While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, May 10, 2025
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A woman carrying a child breaks down as they evacuate following a surge in border tensions, near Amritsar, on May 9.
PHOTO: AFP
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Blasts rock Indian Kashmir, Amritsar as Pakistan conflict escalates
Blasts rang out across Indian Kashmir and the Sikh holy city of Amritsar in neighbouring Punjab state late on May 9, with the Indian military saying they were shooting down drones in the worst fighting with Pakistan in nearly three decades.
The explosions in Amritsar - the first heard in the three-day-old conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours - could mark a further expansion in the hostilities that have alarmed world powers.
Projectiles and flashes were seen in the night sky above the Indian Kashmir city of Jammu that was plunged into a blackout in the second night of blasts in the region’s winter capital, officials and a Reuters journalist said.
“Drones have been sighted ... They are being engaged,” said an Indian military official who asked not to be named.
Xi shows solidarity with Putin at Russia’s Victory Day parade
PHOTO: AFP
Undeterred by the threat of Ukrainian attacks, Chinese President Xi Jinping sat shoulder to shoulder with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow’s Red Square on May 9, in a show of solidarity.
Decked out in matching black coats with the orange and black striped Ribbon of Saint George – a symbol of Russian nationalism and military valour – pinned on their lapels, both men watched a display of Russian weapons, including drones used against Ukraine, and a march-past of troops from various nations, including China’s People’s Liberation Army, at the Victory Day parade.
The parade marked the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies over Nazi Germany.
Hungary expels two diplomats in Ukraine spying row
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Hungary expelled two Ukrainian diplomats in response to the detention of two people whom authorities in Kyiv said had been spying for its European Union neighbour.
It’s the latest flash point in Ukraine-Hungary ties, which have deteriorated sharply after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban became Ukraine’s main antagonist in the EU since Russia’s invasion.
Two people were detained after getting caught gathering data on the Ukrainian military in the western Zakarpattya region, Ukraine’s intelligence service, known by the initials SBU, said in a statement on its website on May 9. They were also allegedly trying to gauge public opinion about a potential Hungarian peacekeeping force in the area.
Iran to send Russia launchers for short-range missiles
PHOTO: REUTERS
Iran is preparing to deliver in the near future launchers for short-range ballistic missiles that the US said Tehran sent to Russia in 2024 for use against Ukraine, according to two Western security officials and a regional official.
The delivery of the Fath-360 launchers - if it occurs - would help support Russia's grinding assault on its neighbour and reaffirm the deepening security ties between Moscow and Tehran.
With a 120km range, the Fath-360 would give Moscow's forces a new weapon to fire at Ukrainian frontline troops, nearby military targets, and population centres close to the border with Russia, analysts said.
Mexico sues Google over ‘Gulf of America’ name change
PHOTO: AFP
Mexico has sued Google for changing the Gulf of Mexico’s name to “Gulf of America” for Google Maps users in the United States, President Claudia Sheinbaum said on May 9.
“The lawsuit has already been filed,” Ms Sheinbaum said at her morning news conference, without saying where and when it was submitted.
On May 8, US lawmakers voted in favour of the name change, turning into federal law an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in his first week in office in January.
