Russian strikes kill at least 9 people

kyiv, Ukraine — Two consecutive Russian attacks on a medical center in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy killed at least nine people Saturday, officials said.

The first strike killed one person. Russia attacked again as patients and staff evacuated, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.

Local officials in Sumy said Shahed drones were used in the attack. Twenty-one more people were injured, Sumy acting mayor Artem Kobzar said.

In Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, a Russian airstrike on the village of Slatyne on Saturday killed three people and injured three others, Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

Syniehubov also said that one person was killed in a drone attack in the nearby village of Kozacha Lopan.

In Kryvy Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, local officials announced Saturday that the body of a man had been found under the rubble of an administrative building hit Friday by a Russian missile, bringing the death toll to four. attack.

One person was killed in Ukrainian shelling of the Russian border town of Shebekino on Saturday, Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. Two other people were injured.

US Peace Corps returns to El Salvador

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — U.S. Peace Corps volunteers returned to El Salvador Friday for the first time since U.S. forces left in 2016 due to violence in the Central American country.

The Peace Corps said the first nine volunteers will work on community economic development, education and youth initiatives. All nine had already worked for two years in other Central American countries.

Peace Corps volunteers left El Salvador after the rate of gang-fueled homicides in the country reached a peak of 106 murders per 100,000 residents in 2015. That year, there were 6,658 murders in this country of 6.3 million inhabitants.

Under a state of emergency initially declared in 2022 and still in effect, President Nayib Bukele’s government has arrested around 81,900 suspected gang members in raids that rights groups say are often arbitrary, based on a person’s appearance or where they live. The government had to release around 7,000 people due to lack of evidence.

In July, the human rights organization Cristosal said at least 261 people had died in prison during the crackdown.

Homicide rates fell sharply after the arrests. In 2023, the country recorded only 214 homicides, compared to 116 so far in 2024.

Czech opposition wins senatorial elections

PRAGUE — The main Czech opposition group led by populist former Prime Minister Andrej Babis won elections Saturday for a third of the seats in parliament’s upper house, the Senate.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s ruling coalition still retains a majority in the Senate.

After counting all the votes from the two-day poll, Babis’ ANO, or YES in English, won eight of the 27 seats up for grabs in the 81-seat Senate in the two-round election.

This is the first time that the centrist movement has won so many seats in the House. These results are a boost for Babis ahead of next year’s legislative elections. ANO is the most popular party and is favored to win this vote.

Coalition-linked candidates won 15 seats.

The lower house of Parliament dominates the legislative process, but the Senate plays an important role in passing constitutional amendments and approving Constitutional Court judges.

In a separate vote earlier this month, ANO dominated Czech regional elections, winning 10 of the 13 contested regions.

Floods in Nepal and landslides kill at least 66 people

KATHMANDU, Nepal — Floods and landslides caused by continued rains have killed at least 66 people in Nepal and 69 others are missing, officials said Saturday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUE7_rlO2RM

Rain has been falling since Friday evening and is expected to continue throughout the weekend.

Interior Ministry spokesman Rishiram Tiwari told reporters that 66 people were believed to have died across the country, including 34 in the capital, Kathmandu.

Sixty people were injured and 3,010 rescued across the Himalayan country, he added.

He said all divisions of the country’s security forces, including the army, had been ordered to contribute to the rescue efforts.

Several roads were blocked by landslides caused by the rains.

Three highways, including the key Prithvi highway linking Kathmandu to the rest of the country, were blocked by landslides, and heavy equipment was used to try to open the roads, Tiwari said.

Buses were banned from traveling on highways at night and cars were discouraged. Security forces have been ordered to be on high alert.

Parts of Kathmandu were inundated by swollen rivers, many houses were flooded and residents were forced to move to higher floors. A large area south of the city was largely flooded. An army helicopter was used to pick up four people who could not leave their homes.

In this photo provided by Ukrainian emergency services, emergency service workers seek to move rubble and find injured people after Russian attacks on a medical center in the northeastern city of Sumy. ‘Ukraine, Saturday September 28, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by Ukrainian emergency services, paramedics provide first aid to injured emergency service workers after Russian attacks on a medical center in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, on Saturday September 28, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

People watch the turbulent waters of the Bagmati River from a bridge as the river floods due to heavy rains in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Saturday. Video at arkansasonline.com/929nepal/. (AP/Gopen Rai)

An aerial photo of the Kathmandu Valley shows flooding of the Bagmati River after heavy rains in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Saturday. The rains which have continued to fall since Friday have caused floods and landslides which have killed at least 66 people. Video at arkansasonline.com/929nepal/. (AP/Gopen Rai)