world news

A persistent cold spell has gripped the UK, with temperatures plummeting to a chilling minus 18°C in Altnaharra, a remote hamlet in northern Scotland. The freezing conditions were recorded on Friday night by the Met Office and continued into Saturday morning, making it the coldest overnight temperature in January since 2010.

In a significant development aimed at improving diplomatic relations, Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is scheduled to visit Ethiopia on Saturday. This marks the strongest indication yet of a thaw in the long-standing tensions between the two neighboring nations. The diplomatic visit follows a year of strained relations, largely sparked by Ethiopia's controversial plans to build a naval base in the breakaway Somali region of Somaliland.

Rory Callum Sykes, a former child actor from Australia, tragically lost his life in the devastating wildfires sweeping across Los Angeles. The fire, which is part of the Palisades Fire in California, claimed the life of the 32-year-old who had been living with cerebral palsy and blindness. The fire reportedly started when embers from the blaze landed on the roof of his family's Malibu cottage, trapping him inside. His mother, Shelley Sykes, a prominent author and former host of the British TV show Kiddy Kapers, confirmed the heartbreaking news on social media.

In a significant ruling, a Pakistani court has temporarily halted the deportation of 150 Afghan singers and musicians, allowing them to remain in the country for at least two months. The court's decision mandates that the authorities refrain from expelling or forcing the performers to return to Afghanistan until their asylum applications are processed.

In a startling incident in Poland, dozens of anti-tank mines were misplaced and later recovered near a warehouse belonging to Swedish furniture giant IKEA. The incident has led to four Polish soldiers facing charges of neglect of duty, as revealed by prosecutors on Friday.

North Korea has announced the successful test-fire of a new hypersonic missile system, which leader Kim Jong Un claims will bolster the country's ability to deter its rivals in the Pacific. The launch coincided with the visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to South Korea, a strategic ally and rival of the North.