ISLAMABAD -- Pakistani Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has launched a 16-day campaign against gender-based violence in marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Friday.

A gender unit has been established in the ministry amid the socio-economic empowerment of women, the ministry said in a statement, adding that it is an annual international campaign that begins on Nov. 25 and runs until Human Rights Day on Dec. 10. (Pakistan-Gender-Campaign)

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COLOMBO -- Sri Lanka's Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera on Saturday told journalists that he will take all possible measures to ensure uninterrupted power supply by January next year.

Sri Lanka has been experiencing daily power cuts since February 2022 and at one point the power cuts spanned for 13 hours, which are now down to around two hours a day. (Sri Lanka-Power Cut)

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HONG KONG -- The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Saturday strongly disapproved of and firmly rejected the irresponsible comments of a few Western politicians on a case-handling by HKSAR courts.

The politicians, including a minister of state in Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, discredited the human rights situation in Hong Kong, attempted to interfere with the judiciary of the HKSAR and grossly interfered in China's internal affairs, said a spokesperson for the office. (Hong Kong-Commissioner's Office-Western Politicians)

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NEW DELHI -- The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on Saturday launched earth observation satellite EOS-06 and eight nano-satellites into their intended Sun-synchronous polar orbits onboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C54) rocket, officials said.

The PSLV-C54/EOS-06 mission was launched at the Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) in Sriharikota, off the Bay of Bengal coast located in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh at 11:56 a.m. local time. (India-Satellite Launch)