UAE warns Israel West Bank annexation would cross ‘red line’
The United Arab Emirates warned Israel on Wednesday that any annexation of the West Bank would be a red line for Abu Dhabi, threatening to undermine t...
Australia ordered thousands of people in its eastern regions to evacuate before Tropical Cyclone Alfred hits land on Saturday, as the storm brought heavy rain, huge waves and strong winds that cut off power, swamped beaches and shut airports.
Alfred's slow progress toward the coast fed concern it could bring a prolonged period of heavy rain and is expected to hit land as a Category 2 storm north of Brisbane, Australia's third-most populous city, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
"The evacuation centres are a last resort," Queensland Premier David Crisafulli told a news conference on Friday, adding that dozens had been opened.
"Have an evacuation plan if you are in one of those areas," he urged those in the cyclone's path, advising them to secure their homes before evacuating.
"If in doubt, go and stay with friends and families."
Wind gusts of more than 100 kph (62 mph) lashed the coastal regions of Queensland and New South Wales states overnight.
The storm moved slowly west 120 km (75 miles)from Brisbane and 85 kilometres (53 miles) from the tourist city Gold Coast, the weather bureau said.
It brought turmoil that snapped power links to more than 80,000 homes across the two states, electricity firms said, around half of them in Gold Coast.
Television images showed surfers riding the huge seas and people strolling near beaches, forcing officials to warn residents to stay indoors or prepare to evacuate.
"This isn't a time for sightseeing or for seeing what it's like to experience these conditions firsthand," said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. "Please stay safe. Be sensible."
Albanese told reporters that 120 defence personnel would help emergency crews in rescue and relief efforts.
FLOOD IMPACT
Heavy rains dumped more than 400 mm (16 inches) of rain in some parts of northern New South Wales over the last 48 hours, exceeding the mean total for March, data showed, as residents scrambled to save properties from the risk of floods.
New South Wales business owner Thomas Gough was busy stacking sandbags at his shop in Lismore, a rural town about 700 km (440 miles) north of Sydney, which was devastated by major floods in 2022.
"It's a beautiful place to live most of the time, but it feels like we have one-in-100-year events every five years - there's nothing we can do about it," Gough told broadcaster ABC News.
Brisbane Airport shut operations on Thursday and the city suspended public transport. More than 1,000 schools in southeast Queensland and 280 in northern New South Wales have been closed.
Officials have described Alfred as a "very rare event" for Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, which was last hit by a cyclone more than half a century ago in 1974. The city of about 2.7 million had near misses from cyclones in 1990 and 2019.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
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A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
The United Arab Emirates warned Israel on Wednesday that any annexation of the West Bank would be a red line for Abu Dhabi, threatening to undermine the Abraham Accords that normalised ties between the two states.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Economy has urged United Nations agencies and humanitarian organisations to speed up the delivery of aid to survivors of the recent earthquakes that struck several eastern provinces.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shook hands with Woo Won-shik, the speaker of South Korea’s National Assembly, before the start of a military parade in Beijing on Wednesday, a rare interaction amids strained inter-Korean relations.
Afghanistan airdropped commandos on Wednesday to pull survivors from the rubble of homes in mountainous eastern areas ravaged by earthquakes this week that have killed more than 1,400, as it ramped up efforts to deliver food, shelter and medical supplies.
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