Sri Lanka has appealed for international assistance as 130 people were reported missing and 123 people died as a result of the severe rains and floods that caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
The Disaster Management Center (DMC) reported on Saturday that the extreme weather system has destroyed nearly 15, 000 homes nationwide and sent almost 44, 000 people to temporary shelters run by the government.
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The central district of Kandy, located 115 kilometers (70 miles) east of the capital Colombo, is currently experiencing more landslides due to the main access road being submerged in several locations despite Cyclone Ditwah’s plan to travel northward toward neighboring India on Saturday.
As he revealed the most recent casualty figures, DMC Director-General Sampath Kotuwegoda claimed relief operations had been increased as a result of the deployment of thousands of army, navy, and air force personnel.
Kotuwegoda told reporters in Colombo that “relief operations are being conducted with the assistance of the armed forces.”
Many people have been stranded in various flood-hit areas, according to Mahesh Gunasekara, the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society’s secretary-general, as rescue workers attempt to get to them.
“Relief needs are growing,” he said. He claimed that water has continued to swell after two days.
“The cyclone is slowly eroding from the country, but it is not over for us,” Gunasekara continued.
Authorities issued evacuation orders for those who reside along the banks of the Kelani River, which flows into Colombo into the Indian Ocean.
According to the DMC, hundreds of people were forced into temporary shelters after the Kelani burst its banks on Friday night.
Sri Lankans abroad were asked to make cash donations to help nearly half a million of the country’s nearly half-a-million affected people in an appeal for international aid.
According to officials, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya met with diplomats from Colombo to brief them on the situation and enlist the support of their governments.
An Indian warship already in Colombo on a previously scheduled goodwill visit donated its rations to help victims, while India was the first to respond by sending two planeloads of relief supplies.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences for the Sri Lankan deaths and said New Delhi was prepared to provide additional aid.
As the situation changes, Modi stated on X that “we are ready to offer more assistance and assistance.”
Parts of Sri Lanka’s north were still experiencing showers as a result of the island’s continuing effects of Cyclone Ditwah, though the rain had eased in the majority of the country on Saturday, including the capital.
DMC officials predicted flood levels to exceed those recorded in 2016 and result in the deaths of 71 people all over the country.
The highest week-by-week weather-related death toll has been recorded since June last year, when 26 people died as a result of heavy rain.
At least 128 people were killed in fires at a high-rise apartment complex, prompting Hong Kong to begin a five-day mourning period on Saturday. Residents who laid flowers close to the towers observed a three-minute silence. Around 200 people are still missing, according to authorities.
As one of Ukraine’s top negotiators is being investigated for wide-ranging corruption, Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff resigned following the search of his home. Rory Challands of Al Jazeera analyzes what we currently know in Kyiv.
16 teams from across the region square off against one another in Qatar on Monday, the biggest football competition in the Arab world.
Everything you need to know about the tournament, which takes place every four years, is listed below:
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What dates are crucial?
Tunisia and Syria will face off in the opening match of the FIFA Arab Cup 2025 on Monday.
The 32-match tournament will come to an end on December 18 when the final match will be played.
December 1 through December 9
December 11 and December 12 in the quarterfinals
December 15 in the semi-finals
December 18 playoff for third place
18th December, the final
Where is the location of the competition?
Qatar, which hosted the 1998 and 2021 competitions, will host the third Arab Cup. Following the recently finished FIFA U-17 World Cup, the Gulf nation hosts its second successive FIFA tournament.
The regional showpiece, which was used during the FIFA World Cup three years ago, was held at six different locations.
The tournament’s opening will take place at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, just as it did during Qatar 2022, while the magnificent Lusail Stadium will host the final.
The Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA) will organize the 2025 Arab Cup, its second edition under FIFA’s purview, with previous editions planned for 2021.
The host cities and stadiums are listed below:
⚽ Lusail City: Lusail Stadium (capacity: 88, 966) Al Rayyan: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium (capacity 45, 032) ⚽ Al Khor: Al Bayt Stadium (capacity: 68, 895) ⚽ Doha: Stadium 974 (capacity: 44, 089) Education City Stadium (capacity: 44, 667): Doha’s Khalifa International Stadium has capacity of 45 and 85.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup final will take place on December 18 at the world-famous Lusail Stadium in Qatar.
How many teams are participating?
The tournament will feature 16 nations selected from the Confederations of African Football (CFF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Qatar and Algeria, the seven nations with the highest rankings in May, were the only ones who automatically qualified.
A number of single-leg qualification matches were held in Qatar this week to fill the remaining seven slots.
Following are the four groups that made up the participating countries:
Tunisia, Syria, Qatar, and Palestine are all in Group A.
Group B: Morocco, Saudi Arabia, the Comoros, Oman, and Group B:
Group C: Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates
Group D includes Algeria, Sudan, Iraq, Bahrain, and Group D includes Bahrain.
Palestine’s Arab Cup qualifying process:
In response to Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza, Palestine defeated Libya 4-3 on penalties on Tuesday to win the Arab Cup.
After 90 minutes, Palestine held their nerve in the penalty shootout to advance to the 16-team tournament in Doha.
Coach Ihab Abu Jazar stated to Al Kass TV, “This was the most difficult playoff game. “Libya are strong. We are proud of what we have accomplished and how little we haven’t. One of the few pastimes that Palestinians find joy is football.
We are unique from other teams, they say. We play for two purposes when we play football: to spread messages and to advance Palestinian football. Our team has gained a lot of attention in Asia and is on the verge of making it to the World Cup final.
He continued, “We play to send a message and bring joy to our people, not just trophys.”
On November 25, 2025, Ahmed Saleh, the defender for Libya and Oday Dabbagh, the Palestinian forward, play at Al Gharafa Stadium in Al Rayyan.
What is the Arab Cup’s prize money?
In addition to the top international football tournaments in the world, the 2025 edition will feature a record prize money of more than $36.5 million.
The most recent competition, which took place in 2021, reported a $ 25.50 million prize pool.
What kind of tournaments are there?
The knockout stage, which includes the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final, will feature the top two teams in each group. A third-place playoff will also be held between the two semifinalists who each lost.
If a match ends at the end of the regular playing period, it will have 30 minutes of extra time and, if necessary, penalties.
Who were the champions in the past?
With four titles, Iraq are the Arab Cup’s most successful team. Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, and Algeria have all won once each, while Saudi Arabia is the second-most successful country with two titles.
Algeria are the defending champions after beating Tunisia in the 2021 final by extra points.
The Asian Football Confederation has won six titles historically, compared to the Confederation of African Football teams (four titles).
At the conclusion of the 2021 Arab Cup final in Doha, Algeria goalkeeper Rais Mbolhi holds up the winner’s trophy. Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, second from right, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino are also present.
What makes the Arab Cup significant?
Fans will get a taste of what the best teams from the Arab Cup can expect from the world’s Arabs at the upcoming FIFA World Cup with the Arab Cup.
Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and Algeria will also compete in the FIFA World Cup 2026, which will be held in Washington, Mexico, and Canada.
Baghdad Bounedjah, the Algerian striker, said, “The tournament plays an important role in showcasing Arab and Islamic culture to the world.” It’s a celebration of our shared fervor for the beautiful game on a global scale and an opportunity to showcase our shared passion for it.
The Arab Cup could serve as a launching pad for teams hoping to make a long run on football’s biggest stage with the addition of an expanded 48-team pool in the redesigned World Cup.
Who will win the lottery, odds are?
Up to five teams could be regarded as the title’s frontrunners based on their most recent performance in the 2026 World Cup qualifying phase.
Tunisia is second, winning nine of the ten matches to advance to the top of their group, while accumulating the most points (28 out of a possible 30) among all CAF countries during the World Cup qualifiers.
Algeria and Morocco, two of the country’s closest neighbors, are strong contenders for the World Cup after both finished in the top three of their groups. Egypt, the seven-time African champion, is also favored.
Jordan, who for the first time qualified for the World Cup, is the underdogs in the race for the title.
Who should you watch for the most players?
Ali Olwan, Jordan’s third-highest scorer in AFC World Cup qualifying with nine goals, will be interesting to watch at the tournament. Aymen Hussein, who had eight goals and was tied for second on the list of forwards expected to pose a serious threat, has him listed alongside him.
Aymen Dahmen, a reliable goalkeeper for Tunisia, should also be kept on a watch. In all 10 of their qualifying matches, his team went unbeaten without conceding.
Saudi Arabia’s Salem Al-Dawsari has been in good form lately, sitting joint-fourth among the top assist men in the Saudi Pro League, while forward Akram Afif, whose name has become synonymous with Qatar’s football success in the past ten years, is a key player for the host country.
At the most recent Arab Cup competition, in 2021, Qatar’s Akram Afif was chosen. [Ibraheem Al Omari/Reuters]
Where can I purchase tournament tickets?
At the end of September, the official ticketing platform for the FIFA Arab Cup began offering tickets. Tickets for individual matches start at $7 and go up to three different pricing categories.
Additionally, there were the option of team-specific packs, which cost about $20 and included three group games for each nation. Those are currently unavailable, though.
The final’s tickets are sold out, starting at $14.
You can watch the entire tournament on beIN SPORTS PPV from December 1 through December 18 only in Arabic in the Middle East and North Africa.
[Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto via Getty Images] This is the official match ball from Adidas that will be used during the competition.
At least 128 people have died in the region’s largest blaze in decades in an eight-apartment residential complex, which is the country’s mourning community.
As Hong Kong leader John Lee, other officials, and civil servants gathered on Saturday to pay their respects to those who have been lost at the Wang Fuk Court estate since the fire on Wednesday, the flags were raised to half-mast.
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According to officials, condolence books have been set up at 18 locations throughout the former British colony to pay their respects.
Families and mourners gathered to lay flowers at the site of the residential complex.
Only 39 of the victims had been identified by Friday, leaving families with the perplexing task of examining the photos of the deceased taken by rescue workers.
Authorities set the date for the search for survivors’ end on Friday, with around 200 people still missing, which could cause the number of victims to rise significantly.
However, Lee claimed that the government is creating a fund with 300 million Hong Kong dollars ($39 million) in capital to assist the residents and that the search for remains continues.
Local residents are also pitching in, with hundreds of volunteers mobilizing to assist the victims, including by distributing food and other essential items. Additionally, some of the biggest companies in China have made donations.
Since 1948, when 176 people died in a warehouse fire, the Wang Fuk Court fire has been the deadliest in Hong Kong since 1948.
[AFP] Officers from the Disaster Victim Identification Unit gather near Wang Fuk Court.
According to local authorities, the tragedy has resulted in the arrest of at least 11 people.
They are accused of manslaughter because they used unsafe materials, along with two firm directors and an engineering consultant who the government claimed had been doing maintenance on the towers for more than a year.
The highly flammable bamboo scaffolding and green mesh used to cover the building, which were located in Tai Po’s northern district, were currently undergoing renovations. It is thought that this was a major factor in the rapid spread of the fire.
Seven of the eight towers suffered significant damage, including from flammable foam boards that the maintenance company used to seal and protect windows, making up the majority of the victims, which were discovered in the complex’ two towers.
The deadly incident has drawn comparisons to the London fire at the Grenfell Tower in 2017, which was blamed on failings by the government and the construction sector as well as on the exterior of the building’s flammable cladding.
The Grenfell United survivors’ group, in a short statement posted on social media, said in a short statement, “Our hearts go out to all those affected by the horrific , fire , in Hong Kong.”
Authorities in Indonesia are still battling to reach the victims in several devasted areas that have been submerged in torrential rain for the past week as rescue workers claim the death toll has reached 248 and will likely continue to rise.
More than 100 people are still missing after rescuers in West Sumatra’s Agam district recovered more bodies, according to Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (also known as the BNPB).
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According to the BNPB, more than 500 people have also been hurt.
The death toll is said to be rising, with many missing and many still unaccounted bodies, according to Suharyanto, the BNPB’s head, who only has one name and is only one in Indonesian.
West Sumatra Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Ilham Wahab reported late on Friday that 61 people had died and 90 were missing, up from the initial 23-person death toll for the entire province of Sumatra.
According to Ilham, “West Sumatra has experienced 106, 806 people being affected, and 75, 219 people have been displaced overall.”
In Aceh province, according to figures released by authorities, there were at least 35 people who had died in North Sumatra, compared to 116 earlier confirmed deaths in North Sumatra.
After a rare tropical storm formed in the Malacca Strait between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand have experienced days of torrential rain, killing about 400 people overall.
Late on Friday, more than 3.5 million people were also impacted by floodwaters, and at least 145 people have been confirmed dead in Thailand’s eight southern provinces. In Malaysia’s neighbor, two people have been killed.
Despite the torrential rain’s end late on Friday, many people in Indonesia are still missing and thousands of families have been displaced.
In Indonesia’s North Sumatra province, the torrential downpours slammed into rivers’ banks, causing thousands of homes and structures to flood, sweeping through mountainside villages, and burying thousands of people in their foundations.
Damaged roads and downed communications lines have largely prevented rescue efforts in badly hit areas, with flooded roads, flooded roads, and a lack of heavy moving equipment.
