A devastating explosion in northeastern Myanmar has claimed the lives of more than 45 people and injured approximately 70 others, according to rescue workers and independent media reports.

The blast, which occurred around noon on Sunday in Kaungtup village, Namhkam township, reportedly struck a building used for storing mining explosives.

Among the confirmed fatalities, 46 bodies have been recovered, including six children, a rescue worker told The Associated Press. All have been taken for cremation.

The incident took place in an area situated about 3 kilometers (2 miles) south of the Chinese border, which is under the control of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army. This ethnic armed group has a history of sporadic conflict with Myanmar’s central government.

The rescuer, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said 74 injured people had been transported to the township hospital and rescue operations were continuing.

Another rescuer in Namhkam, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said about 40 people were killed and more than 100 houses near the blast site were damaged.

Myanmar media outlets, including Shan State’s online Shwe Phee Myay news agency, reported death tolls ranging from 50 to 55. They published photos and videos showing smoke from the explosion and damaged buildings and debris in its aftermath.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported the explosion caused multiple deaths and injuries, with many residential houses being severely damaged, but did not give figures.

It said that according to preliminary investigations, the blast occurred at a site where large quantities of explosives used for mining operations were stored.

Local authorities are currently providing relief, medical care and resettlement assistance to affected residents, said the report.

The Ta’ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, said in a statement released on its Telegram channel that gelignite had been stored by the group’s economic department for use in mining and stone quarrying sites, and that an investigation into the cause of the explosion is underway.

Gelignite is widely used in mining and rock blasting, but can become highly unstable over time and if poorly stored.

The Ta’ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, is a member of the rebel Three Brotherhood Alliance, and has controlled the Namhkam area since the alliance and its allies launched a major offensive against the military in northeastern Myanmar in late 2023. The alliance members and other ethnic armed groups have long fought for increased autonomy.

The TNLA signed a ceasefire with Myanmar’s military following China-mediated talks in October last year, but relations remain tense.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021, triggering widespread popular opposition. After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict.

“When you see Kathy and Hamish there beside you, it’s impossible not to feel extra motivation. This ride is about raising money, of course, but it’s also about showing the MND community that we’re still fighting, still driving awareness, and still refusing to accept that this disease cannot be beaten.”

But don’t all biscuits have sugar?

No, really, a LOT of it is the sugar

But when Professor Tze Min Wah, research and innovation lead for the interventional oncology programme at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and professor of interventional radiology at the University of Leeds, saw Mrs Iveson’s case, she realised that the pioneering treatment could offer hope to Mrs Iveson and her family.

Linda Emmeline Baggley was a reserve RUC constable who died in 1976, 10 days after being shot while on foot patrol with a colleague in the Waterside area of Derry.

Families of people killed in the Troubles have come together in a service of “remembrance, devotion and love” in Co Derry.

The Baggley family were among those who attended the service at Newbuildings Methodist Church near Lisnakelly.

Linda Emmeline Baggley was a reserve RUC constable who died in 1976, 10 days after being shot while on foot patrol with a colleague in the Waterside area of Derry.

Kenny Donaldson, director of victims’ group Seff (South East Fermanagh Foundation), said the service was “a wonderful representation of remembrance, devotion and love”.

“The Baggley family were foremost in our thoughts with Lorraine sharing a family reflection concerning the upcoming 50th Anniversary since the cruel murder of Linda who passed away on June 2 1976 after having been shot and seriously injured a number of days previously,” he said.

“Linda was aged just 19 years and was a Reserve RUC GC Constable, just two years earlier her daddy, William, who was also a Reservist Constable, was also murdered in Londonderry (just 100 metres separated the brutal crimes).

“Scripture lessons were read by Gillian McElholm, daughter of Michael McGinley who was murdered by the UDA/UFF in the Annie’s Bar attack, 1972, and Jennifer Millar, daughter of Charles McNaul who was murdered by the Provisional IRA, also in the city.

“And prayers were also read by Seff’s north west-based staff; Michael McKeegan, son of Lance Corporal John McKeegan who was murdered by the Provisional IRA; and Lara Burns, daughter of Robert Burns who was murdered by the IPLO.”

Children from the Newbuildings Primary School sang a number of songs and read prayers.

Part of the prayers read by the children included: “We also appreciate the responsibility on our shoulders to both carry forth the torch of remembrance but also to build a new society – a new Northern Ireland and a united community.”

Mr Donaldson, who closed the service, said Seff’s mission is the “recalibration of attitudes concerning how society divides”.

“We are clear that the religious denomination someone happens to be born into (or not) or where someone stands on the constitutional question, is not the fundamental division,” he said.

“Rather the core basis for division is where people stand on the issue of violence, in the context of the Northern Ireland Troubles – those who used, justify or seek to explain away violence are of one tribe, and those who do not are part of the other tribe.”

Seff’s memorial quilt exhibition will be hosted at the Newbuildings Methodist Church until Wednesday.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Breaking the cycle: Why prevention and rehabilitation are critical to safer communities

When I became Police and Crime Commissioner, I made a clear commitment to tackle not only crime itself but the root causes driving offending, addiction, anti-social behaviour, and repeat victimisation.

That commitment sits firmly at the heart of my Police, Crime, and Justice Plan 2025-2029 and my ambition to build communities that are safer, stronger, and more resilient to alcohol and drug-related crime and disorder.

Breaking the cycle (Image: Supplied)

It was this determination that led me to establish the Criminal Justice Policy Roundtable, bringing together policing, prisons, probation, health, housing, universities, charities, and people with lived experience to confront some of the biggest failings and pressures within our criminal justice system.

The Roundtable was never designed to be a talking shop.

It was created to challenge outdated thinking, drive practical reform, and identify evidence-led solutions that cut crime, reduce reoffending, and better protect victims and communities.

It was meant to add value to the excellent partnership working that exists around the Local Criminal Justice Board that I chair.

Because the reality is stark: we cannot arrest our way out of addiction.

Across the country, courts are overwhelmed, prisons are overcrowded, and reoffending rates remain far too high.

Meanwhile, communities continue to suffer the consequences of repeat offending, acquisitive crime, anti-social behaviour, violence, and exploitation linked to drugs and alcohol.

Behind many offences lie deeper problems: addiction, trauma, mental ill-health, homelessness, domestic abuse, and social exclusion.

If we fail to address those drivers, we simply trap people in a revolving door of offending, custody, and crisis while communities continue to pay the price.

The Roundtable examined these issues head-on.

One major focus was women in the criminal justice system.

Many women who offend are themselves victims of abuse, exploitation, and trauma.

Short prison sentences often fail to rehabilitate and instead worsen instability, break family ties, and increase the risk of reoffending.

The report calls for stronger trauma-informed support, earlier intervention, improved diversion schemes, and community-based alternatives that tackle the causes of offending while maintaining accountability and protecting the public.

Housing and homelessness were also identified as major drivers of repeat offending.

People leaving prison without stable accommodation are far more likely to relapse into addiction, become involved in crime again, or fall into exploitation and rough sleeping.

That is why the Roundtable recommended stronger “through-the-gate” support and far better coordination between housing, probation, healthcare, and treatment services.

The discussions also highlighted the enormous impact addiction has on crime and anti-social behaviour.

Around half of acquisitive crime is linked to drugs, while addiction continues to fuel violence, disorder, and repeat offending.

The Roundtable explored innovative approaches including Drug Testing on Arrest, recovery-focused treatment pathways, and diversion schemes designed to break the cycle of addiction and crime before more victims are created.

None of this is about being soft on crime.

It is about being smarter, tougher, and more effective in reducing crime long-term.

Every prevented relapse, every avoided reoffence, and every person successfully supported into recovery means fewer victims, fewer crimes, and safer streets.

The Criminal Justice Policy Roundtable was created to drive action, influence national debate, and deliver practical change that improves public safety and strengthens communities.

And this report is only the beginning.

You can read the full Policy Roundtable Evaluation Report and explore the recommendations in more detail by using the following link: https://bit.ly/PolicyRoundtableEvaluation.

Ends

Fresh testing has found that the children’s sand kits contain tremolite asbestos, which can cause severe lung diseases if inhaled

Advertisement

Two further children’s sand kits widely available across the UK have been pulled from shelves after a consumer group discovered they contained asbestos.

The investigation by Which? follows a string of products — many of them children’s toys — being withdrawn from sale due to asbestos contamination.

One of the two latest recalls was marketed as a Montessori sand art tray, sold via Amazon Marketplace and TikTok Shop. The product is designed as a hands-on learning tool to develop fine motor skills, encouraging youngsters to draw in the sand using pencils supplied in the kit or with their fingers.

Testing by Which? revealed that the sand contained the banned substance tremolite asbestos — a dangerous naturally occurring mineral that can become airborne and trigger severe lung diseases if inhaled, even at minimal levels of exposure.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified all forms of asbestos as carcinogenic to humans. Any products containing asbestos, including trace amounts, are banned from sale in the UK.

A second sand art tray examined by Which? was purchased from TikTok Shop and was also found listed by three separate sellers on Amazon Marketplace, reports the Mirror.

Which? revealed the product remained available on both platforms until May, despite the identical item having been subject to a recall by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) in March owing to asbestos contamination.

The OPSS has since updated the original recall notice to incorporate Amazon and TikTok Shop. Which? researchers also discovered tremolite asbestos in the GL Style Sand Bottle Art Heart or Stars set, purchased from Asda and bearing the brand name RMS International Limited. However, the consumer group also identified what seemed to be the identical kit available on eBay from three private sellers.

More than 39 recall notices have been issued by the OPSS since November concerning asbestos-contaminated sand products. The problem has also resulted in the closure of schools and parks, most recently in North East England. It is understood the affected toys contain sand sourced from particular quarries in China, where naturally occurring asbestos is present.

Sue Davies, head of consumer rights policy at Which?, said: “It is outrageous that online marketplaces are selling products which may expose children to asbestos, especially when some of these products had already been recalled by the OPSS. Seemingly innocent items like toys and craft kits can have serious health consequences if there are not proper checks to make sure they comply with safety laws.

“The Government has published proposals that would require online marketplaces to exercise due care in preventing, identifying and removing dangerous products sold through their platforms, an area where regulation is currently far too limited.

“Ministers now urgently need to introduce legislation that makes these duties sufficiently robust and properly enforceable. The longer the Government delays taking action, the greater the risk that more dangerous products will reach consumers.”

A spokesman for Amazon said: “Customer safety is our top priority and we are taking this issue very seriously. We are in the process of removing all products in this category across our store while we investigate further, and as a result the highlighted items have been removed.”

Asda confirmed they initiated a complete product recall immediately upon learning the product had failed testing. They urged customers who had purchased the item to stop using it immediately and return it to their nearest store for a full refund.

A spokeswoman for eBay said: “We swiftly removed the items identified by Which? and are conducting further sweeps to identify similar listings.”

TikTok confirmed the product identified during the investigation had already been removed from TikTok Shop.

ROME (AP) — Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard won the Giro d’Italia on Sunday, becoming the eighth male rider to win all three Grand Tours.

Vingegaard, who rides for Team Visma-Lease a Bike, ended the three-week race with an overall advantage of 5 minutes, 22 seconds over second-place Felix Gall. Jai Hindley finished third, 6:25 behind.

Vingegaard won the Tour de France in 2022 and ’23 and last year clinched his first Spanish Vuelta title. It was his first Giro.

“It’s amazing. It’s something I’ve dreamt of my whole life and to now be able to do it, it’s something special,” an emotional Vingegaard said in his first interview as Giro winner. “I’m lost for words.

“It was a really special day, with so many people on the side of the road, so many spectators, it was really incredible. To get the honor to wear the maglia rosa in the streets of Rome is something special. With these last three weeks, it’s just such a nice way to end this race.”

After crossing the line in Rome, the 29-year-old Vingegaard embraced his wife and two children, who were wearing replicas of his maglia rosa — the leader’s pink jersey.

“Yeah, that’s even nicer, it also gives me tears in my eyes, they’re always there for me,” said Vingegaard, who has celebrated his five stage wins at the Giro by kissing the photo of his family that is on the handlebar of his bicycle, before kissing his wedding ring.

Vingegaard also carried his children with him to the podium, where he was presented with the Trofeo Senza Fine (Trophy With No End).

Having dominated his first Giro — living up to his billing as pre-race favorite — Vingegaard will turn his attention to the Tour de France as he attempts to become the ninth man to complete the Giro-Tour double in the same year.

However, there he will face cycling’s top talent Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian, who skipped the Giro to focus on adding to his four Tour titles, became the first man in 26 years to do the Giro-Tour double when he achieved the feat in 2024.

Sunday’s largely processional final Giro stage, that ended with eight laps through Rome, was won by sprint specialist Jonathan Milan.

The 131-kilometer route started in Rome and then went out the sea before returning to the Italian capital for the finishing circuit.

So relaxed were the riders that they were all seen sharing a box of sweets as they started the stage, before also being given glasses of Prosecco. They also all posed for team photos during the ride out to the sea.

Milan, who had seen other bids for stage wins end in disappointment earlier in the race, finally got his victory. The Italian edged out compatriot Giovanni Lonardi and French cyclist Paul Penhoët in a bunch sprint.

“I’m super happy to end this Giro in this way,” Milan said. “It’s beautiful. After three weeks that we were looking for this, winning the last stage in Rome means that we were keeping the head there, we never give up, we always keep fighting for the victory, we were always believing in it, we always believe in each other.”

___

AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling

The challenge will raise money for research into motor neurone disease (MND).

Doddie Weir’s wife and son will join former England rugby captain Lewis Moody on a gruelling 500-mile charity cycling challenge to raise cash for research into motor neurone disease (MND) this month.

Kathy and Hamish Weir will take part in the seven-day charity ride alongside the 2003 World Cup winner, who last autumn revealed he had also been diagnosed with MND.

Moody is raising money for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, founded by the Scottish rugby great and MND campaigner who sadly died in November 2022 aged 52 after a six-year battle with the disease.

Moody said having Weir’s family alongside him will be “incredibly poignant and powerful”.

“Doddie did so much to change the conversation around MND, and in many ways this ride feels like continuing something he started,”

Moody added. “There’s a real sense of carrying the baton forward. Doddie inspired people because he faced this disease head on with unbelievable courage, humour and determination, and I think all of us involved in the ride feel a responsibility to keep pushing that fight forward.

“When you see Kathy and Hamish there beside you, it’s impossible not to feel extra motivation.

This ride is about raising money, of course, but it’s also about showing the MND community that we’re still fighting, still driving awareness, and still refusing to accept that this disease cannot be beaten.”

The Lewis XV’s challenge will begin on Sunday June 14 at the northernmost Prem Rugby club, Newcastle Red Bulls, and will end at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham, south-west London, on Saturday June 20 to deliver the match ball for the Gallagher Prem Rugby Final.

Moody and Kathy and Hamish Weir will be joined by a group of rugby stars during the challenge. “When you get diagnosed with something like MND, you very quickly realise how important people are.”

Moody said. “This ride is about mates coming together, communities coming together, and hopefully showing people living with MND that they are not alone.

“This disease affects families everywhere and we need people to rally behind the MND community in the same way rugby people always rally behind each other.

“If people can donate, come out and support us along the route, or simply help spread the word, it genuinely makes a difference. We want this to feel like something the whole rugby community is part of.”

Paul Thompson, director of fundraising at the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, said: “Lewis has already inspired so many people through the way he has approached his diagnosis, and this challenge is another example of that courage and leadership.

“This is about much more than rugby. It’s about friendship, family, resilience and communities coming together behind a common cause. Every mile ridden and every pound raised will help us continue accelerating research towards effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure for MND.”

Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE.