World News Roundup: Indian tunnel rescue set to take much longer after drill damaged; British troops patrol Kosovo-Serbia border as tensions remain high and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Indian tunnel rescue set to take much longer after drill damaged

Rescuing 41 workers trapped in a highway tunnel in the Indian Himalayas for two weeks will take much longer than previously hoped as rescuers are switching to manual drilling following damage to machinery, officials said on Saturday. The heavy drill brought in to break through nearly 60 meters of debris was damaged on Friday and was being pulled out entirely, government officials said, adding the last 10-15 metres would have to be broken with hand-held power tools.

'I'm not dead,' Thai hostage says after 'miracle' release in Gaza

Vetoon Phoome's family feared the Thai farm worker had been killed by Hamas in last month's attack on Israel, until they found out on Saturday he had been freed along with other Thai hostages in Gaza. "He told me not to cry, to tell mother I'm coming back," Vetoon's sister, Roongarun Wichagern, told Reuters after an emotional reunion with him via video call.

Five wounded in Kyiv by largest drone attack yet on Ukraine - officials

Ukraine's capital suffered what officials said was Russia's largest drone attack of the war on Saturday, leaving five people wounded as the rumble of air defences and explosions woke residents at sunrise. The attack began hitting different districts of Kyiv in the early hours of Saturday, with more waves coming as the sun came up. The air raid warning lasted six hours.

'I dreamt we came home' says Israeli girl released from Gaza

Released with her mother and little sister after almost 50 days in captivity in Gaza, four-year-old Raz Asher sits in her father's arms on a hospital bed in Israel. "I dreamt we came home," she tells her father, Yoni. "Now the dream came true," he replied.

British troops patrol Kosovo-Serbia border as tensions remain high

British troops are patrolling the Kosovo-Serbia border as part of a NATO peacekeeping presence being bolstered amid concern that the former wartime foes could return to open conflict following a series of violent incidents in recent months. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization sent hundreds of additional forces to Kosovo from Britain and Romania after a battle between the authorities and armed Serbs holed up in a monastery turned a quiet village in northern Kosovo into a war zone on Sept. 24.

Chinese military holds training drills near Myanmar border after convoy fire

China's military will begin "combat training activities" from Saturday on its side of the border with Myanmar, it said on social media, a day after a convoy of trucks carrying goods into the neighbouring Southeast Asian nation went up in flames. The incident, which Myanmar state media called an insurgent attack, came amid insecurity concerns in China, whose envoy met top officials in Myanmar's capital for talks on border stability after recent signs of rare strain in their ties.

Palestinians in Gaza use truce to pick through rubble of homes

After seven weeks of bombardment stopped in Gaza for a truce, Tahani al-Najjar used the calm on Saturday to return to the ruins of her home, smashed by an Israeli air strike that she said killed seven of her family and forced her into a shelter. More than 24 hours into the four-day pause in fighting, thousands of Gaza residents are making that same difficult journey from communal shelters and makeshift encampments to discover what has become of their homes.

Gaza truce holds as more Israeli hostages, Palestinian prisoners set for release

Hamas was expected to release a second group of Israelis on Saturday as a planned four-day truce to allow an exchange of 50 hostages for Palestinian prisoners continued to hold in the besieged Gaza Strip. Egyptian security sources said they had received the names of 14 Israeli women and children from Hamas and were waiting for more details on when the hostages would be handed over to Egyptian authorities.

Pope cancels Saturday activities because of mild flu - Vatican

Pope Francis cancelled his morning audiences on Saturday because of mild flu, the Vatican said in a statement. The 86-year-old pontiff holds regular meetings with Vatican officials on Saturdays, including a weekly one with the head of the Vatican department that oversees the appointment of bishops, as well as private audiences.

Pakistan shopping mall fire kills at least 10

A fire tore through a shopping mall in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi on Saturday, killing 10 people. Geo News said the blaze started early in the morning at the multi-storey RJ shopping mall in Pakistan's most populous city.

(With inputs from agencies.)