77 Indian drones downed so far
At least 29 drones were intercepted since Wednesday until Thursday evening, with an additional 48 shot down overnight and into Friday.
Along the Line of Control (LoC), security sources said, five civilians were martyred and seven others injured in unprovoked Indian shelling on residential areas.
The shelling targeted Hajeera, Forward Kahuta, and Khuiratta areas using heavy artillery, causing civilian casualties and structural damage, they say.
Indian forces are using heavy artillery to target civilian populations along the LoC, according to security sources. The shelling has prompted a strong and immediate response from the Pakistan Army, they added.
According to security sources, Indian troops also raised a white flag near Dharamsal 2 post opposite Battal sector after sustained retaliation by the Pakistan Army.
Army officials emphasised that any aggression along the LoC will be met with a swift and effective response.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
2 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Trump threatens tariff hike on India within 24 hours over Russian oil imports
US President Donald Trump waves as he walks across the South Lawn upon return to the White House in Washington, DC on August 3, 2025 after spending the weekend at his Bedminster US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he was considering "substantially" hiking tariffs on Indian imports in the next 24 hours over the country's purchases of Russian oil. "India has not been a good trading partner, because they do a lot of business with us, but we don't do business with them. So we settled on 25 percent but I think I'm going to raise that very substantially over the next 24 hours, because they're buying Russian oil," he told CNBC in a televised interview. In a social media post, Trump wrote, "India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine." "Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA," he added. A spokesperson for India's foreign ministry said in response that India will "take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security." "The targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable," the spokesperson added. Read More: 'Trump tariff rates unlikely to change' Trump has said that from Friday he will impose new sanctions on Russia as well as on countries that buy its energy exports, unless Moscow takes steps to end its 3-1/2 year war with Ukraine, opens new tab. Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown no public sign of altering his stance despite the deadline. Over the weekend, two Indian government sources told Reuters that India will keep purchasing oil from Russia despite Trump's threats. India has faced pressure from the West to distance itself from Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. New Delhi has resisted, citing its longstanding ties with Russia and economic needs, opens new tab. Trump had already in July announced 25% tariffs on Indian imports, and U.S. officials have cited a range of geopolitical issues standing in the way of a U.S.-India trade accord. Trump has also cast the wider BRICS group of developing nations as hostile to the United States. Those nations have dismissed his accusation, saying the group promotes the interests of its members and of developing countries at large. Crude buyer India is the biggest buyer of seaborne crude from Russia, importing about 1.75 million barrels per day of Russian oil from January to June this year, up 1% from a year ago, according to data provided to Reuters by trade sources. India began importing oil from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, the Indian spokesperson said, calling it a "necessity compelled by global market situation." The spokesperson also noted the West's, particularly the European Union's, bilateral trade with Russia: "It is revealing that the very nations criticizing India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia." Also Read: India's double game with US Despite the Indian government's defiance, the country's main refiners paused buying Russian oil last week, sources told Reuters. Discounts to other suppliers narrowed after Trump threatened hefty tariffs on countries that make any such purchases. Indian government officials denied any policy change. The country's largest refiner, Indian Oil Corp, has bought 7 million barrels of crude from the United States, Canada and the Middle East, four trade sources told Reuters on Monday. India also has been frustrated by Trump repeatedly taking credit for an India-Pakistan ceasefire that he announced on social media in May, which halted days of hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbors. The unpredictability of the Trump administration creates a challenge for Delhi, said Richard Rossow, head of the India program at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies. "India's continued energy and defense purchases from Russia presents a larger challenge, where India does not feel it can predict how the Trump administration will approach Russia from month to month," he said.
Business Recorder
3 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Israel considers full Gaza takeover as more die of hunger
TEL AVIV/CAIRO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu favours a complete military takeover of Gaza for the first time in two decades, media reported, and was to meet senior security officials on Tuesday to finalise a new strategy in the 22-month war. Mediation between Israel and Hamas has collapsed despite intense international pressure for a ceasefire to ease hunger and appalling conditions in the besieged Palestinian enclave. Eight more people died of starvation or malnutrition in the past 24 hours, Gaza's health ministry said, while another 79 died in the latest Israeli fire. Netanyahu was to meet Defence Minister Israel Katz and military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir to decide on a strategy to take to cabinet later this week, an Israeli official told Reuters. Strategic Affairs Minister Rob Dermer, a confidant of Netanyahu, would also be present. Israel's Channel 12, citing an official from Netanyahu's office, said the prime minister was leaning towards taking control of the entire territory. That would reverse a 2005 decision to pull settlers and military out of Gaza while retaining control over its borders, a move right-wing parties blame for Hamas gaining power there. US envoy tells Israeli hostage families he is working on plan to end Gaza War It was unclear, however, whether Netanyahu was foreseeing a prolonged occupation or a short-term operation aimed at dismantling Hamas and freeing Israeli hostages. The prime minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Channel 12 report. A Palestinian official said it may be a tactic to pressure Hamas into concessions, while the Palestinian Foreign Ministry urged foreign nations to take heed of the reports. 'The ministry urges countries and the international community to treat these leaks with utmost seriousness and to intervene urgently to prevent their implementation, whether these leaks are meant to exert pressure, test international reactions, or are genuine and serious,' it said. Strained military Israel's coalition government, the most right-wing and religiously conservative in its history, includes far-right politicians who advocate for the annexation of both Gaza and the West Bank and encourage Palestinians to leave their homeland. Hamas says it will allow aid for hostages if Israel halts airstrikes, opens permanent humanitarian corridors Nearly two years of fighting in Gaza has strained the military, which has a small standing army and has had to repeatedly mobilise reservists. It has throughout the war pushed back against the idea of Israel fully occupying Gaza and establishing military rule. In a sign of differences between some members of Israel's ruling coalition and the military, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on X challenged military head Zamir to state he would comply with government directives even if a decision was made to take all of Gaza. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar then said the military chief must give his professional opinion, while Defence Minister Katz weighed in to say the military would professionally implement whatever policy the government set. 'Defeating Hamas in Gaza, while creating the conditions for the return of the hostages, are the central goals of the war in Gaza, and we must take all necessary actions to achieve them,' Katz said. Israel's military response has devastated the tiny, crowded enclave, killing more than 61,000 people - mostly civilians - according to Palestinian health authorities. UK rejects criticism that move to recognise Palestinian state rewards Hamas Hunger Israel's campaign has forced nearly all of Gaza's over 2 million people from their homes and caused what a global hunger monitor called last week an unfolding famine. Some 188 Palestinians, including 94 children, have died from hunger since the war began, according to Gaza authorities. An Israeli security official, in a briefing to reporters, acknowledged there may be hunger in some parts of Gaza but rejected reports of famine or starvation. International anger at the suffering in Gaza has prompted several countries to recognise or announce their intention to recognise Palestine as an independent state. On Tuesday, Israeli tanks pushed into central Gaza but it was not clear if the move was part of a larger ground offensive. Palestinians living in the last quarter of territory where Israel has not yet taken military control - via ground incursions or orders for civilians to leave - said any new push would be catastrophic. 'If the tanks pushed through, where would we go, into the sea? This will be like a death sentence to the entire population,' said Abu Jehad, a Gaza wood merchant. The failed mediation in Doha had aimed to clinch agreements on a U.S.-backed proposal for a 60-day truce, during which aid would be flown into Gaza and half of the hostages Hamas is holding would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
Business Recorder
4 hours ago
- Business Recorder
India's tax department investigating Jane Street over possible tax treaty misuse, sources say
NEW DELHI: India's tax authorities are investigating whether Jane Street violated tax laws by booking profits via its Singapore entities on its derivative trades in the Indian market, three sources briefed on the matter said. Searches at the U.S. trading firm's India offices by the income tax department have been underway since last week, sources have said. A government source who was briefed on the matter later said that Jane Street staff were not cooperating. The tax authorities' enquiries follow a temporary ban by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the market regulator, which publicly alleged that the firm manipulated stock indexes through its derivatives positions. Jane Street has denied the SEBI allegations, but has not made any public comments so far on the tax investigation. The firm did not respond to a Reuters request sent to its U.S. headquarters for comment on Monday on the latest developments. India's income tax department did not respond to Reuters request for comment. Tax authorities are investigating whether Jane Street violated the General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR) by using the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) between India and Singapore to evade taxes on large profits it made on Indian derivative trades, all three sources said. The sources declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak to the media. Jane Street not co-operating in ongoing probe, says India government source The DTAA is designed to prevent residents from being taxed twice, while the GAAR gives a country the power to deny a particular tax benefit if it is being used solely for tax avoidance. The Indian tax authorities are looking into whether Jane Street booked larger profits on its derivatives positions in the Indian market via its Singapore entities as a way to reduce the tax burden, all three sources briefed on the matter added. SEBI's July 4 ban order showed that Jane Street made more than $4 billion trading in India from January 2023 to May 2025. Jane Street's two India entities - JSI Investments and JSI2 Investments - made a profit of 39.35 billion Indian rupees ($448.23 million), Jane Street Singapore made a profit of 256 billion rupees ($2.92 billion) and its Hong Kong entity, Jane Street Asia Trading, made a profit of 69.30 billion Indian rupees ($789.39 million), the order showed. If the tax department's probe shows the tax rules have been breached, Jane Street could be issued with a tax demand, the third source said. Tax authorities are trying to access Jane Street's accounts, which are maintained overseas, they added. The second source said SEBI had provided the tax department with the profit and loss details of four Jane Street group entities the regulator had named in its orders. SEBI did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.
