SOUTH ASIA

Damascus, Jan 11 (IANS) Syria's de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, pledged neutrality in Lebanon's affairs during a joint press conference with visiting Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Saturday."We will remain equidistant from all Lebanese," al-Sharaa said at the press conference. He noted the two sides had also discussed issues such as smuggling between the two countries, border challenges, and Syrian deposits in Lebanese banks."We're envisioning strategic, long-term relations built on solid foundations," he added.Mikati echoed this sentiment, highlighting the intertwined destinies of the two nations."As long as Syria is well, Lebanon is well," he said, expressing hope that efforts by Damascus to tackle the Syrian refugee crisis could alleviate the strain on Lebanon. Mika...

Dhaka, Jan 11 (IANS) Leaders of various political parties in Bangladesh on Saturday expressed grave concerns over the complete collapse of law and order in the country along with rising taxes, commodity prices, gas and electricity bills. Addressing the first national council of the Amar Bangladesh Party (AB Party) in Dhaka, the top leadership of various political parties slammed the interim government led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus for its failure to control commodity prices and law and order."Commodity prices are now skyrocketing. Even in such a big crisis, those who can suddenly increase tax and VAT on 100 products on a government order, those who can close TCB (Trading Corporation of Bangladesh) truck sales and stop the system of providing food to the hungry and needy, must unders...

Jerusalem, Jan 11 (IANS) The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Saturday that it has killed three militants in the northern Gaza Strip.These militants were killed while attempting to fire at the IDF's Givati infantry brigade troops in the city of Jabalia."With reconnaissance drone, the soldiers identified the three terrorists who approached and hid in a nearby structure," read the statement. "The terrorists then tried to attack the soldiers, using a shaft inside the structure."The IDF also released video footage showing the presence of an armed militant inside the structure.According to the IDF, the troops gunned down two of the militants who were hiding, and the third was killed in a targeted operation by Givati soldiers.Also on Saturday, a rocket was fired from southern G...

Damascus, Jan 3 (IANS) A series of blasts rocked Syria's southern Aleppo province, as Israeli warplanes carried out strikes on defence factories and a research centre there, according to local media and a war monitor.The local news outlet al-Watan Online reported that multiple explosions reverberated in Al-Safira city, where defence facilities are located. The report added that the attack targeted a scientific research center on the city's outskirts, Xinhua news agency reported.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, confirmed at least seven large explosions, saying Israeli aircraft bombed both the Al-Safira defense factories and a research centre.There were no immediate reports of casualties.The latest raid, the observatory noted, brings the total number of I...

Seoul, Jan 3 (IANS) South Korean builders have achieved more than $1 trillion in accumulated overseas construction deals, the transport ministry said on Friday.The achievement comes 59 years after Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. obtained its first overseas deal to build an expressway in Thailand in November 1965.Local builders secured $32.69 billion worth of overseas orders in the January-November period, the International Contractors Association of Korea said earlier, bringing the accumulated total to $996.5 billion as of end-November, reports Yonhap news agency.The figure for December has yet to be released, but the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said the country's accumulative overseas orders breached the $1 trillion mark during the month.Nearly half of the or...

United Nations, Jan 3 (IANS) Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia began to assume responsibilities as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.Their two-year term officially started on January 1. Thursday is the first working day of the council for 2025 after the Christmas and New Year break, Xinhua news agency reported.The five countries replaced Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland.A flag installation ceremony was held at the United Nations headquarters in New York to mark the start of their responsibilities.Kazakh UN ambassador Kairat Umarov, who presided over the ceremony, congratulated the five new council members and wished them success in their two-year term.The flag installation ceremony for new Security Council members was initiated by Kaz...

Tehran, Jan 3 (IANS) Iranians across the country marked the fifth anniversary of the US killing of top commander Qassem Soleimani.Soleimani, former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were killed in a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020. Iran condemned the killing as an act of "state terrorism."Commemorations were held in cities nationwide on Thursday , including Tehran and Soleimani's hometown of Kerman, honoring him and other "martyrs of the resistance front."In Tehran, a large gathering took place at Imam Khomeini's Mosalla prayer hall, attended by senior officials including President Masoud Pezeshkian, Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, and Parliament Speaker Moha...

Jerusalem, Jan 3 (IANS) Israel announced that it will send a delegation of senior security officials to Qatar next week to discuss a Gaza ceasefire deal.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed in a statement that "a delegation of professional officials from the Mossad, Shin Bet, and the IDF (Israel Defense Forces)" will travel to Doha to continue the negotiations, Xinhua news agency reported.Earlier this week, the Israeli state-owned Kan TV reported that Hamas had proposed a one-week ceasefire, during which it would locate the whereabouts of hostages still held in Gaza and provide a list of those who could be released. Israel has not officially commented on the proposal.The talks, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, have been ongoing for more than a year.Earlier on Wednesd...

Gaza, Jan 3 (IANS) Gaza's interior authorities confirmed that Mahmoud Salah, the director-general of Gaza's police department, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip.In a statement, the interior authorities mourned the deaths of Salah and Hussam Shahwan, the head of Hamas' Internal Security in southern Gaza, saying they were killed while "performing their humanitarian and national duty in serving Palestinian people."The Israeli military announced earlier in the day that it had killed Hussam Shahwan in an overnight drone strike on a humanitarian zone in Khan Younis, where displaced Palestinians have sought shelter, Xinhua news agency reported.Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza, told Xinhua that the Israeli army killed at least 11 Pal...