Russia starts first Moscow-Pyongyang passenger flights in decades
Russia will launch direct passenger flights from Moscow to North Korea's capital Pyongyang on Sunday, Russian authorities said, as the two former communist bloc allies move to improve ties following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Reuters reported.
The start of regular flights between the capitals for the first time since the mid-1990s, according to Russian aviation blogs, follows the resumption of Moscow-Pyongyang passenger rail service, a 10-day journey, in June.
The first flight will leave Sheremetyevo airport at 7 p.m. (1600 GMT), according to the airport's timetable.
The eight-hour flight will be operated by a Boeing 777-200ER with a capacity of 440 passengers, Russia's RIA state news agency said on Sunday. It said tickets started at 44,700 roubles ($563), and the first flight quickly sold out, according to Reuters.
UK working to get aid dropped into Gaza, Starmer says
Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK is working with Jordan on plans to drop aid into Gaza by air,after more than a third of MPs signed a letter calling on the government to recognise a Palestinian state, BBC reported.
A small team of British military planners and logisticians is being made available to help Jordan get aid into the territory.
On Friday, Israel said it would allow foreign countries to deliver air supplies in the coming days amid mounting international concern about humanitarian conditions in the territory.
However, the UN and aid groups have consistently said airdrops will not get sufficient supplies into Gaza, while the falling crates can cause injury and chaos on the ground, according to BBC.
Haridwar stampede: Huge crowd gathers at Mansa Devi Temple; 8 dead
At least eight people were killed and several injured in a stampede at Haridwar's Mansa Devi temple on Sunday, following a large crowd gathering at the shrine, The Economic Times reported.
The incident took place around 8.30am after a rumoured snapping of an overhead power line, which allegedly fell onto a crowded section of the walkway, triggering panic among pilgrims.
"We received reports of some people being injured, following which the police took immediate action. Around 35 people were brought to the hospital and 6 have been confirmed dead. The rest are undergoing treatment," Haridwar SSP Pramendra Singh Dobal said.
"Prima facie, the stampede was triggered by a rumour of an electric shock on stairs 100 metres down the temple route. We are investigating further," he added, according to The Economic Times.
Israel announces humanitarian pause in parts of Gaza
The Israeli military announced on Sunday a daily pause of its operations in parts of Gaza and the establishment of new aid corridors, after months of international pressure over a worsening hunger crisis spreading in the Palestinian enclave, Reuters reported.
The military said it would cease activity in Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah and Gaza City from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (0700-1700 GMT) until further notice, areas where it had not renewed ground operations since March, when it resumed its Gaza offensive.
Designated secure routes for convoys delivering food and medicine will also be in place permanently from 6 a.m. until 11 p.m., the military said.
The Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV said on Sunday that aid started moving towards Gaza from Egypt. Hours earlier Israel began aid airdrops in what it described as an effort to ease the humanitarian conditions in the enclave, according to Reuters.
