World News Roundup: Twelve Poles killed, 31 injured in Croatia bus crash; Hiroshima prays for peace, fears new arms race on atomic bombing anniversary and more

(2200 GMT) after authorities said the COVID situation was "very severe" and people's movements were being restricted. Taiwan says Chinese warplanes and ships conduct attack simulation exercise Taiwan officials said Chinese aircraft and warships rehearsed an attack on the island on Saturday, part of Beijing's retaliation for a visit there by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that has also seen it halt talks with the United States on issues including defence and climate change.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Twelve Poles killed, 31 injured in Croatia bus crash

Twelve people were killed and 31 injured, 18 of them seriously, when a Polish bus filled with religious pilgrims slipped off a road and crashed near Varazdin in northwestern Croatia early on Saturday, authorities said. Police, firefighters and medical teams were deployed to the site of the accident that occurred at 5:40 a.m. near Breznicki Hum in the direction of the capital Zagreb, the police said.

Blinken commits U.S. to defending Philippines against armed attacks

Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured the Philippines on Saturday that the United States would come to its defence if attacked in the South China Sea, seeking to allay concerns about the extent of the U.S. commitment to a mutual defence treaty. In meetings in Manila dominated by discussion on simmering U.S.-China tensions over the Taiwan visit of U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Blinken said a 70-year-old defence pact with the Philippines was "ironclad".

Air strikes, rocket attacks push Israel, Gaza into second day of fighting

Israel struck in Gaza and Palestinians fired rockets at Israeli cities on Saturday after an Israeli operation against the Islamic Jihad militant group ended more than a year of relative calm along the border. Israel on Friday killed one of the group's senior commanders in a surprise daytime air strike on a high-rise building in Gaza City which drew rocket salvoes in response.

Hiroshima prays for peace, fears new arms race on atomic bombing anniversary

Bells tolled in Hiroshima on Saturday as the city marked the 77th anniversary of the world's first atomic bombing, with officials including the United Nations secretary general warning of a new arms race following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, and, shortly after, Russian President Vladimir Putin had obliquely raised the possibility of a nuclear strike. The conflict has also heightened concerns about the safety of Ukraine's nuclear plants.

Chinese tourist hot spot Sanya imposes COVID lockdown

The southern Chinese resort city of Sanya imposed a lockdown on Saturday and restricted transport links to try to stem a COVID-19 outbreak that comes as some 80,000 visitors were enjoying its beaches at peak season. The curbs came into force at 6 a.m. (2200 GMT) after authorities said the COVID situation was "very severe" and people's movements were being restricted.

Taiwan says Chinese warplanes and ships conduct attack simulation exercise

Taiwan officials said Chinese aircraft and warships rehearsed an attack on the island on Saturday, part of Beijing's retaliation for a visit there by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that has also seen it halt talks with the United States on issues including defence and climate change. Pelosi's brief visit this week to the self-ruled island that China regards as its territory infuriated Beijing and prompted military drills that are unprecedented in scale around Taiwan and have included ballistic missiles fired over the capital, Taipei.

Blast hits Afghan capital Kabul, many feared injured

A bomb blast hit Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Saturday and many people were feared injured, witnesses said. The blast hit a busy shopping street in the western part of the city where members of the Shi'ite Muslim community regularly meet.

Head of Ukraine's Amnesty office leaves after group accuses Kyiv

The head of Amnesty International's Ukrainian branch is leaving the human rights body after the group accused Ukraine's armed forces of endangering civilians by basing troops in residential areas during the Russian invasion. Amnesty made the comments on Thursday and Kyiv likened it to Russian propaganda and disinformation.

Iran urges 'realistic' U.S. response to revive nuclear deal

Iran's foreign minister called on Saturday for a "realistic response" from the United States to Iranian proposals at indirect talks in Vienna aimed at reviving Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, state media reported. "Hossein Amirabdollahian... stressed the need for a realistic U.S. response to Iran's constructive proposals on various issues to make the deal work," state media reported, without providing details on the proposals.

Lack of trust, political will shackling Myanmar peace process, ASEAN envoy says

A lack of trust and political will is stifling Myanmar's peace process and the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN will keep shunning its ruling generals, unless they engage opponents and make concrete progress, a special regional envoy said on Saturday. Prak Sokhonn, Cambodia's deputy prime minister and chair of this week's regional foreign ministers' meetings, said he would not give up on Myanmar, even though he had seen no willingness from any party to give up their fight.

(With inputs from agencies.)