‘Everything is gone’: Kentucky floods kill at least 28

Floods have unleashed by torrential rain in eastern Kentucky have killed at least 28 people, including four children, Governor Andy Beshear says, as authorities work to provide food and shelter for thousands of displaced residents, Reuters reported.

Some homes in the hardest-hit areas were swept away after days of heavy rainfall that Mr Beshear has described as some of the worst in the US state’s history.

Rescue teams guided motor boats through residential and commercial areas searching for victims.

“Everything is gone. Like, everything is gone. The whole office is gone,” one of the flood’s victims, Rachel Patton, told WCHS TV. Around her, houses were half-submerged in water.

“We had to swim out, and it was cold. It was over my head, so yeah. It was scary.”

Officials warn the death toll may continue to rise with more expected rainfall potentially hampering rescue efforts.

The National Weather Service forecasts several rounds of showers and storms through Tuesday, with a flood watch in effect through Monday morning in southern and eastern Kentucky.

“We are still focused on meeting the immediate needs of providing food, water and shelter for thousands of our fellow Kentuckians who have been displaced by this catastrophic flood,” Mr Beshear said in a statement on Sunday.

Mr Beshear, who declared a state emergency over the floods, earlier told NBC that authorities would “be finding bodies for weeks” as rescuers fanned out to more remote areas.

The floods were the second major national disaster to strike Kentucky in seven months following a swarm of tornadoes that claimed nearly 80 lives in the western part of the state in December.

President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Kentucky on Friday, allowing federal funding to be allocated to the state, according to Reuters.

Mr Beshear’s office said affected residents could begin applying for disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Power lines were widely damaged, with more than 14,000 reports of outages on Sunday afternoon, according to PowerOutage, Reuters reported.

 

Nancy Pelosi begins Asia tour, with no mention of Taiwan

The Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, is beginning a tour of Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, her office says - with no mention of a possible visit to Taiwan, BBC reported.

There has been intense speculation that she may visit the self-ruled island.

Taiwan is claimed by China - which has warned of "serious consequences" if she goes there. 

No high-ranking US elected official has visited Taiwan in 25 years.

Ms Pelosi, a California Democrat, tweeted that the six-person Congressional delegation tour would seek to "reaffirm America's unshakeable commitment to our allies and friends in the region".

Her office said the tour was to the "Indo-Pacific region" - "including" visits to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan.

China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that must become a part of the country. Beijing has not ruled out the possible use of force to achieve this in the future.

Chinese officials have expressed anger over what they view as growing diplomatic engagement between Taipei and Washington. There was a surprise visit to the island by six US lawmakers in April.

The US has formal diplomatic ties with China, and not Taiwan.

Ms Pelosi has long been a vocal critic of the Chinese leadership, denouncing its human rights record. She has met pro-democracy dissidents and visited Tiananmen Square to commemorate victims of the 1989 massacre.

Her original plan was to visit Taiwan in April, but she postponed the trip after she tested positive for Covid-19, according to BBC.

Earlier this month she said it was "important for us to show support for Taiwan".

President Joe Biden has said the US military believes a Pelosi visit to Taiwan is "not a good idea right now".

The statement from her office on Sunday said the tour would "focus on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance in the Indo-Pacific region".

Their talks will also cover trade, the climate crisis and human rights.

The delegates accompanying Ms Pelosi are leading members of the House of Representatives: Gregory Meeks, Mark Takano, Suzan DelBene, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Andy Kim.

The last House Speaker to visit Taiwan was Republican Newt Gingrich, in 1997, BBC reported.

 

England beat Germany to win first women’s major trophy

England created history by winning their first major women's tournament in a dramatic Euro 2022 final against old rivals and eight-time champions Germany at Wembley, BBC reported.

Substitute Chloe Kelly poked home a loose ball from a corner to send the raucous record crowd of 87,192 into a frenzy with ten minutes of extra time remaining.

She waited for confirmation of the goal before taking off her shirt and waving it around her head, while being lifted by her team-mates in a moment of pure elation.

On a monumental day in English football history, Sarina Wiegman's side showed they were equal to anything a strong and physical Germany team threw at them.

Ella Toone had earlier come off the bench to score the opener in normal time before Germany's Lina Magull set up a nervous ending when she equalised in the 79th minute.

There were scenes of jubilation in the stands and an outpouring of emotion by players on the pitch at full-time as the magnitude of their achievement sank in.

The final was advertised as a battle between the competition's two best-performing sides, and for large parts they cancelled each other out - but the biggest crowd in the history of a men's or women's Euros was given their money's worth.

Striker Ellen White missed a few chances in the first half, Lucy Bronze was denied with a header, Germany's Magull struck wide and England defender Leah Williamson had to scramble a corner off the line before Toone was introduced to break the deadlock, according to BBC.

She had given England fans the winning taste before Magull stunned the home crowd, though it would only delay the celebrations that Kelly, who only returned to football in April after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, gave them.

England did what no other nation had done before - beat serial winners Germany in a European Women's Championship final, and the feeling was sweet.

It comes 56 years after England's men beat West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final, the only previous major trophy won by a men's or women's England senior team.

The players fell to the ground at full-time in tears of joy, in scenes which will be remembered and replayed for years to come on one of the greatest nights in English sport, BBC reported.

Oleksiy Vadatursky: Ukraine grain tycoon killed in Russian shelling of Mykolaiv

One of Ukraine's richest businessmen has been killed with his wife in "massive" Russian shelling of the southern city of Mykolaiv, BBC reported.

Oleksiy Vadatursky, 74, and his wife Raisa died when a missile hit their home overnight, local officials said. 

Mr Vadatursky owned Nibulon, a company involved in grain exports. He had also received the "Hero of Ukraine" award.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky described Mr Vadatursky's death as a great loss.

Mykolaiv mayor Oleksandr Senkevych said it was probably the heaviest Russian bombardment of the city so far.

There was damage to a hotel, a sports complex, two schools and a service station, as well as homes. 

Mykolaiv is on the main route to Odesa, Ukraine's biggest port on the Black Sea, and has been hit repeatedly since Russia launched its invasion on 24 February.

The region's leader Vitaliy Kim said Mr Vadatursky's "contribution to the development of the agricultural and shipbuilding industry, the development of the region is invaluable".

Meanwhile, an adviser to President Zelensky's office, said he believed Russia had deliberately targeted the businessman, according to BBC.

Mykhailo Podolyak said one of the missiles hit the businessman's bedroom, adding that this "leaves no doubt" it was being guided.

Nibulon has built many storage facilities and other infrastructure for exporting grain

Ukraine and Russia are major exporters of wheat and other grains, and the disruption of exports caused by the war has sent food prices soaring worldwide.

The two countries signed a UN-brokered agreement in Turkey last week, aimed at easing the food crisis. The deal was almost derailed by a Russian attack on the Odesa port the following day. 

The resumption of Ukrainian exports has been further delayed by security checks. But on Sunday Turkey said the first ship carrying grain was expected to leave Odesa on Monday morning.

Ukraine accuses Russian forces of stealing grain from farms on occupied land and exporting it via Crimea - Ukraine's southern peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. Russia denies Ukrainian claims, BBC reported.

 

Urja Developers to invest in Myagdi Khola Hydropower Project

The Urja Developers signed a share purchase agreement with the Hydro Village Private Limited (HVPL) for the development and operation of the 57.3 MW Myagdi Khola Hydropower Project (MKHPP).

Chairperson of Urja Developers Bijay Bahadur Rajbhandary and Chairperson of Hydro Village Capt. Rameshwar Thapa signed the agreement at a ceremony in the capital on Sunday, read a statement issued today.

Bhanu Pokharel, Managing Director of Urja Developers, said the agreement with Hydro Village was part of their endeavor towards serving domestic and regional needs for clean energy. "It's definitely a matter of honor to be working together with one of the leading organizations in the clean energy sector," Sushil Pokharel, Managing Director of the HPVL said. He further added, "With this new collaboration, we hope to accelerate our pace and hope to establish Myagdi Khola as an outstanding project."

Earlier, the government-owned Hydroelectricity Investment and Development Company Ltd (HIDCL) invested equity in MKHPP. The project is estimated to cost around US$100 million. The project will have an annual average production of 335 GWh. Following this agreement, HIDCL, Ujra Developers, Simrik Ventures, BizBell and a Singapore-based firm Aqua Venture will have the joint ownership of the project.

HVPL was established in 2015 and has been actively advocating for an investment-friendly climate to unleash hydropower potential of Nepal. Incorporated in 2016, Urja Developers is one of the leading brands in the clean energy sector and has been providing holistic solutions for the implementation of hydropower and Renewable Projects projects.

The Myagdi Khola hydropower project is located in Jeltingubagad Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality of Myagdi district, in Gandaki province. Electricity generated from the project will be evacuated through a NEA’s substation at Dandakhet, 17 kilometers away from the powerhouse of the project.

UML to protest from House, streets against Finance Minister Sharma

The main opposition CPN-UML has decided to protest against Janardan Sharma, who has been reappointed as the Finance Minister on Sunday, from the House and streets.

Chief Whip Bishal Bhattarai said that the party has decided to protest from the House and streets after the government turned a blind to the differing views of the parliamentary probe committee.

“The report was prepared by ignoring their views. We will go among the people with a different opinion,” he said, adding, “We will protest from the House and streets.”

Sharma had resigned from his post after the government formed an 11-member probe committee to investigate allegations that he invited two unauthorized persons to the Finance Ministry to two tweak tax rates on the eve of budget announcement.

The committee had two members each from the Nepali Congress, and the Maoist Centre, and one each from the CPN (Unified Socialist), the Janata Samajbadi Party and the Loktantrik Samajbadi Party.

The Nepali Congress, the CPN (Maoist Centre), the CPN (Unified Socialist) and the Janata Samajbadi are allies in the ruling coalition.

But, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba gave Sharma the responsibility of the Finance Ministry again after the probe committee could not find substantial evidence to prove that he involved two outsiders to make last-moment changes in the budget.

 

Janardan Sharma reappointed as Finance Minister

CPN (Maoist Centre) leader Janardan Sharma been reappointed as the Finance Minister on Sunday.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari on the recommendation of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba appointed him as the Finance Minister today, Sagar Acharya, spokesperson at the President’s Office, said.

He is scheduled to take the oath of office and secrecy today itself.

Sharma had resigned from his post after the government formed an 11-member probe committee to investigate allegations that he invited two unauthorized persons to the Finance Ministry to two tweak tax rates on the eve of budget announcement.

But, the Prime Minister gave him the responsibility of the Finance Ministry again after the probe committee could not find substantial evidence to prove that he involved two outsiders to make last-moment changes in the budget.

 

Nepal logs 620 new Covid-19 cases, one death on Sunday

Nepal reported 620 new Covid-19 cases and one death on Sunday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 2, 651 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 496 returned positive. Likewise, 3, 195 people underwent antigen tests, of which 124 were tested positive.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 11, 967 have lost their lives to the virus so far.

As of today, there are 4, 567 active cases in the country.