New Delhi/Kabul, Aug 6 (IANS) After Mumbai, another Afghan Taliban representative has taken charge of the consular work in Hyderabad as the regime in Kabul continues to express its keenness on expanding diplomatic presence in India. A top source told IANS on Wednesday that M. Rehman, the Taliban regime’s new representative, has been heading Afghanistan’s Hyderabad consulate since June this year.Ikramuudin Kamil had last year taken charge of Afghanistan’s Mumbai Consulate while the Afghan Embassy…

Chandigarh, Aug 6 (IANS) The UK’s ‘Visa Fraud Ton Bacho’ campaign in Punjab has raised awareness of visa scam tactics, helping protect people from exploitation, financial loss, and emotional distress, the British High Commission said on Wednesday. The campaign will continue with active partnership from local stakeholders.The campaign was launched earlier this year with the High Commission working with the Indian authorities and local stakeholders to extend the campaign’s reach further to areas o…

Ahmedabad, Aug 6 (IANS) Gujarat Police have successfully dismantled an illegal call centre operating in the Hansol area of Ahmedabad, which was targeting American citizens through a fraudulent loan scheme. The action has drawn praise from the United States (US), highlighting the growing cooperation between Indian and American law enforcement agencies in tackling cybercrime.Reacting to the development, the U.S. Embassy in India issued a statement lauding the Gujarat Police for their swift and dec…

Moscow, Aug 6 (IANS) Russia’s Deputy Defence Minister Colonel General Aleksandr Fomin on Wednesday held a meeting with Vinay Kumar, India’s Ambassador to Russia, as both sides discussed ways to further intensify the multifaceted India-Russia Special Privileged Strategic Partnership.”During the talks, the sides discussed topical issues of bilateral cooperation in the defence sphere, confirmed the focus on further strengthening the specialised cooperation in the form of a particularly privileged s…

Taipei, Aug 6 (IANS) Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) said on Wednesday that 16 Chinese military aircraft, six naval vessels, and one official ship were detected operating around Taiwan until 6 am (local time) on Wednesday. According to Taiwan’s MND, eight out of 16 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern and eastern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ). In response to Chinese military activity, Taiwan’s armed forces monitored th…

Islamabad, Aug 6 (IANS) As torrential monsoon rainfall continues to batter Pakistan, the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) issued a flood alert for several regions in the country, local media reported on Wednesday.The warning comes as an intensifying monsoon system is expected to affect the upper and central regions of Pakistan from August 5-8.Additionally, the combined influence of penetrating monsoon currents and a westerly trough o…

Kyiv, Aug 6 (IANS) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that “mercenaries” from China and Pakistan, along with a few other nations, are fighting alongside Russian forces in the ongoing conflict. Zelensky’s statement came after he met with Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the Vovchansk direction.He stated that soldiers in this sector have mentioned the participation of “mercenaries” from China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and African countries in the war and vowed to respond to the…

Jakarta, Aug 6 (IANS) India’s steadfast support for ASEAN Centrality and community-building efforts, as well as its active participation in ASEAN-led mechanisms and fora, came in for huge praise from ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn during his meeting with newly-appointed Indian Ambassador Srinivas Gotru, on Wednesday. Gotru assumed office as India’s Ambassador to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), bestowing his Letter of Credence to the Secretary General of ASEAN, at the …

Sydney, Aug 6 (IANS) Australia’s Great Barrier Reef’s hard coral cover has sharply declined, returning to near long-term average levels after recent record highs, a report revealed Wednesday. The findings underscore a new volatility in coral health, according to the Australian Institute of Marine Science’s (AIMS) annual survey report of the world’s largest coral reef system off the coast of Australia’s Queensland.The Great Barrier Reef has experienced the largest annual decline in coral cover in…

Seoul, Aug 6 (IANS) Former first lady of South Korea Kim Keon Hee apologised Wednesday for causing concern to the people as she appeared for questioning by a special counsel over her alleged involvement in stock manipulation schemes, election meddling and other allegations. The wife of jailed former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived at special counsel Min Joong-ki’s office 10 minutes later than scheduled, becoming the first spouse of a former or sitting president to publicly appear as…