A powerful blast struck a train carrying military personnel in Pakistan's restive southwestern province of Balochistan, killing at least 24 people, according to a senior official. Among the dead were army servicemen in the provincial capital of Quetta, where the attack also left more than 50 people wounded, the official told AFP. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) militant group claimed responsibility for the bombing, which Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced as a "cowardly" act of terrorism. Images from the scene…

A deadly gas blast tore through a coal mine in northern China on Friday, killing at least 90 people in the country’s worst mining disaster in 17 years, according to state media. State news agency Xinhua said 247 workers were underground when the explosion struck at 7:29 pm (12.29pm Irish time) at the Liushenyu coal mine in Shanxi province. By this morning, most had been brought to the surface, Xinhua reported, confirming that at least 90 people were dead. The agency said 345 emergency personnel were sent to the scene, where…

A deadly Israeli strike in southern Lebanon has left six people dead — among them two rescuers and a child — according to the Lebanese health ministry, underscoring the volatility that persists despite a fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war. The ministry said in a statement that "six people were martyred" in the strike on the village of Deir Qanun al-Nahr, including two rescuers from the Risala Scouts association, one of whom also worked as a freelance photographer, as well as a Syrian girl. The association is…

A drone strike in the Russian-occupied Lugansk region hit a college dormitory overnight, killing six people and injuring dozens more, according to Russian officials, in an attack the Kremlin swiftly denounced as terrorism. Up to 15 others remain missing, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in televised remarks, calling the strike a "terrorist" act. Mr Putin said he had instructed the defence ministry to prepare a response, but gave no further details. Lugansk, in eastern Ukraine, is almost بالكامل under Russian occupation,…

Friday May 22, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s intelligence service says it and international partners have killed 26 al-Shabab fighters in a series of coordinated military operations in the Hiiraan region, striking what officials described as key militant hideouts and support sites. The National Intelligence and Security Agency said Friday that the operations hit al-Shabab positions in Mahaas, Mukayle and Shaw, areas where the group had been assembling fighters, stockpiling weapons and preparing attacks. NISA said the…

BOSASO, Somalia — A knife attack in Bosaso’s Al-Aqsa neighbourhood has left a former Puntland State parliamentarian dead after, according to local sources, his son allegedly stabbed him in a case that has stunned the coastal city. The suspect, identified as Mohamed Yusuf, is accused of killing his father, the late Yusuf Bootaan, who previously served as a member of the Puntland State regional parliament, reports said. Residents and local sources said the killing took place in the Al-Aqsa area and described the incident as…

A deadly shooting rampage in southern Turkey left six people dead and eight wounded, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, as media reports said police had launched a manhunt for the attacker. In a televised statement, Mr Erdoğan confirmed the death toll and offered "God's mercy" to those killed, but gave no additional details about the attack, which took place near the city of Mersin. Turkey's Anadolu state news agency and the Sabah newspaper identified the suspect as a 37-year-old man believed to have first shot dead his…

A routine morning off western Australia turned deadly when a great white shark killed a man near Rottnest Island, authorities said. Police said the 38-year-old was attacked shortly before 10am local time in waters off the island, near Perth. "Sadly, the man was unable to be revived," Western Australia police said. The state's Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said the victim had been bitten by a 4m long great white. The death marks Western Australia's first fatal shark attack since March last year,…

A devastating Russian missile-and-drone barrage on Kyiv has killed at least 24 people, Ukrainian emergency officials said today, dealing another blow to already-fading hopes that Moscow’s long war might soon ease. Air raid sirens echoed across the capital yesterday, and hours of explosions and flashes overhead drove residents into metro stations and other shelters. According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia launched 675 attack drones and 56 missiles, with Kyiv as the main target. It said air defence forces intercepted 652…

A deadly Ebola outbreak has erupted in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, African health authorities said, as neighbouring Uganda confirmed a linked fatality that underscored fears the virus could move across borders. So far, the outbreak has remained concentrated in Ituri province in northeastern DRC, near the frontiers with Uganda and South Sudan, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Africa) said. The agency warned the threat of wider transmission was high, citing 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths…