Global Pulse

博客

  • Explosions rock several port cities in S. Iran: state media

    Explosions rock several port cities in S. Iran: state media

    On the morning of Monday, July 13, 2026, successive explosions rocked three major port cities in Iran’s southern Hormozgan Province — Sirik, Bandar Abbas, and Jask, according to Iran’s state-owned Press TV. The outlet confirmed via a post on social platform X that initial investigations point to a telecommunications tower near Sirik being the latest target of the attack, marking the second time this specific infrastructure site has been hit in recent violence.

    As of the first official update from Hormozgan Province’s governor office, there have been no reports of civilian deaths or injuries resulting from the blasts. Just minutes after the explosions were recorded across the southern coastal region, the United States Central Command announced on the same social platform that its military forces had initiated a new wave of strikes targeting Iranian assets.

    The command framed the operation as a continuing effort to limit what it claims is Iran’s capacity to launch attacks against civilian mariners and commercial vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest and most strategically critical maritime chokepoints. The latest exchange of hostilities comes just one month after the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at de-escalating tensions in the area. Despite that diplomatic agreement, the two sides launched tit-for-tat attacks related to navigation rights and security in the strait as early as Sunday, just one day before Monday’s explosions, sending regional security risks soaring.

    The Strait of Hormuz is a vital passage for global energy trade, with roughly a fifth of the world’s total oil supplies passing through its waters on an annual basis. Any sustained escalation of military conflict between the US and Iran in the region carries significant risks for global energy markets and broader international security, according to decades of geopolitical analysis of the Gulf region.

  • Singapore court postpones French teen’s straw-licking case to July 30

    Singapore court postpones French teen’s straw-licking case to July 30

    SINGAPORE – A high-profile court case against a 19-year-old French teenager accused of posting a controversial viral prank video has been adjourned until July 30, after prosecutors requested additional time to clarify whether a conviction would cost the young man his right to continue studying in the city-state.

    Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien was scheduled to enter a guilty plea on two charges — mischief and public nuisance — stemming from an incident that dates back to March 12. According to official charges, the teen filmed himself licking an unused straw from a public juice vending machine located inside a Singaporean shopping mall before placing the straw back into the machine’s dispenser. He later shared the clip to social media, where it spread rapidly across regional and global platforms, drawing widespread public backlash. He was formally charged with the offenses on April 24.

    Since being released on bail, Maximilien has remained in Singapore and continued attending classes at a local business school. Prosecutors confirmed they need extra time to confirm whether a criminal conviction on the current charges would automatically trigger the revocation of his student pass, a key detail that has not yet been finalized by immigration authorities.

    The company that operates the vending machine, IJooz, filed a formal police report immediately after the incident came to light. In response to the prank, the business carried out full sanitization of the affected dispenser and replaced all 500 unused straws held in the machine to eliminate public health risks. Looking ahead, IJooz has announced plans to roll out permanent upgrades to all of its vending machines across the country: the new measures will include individually wrapped straws and secured compartments that only unlock once a customer completes a purchase, preventing unauthorized tampering.

    In Singapore, a small, densely populated city-state famous for its strict regulation of public behavior and commitment to high levels of public cleanliness, penalties for the charges Maximilien faces are significant. A conviction for mischief can carry a maximum sentence of up to two years in prison, a fine, or both. The less severe charge of public nuisance carries a penalty of up to three months behind bars, a fine, or both. The country’s strict public health and behavior rules are well-documented, including longstanding limits on chewing gum sales and harsh penalties for littering, vandalism and other acts that threaten public order or hygiene.

  • Fire in Fontainebleau forest near Paris triggers evacuations, disrupts trains and highway

    Fire in Fontainebleau forest near Paris triggers evacuations, disrupts trains and highway

    As extreme heat blankets Western Europe in the region’s third red-alert heat wave of 2024, a series of destructive wildfires have spread across France and Spain, forcing evacuations, disrupting critical infrastructure, and leaving a trail of deadly destruction.

    On Monday, a rapidly expanding wildfire broke out in Fontainebleau forest, a beloved historic natural area located just 44 miles south of Paris. The forest, which surrounds the iconic Fontainebleau Chateau once favored by French leader Napoleon Bonaparte, draws millions of local and international visitors every year. The proximity of the blaze to the French capital marks an unusual and alarming development, as the region rarely faces large-scale wildfire threats this close to major population centers.

    In response to the spreading fire, local officials ordered immediate evacuations of nearby residential neighborhoods. The blaze also caused widespread disruption to regional transport: train services traveling to and from Paris’ busy Gare de Lyon station were suspended late Sunday, though limited services resumed by Monday morning, and a key stretch of the A6 highway— one of Paris’ major southeast-bound routes— was closed over ongoing fire risk concerns. More than 300 firefighters have been deployed to contain the fire, supported by two water-bombing aircraft assigned to drop fire retardant and water on burning areas, regional fire service spokesperson Paul Laurain confirmed to public broadcaster France-Info.

    The Fontainebleau fire is just one of dozens of wildfires burning across France. Large blazes in the country’s southern region have already scorched thousands of hectares of forest and brush land since last week, forcing organizers of the annual Tour de France cycling race to reroute stages and stretching national firefighting resources thin. France is currently at the peak of its third heat wave of the summer, with temperatures soaring above 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) across western and central parts of the country, while Paris recorded highs of around 98 F (37 C).

    To the south, Spain is reeling from one of the deadliest wildfires in its recent history. A blaze that tore through a remote remote expat community in southern Spain last week has now killed 13 people, including a 93-year-old British national who succumbed to burn injuries in a hospital Sunday. Ten additional people remain unaccounted for as of Monday. The wildfire burned through roughly 27 square miles of forest and agricultural land— an area larger than the entire island of Manhattan— before regional authorities announced it had been contained on Sunday. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was scheduled to visit the disaster site Monday to meet with first responders and affected families.

    Officials warn that the extreme heat, combined with persistent high winds and near-zero rainfall across the Iberian Peninsula, has created perfect tinder conditions that allow small ignitions to explode into large, uncontrollable blazes almost instantly. Climate data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service underscores the severity of the crisis: Europe is warming faster than any other continent on Earth, with average temperatures rising twice as quickly as the global average since the 1980s, a trend scientists directly link to increasing frequency and severity of extreme wildfire and heat wave events across the region.

  • Australian sharemarket defies global fears as big banks offset tech slump

    Australian sharemarket defies global fears as big banks offset tech slump

    Against a backdrop of escalating geopolitical conflict between the United States and Iran that sent global oil prices soaring and dragged most international equity markets lower, Australia’s domestic sharemarket defied broader headwinds to notch a marginal positive close in Monday’s trading session.

    The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 squeezed out a tiny 2.50-point gain, equal to 0.03 percent, to settle at 8808.50, while the broader All Ordinaries index posted a barely perceptible 0.70-point drop, or 0.01 percent, to end the day at 9003.00. The Australian dollar also softened against the U.S. dollar, falling to 69.29 U.S. cents by market close.

    Trading was deeply split across the market’s 11 sectors, with five closing in positive territory. Solid gains in consumer discretionary stocks and the nation’s largest retail banks offset a sharp downturn in the technology sector, which pulled the overall market back from larger gains. Leading the upward momentum in consumer discretionary was retail conglomerate Wesfarmers, which climbed 1.81 percent to $91.32. The Lottery Corp added 1.46 percent to close at $5.56, and electronics retailer JB Hi-Fi rose 1.09 percent to finish at $78.95.

    Australia’s big four national banks emerged as one of the day’s strongest performing groups. Commonwealth Bank of Australia gained 0.69 percent to hit a round $170.00, Westpac Banking Corp added 0.99 percent to reach $36.90, National Australia Bank climbed 1.11 percent to $40.05, and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group outperformed its peers with a 1.14 percent rally to close at $36.46.

    The main drag on market performance came from technology stocks, which collectively slumped 2.57 percent after a weak lead-in from overseas tech markets. Cloud accounting firm Xero led the downturn, dropping 4.31 percent to $70.24. Logistics technology firm WiseTech Global fell 2.00 percent to $33.32, and data center operator NextDC declined 3.16 percent to $13.50.

    The escalating exchange of military strikes between the U.S. and Iran dominated market sentiment through the session, driving a near five percent spike in international Brent Crude prices, which rose to just over $79 U.S. per barrel, equal to roughly $113.99 Australian. Iran launched missile and drone attacks on bases linked to the U.S. across Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, while the U.S. military carried out coordinated strikes on Iranian military infrastructure, including air defense systems, coastal radar outposts, and missile and drone facilities. Over the weekend, Iran announced it would close the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for 20 percent of global oil supplies, until further notice, though U.S. Central Command confirmed the waterway remained open to transit.

    Vivek Dhar, head of commodities and sustainability research at Commonwealth Bank, explained that the oil price jump stemmed from market uncertainty over the future accessibility of the strait. “Over the past week, oil prices have traded in a tight range between $75 U.S. and $80 U.S. per barrel,” Dhar noted. “This price range signals that markets broadly expect the Strait of Hormuz will remain open for oil tanker transit, so investors have heavily discounted Iran’s claims that it has closed the waterway.”

    In individual corporate news, fashion retailer City Chic was one of the day’s top performers, with shares surging 27.78 percent to $0.069 after the firm upgraded its underlying earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization guidance to a range of $11.5 million to $12.5 million, representing an 80 to 95 percent jump compared to the same period last year. Aged care provider Regis Healthcare fell 2.53 percent to $6.16 after chief financial officer Rick Rostolis announced he would retire at the end of August, capping a more than 40-year career across multiple ASX-listed firms. Outdoor advertising firm Ooh!media jumped 4.07 percent to $1.54 after confirming it had received three non-binding takeover proposals from private equity groups Pacific Equity Partners, I Square Capital, and Oaktree Capital Management. The leading proposal values the firm at $871.6 million. Mining firm Regis Resources slipped 0.92 percent to $60.46 after it announced it would abandon its planned acquisition of junior miner Vault Minerals, clearing the way for rival bidder Genesis Minerals to proceed with its own takeover offer for Vault. Following the announcement, Genesis shares climbed 3.70 percent to $5.88, while Vault Minerals added 0.82 percent to close at $4.91.

  • A look at some of the deadliest fires in bars, nightclubs and music venues

    A look at some of the deadliest fires in bars, nightclubs and music venues

    A devastating fire that broke out at a popular beer hall in northern Bangkok’s Na Ladprao neighborhood has claimed at least 27 lives and left dozens more injured, triggering an urgent official investigation into what caused the blaze and what factors amplified the death toll. Key lines of inquiry include whether locked or blocked emergency exits prevented patrons from escaping the rapidly spreading fire, officials confirmed.

    This tragedy marks Thailand’s deadliest fire at a public entertainment venue since New Year’s Day 2009, when a blaze at Bangkok’s Santika nightclub killed 67 people. In the wake of this latest incident, a retrospective of major fatal fires at nightclubs, bars and live music venues across the globe over the past 24 years highlights a repeated pattern of preventable tragedy linked to unsafe building design, unregulated pyrotechnics and overcrowding.

    The deadliest of these documented incidents occurred in December 2000, when a fire sparked by an unsafe welding operation tore through a disco in Luoyang, central China, killing 309 people. Just three years later, in February 2003, a band’s pyrotechnics display ignited flammable acoustic foam at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island, U.S., leaving 100 dead and more than 200 injured.

    In December 2004, a flare ignited flammable ceiling foam at Buenos Aires’ crowded Cromagnon Republic club in Argentina, killing 194 people. The venue’s owner was ultimately sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges of wrongful death and bribery. Five years later, December 2009 saw two major deadly venue fires: 152 people lost their lives at Russia’s Lame Horse nightclub in Perm, when indoor fireworks ignited a plastic, branch-decorated ceiling, just weeks after the 67-death Santika blaze in Bangkok on New Year’s Day 2009.

    Other major fatal incidents include a 2008 fire at Shenzhen, China’s King of Dancers nightclub that killed 44 after a fireworks-triggered blaze sparked a fatal stampede; a 2013 blaze at Brazil’s Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria that killed more than 200 people when soundproofing ceiling foam caught fire and released toxic gas during a university party; and a 2015 pyrotechnics-triggered fire at Bucharest, Romania’s Colectiv nightclub that left 64 dead and 190 injured. In 2016, the illegally converted Ghost Ship artist warehouse and venue in Oakland, California, U.S., burned during an electronic music event, killing 36 people who were trapped on an unpermitted second floor.

    Already in the 2020s, multiple high-death toll fires have occurred. Separate blazes in January 2022 killed 19 people at an Indonesia West Papua nightclub targeted in a gang attack and 17 at Cameroon’s Liv’s Nightclub Yaouba in Yaounde, where fireworks triggered explosions that spread the fire rapidly. In October 2023, a fire that began at a Murcia, southeastern Spain, nightclub spread to two adjacent venues, killing 13. One year later, in April 2024, a blaze at the Masquerade nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey—located on the ground and basement floors of a 16-story residential building and closed for renovations—trapped 29 workers inside, all of whom died.

    In 2025, three deadly blazes have been recorded: 63 people, most of them young partygoers, were killed in a fire and subsequent stampede at North Macedonia’s Pulse club in Kocani, sparked by a pyrotechnic flame that engulfed the club roof. That was followed by a December 2025 blaze at a popular Goa, India, nightclub in Arpora village that killed 25, including kitchen staff and foreign tourists. Early 2026 brings the most recent incident on record: a New Year’s Day early morning fire at a bar in the Swiss alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana that left 41 dead and more than 100 injured.

  • ‘Beautiful smile’: Tributes for six-year-old boy killed in horror crash

    ‘Beautiful smile’: Tributes for six-year-old boy killed in horror crash

    A young life cut far too short by a devastating car crash in Queensland’s Scenic Rim region is leaving a lasting legacy of compassion, after 6-year-old Ari Currie’s final gift of organ donation has given new life to other sick children. The Beaudesert community has rallied around Ari’s grieving family in the wake of the tragedy, pouring out support that has overwhelmed the close-knit clan.

    The fatal collision unfolded on July 6 at the busy intersection of Mount Lindesay Highway and Gould Hill Road, where Ari was traveling with his 56-year-old grandmother Gaye and 15-year-old cousin Hollie in their Nissan Qashqai. The vehicle collided head-on with a Subaru Impreza sedan, leaving Ari with catastrophic injuries. He was airlifted by emergency responders to a tertiary children’s hospital, where he spent five days in the pediatric intensive care unit before succumbing to his injuries on July 11.

    In the darkest moment of their grief, Ari’s family made the extraordinary decision to honor his inherently kind nature by donating his organs, a choice that has seen the little boy described as a real-life superhero for the children who will now survive thanks to his gift. Tributes have flowed in from across the region, highlighting the warmth, joy and generosity that defined Ari’s too-brief life.

    “Ari was a cherished son, an adored brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and friend, and his absence has left an unimaginable void in the lives of those who loved him most,” reads a statement shared on a community-organized GoFundMe page set up to support the family. His grandfather Brad Currie paid public tribute to his grandson in a moving Facebook post, noting that Ari carried a warmth and wisdom that defied his young age. “Ari lived every day with a joy that most of us spend a lifetime trying to find,” Brad wrote. “His compassion was remarkable for someone so young. He possessed a wisdom and generosity that was far beyond his years.”

    Local community groups have stepped forward to stand with the Currie family, led by the Beaudesert Kingfishers Rugby League Club, where members of one youth team wore personalized armbands embroidered with Ari’s name during matches as a quiet tribute. “It was our way of letting the Currie family know they are surrounded by love, strength, and the unwavering support of our community,” the club explained in a public post. The club also shared the fundraiser to its social media channels, noting that many club families share close ties with the Curries, and that the entire club community feels the weight of the loss. “There are simply no words that can ease the pain of such an unimaginable tragedy,” the post added.

    The GoFundMe initiative was launched to cover unexpected funeral costs and ease the financial strain of ongoing medical care for Gaye and Hollie, both of whom sustained non-fatal injuries in the crash and are recovering from their trauma. Ari’s family says they have been completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the Beaudesert community and beyond, describing the wave of kindness as nothing short of incredible. “The family is absolutely blown away at all this love, kindness and support,” the fundraiser update reads. “You have all helped to ease the pressure and they are incredibly thankful.”

    A warning issued alongside the original reporting notes that the story contains the name and image of a deceased Indigenous person, shared with the permission of Ari’s family.

  • Heavy rains and flash floods in Bangladesh leave 51 dead

    Heavy rains and flash floods in Bangladesh leave 51 dead

    Devastating seasonal monsoon flooding triggered by days of intense heavy rainfall has left at least 51 people dead and displaced more than one million residents across Bangladesh, with widespread damage to homes and infrastructure stretching from the capital Dhaka to the southeastern refugee hub of Cox’s Bazar. Flash floods and concurrent landslides have swept through large swathes of the low-lying South Asian nation, leaving thousands of families without permanent shelter and overwhelming emergency response systems. More than half of the confirmed fatalities have been recorded in Cox’s Bazar, the site of the world’s largest Rohingya refugee settlement that hosts over one million displaced people from Myanmar. Last week alone, the district recorded the tragic deaths of multiple students and a schoolteacher when rushing floodwaters inundated their campus.

    Bangladesh’s geographic profile, which features extensive river networks and most of its landmass lying just meters above sea level, makes it inherently prone to heavy monsoon rains and annual flooding. But climate experts have repeatedly warned that human-caused climate change is amplifying the severity and frequency of extreme rainfall events across the region, worsening the annual flood risk for vulnerable populations.

    The current bout of rain began more than a week ago, and as downpours intensified in recent days, national authorities moved quickly to issue widespread flood and landslide warnings, evacuate thousands of households from high-risk zones, and postpone scheduled student examinations to protect public safety. Today, thousands of displaced residents are taking shelter in temporary government-run emergency facilities across the country.

    In Dhaka, the densely populated capital, urban flooding has brought daily life to a near halt. Local reports from BBC Bangla confirm that floodwaters have reached knee depth on many residential and arterial streets, slowing vehicular traffic to a crawl and leaving many neighborhoods inaccessible. On Monday, local media outlets raised questions about the effectiveness of past government investments to upgrade Dhaka’s outdated stormwater drainage systems, which have repeatedly failed to cope with extreme monsoon downpours.

    Officials from Bangladesh’s Flood Forecasting and Warning Center have noted that conditions in the country’s southeast, including Cox’s Bazar, are expected to improve in the coming days as rainfall eases. However, Sarder Udoy Raihan, a representative from the center, told AFP that the threat of new flooding remains high for the nation’s northeastern and northern regions, where monsoon activity is projected to continue. “There is a possibility of further inundation,” Raihan cautioned, urging continued vigilance from residents and emergency teams in at-risk areas.

  • New Zealand actor Sam Neill, known for ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘The Piano,’ dies at 78, his family says

    New Zealand actor Sam Neill, known for ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘The Piano,’ dies at 78, his family says

    Legendary actor Sam Neill, whose decades-spanning career spanned everything from groundbreaking independent art house films to global blockbuster franchises, has died at the age of 78. The news of his passing was confirmed in an official statement shared to the actor’s social media channels, which confirmed he died on a Monday at his home in Sydney, Australia.

    In 2023, Neill revealed he had received a diagnosis of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. However, the statement clarified that his death was “sudden and unexpected”, and that he remained cancer-free at the time of his passing. No official cause of death has been released to the public. “Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life,” his family shared in the statement.

    Born in Northern Ireland in 1947, Neill moved to New Zealand with his family at age 7, settling in Dunedin on the country’s South Island. He launched his professional acting career in his adopted home country, taking the lead role in 1977’s *Sleeping Dogs* — the first full-length feature film produced in New Zealand in more than a decade. Just two years later, he gained his first international exposure through Gillian Armstrong’s celebrated 1979 drama *My Brilliant Career*, which also introduced audiences to fellow Australian acting star Judy Davis.

    Neill rose to global prominence as part of a wave of Australian and New Zealand acting and directing talent that broke through onto the international stage starting in the late 1970s, alongside household names including Mel Gibson, Russell Crowe, Jane Campion and Peter Weir. Widely praised for his extraordinary versatility, he took on wildly divergent roles across genres, from the menacing Antichrist Damien in *Omen III: The Final Conflict* to the gentle, conflicted husband of Holly Hunter’s character in Jane Campion’s Oscar-winning *The Piano*, to the tormented protagonist of sci-fi horror *Event Horizon* who gouges out his own eyes. He earned two Emmy Award nominations: one for his lead performance in the 1998 miniseries *Merlin*, and another as narrator for the 2017 documentary series *Wild New Zealand*.

    Of all his hundreds of on-screen roles, Neill earned the most global recognition for his portrayal of paleontologist Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 cultural phenomenon *Jurassic Park*. Starring alongside Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough, Neill’s grounded, thoughtful character warned of the catastrophic risks of cloning dinosaurs for commercial entertainment, delivering one of the franchise’s most iconic lines: “Dinosaurs and man, two species separated by 65 million years of evolution have just been suddenly thrown back into the mix together. How can we possibly have the slightest idea what to expect?” Though he skipped the franchise’s 1997 sequel *The Lost World*, he reprised the role of Grant for 2001’s *Jurassic Park III* and 2022’s *Jurassic World: Dominion*, telling the *New York Daily News* in 2001 that he had grown more comfortable in the role over time.

    Beyond *Jurassic Park*, Neill built an iconic filmography that included a memorable turn as a Soviet submarine officer dreaming of a quiet life in Montana in *The Hunt for Red October*, a lead role in John Carpenter’s cult horror *In the Mouth of Madness*, and two on-screen collaborations with Meryl Streep in *Plenty* and *A Cry in the Dark*. On television, he memorably played the ruthless Chester Campbell in the hit series *Peaky Blinders*, portrayed Founding Father Thomas Jefferson in the CBS miniseries *Sally Hemings: An American Tragedy*, and most recently starred opposite Annette Bening in the 2024 Peacock drama *Apples Never Fall*.

    Off-screen, Neill was an accomplished vintner, running the Two Paddocks winery in New Zealand’s Central Otago region, where he produced award-winning pinot noir and riesling. A prolific social media user, he often shared lighthearted photos of his farm animals, which he named for celebrity friends and colleagues — including a chicken named Laura Dern, a duck named Kylie Minogue and a cow named Helena Bonham Carter.

    In 2023, the same year he released his memoir *Did I Ever Tell You This?*, Neill was knighted for his outstanding contribution to film, an honor approved by the late Queen Elizabeth II. Reflecting on his cancer diagnosis and treatment that same year, he told *The Guardian*: “I can’t pretend that the last year hasn’t had its dark moments. But those dark moments throw the light into sharp relief, you know, and have made me grateful for every day and immensely grateful for all my friends.”

  • Bodies of 15 Indian tourists killed in Vietnam boat accident are flown home

    Bodies of 15 Indian tourists killed in Vietnam boat accident are flown home

    A tragic maritime accident off the coast of southern Vietnam that claimed the lives of 15 Indian tourists last week is moving into the next phase this Monday, as the remains of the victims are being transported back to their home country for final arrangements.

    The incident unfolded on a Saturday afternoon, shortly after the vessel departed Hon May Rut Ngoai, a small island located near Phu Quoc — Vietnam’s largest island and a top beach tourism destination. When the speedboat overturned in near-shore waters, it was carrying 32 Indian tourists and 4 local Vietnamese crew members, according to local Vietnamese authorities.

    In the wake of the capsizing, 57-year-old boat captain Nguyen Hong Hai has been taken into investigation, with local state media reporting that he faces allegations of violating waterway transport safety regulations.

    In a social media statement, the Indian Embassy in Vietnam confirmed that the flight carrying the victims’ remains departed Ho Chi Minh City and is scheduled to land in Mumbai by late Monday. Officials have already requested local state administrations to coordinate additional domestic travel of the remains to the victims’ home communities. Breakdown of the victims by state shows 10 hailed from Tamil Nadu, three from Andhra Pradesh, and two from Kerala.

    The group was on an all-expense company retreat organized by Lava International, a Uttar Pradesh-based manufacturer of smartphones and consumer electronics. The outing included current employees, distribution partners and retail partners from across the country.

    Sixteen survivors have already been discharged from local medical facilities and are on their way back to India, per previous updates from the Indian Embassy. One survivor, however, remains in critical condition: a 49-year-old man who suffered near-drowning. He was transferred on Monday to Ho Chi Minh City’s Cho Ray Hospital, Vietnam’s leading public specialized medical center, for advanced care. The patient sustained severe lung damage, alongside multiple physical injuries, brain bleeding, and post-traumatic shock, according to local Vietnamese outlet Vietnam News. Dr. Tran Thanh Linh, head of the hospital’s intensive care unit, told reporters Monday that the patient’s blood pressure and blood oxygen saturation levels have improved in recent hours, giving care teams cautious optimism.

    One survivor, 44-year-old businessman Nirmal Kumar, recounted the sudden turn from leisure to disaster for the group. He told the Associated Press that the trip was just minutes old when an unexpected storm brought rough churning waters to the area. A large rogue wave slammed into the side of the speedboat, sending passengers into immediate panic. Kumar said the vessel rocked violently, becoming increasingly hard for the captain to control before it flipped over.

    “People rushed from one side of the boat to the other, and then they started jumping,” Kumar said. “I also jumped into the water.” He added that rescue teams arrived on the scene within just five minutes, pulling him and other survivors out of the rough sea. The incident has left lasting psychological trauma for Kumar: one of the victims was his childhood friend, who joined the trip expecting a once-in-a-lifetime holiday. “I still can’t process that he is dead,” Kumar shared.

    The capsizing took place roughly 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of Phu Quoc, a coastal hotspot famous for its powdery white sand beaches and crystal clear blue waters that draws millions of domestic and international travelers each year. In recent years, India has emerged as one of Vietnam’s fastest-growing source markets for international tourism, with visitor numbers from the South Asian nation climbing steadily annually.

  • Watch: At the scene where Bangkok’s deadly bar fire unfolded

    Watch: At the scene where Bangkok’s deadly bar fire unfolded

    A devastating fire that broke out at a popular nightlife venue in central Bangkok has left at least 27 people dead, marking one of the deadliest commercial fire incidents in Thailand in recent years. The BBC’s South East Asia correspondent has traveled to the charred site of the blaze to document the immediate aftermath and speak to first responders, local residents, and witnesses who survived the fast-spreading inferno.

    Smoke still clung to the twisted metal and blackened structural beams days after the fire broke out, with rescue crews continuing to comb through the ruins to confirm the final death toll and identify all victims. Local emergency officials told the correspondent that the fire spread rapidly through the two-story venue, trapping dozens of patrons inside before fire trucks could arrive at the scene. Many of the victims were found near the main exit, which had become blocked by falling debris as the blaze accelerated.

    The correspondent’s on-site reporting captures the scale of the tragedy, from the shattered glass that litters the surrounding street to the tributes left by loved ones outside the cordoned-off area. Authorities have launched an official investigation into the cause of the fire, with initial reports focusing on potential electrical faults and inadequate fire safety measures at the venue. This disaster has already reignited public debate in Thailand over the enforcement of safety regulations for commercial entertainment venues, as communities mourn the lives lost in the unexpected tragedy.