Iran to mediate with Hamas for release of 23 Thai hostages
Bangkok, Nov 3: The government in Bangkok said that Iran will mediate to help negotiate the release of 23 Thai captives who were taken as hostages by the Hamas militant group after it launched its massive assault against Israel on October 7, Foreign Minister Parnpree Bhahiddha-Nukkara informed the media that he had been in touch with the government of Iran for the safe release of the Thai hostages, many of them who were working as migrant workers in Israel. In a statement on Thursday, the Thai government said Iran, Qatar and Egypt had all “committed their full support … in assisting with the negotiation for the release of the Thai hostages to the best of their abilities, as well as their readiness to fully assist and care for” them, during the Foreign Minister’s visit to the Middle East this week. “All three countries acknowledged the fact that the Thais are innocent and have no stake in the conflict,” the statement said. (IANS)
Blast targeting police patrol in Pakistan kills five
Islamabad, Nov 3: At least five people were killed and 21 others injured in a blast that targeted a police patrol in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials said. The incident took place in Dera Ismail Khan city, Dawn news reported. According to the police, a patrol van was targeted with an improvised explosive device planted on a motorcycle in Ponda Bazar area. Following the incident, a heavy contingent of police along with rescue teams reached the area and shifted the wounded to a nearby hospital, Xinhua news agency reported. Security forces cordoned off the place and kicked off a search operation in surrounding areas. No group or individual claimed responsibility for the blast. Friday’s incident comes just days after a policeman was killed after unidentified gunmen opened fire at a police camp in Dera Ismail Khan. (IANS)
India allocates USD 15 mn grant to Sri Lanka
Colombo, Nov 3: India has allocated a “landmark” grant of USD 15 million to Sri Lanka to bolster the long-standing Buddhist connections between the two nations, officials here said on Friday. The bilateral agreement on the grant was signed on Thursday at the President’s House in Colombo in the presence of President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her three-day visit to the island nation. The first project to be initiated under the USD 15 million grant is the solar electrification of religious sites across Sri Lanka, with an allocation of USD 10 million, the President’s Media Division of Sri Lanka said in a statement. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for this significant project was jointly finalised by the governments of India and Sri Lanka, it said. The “landmark USD 15 million grant” strengthened Buddhist ties between India and Sri Lanka, the statement said. “This grant is specifically allocated to bolster the longstanding Buddhist connections between India and Sri Lanka, underscoring the deep historical and sharecd cultural ties that bind these two nations together,” it said. (PTI)