Global crises overnight: Capsized tanker, Biden's plan, and more

It happened while you were sleeping. Here’s what global agencies reported overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday.

• The Philippine authorities reported that a tanker carrying 1,700 cubic metres of industrial fuel oil capsized and sank near Manila - reports AFP. The MT Terra Nova was heading towards the city of Iloilo. Strong winds and high waves are hindering the rescue operations, said Philippine government Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista.

• I decided the best solution was passing the baton to the new generation. It’s the best way to unite our nation. Now is the time, said Joe Biden in a speech to the country, delivered at 01:00 GMT. The US President announced what he will focus on during the last six months of his presidency.

• At least 25 people died in a boat disaster that occurred near the capital of Mauritania, Nouakchott. The boat travelled from Gambia, most likely heading towards the Canary Islands. Over one hundred survivors, including children, were rescued. About 140-180 people on board, mainly Senegalese and Gambians, reported AFP. The boat's captain escaped, a Mauritanian Coast Guard official informed the agency.

• American and Canadian fighter jets intercepted two Russian and two Chinese military aircraft operating in the Alaska air defence identification zone on Wednesday, as the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) reported.

• A shooting at a Ukrainian military unit in the Kharkiv region. Three soldiers were killed, and four were injured. It was added that the use of weapons occurred for personal reasons. The tragic incident is not related to military operations.

• The bodies of two hostages kidnapped on 7 October 2023 by Hamas to the Gaza Strip were recovered by the Israeli military - reported the kibbutzim to which the victims belonged on Wednesday. Fifty-six-year-old Maja Goren was a kindergarten teacher in the Nir Oz kibbutz. On 7 October, she was kidnapped by Hamas militants, and her husband was murdered. Thirty-three-year-old Oren Goldin ran a workshop in the Nir Itzhak kibbutz and belonged to the settlement's self-defence. He was killed on the morning of 7 October, and Hamas fighters took his body with them. For over a month, he was considered missing, after which his death was confirmed.