New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) Afghanistan has lately renewed its demands to be included among countries being represented at the United Nations, terming reports of the Taliban regime forbidding women from taking up jobs as “propaganda outside the country”, say recent reports from Kabul. The regime has yet to be granted official recognition by the world body or its member-states, except Russia. Moscow officially recognised the Taliban government in Afghanistan in 2025, remaining the only country t…

Harare, Aug 19 (IANS) African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf on Wednesday expressed condolences to the government and people of Zimbabwe following the Lake Kariba ferry disaster, which has claimed 94 lives. “At this difficult moment of grief, my thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families and with all those who survived this tragic incident,” Youssouf said on the social media platform X. “I wish them strength, comfort and healing as they cope with this profound lo…

Dhaka, Aug 19 (IANS) Citing it as a “dangerous” development, a report has highlighted that Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Bangladesh’s radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, is seeking to establish extremist Asif Adnan at Dhaka University by portraying him as an innocent individual who was victimised by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s counterterrorism campaign. Bangladesh police arrested Adnan and Fazle Elahi Tanzil from their homes in Dhaka in 2014 after investigators trace…

Brussels, Aug 19 (IANS) The European Union (EU) leaders on Wednesday voiced firm support for the International Criminal Court (ICC), a day after the United States imposed sanctions on the court’s president and a senior lawyer. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa said on social media platform X that they stood firmly with the ICC, its President Tomoko Akane and officials working to uphold its mission.”The ICC helps deliver justice to the…

Kinshasa, Aug 19 (IANS) Children account for about one-third of reported deaths in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), despite representing only around one-fifth of confirmed cases, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said Wednesday in its latest situation report. According to UNICEF, children aged 17 and below account for approximately 21 per cent of confirmed cases but 33 per cent of reported deaths, pointing to a “concerning upward trend” in the m…

New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) India’s primary concern would not necessarily be the supply of drones developed by leading Ukrainian drone and missile manufacturer ‘Fire Point’ to Pakistan, as Ukraine is unlikely to deliver them amid the ongoing war with Russia. New Delhi should instead be more focused on the possibility of a technology pipeline developing between the two countries than on the acquisition of a specific weapon, a report has highlighted. “Pakistan has already declared the rapid expansi…

Kathmandu, Aug 19 (IANS) Indian Army Chief, General Dhiraj Seth, concluded his four-day official visit to Nepal on Wednesday, returning to India after holding a series of high-level meetings and engagements aimed at strengthening military ties between the two neighbouring countries. General Seth and his wife, Komal Seth, departed from Kathmandu on Wednesday, the Nepali Army said in a statement. Nepal’s Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Pradeep Jung K C, and his wife bid farewell to …

New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) India and Malaysia reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen bilateral cooperation in public administration, governance reforms, capacity building and exchange of best practices, an official statement said on Wednesday.The 2nd India–Malaysia Joint Working Group Meeting saw officials discussing capacity‑building under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programme, and Malaysia sharing positive feedback on academic modules, institutional and field visits.Mala…

Quetta, Aug 19 (IANS) Another five Baloch civilians were extrajudicially killed by Pakistani forces in Balochistan, a leading human rights organisation alleged on Wednesday. This latest incident comes against the backdrop of a growing wave of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances across the province.Citing reports, human rights body Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) revealed that the mutilated bodies of five civilians have been recovered from different parts of Balochistan, including K…

New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) Kuwait’s ambassador to India, Mishal Mustafa Al-Shamali, reaffirmed the strength of ties between the two countries while attending Independence Day celebrations at the Presidential Palace here, a new report has said.Al-Shamali, who attended the event at the invitation of President Droupadi Murmu, praised the Indian community in Kuwait as a “vital bridge” of communication between the nations, the report from Kuwait-based Arab Times said.He congratulated India’s le…