Police are investigating possible electrical faults, negligence and fire-safety lapses following the blaze

Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced what he called the "most crushing economic operation" ever taken against a country, targeting Iran with economic warfare and isolation.

Israel struck the Abu al-Duhur airbase in Syria on Tuesday, warning Syria was on the verge of violating a "status quo agreed with Israel in security matters" by allowing Turkish troops to deploy at the airbase.

The divided Muslim-majority territory has been at the centre of bitter rivalry between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947.

Public Security Minister Luong Tam Quang told the National Assembly that the draft code would retain the use of capital punishment for only four crimes,including treason, murder, terrorism and the illegal production of narcotics.

Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back told lawmakers that North Korea was generally believed to have around 80 to 120 warheads, although he cautioned it was difficult to determine an exact figure.

Trump told reporters at the White House it was important to "get along" with Kim, adding in an unusually precise assessment that Pyongyang now had 57 "very powerful" nuclear weapons.

Founder Hui Ka Yan faced eight charges including misuse of funds, fundraising fraud and illegally taking public deposits.

The Treasury's latest daily cash and debt balances statement showed total public debt outstanding at $40.047 trillion on Tuesday, a total that includes Treasury securities held by the public of $32.266 trillion and intra-governmental debt holdings of $7.782 trillion.

The additions bring the total number of countries eligible for the transit policy to 57.

The aircraft was flying to the Loisaba Conservancy, a wildlife reserve and safari destination in northern Kenya, when it crashed, according to a preliminary report from Archers Post police station seen by Reuters.

The intensified economic pressure campaign comes as the war nears its sixth month with no immediate diplomatic or military off-ramp in sight and the vital Strait of Hormuz still significantly choked-off.

Shelves of unassuming plastic tubs line the walls of the Al Qarara Seed Bank, each holding indigenous seeds seen as a way of reviving Gaza's devastated farming sector and preserving its agricultural heritage.

Commodity vessel transits at Hormuz totalled nine on Wednesday, unchanged from Tuesday, shiptracking data from Kpler showed.

Since US-Israeli strikes launched the war on February 28, Tehran has largely portrayed its strikes against the United States, Israel and Gulf countries as revenge for attacks on the Islamic republic

The International Criminal Court (ICC) yesterday lashed out at the United States after Washington slapped sanctions on ICC President Tomoko Akane, calling it a “flagrant attack” on the court’s independence.

Indian police used water cannons to disperse protesters during a foot march towards Lok Bhavan in Patna, Bihar yesterday.

The Pakistani government yesterday challenged a Supreme Court order to move jailed former prime minister Imran Khan to a private hospital, a petition filed with the court showed.

Iran’s armed forces yesterday warned Gulf countries against assisting the US, hours after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced it was severing economic ties with Tehran following new attacks on shipping.

A medical trip to India ended in tragedy when a hotel fire in central Kolkata early yesterday claimed the lives of four members of a family from Kushtia, leaving a child back home orphaned.