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Authorities in Indonesia said Sunday that some residents on the flood-ravaged island of Sumatra have begun taking food and water to survive, as Sri Lankan officials confirmed that the death toll from floods and mudslides there has climbed to 193. Nearly a week after the Indonesian floods began, at least 303 people have been killed — a figure expected to grow as more victims are found — and thousands have been forced from their homes. The flooding triggered landslides, washed out roads, isolated communities and disrupted communications across parts of the island. Rescue efforts have been slowed by harsh weather and a shortage of heavy machinery. Aid has struggled to reach the worst-affected areas, including Sibolga city and Central Tapanuli district in North Sumatra. Social media clips showed people rushing through damaged barriers, shattered glass and inundated streets in search of food, fuel and medicine, with some wading through waist-high water to reach wrecked convenience stores. Police spokesperson Ferry Walintukan said incidents of looting were first reported Saturday evening, noting that local police had been deployed to restore order. “The looting happened before relief supplies arrived,” he said. “Residents didn’t realise aid was coming and feared they would go hungry.” Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said that 11 helicopters were dispatched from Jakarta the day after the disaster to deliver relief supplies, particularly to communities cut off by road, but unpredictable weather continues to disrupt the operations. Government footage showed military aircraft airdropping supplies, with survivors in North Tapanuli waving urgently toward the helicopters. Four navy vessels have also arrived at a nearby port to support the distribution of aid. Meanwhile in Sri Lanka, officials said 193 people have died in floods and landslides, while 228 remain missing. Close to 148,000 people have been driven from their homes and are currently staying in temporary shelters. Sri Lanka has faced relentless severe weather since last week, with conditions worsening on Thursday when heavy rain inundated homes, farmlands and roads and triggered landslides, particularly in the central tea-growing highlands. Meteorologists say Cyclone Ditwah, which formed in waters east of Sri Lanka, is expected to move toward India’s southern coast on Sunday.

Sri Lanka closed government offices and schools Friday (November 28) as the death toll from widespread floods and landslides climbed to 56, with over 600 homes reported damaged, officials said. The country has been facing severe weather since last week, which intensified Thursday (November 27) with heavy rainfall that submerged homes, farmland, and roads, and triggered landslides nationwide. At least 25 people were killed Thursday in landslides in the central mountainous tea-growing districts of Badulla and Nuwara Eliya, roughly 300 kilometers east of the capital Colombo. In these areas, another 21 people are missing and 14 were injured, according to the government’s disaster management center. Additional fatalities occurred in landslides elsewhere in the country. As conditions worsened, the government ordered all schools and government offices to remain closed Friday. Read more: Over 20 killed, 14 missing as intense rainfall sparks landslides and flooding in Sri Lanka Overflowing rivers and reservoirs have blocked many roads, forcing authorities to suspend passenger train services and close roadways in several regions. Landslides and floodwaters, along with fallen rocks, mud, and trees, disrupted both roads and railway lines. Local television footage showed an air force helicopter rescuing three people stranded on a flooded rooftop Thursday, while the navy and police used boats to evacuate residents. Another video showed a car swept away by floodwaters near the eastern town of Ampara, killing three passengers.

The man accused of shooting two National Guard service members near the White House now faces a first-degree murder charge after one of the victims died, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced Friday. Authorities are still working to determine why the attack happened. Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were critically injured in Wednesday’s shooting. President Donald Trump said Thursday evening that Beckstrom had succumbed to her injuries. Prosecutors said the suspect, 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal — who previously worked with the CIA during the Afghanistan War — has been charged with first-degree murder and two counts of assault with intent to kill. The Trump administration also announced Friday that it is suspending all asylum rulings and pausing visa processing for Afghan passport holders. US will 'permanently pause' migration from 'third world countries': Trump Beckstrom and Wolfe were in Washington with the West Virginia National Guard as part of Trump’s initiative to federalize the D.C. police force. Trump has also attempted to send Guard units to other cities to support his mass deportation plans, though some efforts have been blocked in court. Asylum decisions frozen Trump described the shooting as a “terrorist attack,” blaming the Biden administration for admitting Afghans who assisted U.S. forces during the war. The president has repeatedly called for halting migration from poorer countries and deporting millions of undocumented immigrants. Joseph Edlow, head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, wrote on X that asylum decisions are suspended “until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.” Experts note that the U.S. already has strict vetting procedures, and asylum processing delays have grown under Trump. Pirro told Fox News that additional charges against Lakanwal are likely and expressed condolences to Beckstrom’s family. Investigators are searching properties in Washington state, where Lakanwal lived, and other locations nationwide. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with National Guard members in D.C. on Friday and led a prayer for the two soldiers. He and his wife visited Wolfe in the hospital Thursday night. Wolfe remains in very critical condition, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said, ordering state flags to half-staff in Beckstrom’s honor. Lakanwal’s background Lakanwal had been living in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children, according to a former landlord. Neighbors described him as quiet, polite, and struggling to find steady work. He briefly delivered packages through Amazon Flex between July and August. He arrived in the U.S. in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden-era initiative that resettled Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal. Although he applied for asylum under Biden, #AfghanEvac said his asylum was approved during Trump’s term. In a Thanksgiving message, Trump said Lakanwal “went nuts.” A man identifying himself as Lakanwal’s cousin told the AP that Lakanwal had served in a CIA-backed Afghan special forces unit known as the Zero Units, first as a security guard in 2012 and later as a team leader and GPS specialist. These units were involved in front-line operations and played a major role in securing Kabul airport during the U.S. exit. On Wednesday night, Trump called for a full review of all Afghan refugees admitted under the 2021 resettlement program. Although critics claim the vetting process was insufficient, advocates say the screening was extensive and necessary to protect Afghans threatened by the Taliban. Tributes to Beckstrom Beckstrom joined the National Guard in 2023 after graduating high school and served as a military police officer in the 863rd Military Police Company. The Guard described her as a model soldier who showed “leadership, dedication, and professionalism” and volunteered for Operation D.C. Safe and Beautiful. Trump called her an “incredible person” and “outstanding in every single way.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith have signed a memorandum of understanding to advance a pipeline project linking Alberta’s oil reserves to the Pacific Coast, a move that could lead to easing a longstanding tanker ban off British Columbia. Carney’s backing for the plan triggered turmoil within his government and prompted the resignation of cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault, a former environment minister and lifelong environmental advocate who had been serving as culture minister. He said he could not support a project that might cross the Great Bear Rainforest and increase the risk of coastal tanker spills, though he will continue as a Liberal MP. Carney said he respected Guilbeault’s decision to remain in Parliament, adding that Canada must diversify its export markets as U.S. tariffs continue to unsettle investors. He has set a target to double non-U.S. exports within a decade. Alberta’s premier said the initiative could open access to more than one million barrels of oil per day for Asian markets, reducing Canada’s reliance on the United States. Carney echoed that view, saying the country’s once-beneficial economic interdependence with the U.S. has become a vulnerability, with more than 95 percent of Canadian energy exports currently going south. He said the agreement is only the start of a process and stressed the need for a private-sector partner to make the pipeline viable. The framework also calls for engaging British Columbia, where coastal First Nations and environmental groups have long opposed oil tankers. Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau approved one major Alberta-to-B.C. pipeline in 2016, but the federal government had to build it amid legal challenges and resistance. Trudeau rejected a separate proposal, the Northern Gateway project, which would have carried over half a million barrels a day through the Great Bear Rainforest. British Columbia Premier David Eby criticized the new pipeline push, saying lifting the tanker ban would undermine existing coastal projects and agreements with First Nations. He noted that no company is currently backing the proposal, calling it a “distraction.” Coastal First Nations President Marilyn Slett said the communities have “zero interest” in co-owning or benefiting from a project that threatens their territory and way of life. The agreement links the pipeline initiative with a proposed carbon capture project, and federal and provincial officials say both must proceed together. Ottawa and Alberta will work with companies to identify new emissions-reduction projects by April 1, with rollout beginning in 2027.  

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrived in Myanmar on a goodwill visit, state media reported Friday, becoming only the second foreign leader to set foot in the country since the military seized power in 2021. The trip comes weeks before a national election widely dismissed by critics as neither free nor fair. Lukashenko’s presence is seen by opponents of the junta as offering symbolic backing to the polls. Belarus has emerged as one of the junta’s strongest supporters after the military takeover, alongside China and Russia. Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing, who heads Myanmar’s military government, has visited Belarus twice this year. Both countries are seen internationally as authoritarian regimes. Myanmar’s generals remain heavily sanctioned and isolated by Western nations for removing the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and for the widespread human rights abuses committed during the crackdown on anti-junta resistance. The only other foreign leader to visit Myanmar since the coup was Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in 2022, when he chaired the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. According to the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar, Lukashenko landed Thursday night at Naypyitaw’s military airport, where Prime Minister Nyo Saw and other senior officials received him with full state honors, including cultural performances. The report said Lukashenko is expected to meet Min Aung Hlaing for talks on expanding cooperation across multiple sectors. Both sides are set to sign agreements and memorandums of understanding during the visit. During Min Aung Hlaing’s March trip to Belarus, Lukashenko pledged to support the upcoming election and said he would send observers to monitor it. Rights groups and opposition forces have criticized the election as an attempt to legitimize military rule. Several armed resistance groups have vowed to disrupt the vote. Justice For Myanmar, a rights organization that tracks the junta’s financial and military networks, said Belarus has supplied arms, equipment and training that strengthen Myanmar’s defense capabilities and its domestic weapons production. It said transfers have included air defense command systems, radar technology and ground-based missile systems.  

A senior Kremlin official on Wednesday confirmed that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff will visit Moscow next week as efforts to find a resolution to the nearly four-year war in Ukraine gain momentum. Yuri Ushakov, foreign affairs adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Kremlin officials have not officially received the U.S. peace proposal, although they have reviewed a copy obtained through informal channels. Earlier this week, representatives from the United States, Russia, and Ukraine held discussions in the United Arab Emirates. “Contact is ongoing, including by phone, but no one has yet discussed the plan point by point,” Ushakov told Russian state media. Ukrainian officials did not confirm whether U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, recently active in peace efforts, would visit Kyiv, as indicated by U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday. Trump’s peace plan, made public last week, appeared heavily focused on Russian demands. After U.S.-Ukraine talks in Geneva over the weekend, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the plan as “workable,” though key details remain unresolved. Zelenskyy hopes to meet with Trump in the coming days. Witkoff has been involved in guiding Russian officials on presenting the peace plan. Trump described this approach as standard negotiation procedure, emphasizing that a deal requires selling the plan to both Ukraine and Russia. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov downplayed the leaked call but warned that many actors could attempt to disrupt peace efforts. Meanwhile, violence continued on the ground. Russian drones struck the southern city of Zaporizhzhia overnight, damaging over 50 residential buildings, including a university dormitory, and wounding at least 19 people, according to regional military chief Ivan Fedorov. Ukraine struck a missile component plant in Cheboksary, western Russia, while Russian air defenses shot down 33 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory and the Black Sea. European leaders have stressed the importance of their role in peace negotiations. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Europe seeks a swift end to the war and must have a say in any deal, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized that any settlement must include security guarantees for Ukraine and cannot limit its armed forces or NATO prospects. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas expressed doubt over Russia’s readiness for talks and called for increased economic pressure, including sanctions and the seizure of Moscow’s frozen assets, to force genuine negotiations.  

Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades was still smoldering in several apartment towers Thursday as firefighters struggled to rescue dozens of people still unaccounted for. At least 55 people were known to have died in the blaze that broke out Wednesday at Wang Fuk Court in Taipo, a suburb in the city's mountainous New Territories. Dozens more were injured, and about 900 of the 4,800 residents were evacuated to temporary shelters overnight. Seven of the 32-story towers in the eight building complex were engulfed in flames after construction materials and bamboo scaffolding caught fire. Officials said that extreme heat was hampering rescue efforts. It's the deadliest fire in Hong Kong since November 1996, when 41 people died in a commercial building in Kowloon in a fire that lasted for around 20 hours. Here's what to know about the disaster: Why the buildings burst into flames Officials are investigating why construction materials, netting and bamboo scaffolding being used in renovations to the outsides of the high-rise buildings at Wang Fuk Court caught fire. In the meantime, authorities arrested three people, the directors and an engineering consultant of a construction company, on suspicion of manslaughter. Police did not name the company, but they searched the office of Prestige Construction & Engineering Co., which The Associated Press confirmed was in charge of the renovations. Phone calls to the company's offices went unanswered. Officials said they suspect that some materials, such as plastic foam panels being used to protect windows from damage, did not meet fire resistance standards. High winds helped spread the flames. The type of buildings affected About a third of Hong Kong residents live in the government's Housing Authority dwellings. Wang Fuk Court is a complex of privately-owned, but subsidized housing.

Authorities around the world have confiscated an average of nine tigers every month over the past five years, underscoring a rapidly worsening trafficking crisis that threatens one of the planet’s most iconic animals, according to new research released Tuesday. A report by the wildlife trade watchdog TRAFFIC says criminal networks involved in the tiger trade are evolving faster than global conservation efforts. The global wild tiger population, once about 100,000 a century ago, has now fallen to an estimated 3,700–5,500. Despite decades of international protection, TRAFFIC found that tiger trafficking is accelerating and is increasingly focused on whole animals, alive or dead. Experts believe the trend may be tied to captive-breeding facilities, but also to tigers being seized shortly after poaching or before being processed for their parts. Rising demand for exotic pets and taxidermy may also be driving the shift. The report — the sixth in TRAFFIC’s Skin and Bones series — shows stark patterns. Between 2000 and mid-2025, global authorities recorded 2,551 seizures involving at least 3,808 tigers. From 2020 to June 2025 alone, officials made 765 seizures, equal to 573 tigers — roughly nine each month. The worst year was 2019 with 141 seizures, followed by 139 in 2023. Most cases were recorded in the 13 countries with wild tiger populations, led by India, China, Indonesia and Vietnam. But nations without tigers — including Mexico, the U.S. and the U.K. — also reported significant numbers of incidents. Enforcement has improved, TRAFFIC noted, but so has the illegal trade. “This rise reflects improved enforcement efforts but also signals persistent and, in some areas, escalating criminal activity and a widespread demand for tigers and their parts,” said Ramacandra Wong, a senior wildlife crime analyst and co-author of the report. TRAFFIC’s analysis also shows a major shift: while tiger parts made up 90% of seized items in the 2000s, that share has dropped to 60% since 2020, with a sharp increase in whole carcasses and live animals. In countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Russia, more than 40% of seizures now involve whole tigers. The report identifies key hotspots where enforcement should be strengthened: tiger reserves in India and Bangladesh, Indonesia’s Aceh region, the Vietnam–Laos border, and Vietnam’s major consumption centers including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Nearly one in five tiger trafficking cases also involved other threatened species, particularly leopards, bears and pangolins — a trend the report calls “species convergence.” Demand also varies by region: in Mexico and the U.S., the market leans toward live tigers as exotic pets; in Europe, toward derivatives used in traditional remedies and decorative taxidermy; across Asia, demand includes skins, bones, claws and whole carcasses. The report urges that investigations go beyond seizures and calls for stronger international cooperation to dismantle criminal networks through intelligence-driven, multi-agency action. Leigh Henry, wildlife conservation director at WWF, told AP that the rise in whole-animal trafficking shows the significant role captive-breeding facilities play in sustaining illegal trade. “Illegal trade remains the greatest immediate threat to wild tigers,” she said. “If we don’t urgently scale up efforts to stop tiger trafficking at every point in the trade chain, we truly risk a future without wild tigers.”  

More than 20 people have died and 14 others are missing after days of heavy rain triggered landslides and flooding across Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan authorities have suspended passenger train services and shut down several roads as severe rainfall continues to unleash deadly landslides and floods, officials reported Thursday (November 27). According to the government’s disaster management center, 18 of the confirmed deaths were in the central highland districts of Badulla and Nuwara Eliya, well-known tea plantation areas located about 300 kilometers (186 miles) east of Colombo. Read more: Over 220 dead as floods and landslides devastate Northwest Pakistan The center also stated that 14 people remained unaccounted for Thursday following landslides in the same region. Since last week—when the country first began experiencing the intense weather—the overall death toll has climbed to 31. Torrential rains over the weekend inundated roads, farmland, and homes, causing widespread disruption. Train services in some mountainous areas were halted after landslides sent rocks, mud, and fallen trees onto rail lines. Local television footage showed crews working to clear the debris. Several roads were also closed because of deep flooding. Roughly 4,000 families have been affected by the severe weather, officials said. Read more: Tidal waters inundate low-lying areas as embankment collapses in Khulna

A court in Thailand said Wednesday that it has issued an arrest warrant for a co-owner of the Miss Universe Organization in connection with a fraud case. Jakkaphong “Anne” Jakrajutatip was charged with fraud then released on bail in 2023. She failed to appear as required in a Bangkok court on Tuesday. Since she did not notify the court about her absence, she was deemed to be a flight risk, according to a statement from the Bangkok South District Court. The court rescheduled the hearing for Dec. 26. According to the court’s statement, Jakkaphong and her company, JKN Global Group Public Co. Ltd., were sued for allegedly defrauding Raweewat Maschamadol in selling him the company’s corporate bonds in 2023. Raweewat says the investment caused him to lose 30 million baht ($930,362). Financially troubled JKN defaulted on payments to investors beginning in 2023 and began debt rehabilitation procedures with the Central Bankruptcy Court in 2024. The company says it has debts totaling about 3 billion baht ($93 million). JKN acquired the rights to the Miss Universe pageant from IMG Worldwide LLC in 2022. In 2023, it sold 50% of its Miss Universe shares to Legacy Holding Group USA, which is owned by a Mexican businessman, Raúl Rocha Cantú. Jakkaphong resigned from all of the company’s positions in June after being accused by Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission of falsifying the company’s 2023 financial statements. She remains its largest shareholder. Her whereabouts remain unclear. She did not appear at the 74th Miss Universe competition, which was held in Bangkok earlier this month. This year’s competition was marred by various problems, including a sharp-tongued scolding by a Thai organizer of Fátima Bosch Fernández of Mexico, who was crowned Miss Universe 2025 on Nov. 19. Two judges reportedly dropped out, with one suggesting that there was an element of rigging to the contest. Separately, Thai police investigated allegations that publicity for the event included illegal promotion of online casinos. On Monday, JKN denied rumors that Jakkaphong had liquidated the company’s assets and fled the country, but there has been no immediate reaction regarding the arrest warrant. She could not be reached for comment. Jakkaphong is a well-known celebrity in Thailand who has starred in reality shows and is outspoken about her identity as a transgender woman.