Hong Kong police arrest construction firm bosses over fire; death toll hits 83 with scores missing
Hong Kong police arrested the bosses of a construction company on suspicion of manslaughter on Thursday over the city's worst fire in nearly 80 years, which killed at least 83 people with scores more listed as missing, Reuters reported.
By the early hours of Friday, firefighters had mostly contained the blaze raging for more than 24 hours, ripping through the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in the northern district of Tai Po. The estate had been undergoing renovations and was wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and green mesh.
Most of the victims were found in two high-rise blocks in the eight-tower complex, Deputy Director of Fire Services Derek Armstrong Chan said, according to Reuters.
Trump administration will re-examine green card holders from 19 countries
The Trump administration has said it will re-examine green cards issued to individuals who immigrated to the US from 19 countries, BBC reported.
The head of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, said the president had directed him to conduct "a full scale, rigorous re-examination of every green card for every alien from every country of concern".
When asked by the BBC which countries were on the list, the agency pointed to a June proclamation by the White House that included Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia and Venezuela, according to BBC.
Israeli troops kill two Palestinians after they appear to surrender
Video has emerged showing Israeli security forces shooting dead two Palestinians who appeared to have surrendered in the occupied West Bank, BBC reported.
The incident happened during an ongoing Israeli military operation in the city of Jenin.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) accused Israeli forces of committing a "war crime" and described the killings as "brutal" field executions, according to BBC.
At least 56 dead as severe floods hit Sri Lanka
At least 56 people have been killed and 21 are missing in Sri Lanka after floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains wreaked havoc this week, in one of its worst weather related disasters the country has seen in recent years, BBC reported.
Twenty-one people were killed in the central tea-growing district of Badulla when a landslide crashed onto their homes overnight, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said in a statement.
Videos uploaded to social media show houses being washed away as flood waters cascade through towns, while most train services have been cancelled across the country, according to BBC.
