International from Thursday, December 4th, 2025

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Thursday to start a two-day state visit, and India and Russia both said they want to boost mutual trade and expand the variety of items in transactions.

Residents of Kithulbadde village in central Sri Lanka say they have been left in the lurch after last week's deadly cyclone and many are stuck in relief centres as damaged infrastructure has made them wary of returning home.

Indonesia will revoke mining permits if companies are found to have violated rules on flood-ravaged Sumatra island, the energy minister said as questions intensified about the role of deforestation in worsening the deadly disaster.

Australia's internet regulator said a teen social media ban would be the first domino to fall in a global push to rein in Big Tech, as Meta's Instagram, Facebook and Threads began locking out hundreds of thousands of accounts ahead of a deadline next week.

Hong Kong authorities rushed on Thursday to remove mesh netting on all buildings undergoing renovation across the city after the material was blamed for fanning a blaze last week that has killed at least 159 people.

The Trump administration has announced on Wednesday the increased vetting of applicants for H-1B visas for highly skilled workers, with an internal State Department memo saying that anyone involved in "censorship" of free speech be considered for rejection.

The US has joined 90 other countries at the UN on Wednesday to demand Russia "ensure the immediate, safe and unconditional return of all Ukrainian children who have been forcibly transferred or deported" and urge Moscow to stop the practice.