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BEIJING:&nbsp;A giant explosion at a fireworks factory in central China killed at least 21 people and injured 61, state media said on Tuesday. The explosion occurred at around 4:43 pm on Monday at the Liuyang Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Company in Liuyang, Hunan province, state broadcaster CCTV said. Videos on social media from Monday showed continuous explosions accompanied by a vast cloud of smoke rising high into the air in a rural area surrounded by mountains. Drone footage from CCTV taken a day later showed a swathe of smouldering debris where buildings had stood, with rescue workers and excavators scouring the rubble. Smoke continued to rise from some buildings left standing, many of them with their roofs blown off. The central government had sent experts to guide rescue efforts, while more than 480 rescuers had been urgently dispatched to the site for search-and-rescue operations, CCTV reported. They had established a 3-kilometer (1.9-mile) control zone around the site and evacuated people nearby. Police had apprehended the company&#39;s management while investigations into the cause of the accident continue, CCTV said. Chinese President Xi Jinping had called for &quot;all-out efforts&quot; to treat the injured and search for missing persons, and for those responsible to be held accountable, state news agency Xinhua reported Tuesday. Liuyang is a major fireworks hub, producing around 60% of the fireworks sold in China and 70% of those exported. Industrial accidents, including in the fireworks industry, are common in China due to lax safety standards. Last year, an explosion at another fireworks factory in Hunan killed nine people, and in 2023, three people were killed after blasts struck residential buildings in the northern city of Tianjin. In February, separate explosions at fireworks shops in Hubei and Jiangsu provinces killed 12 and eight people.

China

Videos on social media showe continuous explosions accompanied by a vast cloud of smoke rising high into the air in a rural area surrounded by mountains; President Xi has called for "all-out efforts" to treat the injured, search for missing persons, and for those responsible to be held accountable.




China fireworks factory explosion kills 21, injures 61

Web Desk/AFP

This live blog follows updates for Day 67 of the US-Israel war on Iran. For a recap of Day 66, go <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-israel-war-on-iran-day-66" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">here</a>.<hr style="line-height: 2;"><ul style="list-style-type: square;"><li style="font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 2; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Iran launches drones and missiles toward UAE targets</li><li style="font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 2; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">UAE reports fires at energy sites after strikes</li><li id="isPasted" style="font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 2; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">United States deploys naval forces to secure Hormuz shipping</li><li id="isPasted" style="font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 2; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">US forces destroy Iranian boats amid escalating maritime clashes</li><li id="isPasted" style="font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 2; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leaders urge de-escalation as fragile ceasefire faces collapse</li></ul><hr style="line-height: 2;"> US-Iran exchange fire as Tehran denies losses, alleges civilian deathsPublished: May 5, 2026 | 02:18 GMT | by AFP A US admiral said American forces sank six small Iranian vessels, a claim Tehran denied while accusing Washington of killing civilians on boats. US forces &quot;attacked two small boats carrying people... they martyred five civilian passengers and must be held accountable for their crime,&quot; Iranian state TV posted on Telegram. <hr style="line-height: 2;"> US Apache attack helicopters deployed in operation against Iranian boats: CENTCOMPublished: May 5, 2026 | 02:13 GMT | by AFP US Central Command (CENTCOM), which is leading the US war on Iran, said that Sea Hawk and Apache attack helicopters were used in the reported targeting of six Iranian fast boats on Monday, which Washington said were destroyed while attempting to interfere with commercial shipping amid US operations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The helicopters &ldquo;were used to eliminate Iranian small boats threatening commercial shipping&rdquo;, CENTCOM said in a post on X. CENTCOM also said that more than 100 aircraft &ndash; both land-based and on board two US aircraft carriers in the Gulf region &mdash; are now taking part in Operation Freedom to reopen the strait and escort ships through the waterway. <hr style="line-height: 2;"> Trump says took a little detour but Iran war &lsquo;working out very nicely&rsquo;Published: May 5, 2026 | 01:12 GMT | by AFP US President Donald Trump has said that a little detour was taken in the military operation against Iran, adding that it was &ldquo;working out very nicely.&quot; &quot;They have no navy, they have no air force, they have no anti-aircraft equipment, they have no radar, they have no nothing,&rdquo; he said. <hr style="line-height: 2;"> Iran rejects military solution to &lsquo;political crisis&rsquo;, says UAE attack not pre-plannedPublished: May 4, 2026 | 23:12 GMT | by AFP Iran&rsquo;s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, has said the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz makes it &ldquo;clear that there&rsquo;s no military solution to a political crisis,&rdquo; Al Jazeera reported.&nbsp; &ldquo;As talks are making progress with Pakistan&rsquo;s gracious effort, the US should be wary of being dragged back into quagmire by ill-wishers. So should the UAE,&rdquo; he said in a post on X. &ldquo;Project Freedom is Project Deadlock.&rdquo; Separately, Iranian state TV said that the country had &quot;no pre-planned programme&quot; to attack oil facilities in the United Arab Emirates, after the UAE blamed the Islamic Republic for a drone strike at an energy installation in Fujairah. &quot;The Islamic Republic had no pre-planned programme to attack the oil facilities in question, and what happened was the product of the US military&#39;s adventurism to create a passage for ships to illegally pass through the forbidden passages of the Strait of Hormuz, and the US military must be held accountable for it,&quot; an Iranian military official told state TV. &quot;US officials must end the ugly behaviour of using force in the diplomatic process and stop military adventurism in this sensitive oil region that affects the economies of all countries in the world.&quot; <hr style="line-height: 2;"> UK PM calls for de-escalation after UAE reports attacksPublished: May 5, 2026 | 00:10 GMT | by AFP British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for de-escalation in the Middle East after the United Arab Emirates reported attacks for the first time since a truce was declared nearly a month ago. &quot;The UK condemns the drone and missile strikes targeting the United Arab Emirates,&quot; Starmer said in a statement. &quot;This escalation must cease. Iran needs to engage meaningfully in negotiations to ensure the ceasefire in the Middle East endures, and a long-term diplomatic solution is achieved.&quot; <hr style="line-height: 2;"> Turkish, Qatari FMs discuss regional developments during callPublished: May 5, 2026 | 00:07 GMT | by Web Desk Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke to his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, to discuss the developments in the Middle East, Turkiye&rsquo;s Anadolu news agency reported, according to Al Jazeera. The two discussed developments related to ongoing talks between the US and Iran, according to diplomatic sources. <hr style="line-height: 2;"> Macron says attack on UAE&#39;s civilian infrastructure &lsquo;unjustified, unacceptable&rsquo;Published: May 4, 2026 | 23:31 GMT | by AFP French President Emmanuel Macron has said that Iranian strikes against the UAE&rsquo;s civilian infrastructure were &ldquo;unjustified and unacceptable.&rdquo; &ldquo;As it has done since the start of the conflict, France will continue to support its allies in the Emirates and in the region for the defense of their territory,&rdquo; Macron said in a post on X. &ldquo;A lasting solution to the ongoing conflict will only come through the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to free circulation and a robust agreement that provides the necessary security guarantees to the countries of the region, particularly against the threats posed by Iran in nuclear, ballistic, and regional destabilization activities,&rdquo; he added. <hr>

Americas

Middle East

FM Araghchi says the current situation makes it “clear that there’s no military solution to a political crisis;” Starmer calls for de-escalation in the Middle East after UAE reported attacks; US-Iran exchange fire as Tehran denies losses, alleges civilian deaths.




Iran rejects military solution to ‘political crisis,’ says UAE attack not pre-planned

NEW YORK: The brightest stars in Hollywood, music, sports, and style hit the red carpet Monday for the Met Gala, the extravagant Manhattan charity ball that this year spotlights the intersection between fashion and art. The A-listers invited to New York&#39;s biggest social event of the year have been asked to dress for the theme &quot;Fashion is Art,&quot; which dovetails with the exhibit &quot;Costume Art&quot; at the Metropolitan Museum of Art&#39;s Costume Institute. This year&#39;s function has drawn controversy after Amazon boss Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez Bezos were announced as the lead sponsors and honorary co-chairs of the gala, with some activists upset about the billionaire couple&#39;s involvement. But for the fashionistas, the Met Gala &mdash; traditionally held on the first Monday in May &mdash; is simply one of the world&#39;s top red carpets with blinding star power. Tennis legend Venus Williams and Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman, who are co-chairing the event, were among the first to arrive. Kidman stunned in a shimmering red long-sleeved Chanel column dress with wide feather cuffs, while Williams glistened in a black crystal Swarovski gown with an elaborate neck plate. The 45-year-old Williams told Vogue the look was inspired by a painting of her in the National Portrait Gallery. Music mega-star Beyonce, another co-chair, had yet to make her highly anticipated appearance at the event &mdash; her first in a decade. Rapper Doja Cat, one of several members of a gala &quot;host committee,&quot; wore a draped latex Saint Laurent gown with a demure neckline &mdash; but slit up to her waist. Of course, the entire evening is overseen by Vogue&#39;s global editorial director Anna Wintour &mdash; the ultimate tastemaker in US fashion who has helmed the event for 30 years. The gala is a fundraiser for the Met&#39;s Costume Institute, and this year has raised a record $42 million (after $31 million in 2025), the museum&#39;s CEO Max Hollein told reporters early Monday. But it is also a social media extravaganza that sees stars don over-the-top looks, vying to create the greatest spectacle. Last year&#39;s event showcased the subversive style of Black dandyism and was a rare Met Gala spotlighting men and male fashion. This year&#39;s exhibit juxtaposes elegant fashion looks with paintings and sculpture: think a Saint Laurent design next to Van Gogh&#39;s &quot;Irises,&quot; or a John Galliano gown for Maison Margiela paired with an antique statue. &quot;When I think about the show, if there&#39;s one word to describe it, I suppose it would be equitability or equivalency, equivalency between artworks,&quot; the Costume Institute&#39;s curator Andrew Bolton told AFP. &quot;So, there&#39;s no hierarchy between sculpture, painting, fashion, photography and no hierarchy between bodies, between the classical body or the disabled body.&quot; &#39;Genuinely care&#39;&nbsp;In the run-up to Monday, a campaign opposing the involvement of Bezos and his wife cropped up in New York&#39;s streets and subways, with some calling for a boycott of an event some see as a gross display of immense wealth. Behind the campaign is a group founded in Britain called &quot;Everyone Hates Elon,&quot; which, a spokesperson stressed, &quot;targets other billionaires&quot; beyond Elon Musk, the world&#39;s richest person. Wintour said Monday that the couple had &quot;shown with this event that they genuinely, genuinely care about giving back.&quot; The Met Gala was first organized in 1948 and for decades was reserved for New York high society &mdash; until Wintour transformed the party into a high-profile catwalk for the rich and famous in the 1990s. The &quot;Costume Art&quot; exhibit, which opens on May 10 at the venerable museum in Manhattan, will seek to explore the &quot;dressed body&quot; in artworks across the centuries.

Film & TV

This year's function has drawn controversy after Amazon boss Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez Bezos were announced as the lead sponsors and honorary co-chairs of the gala, with some activists upset about the billionaire couple's involvement.

Stars shine at Met Gala, fashion's biggest night

NEW YORK: Actor Blake Lively and &quot;It Ends with Us&quot; co-star Justin Baldoni settled on Monday their acrimonious court battle, sparked when Lively accused Baldoni of inappropriate on-set behavior, meaning they will avoid a costly civil trial. US entertainment media including People and Variety reported that lawyers for the two stars, who have been embroiled in a years-long public spat, had agreed to settle the case, with no settlement figure publicly disclosed. Lively&#39;s initial complaint had said Baldoni &mdash; who also directed the film &mdash; had spoken inappropriately about his sex life and sought to alter the film to include sex scenes that were not in the script and had not been agreed to. It also said producer Jamey Heath had watched Lively while she was topless, despite having been asked to turn away. It further said Baldoni waged a PR campaign to wreck Lively&#39;s reputation. &quot;The end product &mdash; the movie &#39;It Ends with Us&#39; -- is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life,&quot; Baldoni and Lively&#39;s attorneys said in a joint statement reported by US media. &quot;We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms Lively deserved to be heard ... It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace.&quot; Baldoni and the studio Wayfarer had previously countersued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds with claims of extortion and defamation -- but a judge dismissed those claims last year. Wayfarer previously insisted that neither the studio, its executives, nor its PR team did anything to retaliate against Lively. A judge dismissed some of Lively&#39;s claims but upheld her allegations of retaliation, which would have proceeded to trial on May 18. Based on a best-selling novel by the US writer Colleen Hoover, &quot;It Ends with Us&quot; made more than $350 million at the box office in 2024, making it one of the biggest hits of the year.

US entertainment media, including People and Variety, reported that lawyers for the two stars, who have been embroiled in a years-long public spat, had agreed to settle the case, with no settlement figure publicly disclosed.

Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni agree to end lengthy legal battle 

KYIV: Russia on Monday declared a unilateral ceasefire with Ukraine between May 8-9, when Moscow marks its annual World War II Victory Day commemorations, and threatened a &quot;massive missile strike&quot; on Kyiv if Ukraine violated it. Ukraine responded by declaring a truce of its own between May 5 and 6, saying it was &quot;not serious&quot; to expect it to observe a ceasefire during a Russian military holiday. The quarrelling between the two sides comes with a lull in US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war, as Washington shifts its focus to the conflict in the Middle East. Russian strikes killed nine people across Ukraine on Monday, according to Ukrainian officials, while a Ukrainian drone crashed into a high-rise building in an upscale Moscow neighborhood overnight. &quot;In accordance with a decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces, Vladimir Putin, a ceasefire has been declared from May 8&ndash;9, 2026 ... We hope that the Ukrainian side will follow suit,&quot; the Russian defense ministry said in a post on state-backed messaging service MAX. &quot;If the Kyiv regime attempts to implement its criminal plans to disrupt the celebration of the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Russian Armed Forces will launch a retaliatory, massive missile strike on the center of Kyiv,&quot; it added. &quot;We warn the civilian population of Kyiv and employees of foreign diplomatic missions of the need to leave the city promptly.&quot; Russia marks World War II Victory Day each year with a massive military parade through Red Square. Ukraine&#39;s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that having a ceasefire so Moscow could mark the celebration was &quot;not serious,&quot; and that Russia was afraid Ukrainian drones would &quot;buzz over Red Square.&quot; &quot;As of today, there has been no official appeal to Ukraine regarding the modality of a cessation of hostilities that is being claimed on Russian social media,&quot; Zelensky said in a post on X. &quot;In this regard, we are announcing a ceasefire regime starting at 00:00 (2100 GMT) on the night of May 5&ndash;6. In the time left until that moment, it is realistic to ensure that silence takes effect,&quot; he added. The Ukrainian leader later landed in the Gulf nation of Bahrain for talks on &quot;security cooperation,&quot; a source in the Ukrainian delegation told AFP. Deadly attacks&nbsp;Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least nine people on Monday, according to Ukrainian officials. A Russian ballistic missile attack on the town of Merefa &mdash; outside Ukraine&#39;s second city of Kharkiv &mdash; killed seven civilians and wounded dozens earlier Monday, regional authorities said. AFP journalists in Merefa saw several bodies strewn in the street, covered by blankets and white sheets, with shops, houses, and cars damaged. A separate Russian strike on the village of Vilnyansk in the southern Zaporizhzhia region killed two others, the region&#39;s governor Ivan Fedorov said. &quot;Unfortunately, a married couple was killed: a 51-year-old man and a 62-year-old woman,&quot; Fedorov said. Their 31-year-old son was wounded in the strike, along with three other people, he added. In Russia, a Ukrainian drone killed a civilian in the border region of Belgorod, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. A Ukrainian drone also hit a residential high-rise building in an upscale Moscow neighborhood overnight, the Russian capital&#39;s mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. Russia advances slow&nbsp;Russia lost more territory than it gained in Ukraine in April for the first time since a Ukrainian counter-offensive in the summer of 2023, an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) showed. Moscow ceded control of about 120 square kilometers (46 square miles) between March and April, the ISW data showed. Despite the fighting at the front reaching a near stalemate, intense and deadly drone-dominated attacks have continued unabated in recent months. Russia&#39;s advances have slowed since late 2025, as communication issues in the Russian army combined with Ukrainian counterattacks helped Kyiv make localized breakthroughs in the southeast. The Ukrainian army&#39;s net gains &mdash; their first in more than two years &mdash; were marginal, however, representing only 0.02% of Ukrainian territory, the data showed. Moscow currently occupies just over 19% of Ukraine, the majority of which it seized during the first weeks of its invasion in 2022. Approximately seven percent, including Crimea and areas in the Donbas region, were already under Russian or pro-Russian separatist control before the invasion.

Europe

 Russia on Monday declared a unilateral ceasefire with Ukraine between May 8-9, when Moscow marks its annual World War II Victory Day commemorations, and threatened a "massive missile strike" on Kyiv if Ukraine violated it.

Ukraine and Russia declare separate truces

ISLAMABAD/BEIJING: Pakistan&rsquo;s Ambassador to China, Khalil Hashmi, has said that both Iran and the United States have placed trust in Islamabad&rsquo;s ability to act as a credible facilitator in efforts to ease tensions between the two adversaries. Speaking on Pakistan TV programme Beyond Borders, Ambassador Hashmi emphasized that Pakistan&rsquo;s engagement in mediation efforts is rooted in its &ldquo;long-standing relationships with both sides,&rdquo; allowing it to function as a trusted intermediary rather than a partisan actor. He noted that recent diplomatic efforts, including discussions hosted in Islamabad, helped reinforce momentum away from escalation and toward ceasefire-oriented outcomes. Ambassador Hashmi said that while the situation remains sensitive, &ldquo;a sense of direction away from war and toward dialogue&rdquo; has been introduced, describing it as a &ldquo;significant but still evolving progress.&rdquo; He added that continued diplomatic engagement would be necessary to sustain and deepen these gains. Turning to China&rsquo;s diplomatic posture, Ambassador Hashmi described Beijing as a &ldquo;silent stabilizer&rdquo; in global affairs, particularly in the Middle East. He said Beijing&rsquo;s foreign policy approach is grounded in &ldquo;conciliation, peaceful coexistence, and resolution of disputes through dialogue.&rdquo; Ambassador Hashmi pointed to China&rsquo;s diplomatic facilitation in the 2023 Iran&ndash;Saudi rapprochement and efforts to bring Palestinian factions together as examples of what he called China&rsquo;s &ldquo;practical contributions to regional stability.&rdquo; Addressing the future of Pakistan&ndash;China economic ties, the ambassador said Pakistan is actively working to attract Chinese investment across 21 priority sectors, including traditional industries such as agriculture, steel, and petrochemicals, as well as emerging fields like information technology, fintech, renewable energy, electric vehicles, and advanced materials. &ldquo;The focus is on joint ventures that combine Chinese investment and technology with Pakistani industrial capacity,&rdquo; he said, adding that this approach is intended to strengthen productivity and long-term economic resilience. Commenting on recent high-level diplomatic exchanges, including President Asif Ali Zardari&rsquo;s visit to China, Ambassador Hashmi described the trip as &ldquo;timely and productive,&rdquo; noting that it allowed both sides to exchange views on global developments while reinforcing bilateral ties during the 75th anniversary year of diplomatic relations.&nbsp; During the visit, He said, multiple memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed in areas including agriculture, health, engineering, construction materials, and industrial cooperation.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to China, Khalil Hashmi, has said that both Iran and the United States have placed trust in Islamabad’s ability to act as a credible facilitator in efforts to ease tensions between the two adversaries.



Pakistan’s mediation role in US-Iran tensions reflects global trust: Ambassador Hashmi

GENEVA: Hantavirus, being linked to deaths on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, circulates in rodents and can be deadly when transmitted to humans. Dutch cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed Monday it was dealing with &quot;a serious medical situation&quot; on board the MV Hondius, travelling from Argentina to Cape Verde. Hantaviruses can cause respiratory and cardiac distress, as well as hemorrhagic fevers. There are no vaccines or specific medications to combat hantaviruses &mdash; meaning treatment consists solely of attempting to relieve the symptoms. The virusEach hantavirus is associated with a specific rodent reservoir species, in which it can cause long-term infection without apparent illness. Only a few hantavirus species are known to cause human disease. The virus is named after the Hantan River in South Korea, where more than 3,000 troops fell seriously ill after becoming infected with it during the 1950-1953 Korean War, Switzerland&#39;s FOPH health ministry says. Transmission&nbsp;Transmission of hantaviruses to humans occurs from contact with contaminated urine, droppings or saliva of infected wild rodents, such as mice or rats. More rarely, infection may occur through bites. The French National Public Health Agency says human infection generally occurs through inhaling contaminated dust and aerosols. The only way to minimize the risk of infection is to avoid contact with rodents and their secretions and excretions. Andes virus, found in South America, is the only known hantavirus for which limited human‑to‑human transmission has been documented, and only then linked to &quot;close and prolonged contact&quot;, says the World Health Organization. The WHO&#39;s epidemic preparedness chief, Maria Van Kerkhove, said Monday that based on previous outbreaks, &quot;the overall risk to the public is low.&quot; Diagnosis&nbsp;The WHO says early diagnosis &quot;can be challenging&quot; as the symptoms resemble several other respiratory illnesses, such as Covid-19. Suspected cases can be confirmed through various laboratory tests, according to the WHO, including through &quot;the presence of hantavirus-specific IgM antibodies.&quot; Van Kerkhove said the WHO was working to understand the source of exposure through epidemiological investigations, along with contact tracing and lab tests. Symptoms&quot;In the Americas, infection has been known to lead to hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), a rapidly progressive condition affecting the lungs and heart, while in Europe and Asia hantaviruses has been known to hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), which primarily affects the kidneys and blood vessels,&quot; says the WHO. Different health authorities give varying time periods between exposure and symptoms starting to appear. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the Americas, symptoms usually start to show one to eight weeks after contact, while HFRS symptoms usually develop within one to two weeks. Early symptoms typically include fever, headache, muscle aches, abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting. In HCPS, the disease may progress rapidly to cough, shortness of breath, accumulation of fluid in the lungs and shock, says the WHO, while with HFRS, later stages may include low blood pressure, bleeding disorders and kidney failure. Case numbers, fatality rate&nbsp;Worldwide, it is estimated that from 10,000 to over 100,000 infections occur each year, with the largest burden in Asia and Europe, says the WHO. HFRS accounts for many thousands of cases annually in East Asia, particularly in China and South Korea. The case fatality rate is between less than one percent to 15% in Asia and Europe, the WHO says. Despite the much lower incidence, HCPS has a case fatality rate commonly between 20% and 40%, says the WHO, making it a disease of major public health concern.

Health

Dutch cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions confirms it was dealing with "a serious medical situation" on board the MV Hondius, travelling from Argentina to Cape Verde; Hantaviruses can cause respiratory and cardiac distress, as well as hemorrhagic fevers.

Hantavirus: spread by rodents, potentially fatal, with no specific cure

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Monday dismissed allegations by the Afghan Taliban that its forces targeted civilians in Afghanistan&rsquo;s Kunar province, linking the claim to cross-border fire that killed civilians in northwestern Pakistan. The ministry&rsquo;s Fact Checker account said the claim by the Taliban&#39;s Hamdullah Fitrat followed an incident in Bajaur in which nine women and children were killed, prompting local condemnation. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 998px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2051311343819772226&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=aacf9820f3d834bc3c8b3361a678ef714ca4d4a7&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div> It cited evidence released by the Bajaur District Administration, describing it as showing reckless actions by the Afghan side after repeated failed infiltration attempts by militants. It said Pakistan&rsquo;s security forces repelled those attempts on the ground. The post disputed images circulated with the Afghan claim, saying the damage shown is inconsistent with artillery strikes. It pointed to intact roofs and limited structural breakage as evidence of manual or staged damage. It said the timing of the allegation came after Pakistan released &ldquo;irrefutable evidence&rdquo; and after public criticism intensified against the Afghan side.

This photograph taken on April 13, 2026 shows closed shops in the Barikot village of Naray district, Kunar province. (AFP)

Security

Links claim to cross-border firing from Afghan territory into the Bajaur district that killed civilians.

 Pakistan rejects Afghan Taliban claims of targeting civilians and infrastructure in Kunar

LEIPZIG: A car ploughed into people on a street Germany&#39;s eastern city of Leipzig on Monday, leaving at least two dead and several injured, authorities said. The driver was arrested after the vehicle careered from a main square down a major city center street, close to historic sites. Leipzig mayor Burkhard Jung confirmed two people had died, adding: &quot;We still don&#39;t really know the motivation. We don&#39;t know anything about the perpetrator.&quot; Leipzig fire service chief Axel Schuh also gave a death toll of two. Two people were also seriously injured and two others were &quot;affected,&quot; he said. Police said in a post on X that the car ploughed into people on Grimmaische street and then &quot;fled the scene&quot;. But they later arrested the driver, adding that &quot;there is currently no further danger from him&quot;. Police deployed in large numbers along with firefighters, emergency medical personnel and two helicopters. Germany has faced a string of car-ramming attacks in recent years. In December 2024, at least six people were killed and hundreds wounded in a car-ramming attack on the Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg. There have also been similar attacks in Munich and Berlin.

Members of the emergency services work at the scene where a car ploughed into people on a street leaving at least two dead and several injured, in the city centre in Leipzig, eastern Germany on May 4, 2026. (AFP)

A car ploughs into pedestrians in Leipzig, Germany, killing two and injuring several others, in a busy city centre near historic sites, officials report.

Two dead after car ploughs into people in Germany's Leipzig: mayor

PARIS: A tiny, little-known world beyond Pluto appears to have an atmosphere, Japanese astronomers said Monday, defying what had been thought possible for icy objects in our cosmic backyard.&nbsp;If confirmed, the roughly 500-kilometre-wide (310-mile) rock would become just the second world past Neptune in our Solar System to host an atmosphere -- after only Pluto itself.&nbsp;Formerly classified as a planet, Pluto was demoted to dwarf planet status in 2006, in part because astronomers were discovering other similar objects in a distant region called the Kuiper Belt.&nbsp;While NASA under US President Donald Trump has floated the idea of restoring Pluto&#39;s planet status, the discovery of another atmosphere nearby could undermine the argument for its reinstatement.&nbsp;For the new discovery, Japanese researchers and an amateur astronomer pointed their telescopes at an object with the unwieldy name of (612533) 2002 XV93.&nbsp;The icy world is nearly 40 times further from the Sun than Earth -- or roughly six billion kilometers away.&nbsp;These dark objects can only be seen when they pass in front of a distant star.&nbsp;When this happened in January 2024, the astronomers observed that the starlight did not immediately reappear, suggesting a thin atmosphere was filtering some of the light.&nbsp;They estimate that the world has an atmosphere five to 10 million times thinner than Earth&#39;s, according to a new study in Nature Astronomy.&nbsp;&quot;This is important because, until now, Pluto was the only trans-Neptunian object with a confirmed atmosphere,&quot; lead study author Ko Arimatsu of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan told AFP.&nbsp;Such small worlds had not been thought capable of hosting an atmosphere.&nbsp;&quot;This discovery therefore challenges the conventional view that small icy worlds in the outer Solar System are mostly inactive and unchanging,&quot; he added.&nbsp;Ice volcanoes or comet smash?&nbsp;The researchers could not say for sure what created the atmosphere, which is nowhere near thick enough to support life.&nbsp;But they suggested it could have been made by gas being shot out from the world&#39;s interior by erupting ice volcanoes.&nbsp;Or it could have been kicked up by a comet smashing into the world, which would mean it will gradually disappear.&nbsp;Jose-Luis Ortiz, a Spanish astronomer not involved in the research who studies dwarf planets beyond Neptune, said the results were interesting, but urged caution.&nbsp;&quot;I still doubt that it is an atmosphere. We need more data,&quot; he told AFP.&nbsp;An alternative explanation for the observations could be that the object has a ring close to its body, Ortiz said.&nbsp;Ko Arimatsu acknowledged that he could not rule out &quot;exotic alternatives&quot; to an atmosphere.&nbsp;However, &quot;a nearly edge-on ring does not seem consistent with the main features of our observations,&quot; he added.&nbsp;Both astronomers called for further observations to reveal more about this strange world -- particularly with the James Webb space telescope.&nbsp;There have also been suggestions that a dwarf planet called Makemake, which is slightly smaller than Pluto, could have a very thin atmosphere, though some scientists are sceptical.&nbsp;Last week, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman suggested the US space agency was considering reinstating Pluto as a fully-fledged planet.&nbsp;Isaacman made the comments while endorsing a proposal to halve NASA&#39;s science budget, riling some astronomers, Nature reported.&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s wild to &#39;make Pluto a planet again&#39; while decimating the careers of those of us that study it!&quot; planetary scientist Adeene Denton wrote on Bluesky.

Artificial Intelligence

Japanese astronomers observed distant object 2002 XV93 and found signs of a very thin atmosphere, possibly from ice volcanoes or impacts. Scientists remain cautious, suggesting alternative explanations and calling for further observations to confirm findings.