United News of Bangladesh

Fourteen people have died, and several others have sustained burns after a massive fire broke out at a hotel in Kolkata's Burrabazar on Tuesday night. The blaze started around 8:30 PM at Hotel Rituraj, located in the Mechua fruit market area of Burrabazar. One hotel employee died after jumping from the roof while attempting to escape the fire. Once the fire was contained, firefighters and disaster response teams entered the building for a search operation. During the operation, 13 additional charred bodies were found in various rooms of the hotel. Police Commissioner Manoj Verma confirmed that 14 bodies had been recovered from the hotel, and several individuals were rescued. A special team has been assigned to investigate the incident, and further inquiries are ongoing. The bodies have been sent to RG Kar Hospital and Neel Ratan Sarkar Medical College for post-mortem. Source: With input from India TV news

Authorities in Indian-controlled Kashmir temporarily closed dozens of the tourist resorts in the scenic Himalayan region after last week’s deadly attack on tourists raised tensions between India and Pakistan and led to an intensifying security crackdown in Kashmir. At least two police officers and three administrative officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with departmental policy, said Tuesday that the decision to shut 48 of the 87 government-authorized resorts was a safety precaution. They did not specify how long these places would be out of bounds for visitors. The decision comes a week after gunmen killed 26 people, most of them Indian tourists, near the resort town of Pahalgam. The massacre set off tit-for-tat diplomatic measures between India and Pakistan that included cancellation of visas and a recall of diplomats. New Delhi also suspended a crucial water sharing treaty with Islamabad and ordered its border shut with Pakistan. In response, Pakistan has closed its airspace to Indian airlines. India accuses Pakistan of backing the attack India has described the massacre as a “terror attack” and accused Pakistan of backing it. Pakistan has denied any connection to the attack, and it was claimed by a previously unknown militant group calling itself the Kashmir Resistance. Tensions persist along India-Pakistan Kashmir border amid cross-border skirmishes Some tourists who survived the massacre have told Indian media that the gunmen singled out Hindu men and shot them from close range. The dead included a Nepalese citizen and a local Muslim pony ride operator. Kashmir is split between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirety. New Delhi describes all militancy in Indian-controlled Kashmir as Pakistan-backed terrorism. Pakistan denies this, and many Muslim Kashmiris consider the militants to be part of a home-grown freedom struggle. Tensions spike between India and Pakistan As tensions escalate, cross-border firing between soldiers of India and Pakistan has also increased along the Line of Control, the de facto frontier that separates Kashmiri territory between the two rivals. On Tuesday, the Indian army in a statement said it had responded to “unprovoked” small arms fire from multiple Pakistan army posts for a fifth consecutive night. The incidents could not be independently verified. In the past, each side has accused the other of starting border skirmishes in the Himalayan region. Early Wednesday, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Islamabad had credible intelligence that India intended to carry out military action against Pakistan in the next 24-36 hours over the “baseless and concocted allegations of involvement” in the Pahalgam attack. He said in the statement that Pakistan would respond to any such action and the responsibility for any consequences of the escalation lay with India. Indian officials had no immediate comment. The U.S. State Department called for deescalation and said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be speaking soon to the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers. Pakistani troops shot down a small Indian spy drone that flew hundreds of meters into Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, three Pakistani security officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity as they weren’t allowed to speak to the media. The drone was shot down on Monday in the border town of Bhimber, they said. Meanwhile, government forces in the region have detained and questioned nearly 2,000 people, officials and residents said. Many of the detained are former rebels fighting against Indian rule and others who officials describe as “over ground workers” of militants, a term authorities use for civilians suspected of associating with insurgents. Fresh crossfire along Kashmir border amid rising India-Pakistan tensions Indian soldiers have demolished the family homes of at least nine suspected militants across Kashmir, using explosives. The region’s top pro-India leaders have supported action against suspected militants but also questioned the demolitions. Omar Abdullah, the region’s chief minister, said Monday that any heavy-handed tactics against civilians should be avoided. “We should not take any step that will alienate people,” Abdullah told the region’s lawmakers during a legislative session. Ruhullah Mehdi, a lawmaker from the region in India’s national parliament, termed the demolitions of homes as “collective punishment.” Cancellations overwhelm Kashmir tourism industry Indian tourism has flourished in Kashmir after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government promoted visits to the region with the hope of showing rising tourism numbers as a sign of renewed stability there. Millions of visitors arrive in Kashmir to see its Himalayan foothills and exquisitely decorated houseboats, despite regular skirmishes between insurgents and government forces. According to official data, close to 3 million tourists visited the region in 2024, a rise from 2.71 million visitors in 2023 and 2.67 million in 2022. Indian Military accuses Pakistan of firing across Kashmir border amid rising tensions But last week's attack has left many tourists scared and some have left the region. Widespread cancellations are also being reported by tour operators, with some estimates putting the number at more than 1 million.

Ongoing hostilities between India and Pakistan continue to raise fears of further conflict, following a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last week. On Tuesday, Indian authorities closed dozens of tourist sites in the disputed Himalayan region, while Pakistan announced plans for legal action over India’s decision to suspend a key water-sharing agreement. Meanwhile, both sides exchanged fire across the Line of Control (LoC) — the 740km unofficial frontier — for a fifth consecutive night. Pakistan also claimed it had shot down an Indian drone, fueling concerns of military escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. Officials in Indian-administered Kashmir confirmed that 48 of 87 state-approved tourist locations had been closed, though no timeline was given for reopening. The move prompted many visitors to leave the region in haste. Escalating Diplomatic Row India blames Pakistan for backing “cross-border terrorism” after an attack last week that killed 26 mostly Hindu tourists. Islamabad has denied any involvement and called for an independent investigation. The incident has triggered a series of retaliatory diplomatic steps, including the suspension of visas, expulsion of diplomats, and closures of borders and airspace. India has also barred Pakistani citizens from entering the country and suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, which supports a significant portion of Pakistan’s agricultural irrigation. In response, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Law and Justice, Aqeel Malik, said his country is preparing to challenge India’s actions at international legal forums, including the World Bank and the Permanent Court of Arbitration. He also said Pakistan may approach the International Court of Justice, citing violations of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. Risk of Conflict Grows Firing continued along the LoC, with the Indian army accusing Pakistani forces of initiating “unprovoked” gunfire. No casualties were reported by India. While Pakistan has not officially confirmed the skirmish, state media claimed its military had downed an Indian unmanned aerial vehicle that allegedly violated its airspace. India has not responded to the allegation. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Reuters that the country was bracing for a possible military incursion by India. Sources: Al Jazeera, News Agencies  

The humanitarian needs of hundreds of thousands of survivors remain desperately pressing a month after Myanmar’s deadly earthquake, compounded by airstrikes that the military government is reportedly carrying out despite ceasefires meant to aid relief efforts during the country’s civil war. The 7.7 magnitude March 28 quake hit a wide swath of the country, causing significant damage to six regions and states, including the capital, Naypyitaw. Myanmar’s Department of Meteorology and Hydrology reported Monday there had been 157 aftershocks after the big quake, ranging in magnitude from 2.8 to 7.5. Quake death toll rises State-run MRTV television reported on Sunday the quake’s death toll had reached 3,769, with 5,106 people injured and 107 still missing. The earthquake left many areas without power, telephone or cell connections and damaged roads and bridges, in addition to tens of thousands of buildings. In some quake-hit areas, bereaved relatives and friends of the disaster’s victims on Monday offered donations to monks, a Buddhist tradition to transfer merit and blessings to the deceased. Military airstrikes continue A report released Monday by the Myanmar Witness project of the London-based Centre for Information Resilience said the group had documented 80 post-quake airstrikes by the military across multiple regions, including 65 after the army declared its unilateral ceasefire on April 2, following similar declarations by its battlefield foes. 112 aftershocks hit Myanmar following devastating earthquake Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army’s 2021 takeover ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, which led to nationwide peaceful protests that escalated into armed resistance, uniting pro-democracy activists and ethnic minority guerrilla groups that have long been fighting for autonomy “Myanmar’s population was already on its knees after years of SAC aggression and armed conflict,” said Myanmar Witness project director Robert Dolan, referring to the military’s ruling State Administration Council. “The layers of suffering are hard to comprehend — we’ve seen regions wrecked by war and then the earthquake, only to sustain further damage from continued airstrikes.” The bombings have primarily targeted civilian areas — markets, residential zones, Buddhist monasteries, and Christian churches — resulting in the deaths of over 200 civilians, including at least 24 children, from March 28 to April 19, 2025, according to a statement from the shadow National Unity Government, the main opposition group coordinating resistance to military rule. Dave Eubank, a former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier who founded the Free Burma Rangers, a private aid organization, said two of his medics had been killed in military attacks since the earthquake, which have primarily struck villages. “These attacks have now slowed down at all, attacks by drones, airstrikes, mortars and artillery continue unabated,” said Eubank, who was in Myanmar when the earthquake hit but is currently outside the country, though his teams continue to operate there. “They have been widespread and lethal, mostly to villagers — very few of the resistance have been killed by them.” The military government hasn’t directly commented on the airstrikes, but when it extended its ceasefire on April 22, it reserved the right to respond as “necessary” to certain activities by the resistance forces. Agencies warn of dire living conditions U.N. agencies and other humanitarian organizations, meanwhile, stress that living conditions remain dire for earthquake survivors. Even before the earthquake, the civil war had displaced more than 3 million people and left nearly 20 million in need. “Critical needs remain for safe shelter, clean water and sanitation, physical and mental health care, comprehensive protection services and cash assistance,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Friday in its latest situation report. Many who lost their homes are still in makeshift tents with little to protect them from pre-monsoon storms ahead of the months-long rainy season, which normally begins in May, and limited access to safe drinking water and clean sanitation raises the threat of waterborne diseases, the U.N. said. Myanmar youths raise funds with Lion Dance for earthquake victims The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said in a report released Monday that displaced people were living outdoors in temperatures of up to forty degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), with an overwhelming fear of further aftershocks. Reconstruction starts In Naypyitaw, the damaged buildings of the labor and foreign ministries have been demolished for new construction, said a resident who asked not to be named for security reasons. Debris at markets and schools has been cleaned by municipal workers, while thousands of people, who lost their homes, were still living under tarpaulin sheets, he said. He said that he was told that the departments and offices of several ministries will be temporarily relocated to Yangon, the country’s former capital and largest city, until their offices can be rebuilt.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Monday alleged a U.S. airstrike hit a prison holding African migrants, killing at least 68 people and wounding 47 others. The U.S. military had no immediate comment. The strike in Yemen's Saada governorate, a stronghold for the Houthis, is the latest incident in the country's decadelong war to kill African migrants from Ethiopia and other nations who risk crossing the nation for a chance to work in neighboring Saudi Arabia. It also likely will renew questions from activists about the American campaign, known as “Operation Rough Rider,” which has been targeting the rebels as the Trump administration negotiates with their main benefactor, Iran, over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. The U.S. military's Central Command, in a statement early Monday before news of the alleged strike broke, sought to defend its policy of offering no specific details of its extensive airstrike campaign. The strikes have drawn controversy in America over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's use of the unclassified Signal messaging app to post sensitive details about the attacks. “To preserve operational security, we have intentionally limited disclosing details of our ongoing or future operations,” Central Command said. “We are very deliberate in our operational approach, but will not reveal specifics about what we’ve done or what we will do.” It did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press about the alleged strike in Saada. Graphic footage shows aftermath of explosion Graphic footage aired by the Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news channel showed what appeared to be dead bodies and others wounded at the site. The Houthi-run Interior Ministry said some 115 migrants had been detained at the site. The rebels' Civil Defense organization said at least 68 people had been killed and 47 others wounded in the attack. Footage from the site analyzed by the AP suggested some kind of explosion took place there, with its cement walls seemingly peppered by debris fragments and the wounds suffered by those there. A woman's voice, soft in the footage, can be heard repeating the start of a prayer in Arabic: “In the name of God.” An occasional gunshot rang out as medics sought to help those wounded. African migrants caught in middle of Yemen's war Ethiopians and other African migrants for years have landed in Yemen, braving the war-torn nation to try and reach Saudi Arabia for work. The Houthi rebels allegedly make tens of thousands of dollars a week smuggling migrants over the border. Yemen's Houthi rebels fire a missile toward northern Israel, a rare target for the group Migrants from Ethiopia have found themselves detained, abused and even killed in Saudi Arabia and Yemen during the war. An Oct. 3, 2022, letter to the kingdom from the U.N. said its investigators “received concerning allegations of cross-border artillery shelling and small arms fire allegedly by Saudi security forces, causing the deaths of up to 430 and injuring 650 migrants.” Saudi Arabia has denied killing migrants. Monday's alleged strike recalled a similar strike by a Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthis back in 2022 on the same compound, which caused a collapse killing 66 detainees and wounding 113 others, a United Nations report later said. The Houthis shot dead 16 detainees who fled after the strike and wounded another 50, the U.N. said. The Saudi-led coalition sought to justify the strike by saying the Houthis built and launched drones there, but the U.N. said it was known to be a detention facility. “The coalition should have avoided any attack on that facility,” the U.N. report added. That 2022 attack was one of the deadliest single attacks in the yearslong war between the coalition and the Houthi rebels and came after the Houthis struck inside the UAE twice with missiles and drones, killing three in a strike near Abu Dhabi's international airport. US military says over 800 strikes conducted in campaign so far Meanwhile, U.S. airstrikes overnight targeting Yemen's capital killed at least eight people, the Houthis said. The American military acknowledged carrying out over 800 individual strikes in their monthlong campaign. The overnight statement from Central Command also said “Operation Rough Rider” had “killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders,” including those associated with its missile and drone program. It did not identify any of those officials.   “Iran undoubtedly continues to provide support to the Houthis,” the statement said. “The Houthis can only continue to attack our forces with the backing of the Iranian regime.” "We will continue to ratchet up the pressure until the objective is met, which remains the restoration of freedom of navigation and American deterrence in the region," it added. The U.S. is targeting the Houthis because of the group’s attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route, and on Israel. The Houthis are also the last militant group in Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” that is capable of regularly attacking Israel. US discusses deadly port strike The U.S. is conducting strikes on Yemen from its two aircraft carriers in the region — the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea and the USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea. US airstrikes killed 12 people in Yemen’s capital, the Houthi rebels say On April 18, an American strike on the Ras Isa fuel port killed at least 74 people and wounded 171 others in the deadliest-known attack of the American campaign. Central Command on Monday offered an explanation for why it hit the port. “U.S. strikes destroyed the ability of Ras Isa Port to accept fuel, which will begin to impact Houthi ability to not only conduct operations, but also to generate millions of dollars in revenue for their terror activities,” it said. Meanwhile, the Houthis have increasingly sought to control the flow of information from the territory they hold to the outside world. It issued a notice Sunday that all those holding Starlink satellite internet receivers should “quickly hand over” the devices to authorities. “A field campaign will be implemented in coordination with the security authorities to arrest anyone who sells, trades, uses, operates, installs or possesses these prohibited terminals,” the Houthis warned. Starlink terminals have been crucial for Ukraine in fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion and receivers also have been smuggled into Iran amid unrest there.

At least seven people were killed and 16 wounded on Monday after a powerful bomb went off outside the office of a pro-government peace committee in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in the restive northwest, police said. The attack happened in Wana, a main city in the district of South Waziristan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a local police chief, Usman Wazir, told The Associated Press. He said the bomb targeted the office of the peace committee, which publicly opposes the Pakistani Taliban. The committee also helps solve disputes among residents. Wazir said some of the wounded were listed in critical condition at a local hospital. The bombing happened a day after the military said troops in a major operation killed 54 militants in the nearby North Waziristan district following their attempt to cross into the country from Afghanistan. 13 killed as passenger truck falls into a ravine in southern Pakistan On Monday, the military said troops killed 17 more militants in an overnight operation in North Waziristan, bringing the total number of insurgents killed in the region in the past three days to 71. In a statement, the military said troops also seized a cache of weapons in the operation against militants who were “operating on behest of their foreign masters.” Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in separate statements denounced the bombing. They also praised the country's security forces for killing militants in coordinated operations in North Waziristan. No one immediately claimed responsibility for Monday's attack, but blame is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, and often target security forces and civilians. TTP is a separate group but also a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO troops were in the final stages of their pullout from the country after 20 years of war. 10 civilians killed during anti-militant operation in Pakistan Many TTP leaders and fighters have found sanctuaries and have even been living openly in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover, which also emboldened the Pakistani Taliban.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Monday alleged a U.S. airstrike hit a prison holding African migrants, killing at least 68 people and wounding 47 others. The U.S. military had no immediate comment. The strike in Yemen's Saada governorate, a stronghold for the Houthis, is the latest incident in the country's decadelong war to kill African migrants from Ethiopia and other nations who risk crossing the nation for a chance to work in neighboring Saudi Arabia. It also likely will renew questions from activists about the American campaign, known as “Operation Rough Rider,” which has been targeting the rebels as the Trump administration negotiates with their main benefactor, Iran, over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. More than 100 immigrants detained at an illegal after-hours nightclub in Colorado The U.S. military's Central Command, in a statement early Monday before news of the alleged strike broke, sought to defend its policy of offering no specific details of its extensive airstrike campaign. The strikes have drawn controversy in America over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's use of the unclassified Signal messaging app to post sensitive details about the attacks. “To preserve operational security, we have intentionally limited disclosing details of our ongoing or future operations,” Central Command said. “We are very deliberate in our operational approach, but will not reveal specifics about what we’ve done or what we will do.” It did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press about the alleged strike in Saada. Graphic footage shows aftermath of explosion Graphic footage aired by the Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news channel showed what appeared to be dead bodies and others wounded at the site. The Houthi-run Interior Ministry said some 115 migrants had been detained at the site. The rebels' Civil Defense organization said at least 68 people had been killed and 47 others wounded in the attack. Footage from the site analyzed by the AP suggested some kind of explosion took place there, with its cement walls seemingly peppered by debris fragments and the wounds suffered by those there. A woman's voice, soft in the footage, can be heard repeating the start of a prayer in Arabic: “In the name of God.” An occasional gunshot rang out as medics sought to help those wounded. African migrants caught in middle of Yemen's war Ethiopians and other African migrants for years have landed in Yemen, braving the war-torn nation to try and reach Saudi Arabia for work. The Houthi rebels allegedly make tens of thousands of dollars a week smuggling migrants over the border. Migrants from Ethiopia have found themselves detained, abused and even killed in Saudi Arabia and Yemen during the war. An Oct. 3, 2022, letter to the kingdom from the U.N. said its investigators “received concerning allegations of cross-border artillery shelling and small arms fire allegedly by Saudi security forces, causing the deaths of up to 430 and injuring 650 migrants.” Saudi Arabia has denied killing migrants. Monday's alleged strike recalled a similar strike by a Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthis back in 2022 on the same compound, which caused a collapse killing 66 detainees and wounding 113 others, a United Nations report later said. The Houthis shot dead 16 detainees who fled after the strike and wounded another 50, the U.N. said. The Saudi-led coalition sought to justify the strike by saying the Houthis built and launched drones there, but the U.N. said it was known to be a detention facility. “The coalition should have avoided any attack on that facility,” the U.N. report added. That 2022 attack was one of the deadliest single attacks in the yearslong war between the coalition and the Houthi rebels and came after the Houthis struck inside the UAE twice with missiles and drones, killing three in a strike near Abu Dhabi's international airport. US military says over 800 strikes conducted in campaign so far Meanwhile, U.S. airstrikes overnight targeting Yemen's capital killed at least eight people, the Houthis said. The American military acknowledged carrying out over 800 individual strikes in their monthlong campaign. The overnight statement from Central Command also said “Operation Rough Rider” had “killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders,” including those associated with its missile and drone program. It did not identify any of those officials. “Iran undoubtedly continues to provide support to the Houthis,” the statement said. “The Houthis can only continue to attack our forces with the backing of the Iranian regime.” "We will continue to ratchet up the pressure until the objective is met, which remains the restoration of freedom of navigation and American deterrence in the region," it added. The U.S. is targeting the Houthis because of the group’s attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route, and on Israel. The Houthis are also the last militant group in Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” that is capable of regularly attacking Israel. US discusses deadly port strike The U.S. is conducting strikes on Yemen from its two aircraft carriers in the region — the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea and the USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea. On April 18, an American strike on the Ras Isa fuel port killed at least 74 people and wounded 171 others in the deadliest-known attack of the American campaign. Central Command on Monday offered an explanation for why it hit the port. “U.S. strikes destroyed the ability of Ras Isa Port to accept fuel, which will begin to impact Houthi ability to not only conduct operations, but also to generate millions of dollars in revenue for their terror activities,” it said. North Korea confirms it sent troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine Meanwhile, the Houthis have increasingly sought to control the flow of information from the territory they hold to the outside world. It issued a notice Sunday that all those holding Starlink satellite internet receivers should “quickly hand over” the devices to authorities. “A field campaign will be implemented in coordination with the security authorities to arrest anyone who sells, trades, uses, operates, installs or possesses these prohibited terminals,” the Houthis warned. Starlink terminals have been crucial for Ukraine in fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion and receivers also have been smuggled into Iran amid unrest there.    

China announced a lower threshold for tax refunds for foreign tourists among a series of policies on Sunday to boost consumption as its economy comes under pressure during a trade war between Beijing and Washington. Travellers can apply for a tax refund if they spend 200 yuan (about $27) at the same store on the same day and meet other requirements starting Sunday, according to a joint statement by the Ministry of Commerce and other authorities. Previously, the minimum amount was 500 yuan (about $69), reports AP. The upper limit for their tax rebate in cash also has been doubled to 20,000 yuan ($2,745). Big Tech carries Wall Street to the close of its winning, roller-coaster week The government will expand the coverage of tax refund shops and streamline the procedures. Officials encourage some regions to set up refund points for travellers to get rebates immediately after their purchases in areas highly concentrated with tourists, the statement said. China's Vice Minister of Commerce Sheng Qiuping told reporters in a news conference that inbound tourist consumption accounted for about 0.5% of China's gross domestic product in 2024, while figures in other major countries ranged between 1% and 3%. That indicated a great potential for growth, Sheng said. Last year, inbound tourists' spending hit $94.2 billion, up 77.8%, he added. China’s economy expanded at a 5.4% annual pace in January-March, the government said earlier this month, supported by strong exports ahead of US President Donald Trump’s rapid increases in tariffs on Chinese products.

Tensions between India and Pakistan continue to rise following the Pahalgam attack, with fresh exchanges of gunfire reported along the Line of Control (LoC) for the third consecutive day. Heavy firing broke out late on Saturday night between the two sides across the Tutmari Gali and Rampur sectors in Indian-administered Kashmir. In a statement, the Indian Army said, “During the night of 26–27 April, Pakistani army posts initiated unprovoked small arms fire towards areas opposite the Tutmari Gali and Rampur sectors. Our troops responded appropriately using light weapons.” Indian military alleges Pakistani troops fired across Kashmir border for 2nd night The report noted that this marks the third consecutive night of cross-border firing between Indian and Pakistani forces. Similar incidents were reported on Thursday and Friday nights as well. The Indian military claimed that the Pakistani side opened fire without provocation. Although both sides engaged in an exchange of fire, no casualties have been reported so far. The renewed skirmishes follow a deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, last Tuesday (22 April), which left 26 people dead. India has accused Pakistan of indirect involvement in the attack and, in response, suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty with its neighbour on Wednesday. Pakistan ready for ‘neutral investigation’ into Pahalgam attack, says PM Shehbaz Sharif This move has significantly heightened tensions over water-sharing issues between the two countries. India has accused Pakistan of supporting terrorist activities across the border — an allegation Pakistan has firmly denied. Islamabad, meanwhile, has warned that any attempt by India to block river waters would be considered a 'declaration of war'. Source: With inputs from agencies 

The number of injured from an explosion Saturday at a port in southern Iran jumped to 281, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. IRNA quoted Mojtaba Khaledi, the spokesman of Iran’s National Emergency Organization, as giving the figure. The blast happened at the Rajaei port just outside of Bandar Abbas, a major facility for container shipments for the Islamic Republic that handles some 80 million tons (72.5 million metric tons) of goods a year. Social media videos showed black billowing smoke after the blast. Others showed glass blown out of buildings kilometers (miles) away from the epicenter of the explosion. Authorities have offered no cause for the explosion yet. Industrial accidents happen in Iran, particularly at its aging oil facilities that struggle for access to parts under international sanctions. But Iranian state TV specifically ruled out any energy infrastructure as causing or being damaged in the blast. Indian Air Force jet accidentally drops non-explosive store in Madhya Pradesh Mehrdad Hasanzadeh, a provincial disaster management official, told Iranian state TV that first responders were trying to reach the area while others were attempting to evacuate the site. Hasanzadeh said the blast came from containers at Rajaei port in the city, without elaborating. State TV also reported there had been a building collapse caused by the explosion, though there were no immediate other details offered. Rajaei port is some 1,050 kilometers (652 miles) southeast of Iran's capital, Tehran, on the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil traded passes. The blast happened as Iran and the United States met Saturday in Oman for the third round of negotiations over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program.