Lao Parliament approves five new key positions

Bangladesh's 13th Parliament unanimously elected veteran BNP leader Hafizuddin Ahmed as Speaker and Barrister Kayser Kamal as Deputy Speaker. Following the BNP's recent election victory, the two leaders were sworn in by President Shahabuddin in a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, marking the new legislative journey.

Speaking to ANI, Jamaat-e-Islami legislator Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem Arman said he hoped the new parliamentary session would usher in a different style of governance and political cooperation.

MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, while addressing an Inter-Ministerial Briefing on Recent Developments in West Asia, said that the Indian Embassy in Tehran remains fully operational and is on high alert. The government is assisting Indian nationals, including students and pilgrims, who wish to leave the country. He further added that those choosing to exit Iran via land, the embassy is assisting citizens in crossing into Armenia and Azerbaijan, from where they can board commercial flights to return to India.

During the meeting, participants highlighted the long-standing ties between Italy and Tibet, noting that cultural exchanges between the two date back to the 17th and 18th centuries. At that time, Italian Jesuit and Capuchin missionaries travelled to Lhasa, where they studied the Tibetan language and produced some of the earliest Tibetan-Italian dictionaries.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is holding a meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chief of Defence Staff Anil Chauhan in the parliament.