WORLD

Gyeongju, Oct 29 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung gifted US President Donald Trump a replica of a gold crown from an ancient Korean kingdom and awarded the highest state medal to mark Trump's State Visit to the country.The replica of the Cheonmachong crown was presented during a welcoming ceremony for Trump at the Gyeongju National Museum in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, which served as the capital of the Silla Kingdom (57 BC-AD 935)."To new trust and companionship between Korea and the United States," Lee said through an interpreter as he gifted Trump the crown encased in a glass box, Yonhap News Agency reported."We present this gold crown to you on this joyous occasion of your State Visit to Gyeongju because it symbolises the spirit of Silla, which brought peace to the ...

Tokyo, Oct 29 (IANS) In a gesture reinforcing cultural ties between India and Japan, a group of schoolchildren visited Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri during its port call at Japan’s Yokosuka, learning about India's rich maritime heritage and advanced indigenous capabilities.“During the port call at Yokosuka, schoolchildren visited Indian Navy's indigenous stealth frigate INS Sahyadri, gaining valuable insights into India's rich maritime heritage and cutting-edge indigenous capabilities,” the Indian Navy's spokesperson posted on X on Wednesday.On Tuesday, INS Sahyadri, an indigenously built Shivalik-class Guided Missile Stealth Frigate, reached Japan's Sasebo. Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) welcomed INS Sahyadri upon arrival, the Indian Embassy in Japan said in a statement.IN...

Seoul, Oct 29 (IANS) US President Donald Trump suggested on Wednesday that a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will not take place during his visit to South Korea this week.Trump made the remark hours after arriving in the southeastern city of Gyeongju to attend Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gatherings and a summit with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung."I know Kim Jong-un very well. We get along very well," he said at the start of his summit with Lee at the Gyeongju National Museum, Yonhap News Agency reported. "We really weren't able to work out timing."Trump's visit to South Korea from Wednesday to Thursday had sparked speculation he could meet with Kim to resume personal diplomacy over the North's nuclear weapons program.The two leaders met three times during Trump'...

New Delhi, Oct 29 (IANS) India and China held the 23rd round of Corps Commander Level Meeting at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point, with both sides affirming that peace and tranquility have been maintained in the Indo-China border areas, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Wednesday.“This was the first meeting of the General Level Mechanism in the Western Sector since the 24th round of Special Representatives Talks held on August 19, 2025. The talks were held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere,” the MEA stated.Both sides noted the progress since the 22nd round of Corps Commander Level Meeting in October 2024, while agreeing to continue using existing mechanisms to resolve any ground issues along the border to maintain stability.According to the Chinese Ministry of Nati...

New Delhi, Oct 29 (IANS) Days after Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) announced the formation of its first-ever women’s wing, named 'Jamaat-ul-Mominaat', an exclusive 21-minute audio of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar delivered recently at Markaz Usman o Ali in Bahawalpur, reveals a detailed blueprint for training, indoctrination and deploying women under its new wing.In this audio accessed by IANS, Masood Azhar outlines how women will be recruited, trained, and used as part of his long-term “global jihad” vision, drawing direct parallels between the new women’s structure and JeM’s long-running male training programme.Azhar declares that just as male recruits undergo the 15-day “Daura-e-Tarbiat” course, women joining Jamat-ul-Mominat will receive their own in...

Jakarta, Oct 29 (IANS) India's Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan met his Indonesian counterpart, General Agus Subiyanto, Commander-in-Chief of Indonesia's Armed Forces, in Jakarta, discussing ways to deepen Defence cooperation between Indonesia and India, including regional security, maritime affairs, and the Defence industry's development.The CDS also interacted with senior leadership of the Indonesian Armed Forces.Both sides reviewed progress on various Defence and maritime cooperation initiatives and reaffirmed their commitment to expand ongoing activities, including joint exercises, Defence industrial collaboration, capacity building, innovation and research and development.They discussed new opportunities for collaboration in satellite technology and the maritime ind...

United Nations, Oct 29 (IANS) UN humanitarians said that they join with their partners in Sudan to warn of escalating violence in besieged El Fasher and to condemn attacks on civilians.The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday that the world body and its Sudan aid partners issued a statement condemning in the strongest terms reported attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) against civilians, civilian infrastructure and humanitarian workers in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state."We are horrified by credible reports of widespread violations, including summary executions, attacks on civilians along escape routes, house-to-house raids and obstacles preventing civilians from reaching safety," the statement said."Sexual violence, particularly a...

Kathmandu, Oct 29 (IANS) A helicopter that had flown to pick up trekkers from the base camp of Mt. Lobuche, a neighbouring peak of Mt. Everest, met with an accident early Wednesday morning, a senior police official said."The helicopter belonging to Altitude Air met with an accident at 7.50 a.m. when it skidded while landing at a helipad in Lobuche," said Deputy Superintendent of Police Manojit Kunwar, chief of Solukhumbu District Police."The only occupant of the helicopter, the pilot, was rescued and brought to Lukla Airport, near the mountain," he said.According to him, the helicopter sustained partial damage to its tail and has been left at the accident site.Lobuche, which has two peaks - Lobuche East (6,119 meters) and Lobuche West (6,145 metres) - attracts a large number of trekkers an...

Washington, Oct 29 (IANS) India's Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, met US Senator Jacky Rosen, lauding her consistent support for enhancing India-US counter-terrorism cooperation and for addressing challenges to regional peace and security, including cross-border terrorism.He also briefed the Senator on the ongoing India-US trade engagement and the growing bilateral hydrocarbons partnership.“Had an engaging conversation with Senator Jacky Rosen, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Near East, Central, South Asia and Counter-terrorism Sub-committee. Briefed her on our current trade engagement and increasing bilateral trade in hydrocarbons. We also exchanged perspectives on societal applications of developments in Artificial Intelligence and scope of cooperati...

Seoul, Oct 29 (IANS) North Korea has remained tight-lipped about US President Donald Trump's repeated offer to meet leader Kim Jong-un, responding only with a cruise missile test-fire, a move analysts interpreted as likely 'rejecting' the offer.The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency reported it test-fired sea-to-surface strategic cruise missiles in the Yellow Sea on Tuesday after improving them for ship-based launches.The surprise missile test was reported hours before President Trump arrived in South Korea to attend Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation events in the southeastern city of Gyeongju and hold talks with President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping.Ahead of and during his ongoing Asia swing, President Trump has repeatedly extended offers to meet with Kim, whi...