WORLD

Beijing, Nov 8 (IANS) China has been falsely accusing Japan of remilitarisation to hide its own vicious neo-colonial ambitions, a report said.China has recently opened military facility at Ban Keun in Laos, showcasing it as a modest training and logistics centre. However, it is another calculated step in China's step to normalise its military presence in mainland Southeast Asia.Located near Vientiane, Chinese military facility formally described as the the China-Laos Joint Support and Training Centre, along with the China-Laos Friendship Aviation Academy, has been set up to provide training to Laotian Air Force pilots and being a logistics hub for Chinese defence cooperation, according to a report in Japan Forward.China has claimed that the facility is not directed against any third nati...

New Delhi, Nov 8 (IANS) As leaders, scientists, civil society representatives, activists and others from nearly 200 countries, comprising India, are gathering for two weeks in Turkey's Mediterranean resort city of Antalya for the 31st Conference of Parties to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), beginning on Monday, with aim to accelerate clean energy, scale up climate finance and strengthen resilience. The Conference of the Parties (COP), the highest-level global climate summit held annually under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is bringing together heads of state, Ministers, scientists, business leaders, and civil society representatives from around the world and serves as the primary platform for negotiating and advancing collective ...

Riyadh, Nov 8 (IANS) Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy said on Sunday that an administrative building belonging to Saudi Aramco here had been targeted in an attempted attack, causing minor damage but no casualties.The ministry said in a statement posted on its X handle that falling shrapnel had caused limited damage to the building.Relevant authorities had responded to the incident and taken the necessary measures, it added.The statement came after the Saudi-led coalition said earlier on Sunday that it had intercepted two cruise missiles over Riyadh and southern regions, as well as two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Riyadh, Xinhua News Agency reported.At least 11 people were killed Saturday in airstrikes on a village near Yemen's capital Sanaa, Houthi-run al-Masirah...

Dhaka, Nov 8 (IANS) Two more children died from measles-like symptoms in Bangladesh in the 24 hours till 8 a.m. on Sunday (local time), taking the total number of confirmed and suspected measles-linked fatalities to 1,282 in 2026.The two latest deaths in Bangladesh have been classified as suspected measles fatalities, as per the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). With the latest fatalities, the total number of suspected measles fatalities in Bangladesh has risen to 1,177, while confirmed measles deaths remained unchanged at 105, United News of Bangladesh (UNB) reported.During the 24-hour period, 1,138 new suspected measles cases were reported in Bangladesh, raising the total number of suspected measles cases in the country to 238,840.During the same period, 87 new confirmed m...

Banjul, Nov 8 (IANS) A total of 101 migrants were rescued off Sika and Albreda in The Gambia after their boat caught fire, the Gambia Immigration Department (GID) said in a statement.The rescue operation involved GID's migration management and border patrol units in Barra, the Gambia Red Cross Society, the Gambia Fire and Rescue Services, and the Gambia Navy.The rescued migrants comprised 72 Senegalese, 27 Gambians and two Guineans. All were male, including five minors, according to the statement, Xinhua News Agency reported.14 of those rescued were receiving treatment at Essau Health Center at the time of the statement, while two others had been treated and discharged from Albreda Health Center and were assisting investigators, GID said.On September 28, three migrants died after a taxi-...

Seoul, Nov 8 (IANS) South Korean Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said on Sunday the government will review whether it is providing full support for firefighters before asking them to devote themselves to public safety.Han made the remarks during a government consultation meeting with the ruling party, held a day ahead of the 64th anniversary of the Day of Firefighting.She also paid tribute to the late Kim Jin-seok, a firefighter who died while responding to a factory fire in Bucheon, west of Seoul, last month, Yonhap News Agency reported."There are many things for the government to take care of, but the lives and safety of the public are one of the top priorities. There is nothing that precedes this," Han said.The prime minister said the government will discuss measures to expand funding f...

Islamabad, Nov 8 (IANS) Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Gohar Ali Khan has demanded judicial independence, rule of law, and an end to what he termed political victimisation, local media reported on Sunday.Addressing reporters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Buner on Saturday, Gohar Ali Khan said that PTI has always advocated for an independent judiciary and the supremacy of the constitution. He emphasised that no society could achieve development and stability without justice.He said that PTI believed in addressing political differences through talks and in a democratic manner. He stated that PTI has called for talks despite the theft of its electoral mandate and the denial of its seats, the Dawn reported.Gohar Ali Khan said that PTI's foremost demand is that party founder Imran Khan be ...

Kabul, Nov 8 (IANS) Counter-narcotics police seized more than 180 kg of opium and hashish and arrested four suspected drug traffickers in the northern Afghan province of Takhar, provincial police spokesman Naqibullah Masroor said on Sunday.The seized contraband included 143 kg of opium and 40 kg of hashish, which had been concealed in compartments of a car, the spokesman said.The four suspects were transporting the drugs to an unknown destination on Saturday when police intercepted their vehicle in the provincial capital, Taluqan, and arrested all of them, he added, Xinhua News Agency reported.In a similar operation, police seized 32 kg of methamphetamine and arrested two individuals in the western Afghan province of Herat on Friday.On November 1, local police official said Afghan securi...

Seoul, Nov 8 (IANS) The number of children entering elementary schools in South Korea is expected to fall below 300,000 for the first time next year amid the country's low birth rate, data showed Sunday.The number of first graders, born in 2020, entering elementary school for the 2027 academic year, is expected to fall short of 300,000, just three years after dropping below the 400,000 mark, according to data compiled by the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS) and the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI).The decline comes as only 272,337 babies were born in 2020, down 10 percent from a year earlier, according to South Korea's Ministry of Data and Statistics, Yonhap News Agency reported.A total of 301,442 students enrolled as elementary school freshmen this year, bar...

New Delhi, Nov 8 (IANS) Pakistan’s external debt has nearly doubled over the past decade, climbing to $135.1 billion in 2025 from $68.7 billion in 2015, according to the World Bank’s International Debt Report 2026.The country's external debt increased by around 4 per cent from $129.9 billion in 2024, according to The Khaama Press News Agency.Of the total external debt, $107.08 billion comprised public and publicly guaranteed obligations, while private-sector borrowing without government guarantees stood at $17.58 billion. Short-term external debt accounted for another $10.45 billion.Multilateral institutions constituted the largest source of public and publicly guaranteed lending, accounting for $56.83 billion, while bilateral creditors held $42.43 billion in outstanding claims.China remai...