15/06/2025

WORLD 7 ON SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2025 Bio hazards convention adopted

Iran fires back at Israel DUBAI: Iran and Israel targeted each other with missiles and airstrikes early yesterday after Israel launched its biggest-ever air offensive against its longtime foe in a bid to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon. Air raid sirens sounded across Israel, including in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, sending residents rushing into shelters as waves of Iranian missiles streaked across the skies and Israeli interceptors rose up to meet them. A man and a woman were killed in Israel and dozens wounded by a missile that landed near their homes, Israel’s ambulance service said. Not too late for Tehran, says Trump overnight in the capital Tehran, Tasnim news agency reported. Fars news agency said two projectiles hit Tehran’s Mehrabad airport and Iranian media said flames were reported there. Close to key Iranian leadership sites, the airport hosts an air force base with fighter jets and transport aircraft. UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani said 78 people, including senior military officials, have been killed in Israel’s strikes on Iran and more than 320 wounded, most of them civilians. Tehran launched waves of airstrikes yesterday after two salvos on Friday night, Fars reported. One of the waves targeted Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial hub, before dawn, with explosions heard as far as Jerusalem, witnesses said.

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Friday his country would not discuss the four contested areas at the boundary commission, adding the government would send an official letter to the ICJ today on its plan to file the case. Former premier Hun Sen, Hun Manet’s father, has criticised Thailand’s military for restricting border crossings and has accused generals and Thai nationalists of fanning the tensions. “Only extremist groups and some military factions are behind these issues because the Thai government is unable to control its military the way our country can,” he said late on Thursday. – Reuters GENEVA: The first convention on protecting workers from the devastating impact of uncontrolled biological hazards was adopted at the United Nations on Friday. The Biological Hazards in the Working Environment Convention was adopted by the UN’s International Labour Organisation. The ILO’s 187 member states are equally represented by governments, employers and trade unions. The text was adopted to applause at the annual International Labour Conference. There were 406 votes in favour, 12 against and 13 abstentions. The adoption “marks a historic step forward in global labour standards, addressing a long-standing gap in international legislation”, said conference president Edgar Moyo, Zimbabwe’s labour minister. “These instruments provide a comprehensive framework to prevent and manage biological risks across all sectors and occupations. “They reaffirm the fundamental right to a safe and healthy working environment and reflect a shared global commitment to safeguarding workers from invisible and evolving threats.” The convention constitutes the first international instrument specifically addressing biological hazards in the working environment at the global level. It provides a definition of hazards, prevention and protection measures, and establishes obligations for employers and rights and duties for workers. The convention applies to all workers in all branches of economic activity but requires countries to take specific measures in certain high-risk sectors and occupations. It requires employers to establish procedures to deal with emergencies. – AFP Australian shot dead in Bali, another hurt JAKARTA: An Australian man was fatally shot and another injured in a shooting incident on Bali just after midnight yesterday, local police told media. Bali police are looking for two people believed to be involved in the shooting in a villa in the Badung regency on the southern side of the island, spokesperson Ariasandy said, according to news website Detik.com . Identified only by their first names, Zivan R, 32, died at the scene, while Sanar G, 35, was seriously wounded and has been taken to intensive care at a hospital. Ariasandy said witness had provided descriptions of two people who fled from the scene on two motorcycles. He said the two were heard speaking English with an Australian accent. – Reuters

day and the Iranian retaliation raised fears of a broader regional conflagration, although Iran’s allies Hamas and Hezbollah have been decimated by Israel. IRNA news agency said Tehran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel after Israel blasted Iran’s huge Natanz underground nuclear site and killed its top military commanders. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Israel of starting a war. A senior Iranian official said nowhere in Israel would be safe and revenge would be painful. Iran has accused the US of being complicit in the attacks and said it shared full responsibility for the consequences. Israel’s UN envoy Danny Danon said intelligence had confirmed that within days Iran would have produced enough fissile material for multiple bombs. He called Israel’s operation “an act of national preservation”. Iran has long insisted its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only. The UN nuclear watchdog concluded this week that it was in violation of its obligations under the global non-proliferation treaty. President Donald Trump said it was not too late for Tehran to halt the Israeli bombing campaign by reaching a deal on its nuclear programme. – Reuters

Those were in response to Israel’s attacks on Iran early on Friday against commanders, nuclear scientists, military targets and nuclear sites. Iran denies that its uranium enrichment activities are part of a secret weapons programme. The US military helped shoot down Iranian missiles headed to Israel on Friday, two US officials said. Israel’s military said Iran fired fewer than 100 missiles on Friday and that most were intercepted or fell short. The Israeli strikes on Iran throughout the

Rescue teams were searching the rubble of apartment buildings that were destroyed in Rishon Lezion, a city outside of Tel Aviv. Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said the Iranian leadership had crossed a red line by firing at civilians and will “pay a heavy price”. A missile fired from Yemen, killed five Palestinians including three children in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. In Iran, several explosions were heard

Fire and smoke rise from a building hit by a missile in Tel Aviv on Friday. – AFPPIX

Thailand, Cambodia seek to ease border tensions PHNOM PENH: Thai and Cambodian officials met here yesterday to try to ease tensions amid fears of military clashes after a long-running territorial dispute reignited, leading both countries to mobilise troops. The two neighbours share an 820km land border, parts of which are undemarcated and include ancient temples that both sides have contested for decades. The latest standoff followed a skirmish on May 28 that left a Cambodian soldier dead. “The Thai government hopes to use the platform to resolve the situation peacefully,” Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra posted on her Facebook page on Friday. The row comes at a challenging time for Thailand’s government, which is losing popularity in prolonged struggle to spur economic growth. Paetongtarn’s administration is under pressure to take a tougher stand on Cambodia, accompanied by initially strong rhetoric from the Thai military. Despite both countries pledging dialogue to handle the issue and to calm nationalist fervour, Bangkok has threatened to close the border and cut off electricity supplies to its neighbour. Phnom Penh announced it would stop buying Thai electric power, internet bandwidth and produce. It has also ordered television stations not to screen Thai films.

A resolution this weekend at the Joint Boundary Commission meeting in Phnom Penh is not expected and it was unclear when the outcome would be announced. Cambodia is determined to file a case at the International Court of Justice to determine jurisdiction over four areas, while Thailand insists on a bilateral solution. “Cambodia wants to settle the disputes at the ICJ, something that Thailand won’t accept,” said Dulyapak Preecharush, a Southeast Asian studies expert at Thammasat University in Bangkok. “So there’s not much left to discuss at JBC apart from maintaining an atmosphere for further dialogue.”