Flash flood kills at least 13 on Indonesia’s Ternate Island

A flash flood following torrential rains on Indonesia’s eastern island of Ternate left 13 people dead on Sunday.

Search and rescue teams working with local residents recovered 10 bodies in the village of Rua, in North Maluku province.

The team was working to retrieve more bodies, according to Bram Madya Temara, an official from the island’s search and rescue agency BNPB.

The flood swept away residential areas and cut off the main road and access to Rua. Dozens of houses and buildings were buried in mud.

Heavy rains cause frequent landslides and flash floods in Indonesia, where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near floodplains.

Citing forecasts that heavy rain may continue in the next few days, BNPB warned local residents to be on guard.

“We urge people to remain vigilant and follow directions from authorities on potential subsequent floods,” spokesperson Abdul Muhari said.

Motorcycle bomb kills three people and injures 16 in Pakistan

A bomb blast in southwestern Pakistan on Saturday killed three people, including two children, police said.

It also injured at least 13 people, including two police officers who were reported by local media to be in a critical condition.

The explosion occurred near the police headquarters at Surkhab Chowk in Pishin, a town in Balochistan province about 100km from the border with Afghanistan.

“Explosives were planted in a motorcycle,” police officer Mujeeb-Ur-Rehman said, adding that it was remotely detonated.

Two children who were passing by were killed when the blast occurred, he said.

Police suspected the blast was carried out by separatist Baloch factions, which have ramped up attacks on security forces and civilians in recent months, although no group claimed responsibility.

Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi mourned the loss of innocent lives. He said the fight against insurgents was for “Pakistan’s honour and to give the future generations a peaceful and safe country”.

“This war will continue until the terrorists and their enablers are eradicated,” he said.

Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister, expressed sorrow and directed authorities to provide the best medical treatment possible to the injured.

He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to combating terrorism. “Cowardly terrorists who attack young children do not deserve to be called humans,” he said.

Shahid Rind, a spokesman for Balochistan’s provisional government, condemned the “terrorist incident”.

“Anti-society and anti-state elements do not deserve any concession,” Mr Rind said. “Terrorists are targeting innocent and sinless people to achieve their nefarious goals.”

Balochistan has seen a surge in violence in recent months, particularly since the breakdown of a ceasefire between the government and the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan in 2022.

The blast in Pishin continues a broader trend of escalating attacks on security forces and civilians in Balochistan and the neighbouring province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Balochistan has long been plagued by insurgency, with separatist groups seeking independence from Pakistan.

Despite the government’s claims of having quelled the insurgency, violence has continued, posing ongoing security challenges to the country.

Balochistan holds strategic importance internationally as well, not least due to its proximity to Afghanistan and Iran, making it a focal point for regional stability.

Narendra Modi urges Zelensky to hold talks with Russia to end war

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has urged Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky to sit down for talks with Russia to end Moscow’s invasion during a visit to Kyiv a month after hugging Vladimir Putin.

Mr Modi, whose visit to Moscow last month was widely criticised, said he had come to Ukraine with a message of peace and called for dialogue at the earliest opportunity.

“The road to resolution can only be found through dialogue and diplomacy. And we should move in that direction without wasting any time. Both sides should sit together to find a way out of this crisis,” Mr Modi said.

He urged the two countries to “move in the direction of dialogue”, calling it the “only way to resolve conflict”.

The remarks were made during joint statements, in which both leaders hailed the visit as “historic”. Mr Modi spoke second and Mr Zelensky did not have an opportunity to respond to the call for dialogue. But the Ukrainian leader said in his remarks that “the matter of ending the war and a just peace are the priority for Ukraine”.

Mr Modi and Mr Zelensky hugged and shook hands as they met at the National Museum of History in Kyiv.

Mr Zelensky said of the meeting that he and Mr Modi “agreed on a joint statement focusing on the development of a strategic partnership, bilateral trade, and continued military-technical cooperation… India supports Ukraine’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

“Conflict is particularly devastating for young children,” Mr Modi wrote on the social media platform X after the visit. “My heart goes out to the families of children who lost their lives, and I pray that they find the strength to endure their grief.”

They laid teddy bears at the memorial at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War before observing a moment of silence.

“Prime minister [Modi] was deeply touched by the poignant exposition set up in memory of children who have lost their lives in the conflict,” said India’s foreign ministry in a statement.

“He expressed his sorrow at the tragic loss of young lives and as a mark of respect placed a toy in their memory.”

He also paid tribute at the Mahatma Gandhi monument in Kyiv. The chief of Ukraine’s presidential office, Andriy Yermak, emphasised Ukraine’s expectation that India could play a role in ending the war with a “just peace”. Ukraine has repeatedly said it wants the war to end but on Kyiv’s terms, not Russia’s. Ukraine has been pushing to hold a second international summit later this year to advance its vision of peace and involve representatives from Russia.

“We respect India as a very big democracy in the world and a powerful country,” Mr Yermak said in an interview with India Today.

“But now it’s necessary to say who is the aggressor, who is the victim.”

“Reached Kyiv earlier this morning,” the Indian prime minister had posted on X on his arrival, as he shared pictures of a reception with members of the Indian diaspora in Ukraine. “The Indian community accorded a very warm welcome,” he said.

Mr Modi’s visit comes one month after he met Putin in Moscow. It is also the first trip by any Indian prime minister to Ukraine since Kyiv gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

The visit comes at a volatile juncture in the war as Ukrainian forces are still occupying swathes of Russia’s western Kursk region following an incursion that began on 6 August, while Russian troops are grinding out slow but steady advances in Ukraine’s east.

India and Ukraine have some important links in terms of migration and trade in military spare parts, but the trip is largely being seen in the context of India’s ongoing balancing act when it comes to the Ukraine war. Delhi has condemned the suffering taking place in the conflict without directly criticising Putin’s invasion, and has profited enormously from buying large volumes of discounted Russian oil.

“I look forward to the opportunity to … share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict,” Mr Modi had said before the trip. “As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region.”

Mr Modi‘s visit to Moscow last month coincided with a heavy Russian missile strike on Ukraine that hit a children’s hospital.

It elicited strong criticism from Mr Zelensky, who said it was a “huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world’s largest democracy hug the world’s most bloody criminal in Moscow on such a day”.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser in the Ukrainian president’s office, told Reuters that Mr Modi‘s visit to Kyiv was significant because Delhi “really has a certain influence” over Moscow.

“It’s extremely important for us to effectively build relations with such countries, to explain to them what the correct end to the war is – and that it is also in their interests,” he said.

Sikh separatist targeted in California ‘assassination attempt’

A Sikh separatist leader reportedly survived an “assassination attempt” on 11 August in Sacramento, California.

The truck in which Satinder Pal Singh Raju was travelling was allegedly “sprayed with bullets” on Interstate 505 near Sacramento earlier this month. Mr Raju is the leader and organiser of Sikhs for Justice – an organisation that seeks a separate Sikh state or Khalistan.

Sikhs for Justice said in a statement that a car pulled up next to Mr Raju’s vehicle and opened fire, causing the driver of the truck to veer off the road. Mr Raju and two of his colleagues who were travelling with him in the truck escaped the vehicle and took cover behind a haystack, where they called 911, according to The Sacramento Bee.

The California highway patrol confirmed that there was a shooting on Interstate 505 on 11 August at about 11.30pm and is investigating the incident. The Guardian reported that no arrests have been made so far, according to the agency’s spokesperson, Rodney Fitzhugh.

Mr Raju is reportedly associated with Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another Khalistan advocate who was allegedly assassinated in Canada last year. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau described what he called credible allegations that India was connected to the assassination of Nijjar in June. The Indian government denied any hand in Nijjar’s killing while also saying Canada was trying to shift the focus from Khalistan activists there.

Sikhs for Justice suggested that India, which has been linked to several plots against Sikh leaders in the US and other countries, could be responsible for the attack in Northern California. They believe that the attack was part of a broader effort by the Indian government to suppress the Khalistan independence movement globally.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, lawyer and spokesperson for Sikhs For Justice, said in a statement: “(Indian prime minister Narendra) Modi 3.0 Regime is continuing with its policy of transnational repression to violently suppress the global Khalistan Referendum campaign seeking liberation of Punjab from Indian occupation.”

The Indian government has not yet responded to Mr Pannun’s allegation.

In 2023, Mr Pannun was the target of a thwarted assassination attempt in the US, which US officials attributed to the Indian government, though India denies any involvement.

Mr Pannun is also facing terrorism charges in India for his advocacy of an independent Sikh state.

Mr Raju has played a significant role in organising Khalistan referendum votes – a symbolic effort by some Sikhs worldwide to advocate for independence from India. He was involved in votes held in San Francisco and Sacramento earlier this year and also helped with a referendum in Calgary, Canada, in July.

“The American administration and the Canadian government, they have not held India accountable, and Modi feels emboldened,” Mr Pannun said. “They are using their proxies to target leaders of the Khalistan referendum movement.”

Photos from Sikhs for Justice revealed at least four bullet holes in the driver’s side window, marked with what appeared to be police evidence tags. One bullet seemed to have lodged in the truck’s dashboard, while another appeared to have exited through the windshield.

Mr Raju told The Los Angeles Times: “The day of our death is already written. I am happy to survive. But this won’t change the work that we do.”

He is currently helping Sikh activists organise a November referendum in New Zealand.

The Independent has reached out to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs for comment.

At least 14 dead after bus carrying Indian pilgrims plunges into river

At least 14 people were killed, 16 others injured, and several more believed to be missing after a bus carrying dozens of Indian pilgrims drove off a key highway on Friday in Nepal, officials said.

The bus veered off the Prithvi Highway and rolled toward a fast-flowing river, stopping on the rocky bank. The top part of the bus was ripped, but the wreckage did not plunge into the Marsyangdi river.

Armed police force spokesperson Shailendra Thapa said that among those pulled out of from the bus, 14 were declared dead and 16 were injured in the accident.

Officials could not yet say how many more were missing or the exact number of people on the bus when it crashed, but they estimated there were some four dozen on board at the time of the accident.

Police and army rescuers were helping to pull people from the wreckage near Abukhaireni, a town about 120km (75miles) west of the capital, Kathmandu.

At least 29 passengers were rescued from the bus bearing the Uttar Pradesh state number plate UP 53 FT 7623, reported the Times of India newspaper.

The bus from neighbouring Indian town of Gorakhpur was heading toward Kathmandu from the resort town of Pokhara on Friday when it drove off the highway midway in the journey.

In July, two buses were swept by landslides not too far from Friday’s accident site. Of the 65 people on board those two buses, only three survived and only about half the bodies were recovered. The wreckage of those buses have not been found yet but authorities have continued to search.

Bus accidents in Nepal are mostly due to poorly maintained roads and vehicles and much of the country is covered by mountains with narrow roads.

Woman plunges into 8m-deep sinkhole after pavement collapses

An Indian woman fell into an 8m-deep sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur after a pavement caved in, Malaysian authorities said.

The incident happened in the Dang Wangi area of the Malaysian capital that is straddled by the city’s two main rivers – Klang and Gombak. The parts of the district experienced flash flood on Thursday from the heavy downpour, causing the rivers to overflow, reported the South China Morning Post.

Kuala Lumpur’s fire and rescue department, which received a distress call early Friday, barricaded part of the area and used an excavator to clear the debris.

There were no signs of the victim, who is yet to be identified.

“We have conducted a manual search but failed to find the victim. We expect to continue with a more extensive excavation in the subsidence area soon,” Fire and Rescue Department deputy director Rozihan Anwar Mamat was quoted as saying by Malay Mail.

“The search will continue until the victim is found,” said local police chief Sulizmie Affendy Sulaiman. He declined to comment when asked about the possible condition of the woman, or the cause of the incident.

The authorities are sifting through the security camera to find more details.

“At present, we are reviewing CCTV footage and taking witness statements from those present at the scene,” Dang Wangi district police chief assistant commissioner Sulizmie Affendy Sulaiman told Bernama, the Malaysian National News Agency.

“No further details on the exact chronology of the incident can be provided at this time. We will update information once the victim is found,” the senior policeman was quoted as saying.

All 9 passengers and crew feared dead in Thailand plane crash

All nine people on board a small passenger plane are believed to be dead after the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Bangkok’s main airport in Thailand on Thursday afternoon.

There were five tourists from Hong Kong on board, as well as two cabin crew members and a pilot and co-pilot, all four from Thailand.

The crash occured 11 minutes after departure, the country’s civil aviation authority confirmed.

The plane, a Cessna Caravan C208B, reportedly lost contact with air traffic control and crashed in a mangrove swamp in Chachoengsao province.

The plane was on its way to Trat, a coastal province located about 275km (171 miles) southeast of Bangkok.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand reported that the turboprop plane, operated by the Thai Flying Service Company, took off from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport at 2.46pm local time. However, 11 minutes later, air traffic control lost radio and radar contact with the aircraft, which was about 35km southeast of the airport at that point.

According to the Bangkok Post, search and rescue efforts continued into Thursday night.

It stated that the wreckage of the small plane was discovered in the muddy terrain of a mangrove forest and search and rescue teams found women’s clothing and a photo of three foreign women at the crash site.

Local police said search teams were collecting the wreckage, but as of Thursday evening, no sign of the plane’s occupants had been found. However, the Associated Press, citing a provincial government spokesperson, stated that after approximately an hour of searching rescuers discovered fragmented body parts in the swampy terrain.

The search efforts have also been hampered by high tide flooding the area near the mouth of the Bang Pakong River.

The cause of the crash is still unknown.

Thailand confirms Asia’s first case of dangerous new mpox variant

Thailand has confirmed Asia’s first known case of a new, more dangerous strain of mpox in a European traveller.

The patient, a 66-year-old man who arrived from an unnamed African country on 14 August, has tested positive for the Clade 1b variant, which is deadlier and more transmissible.

“Thailand’s Department of Disease Control wishes to confirm the lab test result which shows mpox Clade 1b in a European patient,” the department said in a statement.

The man had minimal contact with other people after he arrived in Thailand and sought medical attention the following day after he experienced symptoms similar to mpox, authorities said.

“We have monitored 43 people who have been in close contact with the patient and so far they have shown no symptoms, but we must continue monitoring for a total of 21 days,” the department said.

Earlier, Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, head of the Department of Disease Control, told Reuters: “After he arrives from the flight there is very little timeframe where he comes into contact with others.

“He arrived around 6pm and on the next day, 15 August, he went to see the doctor at the hospital.”

He had earlier told AFP that the department had done a test and “they definitely have mpox and it’s definitely not Clade 2”.

“We are convinced the person has the Clade 1 variant, but we have to wait to see the final result in the lab for two more days.”

Thailand previously detected 800 cases of the Clade 2 variant but not any of Clade 1 or Clade 1b.

The European traveller had been placed in quarantine after his arrival in Bangkok, and lab tests were conducted to confirm the strain.

The department added that anyone travelling to Thailand from the 42 designated “risk countries” must register and undergo testing upon arrival.

There are two distinct clades or natural groups of the mpox virus: Clade 1 and Clade 2.

Clade 2 was responsible for the global outbreak which started in 2022. Clade 1 is considered more severe and is classified as a high consequence infectious disease.

The WHO has declared a public health emergency due to a new mpox outbreak in several African nations, with at least three cases now reported outside the continent.

More than 17,000 cases and 571 deaths have been confirmed in Africa so far this year.

In Thailand, authorities have mandated that all international airport disease control checkpoints and ports, particularly at Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi airports and Laem Chabang port, screen passengers arriving from Africa, the Bangkok Post reported.

The Philippines also recently reported its first mpox case of the year, involving a 33-year-old Filipino male with no travel history, the Department of Health announced on Monday. The patient is currently recovering in a hospital.

“We’re lucky because this mpox we found [here] was the original variety, clade 2. Mpox entered the country and [is] probably circulating in our community,” country’s health secretary Teodoro Herbosa was quoted as saying by news channel ANC.

Elsewhere in the region, Indonesia is implementing screening measures at its entry points. The Malaysian health ministry also announced it will start preventive measures, including increased surveillance at international entry points, requiring travellers from countries with mpox cases to monitor their health for 21 days.

Vietnam’s health ministry stated in a directive on Monday that it will monitor for “suspected cases at the border” and report them to a central database.