Death toll exceeded 200 in hurricane-stricken southeastern US states, according to reports.

At least 204 people are known to have died across six states as a result of the destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene since it made landfall in Florida a week ago, as per NBC News, adding that hundreds are still missing and nearly a million customers remain without power, news agency reported.

Helene has become the deadliest hurricane to strike the US mainland since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

More than half of the fatalities were confirmed in storm-ravaged North Carolina, with at least 98 deaths. In particular, Buncombe County, which is located in western North Carolina, reported 61 deaths.

Leader of Yemen's Houthi group, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, claimed that the group has targeted 188 vessels across the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean since last November.

In a televised speech aired by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV on Thursday, al-Houthi alleged that the attacks were launched in a military campaign to support Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

He also claimed success in air defence operations with the group's downing of 11 US drones so far, this year.

Meanwhile, the Houthi leader noted that US and Israeli forces have escalated military actions against Yemen, conducting 39 airstrikes this week, news agency reported.

When pointing to Israel's Sunday attack on Yemen's western port city of Hodeidah, which resulted in six deaths and scores of injuries, al-Houthi stressed that such attacks would not impede Houthi military operations.

A female body found off the coast of Japan has been identified as that of 14-year-old Hanon Kiso, who went missing during recent torrential rains in Ishikawa prefecture.

Kiso, a junior high school student from Wajima City in the prefecture, had been missing since the record-breaking rainfall on September 21, when her home was swept away by a mudflow amid the rain, the Japan Coast Guard said Thursday.

The body was found on Monday off the coast of the neighbouring Fukui prefecture on the Sea of Japan and was identified through DNA analysis, news agency reported.

The Lao government and international partners have joined forces to combat rabies in Laos, with a focus on eliminating the deadly disease by 2030.

Laos is seeking to adopt innovative tools, technologies and stronger surveillance systems to overcome challenges in rabies prevention and control, Lao News Agency reported.

Lao authorities urged stakeholders to work together to improve public knowledge and perceptions of rabies, news agency reported quoting Lao News Agency.

Authorities outlined a strategic plan to reduce rabies cases to zero by 2030 through three key goals, improving prevention and response efforts using vaccines and a multisectoral approach, generating reliable data to guide decision-making, and maintaining sustained commitment and resources to ensure progress.

At least 87 people have been reportedly killed after a ferry sank on Lake Kivu in the eastern Congo.

The ferry, coming from the town of Minova in the South Kivu province, capsized on Thursday near the port of Kituku, on the outskirts of Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province.

In a report addressed to the Central government in Kinshasa, the provincial government also spoke of 78 people still missing. The 87 bodies recovered were transported to the morgue of the general hospital in Goma and nine other survivors were taken to hospital, news agency reported.

The number of passengers aboard the boat remains unknown.

Indonesia's most active volcano, Mount Merapi, emitted 21 lava flows towards southwest Thursday, according to the Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development Centre.

"The lava flows are moving toward Kali Bebeng, reaching up to 1,500 meters," said Agus Budi Santoso, head of the centre.

The centre urges people to avoid activities in danger zones that may be affected by lava flows and hot clouds.

Rwanda has recorded seven new cases of Marburg virus disease and one more death, according to the latest figures released by the Rwandan Health Ministry.

The total number of Marburg virus infections since the outbreak now stands at 36, with 11 deaths reported so far. At least 25 people are in isolation and receiving treatment, the ministry said.

Health authorities said last week that up to 300 individuals were being monitored closely after they were tracked as contacts of the confirmed Marburg virus cases since the virus broke out in the country.

The government banned visits to hospitalized patients and suspended monthly visits to students in boarding schools as part of the measures to reduce the risk of transmission,news agency reported.

The health ministry has advised anyone experiencing symptoms such as high fever, severe headaches, vomiting, muscle pain, or stomach aches to visit their nearest health facilities.

A member of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) died on Thursday from injuries sustained in a recent Israeli strike in the Syrian capital Damascus, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

The IRGC serviceman, identified as Majid Divani, served as a military advisor in Syria, and sustained injuries in Israeli airstrikes on Damascus early Tuesday, the report said.

Early Tuesday, Israeli warplanes and drones raided several sites in the Syrian capital, killing three and injuring nine others in densely populated residential areas.

Iran says it has an "advisory role" in Syria, with military personnel deployed at the request of the Syrian government, news agency reported.

The United States and Israel have frequently conducted airstrikes against suspected Iranian targets in Syria

The United States on Thursday welcomed the "historic agreement" between the United Kingdom and Mauritius on the exercise of sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago and securing the strategically-important UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, after two years of intense negotiations.

The agreement sees Mauritius assume sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) of Chagos Archipelago, with the UK authorised to exercise the sovereign rights of Mauritius on Diego Garcia.

The political agreement also means that it will be for the first time in more than 50 years that the status of the strategic base will be undisputed and legally secure.

"I applaud the historic agreement and conclusion of the negotiations between the Republic of Mauritius and the United Kingdom on the status of the Chagos Archipelago. It is a clear demonstration that through diplomacy and partnership, countries can overcome long-standing historical challenges to reach peaceful and mutually beneficial outcomes," said US President Joe Biden in a statement released by the White House.

The agreement had strong support from several countries, including the US which has joint operation of the strategic military base.

Typhoon Krathon made landfall in southern Taiwan's Kaohsiung at around 12:40 p.m. Thursday, according to the local meteorological agency.

The typhoon is forecast to move northeast and then north at an estimated speed of four to eight km per hour, packing winds of up to 126 km per hour near the centre, the meteorological agency said.

According to the local disaster response centre, as of Thursday morning, the typhoon has resulted in two fatalities, two people missing and over 120 injuries,news agency reported.

Typhoon Krathon has forced the suspension of classes and business operations in 22 counties and cities and the suspension of high-speed railway service in southern Taiwan until 6 p.m. on Thursday.

The island's Taoyuan International Airport announced the suspension of 211 flights on Thursday, while 14 highway sections across the island were closed.