Moscow, July 11 (IANS) Russia does not accept ultimatums and will not participate in a new summit on Ukraine, local media quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin as saying on Thursday.

“We are aware of Kyiv’s and its Western sponsors’ intentions to ‘redeem’ themselves after the failed peace summit in Burgenstock, Switzerland, in mid-June this year, and to attempt a similar event,” he said, adding, “They are even considering inviting Russia.”

While the specific location for the next summit has not been determined, Galuzin emphasised that the geographical location is not fundamentally important, Xinhua news agency reported.

“What matters more is the content, which must be extremely clear,” he said.

Russia observes “a deliberate disregard for other initiatives to resolve the Ukrainian crisis,” said Galuzin, calling this approach “another manifestation of fraud.”

–IANS

int/rs/svn

Seoul, July 11 (IANS) South Korea’s population aged 65 and older topped 10 million, coming closer to a super-aged society, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on Thursday.

The number of officially registered residents aged 65 or higher reached 10,000,062 on Wednesday, reported Xinhua news agency, citing the interior ministry.

The age group accounted for 19.51 per cent of the total population, which stood at 51,269,012.

The proportion of the elderly continued to go up from 11.79 per cent in January 2013 to 13.60 per cent in January 2017, 15.48 per cent in December 2019, and 17.45 per cent in April 2022.

South Korea drew near to a super-aged society, which refers to a country with more than 20 per cent of the population aged 65 or higher.

Men aged 65 or higher numbered 4,427,682, lower than female peers at 5,572,380.

The elderly living in the Seoul metropolitan area came to 4,489,828, lower than the corresponding figure of 5,510,234 outside the metropolitan area.

–IANS

int/sd/svn

Beijing, July 11 (IANS) At least six people have died from the heavy rain in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality overnight, local authorities said on Thursday.

The casualties were reported after rainstorms pelted Dianjiang County from Wednesday night to Thursday morning, according to county officials, with the maximum daily precipitation measured at 254.6 mm, a record high since the county had meteorological records, reported Xinhua news agency.

A total of 6,985 people in the county have been affected in the latest round of rainstorm, including 170 people who were evacuated, officials said.

Vehement downpours have hit the municipality since Wednesday evening, raising water above alert levels in 15 rivers.

Rescue operations are underway in the area.

–IANS

int/sd/svn

Hanoi, July 11 (IANS) Two people were killed and 10 others injured in an expressway pile-up in Vietnam’s northern region on Thursday morning, Vietnam News Agency reported.

The accident, involving a pickup truck, a seven seater and a 16-seat minibus, was reported on Hanoi-Hai Phong expressway at around 9 a.m. local time, reported Xinhua news agency.

Two people, including the minibus driver, were confirmed dead on the spot. Ten others sustained severe injuries.

The three vehicles were seriously damaged.

According to the preliminary investigation results, the accident happened when the pickup truck and the minibus collided lightly, abruptly stopping in the middle of the expressway’s highest-speed lane. The sudden halt caused the seven-seater vehicle following behind to directly rear-end the stationary vehicles, Viet Nam News reported.

Traffic accidents killed 5,343 people and injured 9,552 others in Vietnam in the first half of 2024, according to the General Statistics Office.

–IANS

int/rs/svn

Seoul, July 11 (IANS) The United States saw the second-hottest June in its 130-year record, with the average temperature reaching 22.1 degrees Celsius, 3.4 degrees above the long-term average, the country’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported.

The month was marked by severe weather incidents, extreme temperatures, and significant precipitation variations across different regions, according to the monthly report from the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), a division of NOAA.

An estimated 24 million people endured their hottest nights ever recorded, particularly across the West, South, and Northeast, Xinhua news agency reported.

Heatwaves plagued these regions alongside the Great Lakes and Puerto Rico, shattering temperature records and posing serious health risks, the report said.

The US states of Arizona and New Mexico bore the brunt of the heat, both experiencing their hottest Junes ever recorded, with 18 additional states ranking among their top 10 warmest Junes on record.

Fueled by the extreme heat, the devastating South Fork fire, which ignited on June 17, ravaged over 70 square kilometres in New Mexico, destroying nearly 1,400 buildings and claiming two lives.

While the nation grappled with exceptional heat, catastrophic flooding struck parts of the Midwest. Days of heavy rains caused rivers and streams to overflow their banks, forcing residents to evacuate as water destroyed roads and bridges.

On June 30, Hurricane Beryl made a record-breaking entrance into the Atlantic Ocean, becoming the earliest Category 4 hurricane storm ever to form in the Atlantic Ocean in June.

Last month, four new billion-dollar weather and climate disasters were confirmed, including two hail events that impacted the US state of Texas in late April and Colorado in late May, one severe weather event that impacted the central, southern and eastern parts of the country in mid-May, and a tornado outbreak that impacted portions of the Central United States in mid-May.

Moreover, for the January-June period, the average contiguous US temperature was 50.9 degrees Fahrenheit (about 10.5 degrees Celsius), ranking second-warmest on record for this period, NCEI added.

There have been 15 confirmed disasters so far this year, resulting in at least 106 fatalities and more than $37 billion in economic losses.

The United States has sustained 391 separate weather and climate disasters since 1980, where overall damage reached or exceeded $1 billion. The total cost of these 391 events exceeds $2.755 trillion, according to the report.

–IANS

int/sd/svn