Seoul, May 22 (IANS) South Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday expressed deep condolences over the killings of two Israeli Embassy staff members who were shot to death in Washington.The shooting occurred on Wednesday (US time) as the two embassy employees were leaving an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee at a local Jewish museum, according to media reports.The 30-year-old suspect shouted, “Free, free Palestine,” as he was taken into custody, as per the reports.”The government offers its deepest condolences to the two Israeli Embassy staff members in the US, who were tragically killed in the shooting, as well as to their bereaved families,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.”The government expresses deep concern over this brutal criminal act, which cannot be justified under any circumstances,” it said, Yonhap news agency reported.The single shooter was identified by police as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago. Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a news briefing that the suspect shouted “Free, free Palestine!” while being taken into custody.The victims were Sarah Lynn Milgrim and her partner, Yaron Lischinsky, who both worked at the Israeli Embassy in Washington.”These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA. Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!” President Donald Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social early Thursday morning.”We will follow the facts. We will follow the law, and this defendant will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.The Wall Street Journal said Milgrim worked at the Department of Public Diplomacy in the embassy and Lischinsky immigrated to Israel from Germany at age 16, and served in the Israeli military. He completed his undergraduate and master degrees in Israel, before moving to Washington to work as a research assistant for the embassy’s political department in September 2022.”We are a resilient people,” Israeli Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter said at the news briefing with US authorities.”Together we won’t be afraid and we will stand and we will overcome the moral depravity of people who think they are going to achieve political gains through murder.” The Journal reported that the Ambassador also said that Lischinsky had just bought an engagement ring for Milgrim and was going to propose in Jerusalem next week.–IANSint/jk/vd

Islamabad/New Delhi May 22 (IANS) Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday proposed Saudi Arabia as a neutral venue for talks with India, stating that the United States could take lead as a mediator between the two countries.

Talking to journalists in Islamabad, Sharif said that if there are going to be talks between India and Pakistan, they will be at the National Security Advisors (NSA) level, adding that the agenda of the talks would be focused on Kashmir, water, terrorism, and trade.Shehbaz also said that the tensions between India and Pakistan are de-escalating in phases since the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) on both sides started engaging with each other.”If talks were held between the two arch rivals, the National Security Advisor will lead Pakistan’s side in the process. Saudi Arabia can be a neutral venue with the US leading mediations. But India has not agreed to any neutral venue for talks till now,” he said.”The agenda of the talks would be Kashmir, water, trade, and terrorism. These will be the key points during Pakistan-India talks,” Sharif added.Shehbaz said that the decision to promote Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir to Field Marshal, was taken solely by the government after consultation in the Federal Cabinet and getting a nod from Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) founder and brother Nawaz Sharif.The Pakistani’s PM’s comments came on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated India’s firm stance against terrorism, saying there would be no talks or trade with Islamabad unless it relinquishes its illegal occupation of Kashmir.”If there is to be any talk, it will be on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). If Pakistan continues to export terrorists, it will be left begging for every penny. It will not get a single drop of Indian water,” he said while addressing a massive public rally in Rajasthan’s Bikaner.PM Modi also made it clear that “playing with the blood of Indians will cost Pakistan dearly”.–IANSint/hamza/as

Dhaka, May 22 (IANS) A Bangladesh court on Thursday dismissed a writ petition seeking to stay the Election Tribunal’s verdict, declaring Ishraque Hossain as Mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC). The bench, comprising Justice Md Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Justice Debasish Roy Chowdhury, delivered the order following a hearing on the writ filed by Supreme Court lawyer Md Mamunur Rashid on May 13, local media reported.Several BNP leaders and activists, who continued their sit-in protest at the Kakrail intersection in Dhaka, demanding Ishraque be sworn in as the new Mayor of DSCC, cheered in happiness outside the state guesthouse ‘Jamuna’, the official residence of Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus.Ishraque’s supporters celebrated following the verdict in his favour, leading Bangladeshi daily The Dhaka Tribune reported.Despite heavy rain, they chanted slogans celebrating and also against Local Government Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain.The supporters of BNP leader Ishraq Hossain had been protesting in Dhaka for more than a week, pressing their demand, local media reported.On Wednesday evening, thousands of BNP leaders and activists, led by Ishraque, began their sit-in on the road adjacent to Yunus’s official reisdence causing a major disruption to traffic on the Matsya Bhaban intersection, Kakrail, and Circuit House Road — effectively isolating the area.The protests continued till Thursday morning, with BNP leaders and activists maintaining their positions in front of the mosque and the State Guest House Jamuna, calling for Ishraque to be allowed to take the oath.Law enforcement agencies were on high alert and have deployed several hundred personnel around the Jamuna residence to ensure security, local media reported.Meanwhile, Ishraque had announced that he and his supporters would remain on the streets until Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Advisor Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain and Information Advisor Mahfuj Alam resigned from their posts.Earlier in March, the Dhaka First Joint District Judge and Electoral Tribunal declared Ishraque, a BNP Foreign Affairs Committee member, as the Mayor of DSCC.After the verdict, the Election Commission published a gazette notification on April 27, officially recognising him as Mayor.Following this, a writ petition was filed in the High Court seeking to stay the Election Tribunal’s verdict, declaring Ishraque as Mayor and instructing the authorities not to administer the oath. However, the High Court dismissed the petition.–IANSint/scor/sd/

Tokyo, May 22 (IANS) Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Japanese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs…

Washington, May 22 (IANS) Two members of the Israeli embassy staff were fatally shot Wednesday night in Washington DC by a man who, the police said, had chanted “Free Palestine”.

The shooting took place outside an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee for young diplomats at the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum.The single shooter was identified by police as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago. Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a news briefing the suspect shouted “Free, free Palestine!” while being taken into custodyThe victims were Sarah Lynn Milgrim and her partner Yaron Lischinsky, who both worked at the Israeli embassy in Washington.”These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA. Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!” President Donald Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social early Thursday morning.”We will follow the facts. We will follow the law, and this defendant will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.The Wall Street Journal said Milgrim worked at the Department of Public Diplomacy in the embassy and Lischinsky immigrated to Israel from Germany at age 16, and served in the Israeli military. He completed his undergraduate and master degrees in Israel, before moving to Washington to work as a research assistant for the embassy’s political department in September 2022.”We are a resilient people,” Israeli Ambassador to Washington Yechiel said at the news briefing with US authorities. “Together we won’t be afraid and we will stand and we will overcome the moral depravity of people who think they are going to achieve political gains through murder.” The Journal reported that the Ambassador also said that Lischinsky had just bought an engagement ring for Milgrim and was going to propose in Jerusalem next week.–IANSint/yrj/as

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