World Echo

Two years of Israel's genocide in Gaza, and it continues to bombard the enclave in violation of the ceasefire, with recent strikes killing over a 100 more Palestinians. This relentless assault is propelled by direct and indirect complicity of major tech companies providing the Israeli military with surveillance tools, intellegence and funds.  Though, unfortunately, we can't completely eliminate Big Tech from our lives — how do you escape Google — increasing awareness of the companies that are complicit assists in protests and resistance against harmful practices.  And hey! There are some we can avoid altogether. Below are some such tech companies complicit in the genocide with alternatives where applicable.  Google — Chrome and other subsidiaries Invested billions in Israeli AI, cloud, and cybersecurity startups, collaborating with the Israeli military on AI tools for intelligence gathering and drone tech. This includes Project Nimbus — ...

Palestinian group Hamas handed over two bodies of deceased Israeli hostages on Thursday, a day after the tenuous Gaza ceasefire was violated by a series of deadly Israeli strikes across the enclave. The bodies of hostages Amiram Cooper and Sahar Baruch were returned to Israel for burial after an identification process was completed, the Israeli military said in a statement late on Thursday. Under the ceasefire accord, Hamas released all living hostages in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and wartime detainees, while Israel pulled back its troops, halted its offensive and increased aid into the enclave. Hamas also agreed to hand over the remains of all 28 dead hostages in exchange for 360 Palestinian militants killed in the war. Up to Thursday, it had handed over 15 bodies. Israel says Hamas has been too slow to hand over the remaining bodies of hostages still in Gaza. Hamas says it will take time to locate and retrieve all of the remains. Families of some of the hostages a...

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has introduced new regulations that shorten the validity period of Umrah visas before entry into the Kingdom, in a move aimed at improving crowd management during the peak pilgrimage season. According to Al Arabiya, Umrah visas will now be automatically cancelled if the holder does not enter Saudi Arabia within 30 days of the visa being issued. Previously, the pre-entry validity period was three months. The revised policy is expected to come into effect next week. However, the duration of stay allowed for pilgrims inside the Kingdom remains unchanged at three months, once they arrive. Ahmed Bajaeifer, adviser to the National Committee for Umrah and Visit, said the decision is part of preparations for an anticipated rise in the number of pilgrims as temperatures in Mecca and Medina fall and travel typically increases. “The aim is to better manage crowds and prevent overcrowding in the two holy cities,” he told Al Arabiya. The Kingdom has already...

The United States has granted India a six-month sanctions waiver to operate Iran’s Chabahar port, India said on Thursday, boosting New Delhi’s efforts to expand trade with Afghanistan and Central Asian countries while bypassing rival Pakistan. India signed a 10-year contract with Iran last year to develop and operate the port. Earlier this month, it also deepened ties with Taliban-run Afghanistan by reopening its embassy in Kabul, which had been closed after the Islamist group seized power in 2021 following the withdrawal of US-led NATO forces. Read More: CA reports $7m loss despite bumper India series The port, located on Iran’s southeastern Gulf of Oman coast, was originally planned with a rail link to Afghanistan aimed at strengthening the landlocked country’s economy through trade and reducing Kabul’s dependence on Pakistan’s port of Karachi. The waiver announcement followed comments this week by US President Donald Trump that he wanted to pursue a trade deal with India — signaling...

Israeli planes and tanks pounded areas in eastern Gaza on Thursday, Palestinian residents and witnesses said, a day after Israel insisted it remained committed to a US-backed ceasefire despite launching fresh bombardments in the territory. Witnesses said Israeli planes carried out 10 airstrikes in areas east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, while tanks shelled areas east of Gaza City in the north. No injuries or deaths were reported. The Israeli military said it conducted “precise” strikes against “terrorist infrastructure that posed a threat to the troops” in areas still under its control. The strikes were the latest test of the fragile ceasefire that took effect on October 10 in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. “We’re scared that another war will break out because we don’t want a war. We’ve suffered two years of displacement. We don’t know where to go or where to come,” said displaced resident Fathi Al-Najjar in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. Read More: Over 100 killed i...

Two men arrested on suspicion of stealing jewels from the Louvre Museum have "partially admitted" their involvement in the daylight heist but the precious pieces remain missing, the Paris prosecutor said on Wednesday. Four hooded thieves made off with their booty after breaking into the Louvre's Apollo gallery, home to the French Crown Jewels, during opening hours on the morning of October 19, exposing security lapses at the world's most-visited museum. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the two men in detention were suspected of breaking into the museum through an upstairs window, while two accomplices waited on the street below. "Both have partially admitted their involvement to investigators," she told a press conference. "We do not rule out the possibility of a larger group, including a person who commissioned the theft and may have been the intended recipient of the stolen jewels," Beccuau added. There is no evidence at this stage in the inve...

A demolished church, roofs blown off homes, shattered windows and debris-strewn, impassable roads: Hurricane Melissa dealt a direct hit to Jamaica's southwestern coastal communities that face a long haul picking up the pieces. "It has been devastating," officer Warrell Nicholson told AFP by phone from the Black River police station, a building that was damaged but has still become something of a refuge for people seeking shelter. Footage of the area shows felled trees, smashed cars, downed power lines and ruined homes — a portrait of wreckage that is only starting to come clear as assessment is hampered by a lack of power and communications across the Caribbean island. Hurricane Melissa smashed into Jamaica as a ferocious top-level storm, whose sustained winds peaked at 185 miles (295 kilometers) per hour while drenching the nation with torrential, life-threatening rain. A little up the coast from Black River, Andrew Houston Moncure took shelter with his wife and 20-month...

Recently, I wrote about Pixnapping, an Android vulnerability that allows malicious apps to extract sensitive visual data from other applications — such as one-time passwords and authentication codes — without needing special permissions. Now, a firm known as Guardsquare which specialises in mobile app security solutions, has outlined key steps that developers can take to reduce system weaknesses. "Malware has been a hot topic for our customers for years now, especially in the Android ecosystem," said Ryan Lloyd, Chief Product Officer at Guardsquare. "The main reason is that the Android ecosystem is open and API-rich: it tends to be more vulnerable to malware attacks against applications," he added. Read: Yango launches Flex Mode for part-time drivers in Pakistan What is Pixnapping Pixnapping, first explained by academic researchers earlier this year, targets the way Android renders visual data on screen. By exploiting differences in GPU-timing, attackers can infer p...

American forces killed 14 people in strikes that destroyed four alleged drug-smuggling boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean, United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday, bringing the death toll from Washington’s anti-narcotics campaign to at least 57. The United States began carrying out the strikes — which experts say are illegal — in early September, and has now destroyed at least 14 vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific. “A total of 14 narco-terrorists were killed during the three strikes, with one survivor. All strikes were in international waters with no US forces harmed,” Hegseth said in a post on X about strikes carried out the day before. Read More:  US, China reach rare earths, tariff pause for Trump and Xi to consider “The four vessels were known by our intelligence apparatus, transiting along known narco-trafficking routes, and carrying narcotics,” he said. The Pentagon chief’s post included video of the strikes, the first of which targeted two stationa...

Canada’s approval of new international student permits has plunged to its lowest level in ten years, even deeper than during the COVID-19 shutdown. According to new data from ApplyBoard, Ottawa’s strict caps on post-secondary intakes are driving the decline. The platform projects that the federal government will approve just 80,000 new study permits in 2025, a 62% drop from 2024 and far below pre-pandemic levels. By comparison, Canada approved around 92,000 new permits at the height of the pandemic in 2020. Read More: Rural Indians join rush to study abroad as prospects dim at home   Screenshot [ApplyBoard's - Canada's Student Cap Causes Greater Declines Than Pandemic] ApplyBoard warned that the sharp decline will make 2025 “one of the most competitive years ever” for students hoping to begin studies in Canada. Colleges are bearing the brunt of the cap, with extensions now making up nearly 80% of all study permits, and fewer than 30,000 new approvals expected for college progra...

A strong earthquake shook western Turkey on Monday, causing at least three buildings that were damaged in a previous tremor to collapse, officials said. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The magnitude 6.1 quake was centered in the town of Sindirgi in Balikesir province, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management agency. It struck at 22:48 local time at a depth of 5.99 kilometers. The quake, which was followed by several aftershocks, was felt in Istanbul, and the nearby provinces of Bursa, Manisa and Izmir. At least three unoccupied buildings and a two-story shop collapsed in Sindirgi, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. The structures had already been damaged in a previous earthquake. A total of 22 people were injured due to panic-related falls, which can occur because of the physical and psychological impact of earthquakes, according to Balikesir’s governor, Ismail Ustaoglu. “So far, we have not identified any loss of life, but we are continuing our assessment,”...

Ten people went on trial in Paris Monday charged with sexist online harassment of Brigitte Macron, in the latest case linked to unsubstantiated gender claims made against the French first lady. The trial comes after she and President Emmanuel Macron filed a defamation lawsuit in the United States at the end of July, in connection with a false claim amplified and repeated online that Brigitte Macron was assigned male at birth. The claim has long targeted the presidential couple, alongside criticism of their quarter-century age gap. The first lady was absent as the trial opened at a Paris criminal court for 10 defendants -- eight men and two women, aged 41 to 65 -- accused of cyber-harassment targeting Brigitte Macron. Brigitte Macron, 72, is not expected to appear in court, but her daughter Tiphaine Auziere may testify on Tuesday, the first lady's lawyer told AFP. If convicted, the defendants face up to two years in prison. They have been accused of making numerous malicious comment...

Four migrants died when their boat sank off the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece’s coastguard said on Monday, adding seven had been rescued from the sea. “We recovered four bodies, the rescue operation continues. We don’t know if there were more people on the boat,” a coastguard official said. Read More: At least 17 migrants drown after boat sinks off western Turkey This is the second fatal incident involving migrants off Lesbos, near the Turkish coast, in October. Greece was on the frontline of a 2015–16 migration crisis when more than a million people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa crossed into Europe. Migrant flows subsequently ebbed. But the country has toughened migration rules, following a resurgence of arrivals from Libya via the islands of Crete and Gavdos. from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt/Hq6Lvt5

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that Washington does not view a strike that Israel said targeted a member of a Palestinian militant group in Gaza as a violation of a US-backed ceasefire. Israel said it struck a member of the Islamic Jihad group on Saturday, accusing the individual of planning to attack Israeli troops. Islamic Jihad denied it was planning an attack. Speaking aboard President Donald Trump’s plane during a trip to Asia, Rubio said: “We don’t view that as a violation of the ceasefire.” Read More: US sees opportunity to cement bilateral strategic ties with Pakistan: Rubio The US top diplomat added that Israel has not surrendered its right to self-defense as part of the agreement brokered by Washington, Egypt and Qatar that saw the main militant faction in Gaza, Hamas, release the remaining living hostages held in Gaza this month. “They have the right if there’s an imminent threat to Israel, and all the mediators agree with that,” Rubio said. Rubio said the ...

Two separate crashes involving US Navy aircraft occurred over the South China Sea on Sunday, officials confirmed, adding that all personnel were rescued and no lives were lost. In the first incident, an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter operating from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz went down during a routine mission. South China Sea – On October 26, 2025 at approximately 2:45 p.m. local time, a U.S. Navy MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, assigned to the “Battle Cats” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 73 went down in the waters of the South China Sea while conducting routine operations — U.S. Pacific Fleet (@USPacificFleet) October 26, 2025 According to the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet, search and rescue teams promptly recovered all three crew members on board. Roughly thirty minutes later, a Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet also crashed into the sea while conducting standard operations from the same carrier. from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Search and rescue assets a...

The scene shocked many and highlighted the violence of this year's olive harvest in the Israeli-occupied West Bank: a young masked man clubs an older Palestinian woman picking olives, who then collapses on the ground. The incident during an attack by Israeli settlers, filmed by an American journalist, took place in the town of Turmus Ayya near Ramallah, a hotspot of violence this year. "Everybody was fleeing because the settlers attacked suddenly, maybe 100 of them," witness Yasser Alkam told AFP, adding that one Swedish activist also had his arm and leg broken by settlers. Alkam, a Turmus Ayya city official, said that the woman, 55-year-old Um Saleh Abu Aliya, was struck as she was waiting for her son to drive her away from a mob of settlers. from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt/kEeDFSl

The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia signed an expanded ceasefire deal on Sunday, watched over by US President Donald Trump, who landed in Malaysia for the ASEAN Summit and to oversee a series of pivotal trade talks on the sidelines. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet signed the agreement at a ceasefire ceremony in front of a sign that read "Delivering Peace", building on a truce signed three months ago. "This declaration, if fully implemented, will provide the building blocks for a lasting peace, but more importantly, it will begin the process of mending our ties," Hun Manet said. "Our border communities have been divided by conflict, and innocent civilians have suffered immense losses." Trump helped broker an end to the five-day conflict in July by calling the then-leaders of the two countries and urging them to end hostilities or risk their respective trade talks with Washington being put on hold. "The U...

Catherine Connolly, a veteran lawmaker on the far-left of the Irish political spectrum, was set to be elected president by a landslide margin on Saturday as members of the governing parties conceded they were in for a heavy defeat. Connolly, 68, an independent candidate backed by the entire left-dominated opposition, was likely to win more than double the votes of her nearest rival, an official from one of the governing parties said, citing an incomplete tallying of votes. Fine Gael General Secretary John Carroll told national broadcaster RTE that the data suggested Connolly would win more than 60% of the votes, with his party's candidate - ex-cabinet minister Heather Humphreys - probably finishing in the high 20s. "It does appear likely that Catherine Connolly will be elected and we now move on to the job of working with her as a government," Higher Education Minister James Lawless, a member of the second main governing party Fianna Fail, added. A final result will likel...

US President Donald Trump's administration has prepared additional sanctions it could use to target key areas of Russia's economy if President Vladimir Putin continues to delay ending Moscow's war in Ukraine, according to a US official and another person familiar with the matter. US officials have also told European counterparts that they support the EU using frozen Russian assets to buy US weapons for Kyiv, and Washington has held nascent internal conversations about leveraging Russian assets held in the US to support Ukraine's war effort, two US officials said. While it is not clear whether Washington will actually carry out any of those moves in the immediate term, it shows there is a well-developed toolkit within the administration to up the ante further after Trump imposed sanctions on Russia on Wednesday for the first time since returning to office in January. Read More: US strike on suspected Venezuelan drug boat kills six in Caribbean Trump has positioned himsel...

Top economic officials from the US and China ended their first day of talks in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, with a Treasury spokesperson describing them as "very constructive". The world's two largest economies are looking to avert an escalation of their trade war and ensure that a meeting happens next week between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The talks on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit will chart a path forward after Trump threatened new 100% tariffs on Chinese goods and other trade curbs starting on November 1, in retaliation for China's vastly expanded export controls on rare earth magnets and minerals. Read More: US strike on suspected Venezuelan drug boat kills six in Caribbean The recent actions, which also include an expanded US export blacklist that covers thousands more Chinese firms, have disrupted a delicate trade truce crafted by US. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, US Trade Representative Ja...

The United States will expand the use of facial recognition technology to track non-citizens entering and leaving the country in an effort to combat visa overstays and passport fraud, according to a government document published on Friday. A new regulation will allow US border authorities to require non-citizens to be photographed at airports, seaports, land crossings and other points of departure, expanding on an earlier pilot program. Under the regulation, set to take effect on December 26, US authorities could also require the submission of other biometrics such as fingerprints or DNA. It allows border authorities to use facial recognition for children under age 14 and elderly people over 79, groups that are currently exempted. Read More: US strike on suspected Venezuelan drug boat kills six in Caribbean The tighter border rules reflect a broader effort by US President Donald Trump to crack down on illegal immigration. While the Republican president has boosted resources to secure t...

At least 14 people drowned when a rubber boat carrying migrants sank off Turkey’s western province of Mugla on Friday, the local governor’s office said, adding that a search and rescue operation was underway for possible survivors. In a statement, the Mugla Governor’s Office said an Afghan man who survived the disaster and swam back to the mainland had raised the alarm shortly after 1:00 a.m. The Afghan national told emergency services that 18 people had set out on the rubber boat, but that it had taken on water and sunk soon after departure, the governor’s office said. Search and rescue teams found a second survivor who had managed to reach Celebi Island off Bodrum. They also retrieved 14 bodies from the sea. Read More: US strike on suspected Venezuelan drug boat kills six in Caribbean “Search and rescue efforts for other irregular migrants considered missing continue with four coast guard boats, one coast guard special diving team and one helicopter,” the governor’s office added. The...

An overnight US strike on a boat alleged to be operated by a Venezuelan drug trafficking gang killed six people in the Caribbean Sea, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday. The latest military action brings the total number of US strikes on alleged traffickers in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific to at least 10, leaving at least 43 people dead, according to an AFP tally based on US figures. Hegseth announced the strike in a post on X showing a stationary boat with outboard engines being destroyed in an explosion, saying: "Six male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters -- and was the first strike at night." "All six terrorists were killed," Hegseth said, adding: "If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda. Day or NIGHT, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you." Read More: Trump warns Israel ...

India trialled cloud seeding over its smog-filled capital for the first time, spraying a chemical from an aeroplane to encourage rain and wash deadly particles out of the air. Cloud seeding is the practice of using aeroplanes to fire salt or other chemicals into clouds to induce rain. New Delhi city authorities, working with the government's Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, launched a test run on Thursday afternoon using a Cessna light aeroplane over the city's northern Burari area. "A trial seeding flight was done... in which cloud seeding flares were fired", Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said in a statement late Thursday. "This flight was the proving flight for checking the capabilities for cloud seeding, the readiness and endurance of the aircraft, the capability assessment of the cloud seeding fitments and flares, and coordination among all involved agencies." It comes ahead of a planned rollout of the scheme. Delhi's Chief Minister Rekh...

More than 100,000 New Zealand teachers, nurses, doctors, firefighters and support staff walked off the job on Thursday demanding more money and resources for the public sector in a sign of growing discontent with the country's centre-right government. Public servants marched with placards and banners in towns across New Zealand, chanting and listening to speeches. However, protests in capital Wellington as well as Christchurch had to be cancelled because of dangerous weather conditions. The unions in a joint statement last week billed the strike as the largest in decades with more than 100,000 public servants taking part. The government dismissed the protests as a "union-orchestrated political stunt", even as the demonstrations highlight growing public unease over its direction. Middlemore Hospital emergency doctor and Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Vice President Sylvia Boys told a crowd at Aotea Square in Auckland the government had been elected on promises...

China’s Communist Party elite vowed on Thursday to build a modern industrial system and step up efforts to achieve technological self-reliance, moves seen as key to strengthening its position amid intensifying rivalry with the United States. As expected, the Party’s Central Committee also pledged to expand domestic demand and improve livelihoods — long-standing goals that have taken a back seat in recent years as Beijing prioritised manufacturing and investment — though few details were provided. During the four-day closed-door meeting, known as a plenum, leaders also replaced 11 members — the highest personnel turnover since 2017 — amid an ongoing military corruption purge. Read More: China, Russia hail Pak-Afghan ceasefire China’s assertive industrial policies have created sophisticated domestic supply chains and global dominance in many sectors. These policies have bolstered Beijing’s confidence in its trade war with the US, where President Donald Trump has threatened triple-digit t...

Iran warned on Thursday against fresh attacks on his country, after UN nuclear watchdog chief said he fears a possible "renewed use of force" if attempts at diplomacy with Tehran fail. In mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, triggering a war during which Iran responded with missile and drone strikes. During the 12-day war, Israel targeted Iranian military and nuclear sites as well as residential areas, with the United States joining later with strikes on key nuclear facilities. Read More: Iran accuses US of blocking N-talks The conflict derailed nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington which had begun in April. A ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been in place since June 24. In an interview published Wednesday with Swiss newspaper Le Temps, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said "if diplomacy fails, I fear a renewed use of force". Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday sai...

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy began a five-year prison sentence on Tuesday for conspiring to raise campaign funds from Libya, arriving at La Santé prison in Paris in a stunning downfall for a man who led the country between 2007 and 2012. The 70-year-old former conservative leader left his home for the car journey to the prison, walking hand in hand with his wife Carla Bruni and cheered by supporters chanting “Nicolas, Nicolas” and singing La Marseillaise, the French national anthem. Sarkozy, who was convicted and sentenced last month, is the first former French leader to be jailed since Marshal Philippe Pétain, a Nazi collaborator, after World War Two. Also Read: Nakai shocks Sakamoto to win Grand Prix de France   Sarkozy says he is innocent Shortly after heading for La Santé, Sarkozy published a lengthy post on X claiming he was the victim of “revenge and hatred.” “It is not a former president of the Republic who is being imprisoned this morning — it is an innocent man,...

At least 14 people were killed and 29 injured in a train crash in eastern Ethiopia, local state media said Tuesday. The incident occurred at around 2am as the passenger train was travelling the 200 kilometre (120 mile) route from Dewele town, near Djibouti's border, to Dire Dawa, according to local officials cited by state media. "An accident that happened on the Dire Dawa-Dewele line has killed 14 people and caused serious and light injuries on 29 other people," according to a Facebook post by Dire TV, which did not provide further details. Photos published by the outlet showed several carriages overturned, and others crushed. Train accidents are relatively rare in Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous country with some 130 million inhabitants. In 1985, more than 400 people were killed and 500 injured after a train travelling from Djibouti to Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa fell into a ravine. from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https:/...

Rebels occupying Twangiza Mining’s gold concession in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have looted at least 500 kilograms of bullion since May, the company told Reuters, accusing some of its own employees of aiding the theft. At current prices, the looted gold is worth around $70 million. The mine is located in South Kivu province, where Rwandan-backed M23 rebels staged a lightning offensive this year that allowed them to seize more territory than ever before. They took control of the mine in May. “With the help of some employees, they transported the first batch of more than 50 kg of gold out in a very short time,” Twangiza Mining said on Monday in a written response to Reuters’ queries about losses since M23 seized the site. Read More: Gold prices plunge in global, local markets “Since the occupation, they have obtained at least 500 kg of gold and secretly transported it through underground channels,” the company added. M23 did not immediately respond to a request for comme...

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that allied nations in the Middle East were prepared to send troops into Gaza, at his request, to confront Hamas if the group did not cease its alleged violations of his peace plan. The threat comes a day after Trump warned Hamas would be "eradicated" if the group did not meet expectations of the agreement, which brought a fragile ceasefire to the two-year war with Israel. "Numerous of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East, and areas surrounding the Middle East, have... informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force and 'straighten our (sic) Hamas' if Hamas continues to act badly," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. Also Read: 'Will resume ties with US after two decades' The post came as US Vice President JD Vance visited Israel with two other top Trump envoys, seeking to shore up the peace plan after weekend violence in Gaza raised fears the truc...

A cargo plane veered off a runway on Monday during landing in Hong Kong, hit a security patrol car and then skidded into the sea, leaving two men in the vehicle dead, authorities said. Officials said an investigation would aim to determine what caused the Boeing aircraft to leave the tarmac at Hong Kong International Airport, the world's busiest for cargo last year, according to an industry ranking. The plane's damaged fuselage was left partly submerged in the seawater that borders the airport, with its emergency evacuation slides extended, following one of the most serious incidents since the airport began operations in 1998. Steven Yiu, executive director of airport operations at Airport Authority Hong Kong, said the cargo plane from Dubai "went off from the north runway upon landing and crashed through the fence and into the sea". A 30-year-old man aboard the ground vehicle was confirmed dead at the scene while another, aged 41, died after being rushed to hospital....

The Donald Trump administration quietly authorised the CIA to carry out covert operations in Venezuela, escalating efforts to pressure President Nicolás Maduro, The New York Times reported on the authority of US officials. The move reflects a deepening US campaign aimed at unseating Maduro, who is criticised by Americans as an authoritarian leader. In recent weeks, US military operations have targeted boats off Venezuela’s coast, which officials claimed were involved in drug trafficking. These operations have resulted in the deaths of at least 27 people. Privately, senior US officials have said their broader goal is regime change in Caracas. President Trump publicly acknowledged the covert authorisation shortly after NYT reported on it. “We are certainly looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” Trump told reporters, indicating that US military action inside Venezuelan territory was under consideration. If launched, such strikes would mark a significant e...