Nearly 800,000 people in southwestern Japan have been ordered to evacuate as torrential rain threatened to cause landslides and flooding.
Some parts of Kyushu have received up to 39.4 inches of rain since Friday, with the Japan Meteorological Agency warning of more rainfall till midday Thursday.
In Tokyo, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said residents should "take steps to protect their lives, including early evacuation" and ordered the military to prepare for rescue operations.
Congo Ebola outbreak kills more than 5,000
The death toll from the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed 5,000, government data showed on Friday, as authorities had yet to find a way to control the country's deadliest Ebola epidemic on record.
Saudi Arabia intercepts and destroys drone in Mecca region
Saudi Arabia's air defences intercepted and destroyed a drone from the Houthis targeting the Mecca region on Friday morning.
7 dead after torrential rains triggered flash floods in eastern Syria
Seven people, including five children, have died and seven others were injured after torrential rains triggered flash floods in eastern Syria, state news agency (SANA) reported on Friday.
Six feared dead in helicopter crash in Indian Himalayan state, media report
Six people were feared dead in a helicopter crash in the Indian Himalayan state of Uttarakhand on Friday, television channels reported, adding that bad weather was suspected to be the cause.
The UAE has confirmed that the oil spill from the tanker GEM No. 2 has been contained, as authorities continue environmental remediation efforts along affected coastlines.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has reviewed plans and implementation stages of the AED 500 million Arab Reading Challenge Endowment project, which will be developed by Sobha Realty in Dubai.
The UAE's Military Attorney-General has ordered the referral of a number of defendants to the Military Criminal Court over allegations of abusing official authority to unlawfully obtain exemptions from national and reserve service.
