Japan Says North Korea Missile Launch Violates UN Resolutions

TOKYO, May 31: North Korea's launch of a "ballistic missile" violates UN Security Council resolutions, Japan said Wednesday, after what Pyongyang said was a failed attempt to put a satellite in space.

"As a ballistic missile launch like this one violates relevant UN Security Council resolutions, Japan firmly protested against North Korea and strongly condemned" the launch, Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said.

The reclusive state on Tuesday confirmed it planned to launch what it called a military reconnaissance satellite before June 11, having told Japan of its plans a day earlier.

Because long-range rockets and space launchers share the same technology, analysts say developing the ability to put a satellite in orbit would provide Pyongyang with cover for testing banned intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

"We cannot tolerate this kind of launch whether it is a satellite or anything else, as it violates UN resolutions," Japan's Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters.

Japan briefly activated its missile alert warning system for the southern Okinawa region on Wednesday morning.

But North Korean state media said the satellite had crashed into the sea soon after launch as an "accident occurred" during its flight.

Matsuno said the government presumed that the projectile "disappeared in the air above the Yellow Sea and that no object was put into outer space".

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said earlier Wednesday that North Korea had launched "what appears to be a ballistic missile" but that there had been no reports of damage.

UN chief, US condemn launch

NEW YORK, May 31: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the military satellite launch, the spokesperson for the U.N. chief said. “The Secretary-General strongly condemns the military satellite launch conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary-General, said in a statement.

The secretary-general added any launch by Pyongyang using ballistic missile technology was “contrary” to the relevant Security Council resolutions.

The United States strongly condemned North Korea for the launch, which used ballistic missile technology in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

President Joe Biden and his national security team were assessing the situation in coordination with U.S. allies and partners, National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge said.

North Korea’s launch of 1st spy satellite fails

SEOUL, May 31: North Korea said its attempt to put the country’s first spy satellite into orbit failed Wednesday, an apparent embarrassment to leader Kim Jong Un over his push to boost his military capability in the protracted security tensions with the United States and South Korea.

The statement published in state media said the rocket carrying the satellite crashed into waters off the Korean Peninsula’s western coast after it lost thrust following the separation of its first and second stages. It said scientists were examining the cause of the failure.

The rocket was launched about 6:30 a.m. from the northwestern Tongchang-ri area, where North Korea’s main space launch center is located, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

South Korea’s military said the rocket had “an abnormal flight” before it fell in the waters. It also said it bolstered its military readiness in close coordination with the United States. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters that no object was believed to have reached space.

The North Korean launch had prompted brief evacuation orders in South Korea and Japan.

The South's capital city of Seoul issued alerts over public speakers and cellphone text messages telling residents to prepare for evacuation. But there were no reports of damages or major disruption and Seoul later lifted the alert.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon apologised for confusion caused by the city’s emergency alert sent out but defended the decision to do so. He said while the alert might have been an overreaction, it was not a mistake despite the safety ministry saying the alert was sent out in error.

The Japanese government activated a missile warning system for its Okinawa prefecture in southwestern Japan, believed to be in the path of the rocket.

"Please evacuate into buildings or underground,” the alert said. Authorities later lifted the calls for evacuation.

A top North Korean official had said Tuesday that the country needed a space-based reconnaissance system to counter escalating security threats from South Korea and the United States.

It is not clear if a North Korean spy satellite would significantly bolster its defences. The satellite disclosed in the country's state-run media didn’t appear to be sophisticated enough to produce high-resolution imagery. But some experts note that it is still likely capable of detecting troop movements and big targets, such as warships and warplanes.

Recent commercial satellite imagery of the North’s main rocket launch center in the northwest showed active construction activities indicating that North Korea plans to launch more than one satellite, however.

And in his statement Tuesday, Ri Pyong Chol, a close associate of leader Kim Jong Un, said the country it would be testing “various reconnaissance means."

Rare drone ‘terrorist’ attack on Russian capital, Moscow blames Ukraine

MOSCOW, May 30: Drones hit several buildings in Moscow causing "minor" damage and no serious injuries, mayor of the Russian capital said, as per news reports. "All emergency services of the city are at the scene of incidents," Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a statement.

Some residents were being evacuated, the statement added while Russia's RIA state news agency reported that some residents of a building on Moscow's Profsoyuznaya Street were being evacuated.

Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the Moscow region, said that several drones were shot down on their approach to Moscow. However, it was not immediately clear who launched the drones.

Several Russia's Telegram messaging channels which claimed that four to 10 drones were shot on the outskirts of Moscow and in its immediate region.

Russia's defence ministry accused Ukraine of the "terrorist attack", saying it had intercepted all of the eight Ukrainian drones aimed at Moscow.

"This morning the Kyiv regime carried out a terrorist attack with drones on targets in the city of Moscow. Eight drones were used in the attack. All of the enemy drones were downed," the ministry said.

North Korea Confirms June Launch Of Military Spy Satellite

SEOUL, May 30: North Korea has confirmed it will launch a reconnaissance satellite in June, saying it is needed to monitor military movements of the United States and its partners in real time, state media reported Tuesday, citing a senior defence official.

Japan said Monday it had been informed by Pyongyang that a satellite launch could happen as early as this week, but Tokyo warned the North may in fact be planning a sanctions-defying ballistic missile test.

The North's state Korean Central News Agency cited Ri Pyong Chol, vice-chairman of the ruling party's central military commission, as saying the "military reconnaissance satellite No. 1" would be "launched in June".

That satellite, along with "various reconnaissance means due to be newly tested, are indispensable to tracking, monitoring... and coping with in advance in real time the dangerous military acts of the US and its vassal forces", the statement said.

Citing "reckless" acts by Washington and Seoul, Ri said North Korea felt "the need to expand reconnaissance and information means and improve various defensive and offensive weapons" in an effort to bolster military preparedness.

The official also accused the United States of conducting "hostile air espionage activities on the Korean peninsula and in its vicinity", according to the KCNA dispatch.

North Korea informed Japan it would launch a rocket between May 31 and June 11, identifying waters near the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and to the east of Luzon Island in the Philippines as warning areas, said a Japanese coast guard spokesman.

Such zones are usually designated for falling debris or rocket stages.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told officials to gather intelligence "on North Korea's notification about the launch of a ballistic missile that it describes as a satellite", his office said in a tweet.

"Even if it's described as a satellite, a launch using ballistic missile technology would be a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions" and would threaten people's safety, Kishida told reporters.

In 2012 and 2016, Pyongyang tested ballistic missiles that it called satellite launches. Both flew over Japan's southern Okinawa region.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this month inspected the country's first military spy satellite as it was prepared for launch, and gave the green light for its "future action plan".

In 2021, Kim had identified the development of such satellites as a key defence project for the North Korean military.

Because long-range rockets and space launchers share the same technology, analysts say developing the ability to put a satellite in orbit would provide Pyongyang with cover for testing banned intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

Japan's defence ministry issued an order to shoot down any ballistic missile confirmed to be on course to fall into its territory.

South Korea's foreign ministry condemned the launch plan, but officials did not confirm if Seoul had been directly notified of it.

"North Korea's so-called 'satellite launch' is a serious violation of UN Security Council resolutions banning all launches using ballistic missile technology, and is a clearly illegal act that cannot be justified under any pretext," the ministry said.

South Korea and Japan have been working to mend long-frayed ties, including with greater cooperation on North Korea's military threats.

Meanwhile, Kishida on Monday reiterated that Tokyo is open to talks with Pyongyang.

North Korean state media on Monday published a statement from the country's vice-minister of foreign affairs, appearing to endorse a conciliatory approach to relations with Japan -- an unusual stance from Pyongyang.

If Japan avoids "being shackled by the past, and seeks a way out for improving the relations, there is no reason for the DPRK and Japan not to meet", said the statement from Pak Sang Gil, using the initials of North Korea's official name.

Pak said, however, that Japan needs to move on from sticking points such as the "abduction issue" for ties to improve.

Japan suspects dozens of people who are still missing were abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s to train spies in the Japanese language and culture.

India To Host SCO Summit In Virtual Format On July 4

NEW DELHI, May 30: India will host the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the virtual format on July 4, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Tuesday.

However, it did not cite reasons for holding the summit in the virtual mode.

People familiar with the matter said the option of holding the summit in the virtual format was on the table considering various aspects and a final decision on it was taken following consultations with the member states.

Last year, the in-person SCO summit took place in the Uzbek city of Samarkand that was attended by all top leaders of the grouping including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

In September, India will host the G20 summit for which it is going to invite Xi and Putin besides other leaders of the bloc.

India assumed the rotating chairmanship of the SCO at the Samarkand Summit on September 16 last year.

"Under India's first-ever chairmanship, the 22nd summit of the SCO Council of Heads of State will be held in the virtual format on July 4, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the MEA said in a statement.

India hosted the foreign ministers of the SCO at a two-day conclave in Goa earlier this month.

The MEA said all the SCO member states -- China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan -- have been invited to attend the summit.

"In addition, Iran, Belarus and Mongolia have been invited as observer states. As per SCO tradition, Turkmenistan has also been invited as the guest of the chair," it said.

The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.

Heads of the two SCO bodies -- the secretariat and the SCO RATS (Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure) will also be present.

The MEA said heads of six international and regional organisations have also been invited to the summit.

The organisations are the UN, the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States), CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization), EAEU (Eurasian Economic Union) and CICA (Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia).

The theme of the summit is 'Towards a SECURE SCO'.

The SECURE acronym was coined by Prime Minister Modi at the 2018 SCO summit and it stands for Security; Economy and Trade; Connectivity; Unity; Respect for Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity; and Environment.

These themes have been highlighted during India's chairmanship of the SCO.

"India has set up new pillars of cooperation under its chairmanship -- startups and innovation; traditional medicine; digital inclusion; youth empowerment; and shared Buddhist heritage," the MEA said.

"In addition, India has worked towards fostering greater people to people ties that celebrate the historical and civilizational bonds between our nations. These include the various socio-cultural events hosted by Varanasi under the framework of the first-ever SCO cultural and tourist capital for 2022-23," it said.

The MEA said India's chairmanship of SCO has been a period of intense activity and mutually beneficial cooperation between member states.

"India has hosted a total of 134 meetings and events, including 14 Ministerial-level meetings. India remains committed to play a positive and constructive role in the organization, and looks forward to a successful SCO Summit as the culmination of its Chairmanship," it said.

India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping, which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region.

India has shown a keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.

China's Youth Unemployment Hits Record High At 20.4 Per Cent In April: Report

BEIJING, May 30: China released official statistics showing that the unemployment rate for people aged between 16-24 years in the country had touched a record high of 20.4 per cent in April, Khabarhub reported.

The statistics have been released just one month before another 11.6 million students will graduate from college and vocational schools and all set to enter the job market. China imposed lockdowns under the government's zero-COVID policy and economically damaging than other nations' containment policies, Nancy Qian, Professor of Economics at Northwestern University said in the KhabarHub report.

As per the news report, China's economic recovery has lagged behind others. For comparison, the US youth employment rate reached 14.85 per cent at its pandemic peak in 2020 before reducing to 9.57 per cent in 2021, Nepal-based Khabarhub reported. The youth employment rate in the US today stands at 6.5 per cent.

Most of the pandemic-related obstacles to employment in China have been lifted. However, the fundamental conditions for reducing the youth employment rate in China are not improving. Research has also showcased that youth unemployment depresses lifetime earnings, as it means that young people are missing important opportunities to develop skills, as per the news report.

The news report has cited many reasons for this. However, one key is the large gap between the "reservation wage" rate that young graduates are ready to accept and the salary that firms are willing to pay. This mismatch indicates the extent to which the cost of living has exceeded the growth in salaries.

According to a 2021 survey, jobs for new graduates in big cities like Shanghai and Beijing paid an average of only USD 749 per month. The money is just enough to rent a 269 square feet apartment. The young people can see that a job with such a low starting pay is unlikely to provide the income progression needed to support a family ten years down the line.

Since urban white-collar workers are typically expected to work from 9 am to 9 pm six days a week and a couple who is working and has a child relies heavily on a nanny. In Shanghai and Beijing, nannies who often have not graduated from high school, earn CNY 6,000 per month on average which is more than recent college graduates.

One might think why fresh graduates do not move to smaller cities with lower living costs. However, the move for Chinese workers is much costlier as the amenities in smaller cities tend to be substantially worse than in large cities, as per the Khabarhub report. Some parts of Chinese first-tier cities feel more affluent than even New York or Tokyo. It is no wonder that majority of the college graduates avoid shifting to these more "affordable" areas. Instead, the graduates depend on their parents to help cover basic costs.

In 2014, a national survey revealed that around 30 per cent of Chinese college graduates continued to live with their parents, as per the news report. While some young workers cannot get by without their parents' support and others are opting not to work as their parents can afford to support them.

China needs not only more jobs but also high-paying jobs, Khabarhub reported. The Chinese economy urgently requires new cohorts of highly productive workers to help sustain a rapidly growing elderly population.

Turkey's Erdogan Wins Historic Runoff Election, Extends His Two-Decade Rule

ISTANBUL, May 29: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appealed for national unity Monday after winning a historic runoff election that extended two decades of his transformative but divisive rule until 2028.

The 69-year-old overcame Turkey's worst economic crisis in a generation and the most powerful opposition alliance to ever face his Islamic-rooted party on his way to his toughest election win.

Streets erupted in car-honking jubilation and tributes poured in from across the world as Turkey's most important leader in modern history led a sea of supporters in celebratory song outside his presidential palace in Ankara.

"We should come together in unity and solidarity," Erdogan told the chanting and flag-waving crowd.

"We call for this with all our heart."

Near-complete results showed Erdogan beating secular opposition challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu by four percentage points.

"I look forward to continuing to work together as NATO Allies on bilateral issues and shared global challenges," US President Joe Biden tweeted as Erdogan spoke.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said through a spokesman that he "looks forward to further strengthening the cooperation between Turkiye and the United Nations", using an alternate spelling for Turkey.

Russia's Vladimir Putin said the outcome showed the support for Erdogan's "efforts to strengthen state sovereignty and pursue an independent foreign policy".

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky said he wanted to keep working with Erdogan "for the security and stability of Europe".

Leaders across Europe and the Arab world also sent their congratulations -- as did former US president Donald Trump.

Traffic on Istanbul's iconic Taksim Square ground to a halt and huge crowds of singing and flag-waving supporters gathered across Turkey.

"Our people chose the right man," 17-year-old Nisa Sivaslioglu said in the Turkish capital.

"I expect Erdogan to add more to the good things he has already done for our country."

Turkey's longest-serving leader was tested like never before in what was widely seen as the country's most consequential election in its 100-year history as a post-Ottoman republic.

Kilicdaroglu pushed Erdogan into Turkey's first runoff on May 14 and narrowed the margin further in the second round.

Opposition supporters viewed it as a do-or-die chance to save Turkey from being turned into an autocracy by a man whose consolidation of power rivals that of Ottoman sultans.

Kilicdaroglu's brief concession statement expressed "real sadness about the big difficulties awaiting the country" with Erdogan.

The opposition leader had re-emerged a transformed man after the first round.

The 74-year-old former civil servant's message of social unity and freedoms gave way to desk-thumping speeches about the need to immediately expel migrants and fight terrorism.

His right-wing turn was targeted at nationalists who emerged as the big winners of the parallel parliamentary elections.

Analysts doubted Kilicdaroglu's gamble would work.

His informal alliance with a pro-Kurdish party, which Erdogan portrays as the political wing of banned militants, left him exposed to charges of working with "terrorists".

And Kilicdaroglu's courtship of Turkey's hard right was hampered by the endorsement Erdogan received from an ultra-nationalist who finished third two weeks ago.

"Erdogan played the nationalist card quite skilfully," Chatham House associate fellow Galip Dalay told AFP.

"The opposition could not come out with an alternative agenda item that could overshadow (Erdogan's) narrative, despite the fact that Turkey is experiencing a very bad economic situation."

Erdogan is lionised by poorer and more rural swathes of Turkey's fractured society because of his promotion of religious freedoms and modernisation of once-dilapidated cities in the Anatolian heartland.

But he has caused growing consternation across the Western world because of his crackdowns on dissent and pursuit of a muscular foreign policy.

He launched military incursions into Syria that infuriated European powers and put Turkish soldiers on the opposite side of Kurdish forces supported by the United States.

His personal relationship with Putin has also survived the Kremlin's war on Ukraine.

Turkey's troubled economy is benefiting from a crucial deferment of payment on Russian energy imports that helped Erdogan spend lavishly on campaign pledges this year.

Erdogan also delayed Finland's membership of NATO and is still refusing to let Sweden join the US-led defence bloc.

Turkey's unravelling economy will pose the most immediate test for Erdogan.

He went through a series of central bankers to find one who would enact his wish to slash interest rates at all costs in 2021.

Turkey's currency soon entered freefall and the annual inflation rate touched 85 percent last year.

Erdogan has promised to continue these policies and rejected analysts' predictions of economic peril.

Turkey burned through tens of billions of dollars trying to support the lira from politically sensitive falls ahead of the vote.

Many analysts say Turkey must now hike interest rates or abandon its attempts to support the lira.

"The day of reckoning for Turkey's economy and financial markets may now just be around the corner," analysts at Capital Economics warned.

Modi Congratulates Erdogan On Re-Elected As Turkey President

NEW DELHI, May 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his re-election, and expressed confidence that bilateral ties between the two countries on global issues will continue to grow.

Erdogan won re-election Sunday, extending his rule into a third decade as the country reels from high inflation and the aftermath of an earthquake that levelled entire cities.

Modi tweeted, "Congratulations @RTErdogan on re-election as the President of Türkiye! I am confident that our bilateral ties and cooperation on global issues will continue to grow in the coming times."

Cambodian King's Maiden Visit To India To Mark 70 Years Of Diplomatic Relations

NEW DELHI, May 26: Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni will be on his maiden state visit to India from May 29 to 31 and his trip would mark the culmination of the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Cambodia, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday.

At a media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Secretary (East), Saurabh Kumar, said the Cambodian King would be accompanied by a 27-member high-level delegation, including the Minister of the Royal Palace, Vice President of the Vietnamese senate, Minister of Foreign Affairs and other senior officials.

The state visit marks the culmination of the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Cambodia, which were established in 1952, the MEA said in a statement. The forthcoming visit of King Sihamoni will further strengthen and deepen the civilisational relations between India and Cambodia, it said.

This visit by the King of Cambodia is taking place after almost six decades, with the last being that of the current King's father in 1963. The King will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on May 30 and President Droupadi Murmu will host a state banquet in the honour of the visiting dignitary the same evening.

The King will also have bilateral meetings with the President and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will call on the Cambodian King. The King will also pay floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat, the MEA said.

India and Cambodia enjoy warm and friendly relations marked by civilisational, cultural and economic linkages and deep-rooted people-to-people ties, it said. The multi-faceted relationship is based on shared cultural values, commitment to foster economic growth, collaboration in the fields of defence and security and convergence on regional and global issues, the statement said.

India actively assists Cambodia in capacity building and human resource development through training slots under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme and scholarships under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. India has also extended grants and concessional loans for developmental projects.

Conservation and restoration of the ancient temples of Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm and Preah Vihar are also being carried out under the Indian government funding.

India has extended a grant of $1.5 million for the purchase of de-mining equipment and offered a line of credit worth $50 million for the procurement of defence equipment from it, the MEA said.

Trade between the two countries for the financial year 2023-23 stood at $366 million and is growing. Indian investments in Cambodia are estimated at around $115 million primarily in pharmaceuticals, automobiles and mining.

Russia Begins Deployment Of Tactical Nuclear Weapons In Belarus

MOSCOW, May 25: Russia moved ahead on Thursday with a plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, whose leader said the warheads were already on the move, in the Kremlin's first deployment of such bombs outside Russia since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union.

President Vladimir Putin says the United States and its allies are fighting an escalating proxy war against Russia after the Kremlin chief sent troops into Ukraine in February last year.

The plan for the nuclear deployment was announced by Vladimir Putin in an interview with state television on March 25.

"The collective West is essentially waging an undeclared war against our countries," President Putin's defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, said at a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart in Minsk, according to Russia's defence ministry.

The West, Shoigu said, was doing all it could "to prolong and escalate the armed conflict in Ukraine."

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said that tactical nuclear weapons were already on the move after he said Vladimir Putin had signed an order, though there was no confirmation of that from the Kremlin itself.

"The movement of the nuclear weapons has already begun," President Lukashenko told reporters. Asked if the weapons were already in Belarus, he said: "Possibly. When I get back I will check."

Shoigu said the documents he was signing in Minsk concerned the process for storing tactical nuclear weapons in a special facility in Belarus.

President Putin has repeatedly warned that Russia, which has more nuclear weapons than any other country, will use all means to defend itself, and he has cast the Ukraine war as a battle for the survival of Russia against an aggressive West.

The United States and its allies say they want Ukraine to defeat Russian forces on the battlefield but deny that they want to destroy Russia - and deny that the Ukraine war is in any way linked to post-Soviet enlargement of NATO.

It is still unclear exactly when the Russian tactical nuclear weapons will be deployed in Belarus, which has borders with three NATO members - Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Russia will remain in control of the weapons.

Tactical nuclear weapons are nuclear weapons used for specific tactical gains on the battlefield, and so are usually smaller in yield than the strategic nuclear weapons designed to destroy the biggest cities of the United States or Russia.

Russia has a huge numerical superiority over the United States and the NATO military alliance when it comes to tactical nuclear weapons: the United States believes Russia has around 2,000 such working tactical warheads.

The United States has around 200 such tactical nuclear weapons, half of which are at bases in Europe. These 12-ft B61 nuclear bombs, with different yields of 0.3 to 170 kilotons, are deployed at six air bases across Italy, Germany, Turkey, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Shoigu said that Iskander-M missiles, which can carry conventional or nuclear warheads, had been handed to the Belarusian armed forces, and some Su-25 aircraft had been converted for the possible use of nuclear weapons.

"Belarusian servicemen have received the necessary training," Sergei Shoigu was quoted as saying by his ministry. He said the two countries could take further measures to ensure their security.

"NATO's military activities have become as aggressive as possible," Shoigu said.

The United States has said the world faces the gravest nuclear danger since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis because of remarks by Vladimir Putin during the Ukraine conflict, but Moscow says its position has been misinterpreted.

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, signed by the Soviet Union, says that no nuclear power can transfer nuclear weapons or technology to a non-nuclear power, but it does allow for the weapons to be deployed outside its borders but under its control.

Iran Unveils 2,000 km-Range Ballistic Missile: Report

TEHRAN, May 25: Iran unveiled the fourth generation of its Khorramshahr ballistic missile under the name Khaibar, with a range of 2,000 km (1,243 miles) and a 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) warhead, the official IRNA news agency reported on Thursday.

Iran has expanded its missile programme, particularly its ballistic missiles, despite opposition from the United States and expressions of concern by European countries. Tehran says the programme is purely defensive and is for deterrence.

"Iran's newest ballistic missile and the latest product of the defence ministry's Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO) was unveiled today in a ceremony attended by the defence minister," IRNA added.

UK's New Visa Rules For Students Will Close Backdoor To Work: Minister

LONDON, May 25: The United Kingdom's visa reforms designed to curb migration by restricting postgraduate students from bringing dependents or using their academic status as a conduit to employment will plug immigration loopholes and close a backdoor to work, a minister has said.

"The significant rise in students bringing family members is putting untenable pressure on public services," Suella Braverman, the country's Home Secretary, said on Twitter. "Tightening the student route will help to cut migration by restricting post-graduate students from bringing dependents or using the route as a backdoor to work."

The UK government announced new immigration rules on Tuesday aimed at restricting the number of family members that international students can bring into the country. The move is part of a broader effort to curb a sharp rise in visas granted to dependents of students.

Ms Braverman said in a statement to the House of Commons that the rules would now only allow family members of international students on postgraduate research programmes to join them in Britain.

The new policy comes after the number of visas issued to student dependents jumped eightfold to 136,000 in the year ending December 2022, up from 16,000 in 2019.

"This package includes: removing the right for international students to bring dependents unless they are on postgraduate courses currently designated as research programmes," Ms Braverman said.

Other measures include preventing international students from switching to work visas before completing their studies and reviewing the financial requirements for students and their dependents.

The UK government also plans to increase enforcement against education agents suspected of aiding in the submission of inappropriate applications.

Ms Braverman clarified that the terms of the graduate route, which allows students to stay in the UK to gain work experience after their studies, remain unchanged.

"We are committed to attracting the brightest and the best to the UK. Therefore, our intention is to work with universities over the course of the next year to design an alternative approach that ensures that the best and the brightest students can bring dependants to our world-leading universities while continuing to reduce net migration," she said.

The newly minted regulations, which will go into effect starting January 2024, are expected to drastically reduce the number of postgraduate students who can bring their spouses or children to the UK, slashing the limit from the current 30,000 to 10,000 per year.

This change comes as the UK's net migration figures are expected to show a significant increase from 504,000 between June 2021 and June 2022. The Conservative Party-led government has pledged to reduce immigration following the UK's exit from the European Union.

Jamie Arrowsmith, Director of Universities UK International (UUKi), the representative body for 140 UK universities, voiced concern about the impact of these changes on female students and those from specific countries.

"We, therefore, urge the government to work with the sector to limit and monitor the impact on particular groups of students - and on universities, which are already under serious financial pressures," he said.

UUKi welcomed the government's commitment to maintaining the Graduate route visa, which lets students stay and gain work experience in the UK for up to three years after their degree.

Indians recently overtook the Chinese as the leading nationality granted study visas to the UK, with the majority accessing the visa launched in July 2021. Nigerian students, however, top the list of those bringing dependents, followed by Indians.

Germany, World's Fourth Largest Economy, Enters Recession

BONN, May 25: The euro dropped on Thursday as Europe's largest economy Germany was confirmed to be in a recession, while the dollar hit a two-month peak, benefitting from safe-haven demand as worries mounted about a US default.

The latest concern was raised by ratings agency Fitch, who put the United States' "AAA" debt ratings on negative watch, a precursor to a possible downgrade should lawmakers fail to agree to raise the debt limit.

The greenback has paradoxically benefited from demand for safe havens with only a week left for a resolution to slow-moving debt ceiling talks before the June 1 "X-date", when the Treasury has warned it will be unable to pay all its bills.

"It has been risk-off this week and that has benefitted the dollar generally," said Stefan Mellin, senior analyst at Danske Bank.

Escalating signs of economic malaise in Europe sent the euro to multi-month lows against the dollar.

The latest sign of weakness out of Europe came from Germany, where the economy contracted slightly in the first quarter, and thereby was in recession after negative growth in the fourth quarter of 2022.

"We have seen some divergent cross-Atlantic macro data this week and while Germany is not the euro, the momentum in the economy is stunningly weak," Danske Bank's Mellin said, also noting this week's Ifo and PMI data.

The U.S. dollar index, which measures the currency against six major peers and is heavily weighted towards the euro, rose as much as 0.3% to 104.16, the highest since March 17.

The euro slipped about 0.2%, enough to refresh a two-month low at $1.0715.

Sterling eased 0.1%, after briefly hitting its weakest since April 3 at $1.2332.

Against the yen, the dollar edged to its strongest since Nov. 30 at 139.705, although was last down 0.1% at 139.345.

The US currency has also been supported by a paring of bets for Federal Reserve rate cuts this year, with the economy proving resilient to the effects of the central bank's aggressive tightening campaign until now.

US money market traders have trimmed expectations for Fed rate cuts this year to just a quarter point in December, from as much as 75 basis points previously.

They have also ramped up odds for another quarter-point hike in June back to about 1-in-3, after several Fed officials struck hawkish postures recently with consumer inflation still running about twice the 2% target, and the minutes from the latest meeting showing "almost all" policymakers saw upside risks to inflation.

"The market had been very aggressive pricing in rate cuts from the Fed this year. That has changed over the course of the last two weeks which is dollar supportive," Danske Bank's Mellin said.

The Chinese yuan renewed a six-month low, dropping to 7.0903 per dollar in the offshore market.

The Asian giant has produced a cascade of disappointing economic indicators, all pointing to dull consumer demand and suggesting a post-pandemic recovery has already run its course.

"The PBoC (People's Bank of China) showed little intention to defend the (yuan)," Ken Cheung, chief Asian FX strategist at Mizuho Bank, wrote in a client note.

He expected the yuan to remain under pressure until the country's economic data shows improvement or the PBoC takes policy action to stabilise the currency market.

Australia's dollar has felt the impact of China's economic weakness acutely due to its close trade ties, slipping to a 6 1/2-month low of $0.6523.

The New Zealand dollar was still reeling from the central bank's shock dovish tilt on Wednesday, which triggered a 2.2% slide. It slid a further 0.4% to hit its lowest since mid-November at $0.6077.

North Korea Building Satelite Launch Pad With 'New Urgency': Report

SEOUL, May 25: Construction at North Korea's satellite launching station has hit a "new level of urgency," most likely in preparation for a launch, a U.S.-based think tank said in a report citing commercial satellite imagery.

North Korea says it has completed its first military spy satellite, and leader Kim Jong Un has approved final preparations for a launch to place it in orbit, without publicising a date.

Commercial satellite imagery from Monday shows that progress on a new launch pad in a coastal area east of North Korea's Sohae Satellite Launching Station is moving forward at a "remarkable pace", 38 North, a Washington-based programme that monitors North Korea, said in a report on Thursday.

"While the key components of the Sohae complex have been undergoing modernization and expansion over the past year, this uptick in activity suggests a new level of urgency in making the site ready to accommodate satellite launches," the report said.

The new launch pad appears to feature a rail-mounted assembly structure, a possible mechanism for lifting a rocket into place, lighting towers, and a tunnel for funnelling flames away.

If it is meant to service liquid-fuelled rockets, additional infrastructure will most likely be needed, the report added.

At Sohae's main launch pad, crews appear to have completed modifications to the gantry tower, while work continues on a storage for fuel and oxidizer.

A new area for VIPs to observe launches also appears largely completed, 38 North concluded.

Analysts say a military satellite is part of the reclusive, nuclear-armed state's efforts to advance surveillance technology, including drones, to improve its ability to strike targets in the event of a conflict.

North Korea has tried several times to launch "earth observation" satellites, of which two appeared to have been successfully placed in orbit, including the latest in 2016.

International observers have said the satellite seemed to be under control, but there was lingering debate over whether it had sent any transmissions.

‘Modi is the boss’: Australian leader gives India’s prime minister a rock star welcome

SYDNEY, May 24: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese heaped praise on Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, likening him to American rock star Bruce Springsteen in a gushing introductory speech at a stadium on Tuesday.

Modi is making his first visit to Sydney in nine years as he gears up to contest national elections next year – and as Australia looks to build economic bridges with the world’s most populous market at a time when relations with another Asian giant, China, have soured.

Standing on stage at the Qudos Bank Arena on Tuesday, a sprawling entertainment venue in the city’s Olympic Park, Albanese played emcee and warm up act.

“The last time I saw someone on the stage here was Bruce Springsteen, and he didn’t get the welcome that Prime Minister Modi has got,” Albanese said.

“You have brought the spirit of the world’s biggest democracy to Australia,” Albanese said of his “dear friend,” adding the Indian leader has helped strengthen Australia’s democracy.

“Prime Minister Modi is the boss!” he added, to thunderous applause from a crowd dominated by Australia’s Indian diaspora.

Originally planned as a summit for leaders from the Quad, which includes the United States and Japan, Modi’s trip to Australia comes as Canberra is trying to bolster its relationship with New Delhi in a bid to grow economic ties and reinforce their strategic partnership, as the West attempts to thwart the rise of an increasingly assertive China.

“In the language of cricket, our ties have entered the T20 mode,” Modi said during a joint appearance with Albanese. “Our democratic values are the foundation of our ties. Our relations are based on mutual trust and respect. The Indian community in Australia is a living bridge between our countries.”

Modi also met with several “prominent Australian personalities,” according to a statement from the Indian government, including international chef Sarah Todd and Australian singer Guy Sebastian.

In a series of videos published to Modi’s Twitter account, several of these personalities were filmed praising the leader.

“He was so warm and so kind,” Sebastian said of their interaction.

His warm welcome is symbolic of his immense public appeal among many Indians living overseas, as well as his emergence as a key player in the global order.

Xi Jinping Calls For 'New Socialist Tibet' After Concern At G7 Meet: Report

BEIJING, May 23: China's President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called on Tibet to build a prosperous, harmonious and "new socialist Tibet" underpinned by unity and civility, days after Group of Seven (G7) nations expressed concern over human rights in the region.

In rare comments on Tibet, Xi said the region should step up efforts to promote high-quality development after overcoming "centuries" of extreme poverty, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

Tibet's economy expanded to 216.5 billion yuan ($31 billion) by value last year, matching China's national growth rate of 3%. Despite Tibet's rapid economic development in recent years, China is often accused of stifling religious and cultural freedoms in a predominantly Buddhist region, an accusation which Beijing rejects.

In a communique released after a gathering of G7 leaders in Hiroshima over the weekend, the group said it will keep voicing its concerns about the human rights situation in China, including in Tibet, angering Beijing, which regards affairs related to the region as purely internal.

"People's happiness is the ultimate human right, while development holds the key to delivering better lives to the people," Xinhua cited Xi as saying in a congratulatory letter to a forum in Beijing on Tibet's development.

In 2021, Xi made a visit to Tibet - the first by a national leader in three decades. At the time, Xi called for respect for the religious beliefs of the people.

He also stressed governing religious affairs in accordance with the law and guiding Tibetan Buddhism to adapt to a socialist society.

Beijing says it "peacefully liberated" Tibet in 1951 after sending Chinese troops into the region. China says its intervention ended a "backward feudal serfdom", and denied wrongdoing.

In 1959, Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, fled the region after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, with Beijing labelling him a dangerous separatist since.

India believes in free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific: Modi

PORT MORESBY, May 22: While co-chairing the 3rd India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) Summit in Papua New Guinea on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India believes in multilateralism and supports a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

Indian Prime Minister, while speaking at the forum also said that for him, the Pacific island nations are "large ocean countries and not small island states".

Modi co-chaired the 3rd India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) Summit with the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, James Marape. Notably, 14 Pacific Island Countries (PICs) are participating in the summit.

Addressing the FIPIC Summit, Prime Minister Modi said that India is ready to share its experiences and capabilities with Pacific island countries without any hesitation.

"India is proud to be your development partner. You can count on India as a reliable partner. We are ready to share our experiences and capabilities with you without hesitation. We believe in multilateralism and support a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific," said Modi.

Speaking on the impact of the Covid pandemic, the Prime Minister added that it was seen the most in the Global South.

"Challenges related to climate change, natural disasters, hunger, poverty and health were already there, now new problems are arising... I am happy that India stood by its friendly Pacific Island countries in times of difficulty," Modi added.

India considers it its responsibility to convey the concerns of the Global South, their expectations and their aspirations to the world through the G20. This was my effort in the last two days at the G7 summit as well, he said.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Papua New Guinea counterpart held a bilateral in Port Moresby and discussed cooperation in Commerce, technology, and healthcare as well as climate change.

Calling the talks productive, Prime Minister Modi said that they covered the full range of bilateral relations between India and Papua New Guinea.

"Prime Minister James Marape and I had very productive talks, covering the full range of bilateral relations between India and Papua New Guinea. We discussed ways to augment cooperation in commerce, technology, healthcare and in addressing climate change," Modi tweeted.

The two leaders also launched a translation of the Tamil classic 'Thirukkural' in the Tok Pisin language of Papua New Guinea.

The book, which was launched by the Prime Ministers of India and Papua New Guinea was co-authored by Subha Sasindran and Governor Sasindran Muthuvel of West New Britain Province.

Prime Minister Modi arrived in the Indo-Pacific country on the second leg of his three-country visit. Upon Prime Minister Modi's arrival, the Indian national anthem was played and the two prime ministers stood still in respect. Prime Minister Modi was also accorded a guard of honour on his arrival.

This is Prime Minister Modi's first tour to PNG, as well as the first-ever visit by any Indian Prime Minister to the Indo-Pacific country.

Pacific Islands Will Rally Behind India At Global Fora: Papua New Guinea

PORT MORESBY, May 22: Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape today told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the Pacific Islands nations consider the Indian premier as the leader of the Global South and will rally behind India's leadership at international forums.

Highlighting the problems faced by Pacific Islands nations due to the Russia-Ukraine war, James Marape said this while addressing the third India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) Summit which was co-chaired by Modi.

"We are victims of global powerplay... You are the leader of Global South. We will rally behind your (India) leadership at global forums," said Marape.

He pointed to the inflationary pressure on his country due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

He said that Pacific Islands nations have to face the brunt of the war as they have high costs of fuel and power tariffs and suffer as a result of big nations at play in terms of geopolitics and power struggles.

"The issue of Ukraine war with Russia or Russia war with Ukraine rather, we import the inflation to our own small economies. These nations sitting before you, Mr Prime Minister, have high costs of fuel and power tariffs in their own countries and we suffer as a result of big nations at play in terms of geopolitics and the power struggles out there," said Marape.

He urged Modi to be an active voice for the small island nations at global forums such as G20 and G7, adding, "You are the voice that can offer our issues at the highest as advanced economies discuss matters relating to economy, commerce, trade and geopolitics."

Hr prompted India to use the third India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) Summit to be the strong voice and advocate the challenges of the region.

"We ask you, using this moment where I am co-chairing and I speak for my small brother and sister nations of the Pacific. Whilst our land may be small and the number may be small, our area and space in the Pacific are big. The world uses for trade, commerce and movement," added the Papua New Guinea PM.

He further urged Modi to be an advocate for Pacific Island nations, adding, "We want you to be an advocate for us. As you sit in those meetings and continue to fight for the rights of small emerging nations and emerging economies."

"Our leaders will have a moment to speak to you. I want you, Mr Prime Minister, for you to spend time hearing them. And hopefully, at the end of these dialogues, may India and the Pacific's relationship is entrenched and strengthened," said Mr Marape.

"But more importantly, the issues that are facing the Pacific island nations, especially the smaller ones amongst us ahead in its right context and given support by you, the leader of the Global South," the Papua New Guinea leader said.

Marape also highlighted the shared history of India and Papua New Guinea.

He said, "People have been travelling for thousands of years. Just like your people have lived in India for thousands of years. We all come from a shared history. A history of being colonised. History that holds the nations of Global South together. I thank you for assuring me in the bilateral meeting that as you host G20 this year you will advocate on issues that relate to the Global South."

He said that Global South have development challenges and raised concern over the use of its resources while its people are kept aloof from sharing its fruits.

"In the Global South, we have development challenges. Our resources are harvested by tones and volumes. And our people have been left behind," said Marape.

Meanwhile, Modi highlighted India's assistance to Pacific Island nations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The impact of the Covid pandemic was most on the countries of the Global South. Challenges related to climate change, natural disasters, hunger, poverty and health were already there, now new problems are arising...I am happy that India stood by its friendly Pacific Island countries in times of difficulty," said Modi.

He also talked about disruption in the supply chain and said that countries of the global south have been impacted by the global crisis and also called for UN reforms at the Pacific meet.

"Today we are seeing disruption in the supply chain of fuel, food, fertilizer and pharma. Those whom we trusted, didn't stand with us when needed...," said Modi.

Modi further assured that India will put aspirations of the global south to the world via its G20 Presidency, adding, "This was my focus at G7 Outreach summit."

Modi Conferred With Fiji's Highest Civilian Honour

NEW DELHI, May 22: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred with the highest honour of Fiji. PM Modi was conferred with the "The Companion of the Order of Fiji" for his global leadership, in a rare honour for a non-Fijian.

Modi received the medal from his Fijian counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka.

"Big Honour for India. Prime Minister Modi has been conferred the highest honour of Fiji by the PM of Fiji: Companion of the Order of Fiji in recognition of his global leadership. Only a handful of Non-Fijians have received this honour to date," the Prime Minister's Office said.

Prime Minister Modi dedicated the honour to the people of India and to the generations of the Fiji-Indian community, who have played a key role in the special and enduring bond between the two countries, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Twitter.

On the sidelines of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) summit, he also met his Fijian counterpart Rabuka.

"Delighted to meet PM @slrabuka of Fiji. We had a great conversation on various topics. The relations between India and Fiji have stood the test of time. We look forward to working together to further cement it in the coming years," Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

Modi has been conferred highest civilian honours by several nations. These recognitions are a reflection of Modi's leadership and vision which has strengthened India's emergence on the global stage. It also reflects India's growing ties with countries around the world.

Modi Meets Rishi Sunak, Indonesia's Joko Widodo And UN Chief In Japan

HIROSHIMA, May 21: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met his British counterpart Rishi Sunak, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and UN chief Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the G7 summit here in this Japanese city.

Modi arrived in Hiroshima on Friday to attend three sessions at the G7 summit.

During his meeting with Rishi Sunak, the two leaders shared a warm hug.

British Prime Minister Sunak also shared the picture with Modi on his Twitter handle, with the two leaders sharing a warm hug.

"Met President @jokowi and Mrs Widodo. India attaches great priority to strong ties with Indonesia," Prime Minister Modi tweeted after his meeting with the Indonesian leader.

"Wonderful conversation with @UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres in Hiroshima," Modi tweeted after the meeting.

Earlier, Narendra Modi also held talks with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh and met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The group of seven, comprising the US, France, the UK, Italy, Germany, Canada, and Japan, represent the world's richest democracies. Under its G7 presidency, Japan invited India and seven other countries to the summit.

At G7, Modi's Message On 'Territorial Integrity' Amid Border Row With China

HIROSHIMA, May 21: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said he views the current situation in Ukraine as an issue of humanity and human values and not of politics or economy even as he called for respecting international law, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations.

In an address at a G7 Working Session in Hiroshima, Modi also strongly pitched for raising voice collectively against unilateral attempts to change the status quo, asserting that any tension and dispute should be resolved peacefully through dialogue.

The prime minister also referred to his talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday and reiterated that India will do whatever is possible to resolve the conflict.

Modi's comments came after Zelensky addressed the G7 leaders seeking global support for Ukraine's efforts to defend itself against Russian aggression. The war in Ukraine has been the overwhelming focus of the three-day summit.

The prime minister also invoked Buddha and said there is no such problem in the modern age whose solution cannot be found in his teachings. He quoted Buddha to say that enmity is pacified by affinity and that "we should move forward together with everyone in this spirit." "Today we heard from President Zelensky. I also met him yesterday. I do not consider the current situation as an issue of politics or economy. I believe it is an issue of humanity, an issue of human values," the prime minister said.

"We have said from the beginning, that dialogue and diplomacy is the only way. And to solve this situation, we will try as much as possible, whatever can be done from India," he said.

Modi said all countries must respect the UN Charter, international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations and called for raising voice together against unilateral attempts to change the status quo.

The prime minister's comments came against the backdrop of the lingering border row with China in eastern Ladakh and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"It is necessary that all countries respect the UN Charter, international law and sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. Raise your voice together against unilateral attempts to change the status quo," he said.

"India has always been of the opinion that any tension, any dispute should be resolved peacefully, through dialogue. And if a solution is found by law, it should be accepted. And in this spirit, India resolved its land and maritime boundary dispute with Bangladesh," he said.

The prime minister said that in the current global situation, the maximum and the most profound effects of the food, fuel and fertilizer crisis are being felt by the developing countries.

"Global peace, stability and prosperity is a common objective of all of us. In today's interconnected world, tension in any one region affects all countries. And, developing countries, which have limited resources, are affected the most," he said.

"Due to the current global situation, the maximum and most profound effects of the food, fuel and fertilizer crisis are being suffered by these countries," he added.

Modi said Buddha had given a solution centuries ago to war, unrest and instability that the world is facing today.

"In India, and here in Japan too, Lord Buddha has been followed for thousands of years. There is no problem in the modern age, whose solution we cannot find in the teachings of Buddha," he said.

The group of seven (G7), comprising the US, France, the UK, Italy, Germany, Canada and Japan, represent the world's richest democracies. Under its G7 presidency, Japan invited India and seven other countries to the summit.

Biden Says Putin 'Will Not Break Our Resolve' On Ukraine War

HIROSHIMA, May 21: Ukraine's backers "will not waver", US President Joe Biden said Sunday after talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is in Hiroshima on a surprise visit to the G7 summit.

Russia "will not break our resolve" to support Ukraine, Joe Biden told reporters after the end of the three-day summit that saw the Ukrainian leader steal the spotlight during a diplomatic whirlwind of talks.

"We will not waver, Putin will not break our resolve as he thought he could," Joe Biden said.

President Zelensky arrived in the Japanese city on the back of a breakthrough in his long-running campaign to win Washington's approval for allies to supply US-made fighter jets, including F-16s.

US officials had been reluctant, citing the cost and time needed for training, as well as the risk of further escalating the conflict.

But President Biden said he received a "flat assurance from Zelensky that they will not use it to go on and move onto Russian geographic territory".

"Wherever Russian troops are within Ukraine and the area, they would be able to do that," he added.

Washington also unveiled Sunday a new package of weaponry for Mr Zelensky, who relies on the West for supplies to fend off the 15-month Russian invasion.

'Committed To Dialogue, Diplomacy': Quad Leaders On Resolving Ukraine War

HIROSHIMA, May 20: The Quad leaders on Saturday called for the resolution of the Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy while asserting that it must not be an era of war, a formulation that echoed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's position.

Indian Prime Minister Modi, US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese held talks on pressing global challenges including the Ukraine conflict at the annual Quad summit in Hiroshima.

After the summit, the leaders released a joint statement that touched upon the Ukraine conflict, the situation in the East and South China seas and their vision for the Indo-Pacific region.

The leaders said they stand for adherence to international law, peaceful resolution of disputes and respect for principles of the UN Charter, including territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states.

"In this context, today we express our deep concern over the war raging in Ukraine and mourn its terrible and tragic humanitarian consequences," the leaders said.

"We recognise its serious impacts on the global economic system including on food, fuel and energy security and critical supply chains. We will continue to render humanitarian assistance to Ukraine for its recovery," they said.

"Conscious that ours must not be an era of war, we remain committed to dialogue and diplomacy. We support a comprehensive, just and lasting peace consistent with the UN Charter," the statement said.

The Quad leaders also reaffirmed their steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient.

We seek a region where no country dominates and no country is dominated, they said.

The Quad leaders also expressed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in the Indian Ocean region.

We strongly oppose destabilising or unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion, they said, amidst the Chinese military's aggressive actions in the region.

The leaders also emphasised the importance of adherence to international law, particularly as reflected in the UN Convention on Law of the Seas.

The leaders said they remain fully resolved to uphold peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific maritime domain.

They also unequivocally condemn terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms.

G7 Leaders Call for 'Responsible' Use Of Artificial Intelligence

HIROSHIMA, May 21: The world must urgently assess the impact of generative artificial intelligence, G7 leaders said Saturday, announcing they will launch discussions this year on "responsible" use of the technology.

A working group will be set up to tackle issues from copyright to disinformation, the seven leading economies said in a final communique released during a summit in Hiroshima, Japan.

Text generation tools such as ChatGPT, image creators and music composed using AI have sparked delight, alarm and legal battles as creators accuse them of scraping material without permission.

Governments worldwide are under pressure to move quickly to mitigate the risks, with the chief executive of ChatGPT's OpenAI telling US lawmakers this week that regulating AI was essential.

"We recognise the need to immediately take stock of the opportunities and challenges of generative AI, which is increasingly prominent across countries and sectors," the G7 statement said.

"We task relevant ministers to establish the Hiroshima AI process, through a G7 working group, in an inclusive manner... for discussions on generative AI by the end of this year," it said.

"These discussions could include topics such as governance, safeguard of intellectual property rights including copyrights, promotion of transparency, response to foreign information manipulation, including disinformation, and responsible utilisation of these technologies."

The new working group will be organised in cooperation with the OECD group of developed countries and the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), the statement added.

On Tuesday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified before a US Senate panel and urged Congress to impose new rules on big tech.

He insisted that in time, generative AI developed by his company would one day "address some of humanity's biggest challenges, like climate change and curing cancer".

However, "we think that regulatory intervention by governments will be critical to mitigate the risks of increasingly powerful models," he said.

European Parliament lawmakers this month also took a first step towards EU-wide regulation of ChatGPT and other AI systems.

The text is to be put to the full parliament next month for adoption before negotiations with EU member states on a final law.

"While rapid technological change has been strengthening societies and economies, the international governance of new digital technologies has not necessarily kept pace," the G7 said.

For AI and other emerging technologies including immersive metaverses, "the governance of the digital economy should continue to be updated in line with our shared democratic values", the group said.

Among others, these values include fairness, respect for privacy and "protection from online harassment, hate and abuse", among others, it added.

G7 Wants 'Stable' Relations With China, Warns On 'Militarisation'

HIROSHIMA, May 20: G7 leaders on Saturday warned China over its "militarisation activities" in the Asia-Pacific region but said the bloc also wanted "constructive and stable relations" with Beijing.

In a final communique issued at a summit in Hiroshima, the nations laid out a raft of concerns about China's economic and military activities.

But they also sought to keep the door open to cooperation and avoid further inflaming tensions between the world's second largest economy and the grouping of major Western powers plus Japan.

"We stand prepared to build constructive and stable relations with China, recognising the importance of engaging candidly with and expressing our concerns directly to China," the group said.

"Our policy approaches are not designed to harm China nor do we seek to thwart China's economic progress and development," the statement continued, adding that the G7 countries are not "decoupling or turning inwards".

Still, the language made clear the bloc's wide-ranging concerns about Beijing's willingness to deploy trade measures in diplomatic disputes and G7 determination to untangle sensitive supply chains from Chinese influence.

"Economic resilience requires de-risking and diversifying," the communique said, pledging to "reduce excessive dependencies in our critical supply chains".

The bloc warned against China's "militarisation" in the South China Sea and repeated that "peace and stability" in the Taiwan Strait is "indispensable" to global security.

And it urged China to use its influence with Russia "to stop its military aggression, and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine".

Will Prioritise Challenges Of Global South As G20 Chair: Modi At G7

HIROSHIMA, May 20: Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an interview with Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun has underscored the importance of cooperation between the G7 and G20 in addressing pressing global issues.

Modi, who also chairs the G20, emphasized his commitment to leading the international community in resolving the challenges of the "Global South," including developing and emerging countries.

Modi is in Japan from May 19-21 to attend the G7 Summit under the Japanese Presidency at the invitation of Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

In his interview with the Japanese publication Modi noted the geopolitical tensions causing disruptions in food and energy supply chains, stressing the need for collaboration with Japan and like-minded countries to continuously address the core concerns of developing countries.

"Strengthening collaboration between the G7 and G20 is vital in addressing global challenges like climate change, supply chain disruptions, economic recovery, energy instability, healthcare, food security, and peace and security," Modi said.

The Prime Minister noted the "Special Strategic and Global Partnership" between India and Japan and said that it provides a strong foundation for "our joint efforts, contributing to global cooperation on these issues".

Regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Modi reaffirmed his strong support for an international order based on respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity, underlining the significance of the UN Charter and international law.

Although India is not a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and is believed to possess nuclear weapons independently, Modi unequivocally stated that the use of weapons of mass destruction is absolutely unacceptable. He expressed his readiness to work with all countries towards a world without nuclear weapons, a vision promoted by Prime Minister Kishida.

"India abstained from UN General Assembly resolutions to condemn the invasion but remains committed to upholding the UN Charter, international law, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. India supports a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine crisis and is ready to contribute constructively within the UN and beyond," he said.

Narendra Modi on Saturday met his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida in Hiroshima and discussed ways to enhance "India-Japan friendship across different sectors including trade, economy and culture."

"PM @narendramodimet PM @kishida230 in Hiroshima. Both leaders discussed ways to enhance India-Japan friendship across different sectors including trade, economy and culture," the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a tweet.

"I want to thank you for inviting India to the G7 Summit. Your (PM Kishida) visit to India was a memorable one. It is a delightful moment for me as the Bodhi tree I gifted you have been planted by you in Hiroshima, I believe India-Japan relations will grow with the growth of this tree," Modi said in Hiroshima as he congratulated Kishida on the successful presidency of G7.

The G7 leaders are currently in Japan to attend the G7 Summit scheduled to be held in Hiroshima from May 19-21. Notably, Japan assumed the G7 Presidency in 2023.

The Summit is an international forum held annually for the leaders of the G7 member states of France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada (in order of rotating presidency), and the European Union (EU).

Prime Minister on Friday interacted with members of the Indian community in Japan.

The Prime Minister is part of a three-nation visit and after Japan will head to Papua New Guinea and Australia.

Modi’s participation in G7 Summit to boost synergy with G20: Japan envoy

NEW DELHI, May 18: Japan believes Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the G7 Summit will build synergy between the G7 and G20 processes, especially to address the issues of the Global South, Japanese ambassador Hiroshi Suzuki said on Thursday.

India is among eight countries invited to participate in outreach sessions of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima during May 19-21, and Modi can speak “with legitimacy” for developing countries after having heard concerns of more than 100 of these nations during the Voice of Global South Summit in January, Suzuki said in an interview.

“We would be very grateful if Prime Minister Modi can share his vision of how [he is] going to set the G20 agenda based on the outcome of the G7 Summit, because that way we [can] have more synergy,” Suzuki said.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida believes close coordination between G20 and G7 is “critically important” to forge unity in an increasing polarised world to address challenges faced by developing countries, including rising food and energy prices, energy security, climate change, sustainable development and health, he said.

“These are all important challenges and saying we have sympathy towards the Global South, we need to collaborate with the Global South – words alone cannot deliver. We need concrete action and that’s what Prime Minister Kishida hopes to move forward,” Suzuki said.

Japan will be the first stop on Modi’s three-nation tour beginning on Friday, and a meeting between the Indian and Japanese premiers on the margins of the G7 Summit will be an opportunity to take stock of progress in bilateral ties since Kishida’s visit to New Delhi in March.

“The two leaders will have an opportunity to meet again on the margins of the G20 Summit in September. This would be a very good midway point [for] the two leaders [to] take stock of the progress and give political impetus for further progress to be made going into the G20 Summit,” Suzuki said.

For Japan, two key themes for the G7 Summit are upholding rule of law, especially in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and engagement with the global community, particularly the Global South, Suzuki said.

“We cannot afford to go back to the law of the jungle. With the Russian aggression of Ukraine, Russia is destroying the core values of the international community enshrined in the UN Charter, such as sovereignty, respect for territorial integrity and the rule of law,” he said, adding a big country bullying a smaller neighbourhood and getting away with it could inspire similar actions in other parts of the world.

“Prime Minister Kishida’s point is this kind of unilateral attempt to change the status quo must not be allowed anywhere in the world, period...By emphasizing the importance of upholding the rule of law, sovereignty, territorial integrity, we want the rule of law to prevail all over the world, including the Indo-Pacific, East China Sea, South China Sea,” he said.

On the bilateral front, Suzuki said Japan’s new National Security Strategy opens new avenues for cooperation with India in the realm of defence, including the Indian side benefiting from a new category of assistance known as Official Security Assistance.

“The new National Security Strategy is a historic step forward and it has a specific mention of India. With this new strategy, the Japanese government is going to create a new framework of assistance called Official Security Assistance [whereby] the Japanese government, for the first time, will be able to extend assistance directly to the department of defence and armed forces of foreign countries,” he said.

Japan’s National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy and Defense Buildup Program were unveiled last December, and the government is now fleshing out details. “Of course, we envisage India among the countries to which Japan would like to extend this new Official Security Assistance...It will give another dimension to defence cooperation between Japan and India,” he added.

Suzuki said security cooperation between Japan and India has made “major progress” in recent years and the two sides now have joint exercises for all three services. The two sides also decided at their 2+2 ministerial meeting last September to hold joint staff talks, and the first such talks will be held in the coming months.

No Quad meeting after Joe Biden cancels Australia visit as US debt crisis peaks

WASHINGTON, May 17: With a looming domestic political and economic crisis at home and negotiations with the United States (US) Congress over the debt ceiling hitting a roadblock, President Joe Biden has said that he will return to Washington DC after attending the G7 summit in Japan and not travel to Australia for the Quad leaders’ level summit.

Biden has also cancelled the Papua New Guinea leg of his trip; his visit would have been the first by any American president to a Pacific Island country.

Speaking at an event in the White House on Tuesday evening, Biden first gave a preview of his visit to Japan and then said, “The nature of the presidency is addressing many issues, all at once. So I am confident we are going to make progress in avoiding default and fulfilling America’s responsibilities on the world stage. However, I am cutting my trip short. I am postponing the Australia portion of my trip and my stop in Papua New Guinea in order to be back for the final negotiations with the Congressional leaders.”

While the US is locked in a political impasse between the Democratic administration and a Republican House over debt ceiling — unless the US Congress raises the ceiling, the US risks defaulting on its obligations for the first time in history after June 1 — Biden’s decision has caused uncertainty around the Quad leaders’ summit scheduled to be held in Sydney. It has also prompted the administration to send out signals that the US remained committed to allies and partners and resolving the debt impasse was essential for its global role.

A little earlier in the day, the White House, in a statement, had officially announced that Biden would return to the US on Sunday after the G7 summit “to ensure that Congress takes action by the deadline to avert default.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Biden had spoken to Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese to inform him that he would be postponing his visit. “He also invited the Prime Minister for an official state visit at a time to be agreed by the teams. The President’s team engaged with the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea’s team to inform them as well.”

Speaking to ABC Radio Sydney, Albanese confirmed that Biden had spoken to him, they had agreed to reschedule his visit for the future, and Biden had expressed his disappointment with some members of the US Congress.

Albanese appeared to suggest that Quad leaders could meet on the sidelines of the G7 in Japan or/and will meet separately in Australia in Biden’s absence.

The PM said that his government will speak to Japan and India to discuss the travel schedule of their leaders and added that Biden would "try to convene a [Quad] meeting given all four leaders are in Japan" for the G7. At the same time, Albanese said that the Quad dialogue in Sydney could still take place with a senior US representative. There is speculation in Washington DC that Secretary of State Antony J Blinken may fill in for Biden.

Albanese, however, expressed the confidence that Biden’s visit won’t change PM Modi’s schedule. “Prime Minister Modi has a bilateral programme that’s organised. So I am certain that he will be here.” The PM referred to the large Indian diaspora in Australia and mentioned that a large event was to be held next Tuesday, May 23. Modi is expected to address the diaspora gathering.

US To Send Additional Security Assistance To Taiwan Soon: Pentagon

WASHINGTON, May 17: The United States will soon send additional security assistance to Taiwan, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday.

"The United States will soon provide significant additional security assistance to Taiwan through (the) presidential drawdown authority that Congress authorized last year," Austin told lawmakers.

The presidential drawdown authority, or PDA, is a type of authority that expedites security assistance and has helped to send arms to Ukraine.

Earlier this month Reuters reported that U.S. President Joe Biden's administration plans to send $500 million worth of weapons aid to Taiwan using the authority.

Cyclone Mocha Death Count Rises To 60 In Myanmar

MYANMAR, May 16: The death count in cyclone-hit Myanmar rose to 60 on Tuesday, according to local leaders and junta-backed media, as villagers tried to piece together ruined homes and waited for aid and support.

Packing winds of up to 195 kilometres (120 miles) per hour, Mocha made landfall on Sunday, downing power pylons and smashing wooden fishing boats to splinters.

In Rakhine state, at least 41 people died in the villages of Bu Ma and nearby Khaung Doke Kar, inhabited by the persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority, local leaders told AFP reporters at the scene.

Thirteen people were killed when a monastery collapsed in a village in Rathedaung township north of Rakhine's capital Sittwe, and a woman died when a building collapsed in a neighbouring village, according to Myanmar state broadcaster MRTV.

"There will be more deaths, as more than a hundred people are missing," said Karlo, the head of Bu Ma village near Sittwe.

Turkey to have momentous runoff election after Erdogan fails to win outright

ISTANBUL, May 15: Turkey will have a runoff election on May 28 after longtime leader President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was forced into a second round with only a narrow lead over his rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

Neither candidate achieved the required 50% to take the presidency outright, after 100% of ballot boxes were opened, according to Turkey’s Supreme Election Council. All ballot boxes in the country were opened and the voter turnout rate is 88.92%, council chairman Ahmet Yener said.

But Kilicdaroglu now faces a tough battle to win the second round after Erdogan performed better than some opinion polls had suggested.

Official final results for Turkey’s election will be announced on Friday, the chairman of Turkey’s supreme election council Ahmet Yener said.

With the final count, the electorate will turn to a second round of voting that could extend Erdogan’s 20-year grip on power, or set the stage for a change in political direction.

Each candidate looked to re-energize voters once results began to surface in the early hours of Monday, in remarks that framed their contrastingly conservative and secular approaches to power.

Thailand opposition crushes military parties in election rout

BANGKOK, May 15: Thailand's opposition secured a stunning election win on Sunday after trouncing parties allied with the military, setting the stage for a flurry of deal-making over forming a government in a bid to end nearly a decade of conservative, army-backed rule.

The liberal Move Forward party and the populist Pheu Thai Party were far out in front with 99% of votes counted, but it was far from certain either will form the next government, with parliamentary rules written by the military after its 2014 coup skewed in its favour.

To rule, the opposition parties will need to strike deals and muster support from multiple camps, including members of a junta-appointed Senate that has sided with military parties and gets to vote on who becomes prime minister and form the next administration.

Sunday's election was the latest bout in a long-running battle for power between Pheu Thai, the populist juggernaut of the billionaire Shinawatra family, and a nexus of old money, conservatives and military with influence over key institutions at the heart of two decades of turmoil.

But the staggering performance by Move Forward, riding a wave of support from young voters, will test the resolve of Thailand's establishment and ruling parties after it came close to a clean sweep of the capital Bangkok on a platform of institutional reform and dismantling monopolies.

Move Forward came top, followed closely by Pheu Thai, the preliminary results showed. According to a Reuters calculation, both were set to win more than triple the number of seats of Palang Pracharat, the political vehicle of the junta, and the army-backed United Thai Nation party.

Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat, a 42-year-old former executive of a ride-hailing app, described the outcome as "sensational" and vowed to stay true to his party's values when forming a government.

"It will be anti- dictator-backed, military-backed parties, for sure," he told reporters. "It's safe to assume that minority government is no longer possible here in Thailand."

He said he remained open to an alliance with Pheu Thai, but has set his sights set on being prime minister.

"It is now clear the Move Forward Party has received the overwhelming support from the people around the country," he said on Twitter.

The preliminary results will be a crushing blow for the military and its allies. But with parliamentary rules on their side and influential figures behind them and involved behind the scenes, they could still have a role in government.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a retired general who led the last coup, had campaigned on continuity after nine years in charge, warning a change in government could lead to conflict.

On Sunday, he slipped away quietly from his United Thai Nation party headquarters, where there were few supporters to be seen.

A handful of staff sat beside plates of uneaten food as a giant television screen showed a live speech by Move Forward's leader.

"I hope the country will be peaceful and prosper," Prayuth told reporters. "I respect democracy and the election. Thank you."

Pheu Thai had been expected to win having won most votes in every ballot since 2001, including two landslide victories. Three of its four governments have been ousted from office.

Founded by the polarising self-exiled tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra, Pheu Thai remains hugely popular among the working classes and was banking on being swept back to power in a landslide on nostalgia for its populist policies like cheap healthcare, micro-loans and generous farming subsidies.

Thaksin's daughter Paetongtarn, 36, has been tipped to follow in the footsteps of her father and of her aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra, and become prime minister. Yingluck and Thaksin were both overthrown in coups.

Paetongtarn said she was happy for Move Forward, but it was too soon to discuss alliances.

"The voice of the people is most important," she said.

Move Forward saw a late-stage rally in opinion polls and was betting on 3.3 million first-time voters getting behind its liberal agenda, including plans to weaken the military's political role and amend a strict law on royal insults that critics say is used to stifle dissent.

Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University, said Move Forward's surge demonstrated a major shift in Thai politics.

"Pheu Thai fought the wrong war. Pheu Thai fought the populism war that it already won," he said.

"Move Forward takes the game to the next level with institutional reform. That's the new battleground in Thai politics."

Imran Khan Gets Bail, Day After Pak Supreme Court Called Arrest 'Illegal'

ISLAMABAD, May 12: Pakistan former prime minister Imran Khan was granted two weeks of bail by Islamabad High Court on Friday in a corruption case, a day after the Supreme Court called his arrest "invalid and unlawful".

The Islamabad High Court upheld Mr Khan's arrest but a three-member Supreme Court bench on Thursday had declared his detention "illegal" and ordered his immediate release.

The Friday hearing was delayed for nearly two hours due to security reasons. The cricketer-turned-politician arrived back at the Islamabad High Court in a secure convoy and walked into the building flanked by dozens of police and paramilitaries.

"The court has granted Imran Khan a two weeks interim bail and has directed the authorities not to arrest him in the [graft] case," said Khan's lawyer Khawaja Harris.

But the legal saga seems far from over.

The interior minister has pledged to re-arrest Khan, who has become tangled in a slew of legal cases.

Khan, who was ousted as Prime Minister last April, was arrested from outside the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday in the Al-Qadir Trust case after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the country's top anti-corruption body, issued an arrest warrant against him.

The arrest by paramilitary Rangers triggered deadly clashes across the country, prompting the deployment of the Army. At least nine people died in the unrest, police and hospitals said.

Khan has accused senior military and government officials of plotting a November assassination attempt that saw him shot in the leg during a rally.

General elections are due no later than October, and the former cricket star has accused the shaky incumbent coalition government of supplanting him in cahoots with top generals.

Khan has remained wildly popular since being ousted.

His arrest this week came after the army rebuked him for once again repeating allegations they were involved in his assassination attempt.

'Release Imran Khan': Pakistan Supreme Court Calls Arrest 'Illegal'

ISLAMABAD, May 11: Imran Khan's arrest by Pakistan's top anti-corruption body is illegal and he should be released immediately, the country's Supreme Court said today amid violent protests by supporters of the former Prime Minister who faces corruption allegations. Khan is under the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The order to bring Khan, 70, to the Supreme Court was issued by a three-member bench of Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Athar Minallah.

The Supreme Court, after hearing Khan's request for relief, strongly criticised the NAB for arresting the former Prime Minister from the Islamabad High Court's premises, where he had come to appear in a case.

The Supreme Court said Khan should return to the Islamabad High Court at 10 am tomorrow and follow whatever the high court decides. Only 10 of his supporters will be allowed to meet him, the Supreme Court said.

Khan heads the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

Chief Justice Bandial said a person cannot be arrested from the court premises without the permission of the registrar. "If an individual surrendered to the court, then what does arresting them mean?" the Chief Justice said, according to news agency Press Trust of India.

Khan has alleged he was tortured in the NAB custody and was not allowed to even use the washroom. The former cricketing superstar, who remains popular in Pakistan, alleged he was given an injection to induce a slow heart attack.

Khan's arrest follows months of political crisis and came hours after the powerful military rebuked the former international cricketer for alleging that a senior officer had been involved in a plot to kill him.

Some protesters took out their wrath on the military, torching the residence of the corps commander in Lahore and laying siege at the entrance to the army's general headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

Pakistan politicians have frequently been arrested and jailed since the country's founding in 1947, but few have so directly challenged a military that has staged at least three coups and had ruled for more than three decades.

Israel, Palestinian Militants Trade Fire Day After Air Strikes Killed 15

GAZA CITY, May 10: Israel and Gaza militants traded cross-border fire Wednesday, renewing deadly violence a day after Israeli strikes killed 15 people in the Palestinian territory.

Smoke billowed from the densely-populated coastal territory after Israel announced it was targeting rocket launching infrastructure held by Islamic Jihad militants.

Sirens warning of incoming fire then blared in the Tel Aviv area, a journalist reported, as well as in communities close to the border, according to the army.

A Gaza health ministry official said one person was killed in the Israeli strikes, while another was seriously wounded.

A journalist in Gaza saw dozens of rockets fired by Palestinian militants, while a senior Israeli security official told journalists "more than 60 rockets" were launched.

Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service said it received no immediate reports of casualties from the rocket fire.

The latest violence comes a day after Israeli strikes on Gaza killed three top Islamic Jihad militants and 12 others, including four children, according to a health ministry toll.

Israel's military said Wednesday's strikes included firing on militants "who were travelling to a rocket launch site in the city of Khan Yunis" in southern Gaza.

Islamic Jihad had vowed Tuesday to retaliate, with Israel warning its residents near the border to stay near bomb shelters.

Ahead of Wednesday's fire, Gaza's usually bustling shops were closed, as resident Monther Abdullah said people "expect the worst".

"Everyone feels anxious and people aren't on the street much. I definitely feel like there's a war coming, and there's tension and fear, whether here or there (in Israel)," the 50-year-old said.

The latest violence comes on the second anniversary of a devastating 11-day war fought between Gaza militants and Israel.

The senior Islamic Jihad operatives killed Tuesday were named as Jihad Ghannam, Khalil al-Bahtini and Tareq Ezzedine.

Although based in Gaza, the last was a militant leader in the West Bank.

Earlier Wednesday, Israeli troops raided the West Bank town of Qabatiya, killing two people who the army accused of firing at soldiers.

The Palestinian health ministry identified the two men as Ahmed Jamal Tawfiq Assaf, 19, and Rani Walid Ahmed Qatanat, 24.

The Israeli military said troops detained one person during the raid, when soldiers were shot at from a vehicle.

"The soldiers responded with live fire toward the two assailants and killed them," the army said.

Mourners including armed militants later carried the two men's bodies through the streets in a funeral procession.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since the Six-Day War of 1967 and its forces regularly operate in Palestinian cities.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, whose Islamist movement rules Gaza, said Tuesday "assassinating the leadership" in Gaza would bring "greater resistance".

Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad are considered terrorist organisations by Israel and the United States.

Washington called Tuesday for "all parties to de-escalate the situation".

While Hamas has fought multiple wars with Israel in recent years, the group stayed on the sidelines of a three-day conflict fought between the country and Islamic Jihad in August.

Following Tuesday's air strikes, Egypt -- a longtime mediator in Gaza -- said such actions "inflame the situation in a way that could get out of control".

The latest violence brings to 126 the number of Palestinians killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict so far this year.

Nineteen Israelis, one Ukrainian and one Italian have been killed over the same period, according to an AFP count based on official sources from the two sides.

These figures include combatants as well as civilians, and, on the Israeli side, three members of the country's Arab minority.

Huge Protests In Pak After Imran Khan's Arrest, Supporters Storm Army HQ

ISLAMABAD, May 9: Supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, protesting against his arrest, have entered the compound of the army commanders' residence in Lahore. Media footage showed them also storming the army headquarters in Rawalpindi.

In Peshawar, the Radio Pakistan building has also been set on fire. The 70-year-old cricketer-turned-politician was arrested earlier today as he was entering the Islamabad High Court for a hearing in a case.

Protests by Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters broke out across Pakistan soon after his arrest. Prohibitory orders banning large gatherings were imposed across Islamabad. "Section 144 is in force and action will be taken in case of violation," the Islamabad police said.

Besides Islamabad, protests started in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, and Mardan, reported Geo News.

In Rawalpindi, Imran Khan's supporters smashed the main gate of the army's sprawling headquarters and chanted slogans against the establishment. The troops, however, exercised restraint.

In Lahore, during a demonstration in the Cantonment area, a large number of PTI workers stormed into the residence of the Corps Commander and smashed the gate and window-panes.

The army personnel did not try to stop the enraged protesters, who surrounded them and raised slogans against the 'handlers' of the PML-N led government in the military establishment.

In Karachi and Rawalpindi, protesters clashed with the police, who, reports said, threw teargas shells to control the mob. Videos from the spot showed them chanting "Release Imran Khan," and "Shut down Pakistan" slogans.

The PTI urged its supporters to protest, tweeting this is a "now or never opportunity".

The arrest comes a day after the army had accused Khan of levelling baseless allegations against a senior officer of the spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence. Khan had accused top ISI officer Major-General Faisal Naseer of being involved in the assassination attempt against him in Wazirabad.

He had also claimed that Major Naseer was involved in the murder of senior journalist Arshad Sharif.

Amid the allegations and the army reaction, there have been questions if Mr Khan's dramatic arrest could only be attributed to the charges against him.

China Expels Canada's Top Diplomat In Tit-For-Tat Move

SHANGHAI, May 9: China said Tuesday it was expelling Canada's consul in Shanghai, in a tit-for-tat move after Ottawa announced it was sending home a Chinese diplomat accused of trying to intimidate a lawmaker.

The expulsions have plunged the two nations into a fresh diplomatic row after years of souring relations.

They follow an outcry in Canada over allegations that Chinese intelligence had planned to target MP Michael Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong with sanctions for sponsoring a motion condemning Beijing's conduct in the Xinjiang region as genocide.

In response, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said Toronto-based Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei -- who allegedly played a role in the scheme -- would have to leave the country.

Canada, she said, would "not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs".

The Chinese foreign ministry on Tuesday condemned the decision to expel Zhao, and said it had ordered Canadian consul Jennifer Lynn Lalonde to leave the country by May 13.

"As a reciprocal countermeasure in reaction to Canada's unscrupulous move, China decides to declare Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, consul of the Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai persona non grata," the ministry said in a statement.

And foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin urged Canada to stop "unreasonable provocations".

"If the Canadian side doesn't listen to this advice and acts recklessly, (China) will take resolute and forceful retaliatory measures, and all consequences will be borne by the Canadian side," Wang told a regular press briefing.

A single police car was parked outside the Shanghai office building where the consulate is based, journalists saw.

Inside, appointments appeared to be running as normal, and staff at reception said they were unaware of Tuesday's developments.

Neither Canada's foreign ministry nor its embassy in Beijing replied to requests for comment from a news agency.

"We remain firm in our resolve that defending our democracy is of the utmost importance," Joly said Monday, adding that foreign diplomats in Canada "have been warned that if they engage in this type of behaviour, they will be sent home".

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has faced growing pressure to take a hard line on China following revelations in recent months that it sought to sway Canada's 2019 and 2021 elections in his party's favour.

Relations between Beijing and Ottawa have been tense since Canada's 2018 arrest of a top Huawei executive and the detention of two Canadian nationals in China in apparent retaliation.

All three have been released, but Beijing has continued to blast Ottawa for aligning with Washington's China policy, while Canadian officials have regularly accused China of interference.

After China's ambassador was summoned last week over the latest interference allegations, Beijing on Friday slammed what it called "groundless slander and defamation" by Canada.

The Chinese foreign ministry insisted the scandal had been "hyped up" by Canadian politicians and the media.

On Monday, Chong told reporters in Ottawa: "It shouldn't have taken the targeting of a member of Parliament to make this (expulsion) decision."

"We have known for years that the PRC is using its accredited diplomats here in Canada to target Canadians and their families," he said, using an acronym for the People's Republic of China.

He said Canada has become "a playground for foreign interference," including the harassment of diaspora communities.

UK Enters Era Of King With Charles' Coronation

LONDON, May 6: Charles III was on Saturday crowned monarch of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth nations after a lifetime as heir apparent to his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Camilla, his wife, was crowned immediately after.

Cries of "God Save the King" rang out from the 2,300-member congregation, which included foreign royalty and political leaders. Trumpet fanfares sounded along with gun salutes across Britain and beyond.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla greeted rain-drenched crowds with smiles and waves, alongside other British royals from the balcony of Buckingham Palace shortly after their coronations.

While many of the intricate rituals and ceremony to recognise Charles as his people's "undoubted king" remained, the king sought to bring other aspects of the coronation service up to date.

Women bishops participated for the first time, as did leaders of Britain's non-Christian faiths while its Celtic languages -- Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic -- featured prominently.

A gospel choir sang for the first time at a coronation while a Greek choir intoned a psalm in tribute to Charles's late father, Prince Philip, who was born on the island of Corfu.

As king, Charles is supreme governor of the Church of England and has described himself as a "committed Anglican Christian". But he heads a more religiously and ethnically diverse country than the one his mother inherited in the shadow of World War II.

As such, he sought to make the congregation more reflective of British society, inviting ordinary members of the public to sit alongside heads of state and global royalty.

In another change, the coronation themes mirrored his lifelong interest in biodiversity and sustainability. Ceremonial vestments from previous coronations were reused, and the anointing oil used was vegan.

Rishi Sunak -- Britain's first prime minister of colour, who gave a reading from the Bible at the service -- has described the coronation as "a proud expression of our history, culture and traditions".

Earlier, the police arrested dozens of protesters of the anti-monarchy group Republic as they prepared to protest along the route of a procession for the coronation.

Jaishankar Calls Pak's Bilawal Bhutto 'Spokesperson For Terror Industry'

PANAJI, May 5: Foreign Minister S Jaishankar has called his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari the "promoter, justifier and spokesperson of a terrorism industry".

"Victims of terrorism do not sit together with its perpetrators to discuss terrorism," Jaishankar said after a meeting of foreign ministers of the member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Goa.

"Bhutto Zardari came as Foreign Minister of a SCO member state; that's part of multilateral diplomacy and we don't see anything more than that," Jaishankar said.

The two foreign ministers did not hold a bilateral at the SCO meeting.

"On terrorism, Pakistan's credibility is depleting even faster than its forex reserves," Jaishankar said in a clear swipe at Pakistan's struggle with a huge financial crisis that has forced the country to knock from door to door for loans.

Jaishankar's comments come on a day when five Indian Army soldiers were killed in action during an operation to find terrorists hiding in a forest near Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch. The terrorists, suspected to be Pakistanis, had ambushed an army truck last week, killing five other soldiers.

India has umpteen times showed proof of Pakistan's active involvement in supporting terrorism on its soil to arm and send terrorists to Jammu and Kashmir. UN designated global terrorist Masood Azhar, 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed and many others are in Pakistan.

Zardari, the son of assassinated Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, is the first Pakistani Foreign Minister to visit India in nearly 12 years. In 2011, then Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar had visited India. The last minister-level visit from Pakistan was in 2016 by Sartaj Aziz.

At the SCO meeting, Jaishankar called for united efforts to fight terrorism. He said taking eyes off terrorism would be bad for the SCO.

"We must not allow anybody - individual or state - to hide behind non-state actors... While the world was engaged in facing Covid and its consequences, the menace of terrorism continued unabated. Taking our eyes of this menace would be detrimental to our security interests," Jaishankar said.

'India-China Relations Can Not Be Normal Till Peace, Tranquility Returns On Border': Jaishankar

PANAJI, May 5: Foreign Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said that the relations between India and China were not normal and could not be normal as long as there was no peace and tranquillity in the disputed border areas between the two countries.

"India-China relations are not normal and cannot be normal if peace and tranquillity in border areas are disturbed," said Jaishankar after a meeting of foreign ministers of the member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Goa.

On Thursday, Jaishankar had emphasised to his Chinese counterpart, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, the necessity of resolving the eastern Ladakh border dispute and maintaining peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) for the normalization of bilateral relations between India and China.

The two foreign ministers met for nearly an hour at the Taj Exotica Resort in Goa on the sidelines of the SCO summit. In a tweet, Jaishankar said that the discussion focused on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

The conversation between the two leaders centred on the border dispute, with Jaishankar pushing for a timely resolution. Neither the Indian nor the Chinese side provided an official readout of the meeting.

"We had a frank discussion about it (the border situation)... We have to take the disengagement process forward," he said at the news conference on Friday.

This marks the second meeting between Jaishankar and Qin in the last two months. The Chinese foreign minister visited India in March to attend a meeting of the G20 foreign ministers. During that visit, Jaishankar informed Qin that the lingering border dispute in eastern Ladakh has caused India-China relations to be "abnormal."

Last week, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu that China's violation of existing border agreements had "eroded" the foundation of ties between the two countries. He urged for all frontier issues to be resolved according to existing agreements.

Following a violent clash in the Pangong Lake area in May 2020, tensions between India and China have significantly escalated. Despite disengagement in several areas after a series of military and diplomatic talks, Indian and Chinese troops remain locked in a standoff along the LAC in eastern Ladakh for the past three years. India maintains that the relationship between the two countries should be founded on "three mutuals" - mutual respect, mutual sensitivity, and mutual interests.

Ukraine's Zelensky denies assassination attempt on Putin

HELSINKI, May 4: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied that his country was responsible for what Russia says was an assassination attempt against Russian President Vladimir Putin, after an apparent drone attack on the Kremlin.

"We don't attack Putin or Moscow," Zelensky said during a news conference in Helsinki.

The Ukrainian president said that Ukraine didn’t have enough weapons to spare on incidents like this.

"We fight on our territory, we are defending our villages and cities. We don't have enough weapon[s] for this. That's why we don't use it anywhere [else]," Zelensky explained. “For us that is the deficit, we can't spend [waste] it.”

“We didn't attack Putin. We leave it to tribunal,” he said.

Russia Claims Ukraine Attempted Putin Assassination, 2 Drones Shot Down

MOSCOW, May 4: Russia today accused Ukraine of attempting to kill President Vladimir Putin. It claimed it shot down two drones which were used in the alleged attack.

It said Russia reserved the right to retaliate - a comment that suggested that Moscow might use the alleged incident to justify a further escalation in the 14-month-old war with Ukraine.

Putin was not injured and there was no material damage to the Kremlin building, it said, adding it considered the alleged attack "a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the life of the President of the Russian Federation."

"Two unmanned vehicles were aimed at the Kremlin... the devices were put out of action," the Kremlin said in a statement. The Russian president was not on the premises at the time of the attempted drone attack, the Kremlin added.

Over 130 arrested in anti-mafia raids across multiple European countries

ROME, May 4: Police arrested more than 100 people across in multiple European countries on Wednesday as part of a major operation against Italy’s ‘Ndrangheta mafia, described by authorities as the “largest ever” coordinated hit against Italian organized crime.

Authorities took into custody 132 suspected members of the ‘Ndrangheta network in busts across Germany, Italy, France, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Romania, Brazil and Panama, Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, said. Over 2,770 officers were involved across the operation.

“This morning, a large-scale European operation took place in several countries. It concerns a case opened by the Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s Office, in collaboration with the Limburg Prosecutor’s Office, the Federal Judicial Police, Eurojust, Europol and various countries, in particular Italy,” the Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement earlier.

Based in the southern Italian region of Calabria, the ‘Ndrangheta is considered to be the most powerful mafia group in the country, and one of the most powerful criminal enterprises in the world, with thousands of members of members and affiliates globally, according to the Italian DIA (Anti-Mafia Directorate). It has a monopoly on European drug trafficking, according to Europol.

In Italy, authorities arrested 108 people as part of a four-pronged investigation into charges of “mafia-type association,” the Italian Carabinieri said in a statement Wednesday. The arrests were carried out by the Carabinieri Ros and the Provincial Command of Reggio Calabria.

Speaking during a joint press conference in Reggio Calabria on Wednesday, investigative magistrate Giovanni Bombardieri, who led the Italian investigation, said coordination of the operation began two months ago, calling it the “most important” operation targeting the ‘Ndrangheta group.

According to Bombardieri, “millions of euro worth of drugs and weapons” were sequestered during the raids.

Europol said that the “criminal network under investigation was led by several powerful ‘Ndrangheta families based mainly in the town of San Luca,” in Reggio Calabria.

“Some of these families have been involved in decades-long clan violence known as the San Luca feud, culminating in massive shootings in Italy and abroad, such as the Duisburg massacre in Germany in 2007,” the Europol statement said.

In addition to being part of a mafia style organization, members of the network were also arrested in connection with suspected drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, illegal firearms possession, money laundering, fraudulent asset registration, tax fraud and tax evasion, and the aiding and abetting of fugitives, according to Europol.

The network was mainly focused on international drug trafficking from South America to Europe, as well as to Australia, Europol said.

Italian authorities targeted the Calabrian clan in a historic trial in January 2021, when more than 320 suspected mobsters and their associates faced an array of charges, including extortion, drug trafficking and theft. An Italian judge later found 70 defendants guilty, in what became one of Italy’s largest-ever mafia trials, according to Reuters.

In February, Italian police also arrested a mobster associated with the ‘Ndrangheta, who had been on the run in Saint-Etienne, France, where he was working under the alias Paolo Dimitrio as a pizzaiolo – or pizza chef – at the Caffe Rossini Italian restaurant.

Edgardo Greco, 63, was convicted in absentia in 1991 for the double homicide of brothers Stefano and Giuseppe Bartolomeo, who he is alleged to have killed with iron bars before dissolving their bodies in acid, according to court documents. He had evaded Italian law enforcement officials since his conviction.

Just weeks before Greco’s arrest, authorities in Palermo stunned many around the world when they apprehended Matteo Messina Denaro, the Sicilian Cosa Nostra superboss who had been on the run for 30 years.

Messina Denaro had been a fugitive since 1993 and was considered by Europol to be one of the most wanted men in Europe.

Ukraine Says Air Defences Shot Down 15 Of 18 Missiles Launched At Night

KYIEV, May 1: Ukrainian air defence crews destroyed 15 out of 18 missiles launched by Russian forces in the early hours of Monday morning, the military said, as Moscow intensified attacks on its neighbour in recent days.

"Around 2:30 am (1130 GMT), the Russian invaders attacked Ukraine from strategic aviation planes," a post on the Telegram channel of Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in chief of Ukraine's armed forces, read.

It added that 15 out of the 18 missiles launched had been destroyed.

Kyiv's city officials wrote on the Telegram messaging app that all missiles directed at the capital were destroyed in what they said was the second attack on the city in three days.

"According to (preliminary information), no casualties among the civilian population and no destruction of residential facilities or infrastructure have been recorded," the city administration said.

Air defence systems were also called into action to shield the Kyiv region, which is a separate administrative entity from the city, from Russian missiles, officials said.

Russia has also launched missiles at other Ukrainian regions overnight, including on Dnipropetrovsk, Mykola Lukashuk, the head of the Dnipro region council, said. Air defence crews shot down seven missiles, but 25 people sought medical help.

The eastern Ukrainian city of Pavlohrad was struck twice overnight, and an industrial enterprise, 19 apartment buildings and 25 private buildings, among others, were damaged or destroyed, he added.

"There were also fires, emergency services are at work," Lukashuk said.

Vladimir Rogov, an official in the Russian-backed administration of the Zaporizhzhia region, posted late on Sunday what he said were pictures and videos of fires in Pavlohrad and said that Russian forces struck at military targets there.

Russia says some recent strikes are designed to hamper Kyiv's plans for a long-planned counteroffensive in the east.

Suspected ISIS Chief Killed In Syria: Turkey President

ISTANBUL, May 1: The "suspected leader" of the ISIS has been killed in Syria in an operation carried out by Turkey's MIT intelligence agency, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday.

"The suspected leader of Daesh, codename Abu Hussein al-Qurashi, has been neutralised in an operation carried out yesterday (Saturday) by the MIT in Syria," he announced on television, using the Arabic acronym for the ISIS.

The ISIS announced the death of its previous chief, Abu Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, on November 30, replacing him with Abu Hussein al-Qurashi.

A correspondent in northern Syria said Turkish intelligence agents and local military police, backed by Turkey, had on Saturday sealed off a zone in Jindires, in the northwest region of Afrin.

Residents said that an operation had targeted an abandoned farm that was being used as an Islamic school.

Turkey has deployed troops in northern Syria since 2020, and controls entire zones with the help of Syrian auxiliaries.

The United States carried out a helicopter raid in northern Syria in an operation in mid-April, saying the ISIS had been planning attacks in Europe and the Middle East.

US Central Command said they had killed Abd-al Hadi Mahmud al-Haji Ali of the ISIS in the operation.

Suspected ISIS terrorists killed at least 41 people, 24 of them civilians, on April 16 in Syria.

In the first week of April, the US forces said they had killed an ISIS leader responsible for planning attacks in Europe, naming him as Khalid Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri.

When it was at the height of its power, controlling swathes of Iraq and Syria, the ISIS claimed responsibility for a series of attacks in Europe.

In October 2019, Washington announced it had killed ISIS's Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in an operation in northwestern Syria.

Despite having been driven out of much of the territory it once controlled, the ISIS still launches attacks in Syria.

Expecting Agreement To Solve Ethnic Conflict By Year-End: Lanka President

COLOMBO, May 1: Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday said he is keen on settling the ethnic conflict with the minority Tamil community by the end of this year as he emphasised that the cash-strapped country could only move forward with the IMF bailout if this long-pending issue is resolved.

Wickremesinghe, in his message to mark International Workers' Day, said that he expects to reach an agreement by the end of this year to solve the country's long-drawn ethnic conflict with the help of the government's commitment to policies that benefit all communities in Sri Lanka.

"The country could only move forward with the IMF programme if two conditions are fulfilled. One is that we must resolve the ethnic conflict. We are continuing our talks on this."

"I hope to be able to come to some agreement by this year-end. We should not undermine any community. We must move forward protecting the Sinhala majority, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher and other minority groups. We must be dedicated to achieving that", Wickremesinghe stressed.

The island nation has witnessed a three-decade-long brutal war with Lankan Tamils in the North and East, which claimed at least 100,000 lives.

Wickremesinghe, who took over as the president last year amidst the unprecedented economic crisis and political turmoil, earlier, underlined the need to fully implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution to grant political autonomy to the minority Tamils in the country.

"We have created economic stability. No food shortages now. Democracy is being practised in the country. Parliament meets without threats. All are free to carry out their work without any hindrance," the president was quoted as saying in an official press release.

In March the IMF agreed to release a 2.9 billion dollar economic bailout over 4 years, because of which the country was able to move forward, Wickremesinghe, also the country's finance minister, said.

"Our next task is to implement the agreement reached with the IMF. We will make the necessary legislation and restore normalcy to the economy by 2024," it said. Wickremesinghe stressed that Sri Lanka must try to achieve 6-7 per cent GDP growth.

"The youth have stressed a change in the economic system. We must listen to them", Wickremesinghe said referring to the second condition to implement IMF bailout programme.

The 13A provides for the devolution of power to the Tamil community in Sri Lanka. India has been pressing Sri Lanka to implement the 13A which was brought in after the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement of 1987.

Wickremesinghe's effort to initiate talks with the minority Tamil political groups in order to achieve reconciliation by February 4 - the 75th anniversary of Sri Lanka's independence did not meet success as the country was grappling with the economic crisis.

Several all-party meets held between December last year and January this year also didn't reach a conclusion.

Although provincial councils were formed and elections were held since 1988 the Tamils say full powers to the councils have not been devolved by the centre.

Earlier, the Sinhala majority bitterly opposed 13A claiming it would lead to the separation of Tamil regions to form their own state.

Sinhalese, mostly Buddhist, make up nearly 75 per cent of Sri Lanka's 22 million population while Tamils make up 15 per cent.

Uzbekistan President wins nationwide referendum to rewrite Constitution

TASHKENT, May 1: A vast majority of Uzbekistan’s voters voted “Yes” to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s bid to rewrite the country’s Constitution in Sunday’s referendum that promised more freedoms to the people of the former Soviet republic and could also see the President extending his rule beyond his current two-term limit.

According to the preliminary results announced by the Election Commission on Monday, 90.21% of voters supported the changes, while 9.35% voted ‘No’. The turnout was 84.54%.

As per the country’s referendum law, at least 50% of the voters should cast their ballots for a referendum to be considered valid. At 1 p.m. on Sunday, the Election Commission declared that the referendum was valid as voters turned out in large numbers across the country to “choose their future”.

At polling station 517 in the Tashkent Financial Institute, voters of different age groups were seen in small queues at 3 p.m. on Sunday, exercising their rights. The booth had over 2,000 registered voters, whose names were published on a notice board.

Norboyev Uktam, the chief of the polling station, said all arrangements were made to make the voting transparent and free.

“The votes of this booth will be counted here by the officials and then sent to the Central Commision, which will do the final tallying,” Uktam said, explaining the process.

On the day of the referendum, different state agencies held back-to-back briefings at the Election Commission press office in Tashkent, detailing the steps taken to ensure a free and fair vote.

But the results were along expected lines as there was no campaign against the proposals made by the President. Uzbekistan has five recognised political parties, including President Mirziyoyev’s Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party. All of them were for reforms. In March, a group of free press advocates issued a statement, noting that critical voices on the social media and in the traditional media are under increasing government pressure.

International election observers also raised doubts on the fairness of the referendum process.

Observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said in a briefing in Tashkent on Monday that the voting was not truly representative.

“Uzbekistan’s constitutional referendum was technically well prepared and widely promoted as a move to enhance various rights and freedoms, but it took place in an environment that fell short of genuine political pluralism and competition,” the OSCE said.

President Mirziyoyev’s narrative is that the new Constitution gives emphasis on human rights, freedoms, gender equality, economic growth and prosperity. The new charter would also extend the presidential term to seven years, with a two-term limit.

Mirziyoyev, a former protege of Soviet-era strongman Islam Karimov, who stayed in power for 25 years until his death in 2016, is currently serving his second term which would expire in 2026. The new Constitution would reset his terms so that he can contest again for two more terms (14 years in total) — which means he could theoretically stay in power until 2040.

But many Uzbeks, especially the women and the youth, see the promised changes as a welcome move in a fast-changing country rather than worrying about the President extending his rule.

“What I like about this referendum is that it’s giving more power to women. Now any man who practices physical abuse can be prosecuted and even be sentenced for up to 12 years,” said Dilfuza Oilmava, who teaches translation studies at Bukhara State University. “This is a big move. This is the first time there’s so much talk about women’s rights. This will eventually strengthen democracy in Uzbekistan,” she added.

The new Constitution also promises more media freedoms. Under Karimov, Uzbekistan continued the Soviet-era censorship, but Mirziyoyev has relaxed such controls, though the media is still wary of not crossing the threshold and angering the government.

“I was a journalist in the early 1990s. I have seen what censorship is and how it works. That scene is changing in Uzbekistan. And the new Constitution is promising more freedoms,” said Beruniy Alimov, director, New Media Education Center, a Tashkent-based NGO.

“Overall, I am positive about the development, but as a practising journalist, I remain sceptical. Self-censorship by media owners and editors is still prevalent here. Now, a better code is being promised. But we need to see how it’s going to be implemented,” Mr. Alimov said.