Cop30 climate summit in Brazil disrupted after fire breaks out in venue
Talks at the Cop30 climate summit in Brazilwere disrupted on Thursday after a fire broke out in the venue, triggering an evacuation just as negotiators were preparing to try to land a deal to strengthen international efforts to address the climate crisis, The Guardian reported.
Thirteen people were treated for smoke inhalation, organisers said in a statement, after the fire broke out in the pavilion area of the conference centre in Belém, Brazil.
The cause of the fire, which was brought under control within minutes, was being investigated but was believed to be an electrical device, probably a microwave, Reuters reported, citing the local fire department, according to The Guardian.
Modi's ally returns as chief minister after sweeping Indian state polls
Days after recording a landslide victory in India's Bihar state, Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar has taken the oath as chief minister, BBC reported.
Kumar's party and its allies, which includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), won 202 out of 243 seats in the polls.
Kumar, 74, one of the state's most influential political figures, took office for a record 10th time, according to BBC.
Zelensky to speak to Trump after US proposes Russia-Ukraine peace plan
Volodymyr Zelensky will speak to Donald Trump after the US presented Ukraine with a draft peace plan to end the war with Russia, BBC reported.
The plan was reportedly drafted by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and his Russian counterpart Kirill Dmitriev, without Ukraine's involvement.
In a statement, Zelensky's office said the US believed the draft plan could "help reinvigorate diplomacy" and added that Ukraine had "agreed to work on the plan's provisions in a way that would bring about a just end to the war".
Philippines sentences 'Chinese spy mayor' to life in jail
A former Philippines mayor who was accused of spying for China has been found guilty of human trafficking for her role in running a scam centre, BBC reported.
On Thursday, she and three others were sentenced to life in prison and a fine of 2m pesos ($33,832; £25,942).
The case of Alice Guo has gripped the Philippines for years, after authorities uncovered one of the country's biggest scam centres in her small town of Bamban. Some 800 Filipinos and foreigners were later rescued from the scam hub after a raid, with many of them saying they were forced to run "pig butchering" scams, according to BBC.
