"Can't Even See Roof": Ukrainians Escape Flooded Homes After Dam Collapse

With the flood reaching the rooftops, rescuers raced to save people in Kherson as water from the destroyed Kakhovka dam engulfed the southern Ukrainian city.

"We don't have a house anymore. You can't even see the roof," said Dmytro Melnikov, 46, who escaped from his flooded home with his five children.

"The whole district is underwater now. It's above the level of ground floors," he said, holding his daughter's hand. 

Rescuers used small boats and amphibious vehicles to get to stranded locals, some of whom had to flee with little more than their passports.

The Dnipro River that flows through Kherson has risen by more than five metres since the dam upstream was destroyed early Tuesday, and official expected it to keep rising throughout Wednesday.

Laura Musiyan, from Kherson's hydrometeorological centre, had bloody knuckles and scratched feet from falling in an open sewer when measuring water levels.

"Many people don't evacuate because they hope the water will recede quickly. But so far, there is no good news," she said.

- 'Real nightmare' -

Some locals had to take their lives into their own hands by swimming through the water, and one man paddled to safety on an inflatable mattress.

Nataliya Korzh, 68, told how she had to swim part of the way to escape from her house, her legs covered with scratches, her hands trembling from the cold.

"All my rooms are underwater. My fridge is floating, the freezer, cupboards, everything," she said.

"To get to the room where the dogs were, I would have had to dive. I don't know what's happened to them," she said as she stepped out of a dinghy helped by two rescuers, her feet bare, wearing a wet top and sweatpants.

She was also unable to save her cat.

The rescuers -- a combination of police officers, emergency services and troops -- lifted people and dogs out of rubber dinghies onto dry ground and rapidly set off again to rescue more stranded residents. 

"The guys came to collect me. My son phoned them," Nataliya said as she carried her medicine and a few bags of belongings.

"We're used to shooting, but a natural disaster is a real nightmare," she added.

- 'Danger' everywhere -

Teams of rescuers were constantly ferrying people, mainly children and the elderly and their pets, through the tree-lined streets. Others have had to fend for themselves, wading through the water. 

"Local residents send us geolocations when possible and we pick them and their pets up," said Sergiy, a 38-year-old policeman who is helping coordinate the rescue efforts.

Svitlana Abramovych, 56, was organising the rescue of 22 residents still stuck in her five-storey block of flats, where the ground floor is flooded.

"The water started coming last evening and after 6 pm it flooded the building and the yard. The water came through the front doors and into flats on the ground floor," she said.

Some residents waved and smiled as they reached relative safety, but others trembled and cried.

They barely reacted to the sound of an air raid siren and artillery in the distance. Kherson has been heavily shelled since Russia retreated from the city in November after annexing it only two months earlier.

"Now they are firing and at night something hit this district. Over there it's water, here it's explosions," said Svitlana, pointing at the water and towards the front line. 

"It's danger from over there and from here."

- 'Used to explosions' -

"We're already used to these explosions, we don't care about them," said Melnikov, who has now decided to leave the city.

"We've lived here since the start of the war, we lived through occupation. But now we have no house, nothing, no work. We don't want to leave but what can we do? We can't stay here with the children."

The flooded-out residents crowded together, their belongings in bags piled on the grass. Several held pets.

A man wrapped in a blanket and wearing a head torch hugged a grey cat.

Volunteers took families to the bus station where some caught a free bus to the nearby city of Mykolaiv. Some were also being evacuated by train.

Residents from nearby areas were watching water rising in anguish, fearing their homes would be submerged as well. 

In nearby Chornobaivka, locals watched in anguish as the previously dry riverbed was starting to overflow.

"There was no water here in the morning, and now there's a river," said 45-year-old Tatyana Iyoenko.

"I don't remember the river being full here since I was a child," she added. "I'm afraid that we will get flooded."

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Bihar Bridge Collapse: Show Cause Notice Given To Construction Company

Bihar Government on Tuesday has given a show cause notice to the construction company after the collapse of the Aguwani-Sultanganj bridge in Bhagalpur on Sunday evening.

"A show cause notice is being issued to the construction company, and action will be taken against the contractors and engineers involved in the project who have already been removed. The bridge will be constructed in a time-bound manner as it is a dream project of CM," said Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav.

The bridge was constructed to link Bhagalpur and Khagaria districts over the river Ganges. 

It involved a cost of over Rs 1,770 crore and was supposed to be completed by 2019. The foundation stone of the structure was laid in February 2014, by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

"When I was in opposition, I had raised the issue regarding pier number 5 of the bridge and at that time minister handed over the investigation to IIT Roorkee and later on the basis of reports from IIT a decision to demolish the pier has taken," said Tejashwi further.

Meanwhile, As the politics over the bridge collapse in Bihar gained momentum, the state Minister and elder brother to Tejashwi, Tej Pratap Yadav accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of demolishing the bridge.

"BJP has demolished the bridge. We are building the bridge and they are demolishing it," Tej Pratap Yadav told reporters on Monday.

On the other hand, a PIL has been filed in the Patna High Court seeking an independent inquiry into the collapse of the Aguwani-Sultanganj bridge in Bihar's Bhagalpur on Sunday.

The petitioner, Manibhushan Pratap Sengar, in his writ petition, sought an independent probe instead of a departmental inquiry and action against SP Singla Company, involved with the construction of the bridge.

The PIL also sought recovery of losses of thousands of crores to the exchequer due to the bridge's collapse.

Additional Chief Secretary for Bihar Road Construction Department Pratyaya Amrit on Tuesday said that the investigation into the collapse of the under-construction bridge in Bihar's Bhagalpur will be completed soon adding that a new bridge shall be constructed.

While talking to ANI, Pratyaya Amrit said, "We will try to complete the investigation at the earliest. We have served a show-cause notice to SP Singla and Company as to why they should not be blacklisted."

"They have been given 15-day time to reply. For serious dereliction of duty, the Executive Engineer of Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam posted at Khagaria has been put under suspension and departmental proceedings have started," the top official said. 

"The Managing Director of Bihar Bridge Construction Corporation has also been show caused why there was a delay when the instructions were very clear to demolish Pier 5 completely. A new bridge will be constructed. We will try to prioritise it so that the work on this can start after the monsoon," official added.

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Will Contest Only From Mathura, Says Hema Malini

BJP MP Hema Malini on Monday said if she has to contest the next election, she will contest it from Mathura and no other place.

"I will contest the next election from Mathura only. If there is any proposal to contest from any other seat, it will not be accepted," Ms Malini, who was interacting with media on the achievements of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on completion of nine years, said.

When asked about her plans on contesting elections for a third time, the actress, popularly known as 'Dream Girl', said, "If the party wants me to contest, then what can be my problem." Elaborating on her decision, she said she has immense love for Lord Krishna and his devotees, and that she wants to serve them.

The leader exuded confidence that Narendra Modi will come back to power a third time on the back of work done by his government in the last nine years.

Hema Malini won the Mathura Lok Sabha seat for two consecutive terms in 2014 and 2019 on BJP ticket. Before that, she was a member of the Rajya Sabha.

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Odisha Train Accident: 77 Dead Bodies Identified So Far, Says Officials

South Eastern Railways on Monday informed that so far, 77 bodies of the deceased in the Balasore three train collision accident have been identified.

It also said that monetary compensation is being granted to the next of kin of the deceased and injured victims.

"Many passengers suffered casualties and injuries in the tragic accident (Balasore train accident). Rescue operations were over and injured were taken to the nearby hospitals," South Eastern Railway said in a press release.

"The mortal remains of the deceased victims are being handed over to their family members. As of now 77 bodies of the deceased were identified at Balasore, Soro and Bahanagabazar," added the release.
Train no. 12841 Shalimar-Chennai Coromandal Exp and Train no. 12864 Sir M Visvervaraya-Howrah Superfast Express got derailed near Bahanagabazar railway station on June 2.

Ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh was announced by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw while Prime Minister's Office declared Rs 2 lakh for the families which lost their members in the tragedy.

"Though no compensation is enough to match the sorrow of the grieved families, yet as an Ex Gratia, monetary compensations are being granted to the deceased and injured victims of this tragic incident," South Eastern Railway said.

Survivors, family members of the victims can approach Balasore station, hospital or may contact at the helpline numbers of Balasore (8249591559, 7978418322, Rly no. 64810, 9439981999) and claim their ex-gratia Relief by producing valid documents, the press release said.

At this hour of grief, Railways is trying to extend all hands to help the victims and their family members, said South Eastern Railway.

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China Will Be Initiating AI Regulations, Says Elon Musk

The Chinese government will seek to initiate artificial intelligence regulations in its country, billionaire Elon Musk said on Monday after meeting with officials during his recent trip to China.

Musk did not elaborate further and made his remarks in a Twitter Space with Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday.

"It's worth noting that on my recent trip to China, I went to senior leadership there. I think we had some very productive discussions on artificial intelligence risks, and the need for some oversight and regulation," said Musk, owner of Twitter and Tesla Inc chief executive.

"And my understanding from those conversations is that China will be initiating AI regulation in China."

Reuters was not immediately able to reach Chinese officials for comment outside of normal business hours.

Musk departed Shanghai on Thursday, wrapping up a two-day trip to China in which he met senior Chinese government officials including the highest-ranking vice premier.

Musk met with China's foreign, commerce and industry ministers in Beijing. He also met with Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang on Wednesday, a source familiar with the matter said.

China's cyberspace regulator unveiled draft measures in April for managing generative artificial intelligence services, saying it wants firms to submit security assessments to authorities before they launch their offerings to the public.

Several governments are considering how to mitigate the dangers of the emerging technology, which has experienced a boom in investment and consumer popularity in recent months after the release of OpenAI's ChatGPT.

In April, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said that China supports AI innovation and application and encourages use of safe and reliable software, tools and data resources, but content generated by generative AI had to be in line with the country's core socialist values.

Providers will be responsible for the legitimacy of data used to train generative AI products and measures should be taken to prevent discrimination when designing algorithms and training data, it said.

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Robert Hanssen, FBI Agent Who Spied For Russia, Found Dead In Prison

Robert Hanssen, the former FBI agent turned spy whom the bureau describes as the most damaging in its history, was found dead in his prison cell on Monday, U.S. authorities said.

Hanssen, 79, was sentenced in 2002 to life in prison after pleading guilty to spying for the Soviet Union and later Russia for over 20 years.

Prison staff initiated life-saving measures after finding Hanssen unresponsive on Monday morning but were not successful, the Bureau of Prisons said in a statement. It did not provide a cause of death.

Hanssen joined the FBI in 1976 and began selling classified information to the Soviet Union in 1985, according to the FBI's website.

By the time of his arrest in 2001, he had been compensated with more than $1.4 million in cash, bank funds and diamonds, in exchange for compromising numerous human sources, intelligence techniques and classified U.S. documents, the FBI's website says.

FBI investigators worked for years to try to identify the spy in their ranks. In the weeks leading up to his February 2001 arrest, some 300 personnel were working on the investigation and monitoring Hanssen, according to the FBI.

An arrest team took Hanssen into custody after catching him making a "dead drop" of classified materials in a park in suburban Virginia, the FBI says.

He had been serving his life sentence in a maximum security facility in Colorado.

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Ukraine Says It Has Enough Weapons To Begin Counter-Offensive

Ukraine has enough weapons to begin its counter-offensive against Russia, and the operation will give the country the victory it needs to join NATO, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told Reuters on Monday.

Membership of the military alliance would "probably" only be possible for Ukraine after the end of active hostilities, Kuleba said in an interview in Kyiv.

Ukraine has for months feted a vast upcoming assault to retake the 18% of its territory still occupied by Russia, using tanks, armoured cars and artillery donated by its Western allies.

Ukraine's deputy defence minister said on Monday Kyiv was shifting to "offensive operations" on certain fronts but dismissed an earlier claim from Moscow that a major Ukrainian assault had taken place.

Kuleba did not say whether the counter-offensive had started when asked. He answered that the most important thing was not when it started, but that it ended in Ukrainian victory.

The minister, who has served in his post since March 2020, said NATO membership was the next big target on Ukraine's agenda after some of its allies agreed to train Ukrainian pilots on the F-16 fighter jets coveted and lobbied for by Kyiv.

"We (already) unlocked all weapons.... There is nothing big left to fight for."

"NATO membership cannot stop this war, but NATO membership will stop further wars. This is why the best way to ensure security in the region is to come to the moment when Ukraine becomes a member of NATO," he said.

Moscow said in the early hours of Monday that it had thwarted a major Ukrainian offensive involving six mechanised and two tank battalions in the southern part of Ukraine's Donetsk region.

Kyiv officials mocked that claim, with Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar saying the claim was intended to distract from Russian defeats near the eastern city of Bakhmut.

Kuleba said that while Ukraine now had enough arms to begin its counter-offensive, it would still need continued deliveries from its allies to sustain the effort.

"When you go on the counter-offensive, it's one thing to have enough weapons to begin it, but another thing to ensure sustainability of supplies in order to be able to continue as long as is needed."

Kuleba said he was "pretty confident" that Kyiv's partners would continue to supply arms until Kyiv reached its goals, but acknowledged they would face difficulties around production capacity.

Earlier this year, NATO increased targets for stockpiling ammunition, saying that Kyiv is burning through shells much faster than Western countries can produce them and allied stocks are badly depleted.

"It is crucial for partners to ramp up production of weapons, not only for Ukraine but for themselves. This can be done, this is being done, but I think that efforts must be stepped up," Kuleba said.

Asked whether he was concerned that Saudi Arabia's recently announced oil production cut would help fellow major oil producer Russia, Kuleba said the decision was influenced by broader factors, but that any move that would help Russia make more money was still "unwelcome".

Speaking about recent raids into the Russian border region of Belgorod conducted by anti-Kremlin Russian volunteer militias which say they are backed by Ukraine, Kuleba cast the violence as an internal Russian matter and said it was none of his business.

U.S. and Belgian officials earlier said they were investigating the possible use of Western weapons by the militias inside Russian territory, something which would likely be seen as an escalation in the war.

Kuleba, however, said his ministry had not received any formal complaints regarding the events in Belgorod.

"Usually when you want to express your concern with something, you send a note, and we haven't received anything," he said.

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