International

Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains killed at least 31 people across Sri Lanka this week with 14 others missing, authorities said on Thursday. Most of the deaths occurred in the central tea-growing district of Badulla, where 16 people were buried alive when mountain slopes crashed onto their homes overnight, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said in a statement. ...

A huge fire still burning in a Hong Kong apartment complex that has killed at least 44 people and left almost 300 missing may have been spread by unsafe scaffolding and foam materials used during maintenance work, police said on Thursday. Working through the night, firefighters were struggling to reach residents potentially trapped on the upper floors of the Wang ...

Brazil’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro to begin a 27-year prison sentence for a coup plot against his successor, a climax to years of political turmoil and legal battles over his contentious legacy in Brazilian democracy. The top court formally concluded the case against Bolsonaro on Tuesday, making his conviction final, pending confirmation by a ...

President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order establishing the “Genesis Mission,” a federal initiative aimed at turning government data into scientific breakthroughs through collaboration with tech companies and universities. The effort is part of Trump’s broader push to make artificial intelligence a central driver of the U.S. economy. The order directs the Department of Energy and national laboratories ...

The White House said Sunday that negotiations held in Switzerland on a proposal to end the war in Ukraine represented a “significant step forward,” stressing once more that any settlement must fully respect Ukraine’s sovereignty. A joint US-Ukraine statement released shortly afterward confirmed that the discussions produced an “updated and refined” version of a peace framework. US Secretary of State ...

A 5.2-magnitude earthquake shook the Halmahera area in North Maluku Province, eastern Indonesia. According to Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, the tremor struck at a depth of 10 kilometres. Authorities have not reported any casualties or damage so far. Indonesia, located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” frequently experiences earthquakes and volcanic activity due to the convergence of multiple ...

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday cautioned civilian aircraft flying in or near Venezuelan airspace, citing increasing security risks tied to intensified military activity in the region. The FAA advised pilots to “exercise caution” due to a “worsening security situation and heightened military activity,” warning that potential threats could affect aircraft at any altitude, during overflight, landing, takeoff, ...

Authorities in Vietnam say at least 41 people have been killed in a barrage of torrential rain, flooding and landslides, as rescue crews worked to save stranded people from the rooftops of submerged homes. Rainfall exceeded 150cm (60 inches) over the past three days in several parts of central Vietnam, a region home to a key coffee production belt and ...

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would begin “working” to help end the war in Sudan, following a request from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during Trump’s visit to the kingdom. Trump has largely avoided commenting on the conflict between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a war that has killed tens of thousands and ...

The UN’s World Food Programme warned Tuesday that funding cuts mean it will struggle to feed even a third of the 318 million people facing severe hunger in 2026, reports AFP. “Declines in global humanitarian funding are forcing WFP to prioritize food assistance to roughly one third of those in need,” targeting 110 million of the most vulnerable, it said ...