WORLD

Nairobi, Oct 28 (IANS): As many as 12 people were killed after a plane heading to Kichwa Tembo in Kenya's Maasai Mara crashed in the Kwale Simba area on Tuesday, local media reported.Confirming the crash, Kenya's Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) stated, "KCAA wishes to confirm that an aircraft, registration number 5Y-CCA, on its way, from Diana to Kichwa Tembo, crashed at 0530Z."According to Kenyan media outlet 'The Standard', Kwale County Commissioner Steven Orinde said that all 12 victims were foreign tourists travelling to Masai Mara. Orinde said, "We are yet to establish their nationality, but they were all foreign tourists heading to Mara."Later, Mombasa Air Safari Limited revealed the identity of passengers onboard as 10, including eight Hungarians, two Germans and two crew members....

Jakarta, Oct 28 (IANS) Indonesia's Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin on Tuesday met with India's Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan in Jakarta, discussing ways to enhance defence cooperation between both countries.According to the Indian Embassy in Jakarta, both sides discussed opportunities for collaboration in the field of military medicine through specialist training programmes for Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) doctors, as part of efforts to strengthen defence capacity and cooperation in human resource development.Welcoming General Chauhan, the Indonesian Defence Minister expressed appreciation for the warm hospitality extended by the Government of India to the Indonesian delegation during India’s Republic Day Parade in January 2025.The CDS is on an official...

New Delhi, Oct 28 (IANS) Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos will arrive in New Delhi on Wednesday for a three-day visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) revealed on Tuesday.During his visit, the visiting minister is also scheduled to hold talks with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and deliver a lecture on Thursday.EAM Jaishankar and Kombos recently met on the sidelines of the 80th session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, last month. During their discussion, the two ministers reviewed the progress in bilateral ties since the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Cyprus earlier this year."Always great meeting FM Constantinos Kombos of Cyprus. Reviewed the progress in bilateral ties since the successful visit of PM Narendra Modi. Apprec...

Islamabad, Oct 28 (IANS) Lahore in Pakistan continues to remain the world's most polluted city as smog blanketed the region on Tuesday and the city's Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 329 at around 9 am (local time) as per Swiss air quality monitor IQAir.The AQI of Lahore stood at 424 earlier in the morning, with the level of deadly particulate matter (PM2.5) pollutants, the fine particulate matter in the air that causes the most damage to health, reaching 287, leading Pakistani daily The News International reported.Along with Lahore, Pakistan's Karachi also featured in the top 10 most polluted cities globally. It stood at the third spot in the list with an AQI recorded at 174.Health experts have warned that prolonged exposure to such high pollution levels can result in people fac...

Tokyo, Oct 28 (IANS) A man charged for assassinating former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022 pleaded guilty on Tuesday, in his first court hearing since the fatal shooting that shocked the nation and drew attention to Unification Church and its connection to political leaders, local media reported.During the hearing at the Nara District Court, Tetsuya Yamagami said, "It is true. There is no doubt that I did it." Yamagami (45) is accused of killing Abe with a handmade firearm during an election stump speech in Japan's Nara on July 8, 2022.The defence has insisted that the personality and behaviour of the accused were shaped by an upbringing marked by religious abuse. The defence counsel has insisted that Yamagami's mother, a follower of the Unification Church, donated 100 mil...

Gyeongju (South Korea), Oct 28 (IANS) World leaders and delegations from participating countries began arriving on Tuesday in South Korea's southeastern city Gyeongju for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, just three days ahead of the gathering.Security has been heightened to the strongest level across the city to ensure the safety of the delegates, especially around the Bomun Tourist Complex, where the summit will be held and many leaders will be staying.Most state leaders and delegations will arrive through Gimhae International Airport in the southeastern port city of Busan and travel to Gyeongju in motorcades to attend the gathering, government officials said.The President of Peru and delegates from Taiwan were scheduled to arrive Tuesday afternoon, while those from Ne...

Minsk, Oct 28 (IANS) India and Belarus held eighth round of Foreign Office Consultations in Minsk, discussing the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including political, economic, cultural, tourism, education and consular matters.According to a statement released by Belarus' Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both sides discussed several issues related to bilateral relations, including the development of political dialogue, increasing mutual trade and manufacturing cooperation, expanding the legal framework, bilateral interaction within international organisations, cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), and BRICS, besides promoting the establishment of direct bilateral contacts in humanitarian areas."The parties noted the significant ...

Istanbul, Oct 28 (IANS) At least 19 people were injured after a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck Turkey's western province of Balikesir late Monday, authorities announced on Tuesday.Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu said on X that the injuries primarily resulted from panic and people jumping from high elevations. He said that 15 of the wounded remain in hospitals for treatment.Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya stated that a total of 504 reports had been received by emergency call centers, including 25 concerning building damage. "Each report is being assessed individually," he added.According to Yerlikaya, three unused buildings and a shop were demolished, and no casualties were reported, Xinhua news agency reported.As field inspections continue, authorities are warning the public not to ente...

Seoul, Oct 28 (IANS) US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth will visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas and also meet with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during his visit to the Asian country next week, a senior US defence official said Tuesday.Hegseth is set to kick off a two-day visit to South Korea next Monday in his first trip to the Asian country since taking office early this year. Korea is the last leg of his Asia swing that includes stops in Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam.Upon arrival in Korea, the secretary, along with Seoul's Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back, plans to visit the Joint Security Area (JSA) inside the DMZ and have a chance to meet Korean and American troops stationed at the DMZ, the official said during a briefing to the press traveling with Hegset...

Dhaka, Oct 28 (IANS) At least one person was killed and 15 others were injured in Chittagong early on Tuesday after a gunfight erupted between two factions of the youth wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).The deceased was identified as a 22-year-old Md. Sajjad, a member of BNP's student wing Chhatra Dal.Speaking to Bangladesh's Bengali daily Prothom Alo, Baklia Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Ikhtiyar Uddin stated that the violence reportedly broke out on early Tuesday following a dispute over the tearing of a banner.He confirmed that one person was killed in the shooting and several others were injured, adding that a drive is underway to arrest those responsible.Citing party sources, Prothom Alo reported that the gunfire took place between Emdadul Haque Badsha, the former...