An explosion at a chocolate factory in Pennsylvania Friday killed two people and left nine people missing, authorities said. Several other people were injured by the explosion at the R.M. Palmer Co. plant, said West Reading Borough Police Department Chief of Police Wayne Holben, who did not confirm the exact number of injured. The explosion just before 5 p.m. sent a plume of black smoke into the air, destroying one building and damaging a neighboring building that included apartments. “It’s pretty leveled,” West Reading Borough Mayor Samantha Kaag said of the explosion site. “The building in the front, with the church and the apartments, the explosion was so big that it moved that building four feet forward." Also Read: Coroner: 7 dead in tornado that ripped through US South The cause of the blast in the community about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia was under investigation, Holden told reporters. Eight people were taken to Reading Hospital Friday evening, Tower Health spokeswoman Jessica Bezler said. Two people were admitted in fair condition and five were being treated and would be released, she said in an email. One patient was transferred to another facility, but Bezler provided no further details. Also Read: US Embassy expects investigation of alleged assault on journo Zulkarnain's brother Kaag said people were asked to move back about a block in each direction from the site of the explosion but no evacuations were ordered. Dean Murray, the borough manager of West Reading Borough, said some residents were displaced from the damaged apartment building. Kagg said borough officials were not in immediate contact with officials from R.M. Palmer, which Murray described as “a staple of the borough.” The company's website says it has been making “chocolate novelties” since 1948 and now has 850 employees at its West Reading headquarters.

A 70-year-old man was killed when a bus of Welcome Paribahan hit him while he was crossing the road. The deceased was crossing the Gulistan GPO Maingate intersection at around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday when the bus hit him. Police officers on patrol rushed him to the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH). Also Read: Two dead, 2 injured as bus hits autorickshaw in Cumilla The doctors pronounced him dead at around 7:15 p.m. Inspector Bachchu Miah, in-charge of the DMCH police outpost, said on Friday the body was kept in the morgue for an autopsy.  

Russian long-range strikes killed at least 10 civilians and wounded 20 others in several areas of Ukraine on Friday, Ukraine’s presidential office said, as a senior Moscow official warned that the Kremlin's forces were prepared for an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive in the coming weeks. Five people died in Kostiantynivka, a town in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk province, when a Russian missile hit an aid station. Ukrainian authorities last year established hundreds of so-called “points of invincibility,” where residents hard-pressed by the war could warm up, charge their cellphones and get snacks. Local prosecutors said the Russians attacked Kostyantynivka with S-300 anti-aircraft missiles. The civilians who died were refugees, according to Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko. Also Read: Ukraine using Soviet-era helicopters to pummel Russia from afar As the mostly artillery war of the recent winter months stretched into its second spring, Russian forces also used air-launched missiles, exploding drones and gliding bombs in their attacks on several regions early Friday, Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said. Two civilians were killed and nine were wounded in the Sumy province town of Bilopillia by a nighttime rocket and artillery barrage and air strikes, the administration of the northeast region said. In the southern Kherson region, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Thursday, Russian shelling killed one person in the main city, also called Kherson, and killed another person and wounded four others in the town of Bilozerka. On Wednesday, a Russian drone attack struck a high school and dormitories south of Kyiv, killing at least nine people. Kyiv’s forces are poised to use the improved spring weather and the arrival of modern weapons supplied by its Western allies, including tanks, to launch a counteroffensive aimed at dislodging Russian troops from occupied areas of Ukraine. But Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and now the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, said the Russian military was ready to repel a counterattack. “Our General Staff is assessing all that,” Medvedev said. He also said that a Ukrainian attempt to seize Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, could trigger a nuclear response from Moscow. “An attempt to split part of the state away means an encroachment at the very existence of the state,” he said. “Quite obviously, it warrants the use of any weapons. I hope our ‘friends’ across the ocean realize that.” Though known for his bombastic pronouncements, Medvedev’s warning stems from the Russian security doctrine envisaging the use of nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack or an attack with conventional weapons that threatens “the very existence of the Russian state.” Medvedev also said that Western experts operating weapons, such as the U.S.-made Patriot air defense missile systems supplied to Ukraine, would be legitimate targets for the Russian military. Ukrainian soldiers have received training in the U.S., although Russian officials have frequently claimed that foreign instructors are present in Ukraine. “If Patriot or other weapons are delivered to the territory of Ukraine along with foreign experts, they certainly make legitimate targets, which must be destroyed,” Medvedev told reporters in video clips he posted on his messaging app channel. “They are combatants, they are the enemies of our state and they must be destroyed.” “They must understand that as soon as an American or a Polish soldier shows up there, he must be killed,” he added. The Kremlin’s goal is to “create a sanitary cordon” of up to 100 kilometers (60 miles) around Russian-held areas so short- and mid-range weapons can't strike them, according to Medvedev. Moscow may even set its sights on grabbing a bigger chunk of Ukrainian territory, stretching all the way to the border with Poland, he said.

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake rattled much of Pakistan and Afghanistan on Tuesday, sending panicked residents fleeing from homes and offices and frightening people in remote villages. At least 11 people died in the two countries. More than 100 people were brought to hospitals in the Swat valley region of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in a state of shock, Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for Pakistan's emergency services told The Associated Press. “These terrified people collapsed, and some of them collapsed because of the shock of the earthquake,” he said. Faizi said most were later discharged from the hospital. Faizi and other officials said nine people were killed when roofs collapsed in various parts of northwestern Pakistan. Dozens of others were injured in the quake, which was centered in Afghanistan and also felt in bordering Tajikistan. The earthquake triggered landslides in some of the mountainous areas, disrupting traffic. Also Read: 6.5 magnitude quake rattles Afghanistan, Pakistan Taimoor Khan, a spokesman for the provincial disaster management authority in the northwest, said at least 19 mudbrick homes collapsed in remote areas. “We are still collecting data about the damages,” he said. The powerful tremors sent many people fleeing their homes and offices in Pakistan's capital of Islamabad, some reciting verses from the Quran, Islam's holy book. Media reports suggested cracks had appeared in some apartment buildings in the city. In Afghanistan, Sharafat Zaman Amar, Taliban’s appointed spokesman for the public health ministry said, so far at least two people died and around 20 others were injured in the earthquake in Afghanistan. Zaman Amar said “Unfortunately, there could be more casualties as the quake was so powerful, in most parts of the country” all hospitals and health facilities are ready to save lives of people, he added. The scene was repeated in Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan. "The quake was so strong and terrifying, we thought houses are collapsing on us, people were all shouting and were shocked,” said Shafiullah Azimi, a Kabul resident. Aziz Ahmad, 45, another Kabul resident, said “In my life this was first time I have experienced such powerful quake, everyone was terrified,” He added he and all his neighbors stayed out of their homes for hours, afraid of aftershocks. “We couldn't dare to get back homes." The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the magnitude 6.5 quake was 40 kilometers (25 miles) south-southeast of Jurm in Afghanistan's mountainous Hindukush region, bordering Pakistan and Tajikistan. The quake struck 188 kilometers (116 miles) deep below the Earth's surface, causing it to felt over a wide area. Physician Rakhshinda Tauseed was at her hospital in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore when the earthquake hit. “I quickly asked patients to go move to a safer place,” she said. Khurram Shahzad, a resident in Pakistan's garrison city of Rawalpindi, said he was having dinner with his family at a restaurant when the walls started swaying. “I quickly thought that it is a big one, and we left the restaurant and came out,” he told The Associated Press by phone. He said he saw hundreds of people standing on the streets. The situation was similar in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on the border with Afghanistan, where people were seen standing outside their homes and offices. Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in a statement said he asked disaster management officials to remain vigilant to handle any situation. Zabihullah Mujahid, the main spokesman for the Taliban government in Afghanistan, tweeted that the Ministry of Public Health had ordered all health centers to be on standby. The region is prone to violent seismic upheavals. A magnitude 7.6 quake in 2005 killed thousands of people in Pakistan and Kashmir. Last year in southeastern Afghanistan, a 6.1 magnitude quake struck a rugged, mountainous region, flattening stone and mud-brick homes. Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers put the total death toll from the quake at 1,150, with hundreds more injured, while the U.N. has offered a lower estimate of 770.

Four people were killed and 12 others injured when a truck fell into a ditch after being hit by another truck near Kamla Bazar in Ruma upazila of Bandarban district on Monday. The identities of the deceased could not be known immediately. The truck carrying a group of women plunged into the ditch after being hit by another truck around 1: 30 pm while heading towards Romacri union, leaving four dead on the spot, said sub-inspector Md Morshed of Ruma Police Station. Also Read: Bus falls into ditch in Madaripur: Death toll now 19 The injured were taken to a local hospital. The women met the tragic accident while they were going  to  Romacri union  on a truck to collect money under Vulnerable Group Development (VGD) programme. On information, police and local people rushed to the spot and they were trying to rescue the victims. However, the rescue operation is being disrupted due to rains in the area.    

Two youths were killed in separate road accidents in the capital’s Ramna and Matuail areas early Friday, police said. In the Ramna accident, businessman Abdullah Limon, 30, sustained severe injuries when a speeding truck crashed into his motorbike near the Justice Residence around 1:45am. Limon, from Manikganj’s Ghior upazila, was rushed to the Emergency Department at Dhaka Medical College Hospital where physicians declared him dead around 2:30am, confirmed Mujahidul Islam, sub-inspector at Ramna police station. The truck driver was detained and the vehicle was also seized soon after the accident, SI Mujahidul added.Limon's body was kept at the hospital morgue for autopsy. His paternal uncle Md Alam said Limon was returning to Narayanganj from the capital’s Mirpur after attending a wedding ceremony. He had a Navana Battery dealership in Narayanganj’s Balu Math area. In the other fatal mishap, an unidentified youth aged around 35 was killed in what looked like a hit-and-run, but there were no witnesses. An unknown vehicle knocked him down while he was crossing the Dhaka-Chattagram Highway in the Matuail area around 3am, leaving him dead on the spot, said Mostafizur Rahman, sub-inspector at Jatrabari police station. The body was sent to the DMCH morgue for autopsy, the SI said, adding that they were trying to identify the youth.

A 50-year-old biker was killed after police said a speeding truck ran over him in the Dosh Mile area Friday. The deceased was identified as Anwar Hossain from the Bangibechaghat area of Dinajpur Sadar upazila, Sub-Inspector Noni Gopal of Dinajpur Highway Police said. Also Read: 2 high school students among 3 killed as bus rams three-wheeler in Bhola "The accident occurred around 12:30pm as Anwar was on his way to a wedding. He fell on the road after being hit by a battery-run easy bike, he added. "Anwar died at the scene when the truck ran over him."  

A senior army warrant officer was killed and two other soldiers suffered injuries when members of the armed separatist group Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA) opened fire on a patrol team in Rowangchhari upazila of Bandarban district on Sunday. The deceased was identified as Master Warrant Officer Nazim Uddin, son of late Shamser Ali of Ghaghatpara village of Rangpur Sadar upazila. The injured army soldiers are being treated at a hospital, according to the ISPR. Chief of Army Staff General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed expressed deep grief over his death. On the occasion of National Children's Day-2023 and Independence Day, the patrol team went to remote hilly areas to ensure the security of a team that went to provide free health care to mothers and children on Sunday noon. Around 1pm, the armed KNA members suddenly opened fire on the patrol team from an ambush vantage point, leaving the warrant officer dead on the spot and two others injured, ISPR said. According to the ISPR, the separatist Kuki-Chin National Army, an armed terrorist group, has previously provided arms training to a militant group "Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya" in Bandarban's hilly areas for money. Besides, the terrorist group tried to stop the road construction work going on in Thanchi under the supervision of the Bangladesh Army. On failing, they kidnapped 12 workers on March 11, 2023. Of them, a worker suffered bullet injuries and four workers are still being held hostage by the KNA. Although the remaining seven workers were released for ransom, they threatened them not to work on the road construction project. Earlier on February 8, 2023, KNA sent a notice to the Transport Owners Association threatening to stop vehicle movement in three upazilas of Bandarban. On Sunday, March 12, 2023, the district administration issued an indefinite travel ban in the area due to security concerns caused by various terrorist activities of KNA members.      

Israeli forces shot and killed three Palestinian militants Sunday who opened fire on troops in the occupied West Bank, the military said, the latest bloodshed in a year-long wave of violence in the region. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, an armed offshoot of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, claimed the men killed as members. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the men were killed by Israeli fire near the city of Nablus and identified them as Jihad Mohammed al-Shami, 24, Uday Othman al-Shami, 22 and Mohammed Raed Dabeek, 18. The military said it confiscated three M16 rifles from the militants after the shootout and that one gunman turned himself in and was arrested. Also Read: Palestinian killed by Israeli fire in West Bank The deaths Sunday bring to 80 the number of Palestinians killed since the start of the year, as Israel has stepped up arrest raids in the West Bank. A spasm of Palestinian attacks against Israelis has killed 14 people in 2023. The fresh violence follows an Israeli military raid last week on the West Bank village of Jaba, where three Palestinian militants were killed. Hours later, a Palestinian gunman opened fire on a busy Tel Aviv thoroughfare at the start of the Israeli weekend, wounding three people before being shot and killed. The current round of violence is one of the worst between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank in years. It began last spring after a series of Palestinian attacks against Israelis that triggered near-nightly Israeli raids in the West Bank. Nearly 150 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 2022, making it the deadliest year in those areas since 2004, according to the leading Israeli rights group B'Tselem. Palestinian attacks against Israelis during that same time killed 30 people. The military says most of the Palestinians killed were militants. But stone-throwing youths protesting the incursions and others not involved in confrontations have also been killed. Israel says the raids are essential to dismantle militant networks and prevent future attacks. But attacks appear to be intensifying rather than slowing down. The Palestinians view the raids as a tightening by Israel of its 55-year, open-ended occupation of lands they seek for their future state. Israel captured the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek those territories for their future independent state.

The Islamic State group has issued a statement claiming responsibility for killing more than 35 people and wounding dozens in eastern Congo. In the statement, posted Friday by Aamaq, the militants' news agency, it said it killed “Christians” with guns and knives and destroyed their property in Mukondi village in North Kivu province. It also published a photo of the houses on fire. The announcement comes after local authorities confirmed that at least 45 people were killed last week in several attacks on different villages by rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces, a militia with links to IS. Also Read: Bomb kills 1, wounds 5 at press award event in Afghanistan Conflict has been simmering in eastern Congo for decades as more than 120 armed groups fight for power, influence and resources, and some to protect their communities. The ADF has been largely active in North Kivu province but has recently extended its operations into neighboring Ituri province and to areas near the regional capital, Goma. Efforts to stem the violence against ADF have yielded little. A nearly year-long joint operation by Uganda and Congo’s armies did not achieve the expected results of defeating or substantially weakening the group, said a report in December by a panel of U.N. experts. The ADF rebels are accused by the U.N. and rights groups of maiming, raping and abducting civilians, including children. Earlier this month the United States offered a reward of up to $5 million for information that could lead to the capture of the group’s leader, Seka Musa Baluku. On Thursday, AP reporters saw bodies lowered into a mass grave in Mukondi. Community members shoveled dirt over the bodies against a backdrop of destroyed houses and said the government wasn't doing enough to protect them. “As you see in Mukondi, it is always the same. ADF, which is always ill-intentioned against the Congolese," said Col. Charles Ehuta Omeonga, military administrator for Beni region. “We lost many of our brothers,” he said. The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Congo has condemned the killings and is urging Congo’s authorities to investigate and bring those responsible to justice.