BERLIN, June 1 – A fire broke out overnight at a hospital in the Hohenfelde district of the northern German city of Hamburg, killing three patients and injuring more than 50 others, local authorities confirmed on Sunday.

According to the Hamburg fire department, two of the injured are in life-threatening condition, while 16 others sustained serious injuries and 36 suffered minor injuries.

The fire started in the geriatric ward on the first floor of the hospital and spread to the second floor. Firefighters were alerted to the fire shortly after midnight.

Thick smoke from the fire spread throughout every floor of the building, prompting a large-scale emergency response. Firefighters conducted rescues through open windows, and the fire was completely extinguished in the early hours of Sunday.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

XINHUA

CAIRO, June 1 – An Israeli attack near an aid distribution point run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) killed at least 30 people in Rafah, Palestinian news agency WAFA and Hamas-affiliated media said on Sunday.

There was no immediate comment from Israel on the reported attack, which WAFA said injured more than 115 people.

The GHF, also backed by Israel, recently started operating in Gaza.

REUTERS

June 1- At least seven people were killed and 30 hospitalised after “illegal interference” caused a bridge to collapse and a train to derail in Russia’s Bryansk region that borders Ukraine, Russian authorities said early on Sunday.

The train’s locomotive and several cars derailed “due to the collapse of a span structure of the road bridge as a result of an illegal interference in the operation of transport,” Russian Railways said on the Telegram messaging app.

Two children were among those hospitalised, one of them in a serious condition, Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of the Bryansk region, said on Telegram. Among those killed was the locomotive driver, Russia’s state news agencies reported, citing medics.

Russia’s ministry of emergency situations said on Telegram that its main efforts were aimed at finding and rescuing victims, and that some 180 personnel were involved in the operation.

Russia’s Baza Telegram channel, which often publishes information from sources in the security services and law enforcement, reported, without providing evidence, that according to preliminary information, the bridge was blown up.

Reuters could not independently verify the Baza report. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Since the start of the war that Russia launched more than three years ago, there have been continued cross-border shelling, drone strikes, and covert raids from Ukraine into the Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod regions that border Ukraine.

The train was going from the town of Klimovo to Moscow, Russian Railways said. It collided with the collapsed bridge in the area of a federal highway in the Vygonichskyi district of the Bryansk region, Bogomaz said. The district lies some 100 km (62 miles) from the border with Ukraine.

U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Moscow and Kyiv to work together on a deal to end the war, and Russia has proposed a second round of face-to-face talks with Ukrainian officials next week in Istanbul.

Ukraine is yet to commit to attending the talks on Monday, saying it first needed to see Russian proposals, while a leading U.S. senator warned Moscow it would be “hit hard” by new U.S. sanctions.

REUTERS

MUNICH – Paris Saint-Germain supporters displayed a banner saying “Stop genocide in Gaza” during the Champions League final on Saturday.

They raised it shortly after Achraf Hakimi gave their team a 1-0 lead against his former side Inter Milan in the 12th minute. Désiré Doué scored PSG’s second after the banner was raised for a 2-0 halftime lead.

PSG fans are known for their stance against the war in Gaza. They previously displayed a giant banner saying “Free Palestine” in November during the Champions League match against Atlético Madrid.

The latest banner was likely to lead to disquiet among local authorities in Munich. Munich’s city hall displays an Israeli flag as well as a Ukrainian one, and German support for Israel is strong for historical reasons.

PSG could also face a fine. UEFA bans the use of gestures, words, objects or any other means to transmit a provocative message that is judged not fit for a sports event, particularly provocative messages that are of a political, ideological, religious or offensive nature.

Financial penalties are typical for a first offense — 10,000 euros ($10,700) for a political banner or disturbances.

Israel’s nearly three-month blockade on Gaza has pushed the population of over two million to the brink of famine. It has allowed some aid to enter in recent days, but aid organizations say far from enough is getting in.

The UN World Food Program said the fear of starvation in Gaza is high.

AN-AP

ABUJA – A bus crash on a Nigerian highway on Saturday killed 21 athletes returning from a national sports tournament, with authorities saying the accident might have been the result of driver fatigue or excessive speed.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said the afternoon crash, which did not involve other vehicles, “might have occurred as a result of fatigue and excessive speed” after a long overnight trip.

The athletes were returning to Kano, in Nigeria’s north, from the 22nd National Sports Festival, held around 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) to the south in Ogun state.

President Bola Tinubu had recently said the games, which included sports ranging from wheelchair basketball to traditional west African wrestling, represented “the unity, strength and resilience that define us as a nation.”

Road accidents are common on Nigeria’s poorly maintained roads due largely to speeding and a disregard for traffic rules.

Last year Nigeria recorded 9,570 road accidents that resulted in 5,421 deaths, according to FRSC data.

AN-AFP

LONDON – The head of the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees has warned that famine in Gaza remains preventable, but only if there is the political will to act.

Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), said the amount of aid reaching the territory is “vastly disproportionate” to the scale of the crisis.

“What we are asking for is not impossible,” he said in a press statement on Saturday, urging that UN agencies be allowed to deliver vital assistance and uphold the dignity of those in need.

According to Lazzarini, just 900 aid trucks have entered Gaza over the past two weeks — covering only around 10% of the population’s daily needs. He stressed that preventing famine requires political decisions, not just logistical efforts.

He also called for the full resumption of humanitarian operations, which have largely been suspended since March 2. During the previous ceasefire, UNRWA and its partners had managed to bring in 600 to 800 trucks per day, he noted, underlining that it is feasible to scale up aid if access is granted.

Meanwhile, medical sources in Gaza said at least 60 Palestinians were killed and 284 injured in the past 24 hours amid ongoing fighting. Local health authorities report that since the conflict began in October 2023, 54,381 people have been killed and 124,381 wounded, with women and children making up the majority of casualties.

Since hostilities resumed on March 18, following a two-month truce, a further 4,117 people have been killed and 12,013 injured, the same sources added.

AN

LONDON – Israel’s conduct in Gaza is undermining international law and fueling a wider global threat, Norway’s international development minister has said, warning that the use of tactics such as blocking aid and targeting humanitarian groups could become a grim new norm in future conflicts.

“For the last one and a half years we have seen very low respect for international law in the war in Gaza and in recent months it is worse than ever before,” Asmund Aukrust said.

“So for the Norwegian government it is very important to protest against this, to condemn this very clear violation,” he added.

Aukrust said that the crisis was not only deepening suffering in Gaza but eroding principles that protect civilians everywhere, The Guardian newspaper reported on Saturday.

“We are very concerned that there will be a new international standard where food is used as a weapon, where the UN is denied entrance to the war and conflict zone, and other NGOs are denied entrance,” he said.

“And Israel is building up something they call Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is to militarise humanitarian aid.”

The GHF, supported by Israel and the US, began food distribution in Gaza this week. Israeli forces said that they fired “warning shots” at a center during chaotic scenes, while local health authorities reported one civilian killed and dozens injured.

A UN-led review earlier this month found all 2.1 million residents of Gaza at critical risk of famine, with 500,000 already in catastrophic conditions.

“We are afraid and very concerned that this might be a new standard in international law and this will make the world a lot more dangerous to all of us,” Aukrust said.

Asked whether Israel’s actions amounted to genocide, Aukrust said that was a matter for international courts, not politicians.

“Genocide is the worst crime a country can do and the worst crime that politicians can do and this should not be polarized,” he said.

He insisted that dialogue must remain open, even with groups such as Hamas, and stressed Norway’s long-term commitment to Gaza’s recovery.

“We have no limitation of who we are talking to. I would say the opposite. We would be happy to, and we want to, talk with those who are responsible, whether it is Israel, Hamas or others,” he said.

“Dialogue is the most important word when it comes to peacemaking and we want to have an open line with all countries, all groups that might have an influence here,” he added.

Norway, which recognized the Palestinian state in May, has long played a mediating role in the region, including hosting the 1993 Oslo Accords. Aukrust said that recognition was meant “to send out a message of hope.”

The country’s sovereign wealth fund, which is the world’s largest, has already blacklisted 11 companies for aiding Israel’s occupation, though Aukrust stressed decisions on investments are made by the bank, not politicians.

“The bank decides where they want to invest. What the politicians do is to decide the rules,” he said. The rules, he added, were “very clear” that the fund should not invest in anything that contributed to a violation of international law.

The Norwegian parliament is expected to vote next week against a proposal to block the fund from investing in firms operating in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Aukrust urged people across Europe to keep up pressure and stay engaged, adding: “As long as the war is going on, from the Norwegian government side we will all the time look into what more can we do. What new initiative can we take. How can we send an even clearer message to those who are responsible for this.”

AN, 31.5.2025

BERLIN – A small plane crashed into the terrace of a residential building in western Germany on Saturday and two people were killed, police said.

The crash happened in Korschenbroich, near the city of Mönchengladbach and not far from the Dutch border.

The plane hit the terrace of the building and a fire broke out. Police said two people died and one of them was probably the plane’s pilot, German news agency dpa reported. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the other person had been on the plane or on the ground.

Officials had no immediate information on the cause of the crash.

AP

NEW DELHI, May 31 – Heavy rainfall over the past two days triggered landslides and widespread flooding in India’s northeast and south, killing at least 18 people and affecting thousands of others, officials said Saturday.

Torrential rains hit the northeastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), five people were killed due to a landslide in Kamrup Metropolitan district. The ongoing flooding affected more than 10,000 people in six districts.

Authorities have set up two relief camps and one distribution center for the affected population.

“Due to heavy to very heavy rainfall in several districts of Assam, the rivers are flowing above danger level with a rising trend, prompting flood alerts in vulnerable areas,” ASDMA in a statement, said. “Very heavy rainfall is likely to continue over the next two to three days.”

Reports said that amid heavy rain and gusty winds, a red alert remains in effect for 18 districts of the state.

In the adjacent state of Mizoram, several people are feared dead after five houses and a hotel were hit by a devastating landslide at Lawngtlai town.

According to India’s state-run broadcaster, All India Radio, authorities have launched rescue efforts to trace the missing trapped beneath the rubble.

Mizoram has been experiencing heavy rain since Friday, leading to landslides and rockfalls in several areas.

In Meghalaya, three people died in East Khasi Hills district due to rain-related incidents.

Over 1,000 residents across 25 villages have been affected by landslides, flash floods, and power outages. Flooding also damaged roads and inundated schools in the affected districts.

Reports said Nagaland and Tripura each reported one death due to rain-related incidents on Friday.

In the northern state of Uttarakhand, a 38-year-old man died and five others were injured after a landslide struck a vehicle on the Kedarnath national highway near Kund in Rudraprayag district.

In the southwestern state of Karnataka, at least seven people were killed in rain-related incidents. Heavy rain accompanied by strong winds lashed the coastal district of Dakshina Kannada, bordering Kerala.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), heavy rainfall with sustained winds is expected to continue in Dakshina Kannada and Kodagu districts until Monday.

XINHUA

CIREBON, Indonesia – The death toll from the collapse of a stone quarry in Indonesia’s West Java province has risen to at least 17, with eight people still missing, officials said Saturday.

The victims were trapped in the rubble when the Gunung Kuda quarry in Cirebon district collapsed on Friday. A dozen survivors were found by rescuers.

By Saturday afternoon, rescuers had retrieved 16 bodies, while one of the survivors died in the hospital, said local police chief Sumarni. She said rescuers are searching for eight people still believed to be trapped

“The search operation has been hampered by bad weather, unstable soil and rugged terrain,” said Sumarni who goes by a single name like many Indonesians.

She said the cause of the collapse is still under investigation, and police have been questioning six people, including the owner of the quarry.

Local television reports showed emergency personnel, along with police, soldiers and volunteers, digging desperately in the quarry in a steep limestone cliff, supported by five excavators, early Saturday.

West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi said in a video statement on Instagram that he visited the quarry before he was elected in February and considered it dangerous.

“It did not meet the safety standard elements for its workers,” Mulyadi said, adding that at that time, “I didn’t have any capacity to stop it.”

On Friday, Mulyadi said that he had ordered the quarry shut, as well as four other similar sites in West Java.

Illegal or informal resource extraction operations are common in Indonesia, providing a tenuous livelihood to those who labor in conditions with a high risk of injury or death.

Landslides, flooding and tunnel collapses are just some of the hazards associated with them. Much of the processing of sand, rocks or gold ore also involves the use of highly toxic mercury and cyanide by workers using little or no protection.

Last year, a landslide triggered by torrential rains struck an unauthorized gold mining operation on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, killing at least 15 people.

AN-AP