MOSCOW -- Russia held its annual Victory Day parade on Friday with a large military display on Red Square, marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War.
This year's Victory Day parade, featuring military units from 13 foreign countries, kicked off with the Russian national flag and the Banner of Victory being carried onto Red Square. (Russia-Parade-Victory)
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NEW DELHI -- All schools, colleges and other educational institutions in the Indian-controlled Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Chandigarh were shut for two days till Saturday, following escalating tensions with Pakistan, Indian media reported on Friday.
Tensions between the two nations have been escalating since the killings of 26 tourists on April 22 by unidentified attackers in the Pahalgam area of the Indian-controlled Kashmir. (India-Pakistan-Clash)
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JERUSALEM -- Two Israeli soldiers were killed and three others seriously wounded in two separate attacks in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday, according to a statement from the Israeli military released Friday.
In the first attack, Sergeant Yishai Urbach, 20, a combat engineer, was killed when Hamas militants fired a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at a building in Rafah, where Israeli forces were stationed. Two other soldiers were injured in the assault, with one sustaining serious wounds. The injured soldiers were evacuated by helicopter to a hospital in central Israel. (Israel-Gaza-Conflict)
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HARARE -- The Zimbabwean government on Friday expressed deep concern over the sharp rise in malaria cases across the country, with cases increasing by 180 percent in the first 17 weeks of 2025 compared to the same period last year.
"From Week 1 to Week 17, cumulative malaria cases have increased by 180 percent, rising from 21,309 in 2024 to 59,647 in 2025. Malaria-related deaths have also increased by 218 percent, from 45 in 2024 to 143 in 2025," the Ministry of Health and Child Care said in a statement. (Zimbabwe-Malaria-Cases) ■
