SYDNEY: New Zealand authorities suspended recovery efforts on Sunday for victims of a landslide that hit a busy campground on the country’s North Island.
Six people, including two teenagers, are presumed dead after heavy rains triggered Thursday’s landslide at Mount Maunganui on the island’s east coast, bringing down soil and rubble at the site in the city of Tauranga, crowded with families on summer holidays.
Authorities have been working to identify the victims after human remains were found at the site on Saturday.
But a crack found at the site prompted recovery work to cease for the day on Sunday, said police Superintendent Tim Anderson.
“As a result of that, we’ve had to pull all our staff out,” Anderson told reporters at Mount Maunganui, adding, “We’ve had to do that for the safety of everyone concerned.”
He did not specify when work would resume, saying the authorities were taking it “day by day at the moment.”
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Saturday it was “devastating to receive the news we have all been dreading,” after the rescue operation shifted to recovery.
“To the families who have lost loved ones — every New Zealander is grieving with you,” Luxon posted on X.
The heavy rain this week unleashed another landslide in the neighboring suburb of Papamoa, killing two.
Recovery of New Zealand landslide victims halted on safety concerns
https://arab.news/5znqw
Recovery of New Zealand landslide victims halted on safety concerns
- Six people, including two teenagers, are presumed dead after heavy rains triggered Thursday’s landslide at Mount Maunganui
- Authorities have been working to identify the victims after human remains were found at the site on Saturday
Indonesia’s first woman president awarded honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah University
- Megawati was recognized for her leadership and contributions to social, legal affairs
- She has received 10 other honorary degrees from Indonesian and foreign institutions
JAKARTA: Megawati Sukarnoputri, who served as Indonesia’s fifth president and was the country’s only female head of state to date, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, becoming the first foreign national to receive the title.
Megawati, the eldest daughter of Indonesia’s first President Sukarno and chairwoman of the country’s largest political party, the PDIP, served as president from 2001 to 2004.
The 79-year-old was awarded an honorary doctorate in organizational and legal affairs in Riyadh on Monday during a ceremony overseen by Princess Nourah University’s acting president, Dr. Fawzia bint Sulaiman Al-Amro.
“This recognition was given in appreciation of her efforts during her presidency, her significant contributions to social, organizational, and legal fields, and her role in strengthening institutional leadership in Indonesia,” the university said in a statement.
This is Megawati’s 11th honorary doctorate. She has received similar degrees from Indonesian and foreign universities, including the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 2003 and the Soka University of Japan in 2020.
She has also been awarded the title of honorary professor by several institutions, including by the Seoul Institute of the Arts in 2022.
“We gather at the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, a university that stands as a symbol of women’s progress in education, knowledge and public service … To see so many intelligent women, I feel very proud,” Megawati said in her acceptance speech.
“Women’s empowerment is not a threat to any values, culture or tradition. It is actually a condition for nations that believe in their future … A great nation is one that is able to harness all of its human potential. A strong nation is one that does not allow half of its social power to be left on the sidelines of history.”
Megawati is the longest-serving political leader in Indonesia. Indonesia’s first direct presidential elections took place during her presidency, consolidating the country’s transition to democracy after the downfall of its longtime dictator Suharto in 1998.
