Kabul, May 17 (IANS) Five persons were killed and five others sustained injury as a result of a clash between the border forces of Afghanistan and Pakistan over the past four days, Afghan local media outlet TOLO News reported Friday.

The clash between Afghan and Pakistan border forces, reports Xinhua News Agency, has been continuing close to the border area in Zazai Aryub and Dand wa Patan districts of the eastern Paktia province, the private media outlet added.

Afghan officials have yet to make any comment.

–IANS

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Seoul, May 17 (IANS/DPA) The influential sister of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, Kim Yo Jong, has rejected accusations that her country is engaged in prohibited arms trading with Russia.

As reported by state media on Friday, the high-ranking official of the ruling Workers’ Party described it as an absurd rumour that was “interwoven with a distorted view and fiction.”

“We have no intention of exporting our military technical capabilities to any country or releasing them,” Kim said.

North Korea, which is largely isolated due to its nuclear weapons programme, is internationally accused of supplying weapons and ammunition for Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The governments in Moscow and Pyongyang have repeatedly dismissed reports of such arms deliveries.

However, the US government maintains that Pyongyang supplied missile launchers and ballistic missiles, among other equipment, in violation of UN prohibition resolutions.

The South Korean Defence Ministry reported that thousands of containers of ammunition and military equipment have been sent from North Korea to Russia since last July.

–IANS/DPA

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Jakarta, May 17 (IANS) The Semeru volcano in Indonesia’s East Java province erupted five times on Friday, spewing volcanic ash up to 900 meters over its peak, according to the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation.

“The first eruption was at 6.29 a.m. local time, with a column of white to grey ash as high as 500 meters heading to the southwest,” said Semeru Volcano Monitoring Post officer Liswanto, Xinhua news agency reported.

The second eruption occurred at 6.50 a.m. local time, launching ash as high as 600 meters above its peak, while the third eruption occurred at 7.28 a.m. local time, releasing an ash column as high as 700 meters.

Volcanic ash was thrown up to 500 meters in the fourth eruption and 900 meters in the fifth, which happened at 7.57 a.m. and 8.05 a.m. local time, respectively.

Authorities have urged people to stay out of the danger zone within a 5 km radius and 13 km southeast of the crater to prevent harm from hot clouds, lava flows and lahars,

People are advised to avoid rivers that originate from the Semeru crater against possible cold lava flows.

–IANS

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Athens (IANS/DPA) Unknown persons on Friday sent lurid e-mails threatening bomb attacks on numerous Cypriot schools, prompting a major evacuation operation of pupils on the island.

The threats, which were later published by several media outlets, also contained pledges to “sever your necks” and “drown you in your blood,” which police categorized as having an Islamist background.

The messages were received by almost all primary and secondary schools, as well as some kindergartens, police spokesman Christos Andreou said on Cypriot radio.

“We have carried out the evacuation calmly. So far, no explosive device has been discovered,” Andreou said.

Many frightened parents took their children out of the schools, media reported.

The threats referred to Islamic law, or Sharia, which the author of the message said demanded the punishment of all unbelievers.

According to the police, it was written in poor Greek and appeared to have been translated online. Security authorities were trying to determine where the mails were sent from.

Why Cyprus should suddenly be exposed to Islamist threats initially remained unclear.

The small EU island republic is home to many Israeli citizens, but also many refugees from the Middle East. Nicosia maintains good relations with both Israel and the Arab world.

At the request of the Cypriot government, aid supplies have been repeatedly sent by ship to the suffering population in the Gaza Strip in recent months.

–IANS/DPA

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Paris, May 17 (IANS) A knife-wielding man, who set France’s synagogue on fire on Friday, has been neutralised, Interior Minister Gerald Dermanin said.

In a post on X, French Interior Minister Gerald Dermanin said, “In Rouen, national police officers neutralised early this morning an armed individual who set fire to the city’s synagogue. I congratulate them for their responsiveness and courage.”

According to the report, the incident happened at around 6:40 a.m. (0440 GMT) when the knife-wielding man attacked a police officer who was responding to reports of smoke emanating from the city’s synagogue, BFM TV reported, citing police sources.

The attacker finally died after being fatally wounded by the police officer.

–IANS

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