Eight people have been caught in an avalanche while backcountry skiing near a resort in Japan's Hokkaido.
One person is reportedly unconscious, and in a critical condition.
Police have still not confirmed earlier media reports if the whole group was French.
The group of six men and two women was skiing off-piste, when the avalanche struck mid-afternoon at the Tomamu resort.
26 killed following Israeli strikes on Gaza
Israeli planes strikes in Gaza have killed 26 people on Tuesday after Israel accused Hamas of violating a ceasefire in the Palestinian territory, the latest test of a fragile deal brokered earlier this month by US President Donald Trump.
Cyclone Montha lashes India's east coast; kills one
One person was killed on India's eastern coast after Cyclone Montha made landfall around midnight, with heavy rain and gusty winds also damaging crops and utility poles, officials said on Wednesday.
At least 9 killed, 5 missing in central Vietnam floods
Floods triggered by record heavy rains have killed at least nine people and left five others missing in central Vietnam, the government said on Wednesday.
Jamaica's strongest-ever storm, Hurricane Melissa, turns to Cuba
Hurricane Melissa churned toward Cuba's second-largest city with the force of a powerful Category 4 storm on Tuesday, hours after making landfall in neighbouring Jamaica as the strongest-ever cyclone on record to hit that Caribbean island nation.
Arab League warns of war escalation, Israeli occupation practices
The Arab League has warned against the escalation of wars in the region and the continued practices of the Israeli occupation in the Arab territories in posing a real threat to the region's development and human resources.
