Jakarta office fire kills at least 22, police confirm
A fire at an office building in Jakarta has killed at least 22 people as authorities continue to search for casualties, BBC reported.
The blaze at the seven-storey site in the Indonesian capital started on Tuesday afternoon, according to city police chief Susatyo Purnomo Condro, who said some workers were having lunch at the time.
Police believe the fire began after a battery exploded on the first floor before the flames spread upwards. A company which makes drones is based in the building, according to BBC.
Lithuania declares emergency situation over Belarus balloons
The Lithuanian government has declared a "nationwide emergency situation" in response to a series of incursions from neighbouring Belarus by weather balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes, BBC reported.
Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene condemned the balloon incursions as a "hybrid attack" by Belarus that posed a real risk to national security and civil aviation.
This year alone, officials say about 600 balloons linked to smuggling and almost 200 drones have entered Lithuanian airspace, leading to the repeated closure of Vilnius airport, according to BBC.
French PM wins crucial budget vote
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu narrowly survived a crucial test on Tuesday as the country's divided parliament voted in favour of a 2026 budget bill, BBC reported.
If Lecornu had failed to win a majority in the National Assembly for his social security budget, it would have gravely weakened his hand ahead of the main budget vote, which is due by the end of the year.
But in the end, the bill passed by 247 votes to 234. It will now go back to the upper house or Senate before returning for a final reading in the Assembly, according to BBC.
Nobel officials unsure when Peace Prize winner will arrive for ceremony
A press conference by Maria Corina Machado - the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who is currently in-hiding - was cancelled on Tuesday, with the Nobel Institute saying they are "in the dark" about her whereabouts, BBC reported.
Machado is Venezuela's opposition leader and has been in hiding since the country's disputed 2024 election, which she and her supporters say was stolen.
She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for efforts to bring democracy to Venezuela, and was expected to formally collect it in a ceremony on Wednesday, according to BBC.
