International
Saudi Arabia issues air raid alert in Riyadh, explosions heard: AFP
Explosions were heard in Riyadh on Saturday, an AFP journalists reported, after an air raid alert was issued by Saudi Arabian authorities, regularly targeted in recent days by pro-Iranian Houthis in Yemen.
Death toll from attack at police HQ in Pakistan rises to 31
The death toll from an explosion and gun attack at a police headquarters in northern Pakistan rose to at least 31, including 16 police personnel, a senior police official told AFP on Saturday.
Trump signs Lindsey Graham Act extending Iran sanctions to 2031
US President Donald Trump has signed into law legislation extending existing US sanctions on Iran to 2031 and expanding sanctions, tariffs and other restrictions on Russia.
Swedish PM Kristersson resigns after election loss
Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has resigned after his ruling right-wing bloc was narrowly defeated by the centre-left opposition in the country's general election.
Pakistan announces austerity drive: foreign travel ban and 1-dish wedding rule
Pakistan announced a fresh set of austerity measures on Thursday as rising global fuel prices and growing energy supply concerns put pressure on the government. The measures include a 50% cut in fuel allocations for government vehicles, a ban on foreign visits and a freeze on the purchase of new government vehicles.
New Delhi’s message to Dhaka on review of 101 agreements, ‘will take necessary measures to protect interests’
India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal has reacted to the initiative of reviewing 101 agreements and memorandums of understanding signed with Bangladesh. He said the Bangladesh government has not yet formally informed anything on this matter. However, if any initiative is taken to reconsider or change the agreements, necessary measures will be taken to protect India’s interests.
Deaths rise to 27 in mosque bomb attack in Pakistan
Ittihad-ul-Mujahideen, known as a faction of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, has claimed responsibility for the attack while the death toll from the bomb blast at a mosque and subsequent gunfire in Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has risen to 27. The deceased include six attackers, 15 police personnel and six civilians, it has been learnt. At least 75 people have been injured in the incident.
Teenager raped, murdered in Delhi, body left in field partially eaten by dogs
Four people have been accused of gang-raping and then stabbing to death a 17-year-old teenager in Delhi of India. Three of the accused are minors. After the murder the teenager’s body was dumped in an open field. Police informed that when the body was recovered from there after a few days some parts of it had been eaten by dogs.
Mamata Banerjee loses both party name and symbol
Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has lost both her party's name and symbol. On Friday, September 18, a day after India's Election Commission suspended the name of the All India Trinamool Congress and its traditional 'flower and grass' symbol, the commission allotted separate interim names and election symbols to the party's two rival factions. As a result, the political identity associated with Trinamool Congress for nearly three decades has been temporarily dropped from the ballot for West Bengal's October 6 by-election.
At least 16 killed in Pakistan mosque bombing, death toll feared to rise
At least 16 people have been killed in a bomb attack on a mosque in Kohat district of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Among the dead are 11 civilians and five police personnel. At least 50 others were injured in the incident. As the condition of several of the injured is critical, the death toll is feared to rise further.