Latest News
250 missing after migrant boat sinks in Indian Ocean
About 250 Rohingya and Bangladeshis, including children, are missing after their boat capsized last week in the Andaman Sea, according to the United Nations’ refugee and migration agencies.
The trawler, which had departed from Bangladesh and was bound for Malaysia, “reportedly sank due to heavy winds, rough seas and overcrowding”, the agencies said.
The Bangladesh Coast Guard told AFP news agency one of its ships rescued nine people from the vessel on 9 April. It is unclear when exactly the boat capsized.
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya, one of Myanmar’s many ethnic minorities, have been fleeing across the border into Bangladesh since a deadly crackdown in 2017.
The Rohingya, who are primarily Muslim, are denied citizenship by the government of Myanmar, a Buddhist-majority country.
Poor living conditions in Bangladesh however have also prompted some Rohingya to make precarious journeys on overcrowded vessels to Malaysia, a Muslim country which some envision to be a safe haven in the region.
Rafiqul Islam, one of the survivors, told AFP he floated for nearly 36 hours before being rescued, adding that he was burned by oil that spilled from the vessel.
The 40-year-old said the promise of a job in Malaysia was what persuaded him to get on the boat.
“This tragic incident reflects the dire consequences of protracted displacement and the absence of durable solutions for the Rohingya,” the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in its statement jointly issued with the International Organization for Migration.
Ongoing violence in Rakhine, their home state in Myanmar, has “faded hopes of safe return in the near future”, the agencies said, noting that shrinking humanitarian assistance and challenging living conditions in refugee camps have pushed them to “take such dangerous sea journeys in search of safety and opportunity”.
These boats are often small and cramped, lacking in basic facilities like fresh water and sanitation. They do not always make it to their destinations. Some die at sea, while others are sometimes detained or deported.
Some have also been turned away upon nearing Malaysia and Indonesia, either by authorities or local coastal communities. In January 2025, Malaysia turned away two boats carrying around 300 refugees after giving the passengers food and water.
“People are dying in the fighting, dying from hunger. So some think it’s better to die at sea than to die slowly here,” a Rohingya refugee in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, had previously told Reuters.
In their statement on Tuesday, the UN agencies called on the international community to sustain funding for Rohingya refugees and their host communities in Bangladesh.
They added: “As Bangladesh marks its new year, this tragedy is a reminder of the efforts urgently needed to address the root causes of displacement in Myanmar and create conditions that would allow Rohingya refugees return home voluntarily, safely and with dignity.”
[BBC]
Latest News
Landslide Early Warnings issued to the Districts of Kandy, Kegalle, Matale and Ratnapura
The Hational Building Research Institute (NBRI) has issued landslide early warnings to the Districts of Kandy, Kegalle, Matale and Ratnapura valid from 2200 hrs on 03rd October upto 2200 hrs on 04th October 2026.
Accordingly,
LEVEL II (AMBER) landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Udu Dumbara and Minipe 8n the Kandy district, Dehiowita in the Kegalle district, and Ambanganga Korale and Matale in the Matale district.
LEVEL I (YELLOW) landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Rambukkana in the Kegalle district, Rattota in the Matale district, and Eheliyagoda in the Ratnapura district.
The head of Turkiye’s football refereeing body and four other officials have been placed in pretrial detention by a court as part of a corruption investigation, the state news agency Anadolu reports.
Ferhat Gundogdu, head of the Central Referees Committee, and six others appeared before a judge over allegations of manipulation of the referee administration process, Anadolu said on Saturday.
They appeared on Friday before a judge at Istanbul’s Caglayan courthouse on several charges, including forgery of official documents, breach of trust and illegal acquisition of personal data, the report said.
The judge remanded five people in custody and granted the other two conditional release, Anadolu said.
It was the latest scandal to shake football in Turkiye, coming exactly a year after the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) suspended 149 referees on charges of illegal betting.
On Thursday night, police from the illegal betting and sports crime unit also detained Yasin Kol, a referee from Turkiye’s top-flight Super Lig, as well as an assistant referee, media reports said.
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said prosecutors are examining claims about “interference in the processes of referee classification, assignments, scoring and appointments as well as the exams on rules”.
During raids on Tuesday, police searched the VAR room at TFF’s headquarters in Istanbul. Observers said the investigation was likely linked to last year’s betting scandal and would have implications for the federation.
“It does seem to be a continuation of 2025, and it looks like it will continue further,” sports journalist Ayhan Sensoy told the AFP news agency.
Sensoy, who wrote a 2024 book on the issue called The Gambling Pit, said it was unlikely that federation bosses “have any chance of staying in office”.
So far, the TFF has not directly addressed the arrests as its top officials are due to fly home on Saturday after attending Friday night’s Belgium-Turkiye UEFA Nations League clash in Liege, which Turkiye lost 3-0.
[Aljazeera]
A car has crashed into a crowd of rugby league supporters in the eastern Australian city of Newcastle, injuring 10 people, including three children.
New South Wales police said on Saturday that two of the injured – a five-year-old girl and a 67-year-old man – were in a critical condition and the other eight were in stable condition in hospital.
Police said they had arrested the 18-year-old man driving the vehicle and were investigating what happened. They said the crash was not believed to be related to “terrorism”.
The crowd had gathered to farewell the local rugby league side, the Newcastle Knights, ahead of their grand final against the Sydney Roosters on Sunday.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Gavin Morris said the driver, a rugby league fan, had lost control of his vehicle and had been taken into custody.
“He was revving the car, he was excited, he was a supporter, he was there for the joy of the moment,” Morris told the national broadcaster ABC.
“Somehow he lost control of the car … and he’s gone into the crowd,” he added.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “My thoughts are with everyone injured or involved in the horrible incident this morning in Newcastle.”
“Rugby league brings people together, and this should have been a weekend of excitement and pride for Newcastle fans,” he wrote in a social media post.
[Aljazeera]
Debris found from plane that went missing off US coast
Construction of Jet A-1 Aviation fuel pipeline and new oil tank complex at Muthurajawela begins under President’s patronage
Landslide Early Warnings issued to the Districts of Kandy, Kegalle, Matale and Ratnapura
No handshakes and a delayed ceremony as India beat Pakistan at Asian Games
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Lanka enters new phase of prosecutions as hurdles clear
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