BEIRUT (AP) — A drone attack hit a crowded military graduation ceremony Thursday in the Syrian city of Homs, killing 80 people and wounding 240, the health minister said, in one of the deadliest recent attacks on an army that’s been fighting a civil war for more than a decade.

The strike killed civilians, including six children, as well as military personnel, and there were concerns the death toll could rise as many of the wounded were in serious condition, Health Minister Hassan al-Ghabash said.

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Weather disasters fueled by climate change — from floods to droughts, storms to wildfires — sparked 43.1 million child displacements from 2016 to 2021, the UN Children’s Fund warned Thursday, slamming the lack of attention paid to victims.

In a sweeping report on the issue, the United Nations agency detailed the heart-wrenching stories of some of the children affected, and co-author Laura Healy said the data only revealed the “tip of the iceberg,” with many more likely affected.

ABIDJAN, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara has removed the prime minister and dissolved his government, the presidency's secretary general Aboudramane Cisse said on Friday.

No reason was provided for the unexpected move.

"The president expresses his gratitude to Prime Minister Patrick Achi and to all members of the government for their commitment to serving the nation over the past years," Cisse said.

They will remain in temporary charge until a new prime minister and government are appointed, he added.

TOKYO (AP) — Three bears that snuck into a tatami mat factory in northern Japan and holed up inside for nearly a day have been captured, according to town officials.

A patrolling town official spotted the bears, believed to be a parent and two cubs, as they walked into a tatami factory Wednesday morning in Misato, a town in Akita prefecture, where there’s been a growing number of reported bear attacks in or near residential areas.

An owner of the tatami factory said he saw the bears walking outside but never thought they would come inside.

LONDON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Dengue fever will become a major threat in the southern United States, southern Europe and new parts of Africa this decade, the WHO's chief scientist said, as warmer temperatures create the conditions for the mosquitoes carrying the infection to spread.

The illness has long been a scourge in much of Asia and Latin America, causing an estimated 20,000 deaths each year. Rates of the disease have already risen eight-fold globally since 2000, driven largely by climate change as well as the increased movement of people and urbanization.

MOSCOW, October 6. /TASS/: The possible revocation of ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) does not mean that Russia plans to conduct nuclear tests, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has told the media.

"This is not tantamount to a declaration of the intention to conduct nuclear tests," he said, commenting on State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin's statement that the lower house of parliament intended to discuss the revocation of ratification at its next session.

NEW DELHI, Oct 6 (NNN-PTI) – At least 11 persons died and around 40 were injured, in two separate fire incidents in India today, local media reported.

A massive fire broke out inside a multi-storey building, in the Goregaon area of financial capital, Mumbai, in the south-western Maharashtra state, killing seven persons and injuring nearly 40.

Five among the injured were said to be in critical condition, while four persons were discharged from the hospital after first aid.

HANOI/BEIJING, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Vietnamese and Chinese officials are preparing for a possible visit from President Xi Jinping to Hanoi at the end of October or early November, on the heels of U.S. President Joe Biden's trip in September, four people familiar with the plans said.

The visit would underline the Southeast Asian manufacturing hub's growing strategic importance, as big powers jostle for influence in the region amid rising tensions between Beijing and Washington.

MOSCOW, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Russia indicated on Friday that it was moving swiftly towards revoking its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) after President Vladimir Putin held out the possibility of resuming nuclear testing.

Putin said on Thursday Russia's nuclear doctrine - which sets out the conditions under which he would press the nuclear button - did not need updating but that he was not yet ready to say whether or not Moscow needed to resume nuclear tests.

MINSK, October 6. /TASS/: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said that escalation on the part of the United States is pushing Russia to use extreme measures.

NEW DELHI, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- At least four fishermen went missing, and three others were rescued after their boat capsized off the coast in India's southern state of Kerala, officials said Friday.

The boat capsized Thursday midnight about 11 nautical miles north off Munambam harbor in Kochi district.

Following the boat capsize, the Coast Guard and the Kerala Fisheries Department launched a search and rescue operation for the four missing fishermen.

PARIS, Oct 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Global sugar prices soared to their highest level in almost 13 years in September as the El Nino weather phenomenon hit production in India and Thailand, the Food and Agriculture Organization said Friday.

While world food prices steadied as a whole last month, the FAO’s Sugar Price Index jumped by 9.8 percent compared to August, the highest point since November 2010, the UN agency said.