73 Palestinians killed by Israeli army fire while waiting for aid in Gaza

At least 73 Palestinians were killed by Israeli army fire while waiting for humanitarian aid across the Gaza Strip, the health authorities in Gaza said on Sunday.

In a press statement, the authorities said 67 of the victims were killed in the northern part of the territory.

Eyewitnesses told Xinhua that Israeli forces opened fire on thousands of Palestinians gathered near the Zikim area, northwest of Gaza City, as they awaited aid trucks.

Iran, E3 agree to resume nuclear talks: media

Iran and the three European countries of France, Germany and Britain, collectively known as the E3, have agreed to resume negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Sunday.

Quoting an "informed source" without giving the name, Tasnim said Iran and the E3 are holding consultations on the date and venue of the negotiations.

Fresh clashes erupt in Syria's Sweida as ceasefire teeters

Heavy clashes broke out Sunday between Druze fighters and the interim government-aligned Bedouin tribal forces in the countryside of Sweida, southern Syria, further threatening a fragile ceasefire in the region, activists reported.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said large reinforcements from tribal fighters gathered in the villages of Bustan, Dama, and Najran, amid signs of preparations to storm neighboring Druze-populated areas.

14 killed, 12 missing after days of torrential rain batter S. Korea

Fourteen people were killed and 12 others went missing after five days of torrential rain battered South Korea, the interior ministry said Sunday.

Fourteen fatalities were confirmed and 12 people remained unaccounted for at 11:00 a.m. local time (0200 GMT), according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

The downpour, which began on Wednesday, forced 13,209 people to evacuate their homes across the country, with 3,836 staying in temporary shelters as of Sunday morning.

Japan's ruling coalition unlikely to keep upper house majority in election: exit polls

Japan's ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito is unlikely to keep its majority in the House of Councillors following Sunday's election, media reports said.

Voting for the upper house election, where half the seats are up for grabs, ended at 8 p.m. local time. The ruling camp is at risk of losing its majority, public broadcaster NHK projected, citing its exit poll.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's LDP and its small ruling partner Komeito must win at least 50 of the 125 contested seats to clear the majority line. They are forecast to secure 32 to 51 seats, according to NHK.

3 killed, 150 rescued after passenger ship catches fire in Indonesia

At least three people were killed and about 150 others rescued after a passenger ship caught fire in the waters of Indonesia's North Sulawesi province on Sunday, according to Veri Ariyanto, a senior official at the provincial Search and Rescue Office.

"Three people were killed, and nearly 150 were rescued safely. They were rescued by the joint rescue team and local fishermen's boats," he told Xinhua.

The search and rescue operation is still underway. Two ships, several rigid inflatable boats, and other vessels have been deployed, Ariyanto said.

China discovers world's deepest sandstone-type industrial uranium mineralization

China has discovered the world's deepest sandstone-type industrial uranium mineralization at a depth of 1,820 meters in the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to the China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA).

This discovery sets a new global record for the deepest sandstone-type industrial uranium mineralization ever found, signifying China's world-leading position in deep-earth sandstone uranium resource exploration.