At least 22 people have been killed in flash floods and landslides caused by heavy rain in the southern Indian state of Kerala over the weekend.
The National Disaster Response Force, the Indian army and navy were called out to rescue people after several areas were hit.
According to a government official, 13 people were killed in a landslide in the village of Kuttikkal, Kottayam district, with six of the casualties coming from one family.
Image:A landslide triggered by heavy rains in the mountains in Kottayam district, Kerala. Pic: AP
Image:The navy has been distributing relief material to flood affected people. Pic: Indian Navy via AP
Officials said the intense rainfall had subsided, but feared the number of deaths could rise as relief and rescue operations continued.
On Sunday, rescuers recovered bodies in two of the worst-hit districts, Kottayam and Idukki.
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Image:Rescue workers search for victims in the debris of a house in Kokkayar, Idukki district
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Kerala floods kill at least 22
Those two districts and four others were reported to have been put on red alert after at least one of them saw more than 12cm of rain by 8.30pm local time on Saturday, when the heavy rains began.
Then, television reports showed people wading through chest-deep waters to rescue passengers from a bus that was nearly submerged by the torrents flooding the roads.
The state chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, urged residents to exercise extreme caution even though the intense rainfall had subsided.
Image:A Shiva temple on the banks of the Periyar River is surrounded by flood water. Pic: AP
More than 100 relief camps have been set up, he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he spoke to the chief minister and added that authorities were working to rescue those affected. "I pray for everyone's safety and well-being," he said in a tweet.
In 2018, Kerala suffered catastrophic floods when heavy downpours during the monsoon season killed at least 400 people and displaced around 200,000.
Colin Powell, who served as US secretary of state and was a high-ranking military leader, has died from Covid-19-related complications aged 84, his family said in a statement on Monday.
“General Colin L Powell, former US secretary of state and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, passed away this morning due to complications from Covid-19,” the Powell family said on his Facebook page.
“He was fully vaccinated. We want to thank the medical staff at Walter Reed National Medical Center for their caring treatment. We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great American.”
Powell, who was suffering from the blood cancer multiple myeloma at the time of his death, was America’s highest-ranking diplomat under George W Bush’s administration during the Iraq war that started in 2003, and chair of the joint chiefs of staff in George HW Bush’s presidency.
Powell was a Republican, but in 2008 supported Barack Obama for president in the race against John McCain. He backed Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election against Donald Trump.
Born in Harlem in 1937, Powell grew up in the Bronx, the son of Jamaican immigrants and a student in New York City’s public schools. He went on to receive a bachelor’s degree at City College and an MBA at George Washington University. During those years he also joined the US military’s reserve officers’ training corps (ROTC), which launched his more than three decade-long career in the American military.
Powell’s star-studded tenure in the armed forces began as a commissioned lieutenant in the US army, including time as a platoon leader of an infantry regiment stationed in West Germany. Powell served twice in Vietnam, where he survived a severe infection, a helicopter crash, and participated in the investigation of the My Lai massacre of South Vietnamese civilians by American troops in 1968.
Powell rose to public prominence as Ronald Reagan’s national security adviser — and later, as the four-star general who became chair of the joint chiefs of staff under George HW Bush. In that role he oversaw the US invasion of Panama and the first Gulf war as the US sought to punish Saddam Hussein’s Iraq for its invasion of Kuwait.
By then, Powell was considered a possible candidate for president, but he never decided to plunge into the quest for elected office. He did, however, become known for advocating for a cautious use of American military power overseas, only if clear goals had been established and there was a credible exit strategy along with broad domestic and international support.
In 2001, George W Bush selected Powell to be US secretary of state, a role that would involve managing America’s response to the 9/11 attacks and, crucially, the diplomatic fallout with US allies over the Iraq war. Arguably Powell’s most difficult moment in office came when, at the UN Security Council, he defended intelligence showing that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction — which were never found.
After Powell’s family announced his death on Monday, tributes began to pour in, for his years of public service, his willingness to cross party lines as political polarisation intensified, and his capacity to break racial barriers in US foreign policy and national security. In a statement, George W Bush said he was a “favourite of presidents” and a “great man” who was “highly respected at home and abroad”.
US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said the world had lost “one of the greatest leaders that we have ever witnessed”, adding he felt as if he had a “hole in his heart”.
“Quite frankly, it is not possible to replace a Colin Powell,” Austin said in televised comments, adding he had lost “a tremendous personal friend and mentor”.
“He always made time for me, and I could always go into tough issues — he always had great, great counsel,” he said.
Jaime Harrison, chair of the Democratic national committee, wrote on Twitter: “Colin Powell was a statesman who put his country & family above all else. As a young Black man, he inspired me & showed that there are no limits to what we can be or achieve.”
Police say it is an "absolute miracle" that two people who became stranded while driving through Australia's Northern Territory have both been found alive.
Mahesh Patrick, 14, and Shaun Emitja, 21, were heading towards Alice Springs when their vehicle became bogged down on a dirt track last Monday.
Police said they stayed with the car until the next day before walking three miles with a jerry can in search of water - only to realise they were going the wrong way - and having to camp on a hill.
The pair somehow became separated on Wednesday and Mahesh walked miles on his own before being found in bushland on Friday night.
Police commander Kirsten Engels called the teenager's survival instinct "phenomenal", according to Australia's ABC News.
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"Mahesh walked approximately 12km (7.5 miles) to a fence line and spent the next two days and two nights camping and traversing down that fence line another 7km," she said.
"Miraculously, he was located by community members who reunited him with his community and family."
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"What an amazing effort, [and at] 14 years old - the resilience and survival instinct is phenomenal," said Ms Engels
He was treated for dehydration and sore feet as helicopter crews and trackers on foot continued to search for his friend in the area of Arlparra and Harts Range.
Police said they were worried he had no water and called temperatures in the area "extreme".
Image:Police say people in the Outback should stay with their car if they become stranded. File pic
Luckily, about 24 hours later - at around 9.45pm on Saturday, Mr Emitja was also found.
Police said he was undergoing health checks but appeared well.
"They are extremely lucky to be alive - we all know how harsh it is out there," said Ms Engels.
"For what these boys went through, I can hardly believe they have so [few] scars physically."
Police have advised people travelling in the Northern Territory to stay with their car if they become stranded because it is a bigger target to find, and to carry four litres of water per day for each person.
Former US President Bill Clinton has been discharged from a Californian hospital after spending five nights under care.
Mr Clinton had been receiving treatment for a urinary tract infection that developed into sepsis.
The 75-year-old gave a thumbs up to waiting news crews as he walked out of hospital with his wife, former presidential candidate Hillary.
Mr Clinton will return home to New York to complete his recovery, doctors said.
Dr Alpesh Amin, who oversaw the team of medics treating Mr Clinton, said in a statement: "His fever and white blood cell count are normalised and he will return home to New York to finish his course of antibiotics."
The 42nd president, who served from 1993 to 2001, shook hands with waiting medical staff as he left the facility with his wife of 46 years.
According to US media, Mr Clinton - who was in California to attend a private event for his foundation - had felt fatigued on Tuesday and underwent tests before being admitted to the hospital.
President Biden said on Friday night that he had spoken with Mr Clinton and told reporters that he was "not in any serious condition".
The infection is the latest health scare for Mr Clinton. In 2004, aged 58, he had a quadruple bypass surgery after doctors found signs of extensive heart disease and, ten years later, he had a clogged artery opened after complaining of chest pains.
Not long after his second surgery, the ex-president - known for his love of fatty foods - went vegan. He told Politico in 2016, "I might not be around if I hadn't become a vegan. It's great."
That's a wrap! Russian actress and film director end 12 days on International Space Station by returning to Earth after shooting scenes for first movie filmed in orbit
Actress Yulia Peresild and director Klim Shipenko landed safely in Kazakhstan steppes early this morning
Russian film 'The Challenge' is set to beat Hollywood's effort, starring Tom Cruise, for first film shot in space
Cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, who ferried filmmakers back to Earth, is said to cameo in movie as a patient
Peresild, who plays a surgeon sent into space in the upcoming movie, says she's 'sad' the trip is over
A Russian actress and a film director returned to Earth today after spending 12 days on the International Space Station (ISS) shooting scenes for the first movie in orbit.
Yulia Peresild and Klim Shipenko landed as scheduled on Kazakhstan's steppe at 04:36 GMT, according to footage broadcast live by the Russian space agency.
They were ferried back to terra firma by cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, who had been on the space station for the past six months.
The capsule, descending under a red-and-white striped parachute after entering Earth's atmosphere, landed upright in the steppes of Kazakhstan early Sunday morning
Ground crews extracted the three space flyers from the capsule and placed them in seats set up nearby as they adjusted to the pull of gravity
Peresild, pictured holding a bouquet of white flowers, told journalists she felt saddened the once-in-a-lifetime trip was over
'The descent vehicle of the crewed spacecraft Soyuz MS-18 is standing upright and is secure. The crew are feeling good!' Russian space agency Roscosmos tweeted.
Peresild smiled and held a large bouquet of white flowers as journalists clustered around her, though said she felt sad the expedition is over.
'It seemed that 12 days would be a lot, but I did not want to leave when everything was over,' she said.
The filmmakers had blasted off from the Russia-leased Baikonur Cosmodrome in ex-Soviet Kazakhstan earlier this month, travelling to the ISS with veteran cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov to film scenes for 'The Challenge'.
If the project stays on track, the Russian crew will beat a Hollywood project announced last year by 'Mission Impossible' star Tom Cruise together with NASA and Elon Musk's SpaceX.
The movie's plot, which has been mostly kept under wraps along with its budget, centres around a surgeon who is dispatched to the ISS to save a cosmonaut.
Shkaplerov, 49, along with the two Russian cosmonauts who were already aboard the ISS are said to have cameo roles in the film.
Novitskiy, who transported the two filmmakers back to Earth, is to appear in the movie as the ailing cosmonaut requiring emergency surgery.
The mission was not without small hitches.
As the film crew docked at the ISS earlier this month, Shkaplerov had to switch to manual control.
After 12 days on the ISS filming, Peresild (left) and Shipenko (right) give a press conference about their time in orbit and their return journey
Cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky (pictured) waves at the camera, having successfully ferried the two filmmakers back to Earth with him following his own personal six-month stint at the ISS
Peresild (left), Novitsky (middle) and Shipenko (right) are surrounded by the land crew who greeted them upon their landing in the steppes of Kazakhstan
And when Russian flight controllers on Friday conducted a test on the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft the ship's thruster fired unexpectedly and destabilised the ISS for 30 minutes, a NASA spokesman told the Russian news agency TASS.
But the spokesman confirmed their departure would go ahead as scheduled.
Their landing, which was documented by a film crew, will also feature in the movie, Konstantin Ernst, the head of the Kremlin-friendly Channel One TV network and a co-producer of 'The Challenge', told AFP.
The mission will add to a long list of firsts for Russia's space industry.
The Soviets launched the first satellite Sputnik, and sent into orbit the first animal, a dog named Laika, the first man, Yuri Gagarin and the first woman, Valentina Tereshkova.
But compared with the Soviet era, modern Russia has struggled to innovate and its space industry is fighting to secure state funding with the Kremlin prioritising military spending.
Its space agency is still reliant on Soviet-designed technology and has faced a number of setbacks, including corruption scandals and botched launches.
Russia is also falling behind in the global space race, facing tough competition from the United States and China, with Beijing showing growing ambitions in the industry.
Peresild (left), Shipenko (centre) and Novitsky (right) on the ISS, where they filmed scenes from upcoming movie 'The Challenge', in which cosmonaut Novitsky will cameo as a spaceman in need of emergency surgery
Peresild, 5 October, prior to launching en route to the ISS, where she played a surgeon shot off into space to adminster emergency treatment to an ailing cosmonaut
Russia's Roscosmos was also dealt a blow after SpaceX last year successfully delivered astronauts to the ISS, ending Moscow's monopoly for journeys to the orbital station.
In a bid to spruce up its image and diversify its revenue, Russia's space programme revealed this year that it will be reviving its tourism plan to ferry fee-paying adventurers to the ISS.
After a decade-long pause, Russia will send two Japanese tourists - including billionaire Yusaku Maezawa - to the ISS in December, capping a year that has been a milestone for amateur space travel.
Satellite images have emerged showing China has recently upgraded three military bases facing Taiwan. This has set off new fears that an invasion of the disputed island is nearing, amid heightened tensions between China and Taiwan. There are concerns that China could use the upgraded air bases to launch airstrikes following recent threats of such attacks.
The satellite pictures, taken by Planet Labs and first published The Drive, show that construction work at the bases began in early 2020 and continued throughout the pandemic.
The latest images were taken earlier this month.
The three air force bases in Fujian province - Longtian, Huian, and Zhangzhou - sit along China's south-eastern coast.
The bases are just 100 and 200 miles from Taiwan, amid concerns that the upgrades could be used in support of amphibious and airborne assault operations.
Improvements include new storage bunkers and new administrative buildings.
Earlier this month, China flew a record number of sorties - more than 150 - into Taiwan's airspace.
The upgraded air force bases come as the head editor of China's state-run newspaper Global Times called for an airstrike to "eliminate" Taiwan-based US troops, who he described as "invaders".
He called on China's People's Liberation Army Air Force to launch a "targeted airstrike" against these enemy forces.
Earlier this week, Global Times also released a military propaganda video from the People's Liberation Army.
The drill showed Chinese troops simulating a Taiwanese invasion, including storming a beach, breaking up barb wire and digging ditches.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal cited US government officials as saying that over two dozen US special operations soldiers are stationed in Taiwan to provide military training for ground forces.
China claims the self-governing island off its east coast as its territory and says Taiwan must eventually come under its control.
A group of 17 US missionaries - including children - have been kidnapped in Haiti.
They were on their way home from building an orphanage in the capital of Port-au-Prince, Christian Aid Ministries said.
A voice message sent to a number of religious missions by the Ohio-based foreign aid group said "men, women and children" were being held by an armed gang.
It said: "The mission field director and the American embassy are working to see what can be done.
"Pray that the gang members will come to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ."
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A US government spokesperson told the AP news agency: "The welfare and safety of US citizens abroad is one of the highest priorities of the Department of State."
The country, the poorest country in the Americas, has also been wrestling with the aftermath of a major earthquake that killed more than 2,200 people the following month.
The New York Times said parts of the capital are now so dangerous that many residents have fled - and few pedestrians now venture out during the day.
Gangs have demanded ransoms ranging from thousands of dollars to more than $1m, according to authorities.
Last month, a deacon was killed in front of a church in Port-au-Prince and his wife kidnapped, one of dozens of people who have been abducted in recent months.
At least 328 kidnapping victims were reported to Haitian police in the first eight months of 2021, compared with a total of 234 for all of 2020, according to a recent UN report.
