Briefly

INDIA

Passenger bus catches fire and kills at least 20

A suspected short circuit sparked a fire on a passenger bus in northern India on Tuesday, rapidly engulfing the vehicle in flames and burning at least 20 people to death, authorities said. The bus, carrying 35 to 50 passengers, was just minutes from starting its journey in Indian state Rajasthan when the fire broke out. The bodies of 19 passengers were recovered from the bus, while one person succumbed on the way to a hospital. At least 15 passengers were critically injured and admitted to a hospital for treatment.

UNITED STATES

Suspected drug boat stricken off Venezuela

The United States struck a boat accused of carrying drugs in the waters off Venezuela, killing six people, US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday. Those who died in the strike were aboard the vessel, and no US forces were harmed. It is the fifth deadly strike in the Caribbean as Trump's administration has asserted it is treating alleged drug traffickers as unlawful combatants. The US administration has yet to provide underlying evidence proving that the boats targeted by the US military were in fact carrying narcotics, according to two US officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

PERU

New president swears in top cabinet members

President Jose Jeri swore in the first members of his cabinet on Tuesday following his predecessor Dina Boluarte's abrupt ouster. Boluarte's removal last week on grounds of "moral incapacity" occurred amid growing public anger over increased crime. Jeri's transition government is set to run through July 2026, with elections scheduled for April. He is Peru's seventh president in nine years.

Agencies - Xinhua