Seoul, Aug 10 (IANS) South Korea will send a group of special envoys to Indonesia this week to reaffirm the new Lee Jae Myung government’s commitment to deepening ties with the Southeast Asian nation, the presidential office said Sunday.The delegation, led by Rep. Cho Jeong-sik of the ruling Democratic Party, will make a three-day visit to Jakarta starting Monday, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a message to reporters.The envoys will meet with key Indonesian government officials a…

Chennai, Aug 10 (IANS) In a fresh twist to the political realignments in Tamil Nadu, the BJP’s state leadership has reached out to expelled AIADMK leader O. Panneerselvam (OPS), urging him to meet the party’s national general secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santhosh, who is scheduled to visit Chennai on Sunday. According to sources, the BJP high command was reportedly unhappy with the manner in which recent developments unfolded, given the political stakes involved in retaining the support of …

Bangkok, Aug 10 (IANS) The Thai Army said three Thai soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion during a patrol operation along the Thai-Cambodian border. However, Cambodia strongly refuted the Thai accusations.According to Thailand’s Second Army Region, the explosion occurred at around 10:00 a.m. local time on Saturday, when Thai troops were conducting a patrol and laying barbed wire to reinforce border security in Sisaket Province, Xinhua news agency reported.Thai army spokesperson Winthai …

Aden, Aug 10 (IANS) Yemeni government forces repelled a large-scale offensive by the Houthi group in southern Yemen’s Dhalea province and killed three Houthi militants during the confrontation, a military official told Xinhua.The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that the Houthis used heavy artillery in an attempt to break through government defensive lines in the Bab Ghalaq area in northern Dhalea, triggering intense fighting between the group and government forces.The f…

Kyiv, Aug 10 (IANS) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has firmly rejected any suggestion that Ukraine might relinquish territory to Russia as part of a potential peace deal, following comments by US President Donald Trump proposing a “territorial swap” to end the war.“Ukraine will not surrender land to the occupier,” Zelenskyy said on Saturday, emphasising that Kyiv has no intention of rewarding Russia for its aggression. “We will not give Russia any awards for what it has done,” h…

Washington, Aug 10 (IANS) Officials of US President Donald Trump’s administration considered demanding that South Korea raise its defense spending to 3.8 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) during tariff negotiations, a news report said, citing internal US government documents.US officials also weighed the idea of requiring South Korea to publicly support operational flexibility of the US Forces Korea (USFK) to better deter China, The Washington Post reported, though it is not clear whe…

New York, Aug 10 (IANS) Three people were injured in a shooting at Times Square, said the New York City Police Department (NYPD).All the injured were hospitalized and in stable condition, said an NYPD spokesperson. A 17-year-old boy was held in custody and a firearm was recovered, Xinhua news agency reported.Saturday’s shooting occurred at around 1:20 a.m. East Time (0520 GMT) at the intersection of 44th Street and Seventh Avenue in the city’s heavily touristed district.Videos on social media sh…

New Delhi, Aug 10 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a one-day visit to Karnataka on Sunday to inaugurate a series of major infrastructure and transport projects in Bengaluru. As part of the visit, the Prime Minister will flag off three new Vande Bharat Express trains from KSR Bengaluru Railway Station.These will include the Bengaluru–Belagavi service (physical flag-off), and virtual inaugurations of the Amritsar–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Nagpur (Ajni)–Pune routes. T…

Chengdu, Aug 9 (IANS) The three-day tug of war competitions of The World Games 2025 kicked off here on Saturday, with Britain’s men’s 640kg team clinching gold after a dominant performance against reigning champion Switzerland. Germany took home the bronze medal. The tug of war event features three categories: men’s 640kg, women’s 500kg, and mixed 580kg. 18 teams, each consisting of eight athletes, are participating in the Games.In the morning’s round-robin qualifying rounds, Germany, Britain, S…

Kolkata, Aug 9 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday said that their sleuths have rescued a missing minor girl from West Bengal in Rajasthan.The minor girl, who was missing from Bardhaman in East Burdwan since August 2023, was ultimately recovered from Pali in Rajasthan, a statement issued by the CBI on Saturday read.“The instant case was registered by CBI on 16.02.2024 in compliance to the order dated 08.02.2024 passed by the Hon’ble High Court of Calcutta in W.P. No….