Apartment interiors in a damaged residential building are exposed after a Russian missile strike in Kiev, Ukraine, on Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Russia launched a massive overnight missile and drone attack on Kiev early Sunday, hitting residential areas, a school and commercial buildings in the Ukrainian capital, as Moscow vowed to retaliate for Ukrainian attacks on the Russian-held territory that it said killed 18 people. The barrage injured at least 10 people, sparked fires in several districts and forced residents into underground shelters as air raid sirens echoed across the city for hours.The attack, which Ukrainian officials described as a “mass ballistic missile attack”, continued Sunday morning and officials warned that additional missiles and drones were still approaching the capital.“The capital has been hit by a massive ballistic missile attack,” Timur Tkachenko, head of the Kiev city military administration, wrote on Telegram. “There are currently reports of at least 4 locations affected by the attack: Shevchenkivsky, Dniprovsky and Podilsky districts. There are preliminary reports of fires and damage to residential buildings.”“Strike drone attacks continue; ballistic missile threat still persists. Stay in shelters!” He added.According to Associated Press journalists on the ground, powerful explosions were heard throughout central Kiev overnight, including near government offices. The impact of the attacks shook buildings and thick smoke spread over many parts of the city.Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said a school building in the Shevchenkivskyi district was damaged, while civilians were sheltering inside. “A school has been damaged in the Shevchenkivsky district,” Klitschko posted on Telegram. He told that there is a fire.Emergency crews were also dispatched to Kyiv’s Podilsky district after debris fell in a non-residential area, while a fire broke out near residential buildings in the Shevchenkivskyi district, damaging windows and surrounding structures.Officials said damage was reported in at least nine districts of the capital, with supermarkets, warehouses and residential complexes also affected. Regional governor Mykola Kalashnik said several communities in the wider Kyiv region also suffered damage.The attacks came after Russia warned of retaliation for recent Ukrainian attacks in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine. Moscow had earlier accused Kiev of carrying out an attack on a college dormitory that reportedly killed 18 people.Before the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, citing intelligence shared by the United States and Western allies, warned that Russia could launch a major air strike involving the Oroshnik hypersonic ballistic missile. Ukraine’s air force later issued a warning about a possible Orashnik launch, though it was not immediately clear whether the missile was used in Sunday’s attack.Russia first deployed the Oreshnik missile against the Ukrainian city of Dnipro in November 2024 and used it again in the western Lviv region earlier this year.Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that the nuclear-capable missile travels at a speed of Mach 10 and can penetrate underground bunkers several floors deep. Describing the weapon as traveling “like a meteorite”, Putin has also said that the missile is immune to existing air defense systems and that many conventional attacks using the weapon could match the devastation caused by a nuclear attack.

Donald Trump and Mojtaba Khamenei (R)

US President Donald Trump claimed on Sunday that the United States and Iran have “negotiated” a comprehensive deal that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz and potentially end the months-long conflict launched under “Operation Epic Fury”.“However, Iran does not appear to be aligned with the MAGA supremo on the Hormuz question in what Trump is calling a “largely negotiated” agreement.“An agreement has been substantially negotiated and is subject to finalization between the United States, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and various other countries,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.The announcement signaled possible progress toward reducing tensions after months of military escalation in the region. However, Trump also told his aides and regional allies that he still reserved the option to resume military strikes if Iran fails to comply with the terms of the temporary agreement under discussion, The Wall Street Journal reported.However, Iran rejected Trump’s claims. The Strait of Hormuz will remain under Iranian control under the latest proposal exchanged between Tehran and Washington, state-affiliated Fars news agency reported.Iranian media also said the proposal was still awaiting final approval from the office of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.According to CNN, the latest draft of the memorandum of understanding being negotiated would gradually reopen the Strait of Hormuz, ease the US blockade of Iranian ports and halt hostilities between the two countries.The proposed agreement would also trigger at least 30 days of further talks focused on unresolved issues related to Iran’s nuclear program, particularly Tehran’s stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium.Trump said discussions were still ongoing and warned that parts of the agreement could still change.Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif A post on Twitter praised Trump’s peace efforts, although he did not directly mention the agreement or the Strait of Hormuz.Instead, Sharif noted the “very useful and productive telephone calls” made by Trump with the leaders of the Gulf countries, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan, who were represented by Army Chief Asim Munir.“The discussion provided a useful opportunity to exchange views on the current regional situation and how to advance the ongoing peace efforts,” Sharif said.Fars News again rejected Trump’s comments on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, calling them “not true” and “inconsistent with reality.”“Although Iran has agreed to allow the number of ships passing to return to pre-war levels, this in no way means ‘free passage’ as it existed before the war,” the outlet reported.Trump later said that talks with regional leaders focused on a memorandum involving Iran and “peace”.According to CNN, regional leaders urged Trump to move forward on the proposed framework deal. A diplomat involved in the discussion described the talks as encouraging.“The call was very positive. Good progress is being made. Regional leaders were supportive of the progress and the success achieved by President Trump in the talks,” a regional diplomat told CNN.Trump also revealed that he spoke separately with the Israeli Prime Minister benjamin netanyahu.“The final aspects and details of the deal are currently under discussion and will be announced soon. In addition to many other elements of the agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened,” he said.However, Israel remains cautious. According to an Israeli source cited by CNN, Tel Aviv is concerned that any interim agreement could reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ease sanctions on Iran without fully addressing Tehran’s nuclear program and enriched uranium reserves.The US has reportedly assured Israel that the uranium issue will remain a priority in the talks.Netanyahu is expected to hold a high-level security meeting with ministers and intelligence officials to discuss the latest developments.Earlier, in an interview with Axios, Trump had described the chances of securing a deal with Iran as “solid 50/50” ahead of his talks with Gulf and regional leaders. He warned that negotiations could either lead to a “good” deal or the US could “force them to come to the States.”Officials from both the US and Iran indicated they may now be close to a temporary framework agreement after mediators from Qatar and Pakistan met in Tehran on Saturday. A regional source told CNN that the two sides are moving toward a broad future agreement.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said it detected four flights of Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels around the island as of 6 a.m. local time on Sunday.The ministry said three of the four aircraft crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southwestern and southeastern air defense identification zone (ADIZ).In a post on Twitter, the ministry said, “4 flights of PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN ships operating around Taiwan were detected as of 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 3 of the 4 flights crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait and entered the ADIZ in the southwestern and southeastern parts of Taiwan. The ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and responded.

Chinese military activity increased near Taiwan

The latest activity comes a day after Taiwan detected 16 Chinese military aircraft and eight naval ships flying around the island.Of the 16 planes detected Saturday, 13 crossed the center line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern ADIZ zones.Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said its armed forces monitored the activities and responded accordingly.There have been repeated incursions amid rising tensions between China and Taiwan, with Beijing continuing military operations near the self-ruled island.

Taiwan remains a major flashpoint in US-China relations

Taiwan was a major issue during the recent talks between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.China considers Taiwan as part of its territory under the “One China Policy”, while Taiwan operates with its own government, military and democratic system.Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te recently said that US arms sales and security cooperation with Taiwan are vital to maintaining regional peace and stability.

Strategic importance of Taiwan

Taiwan remains strategically important due to its location in the Indo-Pacific region and dominance in semiconductor manufacturing.Taiwan is home to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the world’s largest contract chip manufacturer, producing advanced chips used in smartphones, artificial intelligence systems, automobiles and military equipment.The United States maintains defense and trade relations with Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act, despite officially recognizing China diplomatically in 1979.Tensions around Taiwan have increased in recent years due to US arms sales, visits by US lawmakers and repeated Chinese military exercises near the island.

JOHANNESBURG: When South African infectious disease expert Lucille Blumberg checked her email on the morning of May 1, as the country was celebrating the Labor Day holiday, an urgent message caught her attention.A UK-based affiliate, which monitors diseases in remote British overseas territories in the South Atlantic Ocean, wrote about a passenger on a cruise ship sailing thousands of miles across the Atlantic who was admitted to a Johannesburg hospital with suspected pneumonia. Other people on board the ship were also ill. Blumberg and other experts at South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases were suddenly thrown into a race to identify the cause of the outbreak on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius. Despite the holidays, “it got busy,” she says. Within 24 hours, they had determined that the man’s illness was caused by hantavirus, a rare rodent-borne virus. But first, Blumberg and his colleagues had to rule out several other possible infections before narrowing down the root cause. At first, they thought it might be Legionella, a bacterium that causes pneumonia, a severe form of bird flu. “Legionella has been well described in outbreaks in hotels and on cruise ships, and influenza certainly has.” The tests on all of them were negative. The experts also ran a comprehensive panel of tests for other respiratory diseases. Also, all negative.The team then began tracking bird watchers more closely and reportedly went to parts of South America where there were birds, but also rodents. This pushed South African disease experts toward another theory: a rare, rodent-borne hantavirus infection, which is found in parts of South America. “In Chile and Argentina this is a well-characterized virus, not common,” Blumberg said. Timely help also arrived – hantavirus experts from South America and the United States, assisted by WHO, the United Nations health agency, were a Zoom call away. “That was quite extraordinary,” she said.By then it was Saturday morning. Blumberg was said to head South Africa’s only laboratory that can test for hantavirus. “I said, we want to do hantavirus, and she said, ‘Yes, I’m coming.'” Tests conducted on blood samples from the sick man came back positive for hantavirus that afternoon. And the team conducted a second set of tests to confirm this.

The United States and Iran are moving toward extending their fragile ceasefire for another 60 days, with mediators working on an interim agreement that could create a framework for broader talks on Tehran’s nuclear program and regional security issues, according to a report in the Financial Times. People briefed on the talks told the newspaper that the proposed agreement includes a gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, phased sanctions relief for Tehran, easing of the US blockade of Iranian ports and discussions on Iran’s reserves of highly enriched uranium. The talks are aimed at preventing a new round of military confrontation between Washington and Tehran.US Iran War News – Follow Live UpdatesIranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmael Baghai said on Saturday that Tehran was discussing a “memorandum of understanding” to formally end the war as a first step before broader talks in the next 30 to 60 days.“We are now finalizing this MoU,” Baghai said.Also read: Trump connection? How does Iran finance its war machine?The proposed extension comes amid fears that President Donald Trump could resume attacks on Iran if talks fail, potentially escalating a conflict that has already destabilized large parts of the Middle East.

What does the proposed agreement reportedly include?

According to diplomats involved in the talks, one of the central elements of the agreement is the phased reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important shipping route through which a large share of global oil exports passes. Gulf countries are particularly concerned that a prolonged conflict could disrupt maritime trade and trigger fresh energy shocks around the world.The agreement will also reportedly include discussions on Iran’s stockpile of approximately 440 kilograms of uranium enriched near weapons-grade levels. Washington wants Tehran to either dilute the material or move it elsewhere as part of a broader nuclear understanding.In return, the United States is expected to ease sanctions on Iranian ports and gradually move toward providing sanctions relief and freeing up Iranian assets held abroad.

Why is conversation important?

Mediators believe a 60-day extension could help stabilize the situation enough for comprehensive diplomatic talks to take shape. Giving information about the talks, a diplomat said that progress is being made.“The agreement is going in the right direction. It is now up to the Americans for review,” the diplomat said.“The Iranians are probably willing to give up more on nuclear energy, but they won’t do so as long as the war continues – this deal helps bridge the gap,” the diplomat said.The talks gained momentum after Pakistani and Qatari negotiators held discussions with Iranian officials in Tehran on Thursday and Friday. Pakistan later said the talks had led to “encouraging progress towards a final understanding” between the US and Iran.The mediation effort reportedly included regular contacts with US envoy Steve Witkoff, while the Iranian delegation was led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

What are the stuck points?

Despite signs of diplomatic movement, deep disagreements remain unresolved. One of the biggest obstacles is Trump’s demand that Iran completely abandon any path to a nuclear weapons capability.The US President has reportedly insisted that Iran hand over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and dismantle its three major nuclear facilities at the Natanz Nuclear Facility, the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant and the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center. The facilities were targeted during US strikes following Washington’s involvement in Israel’s 12-day conflict with Iran last June.Enriched uranium is believed to be buried beneath the debris of those facilities, particularly in Isfahan.Meanwhile, Iranian leaders have continued to insist that they will not give up their sovereign rights.Ghalibaf told Pakistani negotiators that Tehran would not back down from its “rights”, especially when dealing with the United States, which “is not honest and cannot be trusted”.At the same time, he said Iran is willing to pursue diplomacy to secure its “legitimate rights and interests.”Baghai also cautioned that talks remain delicate.Baghai said, “On the one hand, we have the experience of contradictory statements and changing stances from the American side. They have put forward contradictory positions many times.” “We cannot be completely sure that this approach will not change.”“On the other hand, the idea [of the two sides] Coming closer, not in the sense that we have reached any agreement on such important issues, but in the sense that we can reach a mutually satisfactory solution based on certain parameters,” he said.

Why are Gulf countries worried?

Regional powers including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are closely watching the talks as renewed conflict could destabilize the Gulf region and worsen the global energy crisis.Trump said earlier this week that the United States had postponed new strikes on Iran while “serious talks” continued. He said Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE had requested Washington to suspend military operations.Regional allies fear that if US-Israeli strikes resume, Iran could retaliate by targeting Gulf states and disrupting energy infrastructure and shipping routes across the region.