UP dust storm toll climbs to 12
Lucknow, May 10 : The death toll in a dust storm that hit Uttar Pradesh has increased to 12, a government official said on Thursday.
Over 25 people were injured in the storm that hit many parts of western Uttar Pradesh late on Wednesday night.The victims included six from Agra, four from Etawah and two from Kanpur. Gusty winds, followed by hail and lightning led to the collapse of many houses as well.
An official told IANS that due to the uprooting of many trees, traffic was hit on the Gwalior-Bareilly highway and also on the Faizabad road linking the temple town to the state capital.
Several trees have been uprooted in Lucknow and power outages were reported from many areas. Rain was reported in Kanpur, Kannauj and other neighbouring districts.
Chief Minister Adityanath has directed officials to ensure speedy rescue and relief of the affected and ordered prompt medical aid for the injured.
District authorities in the worst affected areas of Kanpur, Aligarh, Agra, Firozabad and Hathras have been asked to assess the damage and ensure compensation by Thursday, a government spokesman told IANS.
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Ukrainian president welcomes Russian overtures, but says ceasefire must come before peace talks
Kyiv, May 11 (AP): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday welcomed Russia's offer for direct peace talks, but insisted there must be a full, temporary ceasefire in place before negotiations can start.
Zelenskyy, writing on X, called Russian President Vladimir Putin's counter-offer to start talks without a ceasefire a “positive sign”, and said “the entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time".
He added, however, that "the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire”.
Meanwhile, Russia resumed mass drone attacks in Ukraine early on Sunday, after its self-declared 3-day pause expired.
Russia launched 108 attack drones and simulator drones from six different directions, Ukraine's Air Force said on Sunday. It said 60 drones were shot down and another 41 simulator drones failed to reach targets due to Ukrainian countermeasures.
The Ukrainian president appeared to insist on his proposal to start a 30-day unconditional ceasefire on Monday. “There is no point in continuing the killing even for a single day. We expect Russia to confirm a ceasefire — full, lasting, and reliable — starting tomorrow, May 12th, and Ukraine is ready to meet,” Zelenskyy said.
Putin in remarks to the media overnight effectively rejected that ceasefire offer and proposed restarting direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday instead “without preconditions”. He said a ceasefire might be agreed on during the negotiations.
Putin's counteroffer came after leaders from four major European countries threatened to ratchet up pressure on Moscow if it does not accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine that they offered on Saturday in a strong show of unity with Kyiv.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in comments aired by Russian state TV on Sunday, called Putin's proposal “very serious” and said it “confirms a real intention for find a peaceful solution”.
“The goals of the talks are clear: to eliminate the root causes of the conflict. And also to ensure the interests of the Russian Federation,” Peskov said.
It is a positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war. The entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time. And the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 11, 2025
There is no point in continuing the killing even for a single…
