देश-विदेश

Questions have been raised regarding Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg after his $300 million vessel reportedly ignored a call to assist a stranded boat off the coast of south-east Alaska. The 387-foot luxury yacht, named Launchpad, was positioned closer to the helpless 21-foot skiff than the commercial cruise vessel that ultimately stepped in to provide aid. According to an eyewitness account shared on Bluesky by a traveler on the Wilderness Legacy (operated by UnCruise Adventures), the captain informed guests that maritime authorities had tried reaching the billionaire’s vessel first. The passenger noted that their vessel performed the rescue after the US Coast Guard tried contacting Mark Zuckerberg’s yacht, which sat at a shorter distance, and reported that the crew repeatedly ignored the radio broadcasts. Representatives for Zuckerberg and his partner, Priscilla Chan, have strongly disputed the claim that the crew knowingly ignored a distress signal. Spokesperson Brian Baker clarified to Forbes that neither Zuckerberg nor Chan were present on Launchpad during the incident. He further stated that the crew was monitoring a different radio frequency at the time and maintained that rescue operations were already under way by the time the message was reviewed. The small skiff had been left immobilised after running out of fuel while traveling between Petersburg and Juneau. Zuckerberg, who heads Meta Platforms, has not issued any personal statement concerning the event.

A high-stakes rift has emerged between Washington and Jerusalem following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s explicit rejection of Donald Trump’s 15-point proposal for Gaza, with Israel insisting on maintaining a military presence until Hamas is fully disarmed. Under the framework put forward by Trump’s Board of Peace last month, terms were outlined for the reduction or withdrawal of military personnel and weapons across specified zones. Hamas responded by stating that relinquishing its arsenal remains conditional upon Israel ending all forms of aggression and withdrawing its forces from Gaza entirely. Despite an agreement reached last October to pause hostilities in the territory, Israeli strikes inside Gaza have continued. Addressing a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu stated that Israel rejects the 15-point document. He stressed that the Israeli military will not execute any troop withdrawals until Hamas undergoes genuine disarmament, adding that forces will continue to counter active threats to safeguard personnel and citizens. Although Trump previously hailed the initiative as a major milestone toward lasting regional stability after Hamas indicated acceptance of a demilitarisation strategy, Netanyahu emphasised that disarmament must precede any Israeli pullback, warning against what he described as a fictitious disarmament process. Netanyahu is engaged in crucial discussions with American officials regarding next steps, marking another hurdle for Trump’s Gaza peace initiative originally unveiled in September last year. The proposed plan centres on establishing a Board of Peace tasked with overseeing the demilitarisation of Hamas, supervising the exit of Israeli troops, and directing reconstruction efforts throughout Gaza.

More than one million people have been evacuated across eastern China following the landfall of Typhoon Dolphin, which struck Zhejiang province on Sunday evening packing maximum sustained winds of 150 km/h. The system slammed into Yuhuan before making a second landfall in Wenzhou shortly after, forcing emergency relocations and widespread transport shutdowns. Meteorological authorities downgraded Dolphin to a tropical storm on Monday morning, but critical warnings remain active for severe urban flooding, torrential downpours, and landslides across eastern provinces through Wednesday. The severe weather triggered massive transport disruptions, including the cancellation of 1,400 flights in Shanghai alone. In Wenzhou, officials relocated roughly 900,000 residents and opened over 1,000 emergency shelters, while Taizhou evacuated 390,000 people. In Shanghai, urban flooding submerged ground-floor businesses in high-traffic tourist areas, prompting major attractions like Disneyland and Legoland to halt operations. In Fujian province, maritime agencies suspended dozens of passenger ferry routes and shut down over 100 offshore construction projects. Search operations are underway in Wenling, Zhejiang, for a nine-year-old boy who remains missing after being swept into the sea. Chinese state media also confirmed the arrest of two individuals accused of fabricating and spreading AI-generated misinformation about storm casualties online. Before striking mainland China, the storm system intensified monsoon conditions across the region, causing eight deaths in the Philippines and injuring five elderly residents in Okinawa, Japan.

Italian authorities have uncovered an ancient Roman merchant ship off the coast of Sicily, dating back to the 2nd or 1st Century BC. The vessel was discovered lying 46 metres underwater roughly three nautical miles off Mazara del Vallo. Measuring 21 metres long and 6 metres wide, the vessel’s cargo holds remain piled with hundreds of well-preserved amphorae, primarily Dressel 1A ceramic jars used during the late Roman Republic to transport commodities such as wine, olive oil, and grain. Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli described the site as “one of the most important underwater archaeological discoveries of recent years”. Local fisherman and free-diver Giacomo De Mola first flagged the site after detecting an anomaly on his sonar scanner that resembled a massive reef or rock. Upon diving down to investigate, he encountered the intact cargo mound surrounded by marine life. Following De Mola’s report, specialist divers from the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (Carabinieri Art Squad), working alongside the Sicilian Region’s Superintendency of the Sea, were dispatched to survey and document the seabed. Archaeologists also identified two lead anchor stocks alongside the vessel’s structure. Italian maritime authorities have implemented security measures to safeguard the wreckage from illicit looting while further documentation and cargo analysis take place.

The death toll from a mass shooting in Thailand has risen to nine after a 12-year-old girl died in hospital from injuries sustained during Friday’s attack. Police confirmed that the 14-year-old perpetrator spent up to two years researching firearms online and consuming violent media. The teenager shot and killed his two grandparents at their Bang Bua Thong residence in the early hours of Friday morning before travelling to Debsirin Nonthaburi School, northwest of Bangkok. Armed with a legally registered 9mm handgun belonging to his grandfather, a knife, and additional ammunition, the student opened fire inside the school, killing staff and injuring dozens before turning the weapon on himself. Over a dozen victims, mostly aged between 12 and 14, remain hospitalised with critical injuries. Deputy Commissioner of Province 1 Police Region Atthapol Anusit stated that detectives have interviewed 17 witnesses so far. While police noted the boy had shown signs of school-related stress, relatives claimed they were unaware of any prior behavioral issues. In response to the tragedy, Thailand’s Ministry of Education announced plans to implement comprehensive campus safety reforms within three months, including emergency response training, weapons restrictions, and mental health screening mechanisms. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul pledged to introduce stricter legislative controls on gun ownership across the country.

The Canadian province of British Columbia has declared a provincewide state of emergency following a rapidly expanding wildfire that forced nearly 22,000 residents to evacuate their homes, with another 9,700 under active evacuation alerts. Over 100 wildfires are currently burning across the region, nearly half of which remain classified as out of control. The entire community of Summerland, comprising approximately 12,000 residents, received overnight mandatory evacuation orders alongside roughly 8,000 people in and around the neighbouring district of Peachland. Originating on Friday evening, the Bald Range wildfire expanded rapidly to cover roughly 50 square kilometres. The blaze swept through the rural settlement of Faulder before advancing approximately 15 kilometres towards Summerland at high speed. British Columbia Premier David Eby noted that an operational official characterised the rapid growth of the fire as being “like a bomb going off”. “I know many families are facing an unimaginable day today,” Eby stated. “People have lost their homes. And many people have been displaced. Others are waiting for news about loved ones.” Cliff Chapman, director of wildfire operations at the BC Wildfire Service, described conditions throughout the province as “explosive”. Due to fast-moving flames cutting off ground evacuation routes, officials dispatched firefighting helicopters to conduct aerial rescues for trapped residents. The declaration of a emergency grants provincial authorities extraordinary legal powers to enforce travel restrictions, secure emergency temporary housing for evacuees, and coordinate response efforts across affected sectors.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has confirmed that its nationwide distribution of body-worn cameras to all field officers and agents is moving ahead of schedule, with deployment set to wrap up by the end of August. Acting Director David Venturella announced the accelerated timetable amidst intense public and congressional scrutiny following recent fatal enforcement encounters. Public outrage mounted after lethal shootings during traffic stops in Maine and Texas, as well as the fatal shooting of two US citizens during an immigration crackdown in Minnesota. In response to the incidents, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem previously stated that the camera programme would expand nationwide as funding allowed, while border czar Tom Homan directed that officers record vehicle stops using at least one body camera. Under current internal policies, ICE permits expedited footage releases following incidents involving severe injury or death in custody. However, the agency retains broad authority to withhold recordings to safeguard active investigations or personal privacy. Transparency advocates and legal scholars have criticised the framework, arguing that granting agency leadership discretionary power to block or delay footage releases risks shielding federal operations from meaningful public oversight.