AUSTRALIA: A man died in Queensland after a helicopter crashed into a hotel early this morning, prompting the building’s evacuation as flames engulfed the aircraft.

Authorities in the city of Cairns said that they had not confirmed the identity of the pilot, his reason for making the flight or how the tourist helicopter was able to take off from Cairns airport.

A couple staying at the hotel were hospitalised suffering from smoke inhalation and have now been discharged, police said.

SYRIA: US-backed fighters carried out a rare attack near the Iraqi border today. In a major escalation, they struck three posts manned by pro-government gunmen, claiming to have killed 18.

The attack was carried out by the Arab-led Deir el-Zour Military Council — part of the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

The rebels and US troops control oil fields in eastern Syria. The area is vital for Tehran as the main land corridor from Iran to the Mediterranean.

MEDITERRANEAN: US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a guided missile submarine to the Middle East on Sunday and is instructing the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area.

The moves come as the US and other allies push for Israel and Hamas to achieve a ceasefire agreement that could help calm soaring tensions in the region following the assassination of Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut.

JAPAN: A slow-moving storm has caused intense rains in the north, swelling rivers, sending residents to shelters and disrupting traffic during a Buddhist holiday week.

The storm made landfall near Ofunato City in Iwate prefecture this morning with winds now blowing up to 45mph.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said no damage or injuries were reported so far, but authorities have cautioned about the risks of flooding and mudslides, and advised 170,000 residents in Iwate and neighbouring Aomori and Miyagi prefectures to go to shelters.