International news brief: Ian lashes South Carolina; India abstains in UN vote on Russian referendums and more

Washington, Oct 01: Hurricane Ian pounded coastal South Carolina on Friday, ripping apart piers and flooding streets after the ferocious storm caused catastrophic damage in Florida, trapping thousands in their homes and leaving at least 17 people dead.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said the deaths included a 22-year-old woman ejected in an ATV rollover Friday because of a road washout and a 71-year-old man who died earlier of head injuries when he fell off a roof while putting up rain shutters. Many of the other deaths were drownings, including that of a 68-year-old woman swept into the ocean by a wave.

Another three people died in Cuba earlier in the week as the storm churned northward. The death toll was expected to increase substantially once emergency officials have an opportunity to search many of the hardest-hit areas.

India abstains, Russia vetoes UNSC resolution on Moscow's 'illegal referenda' on Ukraine

India abstained while Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution tabled by the US and Albania that would have condemned Moscow's "illegal referenda" and declared its annexation of four Ukrainian territories as invalid, with New Delhi citing the ''totality of the evolving situation" as the reason for its abstention.

The 15-nation UN Security Council voted on Friday on the draft resolution on "Illegal So-Called Referenda in Ukraine", hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a ceremony in the Kremlin, signed treaties to annex the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

The resolution failed to get adopted as permanent UNSC member Russia vetoed it. It was supported by 10 of the 15 members of the Council, while China, Gabon, India and Brazil abstained.

Plea deal for Ex-Trump adviser accused of unwanted advances

An ex-adviser to former President Donald Trump has taken a plea deal to resolve allegations that he made unwanted sexual advances to a GOP donor at a Las Vegas event. Corey Lewandowski entered into a plea agreement earlier this month involving a charge of misdemeanor battery, according to online Clark County records.

While he does not admit to any wrongdoing, Lewandowski will undergo eight hours of impulse control counseling and 50 hours of community service. Court documents dated Monday state that the charge will be dismissed if he satisfies these requirements and stays out of trouble for one year.

"A misdemeanor case was filed but we are pleased to say the matter has been resolved," defense attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld said in a statement. "The court set conditions that Mr. Lewandowski will fulfill and the case will ultimately be dismissed."

North Korea fires suspected ballistic missiles
North Korea has fired suspected ballistic missiles, the Japanese Defense Ministry said Saturday.

Further details are still being analysed, ministry officials said.

Japan's NHK national television said multiple missiles fired from the North are believed to have landed in the Sea of Japan and outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone.

North Korea's escalating missile launches included a firing after U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' visit in South Korea and the first anti-submarine training in five years among the United States, South Korea and Japan.

(with PTI inputs)