Indian Sub-continent

ISLAMABAD, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The Special Economic Zone (SEZ) under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan's southern Sindh province is to ensure the socio-economic development of Pakistan, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said.

The SEZ will pave the way for industrialization in Pakistan by enhancing public-private collaboration and business-to-business cooperation between Chinese and Pakistani businessmen, Zardari said while speaking at a ceremony held in the Dhabeji SEZ in Sindh on Saturday.

GANDHINAGAR, India (AP) — On the heels of a trip to Beijing, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is back in India for the third time in nine months, this time to meet finance ministers from the Group of 20 nations about global economic challenges like the increased threat of debt defaults facing low-income countries.

NEW DELHI, July 15 (Reuters) - India has signed an agreement with the United Arab Emirates that will allow it to settle trade in rupees instead of dollars, boosting India's efforts to cut transaction costs by eliminating dollar conversions.

During a visit by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the UAE on Saturday, the two countries also agreed to set up a real-time payment link to facilitate easier cross-border money transfers.

KABUL, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan will soon reach self-sufficiency in agriculture as efforts are underway to help the country get rid of import reliance, Acting Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Ataullah Omari said Friday.

In an interview with the local TOLO News TV channel, Omari said that his country should change from an "import-reliant country" to an "export country".

ISLAMABAD, July 14 (APP): The European Parliament has strongly urged India to take necessary measures to promptly halt the ongoing ethnic and religious violence, protect all religious minorities such as Manipur’s Christian community, and pre-empt any further escalation.

The joint resolution was adopted on Thursday following recent violent clashes in the state of Manipur, India since May 2023 that left at least 120 people dead, 50 000 displaced, and over 1 700 houses and 250 churches destroyed.

NEW DELHI, July 14 (Xinhua) -- The flooding in the Indian capital was exacerbated on Friday as waters of overflowing Yamuna River reached the entrance of the Supreme Court.

Officials said the flood situation aggravated as a regulator of the Delhi Irrigation and Flood Control Department suffered damage near Indraprastha, causing flooding in ITO and surrounding areas.

Hyderabad, July 14 (PTI) Coming down heavily on the NDA government at the Centre for proposing to implement the Uniform Civil Code, AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday said the UCC is being talked about in order to divert the public's attention from issues such as “poverty, unemployment, price-rise and Chinese intrusion”.

Sriharikota, (AP), Jul 14 (PTI) The Indian Space Research Organisation launched its third lunar mission--Chandrayaan 3 on-board the heavylift LVM3-M4 rocket here on Friday.

At the end of the 25.30 hour countdown, the LVM3-M4 rocket, the largest and heaviest in its class and dubbed as 'Fat Boy' lifted off majestically at a prefixed time at 2.35 pm from the second launch pad, discharging thick plumes of smoke.

NEW DELHI, Jul 13 (NNN-PTI) – Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, today left for official visits to France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), announced the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

During his visit to France, Modi will attend the celebrations of the French National Day, or Bastille Day, in Paris as the Guest of Honour.

An Indian tri-services contingent will be part of the Bastille Day Parade, the country’s Foreign Secretary, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, told the media yesterday.

SHEBERGHAN, Afghanistan, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Police have discovered and destroyed a drug processing lab and arrested its owner in north Afghanistan's Jawzjan province, Mohammad Younus Akhundzada, the provincial director for counter-narcotics police, said Wednesday.

"After spotting the place by security personnel of Qushtepa district we launched operations today and destroyed the drug lab with all its facilities," Akhundzada said, adding that they also arrested the owner of the lab.