Taipei, June 19 (IANS) Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has called on China to stop its military expansion in the South and East China Seas, the Taiwan Strait, and any use of force against the island, local media reported on Friday. During a reception for foreign correspondents in Taipei on Thursday, Lai Ching-te expressed Taiwan’s willingness to engage in exchanges and cooperation based on equality and dignity, in pursuit of peaceful and mutually beneficial development. He noted that 2026 marks…

Dhaka, June 19 (IANS) Bangladesh’s Awami League expressed grave concern over the arrest of former lawmaker and party leader Laila Parveen Sejuti after reportedly securing bail from the High Court, stating that the development has sparked renewed debate over the state of the rule of law in the country.The statement came after former Member of Parliament Sejuti was shown to be arrested in a murder case filed with Satkhira Sadar Police Station, despite having obtained bail from the High Court in …

Kabul, June 19 (IANS) Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence on Friday claimed that that it conducted airstrikes against alleged ISIS-linked targets in Pakistan, local media reported. In a statement issued on Friday, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence said that its forces carried out overnight airstrikes against what it said were ISIS-linked facilities in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces of Pakistan, Afghanistan-based news agency Khaama Press reported.The ministry said that the places that…

Islamabad, June 19 (IANS) As many as seven people were killed and eight others were injured after heavy rains and windstorm lashed several parts of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local media reported on Friday. Roofs and walls of several houses and shops collapsed after windstorm and torrential rain lashed Paharpur city and surrounding villages of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan on Thursday. Rescue teams and local conducted relief operation to find victims from rubble and took the…

Abuja, June 19 (IANS) In a significant move towards enhancing defence partnership, Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria Abhishek Singh met Nigerian Defence Minister, Christopher Gwabin Musa, and discussed the ongoing progress in bilateral defence cooperation.In a statement shared on X on Friday, the Indian High Commission in Abuja posted: “HC Abhishek Singh met H.E. General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd.), Honourable Minister of Defence of Nigeria, on the sidelines of a diplomatic event today an…

Islamabad, June 19 (IANS) As many as 8.6 million children are engaged in child labour in Pakistan, with more than 6.6 million involved in hazardous labour that poses a threat to their health, safety and future, according to a national report launched by the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) in collaboration with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), local media reported on Friday. The report “Pakistan: Child Labour Surveys, Evidence for Action” was the first nationally represent…

Bern, June 19 (IANS) The planned talks between the US, Iran, Qatar and Pakistan have been postponed, Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday, while expressing readiness to facilitate these talks. In a statement, Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs stated, “The Planned talks between the US, Iran, Qatar and Pakistan have been postponed. Switzerland remains ready to facilitate these talks. The relevant preparatory work at Burgenstock is continuing. No…

Paris, June 19 (IANS) A leading international human rights organisation strongly condemned the incident in which more than one hundred workers reportedly fell ill after consuming water supplied by a garment factory in Bangladesh’s Gazipur district, warning that such an incident reflects serious failures in workplace health and safety measures.The remarks came after over 100 workers at the Dressman Limited garment factory in the Chandra area of Kaliakoir upazila in Gazipur fell ill on Thursday …

Geneva, June 19 (IANS) India firmly rejected “baseless and malicious allegations” by Pakistan, while dismissing references to the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir made by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), reiterating that the region remains an “integral and inalienable” part of the country.Speaking at the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council, First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, Anupama Singh said, “India is compelled to e…

United Nations, June 19 (IANS) With “Oms”, asanas and breathing exercises, hundreds of diplomats, UN staffers and visitors celebrated the International Day of Yoga here.The theme of this year’s celebration is “Yoga for Healthy Ageing”, which Secretary-General Anotnio Guterres said “speaks to the vital importance of physical and mental well-being, mobility, and dignity as populations age across the globe”.“Yoga teaches us mindfulness, respect, and care for ourselves, for our plane…