Prison riot in southern Ecuador leaves 4 inmates dead

Prison riot in southern Ecuador leaves 4 inmates dead

At least four inmates were killed Sunday in a prison riot in Machala, the capital of Ecuador's southern coastal province of El Oro, the national prison administration agency SNAI said, reported Xinhua. The unrest broke out in the early hours at Prison No. 1 in Machala, SNAI said in a statement. Local media reported that the riot was sparked by the "reorganization" and transfer of inmates to a maximum-security facility, leaving at least 40 people injured. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa on Tuesday declared a new 60-day state of emergency in five coastal provinces and three municipalities in the central provinces of Cotopaxi and Bolivar to quell "grave internal unrest" fueled by escalating violence from organized crime.

1 dead, 10 rescued after migrant boat capsizes off Malaysia-Thailand waters

1 dead, 10 rescued after migrant boat capsizes off Malaysia-Thailand waters

At least one individual has been found dead and 10 others have been rescued after a boat carrying nearly 100 undocumented migrants sank in waters near the Malaysia-Thailand maritime border, Malaysia's national news agency Bernama quoted local police as saying on Sunday, reported Xinhua. Malaysia's Kedah police chief Adzli Abu Shah said the boat was part of a larger ship transporting around 300 people by a syndicate. According to Adzli, around 300 migrants boarded a large vessel about a month ago. As the large vessel approached the Malaysian maritime border, the syndicate divided the migrants into three smaller boats to avoid detection by the authorities. A boat carrying an estimated 100 people capsized three days ago, and the status of the other two boats is still unknown, said Adzli, according to Bernama. Rescue operations are ongoing and more victims could be found, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Director for Kedah and Perlis states Romli Mustafa said in a statement on Sunday. "There is a possibility that more victims will be found. Based on preliminary intelligence gathering, the boat boarded by the victims departed from Buthidaung, Myanmar, with an estimated 300 passengers," he said, according to Bernama. Meanwhile, Romli reiterated that stern action will be taken against anyone trying to enter the country illegally. "Cross-border syndicates are actively exploiting immigrants by making them victims of human trafficking using sea routes that are highly risky. The MMEA will not compromise with any parties involved in human trafficking activities," he said.

8 missing in east China boat collision

8 missing in east China boat collision

Eight people went missing after a merchant ship collided with a fishing boat off the coast of east China's Shandong Province on Sunday morning, according to local maritime authorities, reported Xinhua. The accident occurred around 5 a.m. near Weihai City, causing the fishing boat to sink. Records indicated nine people were on board, and rescuers were able to save one person, who is in stable condition. Vessels and helicopters have been deployed to search for the remaining eight, and rescue efforts are currently underway.

Host runner Karaiskos wins 42nd Athens Marathon

Host runner Karaiskos wins 42nd Athens Marathon

Greek runner Panagiotis Karaiskos won the 42nd Athens Marathon on Sunday, reported Xinhua. Karaiskos clocked 2:20:10 on the classic course from the historic town of Marathon to Athens, which follows in the footsteps of the ancient soldier Pheidippides who inspired the race. Karaiskos' compatriot Konstantinos Stamoulis and Hungary's Laszlo Tarnai finished second and third respectively, crossing the finish line at the Panathenaic Stadium in the center of Athens, the venue of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. Greece's Stamatia Noula clocked 2:39:28 to win the women's category, followed by two other Greek runners, Panagiota Vlachaki and Ourania Rempouli. More than 75,000 runners from 121 countries and regions participated in the race.

Poliisitehtävä Jätkäsaaressa

Poliisitehtävä Jätkäsaaressa

Iltalehden tietojen mukaan Jätkäsaaressa on poliisin lisäksi pelastuslaitoksen yksiköitä. Helsingin poliisilla on käynnissä tehtävä Helsingin Jätkäsaaressa. Iltalehden tietojen mukaan paikalla oli myöhään sunnuntai-iltana myös kaksi pelastuslaitoksen yksikköä. Lukijahavaintojen mukaan yksi henkilö on mahdollisesti menehtynyt.

Super Typhoon Fung-wong makes landfall in Philippines

Super Typhoon Fung-wong makes landfall in Philippines

Super Typhoon Fung-wong made landfall over Aurora province in the eastern part of Luzon Island of the Philippines on Sunday night, according to the state weather bureau, reported Xinhua. The bureau reported that the Category 5 typhoon hit the municipality of Dinalungan around 9:10 p.m. local time (1310 GMT) on Sunday. After landfall, Fung-wong is expected to move across the mountainous terrain of northern Luzon and emerge over Lingayen Gulf or the coastal waters of Pangasinan or La Union by Monday morning. The interaction with the rugged terrain of Luzon will cause Fung-wong to weaken considerably, although it is expected to retain typhoon strength while crossing the landmass, the bureau said. Before making landfall, the super typhoon had already claimed at least two lives, local authorities said. Fung-wong is the 21st tropical cyclone hitting the Philippines this year, surpassing the country's annual average of 20 storms.

Israel receives remains of soldier killed in Gaza in 2014

Israel receives remains of soldier killed in Gaza in 2014

Israel said on Sunday forensic test confirmed the remains handed over by Hamas earlier in the day were those of Hadar Goldin, an Israeli soldier killed by the Palestinian group in 2014, reported Xinhua. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement the identification process had been completed. "The Government of Israel expresses its deep condolences to the Goldin family and to all the families of the fallen hostages," it said. "IDF (Israel Defense Forces) representatives informed the family of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin that his body has been returned for burial," the military said in a statement. Goldin, 23, was killed by Hamas fighters about an hour after a ceasefire took effect following one of the previous Israeli military campaigns in Gaza. His family conducted a public campaign for 11 years to bring back his remains. The recovery of his body was part of an exchange amid a ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10 this year. Hamas has released 20 living hostages and the remains of 24 other hostages. Four bodies are still held in Gaza -- three Israelis and one Thai national abducted during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Gaza's health authorities said Israel has released the bodies of about 300 Palestinians, most of whom have yet to be identified. Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued strikes and demolitions in Gaza, killing hundreds. Gaza's health authorities on Saturday put the overall death toll from Israeli strikes since October 2023 at 69,169.

Gazans struggle to live without power as war leaves grid in ruins

Gazans struggle to live without power as war leaves grid in ruins

Under the scorching sun near the ruins of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, 22-year-old Shorouq Abu Naji washes her children's clothes by hand outside a tent. Her fingers are red and swollen from scrubbing, reported Xinhua. "We can no longer use washing machines because of the long power cuts," she said. "My hands hurt all the time. Sometimes I cry from the pain." For Abu Naji and her three children, electricity has become a distant memory. "For more than two years, we haven't seen electricity in our area," she said. "Everything we do now depends on our physical effort." Her eldest son hands her a paper slip marked "15" -- a token for retrieving a mobile phone after charging it at a solar-powered station. "If we lose this paper, we can't get our phone back," she said, adding that the phone serves as both a crucial communication tool and an important light source at night. At night, her husband lights a small fire outside. "Before sleeping, he puts it out so the tent won't catch fire," she said. "In the tent, we have to rely on the flashlight of the phone." Across Gaza, makeshift tents remain dark after sunset, lit only by candles, small fires, or the dim glow of phone screens. Israel launched a large-scale military operation in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, after a Hamas attack on southern Israel killed about 1,200 people and saw around 250 others taken hostage. Israel soon imposed "a complete siege" on the enclave, cutting off water, electricity, and fuel. Since then, most of Gaza's 2 million residents have lived with little or no power. In Khan Younis, Shaker Murtaja, 42, a father of four whose tailoring shop was leveled by an airstrike, speaks of the pervasive fear. "Who can live without electricity for two years?" he asked, a question heavy with disbelief. "We are human beings and have the right to live like others." He remembers a time before the conflict when his children watched television and studied under bright lights for a few hours each day. "Now they fear the dark. We heat water with fire, and every evening feels like a struggle." The power shortage has further weakened Gaza's already devastated economy. In Deir al-Balah, 53-year-old factory owner Samer Afana reopened part of his sweets factory using generators powered by fuel made from melted plastic. "Before, generators were used for short outages," he said. "Now we depend on them completely, and our expenses have tripled." Afana said he has lost about 1.5 million U.S. dollars due to the war. "The destruction of Gaza's power grid has doubled companies' losses and destroyed thousands of jobs," he said. According to the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company, the enclave has lost about 1.2 billion kilowatt-hours of power since the war began. Damage to the electricity infrastructure exceeds 728 million dollars, the company said, with thousands of networks, transformers, and meters destroyed. "Now, the power plant is almost completely out of service," company spokesman Mohammed Thabet said. With no clear timeline for repair, most Gazans continue to live without electricity, relying on candles, solar lamps, and improvised fuel sources.