MALAYSIA: A thunderous crush of soil and debris killed 18 people at a camp ground on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur today, and rescuers dug through the mud for another 15 who were feared buried in the landslide.

More than 90 people were sleeping on an organic farm when the dirt tumbled from a road about 100 feet above the site.

Authorities told local media that the landowners did not have a license to run a camp ground.

FRANCE: Ten people, including five children as young as three, died after a nighttime fire ravaged an eight-floor block of flats today in one of Lyon’s poorest suburbs.

The cause of the blaze was under investigation, including whether it had a criminal origin.

Witness reports described scenes of horror, including residents smashing windows to try to climb out of the building and a mother throwing her child out of a window to be safely caught by a person on the ground.

JORDAN: The Kingdom announced imposed a “temporary ban” on the social media platform TikTok today, a day after a police officer was killed during clashes with protesters that broke out over high fuel prices.

Truck drivers launched a strike last week to protest high fuel prices. The strike and protests have spread to several cities across Jordan.

Jordan’s Public Security Directorate suspended the popular video app today “after its misuse and failing to deal with publications inciting violence and disorder.”

CLIMATE: Coal use across the world is set to reach a new record this year, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said today.

While coal use grew by only 1.2 per cent in 2022, the increase pushed it to all all-time high of more than eight billion metric tons, beating the 2013 record.

This level of coal consumption will remain at similar levels, the agency warned, adding that “coal will continue to be the global energy system’s largest single source of carbon dioxide emissions by far.”