Tensions grow over probe of Israeli soldiers sexual abuse allegations
(AP) – Tensions remained high in Israel as soldiers were due to appear before a military court Tuesday over what a defence lawyer said were allegations of sexual abuse of a Palestinian at a facility where Israel has held prisoners from Gaza during the war.
Hard-line nationalists in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and others have protested. An investigation by The Associated Press has exposed abysmal conditions at Sde Teiman, where most of the thousands detained in Gaza have been held. Israeli authorities have generally denied abuses in detention facilities for Palestinians.
More bodies and further destruction were found after Israeli forces withdrew from parts of Khan Younis in Gaza.
Netanyahu has vowed heavy retaliation against Hezbollah after a rocket hit a soccer field over the weekend in the Israel-controlled Golan Heights, killing 12 children in Majdal Shams. Israel accused Hezbollah in Lebanon, while Hezbollah quickly issued a rare denial of responsibility. The two continue to exchange fire almost daily since the latest Israel-Hamas war began.
Heavy rain in northern Vermont leads to washed out roads and rescues
By: Lisa Rathke, David Sharp And Kathy Mccormack
ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. (AP) — Heavy rain early Tuesday washed out roads and led to about two dozen rescues in northern Vermont, nearly three weeks after many farmers and residents in the state were hit by flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Beryl.
Some areas got 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 centimetres) of rain starting late Monday and saw flash flooding, the National Weather Service in Burlington said. Flash flood warnings were in effect through Tuesday afternoon.
A team was heading out to survey the damage, which included “quite a bit” of structural and road damage, meteorologist Seth Kutikoff said.
Most of the rain fell in that area and in St. Johnsbury, about 10 miles (16 kilometres) south. Police issued a “shelter in place” advisory Tuesday morning for St. Johnsbury, a town of about 6,000 people. At least 5 inches (12.7 centimetres) of rain fell farther north in the area of Morgan, which is near the Canada border.
3 girls killed in stabbing at Taylor Swift-themed UK dance class. 7 people still critically wounded
By: Jill Lawless And Brian Melley
LONDON (AP) — Three young girls killed in a stabbing rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga class in northwestern England were identified Tuesday as police questioned the 17-year-old suspect arrested in the attack that wounded 10 others.
Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, died early Tuesday from her injuries, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6, died Monday, police said.
Eight children and two adults remain hospitalized after the attack in Southport. Both adults and five of the children are in critical condition.
Swift said on Instagram that she was “completely in shock” and still taking in “the horror” of the event.
People left flowers and stuffed animals in tribute at a police cordon on the street lined with brick houses in the seaside resort near Liverpool where the beach and pier attract vacationers from across northwest England.
Witnesses described scenes “from a horror movie” as bloodied children ran from the attack just before noon Monday. The teenage suspect was arrested soon afterward on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
California man defends his home as wildfires push devastation and spread smoke across U.S. West
By: Eugene Garcia And Jaimie Ding
COHASSET, Calif. (AP) — In the small forest community of Cohasset, Ron Ward watched as flames hundreds of feet high from California’s deadly Park Fire approached his family ranch.
He had lost insurance coverage on it just a month earlier as companies increasingly drop California homeowners due to the growing risk of wildfires in the state, in part due to hotter weather and arid conditions caused by climate change. So he and his son Ethan went to work installing a fire protection system involving a water line to a pond and sprinklers. The system’s pump was delivered right when the fire started.
The flames reached within 70 feet (21 metres) of his house. Then they stopped.
Firefighters made progress and were helped by improving weather over the weekend in the battle against wildfires covering massive areas in the western United States, but further evacuations have been necessary as thousands of personnel tackle the flames.
Landslides caused by heavy rains kill 93 and bury many others in southern India
By: Sheikh Saaliq
NEW DELHI (AP) — Multiple landslides in southern India have killed 93 people and many others are feared trapped under the debris, officials said Tuesday, after torrential rains triggered torrents of mud and water that swept through tea estates and villages.
The landslides hit hilly areas in Kerala state’s Wayanad district early Tuesday, flattening houses, uprooting trees and destroying bridges. Rescuers were working to pull out people stuck under mud and debris, but their efforts were hampered by blocked roads and unstable terrain. Authorities have yet to determine the full scope of the disaster.
Kerala’s chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, said the landslides had killed at least 93 people and more than 100 people were receiving treatment for injures. He said more than 3,000 people have been moved to relief camps.
Local media reported that most of the victims were tea estate workers.
Flash flooding triggered by heavy monsoons in northwest Pakistan kills at least 14
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Heavy monsoons in northwest Pakistan triggered flash flooding, killing at least 14 people, 11 from the same family, officials said Tuesday.
The rains in Kohat, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, flooded the basement of a house where the family slept, Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for emergency services said, adding they retrieved the bodies of a man, three women, six children, and an 11-month-old baby girl. He said three others died in the districts of Hangu and Bajur in the same province.
Pakistan has been hit by heavy rains since early July, killing more than 60 people and damaging over 250 homes, mostly in the eastern Punjab and southwestern Baluchistan province.
Authorities warned the rains are likely to cause flash flooding next week in various parts of the country.
Still, weather forecasters say the country will receive less rain as compared to 2022 when the climate-induced downpour swelled rivers and inundated at one point one-third of Pakistan , killing 1,739, displacing nearly 8 million, and causing $30 billion in damage in the cash-strapped country.