At least 78 people died when a boat with 278 passengers capsized in eastern Congo, official says

GOMA, Congo (AP) — A Congolese governor says at least 78 people have died when an overcrowded boat with 278 passengers capsized on Lake Kivu in eastern Congo. Jean-Jacques Purusi, governor of the South Kivu province, spoke to The Associated Press over the phone hours after the tragedy on Thursday. Her says the death toll was provisional and that the number of fatalities could rise. The boat, overloaded with passengers, sank while trying to dock just yards away from the port of Kituku. That’s according to witnesses. It was going from Minova in South Kivu province to Goma, in North Kivu province.

Israel extends evacuation warnings in Lebanon, signaling a wider offensive

BEIRUT (AP) — The Israeli military has warned people to evacuate a city and other communities in southern Lebanon that are north of a U.N.-declared buffer zone. The warning on Thursday signals that the military may widen a ground operation launched earlier this week against the Hezbollah militant group. Israel has told people to leave Nabatieh, a provincial capital, and other communities north of the Litani River, which formed the northern edge of the border zone. The region was meanwhile bracing for Israeli retaliation following an Iranian ballistic missile attack.

Typhoon Krathon makes landfall in Taiwan, packing fierce winds and torrential rain

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan (AP) — Typhoon Krathon has made landfall in the major Taiwanese port city of Kaohsiung. The slow-moving typhoon prompted the closure of schools and offices for a third consecutive day, with authorities asking people to stay indoors. Krathon made landfall at midday Thursday, packing maximum sustained winds of 78 mph. The typhoon has brought Kaohsiung, a city of 2.7 million people, to a standstill for the past three days. Stores and restaurants have been shuttered and residents are staying away from markets and harbors. All domestic flights have been grounded for the past two days. Some areas have received more than 5 feet of rainfall over the past five days.

UK gives sovereignty of the long-contested Chagos Islands to Mauritius

LONDON (AP) — The U.K. has agreed to hand sovereignty of the long-contested Chagos Islands, an archipelago of more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean, to Mauritius, in a deal to secure the future of a strategically important U.K.-U.S. military base at Diego Garcia. In a statement Thursday, the British government said the agreement is strongly supported by international partners including the U.S. As part of the deal, the U.K. will retain sovereignty of Diego Garcia for an initial period of 99 years. Britain’s government said without the deal the secure operation of the military base would be under threat, with contested sovereignty and legal challenges