Taliban kidnap 25 men from buses in Afghan south By: Reuters on June 22, 2016KABUL: Taliban fighters in the southern Afghan province of Helmand stopped vehicles and detained at least 25 people, officials said on Tuesday, as the insurgents continued a series of abductions on Afghanistan’s highways over the past few weeks. Omar Zwak, a spokesperson for the governor of Helmand, said 18 women and children were released by […]
Busload of Nepali guards killed in Afghan attacks By: AFP on June 21, 2016KABUL: A busload of Nepali security guards were among 23 people killed in a string of bombings across Afghanistan on Monday, days after Washington expanded the US military’s authority to strike the Taliban. A Taliban spokesman on Twitter claimed the first attack, which killed 14 Nepali security guards working for the Canadian Embassy in Kabul […]
Indian FS secretly visited China for support on NSG By: Online on June 20, 2016NEW DELHI: Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaiishankar visited China on June 16-17 to seek Beijing’s support for India’s NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group) membership bid, Indian media quoting officials reported on Sunday. His under the radar visit comes ahead of a key NSG meet to be held in Seoul on June 24. Confirming Jaishankar’s unannounced trip […]
Govts should direct SOEs to become role models in human rights: UN official By: APP on June 19, 2016UNITED NATIONS: A United Nations expert group has recently said that the State-owned enterprises (SOEs) must assume a lead, by example, in respecting human rights. It also noted that the governments often ask private businesses to respect human rights, but do not seem to do so themselves. “Governments are currently sending an incoherent message to […]
Indian court jails 11 Hindus for life over massacre in Gujarat By: AFP on June 18, 2016AHMEDABAD: An Indian court jailed 11 Hindus for life on Friday over the massacre of dozens of Muslims in Gujarat state 14 years ago, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was chief minister. The court sentenced 12 others to seven years in jail over the murder of 69 Muslims who were hacked and burnt to death […]
Gun battle in Indian-held Kashmir kills five By: AFP on June 17, 2016SRINAGAR: An Indian soldier and four Kashmiri separatists were killed in a gun battle in the Indian-occupied Kashmir on Thursday, an army spokesman said. Soldiers intercepted a group of separatists trying to cross the heavily militarised de-facto border from Pakistan into India at daybreak, triggering a fierce firefight, spokesman N N Joshi said. “Four separatists […]
UNSC calls for greater representation and participation of women By: APP on June 16, 2016UNITED NATIONS: Despite various commitments by the international community, the inconsistent levels of political will, resourcing, accountability and gender expertise often hinder the full and meaningful inclusion of women in efforts to prevent conflict, the UN Security Council has said. This was said while calling for an increase in the equal participation, representation and full […]
Growing Indo-Afghan ties irk Pakistan: Karzai By: Agencies on June 16, 2016KABUL: Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai has said that Pakistan does not want good relations between India and Afghanistan and wants no bilateral trade and no access to Central Asia for India, which is unacceptable for Afghanistan. In an interview with BBC Urdu on Thursday, Karzai claimed that India is helping Afghanistan build its infrastructure […]
‘Disability is not inability,’ says UN chief, urging equal rights for all people with disabilities By: By Our Special Correspondent on June 15, 2016UNITED NATIONS: Marking the 10th anniversary of a United Nations treaty that protects the rights of persons with disabilities, senior UN officials have highlighted the critical role of people with disabilities to play as an invaluable partner to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. “Through the power of music and the arts, these talented […]
Shanghai airport blast injures five By: Agencies on June 13, 2016SHANGHAI: A man set off a home-made explosive at a terminal in Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport on Sunday, the city’s government said, injuring five people, including himself. The explosion occurred near the airport’s Terminal Two ticketing area and the people who were injured were taken away for medical treatment, the Shanghai government said in a […]