Former Maldives President Abdulla Yameen has been sentenced to five years in prison for money laundering. The charges focused on a payment of $1m (£770,000) by a private company that was supposed to go to the state.

Prosecutors said the money, fees for leasing land for tourism development, went instead to Yameen’s bank account. He denied the accusations. The controversial former president served for five years until his surprise defeat in the 2018 election.

Widely seen as pro-China and accused of crushing dissent in the archipelago, Yameen was also ordered by the court in the capital, Male, to pay a fine of $5m. He is expected to appeal. Judge Ali Rasheed, who headed a panel of five judges trying the case, said it had been established beyond any reasonable doubt that Yameen had taken money that he knew was embezzled from the state.

Dozens of the former president’s supporters gathered outside the court, saying his was innocent. The Maldives is a key battleground in the rivalry between China and India. Famous for its 26 coral atolls and 1,192 islands, it is home to more than 400,000 people. Tourism is a vital part of its economy but there are fears for the archipelago’s future because of climate change.(bbc)…[+]

Relatives of people whose homes were destroyed in Albania’s most powerful earthquake in decades are awaiting news, as rescuers find more bodies in the rubble and the death toll rises to 40.

“Ten more victims were found during the night,” Albania’s defence ministry said in a statement on Thursday morning. Children were among those killed when a magnitude-6.4 quake hit on Tuesday. Rescue teams from Serbia, Italy, France, Greece, Switzerland, Turkey and Croatia are helping with the search.

“Our teams have been working uninterruptedly since last night. It is a very, very difficult situation,” Italian fire service spokesman Luca Cari told Ansa news agency.

Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama has declared a state of emergency – enabling more funds and security – in the coastal city of Durres and the inland town of Thumane, the two areas worst affected.(BBC)…[+]

About 60,000 people have been evacuated from the area surrounding Port Neches in Texas after a series of huge explosions at a chemical plant. Footage shows a flash of light before the plant was engulfed by flames. One video shows the door of a nearby house being blown off its hinges.

Three employees were injured in the initial explosion. The first blast at 01:00 local time (07:00 GMT) on Wednesday was followed by a series of secondary explosions.

It is not yet known what caused the blast, which was felt 30 miles (48km) away from the TPC Group plant. A further large blast took place at 14:00 on Wednesday – sparking the evacuation order.(BBC)…[+]