Briefly

UNITED KINGDOM

Migrant arrivals exceed 10,000 since January

More than 10,000 asylum-seekers have arrived in Britain in small boats so far this year, government data showed on Saturday, underlining a key challenge facing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of a July 4 general election. The number of people landing on England's southern beaches after making the dangerous Channel crossing fell by a third in 2023, but the latest numbers on a government website showed 10,170 arrived between January and Saturday, up from 7,395 over the same period last year.

UNITED STATES

5 dead in Texas as severe weather sweeps through

A Texas sheriff says at least five people are dead after powerful storms tore through a rural community, obliterating homes and leaving thousands of people without power on Sunday. Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington told The Associated Press that the victims included three family members who were found in one home near Valley View, a rural community near the border with Oklahoma. The destructive storms began Saturday night. "Search and rescue is ongoing," Sappington said on Sunday morning.

JAPAN

Dog of Doge meme fame dies, owner says

The Japanese dog that spawned the "Doge" meme and inspired a generation of online jokes died on Friday, her owner said. The dog's owner, Atsuko Sato, said in a post that Kabosu died in her sleep. Sato, a 62-year-old kindergarten teacher in Japan, adopted the dog from an animal shelter in 2008, according to The Wall Street Journal. "She quietly passed away as if asleep while I caressed her," Sato wrote on her blog, thanking the fans. As a rescue dog, Kabosu's real birthday was unknown but Sato estimated her age at 18.

Agencies Via Xinhua