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At least three people were killed and 11 injured after militants targeted a passenger bus with a rocket-propelled grenade in Balochistan’s Kalat district on Wednesday, officials said.

The bus was en route from Karachi to Quetta when it came under attack. Several of the injured remain in critical condition at a local hospital.

Security forces have launched a search operation, but no group has claimed responsibility. The incident comes amid a rise in militant violence across the region, Xinhua reported.

Taipei will come to a standstill Thursday as Taiwan conducts one of its largest civil defence drills amid growing tensions with China. Air raid sirens will sound across the city, with residents required to shelter indoors and traffic and businesses temporarily halted. The exercise includes mass evacuations and emergency response rehearsals, according to BBC.

This drill is part of Taiwan’s expanded Han Kuang war games, involving over 22,000 troops practicing defence on land, sea, and air, as well as urban warfare and countering misinformation.

Despite fears of a Chinese invasion, many Taiwanese remain doubtful it will happen soon but recognize the importance of preparedness. Taiwan continues to strengthen its military and civil defence capabilities in response to ongoing threats, BBC reported.

US President Donald Trump announced that Coca-Cola will return to using real cane sugar in its namesake soda sold in the US, following his discussions with the company.

“I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using real Cane Sugar in Coke… and they have agreed,” he posted on Truth Social, according to Xinhua.

Coca-Cola confirmed the decision, adding that more product updates will follow soon. The company switched to high-fructose corn syrup in the 1980s to cut costs.

The move comes amid rising health concerns over artificial sweeteners. Coca-Cola already sells a cane sugar version known as “Mexican Coke”, Xinhua reported.

US President Donald Trump has said it’s “highly unlikely” he’ll fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, despite raising the idea with Republicans. Trump has repeatedly slammed Powell over interest rates, calling him a “knucklehead” and accusing him of mismanaging a costly Fed renovation project, BBC reported.

Though Powell’s term ends next May, Trump allies suggest the White House is building a case for removal. Powell insists he’ll serve out his term, and legal experts say a president can only fire a Fed governor “for cause.”

Economists warn that interfering with the Fed could rattle markets and hurt investor confidence. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says a process to find a potential replacement is underway.

Israel launched airstrikes on Syria’s defence ministry in Damascus and military targets in the south on Wednesday, as sectarian violence in Suweida province left over 300 dead. The fighting, now in its fourth day, broke out between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes.

Isareli Prime Minister Netanyahu said the strikes aimed to protect the Druze community, while Syria condemned them as “treacherous aggression.” The clashes reportedly began after the abduction of a Druze merchant, according to BBC.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was "very worried" about the violence in the south but believed it would end within hours. "We have agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end tonight," he wrote on X on Wednesday evening.

Syria's foreign ministry said the country "welcomes the efforts made by the US and Arabian sides" to "resolve the current crisis" peacefully.

Syrian troops have started withdrawing from Suweida under a local agreement. US expressed concern and said a ceasefire was close. Conditions in Suweida have worsened, with severe shortages of water and medical supplies, BBC reported.

Eight babies have been born in the UK using a groundbreaking IVF technique that combines DNA from three people to prevent incurable mitochondrial diseases, BBC reported.

The method uses the egg and sperm from the parents along with healthy mitochondria from a female donor, stopping the mother from passing on faulty genes. Mitochondrial diseases, which affect energy production in the body, can cause severe disability or death in infancy.

Developed in Newcastle and legal in the UK for a decade, the technique is now delivering results. Families, speaking anonymously, described the births as a source of hope and healing after years of loss, according to BBC.

The Newcastle Fertility Centre expects 20 to 30 such births annually, offering new chances to families at risk.

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has begun testifying in a royal defamation trial that could see him jailed for up to 15 years. The case centres on remarks he made to South Korean media over a decade ago, with the closed-door proceedings expected to continue for several days, according to Al Jazeera.

The trial comes just weeks after his daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was suspended as prime minister pending an ethics probe over a leaked phone call linked to a deadly border clash with Cambodia. The scandal has weakened the ruling Pheu Thai-led coalition, now clinging to a slim majority.

Thaksin, 75, returned from exile last year after a military coup ousted him in 2006. He was sentenced to eight years for corruption, later reduced to one following a royal pardon.

Supporters gathered at the court as his lawyer said Thaksin remains composed. The trial and Paetongtarn’s suspension mark a sharp decline in the Shinawatra family’s political fortunes, Al Jazeera reported.

ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan was warned he and the court would be “destroyed” if arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant were not withdrawn, Al Jazeera reports.

The warning allegedly came from British-Israeli lawyer Nicholas Kaufman during a May meeting in The Hague. Kaufman, linked to a Netanyahu adviser, reportedly urged Khan to classify the warrants as confidential, allowing Israel to challenge them privately.

Khan and his wife, also an ICC lawyer, viewed the remarks as a threat. Kaufman denies representing the Israeli government. Netanyahu’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

The ICC issued the warrants in 2024 over alleged war crimes in Gaza following the October 7 Hamas attacks, according to Al Jazeera.