Category: English

GAZA — Five civilians were killed on Sunday evening in an Israeli bombardment targeting a group of civilians north of Rafah city in the southern war-torn Gaza Strip.

WAFA

GAZA — Israeli occupation forces committed four massacres against families in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, resulting in the killing of at least 44 Palestinians and the injury of 74 others, according to medical reports.

WAFA

JAKARTA — One person was killed, another went missing, and 49 others survived after a passenger ship sank in the waters off Indonesia’s East Java province on Sunday, a top rescuer said.

The wooden ship, Kapal Layar Motor Fajar Lorena, went down at about 1:10 p.m. Jakarta time in the waters of Situbondo regency after departing from a seaport in Sumenep regency. The ship was heading to a seaport in Situbondo regency. Both regencies are located in East Java province, according to Muhamad Hariyadi, head of the provincial search and rescue office.

“One person has died, another is missing, and 49 others survived the incident,” he told Xinhua, citing the ship’s manifest, which listed 51 people on board.

The evacuation involved about 50 personnel from a joint rescue team, and the search for the missing person is ongoing, he added. Hariyadi said extreme weather conditions were blamed for the incident.

“This happened because of poor weather conditions; the waves were big,” he said.

Indonesia’s meteorology, climatology, and geophysics agency has warned of extreme weather conditions, including huge waves and heavy rains that pose risks to maritime travel.

XINHUA

MOSCOW — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has left the country and decided to resign as President of Syria, instructing for a peaceful transfer of power, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

XINHUA

DAMASCUS — In a stunning development Sunday, opposition forces in Syria took over state television channels to announce what they described as the fall of Damascus and the end of President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

A man in military fatigues, flanked by armed fighters, read the statement on air, calling it “Statement No. 1.” He claimed that rebel units captured Damascus.

XINHUA

SEOUL — South Korean prosecutors Sunday opened a case on President Yoon Suk-yeol, citing numerous complaints, Yonhap news agency reported.

XINHUA

THE HAGUE — Dutch authorities have confirmed the recovery of five bodies from the rubble of an apartment building that partially collapsed following a powerful explosion on Saturday morning.

Search efforts for additional victims are ongoing, with emergency services warning earlier that the death toll could rise to around 20.

“The reality is that the chances of survival for them are slim. We are preparing for the worst-case scenario,” Mayor Jan van Zanen told a press conference.

Two individuals rescued earlier in the day are in critical condition, the mayor said.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on X that he was shocked by images of the damaged apartment building.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima also expressed their sympathy on X, saying “We sympathize with all those who have been personally affected or who fear for the fate of their loved ones.”

The incident occurred on Tarwekamp Street in the northeastern Mariahoeve district of The Hague. Images from the scene show that the facades of several apartments have been swept away. The building includes shops on the ground floor and two residential floors above.

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation. Police said that a car was seen speeding away from the scene shortly after the explosion. Authorities are urging witnesses to come forward.

XINHUA

DAMASCUS — Opposition activists said the rebel fighters entered the Syrian capital of Damascus at dawn Sunday, according to the Britain-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The monitor said hundreds of government soldiers were ordered to withdraw from Damascus International Airport, and were seen removing their military uniforms and donning civilian clothing.

Multiple media outlets have reported that Syrian President Bashar Assad has left the country, citing rebel forces. The Syrian presidency said Saturday Assad was still performing his constitutional duties in the capital.

Xinhua reporters in Damascus witnessed intense gunshots reverberating through the streets with heavy traffic caused by cars departing the capital.

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi Jalali said in a speech published on Facebook shortly after the rebels’ claim of entering Damascus that he was ready to “cooperate” with any leadership chosen by the people and urged citizens against vandalizing public facilities.

XINHUA

NEW DELHI — At least eight people, including one woman and seven men, died and 19 others were injured in a road accident between a private bus and a water tanker on an expressway in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Friday, confirmed a senior cop over the phone.

The mishap occurred in the Kannauj district on an expressway connecting Uttar Pradesh’s capital city Lucknow and Delhi.

The passenger bus was running from Lucknow towards the national capital, when it rammed into the water tanker from behind and toppled, resulting in human casualties. Some of the passengers were trapped under the bus, said the cop.

According to him, the injured were admitted to a local hospital. The cause of the accident couldn’t be known yet.

XINHUA

THE HAGUE — Strong gusts of wind caused widespread disruption across the Netherlands on Friday, with over 100 flights canceled at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, and impacting railways, road traffic, and waterways.

The Dutch national weather institute KNMI issued a code yellow weather alert for nearly the entire country, covering 10 of the 12 provinces. Only the southern provinces of North Brabant and Limburg remain under code green.

Wind gusts of 75 to 90 kilometers per hour were reported, with coastal areas experiencing gusts of 90 to 100 kilometers per hour. On the northern Wadden Islands, wind speeds could reach as high as 100 to 120 kilometers per hour.

Travelers passing through Schiphol were warned to prepare for cancellations and delays. Over 100 flights had already been canceled as of Friday morning.

The storm also disrupted train services, with trees and branches blown onto tracks in several locations.

Road traffic faced significant challenges as well. The Markerwaard dike near the province of Flevoland was closed due to strong winds, and the A15 motorway toward Nijmegen was shut down after a truck jackknifed.

High water levels and strong winds forced the closure of the Ramspol storm surge barrier near Kampen in Overijssel province, halting shipping traffic temporarily. The closure was a precaution to prevent flooding in nearby areas, including the city of Zwolle.

XINHUA