The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant restarted the extraction of melted fuel debris on Tuesday after the initial operation was suspended over a procedure failure last month.

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) on Tuesday morning resumed efforts to extract a small amount of melted fuel debris from the No. 2 reactor, about a few grams or the size of a small spoonful, after confirming that five pipes to be used to insert a device resembling a fishing rod into the reactor's containment vessel were installed properly.

The operation, originally scheduled to begin on August 22, was halted as officials from both TEPCO and contractor Mitsubishi Heavy Industries failed to verify the correct sequence of the pipe setup, news agency reported.

Italian authorities confirmed that they had recovered six bodies off the shore of Sicily, believed to be among the unaccounted-for victims of a migrant shipwreck last week.

The bodies have been transported to the island of Lampedusa to be processed, reports news agency, quoting the authorities on Monday.

An official with the Sicilian civil defence authorities confirmed the bodies had been recovered late Sunday. However, the spokesman did not confirm any of the specifics about the bodies that appeared in the Italian media on Monday.

"More information will be available when the bodies are processed," the spokesman said.

United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk reiterated his call for an end to the conflict in Gaza here.

In his opening statement at the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, Turk emphasised that "ending that war and averting a full-blown regional conflict is an absolute and urgent priority."

He continued his criticism of Israel at the Human Rights Council since the start of the conflict on October 7, 2023, noting that the broader illegality in the occupied Palestinian territory, stemming from Israel's policies and actions -- as outlined by the International Court of Justice in its July Advisory Opinion -- must be thoroughly addressed, reports news agency.

Turk highlighted the devastating impact on Palestinians, reporting that Israeli forces have killed over 40,000 Palestinians, with thousands more injured and many still trapped beneath the rubble in Gaza.

Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane will take forward talks on defence cooperation between India and the Philippines through the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) meeting in Manila on Wednesday.

The Defence Secretary will co-chair the fifth meeting of India-Philippines JDCC.

The meeting will be co-chaired by Senior Under Secretary from the Ministry of National Defence of the Philippines, Irineo Cruz Espino. Ministry of Defence said that this visit assumes significance as India and Philippines celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations and 10 years of India’s Act East Policy.

During the visit, the Defence Secretary will discuss ways to further consolidate defence cooperation between the two countries. He will also meet other dignitaries of the government of the Philippines.

Kate, the UK's Princess of Wales, has said that she has completed her chemotherapy treatment for cancer.

"As the summer comes to an end, I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have finally completed my chemotherapy treatment," 42-year-old Princess Kate said in a video where she was seen spending time with her family in Norfolk, east of England.

"The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family. Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown," she said.

The death toll from the Israeli airstrikes on military sites in the city of Masyaf in Syria's Hama has risen to 18, including four civilians, according to updated reports.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least 18 people were killed, namely four civilians, eight Syrian military personnel, and six individuals whose identities remain unknown, news agency reported.

The strikes targeted the Scientific Research Center in Masyaf, the Hair Abbas site, and two other locations in the al-Zawi area of Masyaf.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masatsugu Asakawa informed the ADB's board members, management, and staff on Monday about his intention to resign as President on February 23, 2025.

Asakawa has served as ADB's 10th President since January 17, 2020, news agency reported.

"After careful consideration and reflection, I believe it is time to step aside and make way for new leadership with a fresh perspective and renewed energy," he said in a statement.

The number of deaths by suicide among current and former members of the Australian Defense Force is "unacceptably high", a landmark inquiry has found.

The Royal Commission into Defense and Veteran Suicide on Monday handed down its final report following a three-year inquiry, making 122 recommendations.

The report found that 1,677 current and former personnel died by suicide between 1997 and 2021, more than 20 times the number killed in active duty in the same period, according to news agency.

A plane carrying 48 people skidded off the runway in Indonesia's Papua region on Monday morning, according to local police. The incident resulted in injuries to several passengers, although all on board survived.

The ATR-42 aircraft, operated by Trigana Air, was departing from an airport in the Yapen Islands regency bound for the Papuan capital of Jayapura when it veered off the runway. The flight included 42 passengers, among them a baby, and six crew members, reports news agency.

Typhoon Yagi and consequent landslides and floods have left 59 people dead and missing in Vietnam's northern region, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said on Monday.

The natural disasters also injured 247 people, including 157 in Quang Ninh province and 40 in Hai Phong City; sank 25 unmanned vessels, mostly fishing boats; damaged over 113,000 hectares of rice and more than 22,000 hectares of other crops; damaged or swept away 1,500 aquaculture cages; killed 190,000 fowls; and uprooted or damaged nearly 121,700 trees, reports.