Washington, Aug 19: A mid-air collision took place between two small aircraft in the US state of California on Thursday which resulted in multiple casualties, officials said. The incident took place in the city of Watsonville after two planes attempted to land at the local airport. “Multiple agencies responded to Watsonville Municipal Airport after 2 planes attempting to land collided. We have reports of multiple fatalities,” the city officials said in a statement posted via Twitter.
Tory leadership contender and British Prime Minister hopeful Rishi Sunak on Thursday visited a temple to celebrate popular Hindu festival Janmashtami. The former British Chancellor was accompanied by his wife Akshata Murthy during his visit to Bhaktivedanta Manor temple. “Today I visited the Bhaktivedanta Manor temple with my wife Akshata to celebrate Janmashtami, in advance of the popular Hindu festival celebrating Lord Krishna’s birthday,” he wrote on Twitter while sharing a picture of himself in the temple.
China attempts to boost birth rate with new policies
Amid the declining birth rates in the country, Chinese authorities have issued a guideline introducing a raft of policies for prenatal and postnatal support to promote balanced long-term population development. These measures include better maternal care services and public-benefit childcare services, improved maternity and parental leave policies, according to the guideline released Tuesday by the National Health Commission. The measure also includes preferential policies on housing and taxation, and the fostering of fertility-friendly workplaces, Xinhua news agency reported.
UN chief voices deep concern over series of blasts in Afghanistan
UN chief Antonio Guterres on Friday expressed his deep concern over a series of blasts in Afghanistan that killed and injured more than 250 people this month. Guterres extended his deepest condolences to the families of the victims as he condemned the most recent attack on August 17 at the Kabul mosque. “The Secretary-General expresses his deep concern over a series of explosions in Afghanistan that have killed and injured more than 250 people this month, including children. He strongly condemns the most recent attack on 17 August, at the Abu Bakar Mosque in Kabul city,” Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General said in a statement.
Pakistan Army Chief, visting US commander discuss bilateral military ties
Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa met with Commander US Centcom General Michael Erik Kurilla and discussed military-to-military ties between the two countries, Pakistan’s military media wing said on Thursday. General Bajwa held a meeting with the US commander at General Head Quarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, less than a month after both officers held a telephonic conversation on issues concerning military cooperation between the two sides. Geo News reported the meeting discussed matters of mutual interest, regional security situation, stability, defence and security cooperation.
Putin, Xi Jinping to attend G20 Summit in Bali: Indonesian President
Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, will visit the upcoming G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said. “Xi Jinping will come. President Putin has also told me he will come,” Widodo told the Bloomberg news agency .
Ukraine: Attacks on nuclear plants not banned by law
Since March, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine has been under Russian occupation. Since late July, the largest nuclear plant in Europe has been shelled repeatedly, with Kyiv and Moscow blaming each other for the attacks. This has sparked fears of a nuclear disaster. Last week, the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on the situation without getting any closer to a solution.
It is not the first time in this war that the question of nuclear safety and security has been raised. This is not only about the potential use of nuclear weapons – Russian President Vladimir Putin has openly expressed this thought – but also about nuclear power stations being used as military targets.
