According to officials, Sri Lanka’s recovery efforts have been hampered by heavy rain that last week caused hundreds of people to die and tens of thousands to be displaced.
Local authorities reported more than 130 mm (5. 1 inch) of rain falling in southern Sri Lanka on Thursday for 15 hours, with more significant downpours forecast for southern and southern parts of the country on Friday.
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After Cyclone Ditwah left the island on Sunday, the island experienced the worst floods in a decade due to the ongoing deluge.
According to the country’s Disaster Management Centre (DMC) and local officials, the cyclone claimed the lives of at least 486 people, damaged more than 50 000 homes, and forced 170, 000 people into relief facilities. 341 people are still missing, according to the report.
The island has faced the most challenging environmental disaster, according to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. In an address to the nation, he said, “We also recognize that what we are conducting is the most challenging rescue operation in our country’s history.”
A total of 1,500 people were killed by the spate of catastrophic regional floods and landslides that occurred last week in Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. Numerous villages in Indonesia are still buried beneath mud and debris, just like in Sri Lanka.
What will we do, exactly?
Residents of Sri Lanka who were evacuated from the central hills, which are prone to landslides, were instructed not to go back to their homes right away because the mountainsides remained unstable.
What will we do now that my house and crop are gone? Prasanna Shantha Kumara and his family are residing in a relief facility, according to Reuters. How are things possible in this world? Help is required.
Residents of hard-hit areas have criticized the government for not being more prepared for the deluge and its aftermath.
Authorities were paying 25, 000 rupees ($83) to clean a home, according to Prabath Chandrakeerthi, commissioner-general of essential services, with reconstruction costs ranging from $6 billion to $7 billion.
A further 2.5 million rupees ($8 300) are being paid to start rebuilding destroyed homes.
Nearly three-quarters of the country’s electricity supply has been restored, according to Chandrakeerthi’s office, but some areas of the worst-affected Central Province are still without power and telephones.
Some southern and southern regions, including the urban west coast around the commercial capital Colombo, are expected to receive 75 mm (3 inches) of rain today, according to the state-run Daily News.
According to two military sources in the government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the death toll from Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacks on a kindergarten and other locations in the city of Kalogi in South Kordofan state has increased to 47 people, mostly children, and to 50 others have been injured.
The RSF attacked the kindergarten on Thursday, according to the sources, before turning its attention to the civilians who had gathered to offer assistance in the chaos. A government building and a hospital in the city were also bombed.
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Due to some of the serious injuries suffered by some of the treated, the sources said this toll is not yet definitive.
At least nine people were killed, including four children and two women, in “deliberate suicide-drone attacks carried out in Kalogi town” by the RSF and its ally, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (al-Hilou), according to a report released on Thursday by the Sudan Doctors Network.
They continued, “This attack constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law, and it continues to target civilians and vital infrastructure.”
In the most recent instance of the brutal civil war, which pits the SAF against the paramilitary RSF, atrocities against civilians. Additionally, it is suspected that the SAF engaged in atrocities during the conflict.
Kordofan’s “history repeating itself”
The UN warned on Thursday that fierce fighting between rival armed forces could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe in the Sudanese Kordofan region.
After last month’s fall of el-Fasher, Sudan’s capital, where international community warnings of impending violence were largely ignored before widespread killings occurred, UN human rights chief Volker Turk claimed that history was “repeating itself” in Kordofan.
According to Turk, it is truly shocking to see history repeat itself in Kordofan so soon after the horrific events in El-Fasher, and he urged other countries to stop the area from experiencing the same fate.
At least 269 civilian deaths have been documented by the UN as a result of aerial bombardment, artillery fire, and summary killings since late October when the paramilitary RSF seized Bara in North Kordofan state.
The actual cost of the incident is probably much higher because of regional communication blackouts, which have led to reports of revenge attacks, arbitrary detentions, sexual violence, and child forced recruitment.
The RSF claimed earlier this week that it was in charge of Babnusa, West Kordofas, with footage showing its fighters rushing through the military base. The city’s fall was not claimed by the army.
Attention has turned to Kordofan in central Sudan now that it is the last major city under the army’s and its allies’ control since the fall of el-Fasher.
Due to its strategic significance, both sides are in a crucial position in Kordofan. The region serves as a crucial link between the conflicting factions’ heartlands and government-held territory in the west of RSF-controlled Darfur in the west.
The RSF would have a direct route to Khartoum, which government forces captured earlier this year, if they had control of major cities like El-Obeid.
The UN issued urgent warnings about potential atrocities before el-Fasher fell  in November. Those warnings were largely ignored.
Mass murders broke out after the city’s capture, with corpses emerging from satellite imagery, which prompted UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to refer to it as a “crime scene.”
A daylong summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled for a large-scale summit in the country’s capital, where trade and Western sanctions against the Ukraine war were to be discussed.
Putin has visited India for the first time since Russia launched its full-fledged conflict with Ukraine in 2022, and the summit on Friday comes as India is clamoring to end US sanctions against its purchase of Russian oil.
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Moscow hopes to strengthen ties with India, which is already the largest arms exporter to Russia. Officials have stated that they want to increase trade with India by $100 billion by 2030, an increase from the previous record of $68 billion in 2024.
Droupadi Murmu, India’s ceremonial head of state, and I made the meeting at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential palace, the morning of the agenda. Modi and Murmu both greeted Putin with an honor guard ceremony.
After that, Putin traveled to Raj Ghat, where he laid a wreath in honor of Mahatma Gandhi, the anti-colonial movement leader who paved the way for Indian independence.
After that, Putin and Modi moved on to the Hyderabad House complex for meetings. Before a meeting with business and trade leaders, they are scheduled to address the media.
According to Al Jazeera’s Neha Poonia, who was reporting from New Delhi, Putin’s visit was “much fanfare.”
On Thursday, Modi personally greeted Putin with a hug and a handshake on the tarmac in New Delhi. Later, he later served as his hosts at his home to serve the Russian leader a private dinner.
Poonia noted that “many hugs and handshakes were exchanged.” The Friday bilateral meeting is now the center of attention. Despite pressure from Western nations, the two leaders claim that they will try to portray the Russian leader as a genuine pariah and that countries like India welcome him.
In 2023, Putin was detained for allegedly deporting Ukrainian children without authorization during Russia’s conflict with Ukraine. He was also granted an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant. India’s treaty or rules forbid its membership in the ICC, and it is not one of its members. Without any concern over arrest, Putin was able to travel to India.
At 9 p.m. local time (15:30 GMT), the Russian leader is scheduled to leave India.
A delicate balance
Russia and India have been working together for 25 years, beginning with Putin’s first year as the nation’s head of state.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, maintaining ties with both the US and Russia has become more challenging.
A long-standing custom of leaders making annual visits to each other was shattered by the Russian operation. Modi’s visit to Russia helped that partially resume last year.
India increased its purchases as Western nations reduced their dependence on Russian crude oil as a result of the conflict.
As a result of Trump’s attempts to pressure Putin into agreeing to a ceasefire, the US doubled the 25% tariffs it had previously imposed on Indian goods to 50% as a penalty for its purchases of Russian oil.
However, India kept purchasing Russian oil.
Trump’s sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, as well as a threat of sanctions against businesses from other nations that deal with these firms, are now in effect.
About 60% of India’s oil imports come from purchases made by the two companies.
New Delhi claimed that it was unfairly targeted, noting that Western countries still conduct business with Moscow when it is necessary. Putin made a similar argument in an interview with Indian journalists before arriving in New Delhi.
He claimed that “the United States itself still purchases nuclear fuel from us for its own nuclear power plants.”
He added that India should enjoy “the same privilege” if the US were to purchase Russian fuel.
Another area in which New Delhi has been under pressure from Washington is expected to be under Putin’s pressure to buy more Russian weapons.
Moscow has been considering selling Su-57 stealth fighter jets and additional S-400 missile defense systems to India.
Putin and a US delegation met in Moscow on Friday to discuss ending the Ukrainian conflict. After the meeting, both sides applauded progress, but no agreement was reached.
A delegation from Ukraine and US officials met on Thursday.
In a recent move by Moscow to tighten control over the country’s internet and online communications, Russian authorities have blocked access to Snapchat and Apple’s FaceTime video calling service.
Russian state internet regulator Roskomnadzor accused both platforms of being used to “organize and carry out terrorist acts within the country” and to “recruit perpetrators” for criminal acts in separate announcements on Thursday.
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Although it was only made public this week, the regulator claimed that it took the decision on October 10. Snap Inc., the parent company of Apple, has yet to comment on the move.
Following Russia’s massive invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Snapchat, a messaging app for sharing photos, videos, and text messages, announced it was suspending sales of advertisements to Russian and Belarusian media users in recognition of the “resilience of the Ukrainian people.”
Under President Vladimir Putin, Russian authorities have made deliberate and multifaceted efforts to encircle the internet. Platforms and websites have been banned for breaking strict laws, while technology has been refined to monitor and control online traffic.
Authorities have blocked the major social media platforms X (previously Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram, but these efforts have only grown since the war started.
Last year, experts claimed that authorities had purposefully thwarted the site, which had been a source of controversy. Google, a YouTube owner, is held accountable by the Kremlin for maintaining its hardware in Russia.
More than 50 million Russians visit the site every day, which is one of the last significant free expression centers in Russia and where many Kremlin critics still speak.
In addition to blocking calls made using WhatsApp and Telegram, Russia’s first and second most widely used messaging app, in August, in 2024, authorities also blocked the popular app Viber and encrypted messenger Signal.
Roskomnadzor once more defended the measures, claiming that the platforms were being used for criminal activity. if WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta Platforms, refuses to provide information to law enforcement in cases of fraud and “terrorism,” the regulator threatened to impose a total ban on the service last week.
Russian authorities are increasingly preventing access to virtual private network (VPN) services, which were once effective for eludeing online restrictions.
The Kremlin has promoted its own “national” messenger app, MAX, while retaliating against foreign technology. MAX, a state-controlled tech company founded by VK, has been hailed as a one-stop shop for messaging, government services, and making payments.
Moscow claims that MAX protects users from fraud and creates a “safer” digital ecosystem, but critics claim it could be used to track users. Since September 1, it has been required on all brand-new smartphones and tablets sold in Russia.
In addition to reports of other irregularities in electoral procedures, Salvador Nasralla, the centrist candidate for president of Honduras, has accused US President Donald Trump of interference.
The 67-year-old Nasry Asfura, a “borderline communist,” was endorsed by the US president last week, which Nasralla claims could have led to his victory.
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Nasralla, 72, told the Reuters news agency on Thursday in an exclusive interview that “it hurt me because I was winning by a much larger margin.”
Trump has dominated the country’s closely fought election to choose its next leader.
After preliminary and unreliable results revealed a “technical tie” between Nasralla and Asfura, the US president claimed without supporting evidence that Sunday’s otherwise peaceful vote was fraudulent.
On Monday, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “Looks like Honduras is trying to change the results of their presidential election.” There will be hell to pay if they do it!
Prior to Asfura’s defeat, the US president threatened to stop providing aid to Honduras and said there would be “hell to pay” if election officials manipulated results.
In the run-up to Sunday’s vote, he also made the unusual move of announcing a pardon for former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez, who had been found guilty of drug trafficking in the US.
Election officials reported counting 87 percent of the ballots as of Thursday night, but 17 percent of the ballots had “inconsistencies” and were being reviewed, according to Reuters.
According to Reuters, they have until December 30 to submit their final findings.
Reuters reports that Asfura held a 40.27 percent lead over Nasralla’s 39.38 percent in polls on Thursday, but experts claim the outcome is still undetermined.
Venezuela’s Caracas, Caracas, carries on the rhythm of daily life in the city’s buzzing plazas. Street vendors sell chocolates and frozen fruit, while shopkeepers stock shelves amid the afternoon rush. A new level of tension is rumbling beneath this well-known routine.
The capital’s residents are divided by hope, scepticism, and a ferocious instinct to defend their country as a result of US military deployments near the Venezuelan coast and rhetoric rising between Washington and Caracas.
For some, the presence of foreign ships offshore represents a long-awaited answer to prayer. It offends a sovereign nation in the eyes of others, which is considered imperial.
David Oropeza, a 52-year-old farmer and trader who sells frozen strawberries and blackberries he himself sells, declares, “The homeland is the homeland, and my army is my army.” Despite a health condition that requires treatment three times a week, he says he would be willing to fight if the US attacked.
I would be “knee-deep in the dirt” with those people. As he waits for a bus in downtown Caracas and looks at the horizon, Oropeza says, “I would face]the invaders] with them [the Venezuelan army].” “I would help however I could”.
A “positive change” is what.
More than 80 people have been killed by US airstrikes in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean since September. In the latest attack on Thursday, four people were killed. The administration of US President Donald Trump has not provided any proof to back up its claim that the targeted boats had smuggled narcotics or smugglers and that they were headed for the US. Additionally, it has not provided a legal justification for the operations, which many experts believe violate international law.
Meanwhile, Trump has also said that the US is preparing to attack alleged drug traffickers “on land”, suggesting that a direct military operation against Venezuela might be imminent.
In the biggest display of force in the region in a long time, Trump has deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the world, to the Caribbean along with thousands of soldiers and F-35 military jets.
This US pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is beneficial for the nation for some residents.
Carolina Tovar, 60, sits on a bench in one of the city’s busiest squares. She claims that “Venezuela will be free” under US pressure and is a vendor selling chocolates and sweets.
She claims that “the day will come when we get our freedom.” “I think Maduro already feels a lot of pressure”.
Her remarks reflect Venezuela’s widespread frustrations and desperation. In January, Maduro was sworn in for a third term, after nearly 12 years in office, which was marked by deep economic and social crisis and repeated US pressure to unseat his government.
He was declared the winner of July’s election by Venezuela’s electoral authority and top court, though detailed tallies confirming his victory were never released.
The opposition claims that Edmundo Gonzalez’s record-keeping indicates that their candidate won the election by a wide margin, which has led to the recognition of him as president-elect by the US and several other governments. The election has also been questioned by independent observers.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro gestures after marking his ballot during municipal elections in Caracas]File: Cristian Hernandez/AP Photo]
However, according to polls, Tovar is in the minority in the nation. The majority of Venezuelans are much more concerned with daily living, low wages, and inflation than with geopolitics, and they oppose US pressure or an invasion of their nation.
According to a poll by Caracas-based firm Datanalisis last month, a majority of Venezuelans continue to oppose economic sanctions on the country. Only 21% of respondents to the poll said they disagree with sectoral, financial, or oil sanctions, compared to 55% of respondents.
55% of Venezuelans were against a foreign military attack, while 23% said they would back it.
The reasons most cited by those who oppose an attack are civilian deaths, risk of civil war, chaos and prolonged economic deterioration. Supporters of a Venezuelan foreign push for change said they think it will promote peace, promote democracy, and spur economic growth.
Most Venezuelans, according to the poll, do not support President Maduro or the opposition. Sixty percent described themselves as politically unaffiliated, compared with 13 percent supporting the government and 19 percent backing the opposition.
Because some Venezuelans are not permitted to speak to the media, a government official with a degree in international affairs tells Al Jazeera, “I understand that some Venezuelans believe this kind of pressure from the US could lead to political change and improve the situation.”
According to the official, “from my point of view, external interference never works in any country.” “We’ve seen that in Panama, we’ve seen it in Syria, Libya – and in many countries in the Middle East”.
A new Datanálisis poll conducted between November 14 and November 19, 2025, found that 55% of Venezuelans oppose foreign military intervention and 23% of Venezuelans oppose it. twitter.com/SUV3wYMczv
The phrase “the homeland is the homeland” is used.
Oropeza is cynical about Trump and his intentions, and about Venezuela and its elites, just a few blocks away from Tovar. But he is clear that war isn’t the answer to any of those problems.
Nobody wants war, they say. Oropeza claims that there must be peace. He then reflects and refers to those whom he believes do want war.
He contends that US politics “moves a lot with its weapons,” and that money is used to support whoever wins the presidency, noting that Venezuela’s troop mobilization is likely to benefit the local elite as well. Who is becoming wealthy? Them, and those we don’t know”.
Oropeza claims to not be a fan of the current president and that he was a former supporter of the late President Hugo Chavez – Maduro’s mentor and predecessor.
He still takes a harsh stance on his claim to sovereignty. His scepticism of the government does not translate into support for foreign attacks on his country.
In the midst of rising tensions, a Bolivarian Militia member passes a mural depicting the Venezuelan flag.
Maduro has recently used his own show of force to quell rising tensions. Troops and militia members have been mobilised, and soldiers have tested anti-air systems along the Caribbean coast.
By November, the government had expanded its military and civilian mobilization plans for any potential US action.
On September 15, 2025, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro addresses a map of the Americas at a press conference in Caracas, Venezuela.
Scepticism and resources
Some younger people think Venezuela’s interest in the US has to do with the country’s abundance of natural resources.
As he hangs out with his friends, 24-year-old supermarket stocker Diego Mejia says, “I think we are screwed.”
He doubts an invasion is imminent. They would have already arrived if the United States had desired to visit. But he is clear about the goals the US has. “Venezuela is a country with too many resources”, he notes, citing oil and uranium. They are drawn to Venezuela because of its resources, they say.
Venezuela’s energy sector is a pillar of the world’s strategic interest because it has the largest proven oil reserves, more than five times that of the US, and significant natural gas fields.
Beyond hydrocarbons, Venezuela is also rich in gold, diamonds, bauxite, iron ore and rare minerals such as coltan – materials essential for electronics, aerospace technologies and modern manufacturing.
However, Mejia leans on faith in order to deal with the concern over a potential military conflict with the world’s largest superpower, like many others. He claims, “I have my faith that God will not allow anything to happen here.”
The fact that the streets aren’t empty, and people have not started hoarding food, suggests that many share the view that an attack isn’t imminent.
In a public square in Caracas, amid rising tensions between US President Donald Trump’s administration and Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro’s government [File: Gaby Oraa/Reuters]
Venezuela’s fear of the unknown
Others aren’t so sure.
The situation evokes a complex combination of maternal fear and hope for Dalibeth Brea, a 34-year-old homemaker who observes her child play in a park. Even within her social circle, a friend of hers refused to be interviewed because she was concerned about consequences for her government job.
Brea says she hopes the pressure might catalyse modernisation. It appears hopeful because it might contribute something to the nation, according to the author. I want to come here because of some developments that we see outside of our borders,” she says.
However, the prospect of violence terrifies her. Brea has a hiding instinct, in contrast to Oropeza’s willingness to fight.
She admits, “I would protect myself from fear.” Her contingency plan is simple: “Food at home, and keep all my family in one place”.
Brea echoes the uncertainty felt by millions as the sun sets over a city that is in the grip of geopolitics.
She pauses, “I don’t know if something will happen.” “Something tells me yes, but something tells me no”.
(Elizabeth Melimopoulos provided reporting on this article from Canada)
Overview of Caracas in the midst of growing tensions between the US President Donald Trump’s administration and Venezuela’s government [File: Gaby Oraa/Reuters]
