Burnham edges closer to Number 10 as Labour rivals step aside
Andy Burnham's path to Downing Street appeared to become clearer on Wednesday after another potential challenger ruled himself out of the Labour leade...
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has called for restraint and respect for international law as tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalate yet again.
According to the United Nations mission, the airstrikes killed at least 10 civilians, including most of the children, and injured six others. UNAMA also urged the protection of civilians.
The statement read, “UNAMA again calls for respect for international law to protect civilians and prevent civilian harm.”
In a different statement, the spokesperson of the Afghan de facto government, Zabiullah Mujahid, said the “Pakistani invading forces” were bombing Khost, Paktika and Kunar provinces.
Mujahid condemned the airstrikes in Afghanistan and described them as “a direct assault on Afghanistan’s sovereignty and a clear breach of internationally recognised norms and principles by the Pakistani authorities.”
He warned that such actions by Pakistan are “driven by flawed intelligence,” and will “achieve nothing” but escalate tensions.
He further condemned the alleged “violation and act of aggression,” stressing that “defending its airspace, territory and citizens is its legitimate right,” and cautioned that a response “will be taken at the proper time.”
During a news briefing in Rawalpindi, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, denied the Afghan government’s claim, saying, “We announce and acknowledge whenever we carry out such strikes.”
As relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan worsen, regional countries, including Russia and Iran, have stepped up efforts to reduce tensions.
On 16 November, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, emphasised that establishing stability in the region is Russia’s highest priority and offered to mediate between Pakistan and Afghanistan to ease the growing tensions.
Tehran has repeatedly expressed concern over border clashes, warning that the ongoing conflict could threaten regional stability and cause civilian suffering.
According to recent reports, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has formally offered Iran’s “good offices” to mediate between Islamabad and Kabul.
Tehran is organising a regional meeting slated for next month, to reduce tensions. The proposed summit would bring together Afghanistan’s neighbours and regional powers to help de-escalate the situation and seek a lasting agreement.
However, the recent escalation and airstrikes have caused concern within the international community, which is monitoring the situation closely, as any retaliation could further exacerbate instability in the already tense and militarised border regions.
Tehran has agreed to let the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommence inspections of its nuclear programme, U.S. Vice President JD Vance has said. The U.S. and Iran have settled on a 60-day roadmap aimed at reaching a final deal, according to mediators Qatar and Pakistan. Â
A Ukrainian strike has damaged a school building in a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, according to local authorities cited by the TASS news agency. No injuries were reported in the incident.
Iran’s parliamentary speaker said on Wednesday regional countries alone should determine the Middle East’s political and security order, rejecting external involvement and calling for expanded intra-regional cooperation.
U.S. President Donald Trump said that Iran had agreed to nuclear inspections into "infinity, despite Tehran's denials, and that unfrozen Iranian assets would be used to buy humanitarian supplies from the United States.
Authorities in France are reporting that about 20 people have died over the weekend while swimming in unsupervised areas of rivers, lakes and coastal waters as they tried to escape the heatwave.
Andy Burnham's path to Downing Street appeared to become clearer on Wednesday after another potential challenger ruled himself out of the Labour leadership race.
France has confirmed its first Ebola case linked to the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo after a doctor returning from a humanitarian mission tested positive for the virus, the health ministry said on Wednesday (24 June).
Ukraine said its forces had struck key energy installations inside Russia, including a gas processing plant and a helium facility in the Orenburg region, as drone assaults increased across multiple areas.
Critical minerals are becoming a key battleground in the growing economic rivalry between the G7 and China, as governments seek to secure supplies vital to the energy transition and advanced manufacturing.
An unusual weather pattern known as an omega block is at the heart of the extreme heat sweeping across Europe. The phenomenon can trap hot air over the same region for days or even weeks, allowing temperatures to climb to dangerous levels.
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