-wing parties’ alliance, the NFP, which secured a relative majority with 182 seats in the 577-member National Assembly.

The French president announced the dissolution of the National Assembly on June 9 and called for new legislative elections after his Renaissance party coalition suffered a heavy defeat in the European Parliament elections. AGENCIES

A heavy rain watch was issued across South Korea’s metropolitan area, which was battered by downpours overnight, the interior ministry said Wednesday.

Heavy rain watches and warnings were issued in the capital Seoul, the western port city of Incheon and many parts of their surrounding Gyeonggi province, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Xinhua news agency reported.

Over 300 mm of downpour pounded the inter-Korean border city of Paju between midnight and 10 a.m. local time (0100 GMT).

The accumulated precipitation in Yeoncheon and Yangju counties of Gyeonggi province, and Nowon and Seongbuk districts of Seoul ranged from 113.5 mm to 166.5 mm for 10 hours from midnight.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) sent emergency text messages warning of heavy rain in the greater Seoul area.

The warning message is issued when the precipitation exceeds 50 mm per hour and 90 mm in three hours or when the rainfall surpasses 72 mm per hour.

The KMA forecast that 60 to 120 mm of rain would hit the Seoul metropolitan area through Thursday. AGENCIES

On its way to achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of becoming a developed society by 2047, India must maintain its independence of action, according to Suman Bery, the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, India’s premier policy advisory body.

“What is more important is that India must retain its independence of action, which is sometimes called strategic autonomy,” he said during an exclusive interview with IANS at the UN headquarters where he attended the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

India has been resisting pressures to take sides in the internationally polarised scenario.

Maintaining financial stability is another key element for India to achieve the 2047 goal, Bery said.

The year 2047 will mark the century of India’s Independence from colonial rule when it began charting its course, and PM Modi has set that as the milestone marking its emergence as a developed society, he said.

The next two decades would be crucial for determining India’s trajectory towards that goal, Bery said.

“The next 20 years – India’s Amrit Kaal [pivotal era for greatness] – [is] the period of India’s so-called demographic dividend, and, therefore, any strategy, if you want to call it that, has to be about getting the most out of India’s human resources, women, youth, in particular,” he said.

A country has a demographic dividend when its labour force is enriched by a confluence of factors that contribute to working-age people, 16 to 64 years, dominating the population, a stage India is now in, Bery said.

As for an overarching plan for the entire nation, he said, “India is too large and diverse for there to be a national economic strategy” or an “industrial policy”.

“How you get there has to be decided by individual states,” he said.

PM Modi has observed that “it’s only when states grow that India grows”, Bery said, explaining the shift in approach.

“The Prime Minister has said that the strategies must be local. All of his emphases, including the abolition of the planning commission, is that this should not be top-down,” he said.

“His counsel to me when I took on the job, was that my role was as much with the states as with the central government,” he said.

NITI Aayog “no longer exercises financial powers, but we work just as much with states as we used to,” he added.

Asked about widely differing levels of development of states, Bery said that “it’s important to note each of Indian states is like a ‘mini-country’ in many ways. There are legacy problems that will take time to resolve”.

Bery said that he saw positive signs with the poorer states quickening the pace of development.

“I was quite encouraged that when we put our multi-dimensional poverty index, [and] measured by that index, it was some of the poorer states that did better than few richer states,” he said.

While there was “no magic bullet” to end the disparities, he said that the Finance Commission is the most important tool the government has to deal with.

“The 16th Finance Commission has just been appointed and in their financial award, they [will] take account of the distance of states from the national level. And that to me, I think is the most powerful tool,” Bery said. AGENCIES

 Democratic Party Senator Bob Menendez, who headed the powerful US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been convicted of acting as a “foreign agent” for Egypt, and of a slew of corruption charges.

After a trial that featured 13 gold bars and stacks of $480,000 in currency notes found in the New Jersey senator’s home and a Mercedes Benz gifted to his wife, a jury gave the verdict on Tuesday at a federal court in New York.

Prosecutors said that Menendez had met with Egyptian intelligence officials and had tried to speed up millions of dollars of military aid to that country.

The conviction capped the 70-year-old senator’s political career of 50 years, which saw the son of Cuban immigrants rise to leadership positions in the Senate where he has served for 18 years.

Chuck Schumer, the leader of the majority Democratic Party in the Senate demanded his immediate resignation, before his term ends on the last day of December.

Menendez is planning to run for re-election as an independent.

Protesting his innocence while leaving the courthouse, he said, “I’ve never been anything but a patriot of my country and for my country.”

An appointee of President Joe Biden, the prosecutor, Damian Williams, said, “Now that the jury has convicted Bob Menendez, his years of selling his office to the highest bidder have finally come to an end.”

Menendez was convicted on 16 charges that included wire fraud (using telecommunications for fraudulent activities), bribery and extortion.

Two businessmen were also convicted of bribing him.

His second wife, Nadine Menendez, was charged in connection with the case but her trial has been delayed because she is undergoing treatment for cancer.

During Menendez’s trial, lawyers tried to shift blame to his wife asserting that the gold bars found at their home were in her bedroom and were hers and that she had money problems that she hid from the senator while trying to amass assets.

But the prosecution countered that there were communications between them showing that he was in on the schemes.

In one melodramatic moment during the trial, Menendez’s sister Caridad Gonzalez testified that as Cuban refugees it was tradition in the family to keep cash in their homes because of the insecurity they had faced.

One of the strange stories to emerge at the trial involved a businessman who bribed Menendez for getting a monopoly to certify as halal US beef exports to Egypt after the senator intervened on his behalf.

Menendez was also charged with using his power to try to get New Jersey prosecutors to scuttle an insurance fraud case against two businessmen, one of whom had admitted guilt on a bribery charge and said that he gave the Mercedes Benz to the senator’s wife.

In another corruption case involving a member of Congress, Democratic Party Representative Henry Cuellar and his wife have been charged by the Justice Department in Texas with bribery and money laundering involving a Mexican bank and an Azerbaijan-controlled oil and gas company. AGENCIES

Police officers from Ohio shot and killed a man, who was wielding knives, near a Republican Party National Convention site in Wisconsin.

According to the police, the man, identified as 43-year-old Samuel Sharpe, was holding a knife in each hand. The situation escalated when Sharpe charged at an unarmed individual, prompting the officers to open fire. Two knives were recovered from the scene.

“Someone’s life was in danger,” Milwaukee police chief Jeffrey Norman said during a Press conference. “These officers, who were not from this area, took it upon themselves to act and save someone’s life.”

The incident occurred on Tuesday amid heightened security in Milwaukee, where thousands of officers from various jurisdictions are deployed to ensure the safety of the Republican National Convention, which started on Monday and is set to conclude on Thursday.

The shooting has sparked outrage among Milwaukee residents, who questioned the necessity of out-of-state officers patrolling their neighbourhood, which is located over a kilometre away from the convention site. Many locals gathered at the scene, voicing their anger and planning a nighttime vigil to honour Sharpe.

“They came into our community and shot down our family right here at a public park,” said Linda Sharpe, Samuel’s cousin. “What are you doing in our city, shooting people down?”

Linda Sharpe described her cousin Samuel as a long-time resident of a tent encampment situated across the street from King Park, where the shooting took place. This encampment is a known fixture in the neighbourhood, which hosts several social service clinics and a shelter.

Residents believe that Milwaukee police officers, familiar with the local homeless population, might have been able to de-escalate the situation more effectively.

Norman explained that a group of 13 Columbus officers, part of a bicycle patrol, were in their designated area when they noticed the altercation involving Sharpe. They reached there and repeatedly commanded Sharpe to drop his weapons, but he ignored their orders and moved towards the unarmed individual, prompting the officers to fire.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office has scheduled an autopsy for Wednesday and further investigation into the shooting is underway. AGENCIES