Author: Himalaya Post

NEW DELHI – As many as 22 people have been killed and several others missing in floods and landslides, triggered by heavy rains, in the southern Indian state of Kerala in the past 24 hours, officials said Thursday. The deaths were reported from the districts of Idukki, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Ernakulam. “With two more latest deaths reported from Ernakulam district, the toll has now risen to 22. Earlier 11 people died in Idukki, while six lost their lives in Malappuram, two in Kozhikode and one in Wayanad,” a disaster management official said. “Several low-lying areas have been flooded. Also a number of people are missing in Palakkad, Wayanad and Kozhikode districts. Several teams of National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) have been deployed in the state,” he added. Aviation officials said that such was the impact of heavy rains that flights operations had to be stopped for some time at the state’s Cochin International Airport that is close to the Periyar river due to fears of flooding because of opening of Idukki dam shutters. “But all flights have now resumed, considering an improvement in the situation,” an airport spokesperson said. Local TV channels reported that schools and colleges have been closed in large parts of the state and the annual Nehru boat race in Alappuzha district has been postponed because of the heavy showers lashing Kerala. State Chief Minister...

Baramulla,India – At least five terrorists have been gunned down by the security forces in an ongoing encounter in Rafiabad in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district. Yesterday, the security forces had killed four terrorists. The operation was later halted to due to a bad weather. The security forces once again started the operation on Thursday morning. This comes after security forces in another incident arrested a terrorist identified as Abdul Majid Shah, a resident of Iqbal Colony, in Pattan Baramulla in Awantipora on Tuesday. On search, arms, ammunition and other incriminating material were recovered from him. The terrorist was travelling in a car bearing registration number DL9CM0213, and he was on his way to meet other terrorists active in the area. ...

UNITED NATIONS, United States – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday announced the appointment of Michelle Bachelet, Chile’s twice-serving president who endured torture under the Pinochet regime, as the world body’s next human rights chief. Bachelet, 66, is set to replace Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein of Jordan, a sharp critic of US President Donald Trump’s policies, who held the post of UN high commissioner for human rights since September 2014. A two-time president who ranks among the world’s most powerful women in politics, Bachelet also served in 2010 as the first director of UN Women, the UN agency promoting gender equality worldwide. Guterres informed the General Assembly of his decision in a letter on Wednesday following consultations with the heads of regional groups at the United Nations, a UN statement said. The 193-nation assembly will meet on Friday to vote on the appointment, which is expected to win approval, diplomats said. Zeid is due to step down on August 31. Bachelet will step into a position that has drawn much controversy under Zeid, who decided not to seek a second term after losing support from powerful countries including the United States, Russia and China. Zeid last year compared Trump to a bus driver “careening down a mountain path”, engaged in “reckless driving” for his attacks on the media. In an implicit swipe at Zeid, US Ambassador Nikki Haley urged...