WORLD

Melbourne, April 11 (IANS) The incident of defacing at the premises of the Consulate General of India in Melbourne by miscreants has been raised with Australian authorities, the High Commission of India in Canberra stated on Friday."The incident of defacing at the premises of the Consulate General of India in Melbourne by miscreants has been raised with Australian authorities. All necessary steps are being taken to ensure safety and security of Indian diplomatic and consular premises and personnel in the country," the High Commission posted on X Friday evening.Earlier in the day, local media reported that the Consulate General of India in Melbourne has once again been targeted in an act of vandalism, with graffiti discovered at the front entrance of the diplomatic premises located at 344...

Bratislava, April 11 (IANS) Slovakia President Peter Pellegrini on Friday heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative, terming it as a gamechanger while hinting rolling out similar programme in the European nation.Slovakian President’s admiration for the initiative came to the fore after he planted a Linden tree, the national tree of Slovakia, at the City Park in Sihot, Nitra -- one of the oldest towns of Slovakia which also manufactures Defender and Discovery vehicles for Tata Motors Jaguar Land Rover -- along with visiting President Droupadi Murmu, on Thursday. Nitra Mayor Marek Hattas was also present on the occasion.During the ceremony, Pellegrini was impressed to learn about the motive and mission of the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative launched by P...

Jerusalem, April 11 (IANS) The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Friday issued an urgent evacuation order for residents in several neighbourhoods of eastern Gaza City as military operations intensified in the area.In a message posted on social media X, IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee called on civilians to move westward for their safety."The IDF is working intensively in your areas to destroy terrorist infrastructure," he wrote, Xinhua news agency reported. "For your safety, you must evacuate immediately to the known shelter centres in western Gaza City," he added.Meanwhile, the IDF said in a statement that it had killed Hamas militant Ahmad Iyad Muhammad Farhat during a recent operation in Tel al-Sultan refugee camp in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.According to the IDF, Farhat...

Tokyo, April 11 (IANS) Japan's Light Horse Quarantine Council has announced that equine influenza was confirmed at three horse breeding farms in Kumamoto prefecture.Preventive measures were currently underway, including isolating infected horses, suspending the movement of other horses, administering vaccines, and disinfecting facilities to contain the spread.Equine influenza is a highly contagious viral respiratory disease that affects horses, donkeys, and other equine species.The latest report of the disease marked the first outbreak of equine influenza in Japan since 2008, Xinhua news agency reported. A previous outbreak in 2007 led to the cancellation of central horse racing events.Equine influenza is highly infectious and spreads rapidly among naive horses. Outbreaks in susceptible ho...

Canberra, April 11 (IANS) Australia's opposition leader -- and alternative Prime Minister -- Peter Dutton has been identified as the target of an alleged terror plot.News Corp Australia newspapers on Thursday night reported that a 16-year-old from Brisbane was in August 2024 arrested and charged by police over an alleged plan to attack Dutton, the leader of the opposition Coalition, at his home north of Brisbane.According to the News Corp report, the alleged plot involved the use of a drone and homemade explosives.The teenager faced a hearing in the Brisbane Children's Court on Thursday where he was committed to stand trial in the Queensland Supreme Court on a single charge of committing acts done in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of...

Seoul, April 11 (IANS) Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol moved from the official residence to his private home Friday, a week after he was removed from office over his short-lived martial law declaration in December."Today, I am leaving the official residence. I am truly grateful for everything," Yoon said in a written message.The former President looked back on his meetings with world leaders at the residence as part of his summit diplomacy and thanked the people who participated in rallies over the winter to support him."Now, I will return to life as an ordinary citizen, and seek a new path to serve our nation and people," he added.Yoon held up his fists in the air as he walked through the front gate of the residence in central Seoul, where a crowd of supporters had gathered to...

Kathmandu, April 11 (IANS) Nepal Police on Friday announced that it has arrested absconding businessman Durga Prasai, who allegedly led the violent pro-monarchy protest on March 28. Several reports cited that Prasai was apprehended in India before being brought to Kathmandu through the Kakarbhitta border point.Prasai was taken into custody near the eastern border by the Special Bureau of Nepal as three police teams had been dispatched to India to locate him. His bodyguard Deepak Khadka has also been arrested, local media reported.Nepal Police Central Spokesperson, Deputy Inspector General Dinesh Kumar Acharya, confirmed the arrest and stated that both Prasai and Khadka were brought to Kathmandu for further investigation.According to police, Prasai and Khadka have been arrested on the cha...

Islamabad, April 11 (IANS) Over 11,074 murders, 2,142 cases of gang rape, and 34,688 cases of kidnapping or abductions took place across Pakistan in 2024, a latest official crime statistics report has revealed highlighting that the country's capital Islamabad reported most cases of gang rape than all other provinces combined. Citing officially reported crime statistics, Pakistan's News International reported that the province of Punjab reported the highest (2046) of the total of 2142 gang rape cases in Pakistan in 2024, more than the combined figures of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan.As per the statistics, the province of Sindh reported 71 cases of gang rape. In KP, one gang rape and 402 cases of adultery were recorded in the past year.In Islamabad, a total of 22 cases of gang rap...

Beijing, April 11 (IANS) There is no winner in a tariff war, and going against the world will only result in self-isolation, Chinese President Xi Jinping said when meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez here on Friday.Moreover, in a move that is set to further escalate global uncertainty, China has decided to retaliate with additional tariffs on US goods from April 12, taking the total effective rate to 125 per cent. This came a day after US President Donald Trump announced a total of 145 per cent duty on Chinese goods.Xi said over the past 70 years and more, China has achieved development through self-reliance and arduous struggle, never relying on others' mercies, still less fearing any unreasonable suppression, reports Xinhua news agency.He added that no matter how the extern...