Abu Dhabi, May 22 (IANS) The all-party delegation led by Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde on Thursday held meetings with leaders of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Abu Dhabi, reiterating India’s strong stance against terrorism.

The Indian parliamentarians met Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE’s Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, and reaffirmed that both New Delhi and Abu Dhabi, stand united in the fight against terrorism.The leaders discussed their shared commitment to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar also took to his social media following the meeting of the Shinde-led delegation with the UAE leaders, stating, “A nation united sends a strong message on combating terrorism.”The all-party delegation also met Ali Alnuaimi, Chairman of Defence Affairs, Interior and Foreign Affairs Committee, Federal National Council, and FNC members of the UAE.The meeting underscored India and the UAE’s shared resolve for zero tolerance against terrorism, and also addressed Parliamentary cooperation between both nations.The delegation, part of India’s massive global outreach campaign on Operation Sindoor, arrived in the UAE early on Thursday morning. It includes BJP MPs Bansuri Swaraj, Atul Garg, and Manan Kumar Mishra, BJD’s Sasmit Patra, IUML MP E.T. Mohammed Basheer, BJP leader S.S. Ahluwalia, and former Ambassador Sujan Chinoy.After the UAE, it will visit Liberia, Congo, and Sierra Leone.India’s massive campaign is aimed at exposing Pakistan’s role in fostering cross-border terrorism. The initiative, steered by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), is a first-of-its-kind multi-party foreign engagement effort aimed at presenting a unified national front against terrorism and internationally isolating Pakistan for its continued sponsorship and sheltering of terror networks.The campaign is aimed at building global consensus and isolating Pakistan diplomatically. It stands out as one of India’s most extensive and unified diplomatic efforts against terrorism, promoting global accountability for state-backed terror networks.–IANSint/scor/sd/as

Tokyo, May 22 (IANS) Japan, which shares a ‘Special Strategic and Global Partnership’ with India on Thursday condemned in the strongest terms the growing threat of terrorism as the country hosted a visiting delegation of Indian Parliamentarians led by Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kumar Jha.

The all-party parliamentary delegation from India, which arrived in Tokyo earlier in the day, called on Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, reaffirming India’s unwavering stand against terrorism under Operation Sindoor’s global outreach campaign that aims at exposing Pakistan and the global terror outfits operating from its soil.At the beginning, Iwaya offered his condolences to those who lost their lives in the terrorist attack in Kashmir and offered his sympathies to those who were injured.”Minister Iwaya also stated that terrorism cannot be justified for any reason, that Japan firmly condemns terrorist acts in all forms, and that Japan is determined to join hands with the international community, including India, in a firm fight against terrorism,” read a statement issued by the Japanese Foreign Ministry after the meeting.As Iwaya welcomed the recent agreement by India and Pakistan to suspend military operations and mentioned that he had held telephone talks with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar and Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, hoping that the issue would be resolved through dialogue for the sake of peace and stability in South Asia, Jha, a Janata Dal (United) MP, explained in detail India’s position on the current situation.Interestingly, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is also in Tokyo and held the Foreign Secretary-Vice Minister Dialogue with Japan’s Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Takehiro Funakoshi.While exchanging views on recent regional situations, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, Misri also conveyed India’s message on zero tolerance for terror.Meanwhile, the all-party parliamentary delegation from India also held key talks with Takashi Endo, Chairman of the Japanese House of Representatives Committee on National Security.Iwaya emphasised the need to bring perpetrators of terror to justice and voiced strong support for India’s response to the Pahalgam attack.”Reiterated our national resolve to act firmly against terror and those who support it. Grateful for Japan’s support and for calling for justice against perpetrators of such acts,” Jha posted on X after the meeting.The delegation also includes BJP MPs Aparajita Sarangi and Brij Lal, Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member John Barittas, and senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid.Their visit marks the beginning of India’s unprecedented diplomatic campaign to expose Pakistan’s sustained role in cross-border terrorism following the April 22 Pahalgam attack.–IANSint/as

Seoul, May 22 (IANS) North Korea said Thursday a “serious accident” occurred the previous day during a ceremony to launch a new warship, with its leader Kim Jong-un calling it a “criminal act” that could not be tolerated.The accident took place Wednesday at a shipyard in the eastern port city of Chongjin during a ceremony to launch a newly built 5,000-tonne destroyer, attended by the North’s leader, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).Citing “inexperience command and operational carelessness” in the course of the launch, North Korea said a “serious accident” occurred as the launch slide of the stern departed first and was stranded while the flatcar failed to move in parallel.Some sections of the warship’s bottom were “crushed,” destroying the balance of the warship, and the bow couldn’t leave the shipway, it reported.After watching the whole course of the accident, Kim said, “It was a serious accident and criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism which is out of the bounds of possibility and could not be tolerated,” according to the KCNA.He ordered the restoration of the warship to be “completed unconditionally” before a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) set for June and gave an important instruction related to an investigation into the accident.”The immediate restoration of the destroyer is not merely a practical issue but a political issue directly related to the authority of the state,” Kim said.The political bureau of the WPK decided to convene the 12th plenary meeting of the party’s central committee in late June to review the first-half performance and policies for the second half, the KCNA said in a separate dispatch.The North did not disclose photos related to the latest accident.Considering that Kim called for the restoration to take place before the June party meeting, a unification ministry official said the scope of the damage is likely not large and appears to be recoverable.”By using the expression ‘absolute carelessness,’ (Kim) could have aimed at shoring up internal discipline through a stern reprimand,” the official said, noting the accident was reported on the front page of the North’s main newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun.South Korea’s military said the North appears to have failed in using a side launching technique.”South Korea and US intelligence authorities had been tracking and monitoring the movement of a large-sized warship at the North’s Chongjin port,” Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), told a regular press briefing.”We assess (the warship’s) side launching failed,” Lee said, adding the destroyer remains partially capsized on the sea.The latest accident came as the North has been ramping up efforts to modernise its naval capabilities, conducting a firing test on a newly built 5,000-tonne destroyer just days after its launch, Yonhap news agency reported.Last month, North Korea unveiled the new multipurpose destroyer, named the Choe Hyon. It said the warship is equipped with supersonic strategic cruise missiles, tactical ballistic missiles and other strike means.–IANSint/jk/

Tokyo, May 22 (IANS) An all-party parliamentary delegation led by Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay…

Seoul, May 22 (IANS) North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles toward the East Sea on Thursday, South Korea’s military said, a day after a “serious” accident occurred during Pyongyang’s launch of a new warship.The launches took place as North Korea said earlier in the day that parts of a new naval destroyer were “crushed” during its launch ceremony Wednesday, with the North’s leader Kim Jong-un calling it a “criminal act” that could not be tolerated.The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the North’s missile launches at about 9 a.m. from the Sondok area in South Hamgyong Province, without providing further details, such as the number of missiles fired.The military believes the missiles may have been fired from a maritime platform and are conducting a detailed analysis with US intelligence authorities.In February last year, North Korea test-fired a new surface-to-sea missile, named Padasuri-6. Authorities are looking into the possibility that the latest launch may have involved a variant of the anti-ship missile.The JCS said it is closely monitoring North Korean activities so that Pyongyang does not “misjudge” the current security situation, adding that it is maintaining the capabilities to “overwhelmingly” respond to any provocation.North Korea has staged a series of military demonstrations this month, including the launch of multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on May 8.The South’s military usually does not immediately announce North Korean cruise missile launches, compared with ballistic ones, which are banned under UN Security Council resolutions, Yonhap news agency reported.Earlier on May 17, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un oversaw anti-air combat and air raid drills by an air force flight group this week, stressing the need for constant and stronger war preparations across all military units.Kim gave the guidance during his visit on Thursday to the flight group under the Guards 1st Air Division of the Korean People’s Army, calling on “all the units of the entire army to bring about a radical turn in the preparations for war in constant war posture,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.The drills were aimed at familiarising flying corps as well as anti-air missile, radar, and electronic warfare subunits with the mission to detect, track, and destroy enemy cruise missiles and suicide drones, according to the KCNA.The drills included a test of a new-type long-range precision glide-guided bomb and a target attack exercise, as well as a training program for destroying enemy drones with a helicopter, precision bombing of naval targets, and a demonstration flight of strategic reconnaissance drones and multipurpose drones, the KCNA said.–IANSint/jk/skp

Athens, May 22 (IANS) An earthquake of magnitude 6.0 struck off the coast of Crete in Greece on Thursday, said the German Research Centre for Geosciences.The earthquake also prompted the European authorities to issue a tsunami warning. The tremor struck at 6.19 a.m, 58 km north-northeast of Elounda in northeastern Crete, and was 60 km deep, according to initial estimates.Reports suggest that there have been no injuries or damage, but the tremor was felt across Crete and nearby islands, rattling the locals.According to reports, several aftershocks followed, and the fire services of Crete have been put on alert.Speaking to national broadcaster ERT, the president of the Earthquake Planning and Protection Organisation, Efthimios Lekkas, stated that it was likely that the epicenter of the earthquake was located in the sea.Greece sits on major fault lines and experiences frequent seismic activity, and is one of the most seismically active regions in Europe, situated along a complex fault boundary between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates.Earlier on Monday, schools in a region of Greece’s Evia Island were closed as authorities took precautionary measures after a series of earthquakes shook the area over the weekend.According to the National Observatory of Athens, at least three tremors — ranging in magnitude from 4.1 to 4.5 on the Richter scale — were recorded since Sunday, followed by numerous aftershocks. The epicenter was located in central Evia, near the village of Prokopi.The strongest quake, a 4.5-magnitude tremor in the early hours of Monday, was felt in the Greek capital, Athens, approximately 80 km to the south, Xinhua news agency reported.According to Giorgos Tsapourniotis, mayor of the Mantoudi-Limni-Agia Anna municipality, the tremors damaged at least 20 houses, shops, and a monastery.Another earthquake jolted Greece on May 13 with a magnitude of 6.1, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.–IANSint/scor/jk/skp

Tokyo, May 22 (IANS) Members of the all-party delegation led by Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha began their visit to Japan by paying floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi in Edogawa, Tokyo.The delegation, including, Jha, BJP MPs Aparajita Sarangi and Brij Lal, Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member John Barittas, and senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, arrived in Tokyo on Thursday morning, marking the start of India’s massive diplomatic outreach on ‘Operation Sindoor.’Taking to X, Jha posted, “Commenced our visit by paying floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi Ji at Edogawa, Tokyo. This statue, unveiled by EAM S. Jaishankar in July 2024, stands as a symbol of peace and the enduring India–Japan friendship.””Honouring Bapu here in Japan reaffirms our shared commitment to his timeless principles of non-violence and harmony,” he added.This global campaign on Operation Sindoor will expose Pakistan’s role in fostering cross-border terrorism.Upon their arrival, the leaders were welcomed by Indian Ambassador to Japan Sibi George.Additionally, the delegation was also briefed by Ambassador Sibi George, who outlined the strategic roadmap for engagements with Japanese leadership and civil society.In a post on X, Aparajita Sarangi wrote, “Started off with briefing of the Delegation by Indian Ambassador to Japan at the Indian Embassy here. Also, we went to Edogawa in Tokyo and offered floral tributes before the statue of Mahatma Gandhi.”The visit focuses on rallying support for India’s zero-tolerance policy on terrorism, especially in the wake of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians.”India’s unwavering stand against cross-border terrorism, as seen in Operation Sindoor, will be highlighted in all engagements,” the Indian Embassy in Tokyo stated.This unprecedented global campaign is being coordinated by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). It involves seven high-level delegations, comprising 59 Members of Parliament, former ministers, diplomats, and senior political leaders, travelling to 33 countries between May 21 and June 5.While Jha’s team covers East and Southeast Asia, MP Shrikant Shinde leads another group to the UAE, Congo, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. Simultaneously, DMK leader Kanimozhi’s delegation is visiting Russia, Slovenia, Greece, Latvia, and Spain.The campaign’s primary objective is to present a unified Indian front against terrorism and internationally isolate Pakistan by highlighting its consistent support for terror networks.The MPs will engage with foreign governments, legislators, media, civil society, Indian diaspora, and international institutions, including the UN.They will present evidence of Pakistan’s backing of terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and its continued sheltering of globally designated terrorists.The initiative represents one of India’s strongest and most cohesive foreign outreach efforts in recent years, aimed at building international consensus against state-sponsored terrorism.–IANSint/sd/

Abu Dhabi, May 22 (IANS) The second all-party delegation led by Shiv Sena MP Shrikant…

Tokyo, May 22 (IANS) An all-party Indian parliamentary delegation led by Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha arrived in Tokyo on Thursday morning, marking the start of India’s massive diplomatic outreach on ‘Operation Sindoor.’This global campaign will expose Pakistan’s role in fostering cross-border terrorism.The delegation includes BJP MPs Aparajita Sarangi and Brij Lal, Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member John Barittas, and senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid.After Japan, they will continue their high-level engagements in South Korea (May 24), Singapore (May 27), Indonesia (May 28), and Malaysia (May 31).Upon their arrival, the leaders were welcomed by Indian Ambassador to Japan Sibi George, who outlined the strategic roadmap for engagements with Japanese leadership and civil society.The visit focuses on rallying support for India’s zero-tolerance policy on terrorism, especially in the wake of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians.”India’s unwavering stand against cross-border terrorism, as seen in Operation Sindoor, will be highlighted in all engagements,” the Indian Embassy in Tokyo stated.Sanjay Kumar Jha took to social media, writing, “Ohayo gozaimasu, Nihon! Good morning, Japan! Happy to have landed in Japan with an all-party Indian delegation. We seek continued support in India’s stand against cross-border terrorism, especially after the April 22 Pahalgam attack that took the lives of 26 innocent civilians.””India’s measured response in Operation Sindoor showed our zero-tolerance approach. Japan and India stand united for peace and democratic values,” he added.This unprecedented global campaign is being coordinated by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and involves seven high-level delegations, comprising 59 Members of Parliament, former ministers, diplomats, and senior political leaders, travelling to 33 countries between May 21 and June 5.While Jha’s team covers East and Southeast Asia, MP Shrikant Shinde leads another group to the UAE, Congo, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. Simultaneously, DMK leader Kanimozhi’s delegation is visiting Russia, Slovenia, Greece, Latvia, and Spain.The campaign’s primary objective is to present a unified Indian front against terrorism and internationally isolate Pakistan by highlighting its consistent support for terror networks.The MPs will engage with foreign governments, legislators, media, civil society, Indian diaspora, and international institutions, including the UN.They will present evidence of Pakistan’s backing of terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and its continued sheltering of globally designated terrorists.The initiative represents one of India’s strongest and most cohesive foreign outreach efforts in recent years, aimed at building international consensus against state-sponsored terrorism.–IANSint/sd/dpb

Jerusalem, May 22 (IANS) Israel’s Supreme Court has ruled that the government’s decision in March…