World

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday inaugurated the Consulates General of India in the Russian cities of Yekaterinburg and Kazan, marking a significant expansion of India's diplomatic footprint in the country and signalling a fresh impetus to bilateral economic, technological, scientific and cultural cooperation.

The protest camp established by the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) has reached 6,000 days, signifying over sixteen years of ongoing demonstrations by the families of those who have been forcibly disappeared in Balochistan, as noted by Baloch National Movement Chairman Naseem Baluch in a post on X.

The event was organised with the support of the Permanent Mission of India to the UN in Geneva, and the session formed part of the official lead-up to the India-AI Impact Summit 2026, according to CPRG.

As cited by Phayul, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday designated Riley M Barnes, currently serving as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour, as the new US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. The role, established under American law, is tasked with overseeing and aligning US initiatives aimed at promoting and safeguarding the human rights, religious freedom, cultural identity, and linguistic heritage of the Tibetan people.

Rana Muhammad Tayyib, President of the Punjab Pulses Importers Association and Chairman of the Grain Market, stated that before 1998, Pakistan was among the top exporters of pulses. However, the export ban introduced during the Musharraf period discouraged growers, as pulses turned into a low-profit crop. He further noted that the country's yearly consumption demand is about 1.62 million tons, out of which nearly 1.07 million tons are brought in through imports. This, he said, reflects the weak performance of the Federal Seed Corporation, which has not succeeded in developing heat-tolerant and resilient pulse seed varieties, according to TET.

Reports emerging from multiple districts of Balochistan suggest that Pakistani military forces have torn down several houses allegedly associated with Baloch separatist militants, while residents have also accused security personnel of conducting raids and seizing valuables during ongoing operations, as reported by The Balochistan Post.