Kabul/New Delhi, May 16 (IANS) India and Afghanistan continue to redefine the historic friendship between…

Rome, May 17 (IANS) Global food insecurity and malnutrition continued to worsen in 2024, with 295 million people suffering from acute hunger across 53 countries, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and its partners said in a report.The figure represents an increase of 13.7 million compared to 2023, marking the sixth-consecutive annual rise in acute food insecurity in the world’s most fragile regions.The findings were published in the 2025 Global Report on Food Crises by the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC), an international alliance comprising the FAO, the UN World Food Programme (WFP), and various governmental and non-governmental organisations.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the figures as “another unflinching indictment of a world dangerously off course.”In the report’s foreword, he warned that “hunger and malnutrition are spreading faster than our ability to respond, yet globally, a third of all food produced is lost or wasted.”He added that long-standing crises are now being compounded by a more recent one: A dramatic reduction in lifesaving humanitarian funding.While acute food insecurity typically stems from a combination of factors – such as poverty, economic shocks, and extreme weather, the report emphasised that conflicts remained the primary driver in many of the worst-hit regions. Some populations faced conditions beyond acute hunger.Famine was confirmed in parts of Sudan in 2024, while catastrophic levels of food insecurity were recorded in the Gaza Strip, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali. In the Gaza Strip, famine was narrowly averted thanks to stepped-up humanitarian aid, but the report warned that the risk could return between May and September 2025 if the large-scale military operation and blockade continue.The report also highlighted the severe impact of forced displacement. Of the 128 million people forcibly displaced in 2024, nearly 95 million – including internally displaced persons, asylum seekers, and refugees – were living in countries already grappling with food crises, Xinhua news agency reported.In addition, economic shocks triggered food insecurity in 15 countries, affecting 59.4 million people, while extreme weather events pushed 18 countries into crisis, impacting more than 96 million people, particularly in Southern Asia, Southern Africa, and the Horn of Africa.FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu warned that acute food insecurity is becoming a persistent reality, especially in rural areas. “The path forward is clear: Investment in emergency agriculture is critical – not just as a response, but as the most cost-effective solution to deliver significant, long-lasting impact,” he said.–IANSint/jk/rad

Dhaka, May 17 (IANS) A Bangladesh court on Saturday sentenced one accused in the Magura child rape and murder case to death, and acquitted the remaining three. However, the family of the victim expressed dissatisfaction over the verdict.The judgment came months after the eight-year-old child succumbed to injuries following the sexual assault, local media reported.Judge Md Zahid Hasan of the Magura Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal passed the order sentencing the prime accused in the case, Hitu Sheikh, aged 50, to death.The victim’s mother who filed the case has expressed dissatisfaction to accept the acquittal of the other three accused in the rape and murder case.”Although Hitu Sheikh has been sentenced to death, the other three accused have been acquitted. We cannot accept this verdict,” a leading Bangladeshi newspaper, The Dhaka Tribune, quoted her as saying.”The plaintiff is not satisfied with this verdict. Therefore, we will decide through discussion whether to appeal this verdict in the higher court,” said Monirul Islam Mukul, the public prosecutor.According to reports, the tragic incident occurred in early March when the young victim was raped at her sister’s house in Magura.The child, who sustained critical injuries, was initially treated in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Dhaka Medical College Hospital before being transferred to CMH Hospital for advanced care.The 8-year-old rape victim passed away on March 13 at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka, after fighting for her life for a week.The brutal incident sparked protests across the country against the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, demanding justice and stricter measures to curb violence against women and children.Women in Bangladesh took to the streets demanding justice for rape, stricter punishment for offenders, and the resignation of Home Affairs Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury.Meanwhile, on Friday several thousand women thronged Dhaka, marching under “Women’s March for Solidarity” demanding that the interim government act against the threats women and minority communities face in the country.They also alleged a misinformation campaign against the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission, local media reported.The demonstrators said that women continue to face daily harassment, exclusion from decision-making, and online abuse, aimed at deterring their political participation.With the Yunus-led interim government assuming power in the South Asian nation last year, several cases of sexual violence against women have been reported.–IANSint/scor/sd

Colombo, May 17 (IANS) The Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka, along with Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre and Bihar Museum, organised ‘Dhamma Rupa’ exhibition as part of the Buddha Rashmi Vesak Festival at Seemamalakaya, Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo. The event scheduled from May 12-16 was attended by several dignitaries including Sri Lankan Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Members of Parliament.”Ministers, Deputy Ministers, MPs and dignitaries attended the ‘Dhamma Rupa’ exhibition, organised by High Commission of India in Colombo with ICCR’s Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre and Bihar Museum at Seemamalakaya, Gangaramaya Temple from May 12-16 as part of the Buddha Rashmi Vesak Festival,” Indian High Commission in Colombo posted on X on Saturday.”The exhibition received widespread appreciation from devotees for its spiritual and cultural insights. To mark the occasion, Sinhala translations of 5 Amar Chitra Katha Jataka Tales were gifted to visiting children, connecting young minds with the teachings of Lord Buddha,” the post added.The ‘Dhamma Rupa’ Exhibition celebrates India’s rich Buddhist sculptural legacy and presents rare photographic displays of iconic Buddha sculptures dating from the 1st century BCE to the 11th century CE.It showcases striking images of ancient Buddha sculptures excavated from various regions of India, now housed in the Bihar Museum.These sculptures reflect the spiritual depth and exquisite craftsmanship of early Buddhist artists and offer visitors a unique opportunity to experience the artistic and devotional expressions of Buddhist art from this formative period.Recognised as the most sacred Buddhist festival, Vesak commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and passing of Lord Buddha. The ‘Buddha Rashmi 2025’ National Vesak Zone aims to foster spiritual revival, cultural appreciation, and harmony among Buddhist devotees.Earlier this week, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, accompanied by High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha, inaugurated the exhibition during the opening of the Vesak Festival at Gangaramaya.The event, which was jointly organised by the Prime Minister’s Office and Gangaramaya Temple on May 12, saw the participation of Ministers and other dignitaries.The High Commission of India also distributed copies of the Sinhala translations of five Amar Chitra Katha comic books based on Jataka Tales at the exhibition venue to the visiting children as part of a special initiative to creatively engage young minds with the teachings and values of Lord Buddha.These initiatives reflect the continuing commitment of India to preserve, share, and celebrate the common Buddhist heritage of India and Sri Lanka.It is a reaffirmation of the deep-rooted civilisational ties and enduring cultural bond that unite the two nations through the timeless teachings of the Lord Buddha.–IANSint/scor/sd/

Seoul, May 17 (IANS) 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, Pyongyang’s state media reported on Saturday.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.Kim touted the drills as “very useful” for allowing pilots to gain experience in modern air combat methods, and presented directions for the development of air weapon systems, air defence means, detection and electronic warfare integrated systems and anti-drone integrated systems, according to the KCNA.The drills proved the air defence capabilities of the groups under the Guards 1st Air Division, the state media noted.State media photos showed a range of the North’s latest air assets, such as the MiG-29 and the Su-25 aircraft, deployed for the drills.Among the photos were what appeared to be a new air-to-air missile, first showcased in a 2021 arms fair, being launched from the MiG-29 fighter jet.”It is presumed to be a localised version of Russia’s R-27 mid-to-long range air-to-air missile developed by the Russian Air Force to be equipped on the MiG-29,” Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said, raising the possibility of Pyongyang receiving technological assistance from Moscow.State media photos also showed North Korean drones resembling the US Global Hawk and the Reaper, Yonhap news agency reported.The latest drills came as Kim has been highlighting the importance of modernising conventional weapons as he recently made a series of public visits to military units and munitions factories.Kim was accompanied by a group of party and military officials, including Ri Pyong-chol, general adviser for the munitions policy of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Committee, and Kim Yong-hwan, president of the Academy of Defence Sciences.–IANSint/jk/rad

Seoul, May 17 (IANS) Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday announced his departure from the People Power Party (PPP), urging the public to support the party’s presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo.In a post on his Facebook account, Yoon said, “I am leaving the People Power Party today,” adding, “Although I am leaving the party, I will continue to stand at the forefront to defend freedom and national sovereignty.”He also called on voters to unite behind Kim, emphasising the importance of participating in the upcoming election.”Please give your support to Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party. Make sure to cast your vote. Every single vote is a path toward safeguarding this country’s freedom, sovereignty and prosperity,” he said.Yoon was removed from office in April over his botched martial law attempt in December and is facing a criminal trial.Calls have been growing within the conservative PPP for the ousted President to sever his ties with the party, with many members believing that his departure is necessary to help boost Kim’s stagnant poll numbers against Democratic Party (DP) candidate Lee Jae-myung.”I believe the (former) President will make a rational decision,” Rep. Kim Yong-tae, interim party leader, said during a Press conference on Thursday. “As the interim leader, I would respectfully recommend the President leave the party.”PPP candidate Kim had largely retained a neutral position about Yoon’s potential exit from the party, saying it was up to Yoon to decide whether to leave the PPP, while more centrist members of the party had called for the leadership to voluntarily expunge Yoon’s party affiliation.After Yoon’s announcement, the PPP candidate said he “respects” the former President’s decision to leave the party, Yonhap news agency reported.”We will humbly accept his decision and work to make the party more united and innovative, so that the party, the campaign and the presidency can align with the will of the people,” Kim Moon-soo told reporters after a campaign meeting at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Centre in Gwangju, some 270 kilometres south of Seoul.When asked whether there had been any prior coordination with Yoon on his withdrawal, candidate Kim replied, “None at all.”Rival parties slammed Yoon’s PPP departure, claiming that his statement lacks a sense of apology to the public for his martial law fiasco.DP spokesperson Rep. Hwang Jung-a said during a briefing, “Yoon Suk Yeol’s departure statement is filled with delusion and self-obsession, with no trace of reflection or apology.””The PPP has forever branded itself as a pathetic remnant of insurrectionists, having failed to expel the leader of insurrection with its own hands.”Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate of the minor New Reform Party, also criticised Yoon.”It is repugnant that the very person who caused chaos consumed by delusions of election fraud is speaking of freedom, rule of law, sovereignty, happiness and security.” Lee wrote on his Facebook account.–IANSint/jk/rad

Islamabad, May 17 (IANS) Renowned Pakistani doctor Sheikh Ahmad Mahmood, belonging to the minority Ahmadiyya community, was shot inside Sargodha’s Fatima Hospital in the Punjab province by extremist elements because of his faith, according to local media reports. The police report stated that the gunman, on Friday, arrived at the hospital dressed in the uniform of “Clean Punjab Program” staff, approached the deceased and shot him two times in the back while saying: “I won’t spare you today, Mahmood,” critically damaging his internal organs.The doctor was taken to the District Headquarters Teaching Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.The attacker fled the scene after the fatal shooting with another person who arrived on a motorcycle.In a press release issued by the Ahmadiyya community, the doctor had been receiving threats for some time from extremist elements because of his faith, and they were forcing him to change the location of his job.”He was a very charitable person and had no enmity with anyone,” the Ahmadiyya community spokesperson said about the deceased, who was killed because of his faith.According to the community, this was the third Ahmadiyya to be targeted in the past month.”The sudden increase in the continuous target killing of Ahmadis due to differences in faith indicates a systematic wave. This is increasing the sense of insecurity among Ahmadis. This requires immediate attention and effective measures from the law enforcement agencies. The continuous increase in hate incidents against Ahmadis is condemnable. The higher authorities should take notice of these incidents and bring the perpetrators to justice according to the law,” the statement read.The spokesperson alleged that extremist elements were functioning against Ahmadiyya in Sargodha as well as in other areas, with frivolous cases being registered against them, and hate speeches were made to prevent the community from observing their religious rituals.Reports suggested that last month, a 46-year-old businessman was lynched when a few hundred supporters of a religio-political party stormed a place of worship belonging to the Ahmadiyya community in Karachi’s Saddar area to prevent them from performing religious rituals.In March, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, in a report titled ‘Under Siege: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2023-24’, revealed that freedom of religion or belief remains under constant threat in Pakistan, with religiously motivated violence and discrimination increasing yearly.The report cited an increasing trend of mob-led attacks on the homes of families belonging to religious minorities, as well as their places of worship.–IANSint/scor/sd/

Jerusalem, May 17 (IANS) The Israeli military said that it had stepped up its operations in the Gaza Strip, launching a wave of airstrikes and deploying additional ground forces in an effort to establish operational control in parts of the enclave.The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Friday, said the intensified assault marked the start of a new operation codenamed ‘Gideon’s Chariots,’ which aims to expand the scope of fighting and advance key war objectives, including the release of hostages and the dismantling of Hamas.”IDF troops will continue to operate in order to protect Israeli civilians and achieve the objectives of the war,” the military said in a statement.Earlier this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces would enter Gaza “with full force” in the coming days as part of efforts to defeat Hamas, Xinhua news agency reported.Health officials in Gaza said at least 109 people were killed and 216 wounded in the northern part of the territory on Friday amid the latest Israeli bombardment.The intensification followed Israel’s resumption of military operations in Gaza on March 18, after a brief lull in fighting. Since then, at least 2,985 Palestinians have been killed and 8,173 injured, bringing the total number of deaths since the conflict erupted in October 2023 to 53,119, with 120,214 wounded, according to Gaza’s health authorities.Hamas accused Israel on Thursday of disregarding ongoing ceasefire mediation efforts, saying the Israeli government is pursuing “an endless war.””Israel is responding to mediation efforts with military pressure on civilians, mass bombing, and more suffering for the Palestinian people in a desperate attempt to impose its terms under fire,” the group said in a statement.The Hamas-Israel war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a land, sea, and air assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip. The October 7 attack resulted in more than 1,200 deaths, primarily Israeli citizens, making it the deadliest day for Israel since its independence. More than 240 Israeli citizens were taken hostage during the attack.The next day, Israel declared itself in a state of war for the first time since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.–IANSint/rs/rad

Baghdad, May 17 (IANS) Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid met with visiting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Baghdad to discuss advancing regional peace and the upcoming 34th Arab League Summit.Rashid on Friday, welcomed Guterres and thanked him for attending the upcoming summit, according to a statement from the Iraqi Presidency.Rashid praised the longstanding and constructive partnership between Iraq and the UN, as well as the vital humanitarian and development work carried out by UN agencies operating in Iraq, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the statement.Hosting the summit reflects Iraq’s renewed role as a regional convener and its commitment to supporting multilateral initiatives that enhance security and cooperation, Rashid said, expressing hope that the summit would yield meaningful decisions to reinforce collective Arab action and solidarity.Guterres commended Iraq’s increasingly proactive role in promoting regional stability and voiced optimism about the summit’s potential to enhance Arab cooperation, accelerate sustainable development, and strengthen efforts to achieve lasting peace and stability across the region and beyond, the statement added.The meeting also addressed key themes and expected outcomes of the summit, including proposed resolutions aimed at fostering peace, unity, and prosperity across the Arab world, the statement said.The summit, scheduled for Saturday in Baghdad, will focus centrally on the Palestinian issue. It marks the second such event hosted by Iraq since the 2003 US invasion.–IANSint/rs

New York, May 17 (IANS) The man who attacked author Salman Rushdie, blinding him in one eye, was sentenced on Friday to 25 years in prison, the local prosecutor said.

Judge David Foley gave an unrepentant Hadi Matar at court in Mayville in New York State, near where the attack took place, for attempted murder.He was convicted under state laws in February, and he faces separate terrorism charges under federal laws.Matar, 27, also received a sentence of seven years that would run concurrently with the main sentence.The district prosecutor for Chautauqua County, Jason Schmidt, said after the sentencing, “I’m pleased with the sentence that was imposed by the judge.”Matar’s lawyer Nathaniel Barone said that he planned to file an appeal.Matar rushed to the stage and attacked Rushdie at the Chautauqua Institution in August 2022 when the author, who was under a fatwa from Iran’s Ayatollah, was about to speak.Rushdie was stabbed several times, including in his right eye, which he lost and now wears an eye patch.Henry Reese, who runs a programme to give persecuted writers asylum, was also injured during the attack.Rushdie detailed the attack and its aftermath in a memoir published in 2024, “Knife”.The origins of the attack go back to 1989, when Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini issued the fatwa calling for Rushdie’s death, saying that his novel published the previous year, “The Satanic Verses,” was blasphemous.This forced Rushdie to hide under the protection of British authorities for several years, before he moved to New York and began to appear in public.Before the sentencing, Matar told the judge Rushdie “wants to be a bully, he wants to bully other people. I don’t agree with that”.Rushdie was disrespectful to other people, Matar said in a rambling statement in which he spoke incongruously about freedom of speech and religion.”There’s an irony to all of this,” Schmidt said.”His value system is that he can impose his own sense of justice and sentencing upon somebody who violates, you know, his value system.”Barone said Matar was trying to let the court know that “he felt very strongly about his Muslim religion”.He noted that while some may have agreed with Matar, other Shia Muslims said, “What happened is wrong.”When federal charges were filed against Matar in July, Merrick Garland, who was then the Attorney General, said he “committed an act of terrorism in the name of Hezbollah, a designated terrorist organisation aligned with the Iranian regime”.Barone said that a hearing in the case was expected in July, and he expected the trial to start early next year.In the US legal system, there are separate — and sometimes overlapping — federal and state laws with separate state, local and federal court systems, and people can be tried on different charges in those courts.–IANSal/khz