Explosion reported in Pakistan's Balochistan

The blast occurred in Mastung district located in the northwest of Balochistan province.

Initial reports included that the explosion took place near a car.

The explosion left several people injured who were transferred to hospital to receive treatment.

No groups or individuals have claimed responsibility for the incident so far.

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Indian-origin economist Tharman Shanmugaratnam sworn in as Singapore’s new president

Indian-origin Singapore-born economist Tharman Shanmugaratnam was on Thursday sworn in as the ninth president of the city-state.

Published Date – 06:22 PM, Thu – 14 September 23


Indian-origin economist Tharman Shanmugaratnam sworn in as Singapore’s new president



Singapore: Indian-origin Singapore-born economist Tharman Shanmugaratnam was on Thursday sworn in as the ninth president of the city-state.

Tharman, 66, will serve a six-year term. He succeeds President Halimah Yacob, Singapore’s first female president, whose term ended on September 13.

Tharman, who has served Singapore all his life in public service, was overwhelmingly endorsed by the city-state’s predominantly Chinese society.

He served as a senior minister between 2019 and 2023; coordinating minister for social policies between 2015 and 2023; and Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore between 2011 and 2023. He also served as Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister from May 2011 to May 2019.

Singapore, in the past, has had two Indian-origin presidents.

Sellapan Ramanathan, popularly known as S R Nathan, a Singaporean politician and civil servant of Tamil descent, served as the president of Singapore. In 2009, Nathan defeated Benjamin Sheares to become Singapore’s longest-serving president.

Chengara Veetil Devan Nair, better known as Devan Nair, served as the third president of Singapore from 1981 until his resignation in 1985. Born in 1923 in Malacca, Malaysia, Nair was the son of a rubber plantation clerk who was originally from Thalassery, Kerala.

Iran prosecutor general due in Baku to attend ECO meeting

The meeting is slated to be held from September 14 to 16 in the capital of Azerbaijan.

Issues such as scientific and research cooperation, as well as cooperation to combat human trafficking, drug trafficking, and cybercrime will be discussed during the event.

Movahedi Azad is expected to hold bilateral meetings with other prosecutors present at this summit, including the prosecutors of Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, and Pakistan.

The first edition of the meeting was held in Tehran in 2012.

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US man wins $5 million, treats wife to watermelon and flowers

The Colorado Lottery announced on Wednesday that 77-year-old Waldemar Tasch from Montrose secured the $5,067,041 Colorado Lotto+ jackpot.

Updated On – 01:31 PM, Thu – 14 September 23


US man wins $5 million, treats wife to watermelon and flowers



Washington: A man in the US state of Colorado won a lottery of more than $5 million and the first things that he bought with the money were a watermelon and flowers for his wife.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Colorado Lottery said that Waldemar Tasch, a 77-year-old from Montrose, won the $5,067,041 Colorado Lotto+ jackpot.

Tasch, who is retired, was on a backpacking trip in the Holy Cross Wilderness with his golden retriever, Augie, when his winning numbers were chosen for the September 6 draw.

When he returned from his trip, he checked his ticket on the website and figured “it must be a mistake”, the statement said.

Tasch’s “first move was to buy himself a watermelon–and his wife flowers”, it added.

“Colorado is the most beautiful place in the world,” he said, adding that he plays Colorado Lotto+ every month and “always” plays his own lucky numbers, using a secret formula to choose.

According to Tasch, his wife has some upcoming surgeries and he is happy to be able to now be able to provide some much needed help.

He also plans to give back with his winnings.

“I’m going to give to some charities and really think about what it is I was meant to do with this,” he said.

Violent clashes in Lebanon’s Palestinian refugee camp kills 7

At least seven people were killed and 24 others injured after violent armed clashes broke out in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp

Published Date – 01:20 PM, Thu – 14 September 23


Violent clashes in Lebanon’s Palestinian refugee camp kills 7



Beirut: At least seven people were killed and 24 others injured after violent armed clashes broke out in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp, state media reported on Thursday.

The Ain Al-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp near the southern city of Sidon witnessed the violent clashes on Wednesday afternoon in which machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades were used, Xinhua news agency quoted the state media as saying.

It added that flare bombs were used for the first time within the refugee camp.

The armed clashes prompted significant displacement in Sidon and its surrounding areas, as well as the southern Sidon highway and several neighbourhoods near the camp were also struck by stray bullets.

According to the state media, the violence on Wednesday erupted just a few hours after the Palestinian factions in the refugee camp agreed to a ceasefire during their meeting with Prime Minister Najib Mikati earlier in the day.

In the meeting, the Palestinian factions agreed to “work to facilitate the return of those forced from their homes and vacate schools as soon as possible”.

In the new wave of violence in the camp since September 7, 20 have been killed and 140 injured so far, according to local media.

Clashes between rival groups often occur in the Ain Al-Helweh camp.

Between July 29 and August 3, clashes between members of the Palestinian Fatah movement and Islamic activists in the camp killed at least 13 people and injured dozens of others.

Iran VP meets Cuban president for technological cooperation

Iran’s Vice-President for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-Based Economy Rouhollah Dehghani Firouzabadi in a post on X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, announced that he had held a meeting with the Cuban president.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the G77 summit in Havana.

Cuba is one of the serious targets for technological cooperation, with significant opportunities for cooperation and foreign policy commonalities with Iran, he wrote.

In a private meeting with the President of Cuba, favorable agreements were made for extensive cooperation in food security, health, and energy technologies, he added.

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Saudi Arabia executes 2 soldiers convicted of treason as it conducts war on Yemen’s Houthi rebels

Saudi Arabia is among the world’s top executioners.

Updated On – 05:01 PM, Thu – 14 September 23


Saudi Arabia executes 2 soldiers convicted of treason as it conducts war on Yemen’s Houthi rebels



Dubai: Saudi Arabia executed two soldiers Thursday who were convicted of treason as the kingdom conducted its war on Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

A brief statement on the state-run Saudi Press Agency identified the two as a lieutenant colonel who was a pilot and a chief sergeant. It did not elaborate on what they allegedly did, other than to accuse them of having “committed a number of major military crimes” during a period of the war.

Saudi Arabia typically beheads those it executes.

Saudi Arabia is among the world’s top executioners.

India and Japan join hands to enhance cyber cooperation

It said both the delegations underscored the importance of capacity building in ensuring secure cyberspace and agreed to cooperate in this aspect.

Published Date – 04:40 PM, Thu – 14 September 23


India and Japan join hands to enhance cyber cooperation



New Delhi: India and Japan on Thursday agreed to step up cooperation to improve skills in securing cyberspace at bilateral and multilateral levels.

Senior officials from both sides, during the fifth India-Japan Cyber Dialogue held in Tokyo, discussed important areas of bilateral cyber cooperation and reviewed the progress achieved in the areas of cybersecurity and information and communication technologies including 5G technology, an official statement said.

The Indian delegation was led by Muanpuii Saiawi, Joint Secretary (Cyber Diplomacy Division) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), while the Japanese side was led by Ishizuki Hideo, Ambassador in-charge of Cyber Policy in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of Japan.

“Both sides exchanged views on latest developments in cyber domain and mutual cooperation at the United Nations and other multilateral and regional fora, including under the Quad framework,” the MEA statement said.

It said both the delegations underscored the importance of capacity building in ensuring secure cyberspace and agreed to cooperate in this aspect.

The Indian delegation comprised senior officials from MEA, ministries of home affairs, defence, and electronics and information technology, National Security Council Secretariat, Department of Telecommunications, Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre and Embassy of India in Tokyo.

The Japanese delegation included senior officials from National Centre of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), MOFA and other departments concerned.

India invited the Japanese delegation for the sixth India-Japan Cyber Dialogue in New Delhi next year.

Iran summons Australian envoy to protest sanctions, including bans on Press TV


The photo shows a view of Iran’s Foreign Ministry building in the capital, Tehran.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the Australian chargé d’affaires to Tehran to protest meddlesome remarks by the country’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong and the fresh round of sanctions against Tehran.

The Australian diplomat was summoned to the ministry on Wednesday in the absence of the country’s ambassador to Tehran to receive Iran’s strong protest.

The Australian diplomat said that Canberra’s principled policy is based on cooperation with Iran and added that he would inform his respective country of Iran’s protest as soon as possible.

In an interview with the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) news service in Australia published on Wednesday, Wong made meddlesome remarks under the pretext of supporting the Iranian nation and leveled accusations against the government ahead of the first anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian woman of Kurdish descent, which sparked angry protests across the country.

The 22-year-old died in a hospital in Tehran days after she was detained by police on September 15.

In her meddling remarks, the top Australian diplomat called on the Iranian government to take responsibility and ensure that those who are responsible for Amini’s death are held to account.

She also pledged that Canberra would continue to say very clearly and publicly that it stands with the people of Iran.

Meanwhile, in yet another attack spearheaded by the West against freedom of speech in Iran, the Australian government on Wednesday imposed a fresh round of sanctions on a number of Iranian individuals and entities, including the English-language Press TV news network.

The Australian Foreign Ministry announced in a media release that the restrictive measures, including financial sanctions and travel bans, targeted four individuals and three entities over what it claimed to be “human rights violations” in Iran.

According to international human rights bodies, Australia has an “embarrassing” human rights record.

The inhumane attitude towards asylum seekers and the prevention of international inspectors from traveling to Australia to investigate possible torture in refugee detention centers are among the country’s systematic violation of human rights.

Bilateral cyber cooperation discussed at 5th India-Japan Cyber Dialogue in Tokyo

Both sides also reviewed the progress achieved in the areas of cybersecurity and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) including 5G technology

Published Date – 01:50 PM, Thu – 14 September 23


Bilateral cyber cooperation discussed at 5th India-Japan Cyber Dialogue in Tokyo



Tokyo: Discussions on important areas of bilateral cyber cooperation and 5G technology were held at the fifth India-Japan Cyber Dialogue in Tokyo on Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

Both sides also reviewed the progress achieved in the areas of cybersecurity and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) including 5G technology, the MEA said in an official release.

India and Japan exchanged views on latest developments in cyber domain and mutual cooperation at the United Nations and other multilateral and regional fora, including under the Quad framework. Both the delegations underscored the importance of capacity building in ensuring secure cyberspace and agreed to cooperate in this aspect, the release said.

The Indian Delegation was led by Muanpuii Saiawi, Joint Secretary, Cyber Diplomacy Division, MEA, while the Japanese delegation was led by Ishizuki Hideo, Ambassador in-charge of Cyber Policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of Japan.

The Indian delegation consisted of senior officials from MEA, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ministry of Defence (MoD), National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), Ministry of Electronics and Information technology (MEITY), Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) and Embassy of India in Tokyo, the release said.

The Japanese delegation included senior officials from National Centre of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication (MIC), Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), MOFA and other concerned departments, it added.

The Indian side also invited the Japanese side to the sixth India-Japan Cyber Dialogue in New Delhi in 2024 as mutually convenient, the release added.