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Ukraine to Observe Own Truce with Russia Starting May 6, Zelensky Says

A resident stands near buildings damaged by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Chornomorsk, Odesa region, Ukraine May 3, 2026. (Reuters)
A resident stands near buildings damaged by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Chornomorsk, Odesa region, Ukraine May 3, 2026. (Reuters)
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Ukraine to Observe Own Truce with Russia Starting May 6, Zelensky Says

A resident stands near buildings damaged by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Chornomorsk, Odesa region, Ukraine May 3, 2026. (Reuters)
A resident stands near buildings damaged by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Chornomorsk, Odesa region, Ukraine May 3, 2026. (Reuters)

Ukraine will observe its own truce with Russia starting May 6, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday, after Moscow declared a unilateral truce with Ukraine over the May 9 Russian holiday.

"As of today, there has been no official appeal to Ukraine regarding the modality of a cessation of hostilities that is being claimed on Russian social media," Zelensky said in a post on X.

"In this regard, we are announcing a ceasefire regime starting at 00:00 (2100 GMT) on the night of May 5-6. In the time left until that moment, it is realistic to ensure that silence takes effect," he added.

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IAEA Says Drone Damaged Equipment at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant in Ukraine

The interior of the damaged flat in an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine February 26, 2026. (Reuters)
The interior of the damaged flat in an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine February 26, 2026. (Reuters)
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IAEA Says Drone Damaged Equipment at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant in Ukraine

The interior of the damaged flat in an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine February 26, 2026. (Reuters)
The interior of the damaged flat in an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine February 26, 2026. (Reuters)

The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Monday meteorological monitoring equipment at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine had been damaged by a drone.

The Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe's largest with six reactors, was seized by Russian forces in the early weeks of Moscow's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Each side has since regularly accused the other of military action which could compromise safety at ‌the plant, ‌located near the war's front ‌line.

Posting ⁠on X, the ⁠IAEA said a team of its experts had visited the station's External Radiation Control Laboratory (ERCL), a day after the plant's Russian management said it had been hit by a drone.

"Team observed damage to some of the lab's meteorological monitoring equipment ⁠which is no longer operational," the ‌IAEA, the UN's nuclear ‌watchdog, said in its statement.

The statement said IAEA Director ‌General Rafael Grossi had issued a fresh appeal "for ‌maximum military restraint near all nuclear facilities to avoid safety risks".

The plant, which now produces no electricity, has been struck several times by drones since the ‌beginning of the conflict. The plant's management on Sunday said damage has been minor ⁠and that ⁠operations were otherwise unaffected.

One of the station's external power lines - required to keep nuclear fuel cool - has been down since late March and the IAEA said last week it was trying to arrange a local ceasefire to carry out repair work.

Grossi has paid several visits to the Zaporizhzhia plant since it came under Russian control and the IAEA has placed observers permanently at Zaporizhzhia and Ukraine's three other functioning nuclear stations.

World

China Fireworks Factory Explosion Kills Tens, Injures 61

Image from the explosion site (Chinese media)
Image from the explosion site (Chinese media)
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China Fireworks Factory Explosion Kills Tens, Injures 61

Image from the explosion site (Chinese media)
Image from the explosion site (Chinese media)

The death toll from a giant explosion at a fireworks factory in central China rose to 26, with 61 more injured, officials said Tuesday.

The explosion occurred at around 4:43 pm on Monday at the Liuyang Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Company in Liuyang, Hunan province, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Following the blast, all fireworks makers in Hunan's provincial capital Changsha, which administers Liuyang, had been ordered to stop production ahead of safety inspections, CCTV said.

Videos on social media from Monday showed continuous explosions accompanied by a vast cloud of smoke rising high into the air in a rural area surrounded by mountains, said AFP.

Drone footage from CCTV taken a day later showed a swathe of smoldering debris where buildings had stood, with rescue workers and excavators scouring the rubble.

Smoke continued to rise from some buildings left standing, many of them with their roofs blown off.

Changsha mayor Chen Bozhang told a news conference on Tuesday afternoon that another five people had died since earlier reports that 21 were killed.

"We feel deeply grieved and filled with remorse," Chen said, adding that search and rescue work was "basically complete".

The central government had sent experts to guide rescue efforts, while more than 480 rescuers had been urgently dispatched to the site, according to CCTV.

They had established a 3-kilometer (1.9-mile) control zone around the site and evacuated people nearby.

Police had apprehended the company's management while investigations into the cause of the accident continue, CCTV said.

President Xi Jinping had called for "all-out efforts" to treat the injured, search for missing persons, and for those responsible to be held accountable, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Liuyang is a major fireworks hub, producing around 60 percent of the fireworks sold in China and 70 percent of those exported.

Industrial accidents, including in the fireworks industry, are common in China due to lax safety standards.

Last year, an explosion at another fireworks factory in Hunan killed nine people, and in 2023, three people were killed after blasts struck residential buildings in the northern city of Tianjin.

In February, separate explosions at fireworks shops in Hubei and Jiangsu provinces killed 12 and eight people.

World

Alberta Separatist Group Says It Has Enough Signatures to Trigger Referendum on Leaving Canada

This aerial view shows the downtown skyline in Edmonton, Canada, at sunset on May 3, 2026. (AFP)
This aerial view shows the downtown skyline in Edmonton, Canada, at sunset on May 3, 2026. (AFP)
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Alberta Separatist Group Says It Has Enough Signatures to Trigger Referendum on Leaving Canada

This aerial view shows the downtown skyline in Edmonton, Canada, at sunset on May 3, 2026. (AFP)
This aerial view shows the downtown skyline in Edmonton, Canada, at sunset on May 3, 2026. (AFP)

Alberta separatists said Monday they have formally submitted almost 302,000 signatures to try to trigger a referendum on the province leaving Canada.

The group needed 178,000 signatures to force the province to consider such a vote.

The question of separation could go on a provincewide ballot as early as October, as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said she would move forward if enough names are gathered and verified. Smith has said she personally does not support the oil-rich province leaving Canada.

A “yes” vote would not trigger independence automatically. Negotiations with the federal government would have to take place and Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, said some Indigenous groups who are already using the courts to prevent an independence referendum would use venues including the courts to stop independence from happening.

Mitch Sylvestre, the head of Stay Free Alberta, arrived at the Elections Alberta office in Edmonton on Monday leading a convoy of seven trucks to deliver the names.

“This day is historic in Alberta history,” Sylvestre said. “It’s the first step to the next step — we’ve gotten by Round 3 and now we’re in the Stanley Cup final.”

He said most papers were handled five times to verify the signatures.

More than 300 supporters gathered, waving the provincial flag and chanting “Alberta strong.”

However, the petition could face another hurdle this week as an Edmonton, Alberta, judge is expected to rule on a court challenge launched by a group of Alberta First Nations who say Alberta separation would violate treaty rights.

Smith has accused previous federal Liberal governments of introducing legislation that hamstrings Alberta’s ability to produce and export oil, which she said has cost the province billions of dollars. She also said she doesn’t want the federal government meddling in provincial issues.

Prime Minister Mark Carney's federal government did not immediately respond to the development.

Béland, the political science professor at McGill, said a referendum is likely to lose.

“Right now, support for independence in Alberta is rather low. Less than 30% and much lower if we only focus on hard core supporters. And the odds of a victory of the pro-independence camp appear to be low at this stage," he said.

Béland also said considering recent news of a large data breach involving an Alberta separatist group, the formal verification process is especially crucial to make sure the signatures are authentic.

“Mark Carney is indeed popular, even in Alberta. The push for independence by some Albertans predates his prime ministership and it’s related to economic, fiscal, and political grievances about the seemingly unfair treatment of Alberta by the federal government," he said. “These concerns increased during the Justin Trudeau years but they have peaked and even declined since he left office.”