India test-fires missiles as tensions rise with Pakistan after Kashmir attack
India’s navy test-fired missiles on Sunday, showcasing its ability to carry out “long-range, precision offensive” strikes, as tensions with Pakistan rise after last week’s terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 civilians. India and Pakistan have fought three wars, two over Kashmir, which each holds in part but claims in full. Fuelling speculation about possible Indian military action, India’s information ministry issued a media advisory warning against live broadcasting of military operations. In Kashmir, Indian forces have launched an extensive crackdown. India’s release of water from the Uri Dam caused the Jhelum River to surge, flooding parts of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Source:The Guardian
April 28, 2025 04:29 UTC
Huge explosion in Iranian port kills at least 18 and injures more than 700
A spokesperson for Iran’s crisis management body pointed to poor storage conditions of chemicals as the trigger for the port explosion. State media had previously quoted Iranian security officials as saying “any speculation about the cause of the explosion is worthless”. View image in fullscreen People walk to safety after an explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas, Iran. Photograph: Mohammad Rasoul Moradi/ReutersIn the aftermath of the explosion, port activities were suspended and Iranian customs officials halted export and transit shipments to the port. Iranian officials, in turn, are keen to lift a severe US sanctions regime on the beleaguered economy.
Source:The Guardian
April 27, 2025 12:35 UTC
India and Pakistan trade gunfire across Kashmir border after deadly attack
India and Pakistan have fought three wars, two over Muslim-majority Kashmir, which is divided between them but claimed fully by both. The clashes followed the attack last Tuesday, when gunmen opened fire in a meadow near Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir. Violence had been steadily abating in Kashmir, and the attack struck a heavy blow to the region’s recovering tourism industry. In tit-for-tat moves, India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, a critical water-sharing pact, expelled Pakistani diplomats and cancelled Pakistani visas. “India lacks the hydro infrastructure needed to actually impede the flow of water to Pakistan in the short term,” Brahma Chellaney, an analyst, said.
Source:The Guardian
April 27, 2025 11:27 UTC
Royals and refugees to come together in Rome for funeral of Pope Francis
Tens of thousands of mourners filed into St Peter’s Basilica to pay their respects to the late pontiff during the three days in which he lay in state. The funeral mass begins at 10am local time and will be led by the Italian cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the college of cardinals. Soldiers in St Peter’s Square have been equipped with guns that shoot down drones, while rooftop snipers and fighter jets are on standby. “We are feeling really sorry about this death because he was the only pope who really stood with refugees and vulnerable people,” said Daoud. Francis is the first pontiff in more than a century not to be buried with great fanfare in the grottoes beneath St Peter’s Basilica.
Source:The Guardian
April 26, 2025 20:31 UTC
Trump says he fears Putin ‘may be tapping me along’ after Zelenskyy meeting
Trump later published a social media post criticising Putin. On Friday, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin, in Moscow for three hours to discuss Washington’s peace proposal. This is seemingly a non-starter for Ukraine and European countries, with Zelenskyy insisting the territory is the “property of the Ukrainian people”. The attack caused Trump to lash out at Putin on social media. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!” Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday.
Source:The Guardian
April 26, 2025 20:25 UTC
Pilgrims and the powerful come together for Pope Francis’s funeral – video
Pope Francis has been eulogised as 'a pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone' during a funeral mass that brought together an array of mourners, from pilgrims and refugees to powerful world leaders and royalty. The 90-minute mass was celebrated by 220 cardinals, 750 bishops and more than 4,000 priests. At least 400,000 people turned out for the Pope’s funeral at the Vatican and lined Rome’s streets, Italy’s interior minister said. Francis is the first pontiff in more than a century not to be buried with great fanfare in the grottoes beneath St Peter’s Basilica
Source:The Guardian
April 26, 2025 20:09 UTC
Pakistan and India exchange fire as UN calls for ‘maximum restraint’
Troops from Pakistan and India exchanged fire overnight across the line of control in disputed Kashmir, officials have said, after the UN urged the nuclear-armed rivals to show “maximum restraint” after Tuesday’s massacre of Indian tourists by Islamic militants. Three Indian army officials told Reuters that Pakistani soldiers used small-arms to fire at an Indian position. The Indian army has launched sweeping “search-and-destroy” operations, deployed surveillance drones, and ramped up troop numbers across the Kashmir valley. As tensions rise between the two countries, the UN has urged India and Pakistan to show restraint. Indian officials say it is a proxy for the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba or a similar outfit.
Source:The Guardian
April 26, 2025 05:17 UTC
Israelis protest against Gaza war with rare outcry over Palestinian casualties
But for some across Israel, as the war in Gaza continues to ravage the Palestinian people and wipe out entire families, never again had come to hold another meaning. View image in fullscreen Israeli demonstrators hold empty pots to represent the starvation in Gaza in Tel Aviv on the day Israel marks Holocaust Remembrance Day. Yet starkly absent has been mention of the suffering and devastation being brought upon the civilians of Gaza by Israel’s relentless onslaught. To some, the Hamas attack proved that as long as Palestinians remain in Gaza, Israel will never be safe. Yet after applying for permission, police told the group they were banned from holding up posters of children killed in Gaza and certain phrases such as “ethnic cleansing” were also forbidden.
Source:The Guardian
April 26, 2025 05:00 UTC
Russian general killed in Moscow blast before Trump envoy meets Putin – video
A senior Russian military official was killed in a car explosion near Moscow, as Vladimir Putin began a high-stakes meeting over the Russia-Ukraine war with Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, at the Kremlin. The blast could cast a shadow over Friday’s talks between Moscow and Washington, and the latest apparent Ukrainian assassination deep inside Russian territory is unlikely to sit well with the Trump administration, which has been desperate to show tangible progress on peace before Trump’s 100th day in office
Source:The Guardian
April 26, 2025 04:59 UTC
Who are the Swiss Guards watching over Pope Francis’s lying in state?
With their feathered helmets, ruffled collars and coloured, puffed-sleeve uniforms, the Vatican Swiss Guards are often likened by curious visitors to medieval court jesters. A Swiss Guards spokesperson declined to be interviewed “because we are all very busy concentrating on this mission”. View image in fullscreen The Swiss Guards hold their halberds as they maintain a constant vigil by the pope’s coffin. after newsletter promotionView image in fullscreen The Swiss Guards may wear 16th-century uniforms but they also carry 21st-century stun guns. The halberd is the guards’ traditional weapon, but the troops are trained to use small modern-day arms, including the recently introduced stun guns.
Source:The Guardian
April 25, 2025 11:29 UTC
New details on killing of paramedics in Gaza appear to contradict IDF’s account
In his affidavit, Bar accused Netanyahu of moving to sack him after his refusal to fulfil requests including spying on anti-government protesters and helping the premier postpone his testimony in his criminal trial. Netanyahu has said he lost trust in Bar’s capacity to lead the Shin Bet. The relationship between the two men, already strained, deteriorated further after the release of a Shin Bet investigation pointing to policy issues in the run-up to the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack. Strike action in September 2024 took place in favour of a hostage deal and ceasefire in the war in Gaza after Hamas murdered six captives. In Gaza on Wednesday, Israeli airstrikes across the strip killed at least 28 people, according to the territory’s health ministry, whose data the UN assesses to be accurate.
Source:The Guardian
April 25, 2025 09:39 UTC
India and Pakistan closer to conflict over Kashmir attack as tit-for-tat moves mount
In a series of escalating tit-for-tat moves since a massacre of Indian tourists in the disputed region of Kashmir earlier this week by Islamic militants, India ordered its citizens to return from Pakistan, while Pakistan expelled a number of Indian diplomats. The fast-rising tensions between the two countries follow the killing of 25 Indian tourists and a Nepalese national on Tuesday, the worst assault targeting civilians in the restive region for years. It prompted India to renew its blaming of Pakistan for sustaining “cross-border terrorism”, a claim Pakistan denies. The toughest language, however, was aimed at India’s decision to suspend the decades-old Indus waters treaty – the world’s most durable water-sharing agreement – which is vital for Pakistani agriculture. The Indus waters treaty, mediated by the World Bank, splits the Indus River and its tributaries between the neighbours and regulates the sharing of water.
Source:The Guardian
April 24, 2025 20:28 UTC
WEF launches investigation into founder Klaus Schwab
Schwab, 87, is said to have argued against the board’s plan for an investigation, before he resigned. The founder had indicaated he intended to step down in early April, but the whistleblower letter brought forward his exit. The letter also accused Schwab of manipulating the WEF global competitiveness report in order to curry favour with certain governments. The WEF board of trustees has appointed the former Nestlé chief executive Peter Brabeck-Letmathe as interim chair, but is searching for a permanent replacement. Schwab’s resignation marks the end of a 54-year career at the top of the WEF, and follows a previous board investigation into its workplace culture.
Source:The Guardian
April 24, 2025 20:04 UTC
Zelenskyy calls for more pressure on Russia after massive Kyiv attack – video
The Ukrainian president said in a news briefing with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, that he believed his allies should put more pressure on Russia to further ceasefire negotiations. He said Ukraine was willing to accept the parts of the deal which did not violate its constitution but added: 'Our sovereignty and territorial integrity is our survival'
Source:The Guardian
April 24, 2025 17:43 UTC
Tensions escalate between India and Pakistan after Kashmir attack – video
India announced a barrage of diplomatic measures downgrading ties with Pakistan and accused its neighbour of supporting cross-border terrorism after 26 people were killed in a militant attack in Kashmir on Tuesday. The measures included closing a key land border with Pakistan, cancelling a water-sharing treaty and barring Pakistan’s citizens from entering under a visa exemption scheme. Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian airlines and rejected Delhi’s suspension of a water-sharing treaty in retaliation
Source:The Guardian
April 24, 2025 17:16 UTC