News in Brief -2024-07-26

Death toll from Ethiopia landslide hits
257, could reach 500, says UN
KENCHO SHACHA GOZDI, July 25: The death toll from landslides in a remote region of southern Ethiopia has risen to 257, the United Nations said Thursday, warning that the number of victims could soar to up to 500. Rescuers are pressing on with the grim search for bodies and survivors in the stricken locality of Kencho Shacha Gozdi, with crowds of distraught locals digging through a sea of mud often using just their bare hands and shovels. "The death toll has risen to 257," as of July 24, the UN's humanitarian agency OCHA said in statement citing local authorities. "The death toll is expected to rise to up to 500 people." Aid has begun arriving in the isolated, hard-to-reach area. — AFP
Meloni to visit China from Saturday
BEIJING, July 25: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will visit China for five days from Saturday, Beijing said Thursday. "At the invitation of Premier Li Qiang of the State Council, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will pay an official visit to China from July 27 to 31," foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a statement. The visit will be Meloni's first to China since she took office in 2022. Her administration withdrew from China's vast Belt and Road infrastructure initiative last year, having been the only G7 nation to sign up. — AFP
Trump calls Kamala Harris 'lunatic'
CHARLOTTE, July 25: Donald Trump launched a volley of attacks against US Vice President Kamala Harris Wednesday, calling her a "radical left lunatic" in his first rally since she became the de facto Democratic Party nominee for November's election. In a speech where he also claimed that Harris was in favor of the "execution" of babies due to her position on abortions, the former president and Republican nominee said: "She is a radical left lunatic who will destroy our country." "We're not going to let that happen," he told a crowd in North Carolina, repeatedly mispronouncing Harris's first name. — AFP
Indian labourer digs up big diamond
MUMBAI, July 25: An Indian labourer's fortunes have changed overnight after he found a massive diamond in a mine in the central state of Madhya Pradesh. The 19.22-carat diamond is expected to fetch about 8m rupees ($95,570; £74,000) in a government auction. Raju Gound said he had been leasing mines in Panna city for more than 10 years in the hope of finding a diamond. Panna is famed for its diamond reserves and people often lease cheap, shallow mines from the government to hunt for the precious stone. The federal government's National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) runs a mechanised diamond mining project in Panna. — BBC
Landslides leave seven dead in Vietnam
HANOI, July 25: Flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain have killed seven people in northern Vietnam and swept away homes, disaster officials and state media said Thursday. Five people died in Son La and two others were killed in Dien Bien following the downpours. Rescue workers are also searching for 10 others reported missing in the mountainous provinces, officials added. According to Tuoi Tre newspaper, flash floods early Thursday swept away 10 houses and damaged eight homes in Muong Pon commune of Dien Bien province. — AFP