World

Japan on Thursday said North Korea had launched a suspected ballistic missile, issuing an emergency alert and directing authorities to gather and analyse information on the launch and ensure the safety of aircraft, vessels and other assets, amid US moves to scale back its upcoming joint military exercises with South Korea on the Korean Peninsula targeted at Pyongyang.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi in Delhi, agreeing to expand maritime security and defence technology cooperation. Both leaders signed a Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to keeping the Indo-Pacific region open and free.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday held a meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, along with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, and Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Jitin Prasada.

The Foreign Ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) on Friday (local time) underscored the "absolute necessity" of restoring safe and toll-free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz amid the regional conflict in West Asia.

Supporters and members of the Bangladesh Awami League staged a protest outside the United Nations premises in Geneva during the 61st session of the Human Rights Council, raising concerns over the political situation in Bangladesh.

The Baloch National Movement (BNM) organised its 11th International Conference in Geneva on the sidelines of the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council, calling attention to the ongoing human rights violations in Balochistan. The conference served as a platform to raise international awareness about the region's situation, with a particular focus on the alleged lack of accountability and the systemic repression faced by the Baloch people.