Ulan Bator, July 30 (IANS) The annual multinational peacekeeping exercise code-named Khaan Quest 2024 for this year was underway at Five Hills Training Area near the Mongolian capital.

More than 1,000 military personnel from 23 countries, including China, India, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, Turkey, and the United States, were participating in the peacekeeping exercise, according to the Mongolian Armed Forces on Tuesday.

The exercise, which commenced on July 27 and will run until Aug. 9, features both command post and field training exercises. This year’s focus is on realistic, scenario-based training centered on peacekeeping operations.

The objectives of the exercises include enhancing defence cooperation among the participating countries, building military trust, providing critical training to improve skills required for UN peacekeeping operations and fostering multinational cooperation in peace support missions, Xinhua news agency reported.

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Abuja, July 30 (IANS) Nigerian police said Tuesday a manhunt has been launched for a group of gunmen who allegedly opened fire at a security checkpoint in the country’s southeastern state of Imo, killing five, including four local police personnel, late Monday.

A trader near the security checkpoint was also killed during the incident in Irete, in the Owerri West Local Government Area, Henry Okoye, a spokesman for the police in Imo, told Xinhua over the phone Tuesday.

Police accused the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra/Eastern Security Network, a militant group in southeastern Nigeria, of masterminding the attack.

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Tokyo, July 30 (IANS) Japan on Tuesday called for making public all information necessary to verify the credibility of the voting results in Venezuela, citing that “doubts have been raised both domestically and internationally” about the transparency of the entire election process.

Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) announced on Monday that Nicolas Maduro has won the presidential election for the third time and will govern the country from 2025 to 2031.

“Doubts have been raised both domestically and internationally about the transparency of the election process, including the counting of votes,” Japan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Japan calls for all information necessary to verify the credibility of the voting results to be made public and for the transparency of the presidential election process to be ensured, so that the will of all Venezuelans who voted is respected,” it added.

Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) announced preliminary results showing that with 80 per cent of votes counted, President Maduro received approximately 5.15 million votes, while unified opposition candidate Gonzalez received approximately 4.44 million votes.

“According to local reports, issues have been pointed out, such as opposition witnesses not being allowed access to the CNE headquarters during the vote count, and the opposition only being shown partial certificates showing the voting results on each voting machine, raising doubts about the transparency of the electoral process and the election results,” stated the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

Several countries, including the United States, have also raised “serious concerns” about Maduro winning the presidential election once again.

“We’ve seen the announcement just a short while ago by the Venezuelan electoral commission. We have serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Tokyo on Monday.

“It’s critical that every vote be counted fairly and transparently, that election officials immediately share information with the opposition and independent observers without delay, and that the electoral authorities publish the detailed tabulation of votes. The international community is watching this very closely and will respond accordingly,” he added.

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London, July 30 (IANS) A third child, a nine-year-old girl, has passed away as a result of injuries sustained in Monday’s knife attack in northwest England’s Southport, the local police announced on Tuesday.

“We can confirm that the children who died yesterday were girls aged six and seven years. Eight other children suffered stab wounds sustained during the attack, and five of them are in a critical condition,” a statement released by Merseyside Police on the horrific incident detailed.

Two adults also remain in a critical condition after being injured during the incident.

A 17-year-old male from Banks in Lancashire, who was born in Cardiff, was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder and remains in police custody.

The children were attending a Taylor Swift event at a dance school when the offender, armed with a knife, walked into the premises and started to attack those inside.

The police said that the shocking incident is not currently being treated as terror-related and they are not looking for anyone else in connection with it.

“A name has been shared on social media in connection with the suspect in the incident in Southport. This name is incorrect and we would urge people not to speculate on details of the incident while the investigation is ongoing,” said the police statement.

It also mentioned that its specialist Family Liaison Officers are providing support to the families at this terrible time.

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to visit Southport later on Tuesday.

Ahead of Starmer’s visit, British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Southport MP Patrick Hurley laid flowers at the scene of the attack on Tuesday morning. A vigil is also being planned in the evening in memory of the victims.

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Singapore, July 30 (IANS) Singapore’s Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) has arrested a 64-year-old Singaporean suspect and seized a large amount of drugs, it said in a statement on Tuesday.

CNB officers made the arrest and seized 6.25 kilograms of cannabis, 4.66 kilograms of heroin, and 437 grams of Ice, among other drugs, from his hideout on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The seized drugs, with an estimated value of 696,000 Singapore dollars ($518,000), can feed the addiction of 3,340 abusers for a week, the CNB said.

The narcotics bureau is currently investigating the case.

Further details are awaited.

–IANS

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