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Nepal closes schools as deaths from heavy rains hit 151

The floods brought traffic and normal activity to a standstill in the Kathmandu valley, where 37 deaths were recorded in a region home to 4 million people and the capital.

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Nepal has shut schools for three days after landslides and floods triggered by two days of heavy rain across the Himalayan nation killed 151 people, with 56 missing, officials said on Sunday.

The floods brought traffic and normal activity to a standstill in the Kathmandu valley, where 37 deaths were recorded in a region home to 4 million people and the capital.

Authorities said students and their parents faced difficulties as university and school buildings damaged by the rains needed repair.

“We have urged the concerned authorities to close schools in the affected areas for three days,” Lakshmi Bhattarai, a spokesperson for the education ministry, told Reuters.

Some parts of the capital reported rain of up to 322.2 mm (12.7 inches), pushing the level of its main Bagmati river up 2.2 m (7 ft) past the danger mark, experts said.

But there were some signs of respite on Sunday morning, with the rains easing in many places, said Govinda Jha, a weather forecaster in the capital.

“There may be some isolated showers, but heavy rains are unlikely,” he said.

Television images showed police rescuers in knee-high rubber boots using picks and shovels to clear away mud and retrieve 16 bodies of passengers from two buses swept away by a massive landslide at a site on the key route into Kathmandu.

Weather officials in the capital blamed the rainstorms on a low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal extending over parts of neighbouring India close to Nepal.

Haphazard development amplifies climate change risks in Nepal, say climate scientists at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

“I’ve never before seen flooding on this scale in Kathmandu,” said Arun Bhakta Shrestha, an environmental risk official at the centre.

In a statement, it urged the government and city planners to “urgently” step up investment in, and plans for, infrastructure, such as underground stormwater and sewage systems, both of the “grey”, or engineered kind, and “green”, or nature-based type.

The impact of the rains was aggravated by poor drainage due to unplanned settlement and urbanisation efforts, construction on floodplains, lack of areas for water retention, and encroachment on the Bagmati river, it added.

The level in the Koshi river in Nepal’s southeast has started to fall, however, said Ram Chandra Tiwari, the region’s top bureaucrat.

The river, which brings deadly floods to India’s eastern state of Bihar nearly every year, had been running above the danger mark at a level nearly three times normal, he said.

World

14 killed in two separate mass shootings across the United States

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro expressed his support for the affected community, describing the incident as a tragic loss of life.

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At least 14 people have been killed in two separate mass shootings in the United States within hours of each other, according to local authorities.

Five people were shot dead at a home in Douglas, Georgia, on Friday evening, police said.

In a separate incident in Erie, Pennsylvania, nine people were killed, including two children and a pregnant woman. Authorities confirmed that the suspected assailant was also among the dead.

Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah described the scene as one of the most devastating incidents of his career, saying the motive for the shooting had not yet been established.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro expressed his support for the affected community, describing the incident as a tragic loss of life.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding both shootings.

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Zelenskiy says letting Russia sell diesel to US is ‘investment in war’

 “Gifts to Putin will not ​bring peace or any benefit to the civilised world,” Zelenskiy wrote ​on the X social media platform.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy criticised an accord on ​Friday between the US and Russia allowing Moscow to provide the ‌US with diesel, calling it “an investment in a war that must be ended.”

He dismissed the accord, which was announced while a Ukrainian delegation was ​in the US to discuss how to seek a ​resolution of the war with Russia, as “a weak decision ⁠on the part of strong partners”.

 “Gifts to Putin will not ​bring peace or any benefit to the civilised world,” Zelenskiy wrote ​on the X social media platform.

“Russia will ‘repay’ the diesel with further terror and perfidy. Allowing Russia to sell petroleum products is an investment in a war ​that must be ended, not prolonged. What is needed is ​real de-escalation with Russia on a reciprocal basis,” Zelenskiy said.

Trump said in ‌a ⁠post on social media that he had agreed in a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russia would immediately supply diesel to the US and global marketplace. Trump said lower prices ​for Americans “is my ​Greatest Priority”.

 Zelenskiy, ⁠speaking to reporters later on WhatsApp, said the accord would provide Moscow with additional funds to ​wage war and undermine any attempts to work ​towards a ⁠settlement.

“I believe our team is simply being used as a front. And that is certainly not fair, nor is it how partners ⁠should ​treat each other,” he said. “In my ​view, it is a weak decision on the part of strong partners.”

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US imposes sanctions on ICC amid dispute over international prosecutions

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The administration of US President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday, escalating tensions with the international judicial body and potentially straining relations with European allies.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the measures aim to prevent the ICC from prosecuting American citizens and restrict the court’s resources and operations.

Washington has criticised the ICC over arrest warrants issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, as well as its past investigation into alleged crimes by US personnel in Afghanistan.

The ICC condemned the sanctions as an “assault on the rule of law” and vowed to continue its investigations and prosecutions. It also urged its 125 member states to defend the court’s independence.

The announcement came hours after former ICC judge Navi Pillay was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, with the Nobel committee highlighting the importance of international justice amid political pressure on legal institutions.

The sanctions threaten to deepen the dispute between Washington and the ICC, raising concerns about international judicial cooperation and the court’s ability to carry out its work.

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