A fire at a nursing home in western Sri Lanka killed 12 residents and injured eight others, according to Sri Lankan police. The fire broke out late Wednesday at a care facility in the town of Anguruwatota. Police said 51 residents were rescued from the building. Police spokesperson Fredrick Wootler said emergency responders attended the scene and survivors were taken to safety. Authorities have not yet released details on the cause of the fire. The director of the nursing home has been arrested on suspicion of causing deaths through negligence, police said. Investigators are examining the circ

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is pushing back against renewed comments from U.S. President Donald Trump, who once again referred to Canada as the “51st state” in a social media post Tuesday. In a post on X, Ford said Canada “will never be the 51st state” and is “not for sale.” His comments came after Trump shared a Bloomberg report about Canada's economy and described the country as the “51st State.” The post was later reshared by U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra, drawing further attention to Trump's remarks. According to the social media posts, Trump’s references to Canad

Iran has suspended ongoing ceasefire-related talks with the United States following recent Israeli military strikes in Lebanon, according to Iranian media reports. Iranian officials said maintaining peace and stability in Lebanon was a key condition of any ceasefire framework. Tehran argues that the agreement is now being violated on multiple fronts, including in Lebanon. Iran has called for an immediate halt to Israeli military operations in both Gaza and Lebanon. It has also demanded the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory. According to Iranian media, Iranian authoritie

U.S. President Donald Trump says a U.S. naval blockade affecting ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz will be lifted, following days of disruption in one of the world’s busiest oil transit routes. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said vessels delayed in the strait “may start the process of ‘heading home,’” adding that the blockade had been “amazing and unprecedented.” According to international energy agencies, roughly 20 per cent of global crude oil shipments move through the Strait of Hormuz during peacetime. The narrow waterway along Iran’s southern coast is considere

Iran has released 10 Indian sailors who had been detained since July 2025 following what Indian shipping authorities described as “sustained diplomatic efforts” by India. According to Indian shipping officials, the crew members were aboard the oil tanker MV Harbour Phoenix when the vessel was intercepted by Iranian authorities near Jask Port last year. Officials said the sailors and the vessel were taken into custody before the crew members were later jailed. Indian authorities said the sailors have now been released and arrangements are being made for their return to India at the earliest

A strike in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday killed Mohammed Odeh, a commander linked to Hamas’s military wing, according to the Israeli military and local family members. Local doctors and witnesses said at least three Palestinians were killed and dozens more injured after a residential building in Gaza City was struck in one of the city’s busiest neighbourhoods. In a statement, the Israeli military said the operation targeted buildings allegedly being used by Odeh as hiding locations. Israeli officials said the strike followed months of intelligence monitoring and tracking of Odeh’s movements

An Israeli airstrike on a village in eastern Lebanon killed 12 people overnight, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency. The strike targeted an area in the Bekaa Valley late Monday as Israel intensified attacks against Hezbollah positions across southern and eastern Lebanon. The Israeli military did not comment directly on the reported deaths but said Monday it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in eastern Lebanon. Rescue workers recovered a dozen bodies from the rubble following what Lebanese officials described as a wave of overnight airstrikes. The identities of those k

At least 20 people were killed and more than 70 injured after an explosion struck a train carrying military personnel and their families in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Sunday, according to local authorities. Railway officials said the shuttle service was transporting soldiers and their families travelling home to celebrate Eid. The Balochistan provincial government blamed the attack on the Balochistan Liberation Army and described the incident as a suicide attack. Witnesses told authorities that a vehicle loaded with explosives collided with the train before detonating, triggering a l

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that the death toll from a Russian missile strike on a Kyiv apartment building has risen to 24, including three children, after emergency crews completed search operations at the site. In posts published on X, Zelenskyy said rescue workers spent more than a day clearing debris from the damaged nine-storey residential building following Thursday’s attack. Ukrainian officials also reported 48 people injured in the broader assault on the capital, including two children. According to the Ukrainian air force, the strike formed part of what offic