At least 45 Palestinians killed as Israeli forces intensify Gaza operations

At least 45 Palestinian civilians, including 29 from Gaza City, were killed Saturday by Israeli gunfire and shelling in various parts of the Gaza Strip, the official WAFA news agency quoted medical sources as reporting.

Meanwhile, Palestinian officials reported widespread destruction in residential areas, a rising death toll and mounting pressure on hospitals as the Israeli military expanded its operations in Gaza City, warning residents to leave.

Gaza's Civil Defense agency accused Israel of targeting schools sheltering displaced people and crowded residential buildings, killing dozens and wounding hundreds. In a statement, it said the army was seeking to empty the city through "comprehensive destruction."

Former chief justice takes office to head Nepal's interim gov't

Nepal's former chief justice Sushila Karki took office as the prime minister of the interim government on Friday evening following KP Sharma Oli's resignation on Tuesday.

Karki was appointed to the post by President Ram Chandra Poudel and then she was sworn in by the president in the presence of foreign envoys and others.

Karki is keeping all the ministries with herself and her interim government is in charge of holding a general election within six months, according to the appointment letter read on the occasion.

Venezuela accuses U.S. destroyer of illegally intercepting Venezuelan fishing vessel

Venezuela on Saturday accused a U.S. Navy destroyer of illegally intercepting a Venezuelan fishing vessel carrying out normal fishing operations in the Venezuelan exclusive economic zone on Friday.

The Venezuelan government said the fishing vessel Carmen Rosa, crewed by nine fishermen, was approached Friday about 48 nautical miles northeast of La Blanquilla island by the USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109) destroyer.

In a statement posted on Telegram, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said the U.S. destroyer deployed 18 armed personnel to board and occupy the fishing vessel for eight hours, during which it blocked the fishing vessel's communication and obstructed its normal operations.

97 killed, over 4.4 mln affected by floods in Pakistan's Punjab

At least 97 people have been killed and more than 4.4 million others affected by recent floods in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has said.

According to the PDMA on Friday, floods triggered by high water levels in the Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab rivers have damaged over 4,500 villages across the province.

The authority said that so far, about 2.45 million people have been relocated to safer areas as part of ongoing rescue and relief operations.

7.4-magnitude earthquake hits Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula

A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck off the east coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on Saturday, prompting a tsunami warning that was later lifted, local authorities said.

According to the Kamchatka branch of the Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the quake, initially reported at 6.3 magnitude, occurred at 14:37 local time (0237 GMT) with its epicenter located about 123 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the regional capital, at a depth of 46.8 km.

Flooding displaces over 480 in Malaysia's Borneo states

Flooding displaced over 480 people in Malaysia on Saturday, with the hardest-hit area being the northern Borneo state of Sabah, according to authorities.

Sabah, which has seen continuous heavy rains over several days, recorded 420 flood evacuees who were being housed in five flood relief centers.

The neighboring state of Sarawak reported 68 evacuees as of 2 p.m. local time Saturday, according to the country's social welfare department.