A hotel collapse in Villa Gesell, Argentina has resulted in one confirmed fatality and numerous individuals believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.

The 10-storey Dubrovnik Hotel collapsed early on Tuesday, according to reports. The hotel, which was undergoing renovations, is thought to have had up to 15 occupants at the time of the incident.

Rescue teams are currently on-site, working to free those who may be trapped. Local reports indicate that an elderly man in his 80s has perished in the collapse.

Municipal authorities had ordered a halt to the construction work in August due to the renovations proceeding without the necessary permits. Despite this, neighbours reported that work continued in defiance of the suspension order.

Argentina’s National Security Minister, Patricia Bullrich, announced on X that two specialised rescue teams, including structural engineers, rescue specialists, and a dog unit trained for collapsed buildings, had been deployed to the site in Buenos Aires province. The teams have specialist machinery and resources to aid the rescue efforts.

Javier Alonso, the province’s Security Minister, informed local radio that four bricklayers working on the site had survived the collapse and were subsequently detained by police.

By Francesca Hangeior

Iran’s government has proposed to triple its military budget, its spokeswoman said Tuesday, as tensions with arch-rival Israel rise following recent tit-for-tat missile strikes.

Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani outlined the move that would see “a significant increase of more than 200 per cent in the country’s military budget” at a news conference in Tehran.

She did not elaborate and Tehran has not disclosed any figures, but according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute think tank, Iran’s military spending in 2023 was about $10.3 billion.

The proposed budget will be debated, with lawmakers expected to finalise it in March.

Iran and Israel on Monday accused each other of endangering Middle East peace in a heated exchange at a UN meeting.

It came days after Israel carried out strikes on Iran in response to an October 1 missile barrage that the Islamic Republic launched against Israel.
Iran’s October 1 strike, involving 200 missiles, was in retaliation for attacks that killed the leaders of the Iran-backed groups Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as one of its own commanders.

“All efforts have been made to meet the country’s defence needs and special attention has been paid to this issue,” the government spokeswoman Mohajerani said.

The regional tensions flared after Israel launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip to eliminate the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in response to the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.

Since last month, Israel has also been battling Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement.

By Francesca Hangeior

A government report on Tuesday showed that the number of suicides among elementary, junior high and high school students in Japan remained high in 2023.

According to the country’s 2024 Suicide Prevention White Paper, the number of elementary to high school students, who committed suicide in Japan, stood at 513 in 2023, against the record high of 514 in the previous year.

The data breakdown shows that 347 high school students, 153 junior high students, and 13 elementary students died by suicide in 2023.

I sold wristwatch, did okada, keke work; now I have fame but no money — Angel Babaorobo, Skit Maker0:00 / 0:00

The white paper stated that common causes of elementary students’ suicides included “discipline and reprimands” from family.

Junior high and high school boys cited school-related issues such as “academic struggles” and “career concerns”, according to the report.

Japan’s total number of suicides in 2023 reached 21,837, a decrease of 44 from the previous year.

The suicide rate, indicating deaths per 100,000 people, held steady at 17.6.

Since 2020, suicide rates have increased across most age groups in Japan.

The highest suicide rates were among the unemployed, although the number of suicides among working individuals also increased, the data showed.