WORLD HIGHLIGHTS

►Russia ORENBURG

The Russian city of Orenburg battled rising water levels yesterday after major rivers across Russia and Kazakhstan burst their banks in the worst flooding seen in the areas in nearly a century.

MOSCOW

Russian forces carried out at least 10 air strikes targeting "critical infrastructure" in Ukraine's Kharkiv, the region's governor said early yesterday.

►US

NEW YORK

Massive heatwaves across East Asia and the Pacific could place millions of children at risk, the UN warned yesterday, calling for action to protect vulnerable people from the soaring temperatures.

►Italy ROME

Italy's coastguard said yesterday that it had found nine dead migrants, including a child, after their boat was shipwrecked southeast of Lampedusa but that 22 people were rescued.

►Ukraine KYIV

Ukraine's parliament passed a bill yesterday overhauling mobilisation rules that would enable Kyiv to call up more people, two senior lawmakers said.

►Philippines MANILA

Two Philippine Navy pilots died yesterday after a helicopter crash near a public market south of the capital Manila.

►Germany BERLIN

A plunge in new housing construction in Germany threatens to derail the country's economic recovery and worsen political divisions, industry groups warned, calling for 23 billion euros (US$24.70 billion) in annual subsidies to address the crisis.

►New Zealand WELLINGTON

New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions for industry and household decreased 0.5 per cent in the December 2023 quarter, or 105 kilotons, mainly due to a reduction in electricity, gas, water, and waste services emissions, according to the statistics department Stats NZ yesterday.

►Singapore SINGAPORE

Multinational corporations are increasingly locating some Southeast Asian regional headquarters functions outside Singapore to save money and pursue expanded opportunities, according to foreign media. AGENCIES