06/07/2025

WORLD 8 ON SUNDAY JULY 6, 2025

24 dead in Texas flash floods

struck before dawn with little or no warning, precluding authorities from issuing advance evacuation orders as the Guadalupe swiftly rose above major flood stage. “This happened very quickly, over a very short period of time that could not be predicted, even with radar. This happened within less than a two-hour span,” Rice said. State emergency management officials had warned as early as Thursday that west and central Texas faced heavy rains and flash flood threats “over the next couple days”, citing National Weather Service forecasts ahead of the holiday weekend. But the weather forecasts “did not predict the amount of rain that we saw”, said W. Nim Kidd, director of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. At Friday night’s briefing, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 24 flood-related fatalities had been confirmed, up from 13 tallied earlier in the day. One more person found dead in neighbouring Kendall County was not confirmed to be a flood related casualty, Leitha said. Lieutenant-Governor Dan Patrick said on Friday afternoon that authorities were searching for 23 girls listed as missing from among more than 750

LOS ANGELES: Torrential rains unleashed flash floods along the Guadalupe River in Texas on Friday, killing at least 24 people as rescue teams scrambled to save dozens of victims trapped by high water or reported missing in the disaster. Among the missing were 23 to 25 people listed as unaccounted for at an all-girls Christian summer camp on the banks of the rain-engorged Guadalupe, authorities said. At a news conference on Friday, almost 18 hours after the July Fourth crisis began, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said search operations would press on through the night and into the next day. Abbott said resources devoted to the effort would be “limitless”. The National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency for parts of Kerr County in south-central Texas Hill Country, about 105km northwest of San Antonio, following thunderstorms that dumped as much as a foot of rain. Dalton Rice, city manager for Kerrville, the county seat, told reporters the extreme flooding Two dozen young campers missing

Rescuers navigate upstream in an inflatable boat on the flooded Guadalupe River. – GETTY IMAGES/ AFPPIC

have ended up among the deceased victims tallied countywide by the sheriff. Otherwise, all other campers were safe, authorities said, with campers being evacuated throughout the day. – Reuters War not a solution: Chinese minister PARIS: War is not a solution to the Iranian nuclear issue and pre emptive strikes apparently lack legitimacy, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday, stressing that the abuse of military force would only lead to more conflict. Wang made the remarks at a joint press conference with his French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris. He said the Iranian nuclear issue could have served as an example of resolving international disputes through dialogue and negotiation. China’s position is clear and consistent, Wang said, adding that China attaches importance to the repeated public commitments made by Iran’s top leader that Iran will not develop nuclear weapons. He said China respects Iran’s right to peaceful use of nuclear energy as a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The parties concerned can speed up talks on a new agreement to settle the issue and place Iran’s nuclear activities under the strict supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Wang said, emphasising that the path to peace lies ahead, and history will test the sincerity of all parties. – Bernama

private Christian summer camp for girls. “We’re praying for all those missing to be found alive,” Patrick said. It was not clear whether anyone unaccounted for might

children at summer camp sites along the banks of the Guadalupe River when the area was inundated by floodwaters early in the morning. The missing campers had all been attending Camp Mystic, a

British rock band Oasis reunite CARDIFF: British rock band Oasis reunited in Cardiff on Friday as the Gallagher brothers put more than 16 years of acrimony behind them to deliver a hit-packed set that took thousands of fans back to the optimism and swagger of the 1990s. was minimal during the two-hour performance and interaction between the brothers was nonexistent until a very brief hug at the end. The crowd, largely comprising middle-aged fans revisiting their youth, sang along to hits including Cigarettes & Alcohol, Supersonic and Roll With It .

biggest-selling record in Britain in the 1990s. “Thank you for putting up with us over the years,” Liam said. Adam Williams, 42, from Wrexham, North Wales, last saw the band in 2008. “They were probably better than they were then,” he said. Oasis had announced the shows nearly a year ago, setting off a frenzy for tickets. “The thing that makes the Oasis reunion special is the thing that makes any reunion special. It has to be something that people really want and something that people thought they’d never see. And Oasis ticks both those boxes,” music journalist Mark Sutherland told Reuters. with the negotiations said earlier this week that the latest proposals included “a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release half of the living Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip”, thought to number 22, “in exchange for Israel releasing a number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees”. Out of 251 hostages seized on Oct 27, 2023, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

The Manchester band defined the “Britpop” revival of guitar music, before tensions between Noel Gallagher, the band’s main songwriter, and his younger brother, lead singer Liam, led to its split. The group walked onto the stage in the 74,500-capacity Principality Stadium and launched into “Hello,” sounding as tight as at the height of their fame. Interaction with the audience

At the end of Live Forever , a picture of Liverpool and Portugal footballer Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car accident on Thursday, was shown on the screens behind the band. Oasis ended with Don’t Look Back in Anger, Wonderwall and Champagne Supernova , all pulled from their second album, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? , the

Noel Gallagher is the band’s main songwriter. – REUTERSPIC

Hamas ready to start ceasefire talks ‘immediately’ GAZA CITY: Hamas on Friday said it was ready to start talks “immediately” on a proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, where the civil defence agency said recent Israeli attacks killed more than 50 people. engage immediately and seriously in negotiations on the mechanism to put in place” the terms of a draft US-backed truce proposal received from mediators, the group said in a statement.

Gaza civil defence official Mohammad al-Mughayyir said Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 52 people on Friday. In a separate statement, the Israeli military said a 19-year-old sergeant “fell during combat in the southern Gaza Strip”. Mughayyir said the Palestinians killed included five shot while waiting for aid near a US-run site near Rafah and several who were waiting for aid near the Wadi Gaza Bridge. – AFP

Hamas ally Islamic Jihad said it supported ceasefire talks, but demanded “guarantees” that Israel “will not resume its aggression” once hostages held in Gaza are freed. A Palestinian source familiar

The announcement came after it held consultations with other Palestinian factions and before a visit tomorrow by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington. “The movement is ready to