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A man died after a shark attack in northern Queensland state on Sunday, the third fatal shark attack this year in Australia.The 39-year-old man died from a critical head injury after he was attacked while spearfishing at Kennedy Shoal, an offshore reef, Queensland police said.”He was retrieved from the water by another person who was in the water with him at the time of the attack,” Queensland Police Inspector Elaine Burns said in a news briefing.”That’s quite a terrifying thing to see happen in front of you,” she added. Police were providing support to three men who called the coast guard for help from a private boat just before noon (0200 GMT), and then travelled over an hour with their injured friend to shore.The critically injured man arrived at a boat ramp at Hull River Heads at 1:00 pm, where emergency services were waiting. The man died at the boat ramp, Queensland Ambulance said.”This is a tragic incident for everyone involved,” Burns said, urging people to “continue to enjoy our beautiful coastline and be aware of your surroundings”. Source link
A blast targeting a train carrying military personnel killed at least 24 people on Sunday in Pakistan’s turbulent southwestern province of Balochistan, a senior official said.Army servicemen were among the victims of the attack in the provincial capital Quetta, which wounded more than 50 people, the official told AFP.Images showed a mangled train carriage on its side as people clambered over the wreckage to find survivors.People could be seen carrying blood-soaked victims on stretchers away from a derailed car, while armed security forces stood guard. The official told AFP that the train carrying army personnel and their family members was going from Quetta to Peshawar in Pakistan’s northwest.The train was passing a signal at Chaman Pattak in Quetta “when an explosive-laden car hit one of the carriages that resulted in a big blast”, the official said. Windows were blown out and nearby vehicles were destroyed in the explosion. Another official told AFP that the army personnel were travelling to celebrate the Eid holiday, which is due to start on Tuesday.- ‘Running for shelter’ -Balochistan is Pakistan’s poorest province and largest by landmass. It lags behind the rest of the country in almost every index, including education, employment and economic development.Baloch separatists accuse Pakistan’s government of exploiting the province’s natural gas and abundant mineral resources without benefiting the local population.Mohammad Rahim, who was near the site of the attack, told AFP he was sleeping when the explosion ripped through the area.”My family and I jumped out of our beds when we heard a loud bang,” he said. “I heard screaming and the crying of women and children in the building, including my family.”Another witness, Abdul Basit, told AFP he was standing in a queue to buy breakfast when he heard the blast. “People started running for shelter,” he said.Mujib Ahmad said that his car was damaged in the explosion. “When I heard the blast, I thought that it must be an attack,” he said.”I came out of the building and saw the devastation and my car was completely damaged.”A police official told AFP the weight of the improvised explosive device used in the attack was around 35 kilograms (77 pounds).They said that police and security agencies were investigating the attack. Related Story Source link
(FILES) US President Donald Trump speaks during a Mother’s Day luncheon in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 8, 2026.…
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani held a phone call with US President Donald Trump. They discussed the latest developments in the region, particularly regional and international efforts aimed at consolidating calm and de-escalating tensions, foremost among them supporting the diplomatic efforts led by Pakistan to spare the region further tension and preserve international peace and security.The call also addressed the importance of continuing dialogue to address current issues, safeguarding maritime security and the safety of strategic waterways, and ensuring the smooth flow of global supply and energy chains.HH the Amir affirmed Qatar’s firm position calling for prioritising peaceful solutions and supporting all initiatives aimed at containing the crisis through dialogue and diplomacy, in a way that enhances stability and serves the interests of the peoples of the region and the world. Related Story Source link
Ukrainian drones struck a college dormitory in the Russian-occupied region of Lugansk early yesterday, killing six people and wounding dozens of others, Russian officials said but Kyiv denied targeting civilians.As many as 15 others remained missing as of Friday afternoon, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in televised comments, describing the incident as a “terrorist” attack.Putin ordered his defence ministry to prepare a response, without elaborating.The Lugansk region is in east Ukraine, but is almost entirely occupied by Russia, which claims it as its own.Images released by the region’s Russian-installed governor showed what appeared to be a college in the town of Starobilsk with its windows blown out, flames visible in one of them.”Enemy drones attacked the academic building and dormitory of Starobelsk Professional College,” Moscow-installed governor Leonid Pasechnik said in a post on Russia’s MAX messenger, using the Russian name for the town.”At the time of the strike, 86 children aged 14 to 18 were there,” he added.Ukraine’s General Staff said on Friday it had hit a Russian military unit’s headquarters around Starobilsk, denying it had targeted civilians and called Moscow’s allegations “manipulative information”.It said its forces had struck “one of the headquarters of the ‘Rubikon’ unit in the area of the city of Starobilsk”, adding that the unit was involved in carrying out strikes on Ukrainian civilians.”The Armed Forces of Ukraine carry out strikes on military infrastructure and facilities used for military purposes, strictly adhering to the norms of international humanitarian law, and the laws and customs of war,” it added in a statement.Starobilsk lies about 65 kilometres (40 miles) from the front line in east Ukraine.Russian forces captured the town in 2022, shortly after launching their full-scale offensive.AFP was not able to immediately verify information about the college that was hit.— ‘No leniency’ —Putin said the attack took place as the students were sleeping.”At the moment, it is known that six people were killed, 39 were wounded and 15 people are unaccounted for, as the search through the rubble is still ongoing,” he said in televised comments.”There are no military facilities, special services, or related services near the dormitory,” he added.Russia’s foreign ministry said that those responsible would face “face inevitable and severe punishment”.”There will be no leniency,” it said.Russia’s Investigative Committee accused the Ukrainian military of having fired multiple drones at the building.”As a result of the attack, the five-storey building collapsed to the second floor,” it said.Ukraine, which denies targeting civilians, regularly fires drones at Russian-controlled areas in retaliation for mass Russian strikes on its own people.The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has recorded more than 60,000 civilian casualties since 2022, almost 90 % of which were in areas controlled by Ukraine.A massive Russian attack on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv last week killed 24 people, including three children, according to Ukrainian authorities.Russia fired more than 100 drones at Ukraine between late Thursday and early yesterday, according to the Ukrainian air force. Related Story Source link
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum receives European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for a meeting to sign deals on trade, security and cooperation, at the National…
US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard announced her resignation yesterday, ending the tenure of a long-term contrarian who appeared to be at odds with President Donald Trump over the Iran war. Gabbard said in a letter to Trump posted on X that she was quitting as Director of National Intelligence to look after her husband following his diagnosis with an “extremely rare form of bone cancer. Related Story Source link
Foreigners seeking to adjust their immigration status in the US to secure green cards will have to do so from outside the country via the State Department, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services said on yesterday, in a move criticised by aid groups.USCIS announced the move in a policy memo, which directed officers to consider relevant factors and information on a case-by-case basis when determining whether extraordinary relief is warranted.”An alien who is in the US temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply,” said the US Department of Homeland Security, which has oversight of USCIS.”This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended instead of incentivising loopholes.”The USCIS said the new policy will free up agency resources to focus on processing other cases.HIAS, an aid group that provides services to refugees, among other groups of immigrants, said USCIS was forcing survivors of trafficking and abused and neglected children to return to the dangerous countries they fled in order to process their applications for green cards granting them permanent residency in the US Friday’s policy change is the latest in a series of steps taken by US President Donald Trump over the last year to tighten migration to the US. Last year, the Trump administration moved to shorten the duration of visas for students, cultural exchange visitors and members of the media.In January, the State Department announced that it had revoked more than 100,000 visas since Trump took office the year before. Related Story Source link
Thousands of protesters waving Cuban flags rallied in front of the American embassy in Havana on Friday, in a show of support for ex-president Raul Castro following his US indictment.’Long live Raul!’ chanted the group, which included the Caribbean island's current president and other top officials, clad in military fatigues.The 94-year-old brother of Fidel Castro was slapped with murder and other charges on Wednesday over the 1996 downing of two civilian planes — the latest tightening of US President Donald Trump's pressure campaign against Cuba's communist leaders.Raul Castro, who is increasingly frail, did not attend the rally held at a park across the street from the US embassy that has been dubbed the ‘Anti-Imperialist Platform.’ However, his children were present, including his lawmaker daughter Mariela Castro and son Alejandro Castro, a key figure in secret talks that led to a historic rapprochement with the US under Raul Castro and former president Barack Obama in 2015.Many of the participants waved pictures of the bespectacled Castro, who led the country for 15 years after succeeding Fidel in 2006.His indictment has augmented fears that the US may try to overthrow Cuba's government after a months-long pressure campaign, including a crippling oil embargo.In January, Washington used drug charges as a pretext to snatch Venezuela's socialist leader Nicolas Maduro from a compound in Caracas and whisk him to the US to face trial.Speaking to reporters, Mariela Castro dismissed the likelihood of her father suffering a similar fate.’I am not afraid because I know they (the US) won't do it,’ she said, in the Castro family's first reaction to the indictment. She said that when the charges are mentioned, her father ‘smiles like an old guerrilla fighter who knows he's safe, with one foot in the stirrup, and that no one is going to kidnap him.’Many attending the rally work for the state.Gilberto Gonzalez, a 59-year-old employee of a state-owned flour mill said he was driven by ‘patriotism’ to show solidarity with Castro.’We are reaffirming the conviction we have to continue fighting and support our General Raul Castro, who has been unjustly accused in the US.’Gerardo Hernandez, a former Cuban spy in the US who was released in 2015, conveyed a message to the crowd from Castro.The former president ‘says he thanks our people from the bottom of his heart for their solidarity’ and ‘that as long as he lives, he will continue to lead our people and defend our revolution,’ Hernandez said. Source link
US President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing in ceremony for new Chairman of the Federal Reserve Kevin Warsh in the East Room of the White…