News in Brief -2024-07-25

200,000 NZ children, adults abused in care
WELLINGTON, July 24: Some 200,000 New Zealanders held in care were abused over decades, a public inquiry reported Wednesday, prompting an apology from the country's prime minister who vowed reform. The authors of the report described widespread abuse in state care and faith-based institutions as an "unthinkable national catastrophe" that caused "unimaginable harm". Throughout the six-year investigation, dozens of victims gave harrowing testimony about physical, sexual and mental abuse suffered in orphanages, foster homes, psychiatric hospitals and other institutions. — AFP
19 perish in Nepal plane crash
KATHMANDU, July 24: A domestic plane with 19 people on board slipped off the runway and crashed Wednesday while trying to take off from the airport serving Nepal's capital. The pilot survived and was taken to Kathmandu Medical College Hospital for treatment, said a doctor at the hospital who was not authorized to speak to media. The pilot has injuries to the eyes but is not in any danger, the doctor said. The Saurya Airlines plane was heading from Kathmandu to the resort town of Pokhara. — AP
China's FM meets Ukrainian counterpart
BEIJING, July 24: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in southern China on Wednesday, state media reported. News agency Xinhua said the pair held talks in the city of Guangzhou without immediately giving further details. Kuleba said a day earlier it was important for Kyiv and Beijing-a close ally of Moscow-to speak directly about ending the war in Ukraine. China presents itself as a neutral party in the war. — AFP
Heatwave: 100,000 Pak schools remain closed
KARACHI, July 24: School summer holidays will be extended by two weeks in southern Pakistan because of high temperatures, affecting more than 100,000 schools, an education official said Tuesday. Pakistan is increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather conditions resulting from climate change, including heatwaves that are hotter and more frequent and monsoons that are heavier and longer. "We decided to close schools for an additional 14 days for the children's well-being," Atif Vighio, a spokesperson at the education department in Sindh province, said. —AFP