UN chief calls for cessation of hostilities in Ethiopia

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

United Nations, Oct 10 (IANS) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is gravely concerned about renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia and calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, said his spokesman.

“The secretary-general is gravely concerned by the renewed fighting in the Tigray, Afar and Amhara regions of Ethiopia. He calls on all parties to cease hostilities immediately and urges the signatories to return to dialogue under the framework of the Pretoria Agreement,” Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, said in a statement.

Guterres warns of the risks of escalation that further undermine regional stability, reports Xinhua news agency.

“The secretary-general reminds all states in the region of their obligation under the United Nations Charter to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, and of the principle of non-interference in internal affairs,” said the statement.

Guterres calls on all states with influence on the parties to use it to support de-escalation and refrain from any action that could fuel the conflict. He stands ready to offer his good offices, the statement said.

Meanwhile, UN humanitarians on Friday said that the first convoy of aid trucks and humanitarian personnel has reached Ethiopia’s Tigray region since the latest outbreak of hostilities.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said a convoy of four World Food Programme trucks carrying 90 metric tons of supplies to treat acute malnutrition arrived in Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, on Thursday via the Semera-Abala corridor in the neighbouring Afar region.

Food aid distribution in Tigray had resumed earlier in the week, OCHA said.

Humanitarian workers previously stranded in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, and Semera, in the Afar region, have also reached Mekelle, helping sustain life-saving relief operations, the office said.

However, more humanitarian supplies and emergency assistance are urgently needed to meet the growing needs of people affected by fighting that erupted on Aug. 1 in Tigray, near the border with Eritrea, OCHA said.

“Once again, the UN stresses the need to protect civilians and ensure continued access to critical assistance, including functioning health facilities,” the office said.

–IANS

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MP: Four youth drown in Bebas river; bodies of three recovered, search operation continues

Sagar, Aug 9 (IANS) In a tragic incident on the eve of Raksha Bandhan, four young men drowned in the Bebas River near Richhawar village under Sanodha police station limits in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district.

As of Saturday morning, the bodies of three victims have been recovered, while search operations continue for the fourth.

Speaking to IANS, Sanodha police station in-charge Bharat Singh Thakur said the tragedy occurred late Friday evening when five friends from Khushipura and Richhawar villages went for a picnic near the river.

While bathing, one of them ventured into deeper waters and began to drown. In a desperate attempt to save him, three others jumped in, but all four were swept away by the river’s strong currents.

The fifth youth had warned them not to enter the water but, according to Thakur, “they might have been under the influence, as an empty bottle and plastic disposable glasses were found near their abandoned clothes.”

The deceased have been identified as Raj Ahirwar and Sumit Ahirwar from Khushipura, and Nikhil Ahirwar from Richhawar. Sunny Ahirwar, also from Richhawar, remains missing.

All were between 21 and 23 years old and belonged to the Ahirwar community.

The fifth youth, who did not enter the water, alerted authorities and the victims’ families.

Local police, along with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and trained divers, launched a rescue operation immediately. However, the search was hampered by darkness and the river’s depth and flow.

The bodies of two victims were recovered early Saturday morning, bringing a wave of grief to the community. The incident has cast a pall of gloom over the festive spirit in the region. Local officials and public representatives visited the site and assured the bereaved families of full support.

“This is a tragic reminder of the dangers posed by swollen rivers during the monsoon. Authorities have urged everyone to stay away from water bodies during this season,’ Thakur said.

The administration continues to monitor the rescue efforts, and local residents have joined hands with authorities in the search.

–IANS

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Chinese Prez Xi departs for India to attend BRICS Summit

Beijing, Sep 12 (IANS) Chinese President Xi Jinping departed Beijing for India on Saturday to attend the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, marking his first visit to the country in nearly seven years.

Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong, while announcing Xi’s departure on X, said, “Xi’s entourage includes Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese foreign minister.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Xi are also expected to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the summit.

China’s Foreign Ministry announced Xi’s participation on Thursday, confirming that the Chinese President will attend the two-day summit at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi.

“At the invitation of Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi, President Xi Jinping will attend the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi from September 12 to 13,” the ministry announced in social media posts.

Xi’s visit comes as India and China continue efforts to stabilise their bilateral relationship following the deadly Galwan clashes of 2020. India has repeatedly underlined the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas as a key prerequisite for the continued development and progress of bilateral ties.

PM Modi and Xi had a brief interaction during the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit held in Bishkek. The two leaders are now expected to hold detailed bilateral discussions on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi this weekend.

Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong said Beijing and New Delhi are making arrangements for the bilateral meeting between Xi and PM Modi, and indicated that China would work with India to implement the strategic guidance provided by the two leaders.

“China and India are arranging for the bilateral meeting between President Xi and Prime Minister Modi. This will be the third year in a row for the two leaders to meet with each other, following their meetings in Kazan (Russia) and Tianjin (China),” Ambassador Feihong said on Friday on social media platform X.

“China will work with India to act on the strategic guidance of the two leaders, handle the bilateral relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, step up communication, enhance cooperation, properly handle differences, and be friends enjoying good-neighbourliness and partners helping each other succeed,” the Chinese envoy added.

Xi’s participation in the BRICS Summit is expected to provide an opportunity for the two sides to discuss the broader trajectory of India-China relations, including the importance of sustained communication and management of differences.

The BRICS Summit will bring together leaders of member and partner countries, as well as outreach invitees, with discussions expected to focus on strengthening cooperation among the grouping and exchanging perspectives on global and regional issues of mutual importance.

–IANS

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NIA files charge sheet against inter-state arms smuggler in Patna court

Patna/New Delhi, May 7 (IANS) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a chargesheet in a Special NIA Court in Patna against an arms and ammunition smuggler in an inter-state illegal ammunition trafficking case with footprints spread across Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, an official said on Thursday.

Parvez Alam is the ninth accused to be charged in the case RC-01/25/NIA/PAT, said the official in a statement.

Charges have been filed against him under various sections of the BNS and Arms Act before the NIA Special Court in Patna (Bihar). A total of 11 persons have so far been arrested in this case, and eight of them, who were charged in February this year, continue to be in judicial custody facing trial.

Parvez has had several arms cases registered against him since 2013, the NIA said.

He was taken on a production warrant in the instant case, involving a large syndicate engaged in the smuggling of prohibited bore ammunition.

The case was originally registered by the local police in Bihar in July last year with the arrest of four accused following the seizures and recoveries of large amounts of illicit ammunition, the NIA said.

After taking over the investigation in August 2025, the NIA found that the syndicate was being operated at three levels- major suppliers, linchpin middlemen and networked retailers.

Searches and investigations by the agency in the states of Haryana, U.P., and Bihar subsequently led to the arrest of key accused operating at each level, the NIA said.

In a separate case, the NIA on May 5 filed charges in a Special Court in Ahmedabad against three accused persons linked to the proscribed ISIS terrorist organisation in a Jihadi bioterrorism conspiracy aimed at carrying out mass poisoning of innocent people in public spaces.

The main accused, Hyderabad-based Syed Ahmed Mohiuddin, along with co-accused Azad and Mohammad Suhel, both hailing from Uttar Pradesh, have been chargesheeted before the NIA special court at Ahmedabad (Gujarat) under relevant sections of UA (P) Act, BNS and Arms Act.

Working under the guidance of their respective IS-linked foreign-based handlers, the accused had operated in a coordinated manner to recruit vulnerable youth radicalised by the handlers to support Jihad and spread terror through illegal prohibited weapons and bioterrorism.

They had planned to use ‘ricin’ – a potent biological toxin occurring naturally in the seeds of castor oil and listed in Schedule I of the Chemical Weapons Convention – to carry out the nefarious agenda of IS.

The case was originally registered by ATS, Gujarat, following the arrest of Mohiuddin, an MBBS from China, after he was caught at a toll plaza carrying illegal weapons, a bottle containing 4 litres of castor oil and other incriminatory articles in his car in November 2025.

–IANS

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