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Afghanistan said Wednesday that Pakistan launched new airstrikes targeting the country, killing at least 13 people and wounding 14 others.

The countries have engaged in months of fighting that has killed hundreds of people.

Taliban chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the latest airstrikes targeted the Afghan provinces of Khost, Kunar and Paktika and killed 11 children, one woman and one elderly man.

There was no immediate acknowledgment of the strikes from Pakistan.

The strikes came a day after suspected Pakistani Taliban militants attacked a security post in the Hasan Khel area of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, triggering an intense gunbattle in which six members of the Federal Constabulary were killed and several others wounded, according to Pakistan’s Interior Ministry.

Local authorities said Tuesday that security forces killed eight of the attackers and thwarted an attempt to overrun the checkpoint. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi later attended funeral prayers for the dead personnel in Peshawar, the ministry said.

Naqvi paid tribute to the dead and expressed condolences to their families, saying their sacrifices would not be forgotten. He also said Pakistan remained united in its fight against militancy and that operations against groups threatening peace and security would be intensified.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have engaged in deadly fighting since late February, when Afghanistan launched a cross-border attack on Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan.

Pakistan in February declared it was in open war with its Afghanistan, following a surge in militant attacks on civilians and security forces inside Pakistan. Afghanistan has said a deadly Pakistani airstrikes in March hit a drug-treatment center in Kabul, killing more than 400 people. The death toll could not be independently confirmed.

Pakistan has disputed the claim and denied targeting civilians, saying it struck an ammunition depot.

The latest development comes months after China hosted peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Urumqi, in northern China, and later Beijing said Afghanistan and Pakistan had agreed not to escalate their conflict and to explore a solution.

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants that carry out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, especially the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. The group is separate from, but allied with, the Afghan Taliban, which has ruled Afghanistan since it seized power in the country in 2021 amid the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led troops. Kabul denies the charge.

Source: AP

All three victims who were injured following a fire at a restaurant near Thalawathugoda Junction have succumbed to their injuries, Police said.

The fire broke out at the restaurant this morning (Tuesday June 09).

Three fire engines were deployed to contain the blaze.

The victims sustained severe injuries in the incident and were admitted to the National Hospital Colombo for treatment. 

However, Police later confirmed that all three had died from their injuries.

(Dailymirror.lk)

Health authorities have sounded the alarm over a significant rise in dengue infections across the country, with confirmed cases this year reaching 35,228 — reflecting an increase of approximately 30 to 40 percent compared to the corresponding period last year.

According to the National Dengue Control Unit, the Western Province has emerged as the most affected region, while the Colombo District continues to record the highest number of infections nationwide.

In response to the growing public health concern, the Ministry of Health has announced a special islandwide mosquito control programme to be conducted on June 8, 9 and 10. The operation is set to cover 74 Medical Officer of Health (MOH) divisions across 14 districts identified as vulnerable to disease transmission.

Authorities said the campaign will be carried out with the assistance of the Sri Lanka Police and the Sri Lanka Armed Forces, focusing particularly on areas recognised as dengue hotspots.

Officials also warned that the operation will extend beyond awareness and prevention efforts, with enforcement measures expected during inspections. These include the issuance of red notices and legal action against individuals found maintaining premises that support mosquito breeding.

The intensified response comes as health authorities seek to contain the spread of dengue and reduce the risk of further escalation in affected communities.

Sri Lanka has signaled a sharper turn toward a low-carbon future, announcing a major policy shift to strengthen its climate agenda by doubling its emission reduction commitment for the industrial sector to 13 percent.

The move was presented as a key pillar of the country’s long-term environmental roadmap, supporting broader national goals of generating 70 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and reaching full carbon neutrality by 2050.

The announcement was made during the Sri Lanka Climate Summit 2026 held in Colombo at the Taj Samudra Hotel, where policymakers, international development partners and private sector representatives gathered to explore pathways for climate resilience and sustainable investment.

Organized for the second consecutive year by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce under the theme “From Risk to Opportunity: Mainstreaming Climate Action into Sri Lanka’s Growth Story,” the summit focused on aligning environmental commitments with economic development.

Addressing the forum, Environment Minister Dammika Patabendi stressed that climate targets alone are not enough and highlighted the need for stronger coordination between government institutions, financial sectors and industry leaders to convert environmental commitments into practical investments and long-term economic value.

He emphasized that climate readiness must extend beyond national policy and include stronger local resilience measures and circular economy initiatives.

As part of this effort, the Ministry of Environment and the Central Environmental Authority are expanding programmes aimed at reforming waste management systems while building capacity among informal waste collectors to help integrate them into the country’s emerging green economy.

Discussions throughout the summit also underscored the importance of inclusive regional environmental management and recognized the contribution of informal waste workers in strengthening sustainable urban development.

The event brought together representatives from international organizations including the UNDRR, UNDP, ADB and FAO, alongside business leaders and climate specialists, reflecting a growing emphasis on collaboration to manage climate risks while unlocking opportunities for sustainable growth.

A powerful earthquake has struck the Philippines, destroying buildings and triggering tsunami alerts across Asia.

The magnitude 7.8 quake struck off the southern island of Mindanao shortly before 7:40am local time on Monday (23:40 GMT Sunday), according to the United States Geological Survey.

The initial earthquake was followed by more than an hour of aftershocks, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).

Video posted on official social media channels showed a three-storey building that housed a Jollibee restaurant collapsing in a cloud of debris and dust in Mindanao’s General Santos City, startling onlookers.

Other images showed extensive damage to buildings, including smashed windows and caved-in roofs.

The Philippine seismology authority said the city, which lies in the southern region of Soccsksargen, experienced a 7 out of 10 “very strong” earthquake on its internal intensity scale.

The number of potential casualties is yet to be confirmed.

Mary Ann Blanco Rhudy, a Catholic nun working for Notre Dame of Dadiangas University in General Santos, said she was travelling to the college when the earthquake struck.

“The cars on the road were moving erratically. I am lucky that they didn’t crash against each other,” she told Al Jazeera.

“The trees on the side of the road were also swaying violently.”

Rhudy said some of the buildings at the college have partially collapsed.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said on Monday morning that emergency agencies had been activated, including the Office of Civil Defence and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Marcos urged people to follow government advisories about the risk of tsunami waves.

“To our kababayans [countrymen] in the affected provinces, please heed the tsunami warning. Move to higher ground now. Do not wait. Your life is more important than anything left behind,” Marcos said.

Marcos said schools across several provinces of Mindanao have been closed for the day.

The US-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said earlier that tsunami waves as high as 3 metres (9.8 feet) could hit coastal areas of the Philippines, and waves of up to 1 metre (3.3 ft) were possible in parts of Indonesia and Malaysia.

The first waves were expected to hit the Philippines and parts of Indonesia at about 10am local time (02:00 GMT), followed by southern Japan and Taiwan at about 11am (03:00 GMT), and Micronesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands an hour later, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

The US National Tsunami Warning Center, which downgraded the quake from an earlier estimate of magnitude 8.2, said the quake posed no threat to coastal areas of the US.

Officials in Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia have issued alerts warning of hazardous waves and advising citizens in coastal areas to get to safety.

Philippine authorities said people in nine provinces – including Sarangani, Davao Occidental, Tawi-Tawi and Sulu – should immediately evacuate to higher ground or further inland.

“Owners of boats in harbours, estuaries or shallow coastal water of the above-mentioned provinces should secure their boats and move away from the waterfront,” PHIVOLCS said.

“Boats already at sea during this period should stay offshore in deep waters until further advised.”

Indonesia also issued an immediate evacuation order for parts of northern Sulawesi, northern Gorontalo province and the Sangihe Islands, with residents urged to move to higher ground.

A tsunami warning is also in place for Japan’s outlying islands, including Okinawa and the country’s southern coast.

Officials in the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam cancelled earlier tsunami warnings, but said there was still a risk of strong currents and dangerous beach conditions.

- Al Jazeera 

The Department of Meteorology has issued a ‘Red’ advisory warning of dangerous sea conditions across several coastal regions, urging fishing and naval communities to remain ashore until further notice.

According to the advisory, sea areas stretching from Kankesanthurai to Kalpitiya via Mannar are expected to experience very rough conditions accompanied by strong gusty winds reaching speeds of 60 to 70 kilometres per hour.

The warning further extends to waters off the coasts from Trincomalee to Kankesanthurai via Mullaitivu and from Kalpitiya to Pottuvil through Colombo, Galle and Hambantota, where rough sea conditions and gusts of 50 to 60 kilometres per hour are anticipated.

Adding to concerns, wave activity is expected to intensify, with heights rising between 2.0 and 2.5 metres in sea areas extending from Mannar to Pottuvil via Colombo, Galle and Hambantota.

Authorities have strongly advised those engaged in fishing and maritime activities to avoid entering the affected waters as conditions remain hazardous.

The advisory remains in effect until further notice as officials continue to monitor the developing weather situation.

The ICC Women's T20 World Cup was launched in stunning fashion on Sunday as London's famous Waterloo Bridge was transformed into a massive cricket pitch for the first time.

All 12 captains were in attendance at the famous London landmark ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup in England and Wales, which begins June 12, with the world's best players taking part in the Captains' Carnival high above the River Thames.

It was the first public gathering of all 12 captains ahead of the T20 World Cup and served as a powerful symbol of the global growth, visibility and appeal of women’s cricket in front of well-known London landmarks that included Big Ben, St Paul’s Cathedral and the London Eye.

The famous Waterloo Bridge was turned into a vibrant celebration of cricket and culture as anticipation builds for the upcoming event that promises to redefine what is possible for women’s cricket on the global stage.

“This is a landmark moment for women’s Cricket and a fitting way to launch what we believe will be the most exciting and ambitious ICC Women’s T20 World Cup ever staged," ICC Chairman Jay Shah said.

"This will help elevate the buzz and excitement around the event, providing the final boost to the anticipation for the tournament before the first ball is bowled on June 12 in Birmingham. 

"This event is another expression of the ICC’s commitment and belief linked to the agenda of building a more inclusive, global game.”

With ticket sales already around 200,000 – a record-breaking figure achieved before the tournament has even begun and comfortably eclipsing previous ICC Women’s T20 World Cup benchmarks – even more records are set to be smashed when the action gets underway in less than a week.

“Seeing these 12 captains playing cricket in a global first on an iconic London stage is a sign of how far the women’s game has come and where it’s headed," ICC Director and England Cricket Board Chair Richard Thompson said.

“With just five days to go until the opening game, this landmark captain’s event sets the scene for what promises to be the most attended and most widely covered Women’s World Cup ever.”

Source: ICC

Pope Leo told Spain's parliament that escalating conflict, deepening polarization and widespread disregard for human rights had pushed the world into a profound crisis, in one of his most expansive political addresses yet on Monday.

Leo, who has adopted a more forceful tone recently against the direction of global leadership, also firmly repeated his opposition to increased European military spending, urging politicians instead to end the wars ravaging the globe and help migrants.

"The world is undergoing a profound spiritual and cultural crisis, which is manifested in multiple forms of violence, polarization, and mutual distrust," the pope said in the address, which came hours after Israel and Iran renewed their attacks on one another in the most serious test of a two-month ceasefire.

"Weapons can impose a temporary silence; but they can never build an authentic and lasting peace," he said.

The pope on Monday also met with six victims of sexual abuse by members of the clergy and told bishops they must ⁠offer survivors reparations as he sought to address a scandal that has severely damaged the local Church's credibility.

A 2023 report by Spain's human rights ombudsman estimated hundreds of thousands of victims of clerical abuse there over decades.

MIGRATION CHALLENGING WORLD'S ‘ETHICAL FOUNDATION’

Leo's speech, which was delivered in Spanish and was received with a seven-minute standing ovation by lawmakers, was a rare papal address to a national legislature and the first by a pope to Spain's parliament. It is part of a week-long visit to the country in which the pontiff has met with migrants and the homeless, and called on national leaders to stop dividing their electorates.

The pope, whose Spain tour will culminate with the pontiff meeting migrants in the Canary Islands who braved dangerous Atlantic waters to enter Europe, said a lack of help for the world's migrants was challenging "the ethical foundation of the international order".

He said countries must look for solutions that go beyond "the mere management of flows" and should address the causes that force people to leave their countries of origin, including war, poverty and climate change.

The pope told parliament that "the moral greatness of a nation is manifested above all in its capacity to accompany, protect, and love those lives that pass through the greatest ⁠fragility".

More than 3,000 people died in 2025 trying to reach the Canary Islands, off the western coast of Africa, often in makeshift dinghies, according to NGO Caminando Fronteras.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government has opened a mass amnesty programme, allowing an estimated 500,000 immigrants to apply for legal status.

POPE CALLS EUROPEAN REARMAMENT ‘TROUBLING’

Leo, who issued a fervent manifesto last month urging global governments to slow down the development of AI systems, called on Monday for "rigorous ethical vigilance" over how AI was used in warfare.

He said that rising European military spending, which grew last year by the highest amount since the end of the Cold War amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, was “troubling.”

Spanish Prime ⁠Minister Pedro Sanchez has refused to meet Trump's demands for NATO member countries to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP, although the expenditure has tripled since he took office in 2018, rising from around €10 billion ($11.5 billion) to more than €34 billion.

The pope last month called European rearmament a betrayal of diplomacy.

Leo also offered some of his most in-depth remarks yet addressing the balance in the relationship between Church and state. He urged protection of religious freedom, ⁠saying that faith "cannot be relegated to silence as though it were irrelevant to public life".

The pope likewise defended the privacy of the Catholic seal of confession, which obliges a priest not to reveal any information given to him by penitents.

Several countries, including France, have debated whether to compel priests to report sexual abuse disclosed in confessions, following scandals that have shaken the Church internationally.

Protecting the seal, Leo ⁠said, preserves "a sacred space of inner freedom, where the believer can open his or her soul before God".

The Vatican said the abuse victims Leo met for one hour on Monday offered him suggestions for how the Church could respond to such cases, even as some victims said they had been excluded from the meeting and called the Church's response insufficient.

In an earlier meeting with Catholic bishops, Leo said they must listen to survivors of abuse and offer them reparations. 

Source: Reuters

Former head of the State Intelligence Service (SIS), Major General (Retired) Suresh Sallay has been admitted to the Colombo National Hospital, a short while ago.

Hospital sources said that he was admitted to the hospital’s Emergency Treatment Unit (ETU) for medical care.

Further details regarding his current health condition have not yet been released.

Earlier today, the wife of Major General (Retired) Suresh Sallay, Manori Sallay stated that her husband served the country for 38 years, dedicating his life, and that the time has now come for the public to show gratitude for that service.

She made these remarks when she visited the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) today to meet Suresh Sallay, who has reportedly begun a “fast unto death” in protest.

She further said that although she had asked her husband to abandon the hunger strike, he was not willing to accept it and continues to stand against what he considers injustice.

She also claimed that Suresh Sallay, who is still only a suspect, is being treated in a very inhumane manner and that there is no fairness in the way he is being handled.

Sallay's wife, son, and brother visited the CID today to see him while he is being held under detention orders.

Meanwhile, the wife of Major General Suresh Sallay wrote to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), calling for an independent criminal investigation into alleged inhumane treatment during his detention in the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department.

In her letter, she requested an inquiry into allegations including torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, abuse of authority, denial of medical care, and other possible offences allegedly committed while he remains in state custody.

The letter outlined 10 points based on information reportedly conveyed by Maj. Gen. Sallay during a family visit on June 6, when he met his son and brother. The letter noted that the alleged treatment raises serious concerns over his safety, health, dignity, and fundamental rights.

According to the correspondence, Maj. Gen. Sallay has informed his family that he has commenced a “fast unto death,” stating that he can no longer endure what he describes as continued mental distress, degrading treatment, and systemic unfairness while in custody.

He has also reportedly said that he remains confident that pending writ proceedings will establish his innocence and has instructed his legal representatives to continue legal action even in the event of his death.

Given the reported hunger strike and concerns over his health, his wife has urged the IGP to intervene immediately.

She further noted that a separate complaint regarding alleged inhumane treatment was submitted to the IGP’s office on March 7. However, she claims that no response has been received so far, and that the family has not been informed of any investigation, statements recorded, or officers assigned to inquire into the matter.

The letter stated that the absence of a response is particularly concerning given that the allegations involve a person in state custody, where authorities have a heightened duty to protect life, health, safety, dignity, and constitutional rights.

Accordingly, she requested that the IGP treat the latest communication as a renewed complaint and an urgent request for immediate intervention, investigation, and accountability.

The former head of the State Intelligence Service, Major General (Retired) Suresh Sallay was arrested by the CID on February 25 over allegations linked to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings and remains in detention under a court order.

(Source - Adaderana.lk)

Former Deputy Minister Sarana Gunawardena was sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment today after the Colombo High Court found him guilty on corruption-related charges linked to vehicle procurement during his tenure at the National Lotteries Board.

The judgment was delivered by Colombo High Court Judge Mohomed Mihal, who also ordered the former minister to pay a fine amounting to Rs. 1.8 million.

The case was initiated by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, which had filed four indictments against Gunawardena. The charges alleged that while serving as Chairman of the National Lotteries Board, actions connected to the rental-based procurement of vehicles had resulted in financial losses to the State.

After considering the evidence presented, the court found the accused guilty on all four counts.

Although a four-year rigorous imprisonment sentence was imposed for each individual indictment, the court ruled that all sentences would run concurrently. As a result, the total effective prison term remains four years.

In addition to the prison sentence, the court imposed financial penalties in connection with the convictions, including the ordered fine.

The ruling marks the conclusion of proceedings relating to allegations surrounding procurement decisions made during Gunawardena’s leadership at the National Lotteries Board.

China's President Xi Jinping hailed an "invincible friendship" with Pyongyang as he arrived in North Korea Monday, his first trip abroad this year after hosting back-to-back summits in Beijing.

China, Washington's chief geopolitical rival, has been North Korea's main trading partner by far for decades and a key source of diplomatic and economic support for the country hit by multiple international sanctions.

Military officers lined a red carpet as an Air China plane carrying Xi arrived for his first visit since 2019, video from Xinhua showed.

A banner that read "We warmly welcome Comrade Xi Jinping" and hailing the two countries' "unbreakable friendship" hung below Chinese and North Korean flags at the airport.

Xi made the trip after hosting US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin separately in Beijing, and as North Korea's nuclear talks with Washington remain deadlocked.

The White House said last month that Xi and Trump "confirmed their shared goal to denuclearise North Korea" during their summit in Beijing.

However, leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister said on the eve of Xi's arrival that North Korea's nuclear weapons programme was "the line of no retreat".

Minseon Ku, a diplomacy professor at DePaul University, told AFP that "Beijing probably has accepted North Korea as a nuclear state" but Xi "will probably tell Kim that China wants stability more than anything".

China has "always prioritised stability and is currently having to manage its relations and differences with the US", Ku said.

Seong-Hyon Lee, a visiting scholar at the Harvard University Asia Center, also said Beijing is shifting towards "underwriting regime durability" rather than seeking to coerce North Korea into denuclearisation.

"China's broader regional strategy benefits from a stable, heavily armed, and aligned buffer state that absorbs US and allied military bandwidth," he told AFP.

Elevated status

North Korea has repeatedly declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear state since Kim and Trump's 2019 summit collapsed over the scope of denuclearisation and sanctions relief.

Kim has also been emboldened by the war in Ukraine, securing critical support from Moscow after sending troops to fight alongside Russian forces.

Some analysts say the summit could be Xi's way of countering Russia's growing influence over North Korea, but DePaul's Ku stressed that "overall, Moscow is not a major power like China".

"Moscow-Pyongyang power relations are more equal than Beijing-Pyongyang; Moscow needs Kim for their war in Ukraine as much as Kim needs technology sharing and food from Russia," she said.

In an article published on the front page of North Korea's Rodong Sinmun, Xi pledged closer cooperation.

"No matter how the times change or how the international situation evolves, the traditional friendship between China and North Korea is always invincible," Xi wrote.

Xi last met Kim in September, when he invited the North Korean leader and Putin to a military parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Taiwan counterweight

Trump has made little progress on North Korea, especially on the nuclear front, despite his earlier high-profile summits with Kim.

North Korea is also the only country with an official, binding military alliance with China.

"America is currently engaged in offensive warfare potentially harmful to China's key interests, such as energy supplies," Vladimir Tikhonov, Korean Studies professor at the University of Oslo, told AFP.

"It appears Xi is trying to consolidate the alliance" with North Korea partly for that reason, he said.

Beijing claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory, and North Korea could also serve as a useful counterweight to US partners in the region, including South Korea and Japan, analysts said.

Long-frosty China-Japan ties have deteriorated since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a security hawk, suggested last year that Tokyo might intervene militarily in any Chinese attempt to take Taiwan.

"As China's international standing rises, Beijing is likely seeking to draw Pyongyang more actively into its diplomatic orbit," said Lim Eul-chul, a North Korea expert at Kyungnam University.

Source: AFP