Global news roundup: Russian drone crashes into Romanian building; Iran demands US action on ceasefire

A Russian drone entered Romanian airspace and crashed into a residential apartment building sparking a fire and injuring two people Romanias National Defence Ministry announced on FridayAccording to the ministry the injured individuals were taken to the Galati County Emergency Clinical HospitalIt said that during the night from Thursday to Friday Russia resumed drone attacks against targets in Ukraine in the vicinity of Romanias river borderA drone entered Romanian airspace and was tracked by radar systems to the southern area of Galati municipality where it crashed onto the roof of a residential apartment building and caused a fire the ministry saidSpecialised teams from the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations and other Ministry of Internal Affairs structures the Romanian Intelligence Service and the Romanian Police are operating at the scene it said adding that the National Military Command Centre had notified the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations to implement public alert measuresAccording to Romanian media dozens of residents were evacuatedEarlier this month several drones entered Latvian airspace from Russia with two of them crashing into an oil storage facility in Rezekne and damaging one empty oil tank reports citedOn May 21 the Latvian armed forces said at least one foreign drone entered the countrys airspace the latest in a series of drone incursions reported across the Baltic States in recent monthsAuthorities issued air alerts in several eastern Latvian regions while NATO fighter jets participating in the Baltic Air Policing mission were scrambled in response The alert was lifted later in the dayThe incident came days after Estonia said a NATO fighter jet had shot down a drone over its territory while Lithuania reported that a military drone carrying explosives had crashed after entering its airspace On May 7 two drones crashed into an oil storage facility in Latvias RezekneBaltic authorities believe many of the drones are Ukrainian aircraft intended for strikes on Russian targets that veered off course into neighbouring countries airspaceIran insists on US actions over words in ceasefire talksIrans top negotiator said Friday that Tehran would only trust Washingtons actions not its words after US VicePresident JD Vance said progress had been made on a deal to extend a ceasefire and provide a framework for peace talksPresident Donald Trump has remained notably silent about the deal despite US sources telling AFP it only needed his signoff underscoring the unpredictability of talks three months after the conflict engulfed the Middle East and shook the global economyWe place no trust in guarantees or words only actions matter No step will be taken before the other side acts first Irans Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on XThe parliament speaker who led Tehrans delegation at peace talks with the US in Pakistan last month also warned that Iran had gained leverage not through talks but through missiles fired at US bases and allies in the region when war broke out on February 28Hopes of an agreement had risen on Thursday after US officials were positive about the direction of diplomacyIts hard to say exactly when or if the president is going to sign the MOU Vance told reporters on Thursday Were going back and forth on a couple of language points Weve made a lot of progress hereMarket optimism grows over possible USIran deal as oil prices ease slightlyOptimism around a possible USIran deal boosted Asian stock markets on Friday while oil prices receded slightlyEnergy markets have whipsawed this week as investors parse the chances of an agreement that could potentially resume normal shipping through the crucial Strait of HormuzThe potential deal would end restrictions on shipping through the strait with no tolls or harassment while Tehran would remove mines within 30 days and the US would lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports if commercial traffic resumed according to US media reportsBut Iran has not confirmed any commitments to a deal and sources have told Iranian media that any agreement unilaterally announced by Trump would not be recognisedOn Friday Irans Tasnim news agency citing a source said the text had not yet been finalised and that the wording of the potential memorandum of understanding had undergone some changes in recent daysEight students arrested over suspected arson at Kenyan girlsrsquo school that killed 16Kenyan police on Friday said eight students had been arrested over a suspected arson attack at a girls school that killed 16 children and hospitalised 79 othersThe fire broke in the early hours of Thursday at Utumishi Girls Academy in Kenyas Nakuru County about 120 kilometres 75 miles north of the capital NairobiThe upper floor of the twostorey building which had 12 cubicles housing 135 bunk beds was badly damaged according to policePreliminary investigations have identified eight students as persons of interest in connection with the planning and execution of the suspected arson attack the director of criminal investigations said in a statementInvestigators have conducted intensive interviews with students and teaching staff and reviewed CCTV footage and other forensic evidence to determine the cause of the fire which remains unknownThe school is linked to the National Police Service and most pupils are the children of officersDeath toll rises to eight in US chemical plant accident in Washington state three still missingUS authorities have found six more bodies following a chemical leak at a paper plant in Washington state an official said Thursday with three of a total 11 victims still missingA huge tank holding tens of thousands of gallons of a highly caustic substance imploded on Tuesday at the plant in Longview Washington state sparking a major search operationRescuers had initially confirmed two people were dead and ruled out finding survivors as the search turned to recovering victims remainsBrad Hannig fire chief of Longview Fire Department told a news conference that six more bodies had been found bringing the total confirmed dead to eightWe continue working with the coroner to notify families he saidRescuers are working in an active and hazardous recovery environment to find the remaining victims bodies Hannig addedThe accident at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company happened during an early morning shift change when a 900000gallon 34 millionlitre tank containing a large quantity of a substance called white liquor rupturedWhite liquor is a highly alkaline solution containing sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide that is used to break down wood chips and create the pulp from which paper is madeWith IANS ANI PTI and AFP inputs