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Washington, Aug 3 (IANS) US President Donald Trump on Monday called the Iranian leadership ‘duplicitous’ and stated that nothing gets through to Iran unless a deal, or total surrender of the country, is accomplished.

"Iranian leadership is unbelievably duplicitous! They ask for a meeting, some would say “beg,” talks begin, with more scheduled in the immediate future, and they say, openly and proudly, that they’re not having any discussions, that nothing is being talked about, and they’re only dealing with ‘Oman’," President Trump stated on his social media platform Truth Social.

He also said that the Strait of Hormuz is completely controlled by the US Navy and stressed that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.

"They then go on to give their usual blather in saying, the Strait of Hormuz will be operated powerfully by them, when it is already completely controlled by the United States Navy and our ‘Blockade’ or, as some say, ‘The United States Wall of Steel!’ Nothing gets through to Iran unless we want it to, and nothing will get through unless a Deal, or Total Surrender, is accomplished. Whether Iran wants to admit it or not, we are, in fact, talking of a solution to a problem that they have caused, for decades. It is very simple: Iran will never have a nuclear weapon! Thank you for your attention to this matter," he added.

Earlier in the day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said that negotiations between Iran and Oman are focused on reaching an agreement on designating a "temporary" route to ensure safe shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

"The negotiations have been focused on the idea that the southern route, which passes through Oman's waters, and the northern route, which passes through Iran's territorial waters, would turn into an intermediate route," Baghaei said at a weekly press conference in Tehran.

He said the talks are centred on a round-trip corridor, not two or three separate routes, and the intermediate route will be used temporarily until a permanent one is finalised, Xinhua News Agency reported.

–IANS

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Seoul, Aug 3 (IANS) South Korea continued to struggle with an unprecedented heat wave Monday, with many parts of the nation reporting record high temperatures and scores of people suffering from heat-related illnesses.

Temperatures reached a record high of 40.9 C in the southeastern city of Daegu, surpassing the 40 C mark for the first time since Aug. 1, 1942, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said.

Goryeong County, about 230 kilometres southeast of Seoul, reported the nation's highest temperature of the day at 41.2 C at 3:37 pm, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Severe heat wave warnings remained in effect across southwestern parts of the country, with one of the criteria for the warning being a high of at least 38 C in perceived temperature for more than a day.

The KMA said additional severe heat wave warnings will take effect at 11 am Tuesday in southern Seoul and parts of Gyeonggi Province surrounding the capital, as well as Jangseong and Gokseong counties in South Jeolla Province.

It would mark the first time the highest-level heat warning takes effect in the greater Seoul area since the warning system was introduced in June.

In the southeastern city of Yangsan, where temperatures reached the highest recorded temperature of 42.5 C on Sunday since modern weather observations began in 1904, temperatures peaked at 38 C.

The extreme heat has triggered health emergencies across the country.

In Incheon, west of Seoul, a man in his 40s died Monday morning with his body temperature nearing 40 C after being sent to a hospital the previous day.

Also on Sunday, two farmers, in their 60s and 80s, respectively, were found dead in the central province of South Chungcheong.

A total of 108 people were treated at emergency rooms across the country for heat-related illnesses Sunday, bringing the tally since May 15 to 2,025, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

The country has so far recorded 16 deaths linked to heat-related illnesses.

Seoul reported 18 heat-related patients Sunday, with the capital's total at 185 since mid-May.

The KMA attributed the prolonged high temperatures to overlapping high-pressure systems over the peninsula combined with strong, direct sunlight under clear skies.

–IANS

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Kabul, Aug 3 (IANS) Armed clashes between two tribes over the ownership of a mountainous area along the border of Khost and Paktia provinces in Southeastern Afghanistan continued for the fourth day on Monday, local media reported.

The clashes erupted between the members of the Bori Khail tribe from Khost’s Spira district and the Giyan Khail tribe from Paktika’s Giyan district, Afghanistan's leading Khaama Press Agency reported.

Citing local reports, it said light and heavy weapons were used by both sides during the confrontation, raising concerns over further escalations in the long-running land dispute.

The disputed mountain is located between Spira and Giyan districts, according to local residents. The area is covered with forests, including valuable pine nut trees, which they said have intensified disagreements over ownership, access and control of the land. For decades, the dispute has resulted in armed confrontations.

“Shah Mir Khan, a resident of Spira district, said that previous clashes over the mountain had caused significant casualties, claiming that around 80 people had been killed or injured in earlier incidents linked to the dispute. The figure could not be independently verified,” stated Khaama Press.

Radio Hurriyat, a media outlet close to the Taliban, said that the clashes had entered their fourth day, and released footage of a person allegedly firing a mortar towards the opposition positions. The authenticity of the footage was not verified independently.

Hurriyat also reported that to prevent further escalation and to separate the two sides, Taliban forces had been deployed to the area.

“The mountain dispute is rooted in competing claims of historical ownership by the two communities. Local accounts say tensions over the territory have continued for generations, with disputes frequently linked to access to natural resources and grazing or forest areas,” the report detailed.

According to Radio Hurriyat, the broader dispute has continued for almost 80 years and over 250 people have been killed from both sides over the decades.

–IANS

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Seoul, Aug 3 (IANS) South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Monday he expects new US Ambassador to Seoul Michelle Steel to play a key role in helping resolve pending issues between South Korea and the United States, citing her "direct" access to Washington.

"(I) expect to have various consultations on pending South Korea-US issues," Cho said during an interview with Yonhap News TV. "Since the ambassador is said to have a direct line to Washington, (I) expect we can utilise that to resolve difficult issues in South Korea-US relations."

Steel arrived in South Korea on Thursday to assume her post, which had been vacant since January last year, Yonhap News Agency reported

Cho is expected to meet with Steel in person on Tuesday when she submits a copy of her credentials to the foreign ministry.

Steel's arrival comes as Seoul and Washington face a series of pending security and economic issues, including South Korean investment pledges in the US and tensions over Seoul's regulatory action against US-listed Coupang Inc. following a massive data breach.

Separately, Cho said he understands that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit South Korea "soon," adding that he hopes to discuss Wang's trip to North Korea in April.

Regarding a recent data breach at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy that is believed to have exposed the personal information of all South Korean diplomats, Cho said the ministry plans to take strong measures, including building a firewall to prevent further hacks.

Last month, South Korea's Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-wha called on Ambassador Steel to play an important role in advancing the bilateral alliance's "new leap" during a meeting.

Kang and Steel met on July 21 before Steel's departure for Seoul to assume the ambassadorial post. Steel arrived in Seoul on July 30 (Korea time) as the two countries face a series of joint tasks, including implementing last year's bilateral agreements on security, trade and investment.

Upon arrival in Korea, Steel vowed to ensure that the alliance remains the "linchpin" of regional peace and security, calling it one of the world's strongest alliances.

–IANS

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Lhasa, Aug 3 (IANS) Just weeks after China’s new 'Ethnic Unity and Progress Law' came into effect, the country has pressured Nepal over an upcoming Tibetan studies conference in Kathmandu, a report has revealed.

"This development is the latest sign that Beijing is expanding its campaign of transnational repression into academic discourse as part of its broader efforts to turn Tibetology into an ideological tool that reinforces the state’s vision of a unified Chinese national identity, while silencing scholarship that challenges its official narrative," a report by the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) mentioned.

Kathmandu is set to host the 17th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS) from August 23 to August 29; however, according to media reports, the Dharamshala-based Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has decided not to send its researchers in an official capacity to the seminar to ‘avoid jeopardising the conference and to ease Chinese pressure on Nepal.’

According to the report, Nepal’s Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai and Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Zhang Maoming met on July 21, where Zhang raised China’s concerns about presumed statements critical of China.

"Citing a senior Nepalese foreign ministry official, the Kathmandu Post on July 22 reported that the Chinese Ambassador raised concerns that ‘some individuals could speak against China and in support of Tibet and urged officials to make sure that no such things happen," it stated.

There was no formal diplomatic protest or written demand for cancellation; the report stressed that China’s actions led to the withdrawal of CTA researchers.

"The significance of this incident extends well beyond a single academic conference. Beijing is institutionalising a system in which diplomacy, repressive domestic legislation implemented outside China’s borders, and state-directed academic scholarship reinforce one another," said Tencho Gyatso, President of the ICT.

"The new Ethnic Unity and Progress Law, together with China’s efforts to recast Tibetology as a vehicle for ‘forging a strong sense of the Chinese national community,’ is designed to advance the forced assimilation of Tibetans while reshaping international understanding of Tibet. Global governments and academic institutions must recognise this as part of Beijing’s broader pattern to eliminate Tibetan identity and expand its transnational repression and call for the repeal of this repressive law," she added.

The majority of Nepali citizens from its northern region bordering Tibet share cultural and religious traditions with Tibetan people, and Nepal also hosts a considerable size of Tibetan refugee community.

According to the report, Bejing’s latest intervention over the IATS seminar in Kathmandu fits a broader pattern of China’s efforts to control all international discussions on matters relating to Tibet. It stated that China is also sending delegates to the seminar, which is an independent academic conference.

"The reported participation of the state-controlled China Tibetology Research Centre at an independent academic forum is a cause of major concern as the centre has been mandated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to drive a narrative that advances its forced assimilation agenda," the report highlighted.

–IANS

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Kathmandu, Aug 3 (IANS) Nepal recorded marginal growth in foreign tourist arrivals in July, welcoming a total of 71,775 foreign visitors during the month, the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) said on Monday.

The figure represents a 2.3 per cent increase compared to 70,193 foreign tourist arrivals recorded in July 2025. Except for March and April, Nepal recorded year-on-year growth in foreign tourist arrivals in every month through July this year, according to NTB statistics.

The conflict between the United States and Iran, disruptions to flight operations, and higher airfares driven by increased fuel prices affected international travel, contributing to the modest growth in arrivals.

According to the NTB, Indian tourists once again accounted for the largest share of international visitors in July. A total of 23,490 Indian tourists visited Nepal, representing 32.73 per cent of total arrivals. However, after a sharp surge in Indian tourist arrivals in May and June, the number declined in July.

Nepal recorded a significant increase in Chinese tourist arrivals during the month. According to NTB statistics, the country welcomed 11,099 visitors from China, a 61.09 per cent increase from 6,890 arrivals in July 2025. The figure also surpassed the pre-Covid level of 10,215 Chinese visitors recorded in July 2019, standing 8.65 per cent higher.

The United States ranked third in terms of tourist arrivals, with 7,754 visitors in July. It was followed by Bangladesh with 4,179 visitors, the United Kingdom with 3,773, and Australia with 2,428.

Driven largely by the high number of Indian visitors, South Asia remained the largest source market for Nepal's tourism in July. A total of 29,755 visitors from South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries arrived in Nepal during the month, accounting for 41.46 per cent of total international arrivals. However, this was 11.93 per cent lower than the 33,787 visitors recorded in July 2025.

Among the other SAARC countries, Bhutan contributed 991 tourists, while Pakistan accounted for 475 visitors. Nepal also received 581 tourists from Sri Lanka and 39 visitors from the Maldives.

Nepal, however, recorded strong growth in arrivals from other Asian countries.

Excluding South Asia, 17,424 tourists from other Asian countries visited Nepal in July, accounting for 24.28 per cent of total arrivals.

Compared with 13,052 visitors in July 2025, this represents a 33.05 per cent increase in arrivals from the broader Asian market.

After China, the leading Asian source markets were South Korea with 1,394 visitors, Malaysia with 1,380, Japan with 1,111, Vietnam with 574, Singapore and Myanmar with 437 each, and Thailand with 428 visitors.

As for other regions, a total of 9,279 tourists from Europe visited Nepal in July, accounting for 12.93 per cent of total arrivals. The Americas contributed 8,824 tourists, while Oceania accounted for 2,607 visitors, according to the NTB.

--IANS

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Kampala, Aug 3 (IANS) The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Monday praised Uganda for successfully containing its latest Ebola outbreak, attributing the achievement to strong national leadership and coordinated action.

Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya made the remarks on social media platform X after co-chairing a meeting in Kampala with World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Yakub Janabi and officials from Uganda's Ministry of Health.

"We commended Uganda for successfully containing the Ebola outbreak through strong national leadership and coordinated action," wrote Kaseya.

"This progress must be protected. Sustained preparedness, vigilant surveillance, and strong cross-border coordination remain essential to prevent further transmission and strengthen health security across the region," he added.

Uganda declared the end of the Ebola outbreak on July 28, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The announcement came before the completion of the WHO's standard 42-day countdown following the discharge of the last patient. Uganda discharged its last Ebola patient on July 16 after the individual tested negative for the virus.

The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has become the largest ever recorded in the country, surpassing the 2018-2020 epidemic, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said Saturday.

As of Thursday, the DRC had reported 3,605 confirmed cases of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus, including 1,587 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of 44 per cent, the WHO said in its latest disease outbreak report.

The previous largest outbreak, which struck the country's east between 2018 and 2020, recorded 3,317 confirmed cases.

The current outbreak, initially confined to the Mongbwalu health zone in the province of Ituri, has spread over the past two months to 49 health zones across five provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo.

The outbreak has also taken a growing toll on health workers, with 151 infections and 44 deaths reported so far, highlighting persistent gaps in infection prevention and control at health facilities, the WHO said.

–IANS

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Islamabad, Aug 3 (IANS) The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) has written a letter to the Pakistan Red Crescent Society, requesting for urgent humanitarian and medical assistance in Rawalakot and other affected areas of the Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) amid the ongoing unrest in the region.

In the letter, JKJAAC mentioned that the situation in PoJK has developed into a "serious humanitarian and medical emergency" after the events that occurred on July 27-28. It mentioned that the reports received from affected communities indicate civilian casualties, injuries related to firearms, disruption of ambulance routes, limited access to hospitals and difficulties in getting medicines, blood supplies and emergency trauma care.

"The Jammu Kashmir Human Rights Observatory has documented reports that critically injured people were transported approximately 40 kilometres from Rawalakot to Palandri Hospital because immediate trauma care was not available or accessible locally. Its report also records allegations that road closures, security cordons and communications restrictions delayed the evacuation and treatment of injured civilians. These findings remain subject to continuing medical, family and independent verification," the JKJAAC letter stated.

"Internet and telecommunications services have also remained severely restricted, leaving families unable to locate injured, detained or missing relatives and making it extremely difficult to coordinate emergency assistance," it added.

The JKJAAC urged the Pakistan Red Crescent Society to deploy an independent emergency assessment and medical team in Rawalakot and other affected places of the occupied territory, provide ambulances, mobile medical units, trained first-aid personnel, trauma-care supplies in the affected region and also establish temporary first-aid and emergency treatment points along affected routes and near major gathering areas.

Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is currently witnessing the most extensive confrontation between the local population and the Pakistani state in decades. The protests reportedly began on June 5 and have continued to intensify. Protesters have alleged that Pakistani security forces launched a severe crackdown in which more than 50 people have been killed and hundreds injured over the past several weeks.

Earlier in the day, JKJAAC shared a video on X showing Pakistani forces dragging and assaulting an unarmed civilian on the road in Muzaffarabad city. It urged the United Nations, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, international media, and diplomatic missions to examine the footage, independently verify the facts, and press for an immediate, independent and impartial investigation into the reported events.

"We call on the United Nations, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, international media, and diplomatic missions to examine this footage, independently verify the facts, and press for an immediate, independent and impartial investigation into the reported events. We also urge the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to closely monitor the humanitarian situation and ensure that those who are injured and other civilians affected receive protection and humanitarian assistance in accordance with its mandate," the JAAC stated.

On Sunday, people in PoK continued to participate in the long march that began on June 9. The JAAC said that the protest held on Sunday demonstrates that the movement is rooted in the demands of the public for fundamental rights, justice, and the implementation of commitments made by the authorities.

"The Long March that began on 9 June continues. Despite weeks of arrests, killings, injuries, and intimidation, the people continue to march with determination. Today's protest is another reminder that this movement is rooted in the people's demand for fundamental rights, justice, and the implementation of commitments made by the authorities. This movement belongs to the people. As long as those legitimate demands remain unmet, the voices of the people will continue to be heard," the JAAC posted on X.

--IANS

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Islamabad, Aug 3 (IANS) The dilapidated grave of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's queen, Maharani Moran, is not only a monument neglected by the local authorities but demonstrates the broader crisis being faced by Sikh heritage in Pakistan for decades. Decaying walls, overgrown vegetation and years of neglect raises question on whether Pakistan is really committed to preserving Sikh history and heritage as it showcases itself on the global stage, a report has detailed.

Maharani Moran died in 1867, and her grave is located in Miani Sahib Cemetery in Lahore. However, its worsening condition demonstrates the situation of several Sikh monuments in Pakistan which have historical significance.

Many sites related to Sikh history, including places linked to the Sikh Gurus, the Sikh empire, and the legendary Sikh warriors who sacrificed their lives defending faith, human rights, and their nation, are located in Pakistan. Over 400 historic Sikh gurdwaras linked to the lives of Guru Nanak Dev and the other Sikh Gurus are located in Pakistan presently. However, many of these historic sites have either disappeared or have been left in ruins in Pakistan's provinces like Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a report in Khalsa Vox mentioned.

Pakistan frequently describes Gurdwara Janam Asthan Nankana Sahib and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur as examples of its commitment to preserving Sikh heritage. However, it has become difficult to hide the reality in the present time as each year Pakistani Sikh leaders raise funds from the global Sikh diaspora for maintaining gurdwaras in Pakistan while the condition of several unpopular historic sites continues to worsen.

"The memories of great Sikh warriors such as Hari Singh Nalwa, Akali Phula Singh, Sardar Sham Singh Attariwala, and many others remain rooted in this land. Unfortunately, many monuments associated with them have fallen victim to neglect, encroachments, illegal construction, and the natural decay of time," the report said.

In June, 125-year-old Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib in Pakistan's Farooqabad was demolished and a large part of the historic shrine was reduced to a rubble after a local businessman allegedly carried out demolition work without legal clearance or court order. Authorities acknowledged the demolition only after Sikh residents of Farooqabad took to the streets to protest the incident.

"For the Sikh community of Farooqabad, the night of June 24 was not an abstraction. It was the sound of machinery tearing into a building their grandparents’ grandparents had prayed in — a gurdwara built over a century ago, when the Singh Sabha movement was still reshaping what it meant to be Sikh in a modernising Punjab," another report in Khalsa Vox had mentioned.

By morning, portions of the gurdwara were left in rubble after it was demolished by a local businessman who did not take legal clearance or a court order to take the action.

“What happened next says everything about what it costs, in Pakistan today, to be a religious minority guarding your own history. It wasn’t the heritage department that stopped the bulldozers. It wasn’t the Evacuee Trust Property Board, the very institution created to protect Sikh religious property. It was ordinary Sikh residents of Farooqabad who had to pour into the streets — who had to make noise, take risks, and force a confrontation with indifference — before anyone in authority even acknowledged that a 125-year-old shrine was being erased,” the report mentioned.

An official later admitted that the department failed to take notice of the demolition until local Sikhs protested. It added that the Pakistani authorities responded only after a minority community, long burdened by institutional neglect, was forced to stand up and defend its heritage.

--IANS

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Islamabad, Aug 3 (IANS) The killing of protesting civilians demonstrates the limits of the China-Pakistan development model in the Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), a report has detailed.

The latest unrest in PoJK exposes the occupied territory's uneasy relationship with Pakistan. Weeks of protests, arrests and restrictions have led to violent clashes between protesters and security forces, with casualties reported on both sides. The full scale of the violence in PoJK is not known fully as communication has been disrupted and different accounts have emerged from the occupied territory, according to a report in UK-based newspaper 'Asian Lite'.

The protests have been led by Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), a coalition that has brought together transporters, traders and civil society groups, raising various demands like lower electricity tariffs, reduction in food prices, government privileges and political representation. Pakistan's coercive response has pushed the complaints of the people of the PoJK into security domain. Pakistan has been taking coercive measures against protesters in PoJK, whose demands include political representation, distribution of local resources and economic rights.

"The region is also increasingly integrated into Islamabad’s infrastructure ambitions and, through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), into Beijing’s economic presence in the region. The current unrest therefore exposes a broader contradiction: infrastructure can increase the economic and strategic value of a territory without necessarily giving its residents a greater role in determining how that value is used," the Asian Lite report mentioned.

China has been promoting CPEC as an economic partnership focused on connectivity, development and energy. The model depends on the Pakistani state to negotiate projects, provide security and create the political legitimacy under which Chinese firms operate. However, the unrest exposes the limitations of China's state-to-state development model, according to the report.

Pakistan has been facing problems of authority and public order due to repeated mobilisation in PoJK. However, coercion does little to address people's demands, that have led to protests in PoJK over the past several years.

"The latest unrest reflects a widening distance between the way PoJK is valued within larger strategic and economic plans and the way governance is contested by sections of its population. Pakistan’s reliance on coercion may suppress that tension temporarily, while Chinese investment can continue expanding the territory’s infrastructure. Neither, however, resolves the underlying question of how communities participate in deciding how resources are developed and how their benefits are distributed," the report in Asian Lite stated.

--IANS

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