44 dead in US as record rain due to Hurricane Ida floods NY-area homes, subways
At least 44 people have been killed in US’ New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut amid record rainfall due to Hurricane Ida. Cars were swept away; subway lines were submerged and homes were flooded in New York. Ida, one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to strike the US Gulf Coast, made landfall on Sunday in Louisiana.
UN resumes humanitarian flights to Afghanistan after Taliban takeover
The United Nations (UN) has resumed humanitarian flights to northern and southern Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The UN Humanitarian Air Service is now operating flights to enable 160 aid organisations to continue their “life-saving activities” in Afghanistan’s provinces, he added. The flights link Pakistan’s Islamabad to Mazar-i-Sharif and Kandahar.
UK owes immense debt to Afghan refugees: PM Boris Johnson
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday said that Britain owed “an immense debt” to Afghans who worked with NATO forces. “We owe an immense debt to those who worked with the Armed Forces in Afghanistan and I’m determined that we give them and their families the support they need to rebuild their lives here in the UK,” Johnson said.
78 million people to suffer from dementia by 2030: WHO
Over 55 million people worldwide are living with dementia, the WHO said. With populations ageing, the number of sufferers is projected to rise to 78 million by 2030 and 139 million by 2050, it said. “Dementia…is…global public health concern…[Over] 60%…people with dementia live in low & middle-income countries,” Katrin Seeher, an expert in WHO’s mental health department, said.
Give to nations in need: North Korea rejects 3 million COVID vaccine doses
North Korea has rejected about three million COVID-19 vaccine doses of China’s Sinovac Biotech, saying they should be sent to severely affected countries, UNICEF said. The vaccines were offered to North Korea under COVAX scheme that aims to help poorer nations obtain vaccines.
Virgin Galactic flight grounded amid Branson’s spaceflight probe by US
The US FAA has grounded billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic from flying its SpaceShipTwo until the agency “approves the final mishap investigation report or determines the issues related to the mishap do not affect public safety”. The agency is investigating the off-course descent of Virgin Galactic’s spacecraft that carried Branson to the edge of space on July 11.
