Category: World

Australia on Saturday imposed financial sanctions and travel bans on four officials in Afghanistan’s Taliban government over what it said was a deteriorating human rights situation in the country, especially for women and girls. Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the officials were involved “in the oppression of women and girls and in undermining good governance or the rule of law” in the Taliban-run country. Australia was one of several nations that in August 2021 pulled troops out of Afghanistan, after being part of a NATO-led international force that trained…

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VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV told new ambassadors to the Holy See on Saturday that the Vatican would not be a “silent bystander” to human rights abuses around the world. The comments are one of the clearest yet in revealing the philosophy of the US pope, who was elected head of the world’s Catholics in May. “I wish to reaffirm that the Holy See will not be a silent bystander to the grave disparities, injustices and fundamental human rights violations in our global community, which is increasingly more fractured and…

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WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has had Europe in his crosshairs since beginning a second White House term earlier this year. But in his new National Security Strategy — published in the dead of night early Friday — the US president launched an all-out attack, lambasting Europe as an over-regulated, censorious continent lacking in “self-confidence” and facing “civilizational erasure” due to immigration. The highly anticipated document codifies in writing the offensive launched by Washington months ago against Europe, which it accuses of taking advantage of American generosity and of failing to take responsibility…

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PRESS STATEMENT 03 December 2025 SAJF Stands in Solidarity with FMETU and SLWJA; Condemns Sri Lankan Government’s Misuse of Emergency Powers to Suppress Media Freedom The South Asia Journalists Federation (SAJF) expresses its deep concern and strong condemnation over the alarming trend of weaponising state institutions and emergency regulations by the Government of Sri Lanka to intimidate and silence journalists. SAJF extends full solidarity to the Federation of Media Employees’ Trade Unions (FMETU) and the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA) in their principled stand against these repressive actions. FMETU…

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MOSCOW: Russia and Ukraine said Wednesday they were ready for more talks with the United States to end almost four years of war, after US envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner left the Kremlin with no breakthrough on a peace deal. Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s talks with the US officials ended in the early hours of Wednesday, with neither side announcing concrete progress. The Kremlin said that no “compromise” had been found on the crucial question of territories. The morning after the meeting, the Kremlin said it…

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PARIS: Light from the half a million satellites that humanity is planning to launch into Earth’s orbit in the coming years could contaminate almost all the images taken by space telescopes, NASA astronomers warned Wednesday. Scientists have already been sounding the alarm about how light pollution from increasingly massive satellites threaten the future of dark skies seen from the ground. Now, a study published in the journal Nature is the first to estimate how the immense number of satellites planned for the future could stray into the view of nearby…

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The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine, with an overwhelming 151 member states voting in favour, 11 against, and 11 abstaining, according to a tweet by the UN Media Liaison. The resolution, which reaffirms the need for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions, calls for renewed commitment to diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the decades-long conflict. The recorded vote underscores broad international support for a peaceful and negotiated solution, even as…

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KABUL: The shooting of National Guard members in Washington, DC, over which an Afghan immigrant has been charged, has nothing to do with Afghanistan’s people or its government, Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said on Wednesday. Muttaqi’s comments are the first on the incident by the Afghan Taliban government, and come a week after events in Washington when suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal is accused of opening fire on guard members, killing one and critically wounding another. On Tuesday, Lakanwal was charged with murder and other offences as he made…

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Iran has announced the discovery of a major gold deposit at one of the country’s biggest mines for the precious metal, local media reported Monday. The new vein structure was found at the privately owned Shadan gold mine in the eastern province of South Khorasan, which Fars news agency described as “among the country’s most important”. The agency said the new reserves have been officially validated by the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade. “The proven reserves of the Shadan gold mine in the east of the country have experienced…

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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed off on a decree introducing visa-free entry into Russia for some categories of Chinese citizens for a period of up to 30 days. The decree, published on the government portal, provides visa-free entry into Russia for Chinese citizens arriving for business, tourism, or participation in scientific, cultural, and sports events. The measure will stay in effect until Sept. 14, 2026, the decree said, adding that it does not apply to some categories, including those coming for work or education. In September, China announced…

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