An Indian state on Wednesday passed a common civil code to replace religious laws, with supporters saying it protected women’s rights but critics fearing it heralds a countrywide rollout by the Hindu nationalist ruling party. The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) law, passed in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, has reignited a polarising debate weeks before expected national elections. Supporters say …

MANILA: A landslide triggered by heavy rains in a southern Philippine province buried 38 people and two buses, disaster officials said on Wednesday. The landslide happened on Tuesday night outside a gold mining site in the town of Maco in the province of Davao de Oro where the buses were picking up employees, mining operator Apex Mining said in a …

DAKAR: Mali has reaffirmed its exit “without delay” from the West African bloc, ECOWAS, saying it was not bound by the organisation’s one-year timeframe for withdrawal, according to a foreign ministry document seen by AFP on Wednesday. Bamako’s military government announced its withdrawal from ECOWAS on Jan 28, along with neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger. But article 91 of the bloc’s treaty …

WASHINGTON: Rep­u­blicans in the US Senate on Wednesday defeated a bipartisan effort to bolster border security that had taken months to negotiate, but said they could still approve aid for Israel and Ukraine that had been tied up in the deal. By a vote of 49-50, the Senate failed to approve a $118 billion bipartisan package that would tigh­ten immigration …

KYIV: Ukraine urged the West on Wednesday to speed up and increase deliveries of artillery shells after a “massive” new Russian missile attack on Kyiv and other regions killed at least five people and wounded more than 40. Securing the shells has been a priority for Kyiv, which is burning through its reserves as Russia throws more manpower and resources …

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has told the United States it will not open diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognised on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, its foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Riyadh reiterated its call for permanent members of the UN Security Council that have not recognised a Palestinian state on the 1967 …

NEW DELHI: Ministers and lawmakers from India’s southern states protested in the capital New Delhi on Wednesday against what they said was discrimination in federal funds distribution by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The protest, led by the chief minister of Karnataka state, brings to the fore long-running differences between the more developed southern states and their poorer northern counterparts. …

JERUSALEM: While US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to discuss a counter proposal by Hamas for a ceasefire, the Israeli premier rejected the “bizarre demands” and ordered troops to “prepare to operate” in Rafah. However, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of “untold regional consequences” if the Israeli armed forces press on into the …

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan and other prominent incarcerated political figures have cast their votes through a postal ballot from Adiala Jail, sources said on Wednesday. Other political leaders who have managed to vote by mail included former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid, and former information …

QUETTA: On the eve of elections, violence engulfed Pakistan’s largest province Balochistan as two powerful bomb blasts outside the offices of election candidates in Pishin and Qilla Saifullah — a district bordering Afghanistan — claimed 28 lives and injured over 50 people within a span of two hours. These two explosions were in addition to at least half a dozen …