40 people die in building fire in Kuwait

40 people die in building fire in Kuwait

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A fire raged through a building housing foreign workers in Kuwait early Wednesday, killing at least 40 Indian nationals and injuring more than 50, India’s foreign ministry said. Local officials said the blaze appeared to be linked to violations of building regulations.

Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousuf Al-Sabah confirmed the death toll and ordered the arrest of the building owner during a visit to the site, local media reported.

“We will address the problem of overcrowding in workplaces,” he said. “I will now investigate what violations have been committed here and I will contact the owner of the property.”

Colonel Sayed Hassan al-Mousawi, head of the fire service’s accident investigation department, said there were dozens of casualties and the final death toll could be higher.

The Indian Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Wednesday that “about 40 Indians are believed to have died and over 50 injured.”

The injured are being treated in five government hospitals in Kuwait and are receiving “appropriate medical care and attention,” the statement added.

86 dead when boat capsizes in Congo

KINSHASA, Congo – A boat carrying more than 270 passengers capsized on a river near the Congolese capital Kinshasa, killing more than 80 people, President Félix Tshisekedi said Wednesday.

It was the latest fatal boating accident in the central African country, which is often blamed on overloading. Dozens of people lost their lives in February when an overloaded boat sank.

The statement quoted President Félix Tshisekedi as saying that the domestically manufactured boat capsized on the Kwa River in Maï-Ndombe province late Monday evening.

The boat was carrying 271 passengers on its way to Kinshasa when it broke down due to engine failure, reported the United Nations-backed broadcaster Radio Okapi, citing Ren Maker, the water commissioner for the Mushi district, where the accident occurred.

Eighty-six of the passengers died, while 185 managed to swim to shore, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the nearest town of Mushie, Maker said.

He said the boat hit the edge of the river and broke apart.

Macron suspends reforms in New Caledonia

PARIS – French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday the suspension of controversial electoral changes in New Caledonia after a series of deadly riots broke out in the French Pacific territory.

The measures, which would have restricted voting rights, are feared by indigenous Kanak people who say they would further marginalise them. The issue has sparked the worst violence in the archipelago in decades.

Violence flared on May 13 in response to attempts by Macron’s government to change the French constitution and alter electoral rolls in New Caledonia. France declared a state of emergency in its Pacific territory on May 15 and sent hundreds of soldiers to reinforce police.

Both sides of New Caledonia’s bitter division – the indigenous Kanaks who want independence and the French – erected barricades, either to rebel against the authorities or to protect their homes and properties. Pro-independence supporters built barricades out of charred vehicles and other debris and made parts of the capital, Noumea, off-limits.

“I have decided to suspend the draft constitution on New Caledonia,” Macron said. “We cannot allow any ambiguity at this time. It must be suspended in order to give full force to the dialogue on the ground and the return to order.”

The French Justice Ministry confirmed on Wednesday the death of a 34-year-old man on June 11. He was injured in a confrontation with police on May 29. An autopsy has been ordered and investigations are underway into the use of violence by the gendarme involved.

Last ship of a British explorer discovered

St. John’s, Newfoundland – The wreck of the last ship of Sir Ernest Shackleton, a famous Irish-born British Antarctic explorer, has been found off the coast of Labrador, Canada, 62 years after his disappearance. The wreck was found by an international team led by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

The Quest was discovered on Sunday evening using sonar scans. It was lying on its keel at a depth of 380 meters under icy water, the company said. The towering mast lies broken next to it. It probably broke off when the ship was sucked into the depths on May 5, 1962, after hitting ice.

Shackleton’s death aboard ship in 1922 marked the end of what historians call the “heroic age” of Antarctic exploration. The explorer led three British expeditions to Antarctica and was in the early stages of a fourth when he died. He was 47.

The discovery of the Quest was “deeply moving,” said John Geiger, leader of the Shackleton Quest Expedition, on Wednesday. “It’s just a great story. It connects Canada with this most famous polar explorer of all time.”

The Norwegian-built ship, which was used for Arctic research and sealing work after Shackleton’s death, appears to be in “incredible condition” despite being damaged when it hit the seabed, Geiger said.

Rescue workers arrive at the scene of a building fire in Kuwait, Wednesday, June 12, 2024. At least 41 people died when a fire broke out early Wednesday morning in a building housing workers in Kuwait. Officials said the blaze appeared to be linked to violations of building codes. (Kuwait TV via AP)

Rescue workers arrive at the scene of a building fire in Kuwait, Wednesday, June 12, 2024. At least 41 people died when a fire broke out early Wednesday morning in a building housing workers in Kuwait. Officials said the blaze appeared to be linked to violations of building codes. (Kuwait TV via AP)

Rescue workers arrive at the scene of a building fire in Kuwait, Wednesday, June 12, 2024. At least 41 people died when a fire broke out early Wednesday morning in a building housing workers in Kuwait. Officials said the blaze appeared to be linked to violations of building codes. (Kuwait TV via AP)