MUMBAI, June 12 (Reuters) - A storm off India's west coast has strengthened to become a powerful cyclone and could hit India's western state of Gujarat and southern parts of Pakistan this week, the Indian weather department said on Monday.

The cyclone, named Biparjoy, is expected to make landfall on Thursday afternoon between Mandvi in Gujarat and Karachi in Pakistan with maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135 km (78-84 miles) per hour, gusting to 150 km (93 miles) per hour, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

MOSCOW, June 12. /TASS/: People begin to return to their homes in Novaya Kakhovka in the Kherson Region after a flood triggered by Ukraine’s rocket strike on the Kakhovka Hydropower Plant (HPP), the city’s Mayor Vladimir Leontyev said on Monday.

"In Novaya Kakhovka, people are returning to their homes," he said in an interview with the RBC television channel.

According to the mayor, water has been pumped from the basements in most of the flooded houses. The situation in the city, in his words, is better than in settlements located downstream along the Dnieper.

Islamabad, Jun 12 (PTI) Pakistan's efforts to unlock access to the already agreed USD 6.5 billion loan package with IMF a quagmire after the cash-strapped country unveiled a subsidy and development-packed budget of Rs 14.46 trillion which experts say will do little to allay the concerns of the global lender.

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party expelled its former secretary-general on Monday for misconduct and other breaches of party rules while he also faces charges of corruption in a criminal case.

The once-influential Ace Magashule is on trial over the alleged misappropriation of money from a government contract worth more than $13 million when he was the premier of the Free State province before his rise to the top administrative position in the ANC.

ANKARA, Jun 12 (NNN-XINHUA) – At least seven members of the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) were killed by Turkish forces, in retaliation for YPG’s harassing fires, Türkiye’s defence ministry said, yesterday.

Among those killed were two senior YPG members, the ministry said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, the YPG launched mortar/rocket harassing fires on Turkish security posts, in the Cibrin Base area in northern Syria, and the Oncupinar area in southern Türkiye, said the statement.

WELLINGTON, June 12 (Reuters) - New Zealand's national radio broadcaster has launched an investigation and put a staff member on leave after it said a series of news stories on its website about Russia's invasion of Ukraine had been edited to present "a false account of events".

Radio New Zealand (RNZ), which is government-funded but has editorial independence, had by Sunday corrected 15 stories on its website dating back to April 2022 because of what it termed "inappropriate editing".

Islamabad, Jun 11 (PTI) The first shipment of discounted Russian crude oil has arrived at the port city of Karachi, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Sunday, a development that is expected to provide relief to the people hit by skyrocketing inflation.

Pakistan, which is currently grappling with high external debt and a weak local currency, is hoping that snapping crude at discounted rates from Russia will stabilise oil prices in the country.

ADDIS ABABA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Workneh Gebeyehu on Monday called on conflicting parties in Sudan to cease hostilities and resolve the situation through dialogue.

Gebeyehu made the urgent call in his address at the 14th Ordinary Assembly of the IGAD Heads of State and Government, which was held in the Red Sea nation of Djibouti on Monday.

RIYADH, Jun 12 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, said yesterday that, the 10th Arab-China Business Conference is an opportunity to consolidate the historical Arab-China friendship, build a shared future that will benefit both sides, and promote peace and development in the world.

The minister made the remarks, at the opening ceremony of the conference, which kicked off in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, yesterday.

SYDNEY, June 12 (Reuters) - A man was charged with dangerous driving on Monday after at least 10 wedding guests were killed when the bus they were travelling in crashed at a roundabout in Australia's worst bus accident in almost 30 years, police said.

Twenty-five people were injured in the accident around 11:30 p.m. (1330 GMT) on Sunday near the town of Greta, about 180 km (112 miles) northwest of Sydney, police said.

KYIV, June 12 (Reuters) - Ukraine said on Monday its troops had recaptured a fourth village in a cluster of settlements in the southeast, a day after reporting the first small gains of a counteroffensive against Russian forces.

Soldiers held up the Ukrainian flag in Storozheve in the Donetsk region in unverified video footage posted online and the defence minister thanked the 35th Separate Brigade of Marines for regaining control of the village.

MOSCOW, June 12. /TASS/: President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky signed a law to move the celebration of Victory Day to May 8, according to the website of the Verkhovna Rada.

The information on the bill on the website of the Ukrainian parliament stated that it was returned with the signature of the president on June 12.