WORLD

New Delhi, June 11 (IANS) Taiwan on Wednesday thanked India for rescuing 18 crew members of the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel, WAN HAI 503, which recently caught fire about 70 nautical miles off the Kerala coast.Of the 22 onboard, 18 crew members have been rescued after they jumped into the sea, while the whereabouts of four other crew members attached to the ship's Fire and Safety Department are being ascertained.The Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India said that the four crew members who remained missing include two Taiwanese, one from Indonesia and one from Myanmar."The Taiwan Government is grateful for the swift rescue operation provided by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard to Wan Hai 503. We wish the missing crew members return safe and the injured recover soon," Taipei Economi...

Phnom Penh, June 11 (IANS) Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has announced the establishment of a high-level documenting committee to build a strong case as the country has decided to take the ongoing border dispute with Thailand to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).The high-level documenting committee will be in charge of taking the long-standing case to the ICJ, local media reported on Wednesday.The move comes at a time when Cambodia and Thailand are scheduled to hold a Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meeting on June 14 in Phnom Penh, centreing on the border issues.The Cambodian government on Tuesday stated that it has created the "Committee to Prepare Documents for Filing a Case with the International Court of Justice Regarding the Areas of Mom Bei, Ta Moan Thom Temple, Ta Moan ...

New Delhi, June 11 (IANS) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday said he had a highly productive visit to Switzerland where he met several top industry leaders and key stakeholders to further strengthen trade ties between the two countries.The Union Minister is now on the second leg of his official visit to Sweden.“Wrapping up a successful two-day visit to beautiful city of Bern, with warmth, fond memories and new partnerships,” Goyal said in a post on X.“Highly impressed with the curiosity, interest and trust of industry leaders and key stakeholders in India growth story. Exciting opportunities lie ahead,” he added.Goyal had a highly productive interaction with Soren Toft, CEO of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world’s largest container shipping company and a g...

Los Angeles, June 11 (IANS) A limited curfew will come into effect from Tuesday in several areas of downtown Los Angeles, California, following several nights of unrest triggered by the Trump administration's immigration raids. The announcement was made by Mayor Karen Bass, who said the city had witnessed escalating violence, arson, and looting in the wake of federal enforcement actions.The curfew will be enforced from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. and may continue for several days. However, Mayor Bass clarified that residents and people working in the area will be exempt.She said the decision was made in light of mounting tensions and the need to prevent further disorder.Masked looters targeted several businesses, including an Apple Store, where they smashed windows and made away with electronic produ...

New York, June 11 (IANS) A Pakistani citizen residing in Canada has been extradited to the US to face terrorism-related charges, including attempting to provide material support to ISIS and plotting a mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn, federal authorities announced.Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, who was arrested in Canada on September 4, 2024, is accused of planning a violent attack inspired by the Islamic State terrorist organisation.US officials allege that Khan intended to cross the border from Canada to New York and carry out a mass shooting at a Jewish facility on October 7, 2024, to coincide with the first anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.In a post on social media platform X, FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed Khan’s extradition and commended the collaborative ef...

Washington, June 11 (IANS) Despite India's repeated dismissal of external involvement in the bilateral Kashmir dispute, US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce raked it up, saying that it wouldn’t be a surprise if US President Donald Trump tried to mediate.Replying to a question at her regular briefing on Tuesday, about what the reporter asserted was Trump’s offer to mediate, Bruce said, “Obviously, I can’t speak to what’s on the mind or the plans of the president”.But she went on to say, “What I do know is that I think we all recognise that President Trump in each step that he takes, it’s made to solve generational differences between countries, generational war”.“So, it doesn’t – it shouldn’t -- surprise anyone that he’d want to manage something like that” [the Kashmir dispute], she...

Sanaa, June 11 (IANS) Yemen's Houthi group claimed responsibility for launching two missile attacks toward Israel's Ben Gurion Airport."We targeted Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, using two ballistic missiles, one of which was a hypersonic," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in the statement, aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV."One of the missiles directly hit Ben Gurion Airport, and the interceptor systems failed to intercept it," Sarea said, adding, "Our decision to ban air traffic to and from Ben Gurion Airport remains in effect, and we warn the remaining airline companies to immediately halt their flights."Sarea noted that the group's missile attacks against Israel were "in response to the Israeli missile aggression on Yemen's ports of Hodeidah."Meanwhile, the Israel Defense...

New York, June 11 (IANS) US President Donald Trump warned protesters to stay away from the military parade he has planned for Saturday in Washington, to mark the Army's 250th birthday, asserting that any demonstrators who "hate our country" would be met with "very heavy force."Trump made the remarks on Tuesday while visiting Fort Bragg in North Carolina and speaking at an event related to the celebration, which will culminate with the parade that coincides with his 79th birthday. He watched the US Army demonstrate a missile strike, a helicopter assault and a building raid at Fort Bragg, which celebrated the 250th anniversary of that branch of the military, Xinhua news agency reported.In remarks from the Oval Office before he left for North Carolina, Trump said that protesters who assembl...

Quito, June 11 (IANS) Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa extended the "state of emergency" in seven provinces and the country's capital Quito for another 30 days due to "serious internal unrest" in the face of spiraling violence, the government said.Noboa issued an executive order in which he noted that the measure came amid the "internal armed conflict" unleashed since security forces began to combat organised crime in January 2024, Xinhua news agency reported.The state of emergency has been in effect since April in the coastal provinces of Guayas, Los Rios, Manabi, El Oro, and Santa Elena, as well as the Amazonian provinces of Orellana and Sucumbios, and the Metropolitan District of Quito."The ultimate objective of the state of emergency is to guarantee public order, social peace, and peac...

Quito, June 11 (IANS) At least eight people were shot dead in Ecuador's southwestern coastal city of Guayaquil, amid a surge in criminal violence, national police said.The attack occurred in the Pascuales district on Tuesday, along the Daule highway. "Eight people were killed by gunfire," police said in a statement, adding that officers were deployed immediately to investigate and pursue those responsible.Local media reported that the victims were gunned down in Guayaquil's industrial zone, near the Peca area and outside a municipal market, just as vendors were beginning their workday.Five of the victims were motorcycle taxi drivers, Xinhua news agency reported quoting local TV reports.Police suggested the spike in violence may be linked to the recent seizure of four assault rifles over th...