A man stands next to stranded cars, in the aftermath of floods caused by heavy rains, in Sedavi, Valencia, Spain, October 31, 2024. Almost 240 people died in Spain after torrential rains in October 2024 triggered floods that swept through eastern and southeastern Spain. REUTERSA man stands next to stranded cars, in the aftermath of floods caused by heavy rains, in Sedavi, Valencia, Spain, October 31, 2024. Almost 240 people died in Spain after torrential rains in October 2024 triggered floods that swept through eastern and southeastern Spain. Flash floods caused by torrential rains swept away bridges, cars and people and swamped homes and underground car parks on Oct 29, 2024.

REUTERS/Aline MassucaAt least 64 people died on Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro's most deadly police operation ever, which targeted a major gang days before the city hosts global events related to the United Nations climate summit known as COP30. Police have often conducted large-scale operations against criminal groups ahead of major events in Rio, which hosted the 2016 Olympics, the 2024 G20 summit and the BRICS summit in July. The programming is part of the run-up to COP30, the United Nations climate summit held in the Amazon city of Belem from Nov 10 to Nov 21. The death toll confirmed by Rio Governor Claudio Castro on Tuesday, which included four police officers, was more than twice Rio's most deadly previous police operation. After the most intense fighting subsided, a Reuters journalist saw police from a special operations unit rounding up dozens of shirtless men.

REUTERSThe Nepali and Chinese sides of the Everest region were closed to tourism on Wednesday due to unseasonably heavy snow, and a helicopter crashed in deep snowdrifts as it tried to rescue stranded trekkers. A small private helicopter flying to Lobuche near the Everest Base Camp to rescue stranded trekkers crashed when it tried to land, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal spokesperson Gyanendra Bhul said. It was unclear if there were tourists trapped inside the Everest region in Tibet. In early October, a blizzard stranded hundreds of trekkers near the eastern face of Everest on the Tibetan side. In Nepal, more than 50 people had died due to floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains.

Floods triggered by record heavy rains have killed at least nine people and left five others missing in central Vietnam, the government said on Wednesday. The floods have also inundated more than 103,000 houses, mostly in the country's top tourist sites of Hue and Hoi An, the government's disaster agency said in a separate report. Vietnam is prone to often deadly storms and flooding that cause widespread property damage, especially during the storm season from June until October. In nearby Danang, water in most of its reservoirs has reached maximum depths, while water levels in its rivers also continued to rise, the government said. "Widespread flooding continues in low-lying areas along rivers and in urban areas, with high risks of flash floods and landslides in mountainous areas of Danang," it said.

REUTERSThe US dollar hovered close to a one-week low versus major peers on Wednesday ahead of a widely expected interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve later in the day. "The interest is in the guidance provided by (Fed) Chairperson Jerome Powell at his press conference," said Kyle Rodda, an analyst at Capital.com. "A lot of dovishness is baked into the curve, with a cut in December almost fully discounted," he said. Takaichi, viewed as a fiscal and monetary dove, has asked the BOJ to maintain an easy monetary environment, but has said the conduct of monetary policy is up to the central bank. The European Central Bank also decides policy on Thursday, and is expected to leave rates unchanged.

Oil prices edged up on Wednesday morning after three straight days of declines, with market sources citing a decline in US crude inventories, while investor concerns about Russia sanctions and a potential OPEC+ output increase capped gains. US crude, gasoline and distillate stocks fell last week, market sources said, citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Tuesday. Crude stocks fell by 4.02 million barrels for the week ended October 24, the sources said, requesting anonymity. However, state-run Indian Oil on Tuesday said it would not stop buying Russian oil as long as it was complying with sanctions. On Tuesday, the CEO of Saudi state oil giant Aramco said crude oil demand was strong even before sanctions were imposed on Russian oil majors and Chinese demand was still healthy.

The prospect of lower US rates this week supported bonds, while the dollar sustained losses as investors bet Wednesday's expected Fed cut would not be the last for the year. "Investors want to see not just solid numbers but evidence of sustained AI monetisation and broadening demand beyond the initial boom. The Fed cut expectations in turn left the dollar weak on Wednesday, with the euro and sterling firming at $1.1652 and $1.3272, respectively. The Aussie dollar rose 0.17% to $0.6598, after data showed domestic inflation rose by the most in over two years in the September quarter. A shockingly sharp jump in core inflation seemed to rule out a near-term interest rate cut from the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Even so, Microsoft will hold a 27% stake in OpenAI and remain a significant player in its future. OpenAI and Microsoft expect to end the revenue-share agreement once an independent panel declares AGI, but OpenAI can also make those payments later. The OpenAI Foundation has a 26% stake in OpenAI Group and a warrant to receive additional shares if the company hits certain milestones. Microsoft also said that it has secured a deal with OpenAI where the ChatGPT maker will purchase $250 billion of Azure cloud computing services. In exchange, Microsoft will no longer have the right of first refusal to provide computing services to OpenAI.

Talks aimed at securing a long-term truce between Afghanistan and Pakistan concluded in Istanbul without a "workable solution", Pakistan's information minister said on Wednesday, in a blow for peace in the region after deadly clashes this month. "Instead of accepting any responsibility, the Afghan Taliban resorted to blame game, deflection and ruses. The October clashes began after Pakistani air strikes this month on Kabul, the Afghan capital, among other locations, targeting the head of the Pakistani Taliban. On Saturday, Pakistan's defence minister said he believed Afghanistan wanted peace but that failure to reach an agreement in Istanbul would mean "open war". Despite a ceasefire between Pakistan and the Taliban, weekend clashes killed five Pakistani soldiers and 25 Pakistani Taliban militants near the border with Afghanistan, the military said on Sunday.

During his time there, he attended a film production course at the Busan Asian Film School (AFiS). – "The course offered a thorough understanding of film production, co-productions between Asian countries, and ways to create an avenue to expand the overall Asian film market," shared the actor. The goal of this course was to push Asian cinema forward in the global market. "That was just for learning," he said humbly about his short film "Hoite Surma", which has already travelled to film festivals. Photo: CourtesyFor now, Manoj has just wrapped up a new commercial and is planning to shoot a short film soon.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism has suspended scheduled international flights at Cox's Bazar Airport in line with a government decision. The statement read, "The letter also requested that Cox's Bazar Airport not be used for non-scheduled international flights or emergency landings until the resumption of international flight operations." The decision to suspend operations came only 12 days after Cox's Bazar Airport received official recognition as an international airport. On Oct 13, the government had issued a notification granting Cox's Bazar the status of the country's fourth international airport. Although the change of government created uncertainty over several development initiatives taken by the previous administration, construction at Cox's Bazar Airport continued without interruption.

US President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the US Ambassador's Residence in Tokyo, Japan, Oct 28, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinUS President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the US Ambassador's Residence in Tokyo, Japan, Oct 28, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinUS President Donald Trump will meet with the leaders of the five Central Asian nations next week, a source familiar with the gathering told Reuters on Tuesday. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, following meetings with Uzbek officials in the Central Asian nation, said Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev would meet with Trump in Washington next week. Such Central Asian nations have traditionally fallen under Russia's sphere of influence.

REUTERS/Laban WallogaA light aircraft carrying foreign tourists from Hungary and Germany crashed in Kenya on Tuesday, killing the 11 people on board. The airline, Mombasa Air Safari, said the plane was carrying 10 passengers: eight Hungarians and two Germans. "Sadly, there are no survivors," Mombasa Air Safari said in a statement. A regional police commander, in comments aired by public broadcaster Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, said all the passengers were tourists. The aviation authority said the aircraft was travelling from Diani, on the coast, to Kichwa Tembo in Kenya's Maasai Mara national reserve.

Bangladesh can leave past behind if July Charter properly implemented, says YunusChief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has said Bangladesh can “free itself from the past” if the July National Charter is implemented properly and its reform process carried out with commitment. The handover marks the next phase in operationalising the July Charter, signed earlier this month by most major political parties and the interim government. The document was signed by 25 political parties to anchor Bangladesh’s transition toward a new democratic framework. Yunus said the reform implementation process would determine whether the Charter truly fulfils its promise. “If we can properly follow and advance the implementation process the commission has given us today, Bangladesh will break free from its past,” he said.

A car drives near debris on a road, as Hurricane Melissa approaches, in Kingston, Jamaica, Oct 28, 2025. REUTERS/Octavio JonesA car drives near debris on a road, as Hurricane Melissa approaches, in Kingston, Jamaica, Oct 28, 2025. REUTERS/Octavio JonesJamaicans braced for impact on Tuesday as Hurricane Melissa neared landfall, threatening catastrophic storm surges, flash floods, and landslides as the worst storm to hit the Caribbean island this century. The Miami-based hurricane centre warned that "total structural failure" was likely in Melissa's path. STORM INTENSIFIED ON APPROACHMelissa's slow movement over unusually tepid Caribbean water had contributed to its ballooning size and strength, NHC forecasters said, threatening Jamaica with days of never-before-seen catastrophic winds and rain.