logo
Syria explosion: 7 killed 157 hurt at Idlib arms site; cause unknown

Syria explosion: 7 killed 157 hurt at Idlib arms site; cause unknown

Time of India24-07-2025
Syrian Civil Defense workers run at the explosion scene in Maarat Misrin village (AP photo)
At least seven people were killed and more than 150 injured after a massive explosion at an ammunition depot in Syria's Idlib province on Thursday, according to rescue teams and war monitors.
The blast hit the town of Maarat Misrin, where White Helmets volunteers were seen pulling bodies from debris and treating the injured. Fires broke out across the site, with teams still struggling due to fresh explosions in the area.
No official cause has been confirmed, though state TV linked it to leftover weapons from Syria's long civil war. The Syrian civil defence said the blast took place inside a weapons storage site.
Idlib was a key rebel stronghold during the 14-year war, which ended last year with the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. The province remains volatile under Syria's new interim leadership.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Rare protest in China over schoolgirl beaten by teens
Rare protest in China over schoolgirl beaten by teens

Hindustan Times

time41 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

Rare protest in China over schoolgirl beaten by teens

A large protest erupted in the southwestern Chinese city of Jiangyou, videos on social media showed, after the beating of a young girl by three other teenagers sparked public outrage. Police said two teenage girls were being sent to a correctional school for assaulting and verbally abusing a 14-year-old girl surnamed Lai.(AP) Protests are rare in China, where any and all opposition to the ruling Communist Party and anything seen as a threat to the civil order is swiftly quashed. But bullying in the country's ultra-competitive education system has touched a public nerve, with a high-profile killing last year sparking national debate over how the law deals with juvenile offenders. On Monday, police said two teenage girls were being sent to a correctional school for assaulting and verbally abusing a 14-year-old girl surnamed Lai. The beating, which took place last month and left multiple bruises on Lai's scalp and knees, was filmed by bystanders who shared it online, police said. The onlookers and a third girl who participated in the abuse were "criticised and educated", police said, adding that their guardians had been "ordered to exercise strict discipline". The case drew outrage online from some, lamenting that the teenagers' punishment did not go further. And later on Monday, people gathered outside the city hall in Jiangyou, in Sichuan province, with large crowds stretching around the block, footage showed. Video confirmed by AFP to have been taken outside the city hall showed at least two people forcibly pulled aside by a group of blue-shirted and plainclothes police, as well as a woman in a black dress being dragged away by her limbs. "They're sweeping away citizens everywhere," a person can be heard saying as the woman is dragged away. More footage taken after dark showed police wearing black SWAT uniforms subduing at least three people at an intersection with hundreds of bystanders. On Tuesday, the city of Jiangyou was the second top-trending topic on the X-like Weibo, before it and related hashtags were censored. "The sentence is too light... that is why they were so arrogant," one top-liked Weibo comment under the police statement read. On Tuesday, local authorities said on WeChat that police had punished two people for fabricating information about the school bullying case, warning the public against spreading rumours. Last year Chinese authorities vowed to crack down on school bullying after a high-profile murder case. In December, a court sentenced a teenage boy to life in prison for murdering his classmate. The suspects, all aged under 14 at the time of the murder, were accused of bullying a 13-year-old classmate over a long period before killing him in an abandoned greenhouse. Another boy was given 12 years in prison, while a third whom the court found did not harm the victim was sentenced to correctional education.

Bangladesh under Yunus: Mob rule and mayhem see over 600 lynching deaths in year since Hasina's fall
Bangladesh under Yunus: Mob rule and mayhem see over 600 lynching deaths in year since Hasina's fall

First Post

time2 hours ago

  • First Post

Bangladesh under Yunus: Mob rule and mayhem see over 600 lynching deaths in year since Hasina's fall

In the one year since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina and the appointment of Muhammad Yunus as the country's interim ruler, Bangladesh has descended into a state of lawlessness helmed by Islamists, with mob justice becoming the norm. A report has said that more than 600 lynchings have taken place over the past year. read more Men run past a shopping center which was set on fire by protesters during a rally against then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Sunday, August 4, 2024. (Photo: Rajib Dhar/AP) Over the past one year since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh has slipped into a state of lawlessness under the interim government of Muhammad Yunus, the octogenarian propped by the agitators and the military as the country's unelected ruler. Amid cyclic attacks on the country's religious minorities, particularly Hindus, mob violence has increasingly become the norm in Bangladesh that has not even spared the country's police personnel. Since August 5, 2024, at least 637 people, including 41 police personnel, have been lynched in Bangladesh, according to Canada-based Global Centre for Democratic Governance's (GCDG) data carried by The Economic Times. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD For comparison, there were just 51 cases of lynchings in 2023 when Hasina was in power. ALSO READ: With Sheikh Hasina out of Bangladesh, anti-India forces rise in Bangladesh & pose major challenges Pakistan-backed groups, many of whom pursue outright Islamist extremism, have run amok in Bangladesh since the ouster of Hasina. They have waged a campaign of retribution against political opponents, particularly the workers, activists, and leaders of Hasina's Bangladesh Awami League (BAL). They have also attacked the country's minorities, particularly Hindus, whom they accused of siding with Hasina. In the past year, Hindus have been attacked in their houses, their houses have been burnt, and their temples have been attacked. Instead of making the protection of minorities' protection a priority, Yunus has presided over the state patronage of extremists, which has included acts like the release of jihadist leaders from jail. Most lynching victims were from Hasina's party Of those lynched, around 70 per cent of victims were from Hasina's BAL, local human rights bodies have said. These victims have largely been from Hindu and Ahmadiya Muslim communities, which have been a favourite target of Islamists in the country. Even though agitating groups said they were fighting for democracy, they have propped an unelected regime of Yunus with little accountability. The regime has not yet announced a date for elections and continues to run the country without any mandate from the people. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Moreover, in yet another case of democratic backsliding, Yunus has banned BAL and has presided over a campaign to remove BAL, BAL's leader Sheikh Mujibur Rehman —the father of the nation— from public consciousness.

Ukraine's Zelensky says mercenaries from China, Pakistan fighting for Russia
Ukraine's Zelensky says mercenaries from China, Pakistan fighting for Russia

Hindustan Times

time2 hours ago

  • Hindustan Times

Ukraine's Zelensky says mercenaries from China, Pakistan fighting for Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that mercenaries from China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and African countries are fighting alongside Russian forces in the ongoing conflict. Zelenskyy expressed his deepest gratitude for his soldiers' unwavering bravery.(AP) This announcement comes as Ukraine continues to grapple with the brutal war that has claimed countless lives and displaced millions. During a visit to the front-line troops in the Kharkiv region on Monday, Volodymyr Zelensky met with the brave warriors of the 17th Separate Motorised Infantry Battalion of the 57th Brigade. As he assessed the situation, he learned that foreign mercenaries were on the ground, fighting against Ukrainian forces. "Our warriors in this sector are reporting the participation of mercenaries from China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and African countries in the war. We will respond," Zelensky stated firmly on X. "We spoke with commanders about the frontline situation, the defence of Vovchansk, and the dynamics of the battles. We also specifically addressed the issues of drone supply and deployment, recruitment, and direct funding for the brigades," he added. Zelensky expressed his deepest gratitude for his soldiers' unwavering bravery and stated. "I presented our defenders with state awards. It is an honour for me to be here. Thank you for fighting, serving your state and the Ukrainian people, and for supporting one another." As fighting has continued, Russian and Ukrainian officials have held several meetings in recent months in Istanbul, Turkiye, Al Jazeera reported. The latest meeting secured an agreement to exchange 1,200 prisoners, Zelensky announced on Sunday. Earlier, Trump had threatened to impose "very severe tariffs" on Russia if it failed to reach a ceasefire deal with Ukraine soon, recently shortening his initial deadline of 50 days to within 10-12 days. On Tuesday, three people were killed in a Russian attack on the Stepnohirsk community in Ukraine's Zaporizhia region, the local military administration said on Telegram. Russia launched 405 attacks on 10 settlements in the region in the past day, the administration said on Monday.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store