World

Israel has launched a major ground assault on Gaza City, an operation reportedly planned for some time.

According to foreign media reports, the offensive was accompanied by heavy airstrikes carried out late last night (16).

Hamas stated that in the past 24 hours alone, Israeli attacks have killed 59 people and injured at least 386 others.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the operation was being conducted against what he described as Hamas’ last major stronghold, despite mounting criticism from the United Kingdom and other nations.

Foreign media report that amid escalating protests, approximately 900 prisoners have escaped from two prisons in western Nepal.

Meanwhile, in response to the unrest, Nepal’s security forces, including the military, have been tasked with maintaining law and order. Following widespread protests that resulted in multiple fatalities, Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned from his position.

During the protests, which continued despite the imposition of curfews, several high-profile locations were set on fire, including Prime Minister Oli’s residence, President Ram Chandra Poudel’s residence, the offices of the ruling Nepali Congress Party, and the homes of other political figures.

Subsequently, protesters also attempted to set fire to the Nepalese Parliament complex and the Supreme Court. Social media reports indicate that Finance Minister, former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, and his wife, the current Foreign Minister, were reportedly attacked by demonstrators.

Other locations affected included the Singha Durbar building in Kathmandu, several hotels, media institutions, and the airport.

Amid the ongoing unrest, the Nepalese military has assumed control of governance in affected areas and has intervened to manage the violent activities. The military chief has appealed to the public to act calmly.

The military has also reported that certain groups have exploited the crisis to engage in looting, arson, property destruction, and even attempted sexual assaults.

The protests began primarily in response to the government’s decision to block 26 social media platforms in Nepal. A large portion of the demonstrators are young people from the new generation.

Following these unfortunate events, the Nepalese government restored access to all social media platforms. However, the protesters, expressing strong anger against the government, continued their demonstrations, contributing to the ongoing unrest.

Nepal’s tourism industry has suffered a severe setback following the recent wave of protests.

According to international media reports, tourist arrivals have dropped by nearly 30 percent amid the ongoing unrest. The decline is particularly significant as this period normally marks a peak season for visitors, especially those traveling for mountain trekking.

Reports further highlight that in Kathmandu’s bustling Thamel tourist district, shops and restaurants have been left deserted due to the instability.

The violent demonstrations in Nepal have already claimed 72 lives, while more than 2,000 others have been injured.

Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has resigned following the country’s worst unrest in decades, in which at least 19 people were killed and hundreds injured. The protests, led by Generation Z youths aged 13 to 28, were sparked by a government social media ban, anger over entrenched corruption, and limited economic opportunities.

Security forces used live ammunition, water cannons, and tear gas as demonstrations swept across multiple cities. Despite a curfew, protesters returned to the streets of Kathmandu on Tuesday, setting fire to a police booth and furniture outside the Nepali Congress office. The capital’s international airport was shut down due to the violence.

Nepal, a Himalayan nation of 30 million, has experienced political turbulence since becoming a republic in 2008, but the latest protests mark the most severe unrest in years.

What Triggered Nepal’s Youth-Led Uprising?

Public discontent over decades of corruption in Nepal erupted into nationwide protests after the government blocked major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, and X, citing new rules against misinformation and hate speech. Rights groups widely condemned the ban, which saw 26 platforms go offline overnight.

While the social media restrictions ignited the demonstrations, organizers emphasize that the unrest reflects broader frustration among Nepal’s youth over limited economic opportunities. Youth unemployment stood at 20.8% in 2024, according to the World Bank, and dissatisfaction has been amplified by a viral online backlash against “Nepo Kids,” the children of politicians flaunting lavish lifestyles.

Nepal’s economy remains heavily dependent on remittances from abroad, accounting for 33.1% of GDP in 2024. Protesters say corruption, inequality, and the mass migration of young people are driving their calls for systemic change.

Protests Turn Deadly in Nepal

Violence erupted Monday outside Nepal’s parliament in Kathmandu as police clashed with thousands of mostly young protesters. Security forces fired rubber bullets and tear gas, while demonstrators set fire to an ambulance and threw objects at riot police.

At least 19 people were killed—17 in Kathmandu and two in Itahari—and more than 400 were injured, according to hospital and health ministry reports.

International groups condemned the crackdown, with the UN rights office calling for a transparent investigation and Amnesty International warning that the use of lethal force against non-threatening protesters violates international law.

Government Stands Cornered Amid Nationwide Uprising

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned Tuesday following mounting political pressure and the resignations of several ministers, including the home, agriculture, water, and health ministers, over the government’s handling of the protests. The government also lifted the social media ban that had sparked the unrest.

Before stepping down, Oli expressed sorrow over the violence but blamed “vested interest groups” for infiltrating the demonstrations. Opposition leaders, including Nepali Congress General Secretary Gagan Thapa, demanded his resignation, condemning the killing of young protesters and urging his party to withdraw from the government.

Nepal’s largest newspaper also joined calls for Oli’s departure, stating he could no longer remain in office after the bloodshed.

(Source - CNN)

A report has revealed that by the year 2050, 1.5 million people living in coastal areas of Australia will be exposed to the impacts of rising sea levels.

Australia’s National Climate Risk Assessment indicates that due to climate change, Australians face a persistent risk of being affected by natural disasters such as floods, cyclones, heavy rainfall, and bushfires.

Commenting on the matter, Australia’s Minister for Climate Change, Chris Bowen, stated that Australians are already confronting these climate-related hazards, and that necessary measures must be taken to minimize the impacts in the future.

The report further highlights that the average temperature in Australia has already risen by 1.5 degrees Celsius, and if this trend continues, the number of deaths caused by heat-related events could increase by up to 400 percent.

Thailand’s Supreme Court has sentenced former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to one year in prison, ruling that his prior hospital stay in lieu of incarceration was unlawful. Thaksin, 76, who served as prime minister from 2001 until his ouster in a 2006 coup, returned from 15 years of self-imposed exile in 2023 and was initially sentenced to eight years on charges of corruption, abuse of power, and conflict of interest. His term was subsequently commuted to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, before he was released on parole in February 2024, having spent his confinement in a hospital rather than a prison cell.

Owen Cooper has become the youngest actor to win an award at the Emmy Awards held in the United States.

He received this award for his performance in the television series Adolescents.

According to international media reports, Owen Cooper is currently 15 years old.

Meanwhile, at the same Emmy Awards ceremony, Seth Rogen won the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, while Jean Smart was honored as the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that Venezuelan military jets flying over American naval vessels would be shot down if such actions resulted in danger.

This warning came after Venezuelan aircraft flew near a U.S. Navy ship off the coast of South America for the second time in two days.

President Trump further alleged that Venezuela had become a hub for drug trafficking and that members of “Tren de Aragua,” a gang banned in the United States as a terrorist organization, were residing there.

In response, the U.S. military has deployed additional naval vessels, Marines, and sailors to curb drug trafficking and has strengthened its military presence in the southern Caribbean region.

During Trump’s first term, the United States had also leveled accusations against senior Venezuelan officials over drug trafficking, terrorism, corruption, and various other offenses.

Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison briefly overtook Elon Musk as the world’s richest person this week, after Oracle’s shares jumped more than 40% on strong forecasts for its cloud and AI business. His fortune hit $393 billion, edging past Musk’s $385 billion, according to Forbes. By the end of the day, however, a dip in Oracle’s stock put Musk back on top.

Musk, who has held the top spot for nearly a year, faces challenges as Tesla shares slide amid political backlash and reduced US support for electric vehicles. Still, he could receive a pay package worth $1 trillion if ambitious targets are met.

Ellison, 81, has expanded his influence beyond software, aligning closely with President Trump. He has backed Project Stargate, a US-based AI initiative, and Oracle has been floated as a potential buyer for TikTok, which faces a possible US ban. Recently, Ellison also helped finance his son David’s $8 billion takeover of Paramount Global, adding media ambitions to his growing empire.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine, particularly while its invasion was still ongoing, would be considered “legitimate targets” by Moscow’s forces.

Putin’s comments came hours after European leaders repledged their commitment to a potential peacekeeping force, a prospect that Moscow has repeatedly described as “unacceptable.”

“If any troops appear there, especially now while fighting is ongoing, we assume that they will be legitimate targets,” he said during a panel at the Eastern Economic Forum in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok.

Putin also dismissed the idea of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine after a final peace deal, saying “no one should doubt” that Moscow would comply with a treaty to halt its 3½-year full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

He said that security guarantees would be needed for both Russia and Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later said Moscow would need “legally binding documents” to outline such agreements. “Of course, you can’t just take anybody’s word for something,” he told Russian news outlet Argumenty i Fakty.

European leaders pledge peacekeeping force in Ukraine

Putin’s comments follow remarks from French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday that 26 of Ukraine’s allies have pledged to deploy troops as a “reassurance force” for Ukraine once fighting ends.

Macron spoke after a meeting in Paris of the so-called coalition of the willing, a group of 35 countries that support Ukraine. He said that 26 of the countries had committed to deploying troops to Ukraine — or to maintaining a presence on land, at sea or in the air — to help guarantee the country’s security the day after any ceasefire or peace is achieved.

Addressing the participants of the international economic conference the Ambrosetti Forum on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was important that security guarantees “start working now, during the war, and not only after it ends.”

He said he could not disclose more details as they are “sensitive and relate to the military sphere.”

Drone strikes continue

Russian troops attacked Ukraine overnight with 157 strike and decoy drones, as well as seven missiles of various types, Ukraine’s air force reported Friday. Air defenses shot down or jammed 121 of the drones, it said.

One attack damaged multiple residential buildings in Dnipro in central Ukraine, regional administration head Serhii Lysak wrote on social media. The regional administration also said that an unspecified “facility” had been set alight in the strike, but did not give further details.

Lysak shared photos of residential buildings with damaged roofs, glass shards lying on the ground and people carrying wooden boards to cover broken windows. “Private homes were damaged. Windows in apartment buildings were shattered,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine’s Chernihiv region north of Kyiv, Russian drones attacked infrastructure in the Novhorod-Siversk district, leaving at least 15 settlements without electricity, local authorities reported.

Elsewhere, Russian troops destroyed 92 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Friday. Local social media channels in the city of Ryazan, approximately 200 kilometers (125 miles) southeast of Moscow, reported that the city’s Rosneft oil refinery had been targeted. They shared videos that appeared to show a fire against the night sky.

Ryazan regional Gov. Pavel Malkov said that drone debris had fallen on an “industrial enterprise” but did not give further details, instead warning residents not to post images of air defenses on social media.

Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian oil infrastructure that it says fuels Moscow’s war effort in recent weeks. Gas stations have run dry in some regions of Russia in recent weeks, with motorists waiting in long lines and officials resorting to rationing or cutting off sales altogether.

Zelenskyy holds rare talks with Russia-friendly Slovak PM

The drone strikes were a key topic of rare high-level talks Friday between Zelenskyy and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, a tense encounter given Fico’s repeated calls for “normalising” relations with Russia.

Following the meeting in Uzhhorod, a Ukrainian city near the border with Slovakia, Zelenskyy said Ukraine would continue to “respond” to years of Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities, despite criticisms from Slovakia and neighboring Hungary.

Both Bratislava and Budapest continue to import Russian oil and gas, even as most EU countries cut ties following Moscow’s all-out invasion of Ukraine. Recent Ukrainian strikes have disrupted shipments from Russia to Slovakia along the Druzhba pipeline, prompting Bratislava to protest.

Zelenskyy told reporters that Kyiv was ready to supply its neighbor with oil and gas that didn’t come from Russia.

“Russian oil, like Russian gas, has no future” in Europe, Zelenskyy maintained, an apparent reference to comments made the day before by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Joining a call with European leaders after the “coalition of the willing” met in Paris, Trump said that countries in the continent must stop buying Russian oil, as these purchases help Moscow fund its war against Ukraine, according to a White House official. The official was not authorized to comment publicly about the private talks and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Fico told reporters on Friday that both Slovakia and Ukraine “have the right to defend our own national interests and we must respect each other in this regard.”

He also sounded a conciliatory note as he voiced his support for Kyiv’s bid to join the EU, offering to share Slovakia’s experience.

adaderana.lk

A new UNICEF report reveals that more school-age children and adolescents are now obese than underweight, with 188 million young people affected globally. Obesity now surpasses underweight in almost all regions except sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Over the past 25 years, the number of overweight children has doubled from 194 million to 391 million, with a large portion classified as obese. The highest obesity rates are found in Pacific Island nations like Niue (38%), the Cook Islands (37%), and Nauru (33%). High-income countries also show significant levels, including Chile (27%) and the United States and UAE (21%).

UNICEF warns that obesity is a serious health risk, leading to conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and even cancer. Poor diets, particularly high consumption of ultra-processed foods, are a major contributor.

The report also highlights socioeconomic differences: in high-income countries, obesity is more common among poorer children, while in low-income countries, wealthier children are more at risk due to access to energy-dense foods. In middle-income countries, obesity affects children across all income groups.

While the prevalence of underweight children aged 5-19 has declined from 13% in 2000 to 9.2%, undernutrition remains a major concern for children under five, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

UNICEF emphasizes that malnutrition now includes both underweight and obesity, and addressing unhealthy diets is critical for children’s growth, development, and long-term health.

In Portugal’s capital, Lisbon, a tragic accident occurred when the 140-year-old Gloria Funicular, a landmark and major tourist attraction, derailed, resulting in the deaths of 15 people.

A further 18 individuals were hospitalized, with five reported to be in critical condition, according to foreign media.

The accident, which took place at approximately 4:30 p.m. yesterday, claimed the lives of both locals and foreign nationals, though the identities and nationalities of the victims have not yet been confirmed by authorities.

In response, the Portuguese government declared yesterday a national day of mourning.