WORLD

Seoul, Sep 14 (IANS) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) seeks to broaden cooperation with South Korea in areas such as energy regulation, small modular reactors and artificial intelligence (AI), building on the success of the Barakah project, the head of its nuclear regulatory authority has said.Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) Director General Christer Viktorsson made the remark in a recent interview with Yonhap News Agency, noting experiences brought by South Korean partners "have been valuable to the success of the Barakah project."FANR is the regulatory body for the nuclear energy sector in the UAE, implementing safety, security and radiation protection programs for the area, reports Yonhap news agency.Last year, South Korea completed the construction of four nuclear reactor...

London, Sep 14 (IANS) A massive far-right march in London led by activist Tommy Robinson turned violent after clashes broke out between protesters and security officials, leaving 26 police officers injured and resulting in 25 arrests, according to local media reports.According to the Metropolitan Police, violence erupted when sections of Robinson's supporters attempted to break through security lines separating them from a rival counter-demonstration organised by "Stand Up to Racism."Officers were punched, kicked, and hit with bottles, forcing reinforcements equipped with riot shields and helmets to intervene, local media reported.Four officers sustained serious injuries, including broken teeth, a concussion, a suspected broken nose, and a spinal injury.According to local media reports, au...

Seoul, Sep 14 (IANS) The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Sunday blasted a planned joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States, warning the "reckless muscle-flexing" would bring unfavorable consequences.Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the North Korean ruling party's Central Committee, issued the warning in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).The allies are set to stage the Iron Mace tabletop military exercise from Monday to Friday at the US Forces Korea headquarters at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, focusing on integrating Washington's nuclear assets and Seoul's conventional capabilities to deter North Korean threats.Kim reiterated her criticism of the allies' nuclear deterrence plan, saying North Korea would re...

Quito, Sep 13 (IANS) Gunmen disguised as soldiers opened fire inside a pool hall in Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas in northwestern Ecuador, killing at least seven and wounding three others, local media reported.The attackers arrived in a vehicle around 10:30 p.m. local time and shot indiscriminately at the customers in the pool hall located in the Nuevo Amanecer neighborhood, Xinhua news agency reported quoting local news outlet Primicias.It was the second mass shooting in a pool hall in the Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas province in less than a month. On August 17, seven people were killed in a similar attack, police said.One of those killed and two of the wounded in Friday's shooting had criminal records for drug trafficking, criminal association, murder and theft, according to a polic...

Cairo, Sep 14 (IANS) Egypt reiterated calls for a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.Ahead of the 69th Regular Session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference, scheduled for next week in Vienna, Egypt urged all countries in the region to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) without exception, Xinhua news agency reported.The ministry emphasised that adherence to the treaty would promote transparency, prevent double standards in handling nuclear programs, and help curb regional tensions."Freeing the Middle East from nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction is an essential step to ensure regional and international security and stability," the statement said. It added tha...

Addis Ababa, Sep 14 (IANS) African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf has welcomed a recent United Nations General Assembly resolution on advancing cooperation between the UN and the AU.The UN General Assembly, in its 79th session, adopted a resolution on UN-AU cooperation, emphasising that strengthening the cooperation will contribute to the advancement of the principles of the UN Charter and of the Constitutive Act of the AU, Xinhua news agency reported."This resolution is a strong endorsement of Africa's leadership and of the vital partnership between the UN and AU in advancing peace, security, and sustainable development," the AU Commission chief said in a statement issued Saturday."Together, we will translate this commitment into concrete action that delivers for A...

New York, Sep 14 (IANS) After having singled out India for punitive tariffs, US President Donald Trump has finally taken his NATO allies to task for “shocking” purchases of Russian oil and said he would impose 50 per cent to 100 per cent tariffs on China if they stopped buying from Moscow. “NATO’S commitment to WIN (the Ukraine war) has been far less than 100 per cent, and the purchase of Russian Oil, by some, has been shocking”, he posted on Truth Social on Saturday. Trump imposed a 25 per cent punitive tariff on India for buying Russian oil, in addition to the 25 per cent reciprocal tariff, while others purchasing oil and gas from Moscow have been given a free pass. “I am ready to do major Sanctions on Russia when all NATO Nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when ...

Kathmandu, Sep 13 (IANS) Nepal's President Ram Chandra Paudel on Saturday appealed to all sides to cooperate in successfully holding the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5 next year, following criticism from the country’s major political parties over the dissolution of the lower house Friday midnight.Dissolution of the lower house was a key demand of the Zen-G protestors amid the impression that current members of the parliament are involved in corrupt practices. As per the recommendation of newly-appointed Prime Minister Sushila Karki, the house was dissolved, ensuring a premature death after formation in 2022.Issuing a press statement on Saturday evening, President Poudel said that a peaceful way-out has been achieved in an extremely difficult and frightening situati...

Washington, Sep 13 (IANS) A naturalised United States citizen from Pakistan residing in Wayne County, Michigan, has been charged with attempted kidnapping of a minor child, according to the federal authorities.The US Attorney Jerome F Gorgon Jr., accompanied by Acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Stentz of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Detroit, announced that a criminal complaint had been unsealed charging 46-year-old Pakistani-origin man Shahzad Hameedi.According to the criminal complaint, Hameedi began dating a single mother in Windsor, Canada, under the alternate name Sheraz Hameed. After she restricted his access to her minor child, Hameedi embarked on an operation to kidnap the child in June 2025.In an official statement on Thursday, the US Attorney General’s office said ...

Dhaka, Sep 13 (IANS) Bangladesh’s Awami League party on Saturday once again slammed the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, accusing it of using arbitrary arrests as a weapon to suppress dissent and neutralise political opposition in the country.The party alleged that everyone from grassroots activists and former ministers to noted intellectuals and ordinary citizens participating in a procession is detained not for proven crimes but simply for expressing political allegiance or exercising their right to assembly.“The surge in arbitrary arrests across Bangladesh is neither random nor isolated; it is systematic, targetted, and designed to dismantle the very foundations of political organisation. Each case reveals a disturbing pattern: pervasive surveillance, preemptive detention, and the...