News in Brief -2023-12-18)

Severe storm strikes coastal city in
Argentina, at least 13 dead
BAHÍA BLANCA, Dec 17: At least 13 people have been killed in Argentina, a local city mayor said on Saturday, following a severe electrical storm that struck along the South American country's Atlantic coast. Federico Susbielles, mayor of Bahia Blanca, confirmed the death toll in a post on X. The city is near the southern tip of Buenos Aires province, one of Argentina's top grain-producing regions. In a statement, the office of President Javier Milei offered condolences to the families of the victims, and recommended that locals remain inside their homes through Sunday morning, citing destructive wind gusts in the area exceeding 150 kph (93 mph). — Reuters
Small plane crashes into power lines
INDEPENDENCE, Dec 17: A small plane crashed into power lines in Oregon late Saturday afternoon and killed all three people on board, police said. Polk County emergency services received the report of the single engine plane crash in Independence around 4:55 p.m., the Independence Police Department said in a statement posted on social media. Police said the initial investigation found the collision with electrical power lines resulted in a small brush fire and a power outage in the community about 12 miles (19.3 kilometers) southwest of Salem. Pacific Power said at least 375 customers were without power in Independence after the crash, the Statesman Journal reported. — AP
Explosives factory blast kills nine
NEW DELHI, Dec 17: At least nine workers were killed and several injured in a blast at an explosives factory in Nagpur, a central district in Maharashtra state on Sunday morning, a local police officer told Reuters over the phone. The blast occurred around 8.30 am at a factory run by Solar Industries India, the police officer surnamed Salve said. The factory manufactures industrial and military explosives, as well as propellants and warheads for India's defence sector, according to Solar Industries' website. The injured were shifted to nearby hospitals, Salve said, adding that the number of casualties could increase. Salve was part of the team that went to the site of the explosion on Sunday morning. — Reuters
Putin warns of 'problems' with Finland
MOSCOW, Dec 17: Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of "problems" with neighbouring Finland after it joined NATO earlier this year, saying Moscow will create a new military district in north-west Russia in response, in an interview published Sunday. Finland, which shares a 1,340 kilometre (830-mile) border with Russia, joined NATO in April this year in the midst of Moscow's Ukraine offensive. "They (the West) dragged Finland into NATO. Did we have any disputes with them? All disputes, including territorial ones in the mid-20th century, have long been solved," Putin told a state TV reporter. "There were no problems there, now there will be, because we will create the Leningrad military district and concentrate a certain amount of military units there." — AFP
Flood alerts issued for Queensland
SYDNEY, Dec 17: Emergency flood alerts were issued for parts of Australia's northeastern state of Queensland on Sunday as a result of torrential rainfall in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Jasper. Major flood warnings were issued for the Barron River, the Daintree River, the Herbert River, the Johnstone River Catchment, the Mulgrave River, and the Tully and Murray Rivers, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. The Barron River at Lake Placid was currently sitting at 13.34 meters, which was 1.34 meters above the major flood height, the local Courier Mail newspaper reported. More water was pouring down towards the coast from the Atherton Tablelands, and the river was expected to rise further, the report said. — AFP