Four Gujarati students who were studying in hotel management in Turkey were killed in an accident in which two cars crashed head-on. The mishap occurred close to Turkey's Kyrenia. Among the four students two were from Porbandar, one from Banaskantha and the other from Vadodara. The incident was reported to the police, and they reached the spot. The police began an investigation into this incident and the bodies were transported to a nearby hospital for an autopsy. The police investigation revealed the names of the deceased as Anjali Makwana, Pratap Karavdara, Jayesh Agath and Heena Pathak.
Indian-origin store clerk killed in US robbery bid
A 36-year-old Indian-origin store clerk was shot dead during an apparent case of armed robbery in the US state of Georgia, and two juveniles were arrested in connection with the killing, a media report said. Mandeep Singh, a clerk at the Wrens convenience store, was pronounced dead at the scene after being struck twice by gunfire by two 15-year-olds in the Wrens city of Georgia, the Augusta Chronicle newspaper reported. Singh, a resident of Augusta city, had been working at the store for less than one month, according to Wrens Police Chief John Maynard. “It appeared to be an armed robbery to start with, and at some point, shots were fired, and the clerk was deceased,” Maynard was quoted as saying in the report.
5 arrested for stealing cooking oil in Pakistan
The Karachi police arrested a three-member gang that used to loot stocks of cooking oil in a police van, a report claimed. Over five suspected members of the gangs were named during a raid near the Garden Headquarters, the police was quoted as saying. The arrested include the owner of a godown, a worker, and a policeman. They used a police van to loot from goods vehicles transporting stocks of cooking oil in District Central, the report claimed. The police said that dozens of such robbery incidents were reported last month. The accused used to hide the cooking oil in the godown, the police said.
Lanka shares surge after debt restructuring plan
Sri Lankan shares jumped 6% to a nine month high after the country’s parliament approved a key domestic debt restructuring plan over the weekend, while inflation also cooled sharply. Lanka’s parliament last week approved a plan that seeks to rework part of the island nation’s $42 billion domestic debt, a move that is part of the conditions for the IMF’s $2. 9 billion bailout package. The surge was “driven by the banking sector, as investors perceived the domestic debt optimisation would have minimal impact on the financial system,” said Udeeshan Jonas, chief strategist at Colombo-based equity research firm CAL.
World registers hottest day ever recorded on July 3
Data from the US National Centres for Environmental Prediction shows that July 3 was the hottest day ever observed on earth. As heatwaves sweltered around the globe, the average worldwide temperature rose to 17.01 degrees Celsius (62.62 degrees Fahrenheit), breaking the previous record of 16.92C (62.46F) set in August 2016. The southern US has been suffering under an intense heat dome in recent weeks. In China, an enduring heatwave continued, with temperatures above 35C (95F). North Africa has seen temperatures near 50C (122F). Even Antarctica, which is presently experiencing winter, had unusually high temperatures. Recently, the Argentine Islands of the white continent's Vernadsky Research Base in Ukraine broke its July temperature record with 8.7C (47.6F).
US Navy thwarts Iran’s tanker seizure in Gulf
The US Navy said it intervened to prevent Iran from seizing two commercial tankers in the Gulf last week in the latest in a series of seizures or attacks on ships in the area since 2019. The first incident involved the Richmond Voyager, a very large crude carrier managed by the US oil company, and that crew onboard were safe. An Iranian navy vessel fired shots during the second seizure attempt, Navy Fifth Fleet spokesperson Timothy Hawkins said. Both incidents took place in the Gulf waters between Iran and Oman. Hawkins did not say how the US Navy prevented their seizure. Details regarding the second vessel involved in the incident were not clear. Iran seized two oil tankers in a week just over a month ago, the US Navy said.
17 die in gas leak blamed on illegal gold mining in SA
The death toll from a toxic gas leak that authorities blamed on an illegal gold processing operation in South Africa rose to 17, including three children, as police removed canisters from a community of closely packed shacks and sifted through evidence. The leak of what authorities said was a toxic nitrate gas happened in the informal Angelo settlement in Boksburg, a city on the eastern outskirts of Johannesburg. At least 10 people were hospitalised. A statement from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office said it was a “devastating and tragic loss of innocent lives.”
US completes destruction chemical weapons
US President Joe Biden has announced that the country has completed the destruction of its last chemical weapons stockpile. "For more than 30 years, the US has worked tirelessly to eliminate our chemical weapons stockpile. Today, I am proud to announce that the United States has safely destroyed the final munition in that stockpile bringing us one step closer to a world free from the horrors of chemical weapons," he said in a statement. The US President also expressed gratitude towards the thousands of Americans who gave their time and talents to "this noble and challenging mission" for more than three decades.
Walmart shooter jailed for 90 years
A federal judge sentenced a white supremacist to 90 consecutive life terms in prison for a 2019 shooting in which he killed 23 people and wounded 22 others at a Texas Walmart while targeting Hispanics, the El Paso Times newspaper reported. The sentencing by US district judge David Guaderrama in El Paso adheres to a plea agreement from February in which shooter Patrick Crusius, 24, pleaded guilty to and agreed to 90 consecutive life sentences in order to avoid the federal death penalty. The shooter still faces Texas state charges that could result in the death penalty.
14 killed in Brazil apartment block collapse
An apartment building has collapsed in the city of Recife in north-eastern Brazil, killing at least 14 people, rescuers say. Two children, aged five and eight, were among the victims when the block disintegrated last week. The cause was not immediately clear, but Recife has been pounded by heavy rain in recent days. Reports say three people were rescued from the rubble and six are still missing in the Janga neighbourhood. The collapse happened in Recife's Paulista suburb, where some residents called this type of four-storey building a "coffin block", complaining of poor construction.