Lewin, Miss. (AP) — Multiple tornadoes ripped through Mississippi overnight, killing one person and injuring nearly two dozen, officials said Monday.

State emergency workers were still working with counties to assess storm damage from high temperatures and hail in some of the tornado-hit areas. Deaths and injuries were reported by authorities in Jasper County, east Mississippi.

The small, rural town of Leuven bore the brunt of the damage. Drone footage and photos showed vast expanses of debris-covered terrain, destroyed homes and uprooted trees. At least one person was lifted from the wreckage on a stretcher.

Standing in front of his damaged home on Monday, Lester Campbell told The Associated Press that his cousin, 67-year-old George Gene Hayes, was the dead man. Jones County Coroner Don Sumrall, reached by phone Monday, said Hayes was pronounced dead at 2:18 a.m. from “multisystem shock.”

Campbell slept in his recliner Sunday evening. He woke up after the lights went out in the middle of the night. After going to the kitchen to get something from the fridge, the tornado hit.

“It happened so fast,” Campbell said. “It sounded like a train going, ‘roar, roar, roar’.”

He dropped to the floor and crawled to his bedroom closet, where his wife had already taken refuge. The hurricane had passed before reaching the shelf.

Campbell said he heard calls for help from across the street where Hayes lived in a trailer home. She came out of her home to find her cousin with a bloody forehead and leg being loaded into an ambulance by emergency personnel. He was conscious when he saw her, but died before reaching the hospital, he said.

Most of the injured in Jasper County, including Hayes, were taken to South Central Regional Medical Center in Laurel between 2 and 3 a.m., facility spokeswoman Peggy Collins said. About 20 people had bruises and cuts. Most were in stable condition on Monday morning.

Eric Carpenter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson, said an unseasonably strong jet stream was blowing through the area. A tornado appeared near Lewes before traveling at least 7 miles (11 kilometers) south of Bay Springs.

Hurricanes typically hit Mississippi in early to mid-spring. Carpenter called the timing of the storm a “very unusual situation” with continued thunder and hail and high temperatures.

“It’s a whole different game here,” Carpenter said. “What we normally see in March and April, we’re seeing in June.”

On March 24, a deadly cyclone It carved a path of destruction through parts of western and northern Mississippi, killing at least 26 people and damaging thousands of homes. Some rural towns face an uphill task in rebuilding the poverty-stricken Mississippi Delta.

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said Monday’s tornado also hit Rankin County, which borders the capital, Jackson. Emergency crews are deploying drones to conduct search and rescue operations and damage assessments in some areas inaccessible by vehicle due to downed power lines.

On Monday afternoon, another potential tornado hit the southern Mississippi town of Moss Point. Photos showed homes with ruined roofs and downed power lines. Strong winds and heavy rain blanketed Jackson County. WLOX-TV Eight people were reported trapped inside a bank in downtown Mass Point. They were later rescued unharmed. A flood warning was issued in the district on Monday.

In a Monday news release, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said more than 49,000 homes were without power in central Mississippi. Tens of thousands of people in Hinds County, the state’s most populous region, were still without power Monday morning after strong winds. It hit the state early on Friday morning.

Reeves said the state is opening command centers and shelters for those displaced by severe weather.

After leaving his home Monday morning, Campbell returned to survey the damage. He arrived and found half the roof gone, the garage destroyed and the windows broken. He felt lucky compared to his neighbors.

“Most of the houses are gone. They are demolished. They’re over,” Campbell said.

___

Goldberg is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that puts journalists in local newsrooms to report on hidden issues. Follow him on Twitter twitter.com/mikergoldberg.

A search and rescue operation was underway Monday morning for a submarine that went missing in the North Atlantic to investigate the wreckage of the Titanic. Lt. Jordan Hart of the U.S. Coast Guard in Boston told CBS News that crews are “currently engaged in a search and rescue operation” when asked about rescue efforts off the coast of Newfoundland.

OceanGate CruisesA company that sends unmanned submersibles on deep-sea expeditions confirmed in a statement that its submersible was the subject of a rescue operation, and that it was “exploring and mobilizing all options to bring the crew to safety.”

The company did not say how many people were on the missing ship or whether any of them were paying tourists.

“Our entire focus is on the crew and their families on board the submarine,” OceanGate said, adding, “We are deeply grateful for the extensive assistance we have received from many government agencies and deep-sea companies. .”

The US Coast Guard said A tweet that “A @USCG A C-130 crew is searching for the overdue Canadian research submarine about 900 miles away. #Capcot,” and rescue coordination center Halifax is assisting the P8 Poseidon aircraft, which is capable of underwater detection.

OceanGate said recently Its website The search for the wreck of the RMS Titanic, located about 400 miles southeast of the coast of Newfoundland, is “ongoing,” according to social media.

Contacted by CBS News, the Canadian Coast Guard said the rescue was being managed by the Boston Regional Coordination Centre. Map showing jurisdictional boundaries Various Coastal Search and Rescue agencies along the North American coast have shown the Titanic wreckage within the area of ​​responsibility of the Boston Center.

Earlier this month, OceanGate said on Twitter that it was using satellite company Starling to help maintain communications with the Titanic on its journey.

“Despite being in the middle of the North Atlantic, we still have an internet connection to successfully carry out Titanic dive operations – thanks Starlink,” the tweet said. The company’s website advertises seven-night cruises to see the Titanic wreck for $250,000.

The company last tweeted about the Titanic voyage On June 15.

Saturday, British businessman Hamish Harding shared on Facebook He was also on board the Oceangate cruise that left St. John’s, Newfoundland the day before. The BBC reported. “The sub-team includes two legendary explorers, some of whom have made more than 30 dives on RMS Titanic since the 1980s,” Harding wrote. He said the weather meant “this will be the first and only manned mission for Titanic in 2023” and that the team planned to begin dive operations at 4 a.m. Sunday.

OceanGate’s submarine, The Titan, is the world’s only five-person submersible capable of reaching the Titanic wreck, which sits 2.4 miles below the ocean’s surface. CBS News “Sunday Mornings” Correspondent David Bogue Joined the ship’s crewWith a small group of intrepid tourists, for a trip to see the world’s most famous shipwreck last year.

As he sat in the vessel, which he said was as roomy inside as a minivan, Bock said, “how many pieces of this sub seemed improvised, off-the-shelf components, including the video game controller used to pilot the sub.

South Korea has recovered a large part of the crashed rocket used for the launch.

Seoul:

North Korea’s ruling party has condemned a recent failed satellite launch at a high-level meeting, state media reported Monday, “bitterly” criticizing the officials responsible.

North Korea attempted to put its first military spy satellite into orbit on May 31, but the missile and its payload fell into the ocean shortly after launch due to what Pyongyang said was a rocket failure.

At a meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the ruling party “strongly criticized officials who recklessly handled preparations for the satellite launch” and demanded an investigation into the “serious” failure, state-run KCNA said.

The group reiterated its pledge to successfully launch its spy satellite soon, which Pyongyang has already said would counter a growing US military presence in the region.

The United States, South Korea and Japan condemned the May 31 launch, saying it violated United Nations resolutions barring the nuclear-armed nation from conducting any tests using ballistic missile technology.

Analysts say there is significant technological overlap between the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles and space launch capabilities.

Along with the satellite launch attempt, North Korea has conducted several sanctions-defying launches this year, including testing its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile.

Relations between North and South Korea are at one of their lowest points, with diplomacy at a standstill and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un calling for weapons upgrades, including tactical nuclear weapons.

South Korea says it has recovered most of the rocket that crashed under the sea in the past few days.

Seoul spent more than two weeks recovering the wreckage because the debris could help scientists gain insight into Pyongyang’s ballistic missile and surveillance satellite programs.

(Other than the headline, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and was published from a syndicated feed.)

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing as part of a much-anticipated mission to restart relations between the two countries after a Chinese spy balloon allegedly flew over North America.

Blinken will be the first secretary of state to visit China since 2018, a reflection of Beijing’s strict Covid-19 lockdowns, but also a reflection of the lowest level of U.S.-China relations in decades.

The top US diplomat began two days of meetings with officials on Sunday, but it was unclear whether he would meet with President Xi Jinping.

Blinken met with Kaine for five and a half hours and invited him to Washington to continue discussions, the US State Department said.

“The secretary emphasized the importance of diplomacy on a full range of issues and maintaining open channels of communication to minimize the risk of misunderstandings and miscalculations,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

Qin said Beijing is committed to building a stable and predictable relationship between the two governments, reiterating that Taiwan is Beijing’s core interest and the biggest risk in Sino-US relations.

The US is concerned about China’s refusal to condemn Russia over its military action around Taiwan and its aggression in Ukraine, while Beijing accuses Washington of trying to curb its ambitions by imposing export restrictions on advanced technology and expanding defense arrangements with regional allies.

The relationship reached a fever pitch after a Chinese spy balloon flew over key military bases before the US shot it down in February.

Blingen’s trip follows a meeting between President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Bali in November, when the leaders agreed to create a “platform” under the relationship. But the plan was derailed in February when Blinken canceled a trip to China because of the balloon.

Over the past month, there have been signs of improvement. The Financial Times reported that CIA Director Bill Burns made a secret visit to China in May. That same month, US National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan met with Wang Yi, China’s top foreign policy official, in Vienna. Biden later said at the G7 in Hiroshima, Japan, that he expected an immediate “threshing” in relations.

A senior US official said relations were now “at a point where we can move forward with the Bali agenda”.

“That’s what this trip is all about,” said the official, who warned that it would be “difficult” for Blinken to make progress with “a very clear vision.”

“This trip is a reconnection, not a deterrent. It must prevent a deterioration in relations and find a basis for stability,” said Ivan Medeiros, an expert at Georgetown University in China. “Both countries want the meeting not to go badly, but it is too early to talk about success.”

Daniel Grittenbrink, the top State Department official for East Asia, said Blinken had three goals, including the need for communication channels to ensure the competition was “de-conflicted”.

Dennis Wilder, a former CIA top China expert, said the visit would end a period of “deep anger” but would do little to address “fundamental mistrust”.

“The Chinese are confused by Secretary Blinken’s postponement of his visit earlier this year and his public warning to Beijing at the Munich Security Conference. [in February] About possible Chinese death assistance to Russia,” he said.

Wilder said Xi’s refusal to meet with Blinken, whom he was scheduled to see in February, was a “strong signal” that Beijing was concerned by US actions that “do not endanger” China’s economy, including curbs on China’s advanced technological development. .

A Chinese scholar said Blinken’s trip would only be successful if he met Xi, adding that seeing only Qin or Wang, who are not foreign secretaries in the US, would be a “snub”.

Although US officials say enough time has passed since the balloon incident to resume high-level meetings, it still hangs over the relationship.

The FT previously reported that China was reluctant to visit Blinken because of concerns that the FBI would release the results of an investigation into the balloon, which China says is a weather observation vessel. In a letter citing the FT story, 19 Republican senators urged Biden this week not to cave in to Chinese efforts to “push America into peace” and to “immediately” release the FBI findings.

Raja Krishnamurthy, the top Democrat on the House China Committee, said he had reviewed some of the FBI’s material related to the balloon, which he called “eye-opening.”

“For them [China] Call it a weather balloon. . . Not a great look,” he added.

Asked on Saturday if the trip would help ease tensions, Biden said he didn’t know what the balloon was doing. “It was more embarrassing than intentional,” Biden said, adding that he hoped to meet with Xi “in the next few months.”

Mike Gallagher, the Republican chairman of the House China Committee, told the FT that the president’s comments were “naive and misleading.”

“We cannot mistake the Chinese Communist Party’s recent violations of our sovereignty and increasing aggression as a mere accident,” he said.

Some analysts said China may want a “tactical pause” in tensions to counter its faltering economy as it struggles to recover from strict Covid restrictions.

Chinese moves to tighten U.S. export sanctions and anti-espionage laws, as well as a crackdown on foreign advice, have hurt investor sentiment.

But in a warning to those hoping for an imminent thaw, China’s foreign ministry took a swipe at the US on Friday, accusing Washington of continuing to seek “connections” while “damaging China’s interests”.

In Washington, the Biden administration is also facing criticism from Republicans, who have described reconciliation efforts with Beijing as “zombie engagement.” This week, he told CNBC that reaching out to China with olive branches to spur engagement is “a call to aggression.”

But Krishnamurthy, his Democratic counterpart, said the high-level meetings would help stabilize ties and make it clear how Beijing’s aggressive behavior would “trigger escalation.”

“Mike might like zombie movies . . . But it’s critical that we have these conversations, that we be clear, and at the same time listen carefully, and then try to find ways to discourage aggression.

Additional reporting by Mikey Ding

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By Kathryn Donlevy

June 18, 2023 | 5:01 am

Meghan Markle looked low on Friday, the day after Spotify cut her and her royal family’s $20 million podcast deal.

The Duchess of Sussex, 41, was spotted strolling through a salon meeting in Santa Barbara and engaged in a serious conversation. According to the Daily Mail.

Markle removed her earbuds and repeatedly looked at her phone as she walked with her bodyguard.

The scruffy-looking royal opted for make-up and a casual outfit for her meeting, wearing black ballet flats, black skinny jeans, a striped sweater and a $5,400 Fendi Peekaboo ISeeU bag with a pair of gold bracelets.

He ditched his nearly $200 sweater for a black long-sleeved T-shirt to return to his Montecito home.

Markle’s husband Prince Harry and their two children were missing.

The pair released a joint statement with Spotify on Thursday, announcing that their podcast “Archetypes” will not be renewed for a second season.

Insiders say the platform and the couple’s company, Archwell Audio, “mutually agreed to part ways” because they didn’t produce enough content to earn the full payment of the roughly $20 million deal the Duke and Duchess signed. 2020.

The Markle-hosted show — which explored the labels that hold women back — was the only project the couple produced for Spotify during their two-and-a-half-year partnership.

“Archetypes” only had 12 episodes, each of which typically ran for an hour.

The day after the split, Spotify’s head of global sports strategy Bill Simmons expressed his frustration with Harry and Markle. Calling them “lazy” and “f-king grifters”.

“I wish I was involved in the ‘Leave Spotify’ negotiations with Meghan and Harry,” Simmons said on Friday’s episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast.”

“It’s a podcast, and we have to start with them. I got to get drunk one night and tell Harry this Zoom story I had to try to help him with the podcast idea. It’s one of my best stories.”

Royal experts called the cancellation of the podcast a “shocking failure” and signaled that Harry and Markle’s empire was on the brink of collapse.

“People are fed up with them now,” said Prince Harry’s biographer Angela Levin, who said the couple’s upcoming content plans would be “disastrous”.

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June 17 (Reuters) – Binance, Binance.US and the US securities regulator signed an agreement to ensure that only Binance.US employees have short-term access to customer funds, according to court documents.

Under the agreement, which still requires a sign-off from the federal judge overseeing the case, Binance.US will take steps to ensure that no Binance Holdings officials have access to its various wallets, hardware wallets or private keys for root access to Binance. Amazon Web Services Tools of the United States, the filing showed.

The proposed deal comes after the SEC sued Binance, its CEO and founder Changpeng Zhao and the operator of Binance.US last week, in a dramatic expansion of the crackdown on the industry by US regulators. The SEC has since sued major US exchange Coinbase ( COIN.O ).

Binance.US and the SEC did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

Binance’s American subsidiary suspended dollar deposits last week and gave customers until June 13 to withdraw their dollar funds.

Other provisions in the proposed deal would see Binance.US create new crypto wallets that employees of the global exchange do not have access to, provide more information to the SEC and agree to an accelerated discovery schedule, the filings said.

Reporting by Paranjot Kaur in Bangalore; Editing by Stephen Coates and Louise Havens

Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.