Latest news with #counterterrorism
Arab News
13 hours ago
- Business
- Arab News
Russia urges normal India-Pakistan ties, eyes deeper counterterrorism cooperation with Islamabad
ISLAMABAD: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday called for normal relations between India and Pakistan and expressed interest in closer counterterrorism cooperation with Islamabad during a meeting with a senior aide of Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Moscow. The meeting came as Syed Tariq Fatemi, special assistant to the prime minister, began a visit to Russia weeks after India and Pakistan exchanged missiles, drones and artillery fire, following heightened tensions that ended with a US-brokered ceasefire on May 10. Pakistan has since call for a 'composite dialogue' with India to discuss all outstanding issues, though New Delhi has rejected direct talks after Washington said the two countries had agreed to meet at a neutral venue to defuse tensions. Both sides have also formed delegations to present their respective positions over the conflict to the international community. 'At the outset of his visit to the Russian Federation, Syed Tariq Fatemi, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) called on Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, this afternoon,' Pakistan's embassy in Moscow said in a statement. 'He also briefed the Russian Foreign Minister, in detail, about the recent developments in South Asia, conveying Pakistan's perspective on the dangers of escalation as well as the dire consequences of India's threat to reduce the flow of the Indus Waters Treaty, by holding the Treaty in a so-called 'abeyance.'' 'Foreign Minister Lavrov stressed Russia's support for promotion of normal relations between the two countries and its positive effect in the region,' the statement added. Fatemi also delivered a letter from Prime Minister Sharif to President Vladimir Putin and conveyed Pakistan's desire to expand cooperation with Russia in areas including energy, trade and connectivity. Lavrov, for his part, expressed satisfaction over the 'steadily growing bilateral cooperation' and cited specific initiatives, including new steel mills and connectivity projects. 'He [Lavrov] also stated that Russia looked forward to working closely with Pakistan, within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), especially in the field of counter-terrorism,' the embassy said. Russia and Pakistan have strengthened ties in recent years through growing bilateral cooperation, particularly in energy, and by working together on regional platforms such as the SCO, where both are full members.
Free Malaysia Today
13 hours ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Suspected bomb kills 2 near shrine in Uganda's capital
Islamic State said it carried out the last bombings in Kampala, which killed seven people in 2021. (AFP pic) KAMPALA : A suspected bomb blast killed two people near a Roman Catholic shrine in the Ugandan capital Kampala this morning, local media reported, while the army said two armed people had been 'neutralised' as people gathered for a public holiday. The Daily Monitor and New Vision newspapers reported that the explosion near the Munyonyo Martyrs' Shrine in the south of the city had killed at least two people as Ugandans assembled to celebrate Martyrs' Day, which commemorates Christians who were killed for their faith in the 19th century. NBS, an independent broadcaster, showed video of what appeared to be a motorbike and body on a road surrounded by debris. A Ugandan army spokesman wrote on X that a 'counter-terrorism unit this morning intercepted and neutralised two armed terrorists in Munyonyo, an upscale city suburb'. NTV Uganda said that public access to the area around the shrine had been restricted after the explosion. 'The security services are on heightened alert to ensure the Martyrs Day celebrations proceed without disruption,' the army spokesman said. Police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the explosion. 'Two people were on a motorcycle and an explosion occurred,' Ugandan police chief Abas Byakagaba told NBS in a video posted on X. Byakagaba did not say what happened to the two people on the motorbike but added: 'The good thing though, is that there were no people nearby who were injured.' Islamic State (IS), which is allied with anti-Uganda rebel group the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), said it carried out the last bombings in Kampala, which killed seven people in 2021. The ADF was founded by Ugandan Muslims in the 1990s and initially waged war against the Ugandan government from bases in the country's west before fleeing into eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where they are blamed by the United Nations for thousands of civilian deaths.
The Herald
16 hours ago
- General
- The Herald
Explosion reported near Catholic shrine in Uganda's capital Kampala
An explosion was heard near a Roman Catholic shrine in Uganda's capital Kampala on Tuesday morning, Ugandan media reported. The army said two armed people were "neutralised" in the Munyonyo suburb ahead of celebrations for the Martyrs Day public holiday. The blast killed at least two people, the Daily Monitor newspaper reported. NBS Television said the explosion was caused by a suspected bomb near the Munyonyo Martyrs' Shrine in the south of the city. A Ugandan army spokesperson wrote on X that a "counterterrorism unit this morning intercepted and neutralised two armed terrorists in Munyonyo, an upscale city suburb." NTV Uganda said authorities had restricted public access to the area around the shrine after the explosion.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Explosion reported near Catholic shrine in Uganda's capital
KAMPALA (Reuters) -An explosion was heard near a Roman Catholic shrine in Uganda's capital on Tuesday morning, Ugandan media reported, and the army said two armed people were "neutralized" in the Munyonyo suburb ahead of celebrations for the Martyrs Day public holiday. The blast killed at least two people, the Daily Monitor newspaper reported. NBS Television said the explosion was caused by a suspected bomb near the Munyonyo Martyrs' Shrine in the south of the city. A Ugandan army spokesman wrote on X that a "counter-terrorism unit this morning intercepted and neutralized two armed terrorists in Munyonyo, an upscale city suburb." NTV Uganda said that authorities had restricted public access to the area around the shrine after the explosion. "The security services are on heightened alert to ensure the Martyrs Day celebrations proceed without disruption," the army spokesman added.
Al Arabiya
20 hours ago
- General
- Al Arabiya
Explosion reported near Catholic shrine in Uganda's capital
An explosion was heard near a Roman Catholic shrine in Uganda's capital on Tuesday morning, Ugandan media reported, and the army said two armed people were 'neutralized' in the Munyonyo suburb ahead of celebrations for the Martyrs Day public holiday. The blast killed at least two people, the Daily Monitor newspaper reported. NBS Television said the explosion was caused by a suspected bomb near the Munyonyo Martyrs' Shrine in the south of the city. A Ugandan army spokesman wrote on X that a 'counter-terrorism unit this morning intercepted and neutralized two armed terrorists in Munyonyo, an upscale city suburb.' NTV Uganda said that authorities had restricted public access to the area around the shrine after the explosion. 'The security services are on heightened alert to ensure the Martyrs Day celebrations proceed without disruption,' the army spokesman added.
