In a major escalation of its efforts to combat campus anti-Semitism, the Trump administration has announced a "comprehensive review" of federal contracts and grants at Harvard University and its affiliates.

The decision, revealed on Monday by the Departments of Education (ED), Health and Human Services (HHS), and the US General Services Administration (GSA), is part of an ongoing initiative led by the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism.

The task force will examine over $255.6 million in federal contracts with Harvard, along with more than $8.7 billion in multi-year grant commitments, to ensure compliance with federal regulations, including civil rights obligations, according to a statement from the US Department of State (DoS).

South Korea's exports gained 3.1 percent from a year earlier in March, marking a second consecutive month of increase, driven by robust demand for semiconductors and other information technology (IT) products, data showed on Tuesday.

Outbound shipments came to US$58.3 billion last month, compared with $56.5 billion the previous year, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, reports news agency.

Imports rose 2.3 percent on-year to $53.3 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $4.98 billion.

Outbound shipments of semiconductors jumped 11.9 percent on-year to $13.1 billion in March, rebounding from a 3 percent on-year decrease the previous month, thanks to strong demand for high-value products, such as high bandwidth memory and double data rate 5 (DDR5) memory chips.

Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn has transferred half of his stake in the group's holding company, Hanwha Corp., to his three sons, the company said on Monday, effectively completing the group's leadership succession.

According to a regulatory filing, Kim has transferred a combined 11.32 percent stake in Hanwha Corp. to his three sons.

Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan received 4.86 percent, while President Kim Dong-won and Executive Vice President Kim Dong-seon each received 3.23 percent.

Kim previously held a 22.65 percent stake in Hanwha Corp., the de facto holding company of the conglomerate. Following the transfer, he now retains an 11.33 percent stake.

The short selling of South Korean stocks was tallied at over 1.7 trillion won ($1.16 billion) on the first day of the resumption of the trading scheme, data showed on Monday.

The country imposed a temporary ban on short selling in November 2023 after a series of naked short selling violations involving several global investment banks were discovered, reports news agency.

Starting Monday, short selling is allowed for all listed firms for the first time since March 2020, when the authorities banned short selling for listed firms amid a market rout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ban was partially lifted in May 2021 before it was reimposed in 2023.

Pakistan law enforcement agencies have been ordered to arrest and deport thousands of Afghan refugees as the government's deadline for Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders to leave the country ends on Monday, local media reported.

The authorities, particularly in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, ordered the prompt evacuation of all the Afghan refugees.

The Rawalpindi police chief has directed the superintendents of the Rawal, Potohar, and Saddar divisions to take legal action against Afghan nationals residing or working in the district, according to a report in Pakistan's leading daily, Dawn.

"We have received directions that all Afghan nationals holding ACC cards must be expelled from Rawalpindi and Islamabad," a police official told Dawn.

Myanmar's Department of Meteorology and Hydrology reported that 36 aftershocks, with magnitudes ranging from 2.8 to 7.5, have occurred as of Monday morning.

The aftershocks followed a devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake that jolted Myanmar at 12:51 p.m. local time last Friday, news agency reported.

About 1,700 people died, 3,400 were injured, and 300 remained missing in the massive earthquake in Myanmar, according to the country's State Administration Council on Sunday.

A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake, followed by a 6.4 magnitude aftershock minutes later, struck Myanmar's Mandalay region on Friday, causing massive casualties and damage in multiple countries.

South Korean police, firefighters and relevant authorities on Monday conducted their first joint on-site investigation at the original point of ignition for the nation's worst wildfires in history that charred vast areas of woodland in the southeastern province of North Gyeongsang last week.

The forest fire was allegedly accidentally ignited by a 56-year-old man on a hill in North Gyeongsang county Uiseong's Anpyeong district, about 180 kilometres southeast of Seoul, on March 22.

It rapidly spread to Andong and three adjacent counties amid high winds and dry conditions for nearly a week, killing 26 people and destroying an estimated 4,000 structures.

Police booked the man without detention last Friday on suspicion of accidentally starting the fire while tending to his grandparents' grave site, with some news reports saying that he tried to burn tree branches over the grave with a cigarette lighter.

Police in Australia are searching for a man who allegedly shot one man and stabbed another, leaving both with life-threatening injuries.

The police service in the state of Queensland said that a 30-year-old man fled the scene after allegedly shooting one neighbour and stabbing another during a dispute in the early hours of Monday morning, news agency reported.

Police said that emergency services responded to a disturbance at an address in Surfers Paradise -- 70 km southeast of Brisbane on Queensland's Gold Coast -- just before 2 am local time.

A 21-year-old man was found at the scene with a gunshot wound to his stomach and stab wounds to his back, and a 44-year-old male was found with stab wounds to his head, neck and leg.

North Korea has hosted the first large-scale workshop of instructors for a nationwide children's union, emphasising their role in fostering young people's loyalty to leader Kim Jong-un, state media reported Monday.

The large-scale lecture for instructors from across the country was held in Pyongyang from Wednesday to Saturday for the first time in history to urge them to fulfill their responsibilities in nurturing "youth revolutionaries and patriots," Yonhap news agency reported quoting the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The report was referring to a nationwide children's union, known as the "Red Necktie" unit, which students aged 7-16 are required to join. Established in 1946, the union is estimated to have 3 million members.

Thai authorities have detained four Chinese nationals for unlawfully entering the site of a collapsed high-rise under construction in Bangkok following the powerful earthquake that struck Myanmar.

Police stated that the individuals were attempting to retrieve documents from the site, which is now under investigation due to its connection to a Chinese-backed construction firm.

The 30-story building crumbled within seconds during the 7.7-magnitude earthquake on Friday, sending debris into the air and trapping dozens beneath the rubble.

Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Major General Nopasin Poolswat, revealed that the four Chinese men were caught illegally removing 32 files of documents from the collapsed State Audit Office (SAO) building without permission, as reported by National Thailand.

Just a day after a series of powerful earthquakes ravaged Myanmar, claiming over a thousand lives, the nation was struck by another 5.1-magnitude tremor on Saturday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The latest seismic activity occurred near Myanmar's capital, Naypyidaw, around 2.50 p.m., at a depth of 10 km. The full extent of damage and potential casualties from this new tremor, which impacted the same regions affected by Friday's earthquakes, remains unclear.

Following the initial quake near Sagaing, the region experienced 12 aftershocks, ranging from 2.8 to 7.5 in magnitude, further exacerbating the already dire situation. Mandalay, Bago, Magway, northeastern Shan State, Sagaing, and Nay Pyi Taw have been identified as the hardest-hit areas, news agency reported.

Ten people were dead, 16 were injured, and 101 others remained missing in the capital, Bangkok, Thai authorities said on Saturday after a powerful earthquake struck Myanmar, sending strong tremors across Thailand.

According to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), emergency disaster areas have been declared in Bangkok and two other provinces, with authorities conducting structural safety assessments and damage surveys across the affected regions.

Phasakorn Boonyalak, director general of the DDPM, said 14 provinces have reported damage following the earthquake that rocked central Myanmar on Friday afternoon, reports news agency.

Tremors were felt in 57 provinces, particularly in Bangkok, prompting mass evacuations from office buildings, residential complexes, and convention centers as people gathered on the streets and in parks as temporary shelters.

The Turkish Police have arrested several protestors involved in the mass demonstrations against the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. They were subjected to widespread physical abuse, sexual harassment, and degrading treatment, according to local media reports.

Till now, Turkish security forces have arrested over 1800 people, including several journalists, amid the ongoing protests that erupted after Imamoglu, the arch-rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a potential presidential election contender, was arrested.

The lawyers representing the detainees revealed the horrific abuse they are facing in the jails.

A series of detailed testimonies and legal records revealed the most serious allegation made by a young woman detained in Istanbul's Sarachane neighbourhood.

In an official statement, she stated that she was pulled by her hair, dragged on the ground, and groped by a male officer, and in fear, she urinated on herself.

Residents have been airlifted to safety amid record-breaking flooding in remote northern Australia.

Over 100 homes have been flooded in a number of small towns over 1,000 kilometres west of Brisbane in the outback of the northeastern state of Queensland following record-breaking rainfall.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said in a major flood warning issued on Saturday that the floodwater peak in the region had surpassed the record-high set in 1974.

Residents of the small towns of Adavale and Jundah, as well as multiple remote properties, were evacuated by air after the flooding cut off access by road.

South Korea plans to offer humanitarian aid worth $2 million to Myanmar to assist the country's people affected by the catastrophic quake, Seoul's foreign ministry said on Saturday.

"We decided to provide $2 million worth of humanitarian assistance via an international organisation to help speedy responses against damage caused by the quake in Myanmar," the ministry said.

The ministry said it will review additional assistance, if necessary, depending on the situation in the Southeast Asian country, news agency reported.

At least 1,002 were killed, 2,376 were injured, and 30 remained missing in the earthquake that rattled Myanmar, according to the Information Team of Myanmar's State Administration Council.

The Philippines, Japan, and the United States conducted a multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) within the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone, demonstrating a collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

This maritime cooperation was conducted on Friday amid looming threats and the growing assertiveness of China in the region, according to media reports.

MCAs are conducted in a manner that is consistent with international law and with due regard to the safety and navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.

The US, along with its allies and partners, uphold the right to freedom of navigation and overflight and other internationally lawful uses of the sea related to freedom, the US Navy said in an official statement.

At least 1,002 were killed, 2,376 were injured, and 30 remained missing in the earthquake that rattled Myanmar, according to the Information Team of Myanmar's State Administration Council on Saturday.

Rescue efforts have intensified in Myanmar despite severe disruptions to transportation and communication networks following a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck the country on Friday afternoon.

The quake, which originated near Sagaing, triggered 12 aftershocks ranging from 2.8 to 7.5 in magnitude, further worsening conditions in the affected areas.

The devastation has been widespread, with Mandalay, Bago, Magway, northeastern Shan State, Sagaing, and Nay Pyi Taw among the hardest-hit regions, reports news agency.

As rescuers continued their search and relief efforts on Saturday, a day after a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar and another quake measuring 4.2 on the Richter Scale hit late on Friday night, a Myanmar military leader was quoted by media reports as saying that at least 694 people have been killed in the temblors, even as a US agency warned that the toll could exceed 10,000.

Another earthquake, with a magnitude of 4.2 on the Richter Scale, hit Myanmar late on Friday, the National Center for Seismology reported, hours after a powerful 7.7 magnitude quake rattled much of Southeast Asia.

Strong tremors were also felt in parts of India, including Meghalaya and Manipur, as well as in Bangladesh, particularly in Dhaka and Chattogram, and in China.

However, according to official figures till now over 150 people were confirmed dead and hundreds were injured after the first earthquake.

At least 20 people have been killed after a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on Friday, followed by a powerful 6.8 aftershock.

The death toll is expected to rise as reports indicate that a mosque in Mandalay City collapsed with people inside, leaving several feared dead.

The earthquake, which hit northwest of Sagaing at a depth of 10 km, sent tremors across Myanmar, Thailand, northeast India, and parts of China.

The shaking was so intense that metro and rail services were temporarily suspended in Bangkok, causing widespread panic among residents.

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has called for an urgent crisis meeting and declared a state of emergency in the capital.

A massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on Friday with an aftershock of 6.4 magnitude just 12 minutes later.

Tremors of the earthquake were also felt in Thailand, some parts of northeast India and China.

According to the US Geological Survey, the epicentre was 16 km northwest of the city of Sagaing and had a depth of 10 km.

The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said the quake had a depth of 10km, with the epicentre near the city of Mandalay.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that the Kremlin stands for a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict on the condition that its root causes are removed, describing the conflict as complex and demanding a "careful approach."

"We are for resolving all these issues by peaceful means. Yet with removing the original causes that triggered the current situation," Putin said during a meeting with the Russian Navy.

Putin further stated that Moscow is ready to work on the Ukrainian settlement with Europe as well but will not make any mistakes in excessively trusting the West, local media reported.

"We are also ready to work with Europe, it is just that they are acting inconsistently, constantly trying to fool us. But it's ok, we have gotten used to it already. I hope we will make no mistakes based on excessive trust in our so-called partners," Russian state-run news agency TASS reported on Friday, quoting Putin as saying.

The United States expressed condolences to South Korea on Friday for the loss of life and the destruction caused by devastating wildfires in the southern region, pledging to provide all support needed.

"The United States offers our sincere condolences to the people of the Republic of Korea for the tragic loss of life and the extensive damage caused by ongoing wildfires in the southeastern region," Tammy Bruce, spokesperson of the US State Department, said in a press statement, referring to South Korea by its official name.

"America stands with its ally during this difficult time. United States Forces Korea also stands ready to provide assistance to help combat the fires and support the affected communities," she said.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said that he will have a phone call with US President Donald Trump to discuss the trade disputes in the next day or two.

The Prime Minister said on Thursday in a press conference that Trump's office reached out to him Wednesday night to schedule a call.

If it takes place, it will be the first between the two leaders, news agency reported.

Carney, after chairing a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Canada-US Relations and National Security, said Canada will respond to the US auto tariffs with retaliatory trade actions.

The response will "have maximum impacts in the US" and minimum impacts in Canada, said Carney, adding that nothing is off the table to defend Canada and its workers against the US tariffs.

Preparations are underway for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit to Russia this year, a Russian Minister said on Thursday.

Speaking to journalists in Moscow, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said Russia is preparing for Kim's visit to the country, Russian news agencies TASS and Ria Novosti reported, though they did not specify the exact timing of the visit.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is also planning to visit Pyongyang, North Korea's capital, to continue strategic dialogue with North Korea, according to the reports.

The news came amid growing speculation about Kim's potential visit to Russia on the occasion of Russia's 80th Victory Day anniversary on May 9, potentially as a reciprocation for Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to North Korea in June last year.

Wildfires sweeping through the US states of North and South Carolina have forced evacuations and prompted a state of emergency.

In North Carolina's Polk County, the hardest-hit area, about 250 households have been evacuated, and at least 20 homes and outbuildings destroyed, according to Kellie Cannon, public information officer of the county.

Firefighters have managed to save most of the structures near the fires. Only one injury has been reported — a firefighter in North Carolina got his leg caught under a tree, officials said.

The fires, fueled by dry conditions, strong winds, and downed trees from Hurricane Helene, continue to spread. The hurricane, which struck North Carolina in late September 2024, left a trail of destruction and claimed hundreds of lives.

US President Donald Trump's recent announcement to levy 25 per cent tariffs on all imported vehicles next month is expected to deal a heavy blow to South Korean carmakers, which largely depend on shipments to the United States, analysts said on Thursday.

Trump signed a proclamation to impose the new tariffs on foreign-made cars, light trucks and key auto parts, set to take effect from next Wednesday.

South Korea exported US$34.7 billion worth of vehicles to the U.S. last year, accounting for nearly half of the country's total car exports in the year at $70.8 billion, reports news agency.

Under the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS), Korean-made cars have been exempt from tariffs in the U.S.

The government will hold an emergency meeting with local automotive companies on Thursday to discuss the possible impact of the US administration's plan to start imposing auto tariffs next week, the industry ministry said.

The meeting, to be chaired by Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun, will be held later in the day with the attendance of officials from major automobile companies here, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The planned meeting comes shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration will start imposing 25 percent tariffs on all imported cars, light trucks and key parts, such as engines and transmissions, on April 2 and begin collecting them the next day, reports news agency.

China presents the most comprehensive and robust military threat to the national security of the United States, a US intelligence report revealed on Tuesday.

The report spotlighted that China poses an active and persistent cyber threat to the US government, private sector, and critical infrastructure networks with Beijing's nuclear weapons and advanced delivery systems - capable of delivering catastrophic damage - posing a direct threat to the US and threatening its military forces at home and abroad.

The Annual Threat Assessment done by the intelligence authority cites that a major portion of China's military modernisation efforts is focused on developing counter-intervention capabilities tailored against all aspects of US and allied military operations in the Pacific.

Yemen's Houthi group said on Wednesday that it had launched fresh attacks on a US aircraft carrier in the Red Sea and "military targets" in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv.

"Our forces launched missile and drone attacks over the past few hours, targeting American warships in the Red Sea, including the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, from which the aggression against our country is launched," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

"The confrontation and engagement continued for several hours," he said, vowing to confront the ongoing US airstrikes on Houthi-held areas in northern Yemen.

There was no comment yet from the US military, news agency reported.

A South Korean firefighting helicopter with one pilot crashed on Wednesday while battling a large wildfire in the southeastern county of Uiseong, killing the pilot, authorities said.

The helicopter went down on a mountain in Uiseong, located about 180 kilometres southeast of Seoul, at 12:54 p.m., according to the Korea Forest Service.

The cause of the accident is under investigation, authorities said, news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the death toll from a wave of wildfires in the southeastern region has risen to 16, with another 10 injured, officials said on Wednesday, as firefighters struggled to contain the rapidly spreading blazes.

The fires that began in Sancheong County in South Gyeongsang Province last Friday have spread to nearby Uiseong, and were advancing to neighbouring Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang and Yeongdeok, fueled by strong and dry winds.

The United Nations Women on Tuesday warned that it will have generational consequences in Afghanistan as girls are denied education for the third year in a row.

The reaction comes as the new academic year begins in Afghanistan, with secondary and higher education institutions still closed to women for yet another year under the Taliban.

Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, stated that Afghan girls must return to school with the start of the new school year, and depriving them of access to education is a clear violation of their rights.

Japan has raised serious concerns over the recent, and one of the longest, intrusion by the Chinese Coast Guard ships in the Tokyo-controlled, Beijing-claimed islets in the East China Sea.

Marking the longest intrusion in the territorial waters of Japan, Chinese Coast Guard ships left on Monday night after sailing for 92 hours and 8 minutes near the disputed Senkaku islands.

The amount of activity by Chinese vessels near the Senkaku Islands is "clearly escalating," Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said on Monday.

His remarks came as the Chinese Coast Guard ships continued to operate within Japan's territorial seas near the uninhabited islands since the early hours of Friday, reports the leading Japanese news agency.

Speculation is mounting over the possibility of martial law or a state of emergency in Bangladesh, with talks of a military takeover gaining traction. Concerns are growing that the army could move against the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government amid increasing tensions between the military and both the administration and student-led movements.

The deployment of the Bangladeshi Army in Dhaka has further fueled coup rumours. Reports indicate that troops from the Savar-based 9th Division of the Bangladeshi Army are being mobilised and have begun entering the capital in a phased manner.

According to the country's leading media outlet, Northeast News, sources within the security establishment suggest that the army is looking to consolidate control, particularly in Dhaka.

Wildfires in South Korea's southeastern county of Uiseong appear to be getting out of control due to unpredictable strong winds and extremely dry weather, government officials said on Tuesday, citing a gradual drop in the area's fire extinguishing rate.

The forest area affected by the wildfires in Uiseong, about 180 kilometres southeast of Seoul, increased by over 4,000 hectares (ha) overnight to 12,699 ha as of early Tuesday morning, despite all-out firefighting efforts by authorities.

According to the Korea Forest Service, Uiseong's fire extinguishing rate has moved backwards over the past day, dropping from 60 per cent on Monday evening to 54 per cent as of 9 a.m. Tuesday.

A combination of unpredictable strong winds and extremely dry weather is hampering firefighting efforts there, the officials said.