Regional
Six killed in gas truck explosion in Mongolia – officials
At least six people, including three firefighters, were killed when a truck carrying 60 tons of liquefied natural gas crashed and exploded in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar on Wednesday, according to Mongolia’s officials.
At least 11 people were injured in the fire near the Dunjingarav market, Mongolia’s Emergency Management Office said in a post on Facebook.
Its chief G. Ariunbuyan told local media that the agency received a call about the incident at 1:04 a.m.
More than 600 firefighters in 100 vehicles were involved in putting the fire out, which was eventually extinguished.
“Unfortunately, as a result of the accident, three officers of the 63rd Fire Fighting and Rescue Unit of the National Fire Service were killed while performing their duty,” the Emergency Management said in the post on Facebook.
Reuters reported that a preliminary assessment showed that the truck crashed into a small car causing an immediate explosion, then a second blast occurred that ripped off a part of the truck with great force and killed the firefighters at the scene, Mongolia’s Deputy Prime Minister S. Amarsaikhan told TenGer TV.
According to local online news outlets, the fire quickly engulfed several nearby buildings, including a residential building. Scores of cars were burnt.
Russia’s TASS news agency reported that residents of nearby houses were advised to evacuate.
An unnamed resident told TenGer TV that his windows shattered and the balcony was destroyed by the impact of the first blast.
Another said she and other residents had to forcefully break out of their building after flames reached their building exit. She said the fire had already spread to the top floor when they got out.
Eyewitness Erdenebold Sukhbaatar, who lives 100 metres (yards) away from the explosion, said he first thought an earthquake or airplane crash had happened. As he rushed to his living room, he told Reuters he saw an explosion and the fire quickly spreading to the nearby apartment building.
The 40-year-old lawyer live-streamed the event on Facebook.
United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in Islamabad on Friday on his first official visit to Pakistan, at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Geo News reported.
He was received by Prime Minister Sharif and senior officials, with his aircraft escorted by Pakistan Air Force jets upon entering Pakistani airspace. The UAE president is accompanied by a high-level delegation.
According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, the visit aims to review bilateral relations and discuss regional and international issues of mutual interest.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has signaled that the country will continue developing missiles over the next five years, following visits to major munitions enterprises in the last quarter of 2025, state media KCNA reported on Friday.
Kim said the country’s missile and shell production sector is “of paramount importance in bolstering war deterrence,” according to KCNA.
The report said Kim ratified draft documents on the modernization of key munitions enterprises, which will be submitted to a major ruling party congress expected to be held in early 2026. The congress is set to outline North Korea’s development plan for the next five years.
KCNA’s report follows Thursday’s disclosure that Kim oversaw the construction of an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered submarine alongside his daughter, widely seen as a potential successor, as well as the test-firing of long-range surface-to-air missiles.
Turkish authorities have detained 115 suspected Daesh members they said were planning to carry out attacks on Christmas and New Year celebrations in the country, the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office said on Thursday.
Istanbul Police obtained information that Daesh members had planned attacks in Turkey, against non-Muslims in particular, during Christmas and New Year celebrations, the prosecutor’s office posted on X, Reuters reported.
The police raided 124 places in Istanbul, capturing 115 of the 137 suspects they were seeking, the statement said. Several pistols and ammunition were seized, it said.
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