IN BRIEF (Page 12)
Pakistan
Army plane crashes into homes, killing 18
A Pakistani military plane on a training flight crashed into homes near the garrison city of Rawalpindi before dawn on Tuesday, killing at least 18 people, most of them on the ground. Fires, damaged homes and debris were visible in Mora Kalu village on the outskirts of Rawalpindi after daybreak. After rescue efforts ended, troops and police cordoned off the residential area to search for plane debris and investigate the crash site. Rescue officials said there were no survivors on the plane and that 13 civilians were killed on the ground. The army said in a statement that five crew members, including two pilots, died in the crash.
United States
Senate fails to prevent arms sales to Riyadh
The US Senate on Monday failed to override President Donald Trump's vetoes of legislation passed by Congress that would have blocked the sales of certain weapons to Saudi Arabia. In the first of three separate efforts to overturn the Republican president's vetoes, supporters failed by a vote of 45-40, well short of the two-thirds needed. Five of the chamber's 53 Republicans joined Democrats in voting to override Trump. The vote tallies were similar in the two subsequent rollcall votes to override vetoes of legislation blocking additional weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries.
India
Outrage rises over rape case teen's accident
Fresh protests erupted in India on Tuesday amid growing public fury over a car crash that critically injured a teenager who accused a lawmaker of rape and harassment. Two of the 19-year-old's aunts were killed and her lawyer was badly injured when a truck collided with their car in northern Uttar Pradesh state on Sunday. The incident will be probed by federal investigators amid speculation that police could favor her alleged rapist, Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Kuldeep Singh Sengar. The teenager had accused Sengar of raping her in 2017 but police initially refused to take action.
Agencies
(China Daily 07/31/2019 page12)