11 Dead after School Bus Hits Students, Parents in China

A boy and an adult ride on an electric scooter on the first day of school in Beijing, China, 02 September 2024. EPA/ANDRES MARTINEZ CASARES
A boy and an adult ride on an electric scooter on the first day of school in Beijing, China, 02 September 2024. EPA/ANDRES MARTINEZ CASARES
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11 Dead after School Bus Hits Students, Parents in China

A boy and an adult ride on an electric scooter on the first day of school in Beijing, China, 02 September 2024. EPA/ANDRES MARTINEZ CASARES
A boy and an adult ride on an electric scooter on the first day of school in Beijing, China, 02 September 2024. EPA/ANDRES MARTINEZ CASARES

Eleven people were killed in China's eastern Shandong province on Tuesday after a school bus lost control at a busy pedestrian junction, broadcaster CCTV reported, with disturbing footage showing bodies lying on the road and trapped under the vehicle.
Six parents and five children were killed in the incident while one remained in critical condition. More than two dozen were injured, CCTV said, according to Reuters.
Dongping Police Department said in a statement on WeChat that a vehicle picking up students lost control at a junction in Dongping County, Shandong on Tuesday morning. The accident is under investigation, it added.
In July, a motor vehicle ploughed into pedestrians in Hunan province, killing eight people. In May, a bus carrying 45 passengers including 39 students collided with a truck in Jiangsu province, partly due to negligent driving.
Traffic accidents, often deadly, are common in China because of weak enforcement of traffic rules and a lack of safety awareness.
China's People's Daily Newspaper said on Sunday that China was urging measures at primary and secondary schools across the country to ensure safety of students and school including preventing safety hazards on campus, safe use of school buses and traffic patrols.



Netanyahu Says 'Shameful' of UK to Halt Some Arms Export Licences to Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads the weekly cabinet meeting at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv on January 7, 2024. (Photo by RONEN ZVULUN / POOL / AFP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads the weekly cabinet meeting at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv on January 7, 2024. (Photo by RONEN ZVULUN / POOL / AFP)
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Netanyahu Says 'Shameful' of UK to Halt Some Arms Export Licences to Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads the weekly cabinet meeting at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv on January 7, 2024. (Photo by RONEN ZVULUN / POOL / AFP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads the weekly cabinet meeting at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv on January 7, 2024. (Photo by RONEN ZVULUN / POOL / AFP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the British government made a "shameful decision" when it suspended some arms export licences to Israel.

Britain's foreign minister David Lammy said on Monday that the government had suspended 30 of 350 arms export licences with Israel due to a risk the equipment could be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law.

The decision, which came a day after Israeli forces recovered the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in Gaza, was quickly denounced by a number of Israeli ministers, Reuters reported.

"This shameful decision will not change Israel's determination to defeat Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization that savagely murdered 1,200 people on October 7, including 14 British citizens," Netanyahu said in a social media post.

"Hamas is still holding over 100 hostages, including 5 British citizens. Instead of standing with Israel, a fellow democracy defending itself against barbarism, Britain’s misguided decision will only embolden Hamas," Netanyahu said.

"With or without British arms, Israel will win this war and secure our common future."

Soon after Britain's Labor Party won an election in July, Lammy said he would update a review on arms sales to ally Israel to ensure these complied with international law.

British exports amount to less than 1% of the total arms Israel receives, and the minister said the suspension would not have a material impact on Israel's security and Britain continued to support its right to self-defense.

Both Israeli and Palestinian leaders are being investigated for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the wake of the Oct. 7 by Hamas.

The Israeli response in Gaza has killed more than 40,700 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Lammy said Monday's decision was not a judgment on whether Israel had breached international law or not. Israel and Palestinian leaders have dismissed allegations of war crimes.