Singapore executes Malaysian drug trafficker in 12th execution this year
Singapore’s prison hanged a Malaysian drug trafficker Wednesday, marking the second execution in two weeks and raising the number of executions in the city-state to 12 this year despite pressure to abolish the death penalty, Associated Press reported.
A Singapore anti-death penalty activist, Kirsten Han, confirmed that 38-year-old Pannir Selvam Pranthaman was executed at Changi Prison. Han, who is accompanying his family, said they have collected Pannir’s belongings from the prison.
Pannir was arrested in 2014 for having 52 grams (about 1.8 ounces) of heroin and sentenced to death in 2017. He was originally scheduled for execution in February but received a stay of execution due to pending legal matters, according to Associated Press.
Landslide hits bus in northern India, killing 15, as rescue continues
At least 15 people have been killed after debris from a massive landslide hit a bus in India’s northern state of Himachal Pradesh, local authorities have said, Aljazeera reported.
The bus was travelling on a hilly stretch near Bilaspur district when, late on Thursday, a landslide struck following days of torrential rains. At least 20 to 25 passengers were on the bus at the time. Nine men, four women and two children were among those killed, police said.
Three injured children were rescued and admitted to a local hospital for treatment, according to a statement from the office of Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the state’s highest elected official. Rescue operations continued on Wednesday in an attempt to find other missing passengers who are believed to be dead, police said, according to Aljazeera.
Gold crosses $4,000 for first time, building on historic rally
Gold pushed through $4,000 an ounce to hit a record on Wednesday, driven by investors seeking safety from mounting economic and geopolitical uncertainty, alongside expectations of further interest rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserve, Reuters reported.
Spot gold was up 0.9% at $4,017.16 per ounce by 0442 GMT. U.S. gold futures for December delivery gained 0.9% to $4,040 per ounce.
Traditionally, gold is seen as a store of value during times of instability. As one of the best-performing assets of 2025, spot gold is up 53% year-to-date after rising 27% in 2024, according to Reuters.
At least 24 killed as paraglider drops bombs at Myanmar Buddhist festival
A paramotor attack on a festival and protest in central Myanmar has killed at least 24 people and wounded 47 others, a spokesperson from the exiled National Unity Government told BBC Burmese.
Around 100 people had gathered at Chaung U township on Monday evening for the Thadingyut festival - a national holiday with Buddhist roots - when a motor-powered paraglider dropped two bombs over the crowd, a local official under the anti-junta People's Defence Force said, BBC reported.
The event was also a candlelight vigil protesting junta policies.
Myanmar has been at civil war since its military seized power in a 2021 coup. The UN estimates that the conflict has killed more than 5,000 civilians, according to BBC.
