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Police in southern India said Saturday that they arrested two men in connection with allegations of gang rape of an Israeli and a local woman. The Israeli and her homestay operator were stargazing along with three male travelers, an American and two Indians, in Koppal town in southern Karnataka state on Thursday night, police official Ram L. Arasiddi said. According to an initial investigation, three men on a motorbike approached them while asking for money. Following arguments, the three men pushed the male travelers into a nearby water canal and sexually assaulted the women, Arasiddi said. One of the Indian tourists drowned and his body was recovered on Saturday. The American and another Indian swam to safety. Koppal is about 350 kilometers (217 miles) from Bengaluru, India’s startup and technology powerhouse. Arasiddi said police set up a special investigation team that arrested two out of the three suspects on Saturday. They were being investigated on suspicion of attempted murder, gang rape and robbery, he said. The Associated Press generally doesn’t identify victims of sexual assault. Magura rape victim shifted to Dhaka CMH for better treatment Sexual assaults on women have become familiar in India, where police recorded 31,516 rape cases in 2022, a 20% increase from 2021, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. The real figure is believed to be far higher due to the stigma surrounding sexual violence and victims’ lack of faith in police. Rape and sexual violence have been under the spotlight since the brutal 2012 gang rape and killing of a 23-year-old student on a New Delhi bus. The attack galvanized massive protests and inspired lawmakers to order the creation of fast-track courts dedicated to rape cases and stiffen penalties. The rape law was amended in 2013, criminalizing stalking and voyeurism and lowering the age at which a person can be tried as an adult from 18 to 16. The government in 2018 approved the death penalty for people convicted of raping children under age 12. Despite stringent laws, it’s rare for more than a few weeks to pass without another brutal sexual assault being reported. Tarique talks to Magura rape victim’s mother, assures justice High-profile cases involving foreign visitors have drawn international attention to the issue. Last year, in a video that was later deleted, a Spanish tourist said his wife was raped in northern India while an Indian-American woman said she was raped at a hotel in New Delhi. In 2022, a British tourist was raped in front of her partner in Goa.

The Taliban issued a message on International Women’s Day, saying Afghan women live in security with their rights protected, even as the U.N. condemned ongoing employment and education bans. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, they have barred education for women and girls beyond sixth grade, most employment, and many public spaces. Last August, the Vice and Virtue Ministry published laws that ban women’s voices and bare faces outside the home. The Taliban’s chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid released a statement on his official X account, without specifically mentioning International Women’s Day, which is celebrated on March 8. He said the dignity, honor, and legal rights of women were a priority for the Islamic emirate, the term used by the Taliban to describe their government. Afghan women lived in security, both physically and psychologically, he added. Myanmar's military leader announces dates for general election “In accordance with Islamic law and the culture and traditions of Afghan society, the fundamental rights of Afghan women have been secured. However, it should not be forgotten that the rights of Afghan women are being discussed within an Islamic and Afghan society, which has clear differences from Western societies and their culture,” said Mujahid. Also Saturday, the U.N. renewed its call for the Taliban to lift the bans. “The erasure of women and girls from public life cannot be ignored,” said Roza Otunbayeva, the head of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan. “We remain committed to investing in their resilience and leadership, as they are key to Afghanistan’s future.” Alison Davidian, special representative for U.N. Women Afghanistan, said the world could not accept a future for Afghan women that would never be tolerated elsewhere. “Our response to their erasure is a test of our commitment to women and girls everywhere,” said Davidian. “We must stand with Afghan women as if our own lives depend on it — because they do.” The Taliban remain isolated from the West — and without international recognition as the country’s official government — because of their restrictions on women and girls. On Friday in Paris, UNESCO hosted a high-level conference on women and girls in Afghanistan. Participants included Hamida Aman, the founder of the women-only station Radio Begum, Fawzia Khoofi, a parliamentarian from the former Western-backed government, and rights experts including Richard Bennett, who is barred from entering Afghanistan. In an apparent dig at the event, the spokesman for the Vice and Virtue Ministry Saif ul-Islam Khyber said recent international conferences held under the name of women’s rights exposed the hypocrisy of certain organizations and European Union foundations.  

Four years after seizing power from the elected administration, the head of the military government declared Myanmar will hold a general election within 10 months, state-run media reported Saturday. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said Friday the election will take place either in December or January 2026 at the latest, according to the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper. He announced the dates in a press conference while on an official visit to Belarus, one of the few allies of Myanmar’s military government, saying that 53 political parties have already submitted their lists to participate in the election. However, Min Aung did not mention exact election dates. The announcement comes as Myanmar is roiled by a civil war in which the army has been forced onto the defensive against pro-democracy militants as well as ethnic militias seeking autonomy in much of the country. North Korea unveils nuclear-powered submarine for the first time The army takeover from Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in February 2021 has been met with widespread popular opposition, triggering armed resistances, and large parts of the country are embroiled in conflict. The ruling military has since said an election was the primary goal but has repeatedly pushed back the date. The plan for a general election is widely seen as an attempt to normalize the military’s seizure of power through the ballot box and to deliver a result that ensures the generals retain control. Critics have already said the military-planned election will be neither free nor fair because there is no free media and most of the leaders of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party have been arrested. Suu Kyi, 79, is serving prison sentences totaling 27 years after being convicted in a series of politically tainted prosecutions brought by the military. The country’s current security situation poses a serious challenge to holding elections, with the military believed to control less than half the country. The military government had previously said the election would be prioritized in areas under its command. In October, the military attempted a census that it said was to compile voter lists for a general election, but data from only 145 of 330 townships was successfully gathered. In a published report, the military government said the areas where the census could not be completed included towns controlled by ethnic armed forces and pro-democracy guerrillas. The National Unity Government or NUG, Myanmar's main opposition organization, said it intended to prevent the military-held election through nonviolent means.

North Korea unveiled for the first time a nuclear-powered submarine under construction, a weapons system that can pose a major security threat to South Korea and the U.S. State media on Saturday released photos showing what it called “a nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine,” as it reported leader Kim Jong Un’s visits to major shipyards where warships are built. The Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, didn't provide details on the submarine, but said Kim was briefed on its construction. The naval vessel appears to be a 6,000-ton-class or 7,000-ton-class one which can carry about 10 missiles, said Moon Keun-sik, a South Korean submarine expert who teaches at Seoul’s Hanyang University. He said the use of the term “the strategic guided missiles” meant it would carry nuclear-capable weapons. South Korea's impeached President Yoon released from prison “It would be absolutely threatening to us and the U.S.,” Moon said. A nuclear-powered submarine was among a long wishlist of sophisticated weaponry that Kim vowed to introduce during a major political conference in 2021 to cope with what he called escalating U.S.-led military threats. Other weapons were solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, spy satellites and multi-warhead missiles. North Korea has since performed a run of testing activities to acquire them. North Korea obtaining a greater ability to fire missiles from underwater is a worrying development because it’s difficult for its rivals to detect such launches in advance. Questions about how North Korea, a heavily sanctioned and impoverished country, could get resources and technology to build nuclear-powered submarines have surfaced. Moon, the submarine expert, said North Korea may have received Russian technological assistance to build a nuclear reactor to be used in the submarine in return for supplying conventional weapons and troops to support Russia’s war efforts against Ukraine. He also said North Korea could launch the submarine in one or two years to test its capability before its actual deployment. North Korea has an estimated 70-90 diesel-powered submarines in one of the world’s largest fleets. However, they are mostly aging ones capable of launching only torpedoes and mines, not missiles. From staff cuts to aid reductions, UN humanitarian agencies scramble in wake of US funding freeze In 2023, North Korea said it had launched what it called its first “tactical nuclear attack submarine,” but foreign experts doubted the North’s announcement and speculated it was likely a diesel-powered submarine disclosed in 2019. Moon said there has been no confirmation that it has been deployed. North Korea has conducted a slew of underwater-launched ballistic missile tests since 2016, but all launches were made from the same 2,000-ton-class submarine which has a single launch tube. Many experts call it a test platform, rather than an operational submarine in active service. In recent days, North Korea has been dialing up its fiery rhetoric against the U.S. and South Korea ahead of their upcoming annual military drills set to start Monday. During his visits to the shipyards, Kim said North Korea aims to modernize water-surface and underwater warships simultaneously. He stressed the need to make “the incomparably overwhelming warships fulfill their mission” to contain "the inveterate gunboat diplomacy of the hostile forces,” KCNA reported Saturday.

Jeewanthi Adikari initially aspired to a career in accounting but found her calling in hospitality after a three-month training program. Now, with over two decades of experience, the 42-year-old manages Sri Lanka’s first resort fully operated by women—a bold initiative aimed at addressing gender disparities in the tourism sector. Located in Dambulla, Amba Yaalu resort provides women with opportunities to develop careers in an industry traditionally dominated by men. Despite making up 52% of Sri Lanka’s population, women hold only 10% of jobs in the country's hospitality sector. Situated 160 kilometers (100 miles) from Colombo, Amba Yaalu employs 75 women who oversee all aspects of operations, from housekeeping to security—where a team of seven former military personnel ensures safety. The resort also offers training programs to help women build skills in hospitality. The concept was developed by hotelier Chandra Wickramasinghe, inspired by his mother’s resilience as a single parent raising eight children. “I knew what these women could achieve. We put together a strong team, and it worked,” he said, emphasizing the need for female leadership in the industry. Professor Suranga Silva of the University of Colombo highlighted barriers such as social stigma, language constraints, work-life balance challenges, and inadequate training, which have kept many Sri Lankan women from entering the hospitality industry. However, he noted a shift, with more young women showing interest in tourism careers. Millions of Muslims in Indonesia observe the beginning of holy month of Ramadan Sri Lanka’s tourism sector, once the country’s third-largest foreign exchange earner, has faced setbacks due to the 2019 Easter bombings and the COVID-19 pandemic. While the sector contributed 2.3% to the economy in 2023—down from 5% in 2018—female representation remains low. Kaushalya Batagoda, executive chef at Amba Yaalu, pointed out the shortage of trained female professionals in hospitality but noted growing enthusiasm among young women to pursue culinary careers. Women’s rights activists have praised the resort’s efforts, emphasizing the importance of safe employment opportunities. Silva stressed the need for collaborative training programs to improve women’s employability in tourism. At Amba Yaalu, some of these challenges are already being addressed. “This is purely about empowering women,” Adikari said. “We invite them to join, enhance their skills, and contribute to the industry.”

Dhaka, Mar 8 (UNB)-Two women, including a 27-year-old Israeli tourist were allegedly raped by three men in Karnataka  state of India on Thursday night. The attack took place on the banks of a canal in Koppal, around 350 km from Bengaluru, where they were stargazing with three other travelers. The assailants pushed the three male travelers into the canal before assaulting the women. While Daniel, an American, and Pankaj from Maharashtra managed to escape, Bibash from Odisha drowned. His body was recovered on Saturday morning. Authorities have assured swift action, stating that the accused will be arrested soon. The women are currently receiving treatment at a government hospital. Koppal Superintendent of Police Ram L Arasiddi confirmed that five individuals—two women and three men—were attacked near Sanapur. The Israeli tourist stated in her complaint that the group was not only assaulted but that she and the homestay owner were also sexually violated. According to the homestay owner’s complaint, the group had gone stargazing near the Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal after dinner when the attackers arrived on a motorcycle. They initially asked for petrol and later demanded ₹100. Upon being refused, they turned violent, attacking the travelers and assaulting the women before fleeing on their bike. END/UNB/FH/1144 Hrs Source: NDTV

A South Korean fighter jet accidentally dropped eight bombs on a civilian area during training Thursday, reportedly injuring seven people. The MK-82 bombs “abnormally” released by the KF-16 fighter jet fell outside a firing range, causing unspecified civilian damages, the air force said in a statement. The air force said it will establish a committee to investigate why the accident happened and examine the scale of civilian damages. It said the fighter jet was taking part in the air force’s joint live-firing drills with the army. The air force apologized for causing civilian damages and expressed hopes for a speedy recovery of the injured people. It said it will actively offer compensation and other necessary steps for victims. US aircraft carrier in South Korea as North Korea test-fire missiles The air force statement didn’t say where the accident happened. But South Korean media reported it occurred in Pocheon, a city close to the border with North Korea. Yonhap news agency reported five civilians and two soldiers were injured. Yonhap said the conditions of two of the injured were serious but not life-threatening. It also said seven buildings were damaged.

A city in northwestern Pakistan marked a day of mourning on Wednesday, following a twin suicide bombing at a military base that claimed the lives of 18 people, including five soldiers, reports AP. A militant group with ties to the Pakistani Taliban took responsibility for the bombing in Bannu, which also left 42 others injured, some critically. The city has been targeted by militants before. Pakistani mortar fire injures Afghan journalists The bombers detonated their explosives to breach the base's perimeter wall while many residents were breaking their fast for Ramadan or praying at a nearby mosque. The blasts tore off roofs and caused extensive damage to the mosque. Other attackers entered the base, sparking a gun battle with the troops. An army statement on Wednesday confirmed that five soldiers and 16 militants were killed. Gunfire could still be heard early Wednesday as security forces searched the area for militants. At the site, a mechanical digger was clearing rubble where homes once stood, and debris-covered prayer mats were found scattered at the mosque. Joint funeral prayers for the victims were held at a sports complex. “All educational institutions are closed,” said Alam Khan, a community elder from Bannu. “Most shops are also shut. Rescue workers have completed their operation, recovering the bodies of three worshippers trapped under the collapsed roof of the mosque.” Pakistan plans to expel entire Afghan refugee population: Afghan Embassy Bannu is located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, near the Afghan border, an area where several armed groups operate. Jaish Al-Fursan, a group affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban, has claimed responsibility for the attack. Bannu has previously been targeted by militants. Last November, a suicide car bomb killed 12 soldiers and injured others at a security post. In July, a suicide bomber detonated a vehicle packed with explosives, while additional militants opened fire near the outer wall of a military facility. On the same day, a bomb exploded at a shop in Nal, a town in Khuzdar district in southwestern Balochistan province, killing three people and injuring five, according to Deputy Commissioner Iqbal Dashti. Nal is frequented by people from Sindh and Punjab provinces. No immediate group claimed responsibility, though suspicion is likely to fall on Baloch separatists, who have previously targeted non-local residents in their efforts to seek independence from the central government in Islamabad. Also on Wednesday, a drive-by shooting in Peshawar's Uzair Town killed intelligence officer Shahid Anwar as he drove to work. The assailant, riding a motorcycle, fled the scene, according to police officer Adnan Khan.

Shelling from Pakistan injured three Afghan journalists on Wednesday while they were reporting on the closure of a key border crossing, a Taliban official said. Torkham has been closed since Feb. 21 because of a dispute between the two neighbors. It is vital for trade and travel, but both countries have closed it in the past, most often over deadly shootings and fire. It lies in Pakistan’s northwest and Afghanistan’s east. Shamshad TV reporter Hedayat Shah Hedayat and two other journalists went to Torkham to cover the ongoing clashes when they were hit by the Pakistani side, the station’s deputy director Mahir Ihsanzai said. Myanmar's military head visits Russia for cooperation talks with Putin A local official, Qureshi Badloon, confirmed the shootings. “These journalists were hit and injured by mortar shells fired by Pakistani soldiers,” said Badloon, who works at the Nangarhar Information and Culture Department. He identified the other journalists as Pajhwok Afghan News cameraman Wali Mohammad Shinwari and Hurriyat Radio journalist Azizul Hassan Nomani. Shinwari and Nomani were in serious condition and taken to Nangarhar Regional Hospital. There was no immediate comment from the Pakistani government.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was holding talks on Tuesday with the head of Myanmar’s military government, who seeks to cement cooperation with Moscow as he faces isolation and sanctions from the West. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing was on his fourth trip to Russia since his army seized power in February 2021 from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Western nations have imposed economic and political sanctions in response to the takeover and the violent repression of opposition, which has led to the deaths of thousands of civilians and given rise to an armed conflict widely seen as civil war. At the start of the Kremlin talks, Putin noted growing bilateral trade and close cooperation in the international arena, and thanked the Myanmar leader for sending six baby elephants to Moscow. Russia, along with China, is a major supporter and arms supplier to Myanmar. Russian-made fighter jets are used in attacks on territory under control of ethnic minority groups, many of them allies with pro-democracy resistance forces. Thousands await repatriation after crackdown on scam centers in Myanmar Russia defends Myanmar’s military government in international forums, and the ruling generals generally support Moscow’s foreign policy agenda. The countries have held joint military drills and signed a pact on developing nuclear power. The countries signed agreements to outline cooperation around Moscow building nuclear power plants in Myanmar and recognize academic qualifications. Ming Aung Hlaing emphasized his military government’s support for Russia’s military action in Ukraine. “Russia is a key backer of the Myanmar military,” said Morgan Michaels, a Singapore-based analyst with the International Institute of Strategic Studies. “In addition to diplomatic and symbolic support, it plays a vital role in enhancing and sustaining the regime’s warfighting capacity.” Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for Myanmar’s main opposition National Unity Government, said the military leader is in desperate need of international recognition and willing to trade the country’s resources in exchange. “So, to maintain his power, he will go to countries that will recognize him and provide him with some kind of assistance," Nay Phone Latt said Monday in a text message to the AP.