Iran, 40 victims of explosion at Shahid Rajaee port

Today's news: US raids hit detention centre in Yemen, at least 68 dead; Israel bombs Gaza and Beirut, despite ceasefire; Tensions between Beijing and Manila in the South China Sea over claims to small sandbanks; Fourth night of artillery fire on the border between India and Pakistan; Pyongyang claims credit for its soldiers on the front lines in Ukraine.

IRAN

The death toll from Saturday's huge explosion at Shahid Rajaee port, the country's largest commercial port, has risen to 40. More than a thousand people have been injured. Many people rushed to hospitals across Iran to donate blood. A thick black cloud of toxic chemicals hangs over the surrounding area. The fires that led to the explosion were reportedly caused by ‘improper handling of a shipment of solid fuel intended for use in Iranian ballistic missiles’.

YEMEN - ISRAEL - GAZA - LEBANON

Media affiliated with the Houthis report that US forces have bombed a detention centre that also housed African migrants in northern Saada, killing at least 68 people and injuring 47 others. Meanwhile, doctors in Gaza say that Israeli forces killed 23 Palestinians in pre-dawn attacks, a day after killing at least 53 people in various areas of the Strip. Israel also bombed a suburb of Beirut, despite the ceasefire, saying it had targeted Hezbollah sites.

MYANMAR

The military junta is repeatedly violating the ceasefire announced after the earthquake that devastated Myanmar a month ago. According to the Arakan Army (AA), one of Myanmar's largest and most powerful rebel groups, the junta has dropped more than 400 bombs on Rakhine State. Last week, the military announced another extension of the ceasefire, but the exiled government (NUG) highlighted the bombing of 12 of the country's 14 main regions, killing more than 160 people and injuring nearly 300 others.

CHINA - PHILIPPINES

The Chinese coast guard has occupied a small sandbank (200 square metres) in the South China Sea, on the disputed Sandy Cay reef in the Spratly Islands. The claim is part of the escalating regional dispute with the Philippines. Manila had also announced its presence on three sandbanks, releasing an image of officers in a pose mimicking the Chinese photo. The tit-for-tat comes as US and Philippine forces are conducting their annual joint exercises in the region.

INDIA - PAKISTAN

Tensions remain high between the two South Asian countries following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which killed 26 people on 22 April. The nuclear-armed nations have taken a series of measures against each other, with India suspending the Indus Water Treaty and Pakistan closing its airspace to Indian airlines. India said it had responded to ‘unprovoked’ artillery fire from Pakistan along the de facto border for the fourth consecutive night.

NORTH KOREA - RUSSIA

North Korea has acknowledged for the first time that it has deployed troops to Russia to support the war against Ukraine, saying its soldiers ‘have completely liberated the occupied area of the Kursk region,’ according to an order issued by leader Kim Jong Un. An estimated 14,000 North Korean soldiers are in Russia to fight Ukrainian forces. Pyongyang's announcement comes just days after Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov publicly praised the ‘courage’ of North Korean troops.

UZBEKISTAN - KYRGYZSTAN

Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have agreed to jointly exploit the Chashma reservoir, located on the border between the two countries, which was the subject of a local conflict in 2020. The reservoir is recognised as Kyrgyz territory, but Uzbekistan will have the right to use two-thirds of the water produced, without any interference from the inhabitants.

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