Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Flood-stricken Kerala angered by refusal of $100m aid offer

LEADERS of flood-stricken Kerala state angrily hit out at India's national government Thursday (24) for rejecting a $100-million aid offer from the United Arab Emirates as more people entered relief camps to escape the devastation.

More than 1.3 million people have now packed into temporary camps even though the floods, which have left at least 420 dead and missing, are fast receding.


The New Delhi government infuriated the Kerala administration by rejecting the wealthy Gulf state's offer.

Kerala's Finance Minister Thomas Isaac accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government of adopting a "dog-in-the-manger" policy by refusing the money.

The communist minister added in a Twitter attack that if the right-wing national government takes a "negative stance" on the UAE offer, "they should compensate Kerala".

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan called for "high level" talks with the national government on the dispute.

There are an estimated three million Indians in the UAE, with many from Kerala which has a large Muslim population.

India's foreign ministry announced Wednesday (22) that the government would stick to its policy of "meeting the requirements for relief and rehabilitation through domestic efforts" and not accept money from foreign governments.

New Delhi has a record of refusing foreign aid after disasters, turning down help after the 2004 tsunami, which killed thousands in India. Experts say Indian governments want to prove they can handle any emergency themselves.

The UAE offer was higher than the $97 million so far given by the central government to handle the floods, which state authorities estimate have caused damage worth more than $3 billion.

They say 10,000 kilometres (6,000 miles) of roads have been destroyed or damaged, while estimates of the number of houses to be rebuilt vary from 20,000 to 50,000.

Many of the new arrivals in relief camps are people who have returned to their homes to find them uninhabitable.

One 68-year-old man committed suicide Wednesday after seeing the state of his home at Kothad in Ernakulam district. A 19-year-old boy took his own life earlier this week because his school certificates were destroyed by the floods, police said.

Vijayan said there were now 1.34 million people in 3,300 relief camps, up 300,000 in two days.

In another sign of the extent of the chaos, the reopening of the state's main airport in Kochi has been put back three days to August 29.

The state government said it would enlist 50,000 volunteers to start an operation to clean up homes and public places that have been filled with dirt and sand left by the floods.

At Cheruthoni, in Idukki district, people have started returning to find nearly all houses at least half covered by sand and silt. Earth movers have been sent in a bid to clear roads.

But Tom Jose, the state's top civil servant, told a news source the situation across the state had improved with only isolated pockets of water remaining.

"If it does not rain in the coming days then we can start getting back on track soon," he told AFP after an aerial tour of flood-ravaged areas.

"Rescue operations are almost complete. Our priority now is to provide relief and rebuild the damaged infrastructure."

AFP

More For You

Pakistan floods

A flooded street near Station Road after heavy rainfall in Hyderabad, Pakistan, on June 27, 2025.

Getty

Pakistan reports 45 deaths from flash floods and rain in monsoon onset

AT LEAST 45 people have died in Pakistan over the past few days due to flash flooding and heavy rainfall since the beginning of the monsoon season, according to disaster management officials on Sunday.

The highest number of deaths was reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. There, 21 people were killed, including 10 children.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK Weather Alert: June Heatwave to Hit 34°C, Breaking Records

The UK is bracing for potentially one of the hottest June days on record

iStock

UK set for one of the hottest June days with highs of 34°C

Key points

  • Temperatures may hit 34°C in Greater London and Bedfordshire
  • Amber alert in place across five regions due to health risks
  • Wimbledon’s opening day to be hottest on record
  • Risk of wildfires in London labelled “severe”
  • Scotland and Northern Ireland remain cooler

Hottest June day in years expected as second UK heatwave peaks

The UK is bracing for potentially one of the hottest June days on record, with temperatures expected to reach 34°C on Monday (30 June). The ongoing heatwave, now in its fourth day, is most intense across the South and East of England, particularly in Greater London and Bedfordshire.

Although there is a small chance of temperatures hitting 35°C, they are unlikely to surpass the all-time June record of 35.6°C set in 1976.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

Probing all angles in Air India crash, including sabotage: Minister

INDIA’s junior civil aviation minister said on Sunday that all possible angles, including sabotage, were being looked into as part of the investigation into the Air India crash.

All but one of the 242 people on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner were killed when it crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. Authorities have identified 19 others who died on the ground. However, a police source told AFP after the crash that the death toll on the ground was 38.

Keep ReadingShow less
Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury

Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy

Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury

BRITISH police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after performers at Glastonbury Festival made anti-Israel comments during their shows.

"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England, said on X late on Saturday (28).

Keep ReadingShow less
Three killed, dozens injured in India temple stampede

Police officials visit the site after a stampede near Shree Gundicha Temple, in Puri, Odisha, Sunday, June 29, 2025. (PTI Photo)

Three killed, dozens injured in India temple stampede

AT LEAST three people, including two women, died and around 50 others were injured in a stampede near the Shree Gundicha Temple in Puri, Odisha, Indian, on Sunday (29) morning, according to local officials.

The incident occurred around 4am (local time) as hundreds of devotees gathered to witness the Rath Yatra (chariot festival), Puri district collector Siddharth S Swain confirmed.

Keep ReadingShow less