19th OANA general assembly opens in St. Petersburg
ST. PETERSBURG (Russia): The 19th General Assembly of the Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA), a major gathering of news agencies, kicked off in Russia's second-largest city today.
Hosted by the country's TASS agency under the theme "News Agencies and Challenges in the Modern World", the first plenary session of the general assembly started with an opening speech by TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov.
It was followed by a video address by Hossein Jaberi Ansari, IRNA (Iran) Managing Director and current President of OANA.
The Iranian delegation was unable to travel to the former imperial city due to the ongoing conflict between the country and Israel.
More than a hundred representatives of news agencies from more than 30 countries are attending the assembly here.
Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) is represented by Chief Executive Officer Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin and Editor-in-Chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj.
The 54th OANA Executive Board meeting in Kuala Lumpur last February decided to grant TASS the right to host the 19th General Assembly in St. Petersburg.
According to TASS, OANA delegates are also expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) taking place here.
The General Assembly, which is the highest governing body of OANA, will elect a new executive committee, vice presidents of the organisation, and technical and ethics committees.
The gathering here will also see TASS assuming the presidency of OANA for the next three years, during which the agency will be responsible for managing the organisation's website and other organisational matters.
OANA was established in 1961 on the initiative of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) to facilitate direct and free news exchange among news agencies in a region that accounts for over half of the world's population.
OANA currently has 41 member news agencies from 33 countries, with 13 agencies serving on its Executive Board.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Israel's Netanyahu says Iran will ‘pay heavy price' after hospital hit
JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran would 'pay a heavy price' after a hospital in southern Israel was hit during an Iranian missile attack on Thursday, while his defence minister said Iran's supreme leader would be 'held accountable'. 'This morning, Iran's terrorist dictators fired missiles at Soroka Hospital... and at civilians in the centre of the country. We will make the tyrants in Tehran pay a heavy price,' Netanyahu said in a post on X. The Soroka Hospital in the southern town of Beersheba was left in flames following an early morning barrage of 'dozens' of Iranian ballistic missiles, with impacts also reported in two Israeli towns close to coastal hub Tel Aviv. Speaking at the scene of the hospital, director Shlomi Kodesh said that a surgical building which had been evacuated in the past few days was hit, adding that 40 people had sustained injuries. 'Several wards were completely demolished and there is extensive damage across the entire hospital with damage to buildings, structures, windows, ceilings across the medical centre,' he told journalists. Iran said it was targeting an Israeli military and intelligence base, not the health facility. The latest escalation came on the seventh day of deadly exchanges between the two countries, with US President Donald Trump maintaining suspense about whether Washington will enter the war alongside Israel. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected Trump's demand for an 'unconditional surrender', despite claims from the US leader that 'Iran's got a lot of trouble and they want to negotiate'. 'Never surrender' Trump has left his intentions on joining the conflict deliberately ambiguous, saying Wednesday: 'I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.' 'The next week is going to be very big,' he added, without further details. Any US involvement would be expected to involve the bombing of a crucial underground Iranian nuclear facility in Fordow, for which special bunker-busting bombs have been developed. The White House said Trump would receive an intelligence briefing on Thursday, a US holiday. Top US diplomat Marco Rubio is set meet his British counterpart for talks expected to focus on the conflict. 'I have ideas as to what to do, but I haven't made a final (decision),' Trump said. 'I like to make the final decision one second before it's due, because things change. Especially with war.' The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had told aides on Tuesday he had approved attack plans but was holding off to see if Iran would give up its nuclear programme. Trump told reporters that Iranian officials 'want to come to the White House', a claim denied by Tehran. The US president had favoured a diplomatic route to end Iran's nuclear programme, seeking a deal to replace the 2015 agreement he tore up in his first term. But since Israel unleashed the campaign against Iran last week, Trump has stood behind the key US ally. Nuclear sites On Thursday morning, Israel said it had carried out dozens of fresh raids on Iranian targets overnight, including the partially built Arak nuclear reactor and a nuclear facility in Natanz that has been struck previously. The Israeli military said the Arak site on the outskirts of the village of Khondab in central Iran had been hit 'to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development'. There was also a 'near-total national internet blackout' in Iran on Wednesday, a London-based watchdog said, with Iran's Fars news agency confirming heavier internet restrictions after initial curbs imposed last week. The military campaign has sparked calls for a return to diplomacy. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that a deal to guarantee both Israel's security and Iran's desire for a civilian nuclear programme was possible. 'I believe it would be good for all of us together to look for ways to stop the fighting and seek ways for the participants in the conflict to find an agreement,' he told foreign journalists at a televised event. He said Iran had not asked Russia for military help. Daily barrages An Israeli military official, who asked not to be named, said Wednesday that Iran had fired around 400 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones since the conflict began on Friday. About 20 missiles had struck civilian areas in Israel, the official added. Iranian strikes have killed at least 24 people and injured hundreds since they began, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Monday. Iran said Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. Both countries have not issued an updated official toll since then. Israel says its surprise air campaign is aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran had been enriching uranium to 60 percent -- far above the 3.67-percent limit set by the 2015 nuclear death but still short of the 90-percent threshold needed for a nuclear warhead. Israel has maintained ambiguity on its own atomic activities, but the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute says it has 90 nuclear warheads.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Israel's Netanyahu says Iran will ‘pay heavy price'
JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran would 'pay a heavy price' after a hospital in southern Israel was hit during an Iranian missile attack on Thursday, while his defence minister said Iran's supreme leader would be 'held accountable'. 'This morning, Iran's terrorist dictators fired missiles at Soroka Hospital... and at civilians in the centre of the country. We will make the tyrants in Tehran pay a heavy price,' Netanyahu said in a post on X. The Soroka Hospital in the southern town of Beersheba was left in flames following an early morning barrage of 'dozens' of Iranian ballistic missiles, with impacts also reported in two Israeli towns close to coastal hub Tel Aviv. Speaking at the scene of the hospital, director Shlomi Kodesh said that a surgical building which had been evacuated in the past few days was hit, adding that 40 people had sustained injuries. 'Several wards were completely demolished and there is extensive damage across the entire hospital with damage to buildings, structures, windows, ceilings across the medical centre,' he told journalists. Iran said it was targeting an Israeli military and intelligence base, not the health facility. The latest escalation came on the seventh day of deadly exchanges between the two countries, with US President Donald Trump maintaining suspense about whether Washington will enter the war alongside Israel. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected Trump's demand for an 'unconditional surrender', despite claims from the US leader that 'Iran's got a lot of trouble and they want to negotiate'. 'Never surrender' Trump has left his intentions on joining the conflict deliberately ambiguous, saying Wednesday: 'I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.' 'The next week is going to be very big,' he added, without further details. Any US involvement would be expected to involve the bombing of a crucial underground Iranian nuclear facility in Fordow, for which special bunker-busting bombs have been developed. The White House said Trump would receive an intelligence briefing on Thursday, a US holiday. Top US diplomat Marco Rubio is set meet his British counterpart for talks expected to focus on the conflict. 'I have ideas as to what to do, but I haven't made a final (decision),' Trump said. 'I like to make the final decision one second before it's due, because things change. Especially with war.' The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had told aides on Tuesday he had approved attack plans but was holding off to see if Iran would give up its nuclear programme. Trump told reporters that Iranian officials 'want to come to the White House', a claim denied by Tehran. The US president had favoured a diplomatic route to end Iran's nuclear programme, seeking a deal to replace the 2015 agreement he tore up in his first term. But since Israel unleashed the campaign against Iran last week, Trump has stood behind the key US ally. Nuclear sites On Thursday morning, Israel said it had carried out dozens of fresh raids on Iranian targets overnight, including the partially built Arak nuclear reactor and a nuclear facility in Natanz that has been struck previously. The Israeli military said the Arak site on the outskirts of the village of Khondab in central Iran had been hit 'to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development'. There was also a 'near-total national internet blackout' in Iran on Wednesday, a London-based watchdog said, with Iran's Fars news agency confirming heavier internet restrictions after initial curbs imposed last week. The military campaign has sparked calls for a return to diplomacy. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that a deal to guarantee both Israel's security and Iran's desire for a civilian nuclear programme was possible. 'I believe it would be good for all of us together to look for ways to stop the fighting and seek ways for the participants in the conflict to find an agreement,' he told foreign journalists at a televised event. He said Iran had not asked Russia for military help. Daily barrages An Israeli military official, who asked not to be named, said Wednesday that Iran had fired around 400 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones since the conflict began on Friday. About 20 missiles had struck civilian areas in Israel, the official added. Iranian strikes have killed at least 24 people and injured hundreds since they began, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Monday. Iran said Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. Both countries have not issued an updated official toll since then. Israel says its surprise air campaign is aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran had been enriching uranium to 60 percent -- far above the 3.67-percent limit set by the 2015 nuclear death but still short of the 90-percent threshold needed for a nuclear warhead. Israel has maintained ambiguity on its own atomic activities, but the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute says it has 90 nuclear warheads.
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Putin hosts Indonesia's Prabowo in Russia in bid to deepen ties
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend a meeting in Saint Pete June 19, 2025. - Photo: Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via Reuters ST PETERSBURG, (Russia): Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto held talks with President Vladimir Putin in the northern Russian city of St Petersburg on Thursday (June 19) as they explore ways to deepen what some officials have called a burgeoning strategic partnership. The deepening of ties between Russia and Indonesia, part of Moscow's bid to forge new relations with the Global South amid Western attempts to isolate it over the Ukraine war, has perturbed some powers such as Australia. Meeting in the Constantine Palace, Putin noted Indonesia's entry into BRICS as a full member and said he was sure it would make a significant contribution to the grouping, which he said was gaining clout in the world. Prabowo thanked Putin for his support over Indonesia's entry to BRICS and said that ties between the two countries were improving. Russia and Indonesia's foreign ministers, Sergei Lavrov and Sugiono, speaking in Moscow earlier this week, mentioned a possible strategic partnership between the two countries. Russia has proposed deepening military, security, trade and nuclear ties with Indonesia, which has the world's fourth largest population. Prabowo previously visited Russia in August 2024, when he was defence minister and president-elect, and described Moscow as a "great friend", saying he hoped for stronger cooperation on defence, energy and education. Indonesia has said that it wants to build its first nuclear power plant by 2032, with 500 MW capacity, aiming for it to come online in the next decade. Authorities said interested developers included Russia's Rosatom, China CNNC, and US small modular reactor producer NuScale. Indonesia, Southeast Asia's biggest economy, currently relies mostly on coal as a source of power despite boasting massive potential for renewable energy sources such as hydro, solar and geothermal. With expectations of high energy demand in the future, Indonesia is seeking to boost power generation capacity while capping its carbon emissions, eyeing nuclear power as the solution. Prabowo has maintained Indonesia's non-aligned foreign policy, vowing to befriend any country, including Russia and the United States. He has said Indonesia will not be joining any military bloc. China is Indonesia's largest trading partner, but recently Prabowo's government announced a raft of concessions for trade with the United States as it looks to neutralise the effect of tariffs. Russia has praised what it says is Indonesia's balanced position on the Ukraine war. Russia and Indonesia conducted their first joint naval exercises in the Java Sea last November. - Reuters
