Military helicopter plunges into reservoir in Sri Lanka, killing 5
A military helicopter plunged into a reservoir in Sri Lanka on Friday, killing five people.
Air force spokesperson Eranda Geeganage said the helicopter was carrying 12 people from the army and air force to a military pass out event when it plunged into a reservoir in Maduru Oya, some 280 kilometers (175 miles) northeast of the capital Colombo.
All the passengers were recovered alive, but three army personnel and two from the air force died later in a hospital, Geeganage said.
The reason for the crash was not immediately known.
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Arab News
11 hours ago
- Arab News
Mali army camp in Timbuktu under attack: residents and officials
BAMAKO: An army camp in the Malian city of Timbuktu on Monday was under attack by 'terrorists' and heavy gunfire was heard, military and local officials and residents told AFP. Junta-ruled Mali has been gripped since 2012 by violence from jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Daesh group as well as community and criminal groups. 'We are dealing with terrorists attacking Timbuktu. We are fighting back,' a military source said. 'The camp in the city center has been attacked,' the source added. A local official said: 'The terrorists arrived today in Timbuktu with a vehicle packed with explosives. The vehicle exploded near the (military) camp. Shooting is currently continuing.' UN staff were instructed in a message 'to take shelter' and 'stay away from windows' due to 'shooting in the city of Timbuktu.' A resident reported having heard 'heavy gunfire in the city' which 'seems to come from the side of the (military) camp.' A local journalist speaking by telephone said 'the city is under fire.' 'This morning our city was attacked by terrorist groups. Shots were heard near the military camp and the airport. We all returned home,' he said. The ancient city of Timbuktu, once known as the 'city of 333 saints' for the Muslim holy men buried there, was subject to major destruction while under the control of jihadists in 2012 and 2013.
Al Arabiya
12 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
How can Saudi Arabia qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
With the final day of the 2024-25 Saudi Pro League and King's Cup final bringing down the curtain on the Kingdom's domestic football last week, attention now turns to international football and Saudi Arabia's hopes of reaching the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Green Falcons have endured a tumultuous qualification campaign for the tournament so far but despite many ups and downs, are still in with a good chance of making it to the World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer. Saudi Arabia began World Cup qualifying with Roberto Mancini as coach but parted company with the Italian last October. Since then, Herve Renard – mastermind of the team's iconic 2022 victory over Argentina in Qatar – has returned to the hotseat, aiming to take Saudi Arabia back to the FIFA World Cup. Heading into the final two games of the Third Round of qualifying, three potential pathways still exist for the Green Falcons to make it to the finals. Here, Al Arabiya English explores how Saudi Arabia can qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 1) Finish second in Group C Only two teams in Asia have already guaranteed their spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup – Iran and runaway Group C winner Japan. But second place in Group C, and the automatic place in the USA, Canada and Mexico that it brings, is still very much up for grabs. There are three teams currently in the hunt and it will be one of Australia, Saudi Arabia or Indonesia that joins Japan at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. For more Saudi sports news, visit our dedicated page. Australia is in pole position heading into the final two group games, currently sitting on 13 points – three ahead of Saudi Arabia, with Indonesia a further point back. In the previous two qualifiers back in March, the Green Falcons claimed a vital 1-0 home win against China before securing a creditable 0-0 draw away to Japan in Saitama. The math is now simple for Saudi Arabia: win its next two games, and the Green Falcons can qualify in second place. The first of those matches is on Thursday against neighbor Bahrain, which has punched above its weight so far in qualifying in its pursuit of a first ever World Cup appearance. Bahrain held Saudi Arabia to a 0-0 draw in the reverse fixture in Jeddah last October and more recently beat the Green Falcons 3-2 last December on its way to winning the 2024 Arabian Gulf Cup. While Saudi Arabia visits Bahrain, Australia will host already qualified Japan. Despite having already booked its spot at the World Cup, the Blue Samurai put a strong team out against Saudi Arabia back in March; Renard and his players will be hoping Japan do the same against the Socceroos – as a draw or loss for Australia will open the door. Should that happen, it is then set up for a blockbuster finish on June 10, when Saudi Arabia hosts Australia at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah. While other combinations of results could see Saudi Arabia progress, its best chance is to beat Bahrain, and then also beat the Socceroos on home soil. If Australia is able to beat Japan, this scenario would mean both sides finish on 16 points – but the Socceroos would advance courtesy of a substantially better goal difference. Should there be a double slip up, Indonesia could be waiting in the wings. This is not the first time that qualification is going down to the wire for Saudi Arabia; it beat Australia 1-0 in the final qualification game for the 2022 FIFA World Cup to top its group, while the Green Falcons beat Japan in the last 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier to pip Australia to an automatic spot at the finals in Russia. 2) Finish top of Fourth Round group Should Saudi Arabia miss out on second place to Australia or Indonesia, it is unlikely to be the end of the road. If Renard's side is able to secure one win, or two draws, from its final two matches – it will be guaranteed to advance to another qualification round. This is because the 2026 FIFA World Cup is the first 48-team edition of the tournament, meaning there are more spots on offer than usual for Asian Football Confederation (AFC) teams. The teams finishing third and fourth in each of the three groups in the current round of qualification – which could also include the likes of Iraq, Oman, Jordan, Palestine, Qatar and UAE – will have another opportunity to reach the World Cup via the Fourth Round. The six teams that make it through from the Third Round will be split into two groups of three, offering those nations another shot at making it to the finals. Should Saudi Arabia reach this stage, it will face a pair of one-off matches against the two other teams in its group, in a round robin format taking place between October 8-14. Those games will be played at an as-yet unannounced centralized location. It remains to be seen whether the qualifiers will need to be hosted at a neutral venue; Saudi Arabia and Qatar have regularly been chosen by the AFC as destinations for such one-off events previously but Asian football's governing body has yet to announce anything. If the Green Falcons could play those matches in the Kingdom, it would be hugely advantageous. For the two group winners of the Fourth Round of qualification, there will be automatic passage to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This is the first time that this style of final qualifying round has been used and means that both matches in October will be played with significant jeopardy. 3) Win the inter-confederation play-off The two nations finishing bottom of their Fourth Round group in October will be eliminated but for the second-placed teams there will be another bite of the World Cup cherry. The pair of runners-up will face each other in a two-legged tie, with first leg on November 13 and second leg November 18. This Fifth Round contest is not actually for a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, however, but for a spot in the FIFA inter-confederation play-off tournament next March. Up until the 2022 FIFA World Cup, inter-confederation play-offs were two-legged ties – pitting nations from the AFC, OFC (Oceania), CONCACAF (North America, Central America and the Caribbean) and CONMEBOL (South America) against each other – leaving two countries standing as World Cup qualifiers at the end. But ahead of the 2022 finals in Qatar, FIFA altered the format – with one-off matches played in the World Cup host nation; Costa Rica and Australia qualified after beating New Zealand and Peru respectively in Al Rayyan. This time around, the format for the inter-confederation play-off for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been changed again. Six countries – one from Asia, one from South America, two from Central America, North America and the Caribbean, one from South America and one from Oceania (New Caledonia has already booked its place) – will take part in a tournament. The four-game competition will be hosted by one or more of the United States, Canada or Mexico in March 2026, just three months before the start of the FIFA World Cup. The six competing nations in the inter-confederation play-off will be divided based on FIFA World Ranking. The two best-ranked teams will move directly into respective 'finals,' while the other four will be split into two semi-finals. The winner of each will then advance to the finals, from which the last two places at the 2026 FIFA World Cup can be secured. Saudi Arabia's current world ranking of 58 would likely put it in a strong position to be granted a direct spot in the final. The three pathways to the 2026 FIFA World Cup offer significantly different opportunities and timelines for the Green Falcons. The best-case scenario would see Saudi Arabia playing just two more games in June, but Renard's players will face four more if they need to play in the Fourth Round, six more if they reach the Fifth Round and potentially eight more in total if they make it to the FIFA inter-confederation play-off.
Asharq Al-Awsat
15 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
South Korea Presidential Hopefuls Make Final Pitch to Voters ahead of Election
South Korea's leading presidential hopefuls were crisscrossing the country on the final day of campaigning on Monday before converging on Seoul, vowing to revive an ailing economy and put months of turmoil over a failed martial law attempt behind them. Tuesday's election was triggered by the ouster of Yoon Suk Yeol who briefly imposed martial law in December, stunning South Koreans who had come to believe the days of using the military to intervene in the democratic process were long past. Liberal frontrunner Lee Jae-myung vowed to mend the social division that deepened in the aftermath of Yoon's martial law, but said his opponent and Yoon's People Power Party must be held accountable, branding them "insurrection sympathizers." "We are at a historic inflection point of whether we go on as a democratic republic or become a country of dictators," Lee told a campaign rally in the battleground capital. Later he said the top priority as president if elected would be to take urgent steps to address the economy, adding he would first turn his attention to the cost of living for middle- and low-income families and the struggles of small business owners. After sweeping through key swing vote regions and the stronghold of his main conservative opponent, Kim Moon-soo, Lee focused on the capital region home to the highest concentration of the country's 44.39 million voters. Kim started the final day on the southern island of Jeju before crossing the country north, calling Lee a "dangerous man" who would abuse the office of president and the parliament controlled by his Democratic Party in an unchecked manner. The conservative candidate once again apologized on Monday for Yoon's martial law and pledged to undertake political reform. The two leading candidates were scheduled to wrap up three weeks of official campaigning at midnight in Seoul, with polls set to open at 6 a.m. (2100 GMT on Monday) on Tuesday across the country. The winner, who will be certified on Wednesday, will have just a short few hours before taking office without the usual two-month transition as Yoon was removed by the Constitutional Court on April 4 for grave violation of his lawful duties.
