Skip to main content

China's Xi urges ruling Communist Party to be adaptable, safeguard advances

China's ruling Communist Party must keep pace with changing circumstances while safeguarding the advances it has made, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday during celebrations for its 105th founding anniversary. Xi did not identify specific opportunities or risks, but analysts say slower economic growth and demographic decline pose key challenges for the world's second-largest economy. In a 40-minute speech at Beijing's Great Hall of the People, China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong urged party cadres to actively recognise and adapt to, change, while promoting the party's work. "China's development is currently in a period where strategic opportunities, risks and challenges coexist," said Xi, who called for the party to better coordinate efforts to tackle domestic and international issues. Faced with external challenges from Western-led curbs on technology to turbulent trade ties with the United States and tension over Taiwan, party l...

Iranian envoy to UN condemns US capture of Iran's vessel, urges accountability

Iran has accused the United States of carrying out an unlawful attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Sea of Oman on April 19, warning the United Nations Security Council that the incident amounts to piracy and a serious breach of international law. In a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Security Council President Jamal Fares Alrowaiei on April 21, Saeed Iravani said US action against the vessel “Touska” requires UN action and accountability, Iranian media reported. Iravani said US forces targeted the vessel “Toska”, alleging the use of "coercion, intimidation, and the reckless endangerment of the vessel’s crew and their families," describing it as a “grave violation” of international law, including the prohibition on aggression. Read: Iran says no talks with US until blockade lifted despite ceasefire extension He said it constituted a breach of a ceasefire agreement reached earlier this month. Tehran also argued the attack qualifies as an act of aggression under UN General Assembly Resolution 3314 which defines an act of aggression as a state allowing its armed forces to attack another state’s ships or aircraft, used to legally frame acts of military aggression under international law. The letter further claimed the operation reflects “piracy in nature” and warned it could escalate tensions and threaten the security of key maritime routes. Iran urged the Security Council and UN secretary-general to condemn the incident, and ensure "full accountability for those responsible, and demanding the US to immediate and unconditional release of the vessel, its crew and their families, and all those affected by this incident." ⚡️🇺🇸🇮🇷🇺🇳Iranian Ambassador to the UN Amir-Saeid Iravani wrote a letter to UN Secretary General Guterres and President of the Security Council Alrowaiei calling for them to swiftly and firmly condemn the U.S. seizure of the Touska and the detention of its crew. pic.twitter.com/3NbooQhxLy — War Monitor (@monitor11616) April 22, 2026 The Islamic Republic formally requested the letter be circulated as an official Security Council document. The US and Israel began the war on February 28 with aerial bombardments of Iran, and one of the first strikes in Iran killed over 170 people, many of whom were children. The conflict quickly spread to Gulf states that host US military bases and to Lebanon after Hezbollah launched retaliatory strikes against the Israeli attacks on its territory. More than 5,000 civilians have been killed across the region and hundreds of thousands displaced so far, mostly in Iran and Lebanon due to US-Israeli strikes on civilian infrastructure, and the war has led to the virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint in global energy markets between Iran and Oman, sending oil prices soaring and fears that the global economy could enter a recession. Read More: 'Historic' peace talks continue in Islamabad aiming for US-Iran detente Iran has repeatedly exploited its ability to control the passage of oil tankers and other ships in the strait in response to US and Israeli attacks. A Pakistan-mediated fragile 2-week ceasefire was achieved less than 2 hours before Trump's threat to erase Iran as per his Truth Social post where he claimed an 'entire civilisation will die tonight' sparking nuclear anxieties.  This was followed by talks in Islamabad between April 11-12 which ended with no deal reached. The ceasefire was set to expire today but has been extended even as the US blockade of Iran's ports and Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz remains in place.  Trump said in his statement he was willing to extend the ceasefire because "the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so," a reference to US-Israeli assassinations of some of the country's leaders in the war's first weeks, including the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has been succeeded by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei.

from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt/sO1klHR

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

At least 32 miners dead after bridge fails at cobalt site in southeast DR Congo

A bridge collapsed at a cobalt mine in southeast Democratic Republic of Congo killing at least 32 wildcat miners, a regional government official said Sunday. The bridge came down Saturday onto a flooded zone at the mine in Lualaba province, Roy Kaumba Mayonde, the provincial interior minister, told reporters. He said 32 bodies had been recovered and more were being searched for. The DRC produces more than 70 percent of the world supply of cobalt, which is essential for batteries used in electric cars, many laptop computers and mobile phones. More than 200,000 people are estimated to be working in giant illegal cobalt mines in the giant central African country. Local authorities said the bridge collapsed at the Kalando mine, about 42 kilometres (26 miles) southeast of the Lualaba provincial capital, Kolwezi. "Despite a formal ban on access to the site because of the heavy rain and the risk of a landslide, wildcat miners forced their way into the quarry," said Mayonde. He said ...

Indian devotees splurge on jets, gold idols as Hindu temple opens

The private jet parking lots at airports near the Indian city of Ayodhya are full and the shops have run out of gold-plated idols, as wealthy devotees prepare for the invite-only opening ceremony of one of Hinduism's holiest temples. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Asia's richest man Mukesh Ambani are among the 8,000 or so attendees at Monday's inauguration event for the Ram Temple, which devotees believe is built on the birthplace of Lord Ram, a sacred Hindu deity. The construction of the temple, which began after the Supreme Court awarded the site to Hindus in 2019 more than two decades after a Hindu mob razed a mosque there, triggering deadly riots, fulfils a key campaign promise of Modi and his Hindu nationalist party. Read BJP-promised temple transforms Ayodhya: Muslims, locals feel neglected The opening ceremony, organised by the trust that built the temple, comes months before a national election which the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is widely expected to w...

Arab countries, Pakistan likely to observe Eid on same day

The International Astronomy Centre confirmed on Wednesday that the crescent moon of Shawwal will be impossible to sight on Saturday, March 29, across all regions of the Arab and Islamic world. This is due to the moon setting before the sun, with the conjunction occurring after sunset. As a result, observing the crescent moon, whether by the naked eye, telescopes, or other means, will be unfeasible on March 29. For countries requiring an actual sighting to mark the start of Shawwal, Ramadan will likely extend to 30 days, with Eid Al Fitr falling on Monday, March 31. However, in some regions where the conjunction occurs before sunset, allowing the moon to set after sunset, some countries may choose to declare Eid on Sunday, March 30, following traditional moon-sighting practices. Notably, a partial solar eclipse will be visible at noon on Saturday in parts of the western Arab world, including Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. This event serves as definitive proof that the cresce...