International
North Korea slams Swiss-hosted Ukraine peace summit as 'conspiracy gathering'
Seoul, June 14 (IANS) North Korea on Friday strongly condemned the Ukraine peace summit to be hosted by Switzerland later this week, describing it as a “conspiracy gathering under the pretext of peace” to exclude Russia, according to the North’s state media.
The Summit on Peace in Ukraine is scheduled to run for two days starting Saturday, bringing together officials from nearly 90 countries and organisations to discuss a path toward ending the war that began nearly 28 months ago when Russia invaded Ukraine. Moscow will not be participating, reports Yonhap news agency.
“The idea of discussing the Ukraine issue without including Russia, a key party in the conflict, is absurd,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
The statement came amid increasingly close military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, highlighted by the impending visit to North Korea by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The US, South Korea and other countries have accused North Korea of supplying artillery, missiles and other conventional weapons to Russia in exchange for advanced military technology and economic aid. Both North Korea and Russia have repeatedly denied the allegations.
North Korea slammed the US and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accusing them of using the summit to instigate war and confrontation.
“It is only natural that the international community condemns this conspiratorial meeting, which is held under the guise of peace but aims to promote conflict and war,” the KCNA added.
In response, Seoul’s unification ministry questioned whether North Korea is qualified to criticise the international community’s efforts to resolve the Ukraine issue.
“We must question whether North Korea, which has blatantly supported Russia’s illegal invasion and disrupted international norms through illicit arms deals, has the right to disparage the efforts of Ukraine and the international community to uphold justice,” said Kim In-ae, the deputy spokesperson for the ministry, during a press briefing.
A South Korean presidential official indicated that Putin is expected to visit North Korea “in a few days.” Meanwhile, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that Putin might travel to North Korea “as early as next week” as part of a tour that includes a stop in Vietnam.
Moscow, however, declined to comment on the exact date of the visit.
Seoul’s unification ministry reiterated its call for Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to act responsibly.
“Exchanges and cooperation between Russia and North Korea should comply with relevant Security Council resolutions and be pursued in a manner that contributes to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula,” Kim said.
–IANS
int/sd/svn
International
NATO summit declaration sends 'strong message' to Russia, North Korea over deepening ties
Seoul, July 11 (IANS) The declaration adopted by the leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) at this week’s summit sends a strong message to Russia and North Korea against their growing partnership and illegal military cooperation, an official said on Thursday.
The leaders of NATO member countries “strongly” condemned North Korea’s exports of artillery shells and ballistic missiles to Russia and voiced “great concern” over the two countries’ deepening partnership, Yonhap news agency reported.
“We welcome the adoption of the declaration,” foreign ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk said in a press briefing.
“It sends a strong message to Russia and North Korea. We urge the countries to take the international community’s concerns seriously and immediately stop related activities,” Lim said.
The declaration came as the leaders of NATO member countries attended a summit in Washington on Wednesday, just weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced an upgrade of their security partnership with a treaty committing to mutual military assistance in case either of them is attacked.
–IANS
int/rs/svn
International
Mention of PM Modi on Austrian Chancellor’s timeline spikes latter’s social media traction
New Delhi, July 11 (IANS) In what comes as fresh testimony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s global appeal and popularity, a mere reference of him catapulted the traction on social media handles of Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer to newer heights, precisely over 10-30 times in terms of views and likes.
PM Modi visited Austria, the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister in 40 years, as part of his two-nation tour including Russia.
While both Russian and Austria gave a red carpet welcome to PM Modi, the Indian diaspora in both nations also gave him a rousing reception.
Meanwhile, what has caught the attention of Netizens is the spike in Chancellor Nehammer’s social media engagement, apparently because of reference to PM Modi.
The Austrian Chancellor’s two posts, one about welcoming PM Modi to Vienna and the other about a selfie with the latter received unprecedented likes and views.
The July 10 post by Chancellor Nehammer featuring a selfie with PM Modi received 3,100 reposts, 36,000 likes and 1.3 million plus views.
His other post tagging PM Modi and welcoming him to Austria, dated July 6, garnered 2,600 reposts, 23,000 likes and over 2.5 million views.
Both these posts garnered unprecedented traction.
A brief study of the Austrian Chancellor’s timeline shows his posts gather an average of less than 100 reposts, 300 likes and around 25,000 views.
Notably, PM Modi visited Austria after wrapping his landmark visit to Russia.
This was the first visit by an Indian PM to Austria in over 40 years.
It was late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who first visited the European nation in 1983.
On his visit to Austria, PM Modi was welcomed by Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg at the Vienna airport.
Later, PM Modi was accorded a warm welcome by Chancellor Nehammer as the two met for a private dinner, before the official talks.
Both the leaders hugged each other and the Austrian Chancellor also clicked a selfie with PM Modi in a candid moment.
Sharing the pictures on his X handle, the Austrian Chancellor wrote, “Welcome to Vienna. It’s a pleasure and honour to welcome you to Austria. Austria and India are friends and partners. I look forward to our political and economic discussions during your visit.”
— IANS
mr/rad
International
Eight killed in separate car accidents in Iraq
Baghdad, July 11 (IANS) Eight people were killed and three injured in two car accidents in north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, a police source said.
In one accident, three civilians and an army officer were killed when two civilian cars collided on a road near a village located south of the northern city of Kirkuk, Major Sabah al-Obaidi from Kirkuk police told Xinhua news agency.
The accident resulted in the wounding of another army officer and two civilians, al-Obaidi said, adding that the accident was a result of overtaking.
In a separate accident, four civilians were killed when two cars collided on the main road between Kirkuk and Tikrit, the capital of Salahuddin province, al-Obaidi added, Xinhua news agency reported.
Last month, Abdul-Zahara al-Hindawi, spokesman of the Ministry of Planning, said a ministry report showed that 11,552 traffic accidents occurred in 2023 in Iraq, with 3,019 people killed, mainly due to negligence of traffic rules and deteriorating road conditions.
–IANS
int/sd/svn
International
Four security personnel, three terrorists killed in clash in Pakistan
Islamabad, July 11 (IANS) Four security personnel and three terrorists were killed in a clash in Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, an army statement has said.
The Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistani military, said on Wednesday that the security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in the Hassan Khel area of Peshawar district of the province on the reported presence of a high-profile terrorist, reports Xinhua news agency.
During the conduct of the operation, after a fire exchange, three terrorists were killed, including a terrorist commander, said the ISPR, adding that four security personnel also lost their lives during the intense exchange of fire.
Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the killed terrorists, said the ISPR statement.
–IANS
int/rs/svn
International
Australia: Fire authority tackles polluted water after massive explosion in factory
Sydney, July 11 (IANS) Fire authority in the Australian state of Victoria is tackling polluted water after a massive chemical explosion triggered a “seventh alarm” blaze in Melbourne’s west.
“We are currently managing runoff of contaminated water as a result of the firefighting effort and contaminants in the building,” Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) Deputy Commissioner Joshua Fischer said in a statement released on Thursday.
Fischer noted that a number of chemicals and dangerous goods were consumed in the fire while the exact quantity is yet to be known, Xinhua news agency reported.
At around 11.20 a.m. local time on Wednesday, emergency services rushed to Swann Drive in Derrimut in response to a significant factory fire sparked by a chemical explosion.
Shortly afterwards, a “Watch and Act” alert was issued for neighbouring regions, including Albion, Braybrook, Brooklyn, Derrimut, Laverton North, Sunshine, Sunshine West, Tottenham and Truganina.
Residents were urged to take shelter indoors immediately, as the wind was blowing “toxic smoke towards the East across Derrimut.”
At around 3.32 p.m. local time, the flame was deemed “under control” with the efforts of more than 180 firefighters and various specialist equipment, such as aerial appliances.
On Thursday morning, Fischer updated that nearby businesses would be allowed to return on a case-by-case basis thanks to successful firefighting endeavours.
“In excess of 3 million litres of water, 40,000 litres of foam has been used to suppress this fire,” said the deputy commissioner.
“We have got three appliances currently undertaking firefighting operations to continue to suppress the fire, and we still have a further 11 appliances on scene supporting and in time going through a decontamination process,” he noted.
The “Watch and Act” warning has now been downgraded to the “Advice” level, as no threat remains to the local community, but people should continue to stay informed and monitor conditions.
“It is going to take some time to ascertain the exact cause, and we also need to gain access to the scene, which is an active fire area with lots of contaminants and structural integrity issues of the remaining building,” said Fischer.
“This is a challenging and dynamic environment. For FRV, this is our first seventh alarm, which is a significant incident,” he added.
There have been no reported major injuries. FRV, Victoria Police, and WorkSafe Victoria are leading a joint probe into the explosion and subsequent fire.
–IANS
int/sd/svn
-
Video1 year ago
PM Modi Attacks Congress in Karnataka with “Kerala Story”
-
Cricket1 year ago
CSK players rejoice 5th IPL title with their families (Pics)
-
Politics1 year ago
Siddaramaiah & DK Shivakumar sworn in as Chief Minister & Deputy CM respectively
-
Entertainment1 year ago
Karan Deol weds his longtime Girlfriend Drisha Acharya (Pics)
-
Entertainment1 year ago
Urvashi Rautela dazzles on Cannes 2023 red carpet (Pics)
-
Entertainment1 year ago
Sunny Leone gets ready for Kennedy premiere in Cannes (Pics)
-
Entertainment1 year ago
Alia Bhatt looks crazy beautiful in Prabal Gurung creation at MET GALA 2023 (Pics)
-
Cricket1 year ago
Sakshi & Ziva Dhoni enjoy their time during CSK VS MI match