As garbage piles up and the heat rises in Gaza, flies and mosquitoes proliferate in crowded Rafah city and life becomes even more grim for displaced people living in tents.

Hundreds of students have been arrested across universities in the United States, with scuffles reported between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the University of California, Los Angeles, as rallies for a ceasefire in Gaza and divestment from companies linked to Israel spread across US campuses.

US top diplomat Antony Blinken yesterday said he was “hopeful” Hamas would accept the latest proposal for a long-sought Gaza truce and hostage release deal as negotiators from the Palestinian group were due in Egypt.

Taxing people’s inheritance cannot address inequality and has “never removed poverty”, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told The Times of India newspaper, alleviating fears that such a tax could be imposed if he returns to power after the elections.

G7 energy ministers yesterday discussed a possible time frame for phasing out coal-fired power plants, as the UN warned “excuses” for failing to take bold actions on climate change were “not acceptable”.

Hamas has been offered a 40-day ceasefire and the release of "potentially thousands" of Palestinian prisoners in return for freeing Israeli hostages, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Monday

Israel is preparing a planned ground attack on the town of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. At least 30 Israeli paratroopers have refused to participate in this battle. This was reported by the Israeli broadcaster 'Channel Twelve'

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Monday that at least 34,488 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory during almost seven months of war between Israel and Hamas

At least 42 people have been killed when a dam burst its banks in a town north of the Kenyan capital Nairobi, the local governor told AFP on Monday, as the country battles heavy rains and floods

KFC has reduced its operations in Malaysia, shuttering more than 100 restaurants temporarily after months of a persistent pro-Palestine boycott of US-linked businesses triggered by the ongoing war in Gaza

The storms dumped up to seven inches (18 centimeters) of rain in some places within hours, and meteorologists warned of a continuing danger of extreme weather Sunday, including flash flooding, hail and more tornadoes.

The US has imposed an array of sanctions on Russia and Russian entities since the country invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Hamas said Sunday it had no "major issues" after reviewing Israel's latest proposal for a long-sought truce and hostage-release deal in the Gaza Strip after almost seven months of war

The White House insisted Sunday that pro-Palestinian protests that have rocked US universities in recent weeks must remain peaceful, after police arrested around 275 people on four separate campuses over the weekend

Police detained nearly 200 people at three US universities on Saturday as they cleared pro-Palestinian encampments, in the latest campus clashes triggered by protests over Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

Ireland is looking to amend the law to allow the return of asylum seekers to the United Kingdom, broadcaster RTE said yesterday after an influx over the border with Northern Ireland.

Palestinians in Rafah told AFP they were living in “constant terror” as Israel vows to push ahead with its planned assault on the south Gaza city flooded with displaced civilians.

US President Joe Biden delivered an election-year roast on Saturday night at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner as protesters outside criticized his support for Israel’s war against Hamas.

South and Southeast Asia braced for more extreme heat yesterday as authorities across the region issued health warnings and residents fled to parks and air-conditioned malls for relief.

Diplomatic efforts increased yesterday to reach a long sought-after truce and hostage-release deal in Gaza, as Israel carried out further air strikes and shelling on the Palestinian territory.