World

Tehran, April 28 (IANS) The death toll from a huge blast and the subsequent fire at Shahid Rajaee Port in the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan on Saturday has reached 65, with more than 1,200 others injured, media reported on Monday, citing the provincial governor.

The fire has been completely contained, while the rescue and relief operations were still ongoing, Mohammad Ashouri Taziani told semi-official Mehr news agency.

Earlier on Monday, Iran's Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni identified "certain negligence" as one of the reasons behind the deadly explosion in the provincial capital Bandar Abbas, where this port, the country's largest maritime hub, is located.

He made the remarks in an interview with state-run IRIB TV, elaborating on the ongoing investigations to determine the cause of the incident.

Momeni said that during an earlier meeting held in Bandar Abbas to discuss the explosion's cause, several individuals whose negligence had been confirmed were summoned, Xinhua news agency reported.

He noted that a failure to observe safety regulations and passive defence measures properly contributed to the disaster, urging the relevant authorities and investigative committee to accelerate efforts to determine the full cause accurately.

"Shortcomings in regards to not respecting security protocols have been identified and some of the individuals at fault have been summoned," Momeni said, according to state media.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday ordered an investigation to "uncover any negligence or intent" behind the incident, an indication that authorities are not ruling out sabotage.

The incident occurred as Iran began a third round of nuclear talks with the US in Oman, but there was no indication of a link between the two events.

Iran's Infrastructure Communications Company said on Monday that a large cyber attack against the country's infrastructure had been repelled a day after the blast, without providing more detail.

Poor storage of chemicals in containers is suspected of having caused the explosion.

A spokesperson for the crisis management organisation said on Saturday that earlier warnings had highlighted potential safety risks at the port.

Iran's Defence Ministry dismissed on Sunday international media reports suggesting the blast may be linked to the mishandling of solid fuel used for missiles.

Following the deadly blast, Hossein Sajedinia, head of Iran's National Disaster Management Organisation, told the IRIB on Sunday that some of the containers at the port contained flammable materials, such as pitch, and some others carried chemicals.

Despite the incident, the port's wharfs have resumed operations and cargo handling, according to the official news agency IRNA.

--IANS

int/khz

Ottawa, April 28 (IANS) Canadians began voting on Monday in the vital election under the shadow of US President Donald Trump’s tariff war and warnings of annexation.

The standings of the ruling Liberal Party, which ousted former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have zoomed dramatically after Trump’s threats and are now ahead of the Conservative Party by just under 3 per cent in aggregate of polls.

The government-subsidised Canada Broadcasting Corporation's consolidation of polls showed Liberals with 42.8 per cent to Conservatives' 39.2 per cent, and the New Democrats' (NDP) 8.1 per cent.

Liberal had trailed the Conservatives by 23 per cent at Trump’s inauguration in January when Trudeau was still in power.

Despite the slender lead in polls, projections of seats in the 338-member House of Commons give Liberals a comfortable lead of 180 seats over the Conservatives' 125.

Of Canada’s more than 28 million registered voters, 7.3 million had already voted in early voting by last Monday.

The first results are expected to trickle in on Monday night – Tuesday in India – as polling stations begin reporting the counting of the paper ballots at the individual stations.

Importantly, the NDP, led by Jagmeet Singh, who is allegedly a Khalistan sympathiser, is facing a near wipeout with projections of less than 10 seats.

In the last parliament, Singh wielded disproportionate influence with 24 seats, which helped Trudeau stay in power even though, with 152 seats Liberals lacked a majority.

In January, the NDP had a support of 17.4 per cent, which dwindled to 8.1 per cent as Trump polarised the electorate, sending Singh to irrelevance.

Relations between India and Canada frayed under Trudeau, who was himself soft on Khalistanis and was influenced by Singh.

Mark Carney, who was elected by the Liberals to replace Trudeau, will continue as prime minister if the projections hold and his party wins.

He has indicated that he is for resetting relations with India.

“It’s an incredibly important relationship, the Canada-India relationship, on many levels”, Carney said over the weekend, emphasising the economy.

“At this point, where the world economy but also the global system has been shaken, is being reshaped, countries like Canada, like India, specifically can play an outsize role in building an open, shared economy, shared ideas, a shared relationship,” he said.

Carney is a technocrat who headed the national banks of both Canada and Britain, helping steer both countries through difficult economic times, and is considered the best leader to face up to Trump’s tariff threats.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre rode high in the last days of a discredited Trudeau and appeared set to become prime minister, but his policies that mirrored Trump’s in some ways backfired when the US president raised tariffs on many Canadian imports and wanted to annexe the northern neighbour.

Poilievre blamed Trudeau for the worsening relations with India.

"He is so incompetent and unprofessional that now we are in major disputes with almost every major power in the world, and that includes India", he said.

During the campaign, an attempt was made to malign Poilievre by alleging that India interfered in the 2022 Conservative Party's internal elections to favour him.

He dismissed the allegations made by an unnamed source in a newspaper, saying, “Let’s be honest, I won the leadership fair and square."

He said that even his political competitors "have publicly testified under oath" that he won the party election fairly.

Canada338, an outlet that tracks polls and makes projections, said that Liberals will get 186 seats to Conservatives’ 124 and NDP’s 9.

Canada Broadcasting Corporation projected 189 seats for Liberals, 125 for Conservatives, and five for the NDP.

--IANS

al/dan

Madrid/Lisbon, April 28 (IANS) A massive blackout swept across Spain and Portugal on Monday, leaving large parts of both countries without electricity and causing widespread disruption.

Spain's electricity grid operator, Red Electrica, confirmed widespread power outages across the country. The company said it was working to restore electricity supplies and to analyze the causes of the blackout. "All resources are being dedicated to solving it," Red Electrica said in a post on X.

Following the outage, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited Red Electrica's control center to oversee recovery efforts. His office stated that "the government is working to find out the origin and the effects of this incident and is dedicating all its resources to solving it as soon as possible."

In Madrid, the immediate effects were visible when traffic lights across the city simultaneously stopped working, leading to chaos on the roads. Metro services in Madrid and Barcelona were also brought to a standstill, leaving thousands of passengers trapped inside tunnels.

Spain's national railway company, Renfe, reported that the national electricity grid was cut off at 12:30 p.m. local time, forcing train operations across the country to come to a halt. "Trains stopped" and there were "no departures" at any stations, the company said.

Reports also emerged of people trapped inside elevators in office buildings and apartment complexes, Xinhua news agency reported. Marie-Carmen Sanz, a hospital worker at Madrid's Ramon and Cajal Hospital, told Xinhua that several hospital workers and patients were trapped in elevators at the facility.

In Portugal, the blackout extended from north to south, affecting cities including the capital, Lisbon, where life came to an abrupt halt. Multiple trams stopped operating in the city center at midday, causing severe traffic congestion.

Fernanda Picarra, a tourist from Aveiro, recounted her experience after her tram suddenly stopped. "At first, we thought the tram had broken down," she said. "We waited on board for a long time before noticing that several other trams had also stopped. Eventually, the driver asked everyone to disembark."

Banks, restaurants, and cafes across Lisbon were plunged into darkness, forcing businesses to close and sending large crowds onto the streets. Bank staff were seen explaining to customers that services would remain suspended until power was restored.

Taxi driver Pedro, who kept his radio tuned to the news, noted the scale of the outage. "It's a massive blackout - Spain and Portugal are both down, and it seems France is affected too," he said. Pedro, who recalled a similar blackout more than 20 years ago, added, "I've been listening to the news all day, but no one seems to know exactly what happened. I just hope things return to normal soon."

Following the power failure, Lisbon's metro system also came to a halt, with reports of passengers trapped inside trains. Mobile voice calls were disrupted across parts of Portugal, although data services remained operational.

Authorities in both countries continue to investigate the cause of the blackout as efforts to restore full electricity supply are underway.

The outage briefly affected parts of France, but the French electricity transmission system operator RTE announced on Monday afternoon that all affected households had regained access to electricity.

"In France, homes were without power for several minutes ... All power has been restored," the company said in a statement on its official X account.

--IANS

int/as

Johannesburg, April 28 (IANS) A total of 1,057,063 people passed through South Africa's ports of entry during the 2025 Easter period, marking an eight per cent increase from the 2024 figures, a government official said on Monday.

Michael Masiapato, Commissioner of the Border Management Authority (BMA), released the figures in Pretoria, the country's administrative capital, during a media briefing, noting that 974,729 individuals passed through the country's 71 ports of entry in 2024.

According to the commissioner, the authority managed to smoothly process the travelers during the period from April 15 to 24.

"This upward trend highlights the growing demand for cross-border travel in the post-Covid period. Despite the high volumes of travelers across all the three modalities of air, land, and sea, all measures and contingency plans implemented by the BMA and its stakeholders effectively managed the flow, ensuring operational stability and traveler safety throughout the entire Easter period," said Masiapato.

The Commissioner also noted that the BMA intercepted and arrested more than 6,000 people who attempted to enter the country without the required documents during the recent Easter holidays.

"Just in a period of 10 days, we have been able to intercept and apprehend a total of 6,253 persons who were attempting to either enter or exit South Africa illegally," he said, Xinhua news agency reported. "This is an increase of 61 per cent compared to the 2024 Easter interception of 3,841."

Masiapato attributed the rise in interceptions in the use of technology at some border gates, which included the use of drones.

"Out of these 6,253, about 4,795 were undocumented, about 1,055 were undesirable, and 403 were found to be inadmissible for various reasons, such as fraudulent visas, failure to produce a yellow fever certificate," he said.

Masiapato added that all those who were arrested while trying to enter the country illegally had their fingerprints taken, were declared undesirable for five years, and deported to their countries.

--IANS

int/as

Vatican, April 26 (IANS) President Droupadi Murmu attended the mass funeral of His Holiness Pope Francis at Saint Peter’s Square in Vatican City on Saturday.

Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Minority Affairs, George Kurian and Deputy Speaker of the Goa Assembly, Joshua De Souza, were part of the official Indian delegation who attended the funeral ceremony.

On Friday, President Murmu paid homage to the late pontiff. The President’s X handle, in a post, wrote, “President Droupadi Murmu paid homage to His Holiness Pope Francis at the Basilica of Saint Peter in Vatican City.”

Pope Francis passed away on April 21 at the age of 88.

President Murmu represented India at the State funeral and offered condolences on behalf of the government and the people of India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

On Thursday, the Vatican said at least 130 foreign delegations confirmed their attendance at Pope Francis' funeral, including 50 heads of state and 10 reigning monarchs.

Following Pope Francis' death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences, saying that the Pope's affection for the people of India would always be remembered.

"Deeply pained by the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. In this hour of grief and remembrance, my heartfelt condolences to the global Catholic community. Pope Francis will always be remembered as a beacon of compassion, humility and spiritual courage by millions across the world. From a young age, he devoted himself towards realising the ideals of Lord Christ. He diligently served the poor and downtrodden. For those who were suffering, he ignited a spirit of hope," PM Modi said in a post on X.

"I fondly recall my meetings with him and was greatly inspired by his commitment to inclusive and all-around development. His affection for the people of India will always be cherished. May his soul find eternal peace in God's embrace," the Prime Minister said.

--IANS

dan/

Islamabad, April 26 (IANS) Pakistan has activated its war preparations as railway stations across the country have been handed over to the country's Army with soldier desks set up at all stations. Pakistan's Federal Minister of Railways, Hanif Abbasi revealed today that control of all railway stations in the country has been handed over to the Pakistan armed forces, completing arrangements for transport of military equipment, if needed.

The Railway Minister Hanif Abbasi said that soldier desks at all railway stations have been established, adding that all logistics of Pakistan Railways is now at the disposal of the Pakistan armed forces.

“Our logistics are now at the disposal of the Pakistan armed forces. Now, they can use Pakistan Railways to transport tanks, heavy weapons and any other artillery that they may want to move, through the railways," he said.

“All of our officers in Pakistan Railways, all stations and every facility is now ready to work with our armed forces whenever and however needed," he added.

Expressing his views on the ongoing tensions between Pakistan and India after the Pahalgam attack; Abbasi warned of dire consequences if Pakistan's water is blocked or any other misadventure is attempted.

“Our ballistic missiles are pointed towards India and are ready. Therefore, I caution India to not even think about crossing Pakistan’s territorial borders," he threatened.

The latest action adds on to Islamabad’s measures to secure its borders on ground, water and air against any aggressive response from India after the Pahalgam attack.

Pakistan’s security forces have been put on high alert after the Pahalgam attack incident and retaliatory measures taken by both sides. India claims that the Pahalgam attack is a result of Pakistan supported cross-border terrorism, an allegation Islamabad rejects.

Pakistan has taken special notice of India’s announcement to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and has stated that any attempt to block Pakistan’s water will be considered as an "act of war", and will be responded to with full force.

Tuesday's brutal assault, which resulted in the death of 26 innocent tourists and left several others critically injured, unfolded in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, when four heavily armed terrorists emerged from the surrounding dense forests and opened indiscriminate fire on tourists. The attack has been described as one of the most horrific in the region in recent memory.

--IANS

int/hamza/as

Washington, April 26 (IANS) United States President Donald Trump on Saturday expressed more frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin over recent airstrikes on Ukraine and threatened to deal "differently" with Moscow and use "banking" and "secondary" sanctions.

The American President, who has touted personal ties with his Russian counterpart as his key to ending the Russia-Ukraine war, wondered if President Putin was “tapping me along”, another phrase for stringing someone along or pretending to do something without actually meaning it.

This criticism of the Russian President comes just days after the American President called out to him in a post on Truth Social to stop bombing Ukraine. "Vladimir, Stop", he wrote, which was widely taken as a rebuke of President Putin.

“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days," President Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to recent sir strikes on Kyiv. "It makes me think that maybe he doesn't want to stop the war, he's just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions’? Too many people are dying!!!"

This post came shortly after President Trump’s meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican before Pope Francis’s funeral, on Saturday.

No details were made available of their discussion. A White House spokesperson described the meeting as “very productive”.

“Good meeting. One-on-one, we managed to discuss a lot. We hope for a result from all the things that were spoken about,” President Zelensky wrote in a social media post. He wrote further that they discussed the “protection of the lives of our people. A complete and unconditional ceasefire. A reliable and lasting peace that will prevent a recurrence of war”.

He added: “It was a very symbolic meeting that has the potential to become historic if we achieve joint results. Thank you, President Donald Trump!”

Steve Witkoff, who is the Special Envoy for President Trump, met with President Putin in Moscow on Friday.

--IANS

int/yrj/as

Gaza April 26 (IANS) A Hamas delegation arrived in Egypt's Cairo on Saturday to discuss efforts toward reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

In a press statement, Hamas said the delegation has started meetings with Egyptian officials to present the movement's vision for a comprehensive deal, which includes a Gaza ceasefire, a prisoner exchange with Israel, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the launch of reconstruction efforts.

The delegation is also expected to discuss with the Egyptian side the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza due to the ongoing Israeli blockade and the urgent need to facilitate the entry of food and medical supplies, read the statement.

Hamas further indicated that the discussions would address the formation of a community support committee to manage Gaza's civil affairs and other internal matters.

Meanwhile, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said in a press statement that the negotiations mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States in Cairo and Doha are continuing.

Mardawi added that Hamas would demonstrate flexibility to reach an agreement that ends the conflict and ensures a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, with international guarantees to prevent the resumption of hostilities.

"We insist on obtaining international guarantees for ending the war," Mardawi said, stressing that Hamas would not accept partial or temporary arrangements.

Israel halted the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza on March 2, following the expiration of the first six-week phase of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas that started on January 19, Xinhua news agency reported. Israel claimed the move was due to Hamas' rejection of its offer to extend the first phase. Israeli forces then resumed strikes across Gaza on March 18, effectively ending the phased truce.

Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel, brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, have been ongoing for weeks, aiming to end the prolonged conflict in Gaza, which erupted in October 2023.

--IANS

int/as

Canberra, April 26 (IANS) Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has warned that the country must take the rise of the far-right "seriously" ahead of the General Election on May 3.

Albanese, leader of the center-left governing Labor Party, on Saturday urged "mainstream politics" to speak out against "far-right figures" and the rise of the ideology.

He told reporters on the election campaign trail in Melbourne that he is still "shocked" about incidents of far-right groups protesting on the steps of the Victorian state parliament building and in the center of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia.

"We know the consequences of this. We need to take this seriously, these threats, because they are real," he said.

The incumbent PM was speaking from a Chinese language school in Melbourne's southeast, where he announced that a re-elected Labor government would boost funding for community language schools by 25 million Australian dollars (16 million US dollars).

Albanese said the pledge would help 90,000 students learn and maintain 84 languages "with a special focus" on Asian languages.

The southeastern state of Victoria, of which Melbourne is the capital, is considered a key battleground in the election.

Labor currently holds 24 of Victoria's 38 seats in the 150-seat lower house of the federal parliament, where the government is formed, but is facing threats from the left-wing Greens in inner-city areas and from the opposition conservative Coalition in fast-growing outer metropolitan regions, Xinhua news agency reported.

Campaigning in his native state of Queensland on Saturday morning, opposition leader Peter Dutton said that Albanese has "abandoned" people in regional and outer suburban areas and has prioritized "affluent" voters in inner-city Sydney and Melbourne.

Despite opinion polls widely projecting that Labor is on track to win a second term in government at the election, Dutton on Saturday said there is "no doubt" in his mind that the Coalition will win power.

Both leaders made several stops across Australia on Saturday as the election campaign entered its final stretch.

After spending the morning in Melbourne, Albanese flew to the island state of Tasmania to attend an event for Labor Party volunteers before finishing the day in his native Sydney.

Dutton traveled from Queensland to Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory (NT), where he attended a roundtable event on the cost of living and crime alongside the territory's Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro.

Speaking to locals, Dutton invoked his time as a police officer in Queensland prior to entering politics to promise that a Coalition government would focus on community safety.

"It instills in you, I think forever, a real sense of what's right and wrong, and what we've seen in the NT for a long time is just wrong," he said.

Albanese and Dutton will face off in the fourth and final leaders' debate of the election campaign on Sunday night.

--IANS

int/as

Washington, April 26 (IANS) The United States on Friday abruptly paused the cancellation of student visas issued to international students, according to reports.

Assistant US Attorney Joseph F. Carilli Jr. told a Washington DC court on Friday that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is developing a new system for review and revocations and until then, SEVIS status for plaintiffs across the country “will remain Active or shall be reactivated if not currently active and ICE will not modify the record solely based on the NCIC finding that resulted in the recent SEVIS record termination”, a leading US media outlet reported.

More than 1,500 student visas have been cancelled so far, according to news reports and it was not immediately clear what happens to those students who left the country after their visas were revoked.

The US has cancelled these student visas for students who were alleged to have participated in the protests that rocked university campuses against Israel’s invasion of Gaza in retaliation for the October 7 Hamas attack in 2023. Visas have also been cancelled for other reasons, breaking the law.

The Donald Trump administration has also targeted universities that, in the view of the administration, did not do enough to counter the protests and protect Jewish students.

Many students from India were among those whose visas were cancelled. A US lawyers’ association has said 50 per cent of more than 300 cancellations it reviewed were for students from India. No official data has been made publicly available of the cancellations.

The Friday development came amidst a string of lawsuits filed by and on behalf of students who have had their visas cancelled.

"It is not in the national interest of the United States — it’s not in our foreign policy interest, it’s not in our national security interest — to invite people onto our university campuses who are not just going to go there to study physics or engineering, but who are also going to go there to foment movements that support and excuse foreign terrorist organizations who are committed to the destruction of the United States and the killing and the raping and the kidnapping of innocent civilians, not just in Israel, but anywhere they can get their hands on them,” Secretary of state Marco Rubio has said.

--IANS

yrj/pgh