A day earlier, a motorised boat capsized in the Basankusu territory of the province, killing at least 86 people, most of them students
India votes in favour of UNGA resolution on Palestine endorsing two-state solution UN-INDIA-PALESTINE 10:21 PM, 12 Sep 2025 386 Words By Yoshita Singh United Nations, Sep 12 (PTI) India on Friday voted in favour of a resolution in the UN General Assembly that endorses the ‘New York Declaration' on peaceful settlement of the Palestine issue and implementation of the two-state solution. The resolution, introduced by France, was adopted with an overwhelming 142 nations voting in favour, 10 against and 12 abstentions. Those voting against included Argentina, Hungary, Israel and the US. India was among the 142 nations that voted in favour of the resolution titled ‘Endorsement of the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution’. The declaration was circulated at a high-level international conference held in July at the UN headquarters and co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia. In the declaration, the leaders “agreed to take collective action to end the war in Gaza, to achieve a just, peaceful and lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the effective implementation of the two-state solution, and to build a better future for Palestinians, Israelis and all peoples of the region”. The declaration called on the Israeli leadership to issue a clear public commitment to the two-state solution, including a sovereign, and viable Palestinian State. It also called on Israel to "immediately end violence and incitement against Palestinians, to immediately halt all settlement, land grabs and annexation activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, publicly renounce any annexation project or settlement policy, and put an end to settlers’ violence". It also reaffirmed "support for the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination". “Recent developments have highlighted, once again, and more than ever, the terrifying human toll and the grave implications for regional and international peace and security of the persistence of the Middle East conflict,” the declaration said. “Absent decisive measures towards the two-state solution and robust international guarantees, the conflict will deepen and regional peace will remain elusive,” it added. Asserting that “the war in Gaza must end now”, the declaration further said that, “Gaza is an integral part of a Palestinian State and must be unified with the West Bank. There must be no occupation, siege, territorial reduction, or forced displacement.”
Kinshasa, Congo, Sep 13: Two separate boat accidents this week in northwestern Congo killed at least 193 people dead and left scores missing, authorities and state media reported Friday.
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The accidents happened on Wednesday and Thursday, about 150 kilometres apart in the Equateur province.
One boat with nearly 500 passengers caught fire and capsized Thursday evening along the Congo River in the province's Lukolela territory, Congo's humanitarian affairs ministry said in a report. The report said 209 survivors were rescued following the accident, involving a whaleboat near the village of Malange in Lukolela territory.
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A day earlier, a motorised boat capsized in the Basankusu territory of the province, killing at least 86 people, most of them students, state media reported. Several people were missing, but the reports did not give a figure of how many.
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It was not immediately clear what caused either accident or whether rescue operations were continuing Friday evening.
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State media attributed Wednesday's accident to "improper loading and night navigation," citing reports from the scene. Images that appeared to be from the scene showed villagers gathered around bodies as they mourned.
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A local civil society group blamed Wednesday's accident on the government and claimed the toll was higher. Authorities could not be immediately reached for comment.
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The capsizing of boats is becoming increasingly frequent in this central African nation as more people are abandoning the few available roads for cheaper, wooden vessels crumbling under the weight of passengers and their goods.
In such trips, life jackets are rare and the vessels are usually overloaded.
Many of the boats also travel at night, complicating rescue efforts during accidents and leaving many bodies often unaccounted for.