International

SRINAGAR: Indian forces have killed 62 fighters, including 15 foreigners, in occupied Kashmir this year, a police official said on Sunday. Vijay Kumar, the occupied state’s police chief, said some of the fighters killed this year had links with Lashkar-e-Taiba. A hallmark of the group is to conduct “fedayeen” attacks where men are willing to fight to the death, but …

WASHINGTON: The fasting ended in the US on Sunday night, marking the first post-Covid Ramazan when America’s Muslim community resumed its social engagements. The Khatm-i-Quran ceremony at Adam’s Islamic Centre, Virginia’s largest, brought 1,000 to 1,500 worshippers and guests. And the centre provided iftar and dinner to all. The Diyanet Center in Lanham, Maryland, has America’s largest mosque and perhaps …

KANDAHAR: Afghanistan’s supreme leader appeared publicly for only the second time in six years on Sunday, telling worshippers celebrating Eidul Fitr that the Taliban had achieved freedom and security since seizing power last year. Speaking just two days after a bomb ripped through a mosque in Kabul, an atmosphere of heightened security surrounded the man introduced as Hibatullah Akhundzada, the …

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi headed to Europe on Monday with New Delhi’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine set to be a key talking point in meetings with regional leaders. India, which imports much of its military hardware from Russia, has long walked a diplomatic tightrope between the West and Moscow, and has called only for an immediate …

A team of economic experts from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will arrive in Pakistan for an “emergency visit” to implement decisions taken by the leadership of both countries, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Monday. The announcement comes a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to the UAE since assuming office, following a three-day visit to Saudi …

KABUL: Millions of people across 11 provinces in Afghanistan faced blackouts on Saturday after two power transmission towers were blown up just west of the capital, authorities said. Two pylons in the province of Parwan were bombed late on Friday, cutting off electricity to the capital and neighbouring provinces. “The enemies… have blown up two electricity pylons with bombs,” Hekmatullah …

ISTANBUL: Turkey’s air force has pulled out of a military exercise scheduled to be held in Greece next month, security sources said on Saturday alleging that preparatory documents singled out Ankara. The military exercise dubbed “Tiger Meet” is intended to promote solidarity between the participating states’ fleets and is held annually. This year, it will take place in Athens between …

MOSUL: Dozens of faithful celebrated mass on Saturday at a Mosul church in northern Iraq for the first time since it was restored after its ransacking by the militant Islamic State group. IS swept into Mosul and proclaimed it their “capital” in 2014, in an onslaught that forced hundreds of thousands of Christians in the northern Nineveh province to flee, …

THE HAGUE: Dutch dock workers on Saturday refused to unload a tanker with a consignment of Russian diesel in Amsterdam, a day after a similar action kept the ship from entering Europe’s largest port. The Sunny Liger, a 42,000-tonne tanker was currently lying at anchor off Amsterdam, while port companies were mulling her entry into the Dutch capital, a day …

LONDON: A lawmaker from Britain’s ruling Conservative party announced on Saturday he will resign, after admitting he had deliberately watched pornography on his mobile phone in the House of Commons chamber. Neil Parish, who represents a seat in southwest England, said he was standing down and triggering a by-election in the Tory stronghold after what he called an indefensible moment …