Parts of Australia sweltered in record temperatures of close to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday as the country sweated through a prolonged heat wave.

The rural towns of Hopetoun and Walpeup in Victoria state registered preliminary highs of 48.9 C (120 F), which if confirmed overnight would top records set on the day in 2009 when 173 people were killed in the state's devastating Black Saturday bushfires.

Israel brought home the remains of the last hostage in Gaza on Monday, closing a painful chapter for the country and clearing the way for the next and more challenging phase of its ceasefire with Hamas.

The next step is likely to be the reopening of Gaza's border with Egypt, enabling Palestinians to travel in both directions and eventually allowing more aid to enter the territory devastated by two years of war. The ceasefire's second phase also calls for deploying an international security force, disarming Hamas, pulling back Israeli soldiers and rebuilding Gaza.

Iran's bloody crackdown on nationwide protests killed at least 6,126 people while many others still are feared dead, activists said Tuesday, as a U.S. aircraft carrier group arrived in the Mideast to lead any American military response to the crisis.

The arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and guided missile destroyers accompanying it provide the U.S. the ability to strike Iran, particularly as Gulf Arab states have signaled they want to stay out of any attack despite hosting American military personnel.

The death toll in a massive Indonesian landslide rose to 17 on Monday as rescuers used heavy equipment to search for dozens still missing days after heavy rain unleashed a torrent of mud.

People gathered near the site in Java's West Bandung region, desperately awaiting news of their loved ones as rescuers, who fear another landslide, scoured the unstable area.

A massive winter storm dumped sleet, freezing rain and snow across much of the U.S. on Sunday, bringing subzero temperatures and halting air and road traffic. Tree branches and power lines snapped under the weight of ice, and hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the Southeast were left without electricity.

The ice and snowfall were expected to continue into Monday followed by very low temperatures which could cause "dangerous travel and infrastructure impacts" for days, the National Weather Service said.

Lamine Yamal scored with an acrobatic volley and Barcelona beat last-place Oviedo 3-0 to regain the lead of the Spanish league on Sunday.

Dani Olmo and Raphinha also struck in the second half with both players taking advantage of defensive mistakes by the Oviedo defense.

Global shares mostly declined Monday, as in Asia Japan's benchmark took a tumble after the yen surged against the U.S. dollar.

France's CAC 40 dipped nearly 0.2% in early trading to 8,127.93, while the German DAX added less than 0.1% to 24,881.34. Britain's FTSE 100 edged down less than 0.1% to 10,138.76.

Europe "will not tolerate" online abuses against women and children, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen warned Monday, as the bloc opened a probe into sexualized deepfakes created by Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok.

"The harm caused by illegal images is very real. In Europe, we will not tolerate unthinkable behaviour, such as digital undressing of women and children," the European Commission chief said in a statement sent to AFP.

State Minister at the Qatari Foreign Ministry Mohammad al-Khulaifi held talks Monday in Lebanon with President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Deputy PM Tarek Mitri, after which he announced a major aid package for Lebanon.

“We announce an economic project to support the electricity sector worth $360 million,” Khulaifi said in a press conference at the Grand Serail.

A conglomerate based in the United Arab Emirates said Monday it will take legal action against Lebanese authorities over a dispute regarding its investments in the crisis-hit country, saying it has suffered $1.7 billion in investment losses.

The Dubai-based Al Habtoor Group's businesses in Lebanon were hit hard by the country's historic economic meltdown that broke out in late 2019. The country also suffered from the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war for which the World Bank estimates the costs of reconstruction and recovery at $11 billion.