ZURICH, Oct 1 — Swiss glaciers melted at an above-average rate this year as a blistering hot summer thawed through abundant snowfall, monitoring body Glamos said today.

KAOHSIUNG, Oct 1 — Taiwan mobilised nearly 40,000 troops today to be on standby for rescue efforts as powerful Typhoon Krathon approached its populous southwest coast, which is bracing for a storm surge.

BANGKOK, Sept 30 — Alphabet Inc's Google said on Monday it would invest US$1 billion in Thailand to build a data centre and cloud region to meet growing cloud demand and support artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in Southeast Asia.

BEIRUT, Sept 30 — Lebanon is ready to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which involves deploying the Lebanese army south of the Litani River, Anadolu Agency reported, quoting caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Monday.

RIYADH, Sept 30 — Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud have announced the provision of monthly financial support to the Palestinian.

BEIRUT, Sept 30 — Lebanon's Hezbollah will choose a successor to its slain secretary-general Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah "at the earliest opportunity" and will continue the fight against Israel, the Iran-backed group's deputy chief Naim Qassem said on Monday.

JEDDAH, Sept 30 — The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) stressed yesterday the importance of launching the international coalition to implement the two-state solution, which was announced by Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

FLAT ROCK, NORTH CAROLINA, Sept 30 — The Southeastern US began a huge cleanup and recovery effort on Sunday and the death toll climbed towards 100 after Hurricane Helene knocked out power for millions, destroyed roads and bridges and caused dramatic flooding from Florida to Virginia.

WASHINGTON, Sept 30 — California Governor Gavin Newsom yesterday vetoed a hotly contested artificial intelligence (AI) safety bill after the tech industry raised objections, saying it could drive AI companies from the state and hinder innovation.

ANKARA, Sept 29 — Egypt has lost US$6 billion in Suez Canal revenue due to escalating geopolitical tensions in the region, Anadolu Agency reported, citing President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday.

BEIRUT, Sept 29 — Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced on Saturday a three-day national mourning after the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, which has sparked fears of a wider conflict in the region, Anadolu Agency reported.

ISTANBUL, Sept 29 — At least 33 people were killed and 195 injured Saturday in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon, Anadolu Agency reported citing the Lebanese state-run Health Ministry.

JERUSALEM/BEIRUT, Sept 28 — Israel has killed Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a powerful airstrike in Beirut, dealing a huge blow to the Iran-backed group as it reels from an escalating campaign of Israeli attacks.

BEIRUT, Sept 28 — When Israel began pounding the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh in airstrikes that killed Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, the blasts were so powerful that a pregnant woman feared her baby could not withstand the force.

PHNOM PENH, Sept 28 — Myanmar military leader cum State Administration Council Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing called on all parties to reduce violence and restore peace to woo more tourists to the market, which only received half a million visitors in the first five months of this year.

BUENOS AIRES, Sept 28 — Brazil's Supreme Court rejected lifting a ban on tech billionaire Elon Musk's social media platform X (formerly Twitter) in the country on Friday, reported the German News Agency (dpa).

BEIJING, Sept 28 — Chinese air and naval forces are conducting manoeuvres in a disputed area of the South China Sea, the military said on Saturday, hours after the country's top diplomat discussed ways of reducing regional tension with his United States (US) counterpart.

MANILA, Sept 28 — Australia and the Philippines said their militaries would conduct a joint maritime activity with Japan, New Zealand, and the United States (US) in the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, which covers one of Asia's most sensitive sites.

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, Sept 28 — A wave of air raids hit Beirut's southern suburbs early on Saturday as Israel stepped up attacks on Hezbollah, after a massive strike on the Iran-backed movement's command centre that apparently targeted leader Hassan Nasrallah.

LONDON, Sept 27 — British actress Maggie Smith, an award-winning Shakespearian actress and double Oscar winner who later appeared in the Harry Potter films, has died aged 89, the BBC reported today.