ISLAMABAD -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday strongly condemned the Israeli security cabinet's approval of a plan to take over Gaza City, warning it would worsen the humanitarian crisis and derail prospects for peace in the region.
In a statement on social media, Sharif called the move "illegal and illegitimate," describing it as a dangerous escalation in the ongoing conflict. (Pakistan-Israel-Gaza City)
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JAKARTA -- Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Friday urged the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to strengthen unity and enhance their preparedness to face growing challenges amid global uncertainty.
"Strategic rivalry now shapes investment, technology, and the movement of goods. The global economy is fragmenting, and decisions once mainly driven by economics are increasingly shaped by geopolitics," he said in his video remarks at the 58th ASEAN Day Celebration held in the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. (Indonesia-ASEAN-Unity)
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TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday reiterated his intention to stay on as Japan's leader, as his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) held a key decision-making meeting following a major parliamentary election loss.
"I'd like to listen sincerely and humbly to your views," Ishiba, who is also the LDP's party president, said at the joint plenary meeting of LDP lawmakers of both houses of parliament. (Japan-Ishiba-LDP)
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ISLAMABAD -- A senior Pakistani diplomat on Thursday called for a strategic alignment between Pakistan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), urging deeper engagement amid rising global uncertainty.
"This is the hour, not merely for routine dialogue, but for strategic alignment," said Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, additional secretary for Asia Pacific at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during a roundtable titled "Pakistan and ASEAN: A Growing Partnership" held at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), an Islamabad-based think tank, on the eve of ASEAN Day. (Pakistan-ASEAN-Ties) ■
