The Hong Kong Observatory on Tuesday morning issued the black rainstorm warning signal, the fourth time within eight days.

This is the highest level in the observatory's three-tier heavy rain alert system. This indicates that heavy rain has fallen or is expected to fall generally over Hong Kong, exceeding 70 mm in an hour, and is likely to continue.

Due to seriously flooded roads and inclement weather conditions, people are advised to take shelter in a safe place. An emergency coordination centre of the Home Affairs Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government is in operation. The department has opened temporary shelters for needy people.

In light of the severe rainstorm, some public services and activities in the HKSAR have been suspended. Classes in all schools are suspended, reports news agency.

Public general outpatient clinics and specialist outpatient clinics are closed. All court and tribunal hearings will be adjourned this morning.

Fueled by gusty winds and bone-dry timber, Arizona's Dragon Bravo Fire sweeping across the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park had grown to roughly 472 square km, according to the US interagency website on wildfire.

The blaze, ignited by a July 4 lightning strike on the Walhalla Plateau inside the park, is only 12 per cent contained as of Sunday despite the round-the-clock efforts of 1,214 firefighters supported by helicopters and large air tankers.

Over 900 people, 54 trail mules, and staff have been evacuated safely. Firefighters have been using graded forest roads, canyon walls and remnants of previous burns to contain the wildfire since mid-July, news agency reported.

Continuous heavy rainfall over the past week has severely impacted several areas in central and southern Taiwan, leaving four dead, 74 injured, and three missing, according to the island's fire department.

On Sunday, a total of 108 monitoring stations across Taiwan recorded a daily precipitation of over 200 millimetres. A site in Kaohsiung reported a weekly cumulative rainfall of 2,759 millimetres, surpassing the island's annual average volume of 2,500 millimetres.

The island's emergency operations center said on Sunday that 5,795 people have been evacuated so far, and a total of 140 instances of road and tunnel closures and 124 cases of falling rocks have been reported. Power outages have affected hundreds of households, while multiple regions have issued red alerts for landslides.

The meteorological department has forecast that heavy downpours may continue in the central and southern parts of the island on Monday. In response, work and classes have been suspended in multiple cities, including Kaohsiung, Tainan and Pingtung, news agency reported.

Torrential monsoon rains have wreaked havoc across Pakistan, claiming at least 299 lives, including 140 children, and leaving 715 others injured since June 26, according to the latest data released by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

Additionally, 715 others, among them 239 children, 204 women and 272 men, were injured in rain-triggered incidents, local media reported on Monday.

Meanwhile, a total of 1,676 houses were damaged and 428 livestock were lost in the flash floods and heavy rains, which have caused widespread destruction across several regions, dealing a heavy blow to the local communities.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted a wet spell for the country's upper and central regions, with weak monsoon currents expected to intensify on Monday and a strong westerly wave on Tuesday, reported.

US President Donald Trump confirmed that his special envoy Steve Witkoff is to visit Russia next week, amid heightened tensions over the US sanctions deadline.

Addressing reporters in New Jersey on Sunday, the US President said, "But Steve is focused right now on the border, in terms of we're talking about with Gaza getting people fed, and he may be going, I think next week, Wednesday or Thursday, maybe going to Russia. They would like to see him. They've asked that he meet. So, we'll see what happens."

Trump also confirmed that Russia could face sanctions by August 9 if an agreement is not reached on resolving the Ukraine crisis.

"But they seem to be pretty good at avoiding sanctions," he added.

The Hong Kong Observatory on Saturday issued the black rainstorm warning signal, the second time this week.

This means that heavy rain has fallen or is expected to fall generally over Hong Kong, exceeding 70 millimetres in an hour, and is likely to continue.

An emergency coordination centre of the Home Affairs Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government is in operation. The department has opened temporary shelters for needy people.

Due to the rainstorm, some public services and activities in HKSAR have been suspended, news agency reported.

Public general outpatient clinics, specialist outpatient clinics are closed. Classes in all schools are suspended this afternoon. Hong Kong Wetland Park is closed. People are urged to avoid visiting country parks.

US President Donald Trump ordered two nuclear submarines to "appropriate" points to confront Russia as the war of words between him and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev continues to escalate, spilling over from the digital domain to the real world.

Reacting to Mededev's post on Telegram, Trump said on Truth Social, "Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that."

He added, "Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those instances."

Trump did not say which submarines were being deployed or where.

New Zealand faces a sharp rise in tariffs on its exports to the United States, a move officials warn could impact Kiwi exporters and strain trade relations.

A senior lawyer in Pakistan's Supreme court, Khawaja Shamshul Islam, was reportedly shot dead in Karachi on Friday while he was attending the funeral of a local trader along with his son in the Clifton area.

The incident took place near the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) mosque, where both the father and son were shot by around 15-20 men. The attackers first beat Islam with iron rods before opening fire.

The police, according to local media outlets, blamed the attacks on some personal disputes between the deceased and the attackers.

South Korea's top trade negotiator said Friday that further opening of the Korean rice market was not discussed in the recently concluded trade deal with the United States, refuting Washington's claim on the politically sensitive issue.

Finance Minister of South Korea Koo Yun-cheol, who doubles as deputy Prime Minister for economic affairs, made the remarks upon returning from his US trip to clinch the deal, along with Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan and Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo.