Indian Sub-continent

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban have launched a new attack on one of Afghanistan’s largest cities, Kunduz, the government said Saturday, even as the insurgent group continued negotiations with the United States on ending America’s longest war.

The militants, who have demanded that all foreign forces leave the country, now control or hold sway over roughly half of the country and are at their strongest since their 2001 defeat by a U.S.-led invasion.

According to a senior local government official who spoke to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity, at least 5 Kashmiri children, under the age of 18, are part of 3,000 people that have been detained in Indian Administered Kashmir since Aug  5.

“There is an atmosphere of fear in every house,” said Farhan’s mother, Nazia, adding that she did not know why her son was detained. “If they can pick up children, they can do anything.

ISLAMABAD, Aug 30 (APP): Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday categorically announced that any false flag operation by India in Azad Jammu and Kashmir would be dealt with a stronger blow as Pakistan Army was fully ready to thwart any aggression.

ISLAMABAD, Aug 30 (APP): Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday said innocent Kashmiris
were facing unprecedented abuse under illegal Indian occupation and called upon the world to hold India accountable for gruesome torture on civilians.

The foreign minister in a tweet said protection from torture was a ‘jus cogens’ (compelling law) international norm, prohibited in absolute terms by Convention Against Torture, Common Article 3 of Geneva Conventions and customary international humanitarian law.

New Delhi, Aug 30 (PTI) India's economic growth dropped to a seven-year low of 5 per cent in the April-June quarter of 2019-20 due to a sharp deceleration in the manufacturing sector and sluggish agriculture output, according to official data released on Friday.

The previous low was recorded at 4.9 per cent in April-June 2012-13. The economic growth was 8 per cent in the same quarter of 2018-19.

New Delhi, Aug 30 (PTI) In a major development, the government on Friday announced merger of Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank with Punjab National Bank.

Also, Syndicate Bank will be merged with Canara Bank, while Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank will merged with Union Bank of India.

New Delhi, Aug 30 (PTI) BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Friday objected to the lawyer for Congress leader Sonia Gandhi for asking questions in Hindi while being cross-examination in National Herald case, saying he was a Tamil'.

The exchange of words took place between Swamy and senior advocate R S Cheema, appearing for Gandhi, before the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal, who was recording the cross examination of the BJP leader who is the complainant in the case.

Islamabad, Aug 30 (PTI) Pakistan observed the "Kashmir Hour" on Friday to express "solidarity" with the Kashmiri people as many rallies were held across the country, weeks after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

The nationwide, half an hour protest began as the clock struck noon. It was followed by the blaring of sirens across Pakistan, with traffic grinding to a halt for few minutes in many Pakistani cities.

New Delhi, Aug 30 (PTI) Prime Minster Narendra Modi on Friday said that the government has set a target of setting up 12,500 Ayush centres across India, 4000 of which will be set up this year.

Speaking at Yoga Awards ceremony here, he also stressed for the need to create a homogenous system by creating an "Ayush grid" on the lines of one nation, one tax and one nation, one mobility card.

He said this will remove silos in the area of Ayush.

Srinagar, Aug 29 (PTI) Armed with a Supreme Court order, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Thursday met his ailing party colleague Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami who has been under house arrest since August 5.

Yechury arrived here in the afternoon and was escorted by police to meet Tarigami at his Gupkar Road residence in Srinagar's Civil Lines area.

Officials said the CPI(M) leader spent nearly three hours with Tarigami.