World

US and Japan call China radar lock incident ‘destabilising

12 Dec 2025 | 1:37 PM

Tokyo, Dec 12 (UNI) Japanese Defense Minister Shinjirō Koizumi and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held telephone talks on Friday, sharing serious concerns over a recent radar lock incident involving Chinese military aircraft.

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Tsunami advisory issued for northern Japan coast after 6.7-magnitude quake

12 Dec 2025 | 1:37 PM

Tokyo, Dec 12 (UNI) Japan's weather agency issued a tsunami advisory for northern Japan's Pacific coast after a magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck off Aomori Prefecture on Friday.

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Zelensky rejects US-backed Donbas withdrawal, demands fair deal

12 Dec 2025 | 11:44 AM

Arti Kyiv, Dec 12 (UNI): President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that a compromise peace plan backed by the United States still requires Ukraine to withdraw from the eastern Donbas region, a concession Kyiv is not willing to consider.

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Russia claims full control of Seversk in Donetsk region

12 Dec 2025 | 8:47 AM

Moscow, Dec 12 (UNI) Russia has claimed it has taken full control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Seversk in the Donetsk region.

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Trump fed up with Russia-Ukraine talks, wants ‘action, not meeting : White House

12 Dec 2025 | 8:16 AM

Washington, Dec 12 (UNI) The White House on Thursday said President Donald Trump is "extremely frustrated" with Russia and Ukraine over the slow progress toward ending the four-year-old war, accusing both sides of holding meetings “for the sake of meeting.”
"The President is extremely frustrated with both sides of this war," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. "He doesn't want any more talk. He wants action. He wants this war to come to an end."
"He's sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting," she added.

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Former ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed sentenced to 14 yrs' imprisonment by Pakistan's military tribunal

12 Dec 2025 | 2:12 AM

Islamabad, Dec 11 (UNI) Former head of Pakistani intelligence Lt Gen (Retd) Faiz Hamid was sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment by a military tribunal on allegations of breaching military discipline, misuse of authority, and taking political actions detrimental to state interests.

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Indian Army's 'Sagar Bandhu' relief op contingent restores key communications line in Sri Lanka's cyclone-hit Mahiyanganaya region

12 Dec 2025 | 1:38 AM

New Delhi/Colombo, Dec 11 (UNI) The Integrated Task Force of the Indian Army's Shatrujeet Brigade restored a critical communications link in Sri Lanka's Mahiyanganaya region, one of the areas worst affected by Cyclone Ditwah, the Indian High Commission said on Wednesday.

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Bangladesh Awami League rejects election schedule of interim govt, calls it "deeply biased"

11 Dec 2025 | 11:18 PM

Dhaka, Dec 11 (UNI) Bangladesh's former ruling Awami League party on Thursday formally rejected the newly announced national election schedule, claiming it was "heavily biased".

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Bangladesh to hold national elections, July Charter referendum Feb 12 next year

11 Dec 2025 | 10:04 PM

Dhaka, Dec 11 (UNI) The Bangladesh Election Commission on Thursday formally announced February 12, 2026, as the polling day for the upcoming 13th national elections, and July Charter referendum.

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Afghan FM says future of national development depends on bolstering learning across studies

11 Dec 2025 | 8:35 PM

Kabul, Dec 11 (UNI) Afghanistan's Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi said that the future of the nation's development and advancement depends on strengthening its education in both religious and contemporary studies, viewing both aspects as being equally important.

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Sri Lanka secures USD150m World Bank funding to strengthen primary healthcare

11 Dec 2025 | 6:59 PM

Colombo, Dec 11 (UNI) The Sri Lankan government has signed a financial agreement with the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank Group to secure USD150 million worth of funds, for financing a nationwide project aimed at upgrading the country's primary healthcare system, the government said.

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Sri Lanka activates World Bank's emergency funds for accelerating cyclone reief

11 Dec 2025 | 6:10 PM

Colombo, Dec 10 (UNI) The Sri Lankan government has proceeded to activate the emergency-response components embedded within the ongoing World Bank financed projects for accelerating the island nation's post-disaster recovery from the destructive onslaught of Cyclone Ditwah.

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31 smugglers arrested, 258 kg drugs seized in Afghan police operations

11 Dec 2025 | 5:51 PM

Kabul, Dec 11 (UNI) Afghan counter-narcotics police have arrested 31 suspected drug smugglers and seized 258 kg of illicit drugs during operations across several provinces, the Ministry of Interior Affairs said in separate statements on Thursday.

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Bipartisan Lawmakers warn of escalation after US seizes Venezuelan oil tanker

11 Dec 2025 | 3:01 PM

Washington, Dec 11 (UNI) Bipartisan lawmakers on Wednesday voiced strong concerns that the U.S. seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker could dangerously escalate tensions with Caracas, even as the Trump administration defended the move as part of its broader crackdown on sanctioned oil shipments.

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US House passes 901 billion USD defense bill

11 Dec 2025 | 2:11 PM

Washington, Dec 11 (UNI) The US House of Representatives on Wednesday evening passed the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), authorizing 901 billion US dollars in defense spending.

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