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CTV News
5 hours ago
- CTV News
A fire at a mall in eastern Iraq kills more than 60 people
BAGHDAD — A fire at a newly opened mall in eastern Iraq's Wasit province killed more than 60 people, including women and children, Iraqi officials said Thursday. Iraq's Ministry of Interior said in a statement that 61 people died, most of them from suffocation, in the fire that broke out late Wednesday in the city of Kut. Among the dead were 14 charred bodies that remain unidentified, it said. Civil defense teams were able to rescue more than 45 people who were trapped inside the building, the statement said. The mall, which had opened only a week earlier, was in a five-story building that also contained a restaurant and supermarket. The state-run Iraqi News Agency reported that people remained missing. Photographs and videos on local media showed the building fully engulfed in flames. Provincial Gov. Mohammed al-Mayyeh in a statement declared three days of mourning. He said the cause of the fire is under investigation but that legal cases were filed against the building owner and mall owner. He did not specify what the charges were. 'We assure the families of the innocent victims that we will not be lenient with those who were directly or indirectly responsible for this incident,' al-Mayyeh said. The results of the preliminary investigation will be released within 48 hours, he said. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani said in a statement that he had directed the interior minister to go to the site of the fire to investigate and take measures to prevent a recurrence. Poor building standards have often contributed to tragic fires in Iraq. In July 2021, a blaze at a hospital in the Iraqi city of Nasiriyah that killed between 60 to 92 people was determined to have been fueled by highly flammable, low-cost type of 'sandwich panel' cladding that is illegal in Iraq. In 2023, more than 100 people died in a fire at a wedding hall in the predominantly Christian area of Hamdaniya in Nineveh province after the ceiling panels above a pyrotechnic machine burst into flames. Qassim Abdul-zahra, The Associated Press
CNN
6 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Air raid drills across Taiwan as island practices for a war with China it hopes will never come
For thirty minutes, under the punishing midday sun, Taiwan's capital Taipei rehearsed for war. Presidential alerts began blaring on cell phones at 1:30pm on Thursday across this city of more than two million people: '[Air Defense Drill] Missile attack. Seek immediate shelter.' Then came the air raid sirens, bouncing off rows of concrete apartment blocks and office towers. The shrill, ominous sound is instantly recognizable, and for anyone who's experienced the real thing, gut-churning. Police with loud whistles began shouting and ordering all traffic to pull over. Drivers had to abandon their cars at blinking traffic lights and seek shelter. Buses sat idle and empty in the middle of normally bustling streets. Civil defense volunteers in yellow vests guided people into shelters, basements, and underground malls. The MRT – Taipei's gleaming, air-conditioned subway system – kept running, though passengers were told to remain on platforms. At ground level, the city emptied. Businesses closed their doors as customers and employees watched the streets empty in seconds. It almost felt like you'd traveled back in time to the worst days of the coronavirus pandemic. The reason for this annual drill is the unspoken but ever-present threat of an attack or invasion by Taiwan's giant neighbor to the north. China's Communist Party claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be taken by force if necessary. While democratic Taiwan has long been used to those threats, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the increasingly shrill rhetoric from Chinese leader Xi Jinping and conflict in the Middle East have thrown into sharp relief what could be at stake if peace falters. 'I feel nervous when I hear the siren. While China has been there all along, when the sirens go off, it reminds me of that large threat next to us,' said Carl Chu, a Taipei resident. 'War could happen anytime. We need to shoulder our own responsibility, be prepared and know how to protect ourselves.' Jessica Fang, another Taipei resident, added: 'Many used to view these drills as a mundane routine. But because of what happened in Ukraine and Israel, this year it feels closer to home. War could happen whether you want it or not, so you have to be prepared for that possibility. These drills make us take it more seriously.' For the first time this year, Taiwan combined its two major civil defense exercises, Wan An and Min An, into a single, island-wide rehearsal: the 2025 Urban Resilience Exercise, staged in conjunction with Han Kuang 41, the country's largest-ever military simulation. This year's drills are ten days, twice as long as before. The timing is no accident. Tensions with Beijing remain high. While polls suggest most Taiwanese don't believe an invasion is imminent, the government is preparing with focus and urgency. Beyond sirens and evacuations, the drill included mass casualty simulations and emergency supply drops. In Neihu, outside the Tri-Service General Hospital, the military staged a live response to an imagined missile strike. Medics in full protective gear treated mock victims as nearby roads were sealed off. Across Taiwan, more than 22,000 reservists, nearly 50 percent more than last year, are involved in scenarios ranging from urban combat to cyber defense. In recent days, soldiers have conducted drills in subway tunnels and exhibition halls, converting civilian infrastructure into test battlegrounds. The Ministry of Defense has emphasized both military readiness and public engagement, including new outreach to foreigners in Taiwan with instructions in English explaining what to do and where to go. The government is also urging citizens to download shelter maps, learn evacuation routes, and recognize the distinct siren tones. When the all-clear sirens finally sounded, Taipei quickly bounced back to normal. Within seconds, traffic and pedestrians returned to the streets as folks carried on with their days and tried to beat the summer heat and humidity. Most believe the next time they hear sirens, it'll be another drill. But these days, nobody can be sure.
CNN
6 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Air raid drills across Taiwan as island practices for a war with China it hopes will never come
For thirty minutes, under the punishing midday sun, Taiwan's capital Taipei rehearsed for war. Presidential alerts began blaring on cell phones at 1:30pm on Thursday across this city of more than two million people: '[Air Defense Drill] Missile attack. Seek immediate shelter.' Then came the air raid sirens, bouncing off rows of concrete apartment blocks and office towers. The shrill, ominous sound is instantly recognizable, and for anyone who's experienced the real thing, gut-churning. Police with loud whistles began shouting and ordering all traffic to pull over. Drivers had to abandon their cars at blinking traffic lights and seek shelter. Buses sat idle and empty in the middle of normally bustling streets. Civil defense volunteers in yellow vests guided people into shelters, basements, and underground malls. The MRT – Taipei's gleaming, air-conditioned subway system – kept running, though passengers were told to remain on platforms. At ground level, the city emptied. Businesses closed their doors as customers and employees watched the streets empty in seconds. It almost felt like you'd traveled back in time to the worst days of the coronavirus pandemic. The reason for this annual drill is the unspoken but ever-present threat of an attack or invasion by Taiwan's giant neighbor to the north. China's Communist Party claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be taken by force if necessary. While democratic Taiwan has long been used to those threats, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the increasingly shrill rhetoric from Chinese leader Xi Jinping and conflict in the Middle East have thrown into sharp relief what could be at stake if peace falters. 'I feel nervous when I hear the siren. While China has been there all along, when the sirens go off, it reminds me of that large threat next to us,' said Carl Chu, a Taipei resident. 'War could happen anytime. We need to shoulder our own responsibility, be prepared and know how to protect ourselves.' Jessica Fang, another Taipei resident, added: 'Many used to view these drills as a mundane routine. But because of what happened in Ukraine and Israel, this year it feels closer to home. War could happen whether you want it or not, so you have to be prepared for that possibility. These drills make us take it more seriously.' For the first time this year, Taiwan combined its two major civil defense exercises, Wan An and Min An, into a single, island-wide rehearsal: the 2025 Urban Resilience Exercise, staged in conjunction with Han Kuang 41, the country's largest-ever military simulation. This year's drills are ten days, twice as long as before. The timing is no accident. Tensions with Beijing remain high. While polls suggest most Taiwanese don't believe an invasion is imminent, the government is preparing with focus and urgency. Beyond sirens and evacuations, the drill included mass casualty simulations and emergency supply drops. In Neihu, outside the Tri-Service General Hospital, the military staged a live response to an imagined missile strike. Medics in full protective gear treated mock victims as nearby roads were sealed off. Across Taiwan, more than 22,000 reservists, nearly 50 percent more than last year, are involved in scenarios ranging from urban combat to cyber defense. In recent days, soldiers have conducted drills in subway tunnels and exhibition halls, converting civilian infrastructure into test battlegrounds. The Ministry of Defense has emphasized both military readiness and public engagement, including new outreach to foreigners in Taiwan with instructions in English explaining what to do and where to go. The government is also urging citizens to download shelter maps, learn evacuation routes, and recognize the distinct siren tones. When the all-clear sirens finally sounded, Taipei quickly bounced back to normal. Within seconds, traffic and pedestrians returned to the streets as folks carried on with their days and tried to beat the summer heat and humidity. Most believe the next time they hear sirens, it'll be another drill. But these days, nobody can be sure.
Al Bawaba
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Iraq: 50 people killed in fire at hypermarket mall in Kut city
ALBAWABA - At least 50 people were killed after a fire broke out in a shopping center in the city of Kut, south of Baghdad, Iraqi media reported on Thursday morning. Earlier, the Wasit Governorate Police Command announced a full mobilization of civil defense teams to extinguish the blaze that erupted at the Corniche hypermarket mall. According to the media, the city's Governor Mohammed Al-Mayahi supervised the rescue of trapped citizens himself, while firefighters worked to put out the fire. Fire at the hypermarket mall in Kut city in Iraq. (X) In a statement to the Iraqi News Agency (INA), the police department said: "There are ongoing efforts and a full mobilization of civil defense teams. With the participation of all security and service formations in the governorate, operations to extinguish the fire that broke out at the Corniche Hypermarket Mall in the center of Kut are continuing." For its part, the Wasit Governorate Office stated in a statement that "Civil Defense was able to reach citizens trapped at the top of the building that was engulfed in flames in the center of Kut," noting that "the Governor of Wasit is supervising the rescue of citizens trapped inside the hypermarket mall building that suffered the fire." A video was posted online showing a huge blaze eating the building while firefighters were trying to stop it.
Saba Yemen
2 days ago
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Gaza Civil Defense: Zionist Enemy Prevents Us from Reaching Dozens of Trapped Individuals
Gaza - Saba: The Civil Defense in northern Gaza stated that Zionist enemy forces are preventing its crews from reaching those trapped under the rubble, and it is unable to respond to all distress calls. In a statement issued Tuesday, the Civil Defense repeatedly appealed to international organizations to coordinate the movement of its teams, adding, 'But we receive no response in most cases, and there are dozens of people trapped under the debris.' It confirmed that its crews are fully prepared to work with dedication and sincerity, but field conditions impose restrictions in order to ensure the safety of personnel. Since October 7, 2023, Zionist enemy forces, with American support, have been committing genocide in Gaza — involving killing, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement — while ignoring international appeals and the rulings of the International Court of Justice to stop the aggression. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
