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UN Observes Minute’s Silence for 101 Staff Killed in Gaza 

Protesters take part in a rally in support of Palestinians, in front of the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, 11 November 2023. (EPA)
Protesters take part in a rally in support of Palestinians, in front of the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, 11 November 2023. (EPA)
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UN Observes Minute’s Silence for 101 Staff Killed in Gaza 

Protesters take part in a rally in support of Palestinians, in front of the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, 11 November 2023. (EPA)
Protesters take part in a rally in support of Palestinians, in front of the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, 11 November 2023. (EPA)

United Nations workers observed a minute's silence on Monday to honor the more than 100 employees killed in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began last month as UN flags flew at half-mast.

Staff at UN offices in Geneva bowed their heads as a candle was lit in memory of the 101 employees of UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) killed in the Israeli assault on Gaza.

"This is the highest number of aid workers killed in the history of our organization in such a short time," said Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations in Geneva.

"We are gathered here today, united in this very symbolic location, to pay respect to our brave colleagues who sacrificed their lives while serving under the United Nations flag."

UNRWA has said that some staff members were killed while queuing for bread while others were killed along with their families in their homes in Israel's aerial and ground war against Hamas in response to the Oct. 7 cross-border assault by the group.

Israel blames Hamas for civilian deaths in the densely populated enclave, saying the group uses the population as human shields. Hamas denies the charge.

"I would like to say that we are really facing very challenging times for multilateralism, for the world," Valovaya said. "But the United Nations is more relevant than ever."

Established in 1949 following the first Arab-Israeli war, UNRWA provides public services including schools, healthcare and aid. Many of UNRWA's 5,000 staff working in Gaza are Palestinian refugees themselves.

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World

New Delhi Hotel Fire Kills at Least 21

Local people attempt to douse a fire at a hotel in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP)
Local people attempt to douse a fire at a hotel in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP)
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New Delhi Hotel Fire Kills at Least 21

Local people attempt to douse a fire at a hotel in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP)
Local people attempt to douse a fire at a hotel in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP)

At least 21 people were killed when a fire ripped through a hotel in New Delhi on Wednesday, police said, in one of the deadliest blazes in the Indian capital in recent years. 

Building fires are common in India due to a lack of firefighting equipment and routine disregard for safety regulations. 

The fire broke out in the morning at Flourish Stay, a bed-and-breakfast in a congested neighborhood in the south of the city, Delhi Police said in a statement. 

"It is with profound sorrow that 21 persons have been declared dead in this tragic incident," the force said. 

It said rescue and search operations were continuing, with more than 40 people taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. 

Several of those killed were visitors from African countries who had come to the city for medical treatment, the Indian Express and other local media reported. 

The blaze was eventually brought under control with the help of eight fire engines, police said. 

"All concerned agencies remain deployed at the spot to ensure every possible assistance to those affected," the force added. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the incident "tragic". 

"My condolences to those who have lost their loved ones," his office said in a statement on X. 

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. 

Electrical short circuits, often caused by poorly maintained wiring, remain the leading cause of fire incidents in India. 

In March, a fire at a government-run hospital in eastern India killed at least 10 critically ill patients. 

World

Trump in ‘Spectacular’ Health, Adviser Says After Medical

US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz attends a press conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 02 June 2026. (EPA)
US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz attends a press conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 02 June 2026. (EPA)
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Trump in ‘Spectacular’ Health, Adviser Says After Medical

US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz attends a press conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 02 June 2026. (EPA)
US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz attends a press conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 02 June 2026. (EPA)

US President Donald Trump is in "spectacular" health, a television doctor in his cabinet insisted Tuesday, after a medical examination failed to quell questions about Trump's health.

Mehmet Oz, who is Trump's administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, was speaking to reporters after a physician's report on Trump came out last Friday.

"If you look at these records, they're spectacular, you know," Oz -- who is widely known as Dr. Oz after the television show he hosted for more than a decade -- said at a White House briefing.

"That amount of energy and that amount of mental acuity does not exist in a vacuum. You have to have a vessel to carry it, and the president has unique ability to just keep going at all hours of the day with remarkable strength."

Trump, who turns 80 on June 14, is the oldest person ever to become US president. A doctor's report last week said he was in "excellent" health but should lose weight.

Oz dismissed questions about why Trump has had three so-called "annual" examinations in the past year, compared to predecessor Joe Biden's one per year.

"I do actually believe he is curious to make sure everything is going in the right direction," said Oz, adding that Trump was "meticulous."

Issues including bruising on Trump's hand, swollen ankles, a cardiovascular condition and apparent sleepiness in some meetings have raised further questions about Trump's health.

World

Russia Repels Drone Attack Over Leningrad Region as Economic Forum Kicks Off

Flags with the logo of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) fly in front of the State Hermitage Museum on the eve of the forum's opening in Saint Petersburg, Russia June 2, 2026. (Reuters)
Flags with the logo of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) fly in front of the State Hermitage Museum on the eve of the forum's opening in Saint Petersburg, Russia June 2, 2026. (Reuters)
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Russia Repels Drone Attack Over Leningrad Region as Economic Forum Kicks Off

Flags with the logo of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) fly in front of the State Hermitage Museum on the eve of the forum's opening in Saint Petersburg, Russia June 2, 2026. (Reuters)
Flags with the logo of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) fly in front of the State Hermitage Museum on the eve of the forum's opening in Saint Petersburg, Russia June 2, 2026. (Reuters)

Russia downed 50 drones over the Leningrad region northwest of Moscow overnight and continues to repel the suspected Ukrainian attacks, Governor Alexander Drozdenko said on Wednesday, as a major annual economic forum was about to start.

The Leningrad region, home to crucial energy export infrastructure and a major oil refinery, is hosting the economic conference, President Vladimir Putin's "Russian Davos", in St. Petersburg from Wednesday.

The investment forum, the fifth since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, opens ‌just hours after ‌a deadly Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv ‌which ⁠Moscow said was ⁠in response to a deadly attack on a dormitory in Kremlin-controlled Luhansk. Putin is to deliver his keynote speech on Friday.

In St. Petersburg, Russia's second-biggest city and Putin's hometown, Pulkovo ‌airport was temporarily restricting flights, Russian aviation watchdog ‌Rosaviatsia said on the Telegram messaging app.

More than 30 flights were delayed or ‌cancelled, local news outlets said.

St. Petersburg has put in place comprehensive safety ‌measures ahead of the event, Alexander Beglov, the city's governor, told the RIA news agency.

"All new challenges have been fully taken into account. Law enforcement forces have allocated personnel and equipment to ensure public safety and order," he said.

Ukraine has recently stepped up attacks ‌on Russian energy infrastructure as it tries to deprive Moscow of revenues.

On Tuesday, it hit the Ilsky export oil ⁠refinery in ⁠Russia's south with drones.

At least 20 drones heading to Moscow were downed overnight, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram.

In Russia's central Tambov region, outbuildings at an industrial facility in the city of Michurinsk were damaged, the governor said on Telegram.

The National Armed Forces of Latvia, an EU and NATO member, briefly issued an airspace violation threat for the municipality of Aluksne close to the Russian border on Wednesday morning, before withdrawing it.

A Ukrainian drone attack killed seven and injured another eleven in a Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region on Wednesday, the Kremlin-installed head of the region said.

Denis Pushilin, posting on the Telegram messaging app, said the drone hit a passenger bus travelling between Moscow and Simferopol in Russian-occupied Crimea.

Reuters could not independently verify all the reports.