NEW DELHI: Fresh wind storms swept across northern India killing at least 18 people and leaving a trail of damage, officials said Saturday.
The latest in a series of freak storms that have left hundreds dead battered Uttar Pradesh state late Friday with winds of 100 kilometers (60 miles) an hour toppling walls, power pylons and thousands of trees.
Sixteen people died in the state, according to T.P. Gupta, a spokesman for the Uttar Pradesh disaster management department. He said most of the deaths were caused by falling trees and walls.
There was one more death blamed on the storm in New Delhi and another in the northern city of Chandigarh.
India’s most populous state has been battered by storms since April that have killed more than 200 people. More than 100 have died elsewhere in the country from the dust and wind storms.
Storms are customary during the summer months but the intensity and death toll has been higher than normal this year.
The Indian Meteorological Department has warned that more storms could hit in coming days as temperatures soar across the country ahead of the annual monsoon season.
The temperature in Rajasthan’s Churu district hit 49.7 Celsius (121 Fahrenheit) on Friday, according to private weather forecaster Skymet.
The monsoon arrived in the southern state of Kerala on Tuesday and should bring cooler weather as it moves north, weather experts said.
At least 18 killed as fresh storms hit north India
At least 18 killed as fresh storms hit north India
Australia’s US ambassador Rudd to step down early
SYDNEY: Australia’s ambassador to the United States Kevin Rudd is stepping down, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday, a year earlier than expected following criticism from US President Donald Trump.
Rudd, a former Australian prime minister, is returning to head the Asia Society think tank and will finish his posting in March, Albanese told a news conference.
“Australia and the United States are the closest of friends and allies, and this will never change,” he said. “We will continue to take forward the important work that Kevin has done, some of it is, of course, ongoing work.”
Rudd had secured continued support for the AUKUS nuclear submarine program, Australia’s largest defense project, from the Trump administration, and negotiated a critical minerals agreement with the US, Albanese said.
Rudd made several comments criticizing Trump before he became ambassador, including calling him “the most destructive president in history.” He later deleted that comment from social media when he was appointed ambassador.
When asked during an October event at the White House during a visit by Albanese about Rudd’s past comments, Trump gestured to the ambassador across the table and said “I don’t like you either, and I probably never will.”
Following criticism from Australia’s opposition, who called for him to be sacked over his remarks about Trump, Albanese said in October that Rudd would serve out his four-year term.
Albanese said the decision to leave the role early was “entirely Kevin Rudd’s decision.” An announcement of Rudd’s replacement would be made at a later date, he said.
A White House official told Reuters when asked about Rudd’s departure: “Ambassador Rudd worked well with President Trump and the administration. We wish him well.”
Rudd wrote on social media platform X that he would remain in the United States, working on “the future of US-China relations, which I have always believed to be the core question for the future stability of our region and the world.”
He had hosted a dinner for Pentagon Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, who conducted a review of AUKUS last year, two days ago, Rudd wrote in an earlier post.
