Five Dead, 41 Missing in Indonesia Ferry Fire
Five people have been found dead and 41 are missing after an Indonesian ferry with 271 people on board caught fire while at sea on Sunday, search and rescue officials said.
The captain reported the fire as the vessel sailed from Indonesia's second-largest city, Surabaya in East Java, to Makassar in South Sulawesi, according to Basarnas, the National Search and Rescue Agency.
Security Increased at US Fairford Air Base in England
Security measures at a US air base in southwest England have significantly increased in recent days, with roadblocks and armed police preventing access and emergency vehicles parked nearby, a Reuters witness reported on Sunday.
A spokesperson for the US Air Force said they were aware of the current reporting but would not discuss specific force protection measures.
"The 501st Combat Support Wing and our fellow UK-based Wings remain vigilant and will take appropriate actions to ensure the safety and security of our US service members, civilians, contractors, and their families," the spokesperson said.
"We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families."
Britain said in July its armed forces were ready to protect the country from any attack after Iran's Revolutionary Guards issued a warning not to allow US bombers to fly from Fairford.
Fairford, in Gloucestershire, has been used to launch operations against Iran during the Middle East conflict.
Bangkok Floods Force Thousands into Shelters
Thousands of Bangkok residents awoke in shelters on Sunday after flooding triggered by days of heavy rain in the Thai capital inundated homes and roads, with some starting to dry out their homes and belongings.
Nearly 4,900 people have been evacuated to shelters, with around 52,000 households affected by the floods, which prompted a disaster declaration across the capital, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).
More than 330 millimeters (13 inches) of rain fell in some areas of the city between Thursday and Sunday, the weather agency said.
Thailand is used to wet weather, and September is the peak of the rainy season, but several Bangkok residents said this year seemed worse.
"Our house was underwater for about 30 hours," office worker Kosin Nilset, who lives along the Premprachakorn canal on the outskirts of the capital, told AFP on Sunday morning.
"This time, the water level is higher than the 2011 flood," the 44-year-old said.
Widespread deluges across the Southeast Asian country in 2011 killed more than 500 people and damaged millions of homes.
Kosin and his family lifted their belongings once they saw the water level was higher than the canal retaining wall, but their ground floor was still left soaked.
"At least tap water and electricity are working," Kosin said, as he used a broom to sweep out water.
Pedestrians in plastic rain ponchos trudged through murky floodwaters in Bangkok's east -- knee-deep in some areas of a grocery store parking lot -- floating their belongings in plastic tubs alongside them, AFP journalists saw.
Water levels in Bangkok's network of canals remained high on Sunday morning, with authorities working to speed up drainage, the BMA said.
More rain was forecast throughout Sunday for Bangkok and its surrounding provinces, but would begin to taper off on Monday, it said.
Scientists warn that the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events will increase as the planet continues to heat up because of fossil fuel emissions.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said several roads were still flooded and warned Bangkok residents in a Facebook Live post to avoid unnecessary travel.
Chadchart visited a temporary shelter on Saturday night in a school in the Kheha Romklao area, where he said about 1,000 people were evacuated.
Some rested on cots and benches with their dogs in hallways, while others lay with blankets on the floors of classrooms where desks and chairs were pushed to the side.
Hundreds of city schools will be closed on Monday, according to the BMA.
Some convenience stores had empty shelves over the weekend as residents raced to buy essentials.
The prime minister's office asked the public to avoid panic-buying and warned that price gouging was a criminal offence.
Thidarat Silsuwan, 56, lives alone in her partially submerged house along the Premprachakorn canal.
"I have been sleeping on the table for two days now," she told AFP.
She did not want to go to a shelter as she worked to clean up and salvage her belongings.
"I tried to lift everything up, but I gave up on large electric appliances like the refrigerator and washing machine. I guess they are broken."
Trump Predicts Cuba and US Will Make a Deal
President Donald Trump predicted on Saturday that the US and Cuba will reach an agreement and that he does not think military action will be necessary.
"I would say that Cuba and us will make a deal. I don't think we'll need the military," Trump told reporters at the White House.
The Trump administration has openly stated that its goal is to change Cuba's government. A US-imposed oil blockade implemented earlier this year has put the country under severe strain as it contends with fuel shortages and blackouts exacerbated by failing infrastructure.
"We want to help Cuba," Trump said before departing for Tennessee, according to Reuters.
"We want to open Cuba up to our people."
