The landslides took place in the far-western districts of Achham, Baitadi, and Dailkeh, burying a number of houses and families living inside, as the seasonal monsoon rains have begun taking toll, Nepal News reported.

The first deadly landslide took place on Tuesday morning at around 7 a.m. local time in Malika-2, Dailekh, located in the Bheri Zone of the country’s Mid-Western Development Region. A 30-year-old man identified as Mohan Kumal and six members of his family were buried alive.

In the second incident, which took place in Siddheshwor VDC of Baitadi district in the Mahakali Zone, another four people belonging to the same family lost their lives after being buried by another landslide. The fatal victims were identified as Ram Singh Airee’s wife, son, daughter, brother and sister-in-law.

A third landslide buried a residential house, killing Anisha Bogati and her 4-year-old daughter Rabina Bogati in Kuntibandali VDC-3 of Achham district in Nepal’s Seti Zone. Anisha’s husband Min Bahadur and their two sons were able to escape, and only suffered minor injuries.

Meanwhile, the heavy rainfall also brought strong flooding in different regions of Kalikot District. Authorities said thirteen people were reported missing in the affected areas.

Nepal’s Interior Ministry launched search-and-rescue operations in the region, deploying helicopters and emergency workers, as well as relief kits for those affected by the heavy weather conditions.

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Afghan lawmaker Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq was crossing the Pul-e-Surkh area in western Kabul, the Afghan capital, not far from the Independent Human Rights Commission office when the suicide bomber launched the attack.

Eyewitnesses told Khaama Press that the explosives were detonated while Mohaqiq’s convoy crossed the area, killing at least three people. Reports suggest that firearms were also heard following the blast.

In addition, at least four of Mohaqiq’s security guards were injured from the strong blast, as was a girl. Spokesman for the deputy interior ministry Najibullah Danish said the main target of the suicide bomber was the convoy of Mohaqiq, although he survived the attack.

No group has claimed responsibility of the attack.

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Among the SUV’s involved in the recall are 2006 model year Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL SUVs, as well as 2006 and 2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier, SAAB 9-7x, and Isuzu Ascender SUVs. The recall involves 193,652 vehicles.

According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a short in the circuit board could lead to a fire, increasing the risk of personal injury, detailing that a fire could occur even while the vehicle is not in use.

Furthermore, the NHTSA advised owners, as a precaution, to park outside until the remedy has been made. GM said an inspection of such vehicles is to take place, and in the case of a faulty vehicle, the driver’s door module would be replaced.

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At least 37 people were killed and 34 others were injured in Uttarakhand state, the worst affected area, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI). Among those were three people who died when a three-story apartment building toppled into a river in Uttarkashi, and video broadcast by Indian media showed the dramatic collapse.

At least 15 people were killed in the state of Uttar Pradesh while 10 more died in Himachal Pradesh, the news agency reported, quoting disaster management officials. The figure includes five family members who died when boulders came down on their house in Himachal Pradesh.

Indian Air Force helicopters that were on standby since Sunday were called into service numerous times. The aircraft, including helicopters such as Mi-17 and ALH, carried out missions to airlift rescue workers, equipment, relief material, medical aid and to assist in rescue operations.

The Ministry of Defense said its equipment remained on standby and Air Force helicopters had rescued at least 43 people, including 15 adults and six children in the Nakur area of Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh state and 22 people in the Indri Subdivision of Karnal district in the state of Haryana.

Monsoon rains arrived in India at the beginning of this month, first arriving in the country’s southwest before traveling north as it soaked farmland desperately in need of rain after scorching summer temperatures. The monsoon season lasts from June to September, during which the country receives three quarters of its yearly amount of rainfall.

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The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia said four people whose infections had previously been confirmed by laboratory tests had died from the illness. It also announced three additional laboratory-confirmed cases, including a 42-year-old man from the kingdom’s eastern region, a 63-year-old woman from Riyadh and a 2-year-old child from Jeddah.

The new coronavirus first emerged in the Middle East last year and is now known to have infected at least 64 people, including 38 people who died from the illness. The disease appeared at a health care facility in Saudi Arabia’s eastern province of Ahsaa in May and infected at least fifteen patients, more than a month after the last case of the virus had been reported.

Later in May, France confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus in a patient who recently traveled to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, where another case had been reported in March. The victim eventually died, and a second person who shared a hospital room in Valenciennes with the first patient remains in a critical condition with the same illness.

Experts are still unsure how people become infected, whether it is from animals, from contaminated surfaces, or from other people. And although there is no evidence yet of continuous human-to-human transmission, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said it appears likely that the virus is able to pass from person-to-person when there is close contact.

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan sounded the alarm over the virus – which is also known as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – during her closing remarks at the 66th World Health Assembly late last month, warning that the virus ‘poses a threat to the entire world’ and urging the international community to come together to combat the threat.

“The novel coronavirus is not a problem that any single affected country can keep to itself or manage all by itself. The novel coronavirus is a threat to the entire world,” Chan said. “Through WHO and the IHR, we need to bring together the assets of the entire world in order to adequately address this threat. We need more information, and we need it quickly, urgently.”

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Machel, in a statement released by the Nelson Mandela Center of Memory, said the family’s gratitude is “difficult to express” after countless of messages in support of Mandela. The anti-apartheid icon has been hospitalized in Pretoria since June 8 with a recurrence of a lung infection and remains in a serious condition.

“So much love and generosity from South Africans, Africans across the continent, and thousands more from across the world, have come our way to lighten the burden of anxiety; bringing us love, comfort and hope,” Machel, the former leader’s third wife, said in her first public comments since the most serious health scare yet.

“The messages have come by letter, by SMS, by phone, by Twitter, by Facebook, by e-mail, cards, flowers and the human voice, in particular the voices of children in schools or singing outside our home,” she added. “We have felt the closeness of the world and the deepest meaning of strength and peace.”

She added: “Our gratitude is difficult to express. But the love and peace we feel give yet more life to the simple ‘Thank you!’”

On Sunday, while addressing a gathering in the city of Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal province, South African President Jacob Zuma said the condition of Mandela is continuing to improve although he remains in a serious condition. He asked South Africans to keep Mandela in their thoughts and prayers.

“President Nelson Mandela is still in hospital in Pretoria. We are grateful that he continues to get better,” Zuma told the audience. “Over the last two days, although he remains serious, his doctors have stated that his improvement has been sustained. He continues to engage with family.”

Zuma gave no other details about the former leader’s condition but asked the audience to wish him a happy Father’s Day. “I invite you to join me today, in wishing Madiba a very happy Father’s Day today. We love him and know that he loves us too,” he said, referring to Mandela by his Xhosa clan name.

The anti-apartheid icon has been hospitalized several times in recent months, raising concerns about his health condition. Mandela was hospitalized for more than a week in late March, also for a recurrence of a lung infection, and doctors withdrew excess fluid that had accumulated in the space surrounding his lungs.

After the procedure in late March, the government revealed Mandela was able to breathe without difficulty, even though it had previously made no mention of breathing problems and instead said the former leader was in “good spirits” and “making steady progress.” The government has been repeatedly criticized for being reluctant to provide more specific details about Mandela’s situation, causing uncertainty.

Earlier in March, Mandela spent about 24 hours in hospital for what the government described as a ‘scheduled medical check-up’ to manage existing conditions in line with his old age. Officials at the time assured Mandela was “well” but refused to provide more specific details about the nature of the visit.

Mandela was also hospitalized in December 2012 for what was later revealed to be a recurrence of a previous lung infection. The anti-apartheid icon also underwent a successful procedure on December 15 to remove gallstones which were discovered while Mandela was undergoing tests.

The hospitalization in December lasted for more than three weeks. Major South African news organizations harshly criticized the government’s handling of information relating to Mandela’s hospitalization, complaining that the government did not act on a previously developed protocol that would have ensured the former leader’s privacy while keeping South Africans informed of major developments.

Before being elected as president, Mandela was a strong anti-apartheid activist and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress. He spent 27 years in prison after being convicted and sentenced to life in prison on charges for sabotage and other crimes. Much of his prison term was served on Robben Island.

Mandela was released on February 11, 1990, and became president only four years later, leading the country with a multi-racial administration to end the apartheid. Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klerk were jointly awarded the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa.

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Barroso said teams of the European Commission and the United States are scheduled to meet for the first round of negotiations next month toward a comprehensive Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement.

“Very frankly, three years ago very few would have bet that today we will be in the position to launch negotiations on an ambitious European Union-United States free trade agreement,” Barroso stated, adding that the scheduled meeting will “be the start of a joint undertaking of real strategic importance.”

The announcement came alongside US President Barack Obama and United Kingdom’s Prime Minister David Cameron, as the annual Group of 8 summit is to begin on Tuesday in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

In addition, Barroso underlined that the talks are part is part of an overall agenda on both sides to promote growth and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic by boosting trade and investment. The trade agreement could become a game changer in world economy, and Barroso highlighted that “it is also a powerful demonstration of our determination to shape an open and rules-based world.”

In 2012, the EU and the US exchanged nearly $ 650 billion, but the core challenge, as Barroso described it, is moving regulatory regimes closer and addressing the negative effect of behind-the-border trade barriers.

“Huge economic benefits are expected from reducing red tape and avoiding divergent regulations for the future,” he said. “I would rather have our companies invest in new innovative products and services and job creation than in double testing and multiple inspections or even separate manufacturing lines.”

Barroso also favored a rapid progress into negotiations, calling on legislators on the European side, especially the European Parliament, regulators, and civil society to play a constructive and engaged part in these negotiations. However, negotiations could last for several months until a deal is reached.

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The investigation against Hall, 83, was launched by Scotland Yard in October 2012 when they received an anonymous letter which alleged the presenter had sexually abused the writer when she was a young teenager in the 1970s. He was eventually arrested in December after four other victims came forward independently.

Hall was charged with three counts of indecent assault for offenses committed between 1974 and 1984 that involved three girls between the ages of 9 and 17. He was arrested again in January after more victims came forward, and he was then charged with one count of rape and 14 counts of indecent assault for offenses committed between 1967 and 1986 that involved 10 girls between the ages of 9 and 17 years.

The former BBC entertainer initially denied all the offenses but eventually pleaded guilty on April 16 to all fourteen counts of indecent assault after four of the charges were rolled into one indictment. He denied raping a 22-year-old woman and prosecutors decided to drop the case, leaving it to lie on file.

The woman who wrote the anonymous letter that sparked the investigation and led to the first arrest eventually came forward in December to identify herself. She was interviewed by officers and gave a formal statement, but she later asked prosecutors not to pursue her case after learning Hall had pleaded guilty in the other assaults.

Appearing at Preston Crown Court on Monday, Hall was sentenced to 15 months in prison for the assaults. Judge Anthony Russell said the presenter would have received 20 months in prison if the case had gone to trial, but he reduced the sentence by five months to reflect his guilty pleas.

“I welcome today’s sentence imposed by the court and I hope that it will help the victims in this case move forward with their lives,” said Detective Superintendent Neil Esseen of Lancashire Constabulary’s Major Investigation Team. “I would like once again to commend the victims in this case for having the courage to come forward.”

Esseen added: “They have lived with what happened for a long period of time and it cannot have been easy for them to come forward, especially as when they did so, they did not know there were others who had also suffered abuse. We are committed to investigating any allegations of sexually abuse thoroughly and with sensitivity, no matter how long ago they happened and we will always strive to protect our communities, no matter the status of the alleged perpetrator.”

In a brief statement, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) said the corporation was ‘appalled’ by Hall’s crimes and previously indicated they will no longer work with him. “The BBC is appalled that some of Stuart Hall’s crimes took place in connection with his work at the BBC and offer an unreserved apology to the people he abused,” the broadcaster said.

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The attack took place late on Sunday evening when a car bomb exploded at a military checkpoint at the entrance to the military airport in Mazzeh district, one of the capital’s most modern and upscale areas that also houses a number of embassies. Syrian state media confirmed a blast took place at the airport.

The Britain-based activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OHR) said at least 10 government soldiers were killed and 10 others were injured, although the figures could not be independently verified and state media provided no details about the number of casualties. “The explosion was followed by sirens of ambulances,” activists said.

The group said the car bomb attack was also followed by a rocket attack on the airport, but it was not immediately clear whether it caused additional damage or casualties. Video footage claiming to show the aftermath of the attack showed flames reaching into the night sky in a distance.

The crisis in Syria began as a pro-democracy protest movement in March 2011, similar to those across the Middle East and North Africa. The Syrian government violently cracked down on the protests, setting off an armed conflict between pro-Assad forces and anti-government forces. A number of jihadist groups have since joined the fight against Assad’s regime.

The United Nations estimates that more than 90,000 people, many of them civilians, have been killed and more than 1.3 million others have fled to neighboring countries since the start of the uprising in 2011. Opposition groups estimate the number of deaths is far higher, but those figures cannot be independently verified.

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Addressing a gathering in the city of Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal province to mark National Youth Day, Zuma asked South Africans to keep Mandela in their thoughts and prayers but assured he is continuing to recover since he was hospitalized on June 8 with a recurrence of a lung infection.

“President Nelson Mandela is still in hospital in Pretoria. We are grateful that he continues to get better,” Zuma told the audience. “Over the last two days, although he remains serious, his doctors have stated that his improvement has been sustained. He continues to engage with family.”

Zuma gave no other details about the former leader’s condition but asked the audience to wish him a happy Father’s Day. “I invite you to join me today, in wishing Madiba a very happy Father’s Day today. We love him and know that he loves us too,” he said, referring to Mandela by his Xhosa clan name.

The anti-apartheid icon has been hospitalized several times in recent months, raising concerns about his health condition. Mandela was hospitalized for more than a week in late March, also for a recurrence of a lung infection, and doctors withdrew excess fluid that had accumulated in the space surrounding his lungs.

After the procedure in late March, the government revealed Mandela was able to breathe without difficulty, even though it had previously made no mention of breathing problems and instead said the former leader was in “good spirits” and “making steady progress.” The government has been repeatedly criticized for being reluctant to provide more specific details about Mandela’s situation, causing uncertainty.

Earlier in March, Mandela spent about 24 hours in hospital for what the government described as a ‘scheduled medical check-up’ to manage existing conditions in line with his old age. Officials at the time assured Mandela was “well” but refused to provide more specific details about the nature of the visit.

Mandela was also hospitalized in December 2012 for what was later revealed to be a recurrence of a previous lung infection. The anti-apartheid icon also underwent a successful procedure on December 15 to remove gallstones which were discovered while Mandela was undergoing tests.

The hospitalization in December lasted for more than three weeks. Major South African news organizations harshly criticized the government’s handling of information relating to Mandela’s hospitalization, complaining that the government did not act on a previously developed protocol that would have ensured the former leader’s privacy while keeping South Africans informed of major developments.

Before being elected as president, Mandela was a strong anti-apartheid activist and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress. He spent 27 years in prison after being convicted and sentenced to life in prison on charges for sabotage and other crimes. Much of his prison term was served on Robben Island.

Mandela was released on February 11, 1990, and became president only four years later, leading the country with a multi-racial administration to end the apartheid. Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klerk were jointly awarded the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa.

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The North’s invitation was accompanied by strong criticism of the U.S. government, but invited Washington to hold high-level talks to defuse tensions and to ensure peace and security in the region. It comes just days after North Korea abruptly canceled government-level talks with South Korea.

“If the U.S. has true intent on defusing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and ensuring peace and security in the U.S. mainland and the region, it should not raise precondition for dialogue and contact,” an unnamed spokesman for the North’s National Defense Commission (NDC) said.

The spokesman indicated the talks could cover a wide range of subjects and said the North would allow the U.S. to choose the date and venue to its convenience. “The talks can have broad and in-depth discussions on defusing military tensions, replacing the armistice system with peace mechanism and other issues of mutual concern, including the building of a ‘world without nuclear weapons’ proposed by the U.S.,” he said.

It was not immediately clear if Washington would agree to hold talks, but U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said the United States is willing to have credible negotiations with North Korea. “But those talks must involve North Korea living up to its obligations to the world, including compliance with U.N. Security Council resolutions, and ultimately result in denuclearization,” she said.

But the North urged the United States to accept, describing their invitation as a “bold decision” with “good intention.”

“If the U.S. truly wants to realize a ‘world without nuclear weapons’ and bring detente, it should positively respond to the DPRK’s bold decision and good intention, not missing the opportunity,” the NDC’s spokesman said. “All the future developments entirely depend on the responsible option of the U.S., which has strained the situation on the Korean Peninsula.”

The spokesman said the North is seeking to abandon its nuclear program, but emphasized it depends on South Korea and the United States. “The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula does not only mean ‘dismantling the nuclear weapons of the North,’” he said. “It is the complete one that calls for denuclearizing the whole peninsula including South Korea and aims at totally ending the U.S. nuclear threats to the DPRK.”

South Korea does not have nuclear weapons, but the U.S. government has maintained a so-called ‘nuclear umbrella’ over the South since the Korean War. The U.S. first deployed nuclear weapons to South Korea in January 1958 and kept them there until December 1991, but the nuclear umbrella of protection remains.

“It is the strategic option taken by the DPRK for self-defense to [nuclearize] the Korean Peninsula,” the NDC spokesman explained. “The legitimate status of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state will go on and on without vacillation whether others recognize it or not until the whole Korean Peninsula is denuclearized and the nuclear threats from outside are put to a final end.”

In March, North Korea declared the Korean War Armistice Agreement nullified and threatened to launch a preemptive nuclear strike against the United States in response to massive military exercises in the region. The U.S. responded by placing 14 additional ground-based interceptors at Fort Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, to counter any North Korean attack.

And on March 7, the United Nations (UN) Security Council voted in favor of tough new sanctions to punish the reclusive country for its third nuclear test. The sanctions aim to significantly impede North Korea’s ability to further develop nuclear and ballistic missile programs, as well as its proliferation activities.

Sanctions were first imposed on North Korea by the UN Security Council following nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, including a ban on the import of nuclear and missile technology. The sanctions were further tightened in January 2013 after the country launched a long-range Unha-3 rocket which North Korea claimed to be a weather satellite, but other countries have described it as a long-range missile test in disguise.

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The Home Office, the ministerial department which is also responsible for police services, confirmed it has agreed to provide the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) the resources they need to investigate the girl’s disappearance. It followed a report from the British newspaper The Daily Mail which said British authorities will soon take control of the case from Portuguese police.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), which is better known as Scotland Yard, said it is reviewing a significant number of documents and is continuing to identify potential lines of inquiry. “The MPS investigative review into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann continues to make encouraging progress,” the spokesperson said.

Few details were provided, but British police are expected to release more details over the coming week. “Detectives remain in regular contact with Kate and Gerry McCann and are working closely with the Portuguese police in an attempt to make further progress,” the spokesperson added.

The MPS investigative review, dubbed Operation Grange, was launched in May 2011. Officers have been reviewing approximately 40,000 pieces of information equating to approximately 100,000 pages, but there has been no breakthrough and Portuguese authorities have not re-opened the case.

In April 2012, British police claimed to have found ‘new evidence’ during their review that suggested a possibility that McCann was abducted and is still alive, living with her abductor. They also released an age progression image of the girl, whose tenth birthday was on May 12.

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Protesters began their march in Charter Garden, located in the region’s Central District, and went to the U.S. Consulate before proceeding to the Hong Kong government’s headquarters. Authorities estimated at least 300 people participated in the march, but organizers put the number at around 900.

Some protesters were carrying Snowden masks while others carried signs such as “Betray Snowden, Betray Freedom,” “Let Snowden Stay,” and “No big brother state.” Petitions and letters were handed over to representatives of the U.S. Consulate and the Hong Kong government, while rights advocates and political activists held speeches.

Hours after the protests, Hong Kong leader CY Leung broke his silence on the matter by releasing a brief statement. “When the relevant mechanism is activated, the Hong Kong SAR Government will handle the case of Mr Snowden in accordance with the laws and established procedures of Hong Kong,” he said.

He also addressed allegations that U.S. intelligence agencies have been hacking into computers in Hong Kong and mainland China for years. “The Government will follow up on any incidents related to the privacy or other rights of the institutions or people in Hong Kong being violated,” Leung added in his statement, giving no other details.

Snowden, a 29-year-old American who worked for defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton as an infrastructure analyst for the National Security Agency (NSA), identified himself last week as the source behind recent newspaper articles that revealed previously unknown details about the U.S. government’s secret surveillance programs.

According to recent disclosures by The Guardian and the Washington Post, U.S. intelligence agencies have direct access to the servers of nine Internet companies for a wide range of digital data. A slideshow, marked “TOP SECRET”, identifies current data providers as Microsoft, Google, Yahoo!, Facebook, PalTalk, YouTube, Skype, AOL and Apple.

The slideshow explains that much of the world’s communications flow through the United States, and that the communications of foreign targets could easily flow through the U.S. It says the nine current providers supply information on a massive scale, including e-mails, chats, videos, photos, stored data, voice communications (VoIP), file transfers, video conferences, online social networking details and details about when accounts are accessed.

Snowden, speaking from a hotel room in Hong Kong during an interview last week, said he came forward publicly to authenticate his recent disclosures and because his concerns about ‘abuses’ in the intelligence community agencies had not been taken seriously. “The more you talk about the (wrongdoing), the more you’re ignored,” he said.

The contract employee said he is not against the U.S. government but wants the public to be able to decide whether the intelligence agencies should have the authority to carry out controversial and secretive surveillance programs. “This is something that’s not our place to decide, the public needs to decide whether these programs and policies are right or wrong,” he said.

Snowden said the intelligence community originally focused on foreign targets but is now increasingly targeting all communications in the U.S. “It ingests them by default. It collects them in its system and it filters them and it analyses them and it measures them and it stores them for periods of time simply because that’s the easiest, most efficient, and most valuable way to achieve these ends,” he said.

The contractor said analysts with proper clearance could target anyone at will, ranging from ordinary citizens to federal judges and up to President Barack Obama if they have his personal contact details. He said the public should be concerned because citizens are being “watched and recorded,” whether they did something wrong or not.

“You simply have to eventually fall under suspicion from somebody even by a wrong call. And then they can use this system to go back in time and scrutinize every decision you’ve ever made, every friend you’ve ever discussed something with,” he said. “And [they'll] attack you on that basis to sort of derive suspicion from an innocent life and paint anyone in the context of a wrongdoer.”

Snowden, who lived with his girlfriend in Hawaii, flew to Hong Kong last month after telling his NSA supervisor that he needed several weeks off to receive treatment for epilepsy. His whereabouts are currently unknown after he checked out of the Mira hotel in Tsimshatsui on Monday morning, but he is believed to remain in Hong Kong.

Snowden said he came to Hong Kong because it has a strong tradition of free speech and because he believes the Hong Kong government is more likely to resist the dictates of the U.S. government, which has launched a criminal investigation. But under an extradition treaty that came into force in 1998, the U.S. government is able to request Hong Kong to detain a U.S. citizen for up to two months while it prepares an extradition request.

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The blast took place in the Cholan area of Khost City, the provincial capital of Khost, at around 2:30 p.m. local time when a civilian vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) planted on a road.

Khost Deputy Police Chief, Brigadier Yaqub Khan, confirmed the incident, saying eight people were killed with no injuries reported, according to Pajhwok Afghan News.

The vehicle was coming from a funeral procession of a man reportedly killed by the Pakistani Taliban in the tribal region of Kurram when it struck the IED. No group claimed responsibility, and authorities did not blame any individual or organization, although similar attacks are usually blamed on the Taliban.

Among the killed were five members of a family, as well the village religious elder who was leading the funeral’s prayers. President Hamid Karzai and Governor Abdul Jabbar Naeemi condemned the violent attack.

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The Attorney General’s Office of the state of Jalisco informed that the seven foreigners, whose nationalities and identities remained undisclosed, were arrested in Puerto Vallarta, a popular beach resort, on suspicion of sexual exploitation of minors and child pornography.

Jalisco’s government secretary, Arturo Zamora Jimenez, said the arrests were carried in the past two weeks, adding that the suspects were being sought by international authorities.

Jimenez gave few details regarding the arrests and crimes, but he said at least four of the suspects were American nationals. He said two of them were extradited, as authorities from the states of Texas and Wisconsin, among others, had placed orders for their arrests.

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The incident occurred early Friday morning at around 5:30 a.m. local time when the ferry both sank off Burias Island in the central Philippine province of Masbate.

The ill-fated MV Lady Mount Carmel was carrying around 60 people, including 22 crew members. However, among those rescued were seven people not documented on board, which could increase the actual number of missing people.

Search-and-rescue operations were conducted by thePhilippine Coast Guard, Navy and Air Force, as well as other nearby vessels responding to the distress call. As of 5 p.m. local time, 55 people were rescued, two were confirmed dead, and four missing, Bernardo Alejandro, Office of Civil Defense chief in Bicol province told Inquirer News.

The cargo ferry boat took off from the town of Pio Duran in Albay province at 2 a.m. local time with 57 people aboard—35 passengers (20 women and 15 men) and 22 crew members.

The exact cause of the sinking was not immediately known, but Albay Governor Joey Salceda said information indicated that one of the buses loaded on the ferry was not properly tied and came loose. As a result, it slid to one side, causing the boat to lose balance and ultimately sink.

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The incident occurred at around 8:37 a.m. local time on Thursday at the Williams Olefins chemical plant in Geismar, a community about 58 miles (93 kilometers) northwest of New Orleans. More than 300 people were working at the plant at the time of explosion, which caused a fire that created towering flames.

Christina Stephens, a spokeswoman for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, said 77 people were treated at area hospitals and 26 of them remained hospitalized by Friday morning. Rescue workers recovered one body at the site of the blast, and plant owner Williams Companies, Inc. identified the victim as 29-year-old Zachary Green.

The company said Green, an operator at the plant, had started working at the plant in October 2012. “We are grieving for the loss of Zack who was part of our Williams community,” said Williams’ president and CEO Alan Armstrong. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this time of sorrow.”

The Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office initially ordered a shelter-in-place in a two-mile (3.2 kilometer) radius of the plant, but it was lifted when authorities determined there was no health risk to nearby residents. “We have zero concerns for off-site impact,” the office said. “Hazardous materials units are on the scene and every effort is being made to assess the situation.”

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal quickly went to the scene to assess the situation, and praised the work of first responders. “There were over 300 people evacuated from the plant site. Of the evacuees, eight people were taken by helicopter,” he said. “There are 10 people in a safe room in the plant. This is part of emergency protocol for shutting down the plant.”

The governor’s office said the plant was in the process of emergency flaring, and air monitoring is being carried out as a precaution. “There have been no detections above normal levels, but the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is doing additional monitoring out of an abundance of caution,” the office said in a statement.

It was not immediately clear what caused Thursday’s explosion, but federal authorities said terrorism was not suspected.

“The fire has been extinguished and Williams is cooperating with federal, state and local agencies in assessing the situation and determining the cause of the explosion,” Williams said in a statement on late Thursday evening. “The extent of damage is unknown at this time.”

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The shooting occurred just before 1:30 p.m. local time at the Cherokee Place Business Incubator in St. Louis., which houses a number of businesses within its complex. Officers responded to the scene after others inside the building heard gunshots coming from A K Home Health Care, L.L.C. on the building’s first floor.

Responding officers located four bodies, two adult males and two adult females, inside the home health care business. “Investigation revealed there were no witnesses to the incident, but others inside of the businesses within the building heard gunshots,” a St. Louis police spokesperson said.

Investigators recovered a surveillance video which shows a male in an apparent verbal dispute, after which gunshots are seen penetrating a wall inside of the business. It is believed the owner of the business opened fire, killing three of his employees before turning the gun on himself.

“The surveillance video also shows that no one had entered or exited the business other than the four deceased, which led investigators to determine this incident to be a murder/suicide. The weapon was recovered at the scene next to the suspect,” the spokesperson said, giving no details about a possible motive.

St. Louis Today reported that a woman, dressed in traditional Muslim garments, later arrived at the scene and mourned the deaths after officers did not allow her to access the crime scene. She claimed the victims were all related family members and immigrants from Somalia, but authorities have not yet released the identities of the victims.

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In a press release, UN High Commissioner for Human rights Navi Pillay said the number of deaths in Syria continues at “shockingly high levels”, detailing that more than 5,000 killings have been documented every month since last July, including a total of just under 27,000 new killings since December 1.

According to an analysis carried out by data specialists on behalf of the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), at least 92,901 people were killed in fighting between the Government and forces seeking to oust President Bashar Al-Assad between March 2011 and April 2013. However, the agency warned that the actual death toll could be much higher.

“Unfortunately…this is most likely a minimum casualty figure,” Pillay said. “The true number of those killed is potentially much higher,” Pillay continued, urging the warring parties to declare an immediate ceasefire “before tens of thousands more people are killed or injured.”

Information from the eight different sources resulted in a combined list of 263,055 reported killings, fully identified by the name of the victim, as well as the date and location of the death, OHCHR said. Any reported killing that did not include at least these three elements was excluded from the list.

Each reported killing was then compared to all the other reported killings in order to identify duplicates, resulting in 92,091 documented cases of individuals killed. However, many unreported deaths are probable while 37,988 reported killings containing insufficient information were excluded from the analysis.

Up to 30 November 2012, a figure of 60,000 documented deaths was recorded. About 80 percent of the victims documented are male, with the sharpest increase in deaths since November 2012 in Rural Damascus and Aleppo. The Office also documented the “the killings of at least 6,561 minors, including at least 1,729 children under ten years old.”

“There are also well-documented cases of individual children being tortured and executed, and entire families, including babies, being massacred,” Pillay said, adding that along with the devastatingly high death toll, this is a terrible reminder of “just how vicious this conflict has become.”

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in his latest report on the status of children in armed conflicts, cited verified reports that Syrian children are killed or injured in indiscriminate bombings, shot by snipers, used as human shields or victims of terror tactics.

Pillay stated that civilians are bearing the brunt of widespread, violent and often indiscriminate attacks which are devastating whole swathes of major towns and cities, as well as outlying villages.

“Government forces are shelling and launching aerial attacks on urban areas day in and day out, and are also using strategic missiles and cluster and thermobaric bombs,” the UN human right chief said. She added, “Opposition forces have also shelled residential areas, albeit using less fire-power and there have been multiple bombings resulting in casualties in the heart of cities, especially Damascus.”

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Jiroemon Kimura, from Kyoto, Japan, died shortly after 2 a.m. local time at a local hospital in Kyotango, located in Kyoto Prefecture, from natural causes.

According to the Guiness World Records, Kimura, born on April 19, 1987, was recognized as the older living person, oldest living man and the oldest man ever, becoming the first man ever to reach 116 years old. The previous record had been set by Christian Mortensen of Denmark who lived to 115 and 252 days.

Local media reported that Kimura had been hospitalized on a number of occasions during his last year after falling ill to pneumonia. In his youth, he worked at a local post office, in a communications unit of the Japanese colonial government on the Korean Peninsula, and farming, The Japan Times reported.

With a motto of eating healthy food in small portions, Kimura, according to one of his nephews, aged 80, maintained good health and an appetite until his last week of life.

The oldest person ever documented was Jeanne Calment, from Arles, France, who had a confirmed lifespan of 122 years and 164 days.

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The accident took place on Wednesday afternoon at around 1 p.m. local time on the 148 kilometer marker of the Central Highway located in the district of Morococha in Peru’s region of Junin. A passenger bus was crashed into head-on by a trailer truck loaded with petroleum.

According to preliminary investigations, the bus, operated by the Santa Ana transport company which was traveling from Mount Pasco toward Lima, the country’s capital, was crashed into when the speeding truck switched lanes.

The driver of the bus was caught by surprise and both vehicles crashed head-on before catching fire quickly. Passengers were forced to escape through the bus’ windows.

The exact number of passengers was uncertain. The transport company said the bus took off with 60 passengers, but more could have been picked up on its way toward Lima.

The Provincial Attorney General’s Office confirmed that among the six killed were both drivers, as well as the bus’ co-driver. In addition, at least 48 others were reported injured.

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According to a new ILO report titled ‘Ending Child Labour in Domestic Work,’ an estimated 10.5 million children worldwide – most of them under age – are working as domestic workers in people’s homes, in hazardous and sometimes slavery-like conditions. Six and a half million of these child laborers are aged between five and 14 years-old, and more than 71 percent are girls.

The report revealed that these children work in the homes of a third party or employer, carrying out tasks such as cleaning, ironing, cooking, gardening, collecting water, looking after other children and caring for the elderly.

In addition, they are often isolated from their families, hidden from the public eye and become highly dependent on their employers, becoming vulnerable to physical, psychological and sexual violence and abusive working conditions as well. Furthermore, the report said many might end up being commercially sexually exploited.

Constance Thomas, Director of the ILO’s International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), stated that the situation “not only constitutes a serious violation of child rights, but remains an obstacle to the achievement of many national and international development objectives.”

While the report called for concerted and joint action at national and international levels to eliminate child labor in domestic work, Thomas stressed on the need of a “robust legal framework to clearly identify, prevent and eliminate child labor in domestic work, and to provide decent working conditions to adolescents when they can legally work.”

Child domestic work is not recognized as a form of child labor in many countries because of the blurred relationship with the employing family, the report says. The child is “working, but is not considered as a worker and although the child lives in a family setting, she or he is not treated like a family member.”

This familial and legal “care vacuum” disguises an “exploitative arrangement,” often characterized by long working hours, lack of personal freedom and sometimes hazardous working conditions. The hidden nature of their situation makes them difficult to protect, the report warned.

ILO Director-General Guy Ryder added that “there is no place and no excuse for child labor in domestic or any other form of work.”

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The three-story building collapsed on Tuesday morning at around 7:25 a.m. local time in Suzhou City, which is located in China’s Jiangsu Province following an explosion.

According to the Suzhou municipal government, an explosion of the staff canteen on the first floor caused the accident, confirming that eleven people who had been taken to a local hospital died, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

In its statement, municipal authorities said nine others were still hospitalized and receiving medical treatment.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the blast was caused by a gas leak in the office building, which belonged to a liquefied gas sales branch of the Suzhou Gas Group Co. Ltd.

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Suspected Taliban militants targeted the Supreme Court in Kabul, the Afghan capital, at around 4:15 p.m. local time when a suicide car bomber detonated powerful explosives, not far from the American Embassy.

Kabul’s deputy police chief, Colonel Mohammad Daud Amin, confirmed the attack, stating that at least seventeen people were killed and 29 others were wounded, according to Pajhwok Afghan News.

Among the killed were women, children and employees of the Supreme Court, although exact numbers were not immediately known. The powerful blast struck two minibuses waiting to pick up employees and also destroyed two vans owned by the Supreme Court.

The Taliban claimed responsibility through the group’s spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, the media outlet reported.

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Nurgazy Konushbekov, 47, was among eleven people who were abducted on April 21 after their Turkish military helicopter, carrying supplies for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), made an emergency landing in the Mangal Pass area of Azra district, located in eastern Logar province.

The Kyrgyz National Security Committee said Wednesday that Konushbekov was released on Sunday after negotiations between representatives of the committee and the leadership of the Taliban. He arrived back in Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday while accompanied by members of the committee.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the insurgent group had released Konushbekov. “The citizen of Kyrgyzstan … has been released after a formal request from Kyrgyzstan as well as a decision by the leadership of the Islamic Emirate (Taliban) due to good intention, human compassion and Islamic sympathy,” he said.

In an interview with Kyrgyzstan’s 24 news agency, Konushbekov, who is Muslim, thanked his government for their efforts and said he was treated well during his captivity. “They treated me like a guest, feeding [me] with their food. I could move freely, there were no restrictions,” he was quoted as saying. “I thank the government, especially the State National Security Committee, who cared about me.”

With the earlier release of eight Turkish engineers, a Russian and an Afghan interpreter are still being held by the militants although it is not clear if any demands for their release have been made. The April incident marked the largest abduction of foreigners in Afghanistan in recent years.

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