Pioneer In Short
Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon kills 11
Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 11 people on Saturday, in the deadliest attacks since a precarious truce between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect on June 20.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry and State news agency said one of the airstrikes that targeted a home on the edge of the village of Ansar killed seven people, including three children, and wounded two. The second, in the village of Deir al-Zahrani, killed four and wounded 17. Israel and the Lebanese Government announced a “framework agreement” on June 26, laying out a plan for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon, in exchange for the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. It also envisions steps toward an eventual peace agreement between the two countries, which technically remain in a state of war nearly 80 years after Israel’s establishment. Hezbollah has refused direct talks and wasn’t party to the deal. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam criticised Israel’s airstrikes on southern Lebanon, saying they intimidate “residents in their homes” and undermine efforts to stabilise the situation in the south.
Indian missions worldwide mark 80th Independence Day
The Indian tricolour made a symbolic journey across the globe from east to west on the country's 80th Independence Day, being hoisted successively at Indian missions worldwide from Fiji to San Francisco. The initiative was named 'Suryapath Tiranga', which is part of the broader 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign, a nationwide and global programme encouraging Indians and members of the diaspora to display the national flag as they celebrate Independence Day.
The initiative began in the small Pacific Island nation of Fiji at 1:30 am IST (8 am local time), where High Commissioner Suneet Mehta hoisted the tricolour at India House in Suva. The flag then moved westward across Indian missions, with celebrations taking place in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Uzbekistan, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
