Beijing issued a 'blue alert' for rainstorms on early Thursday morning and initiated a Level-IV flood control emergency response across the city.

Heavy rainfall had already hit Beijing by the night of Wednesday. The Beijing meteorological observatory issued a blue rainstorm warning at 6.33 a.m. (local time) on Thursday, news agency reported.

According to data released by the municipal meteorological department at around 7 a.m., on Thursday morning, most areas of the city are expected to experience intense precipitation with an hourly rainfall exceeding 30 mm and a six-hour accumulation surpassing 50 mm.

Mountainous and hilly regions face potential secondary disasters such as flash floods, mudslides, and landslides triggered by the downpour, while low-lying areas may suffer from waterlogging.

Beijing activated a citywide Level-IV flood control emergency response at 7 a.m. Thursday.

A South Korean court hearing on whether to issue an arrest warrant for former President Yoon Suk Yeol over charges related to his failed attempt to impose martial law ended Wednesday after nearly seven hours.

The hearing at the Seoul Central District Court ran from about 2:20 p.m. to 9 p.m., during which a special counsel team argued for the warrant's issuance, while Yoon's defence contested it.

The Israeli military said on Wednesday it completed "targeted operations" in southern Lebanon to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure sites and weapons depots.

There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah.

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attended a court hearing Wednesday on his potential arrest over charges related to his failed attempt to impose martial law.

The hearing at the Seoul Central District Court came after special counsel Cho Eun-suk requested a warrant to arrest Yoon over five key charges, including alleged illegalities in calling select Cabinet members to a meeting held shortly before he declared martial law on December 3.

South Korea on Wednesday repatriated six North Koreans via the maritime border in the East Sea, months after they had drifted into southern waters and were rescued.

A wooden boat carrying them, all fishermen, crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto maritime border, at around 8:56 am, according to an official at South Korea's unification ministry.

The boat headed on its own toward two North Korea ships, including a patrol vessel, waiting on the other side of the NLL, and the three ships subsequently moved northward together, the official said.

In May, South Korea rescued four North Koreans aboard a ship that had drifted into the South Korean side of the East Sea, following a similar case in March in which two North Koreans were rescued in the Yellow Sea. All of them expressed a wish to go back to the North.

South Korean authorities will implement a "one-strike-out" rule targeting illegal stock trading and establish a joint inspection team that will enable not only real-time monitoring but also the swift investigation of suspected cases when necessary, officials said on Wednesday.

They are part of comprehensive measures announced jointly by the Financial Services Commission (FSC), the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) and the Korea Exchange (KRX) to tackle illegal stock transactions, which, in turn, will boost the appeal of the local stock market to offshore investors.

"We will enforce a 'one-strike-out' policy against unfair trading practices, such as stock price manipulation, by effectively recovering illegal profits and permanently removing perpetrators from the capital market," the FSS said in a release, reports news agency.

Under the new enforcement scheme, the financial authorities will promptly initiate payment suspension procedures when accounts used for illegal activities are identified during the investigation stage, in order to prevent suspects from transferring illicit profits.

The death toll from the anti-government protests across Kenya has risen to 31, according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR).

Additionally, 107 people have been reported injured, and over 500 have been arrested.

"The KNCHR strongly condemns all human rights violations and urges accountability from all responsible parties, including police, civilians, and all other stakeholders. We once again send our message of condolence to those who lost their loved ones and wish a quick recovery to those nursing injuries," read a statement issued by the human rights body on Tuesday.

The protests erupted on Monday, marking the 35th Saba Saba (seven-seven) anniversary -- July 7, 1990, protests that paved the way for Kenya's transition from a one-party state to a multiparty democracy.

Afghanistan Police has thwarted attempts to smuggle 43 kg illegal opium type drugs and arrested two individuals on charges of involvement in the drug business in eastern Wardak province, Provincial Director for counter-narcotics police Hajji Sayed Jan said Tuesday.

The alleged drug traffickers were attempting to take the contraband, which was smuggled from the northern Balkh, onward to the western Farah province. They were intercepted by police in Wardak's provincial capital, Maidan Shar and drugs confiscated, the official added.

The temperature in Seoul soared to 37.7 degrees Celsius at around 3 p.m. (local time) on Tuesday, the highest temperature ever recorded for early July in South Korea's capital city since record-keeping began in 1908, the state weather agency said.

The record was broken after 86 years as the previous record high for the first 10 days of July in Seoul was 36.8 degrees Celsius filed on July 9, 1939, according to the agency.

As many as 18 people are missing following sudden flash floods that struck Nepal's Rasuwa district early on Tuesday, according to local media reports.

The missing included three police personnel, nine civilians, and six Chinese nationals, according to the Assistant Chief District Officer of Rasuwa.

Additionally, according to the official, the massive flood swept away the Nepal-China Friendship Bridge and several newly imported electric vehicles (EVs) parked at the dry port.

"The flood has swept away the Friendship Bridge and several EVs at the dry port. There is suspicion that some people were inside vehicles when the flood hit, but that is yet to be confirmed," leading Nepalese newspaper The Kathmandu Post, quoted Arjun Paudel, chief district officer of Rasuwa, as saying.

He mentioned that many individuals caught in the flood, including security personnel, who were involved in the rescue operation, were brought to safety.