
Pakistan military kills 50 militants along Afghanistan border
The militants were killed in an operation started on Thursday, it said in a statement, in Balochistan, where both Islamist militants and separatist insurgents demanding a bigger share of the province's mineral wealth operate.
Reuters could not independently verify the toll.
Independent analysts and militant groups say Pakistan's army routinely exaggerates the death tolls of militants, a charge the military rejects.

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Hindustan Times
12 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Trump to host Zelensky, European leaders ahead of summit with Putin
Europe and Ukraine's leaders will speak to U.S. President Donald Trump at a virtual meeting on Wednesday ahead of his summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin, as they try to drive home the perils of selling out Kyiv's interests in pursuit of a ceasefire. Ukraine hopes the meeting will serve - at least partially - as a European counterweight to the summit in Alaska.(AFP File Photo) Trump hosts Putin, a pariah in the West since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, at talks in Alaska on Friday that the U.S. president has said will serve as a "feel-out" meeting in his efforts to end the Russo-Ukraine war. Trump agreed last week to the first U.S.-Russia summit since 2021, abruptly shifting course after weeks of voicing frustration with Putin for resisting the U.S. peace initiative. Trump said his envoy had made "great progress" at talks in Moscow. The U.S. president says both Kyiv and Moscow will have to cede land to end the war. Russian troops have already occupied almost a fifth of Ukraine. The unpredictability of how the summit will play out has fuelled European fears that the U.S. and Russian leaders could take far-reaching decisions and even seek to coerce Ukraine into an unfavourable deal. "We are focusing now to ensure that it does not happen - engaging with U.S. partners and staying coordinated and united on the European side. Still a lot of time until Friday," said one senior official from eastern Europe. Trump's administration tempered expectations on Tuesday for major progress toward a ceasefire, calling his meeting with Putin in Alaska a "listening exercise." The video conference among Trump, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the leaders of Germany, Finland, France, Britain, Italy, Poland and the European Union is expected to take place at 1300 GMT (1500 CET), a German government spokesperson said. NATO's secretary general will also attend the conference hosted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Ukraine hopes the meeting will serve - at least partially - as a European counterweight to the summit in Alaska. European leaders, who are wary of provoking Trump's ire, have repeatedly emphasised that they welcome his peace efforts, while underlining that there should be no deal about Ukraine without Ukraine's participation. Half a dozen senior European officials told Reuters that they see a risk of a deal being struck that is unfavourable for Europe and Ukraine's security. They said European unity would be vital if that happened. A source familiar with internal U.S. deliberations said it could not be ruled out that Trump would seek a deal directly with Putin without involving Ukraine or Europe. But the source voiced doubt about that, saying it could cause problems with Kyiv and the EU. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday the summit will be a "listening exercise" for Trump to hear what it will take to get to a deal. After the call, Trump and Vice President JD Vance were expected to speak to European leaders at a separate online meeting at 1300 GMT (1500 CET), the German spokesperson said. That will be followed at 1430 GMT by an online meeting of the "coalition of the willing", a group of countries working on plans to support Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. Mounting battlefield pressure A Gallup poll released last week found that 69% of Ukrainians favour a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible. But polls also show Ukrainians do not want peace at any cost if that means crushing concessions. Ahead of the calls, Zelenskiy said it would be impossible for Kyiv to agree to a deal that would require it to withdraw its troops from the eastern Donbas region, a large swathe of which is already occupied by Russia. That, he told reporters on Tuesday, would deprive Ukraine of a vast defensive network in the region, easing the way for Russia to mount a new push deeper into Ukraine in the future. Territorial issues, he added, could only be discussed once a ceasefire has been put in place and Ukraine has received security guarantees. Moscow's troops have recently ramped up pressure on the battlefield, tightening their stranglehold on the cities of Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine.

Hindustan Times
12 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
New Zealand mulls Palestinian recognition as PM Luxon says Netanyahu has 'lost the plot'
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has said his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu has "lost the plot" as the war in Gaza rages on. The New Zealand leader's statement on Wednesday comes as more allies, including its neighbour Australia, have moved to recognise statehood for Palestine. Condemning the ongoing humanitarian suffering in Gaza as "utterly, utterly appalling," Luxon further claimed that Israel has "gone way too far."(REUTERS) Speaking to reporters, Luxon said Netanyahu was no longer listening to the international community. Condemning the ongoing humanitarian suffering in Gaza as "utterly, utterly appalling," Luxon further said that Israel has 'gone way too far'. This is PM Luxon's strongest condemnation yet against Netanyahu and Israel's ongoing war on Gaza. 'I think Netanyahu has gone way too far, I think he has lost the plot and I think what we are seeing overnight, with the attack on Gaza City is utterly, utterly unacceptable," Luxon said. Also Read | Netanyahu 'in denial' about human suffering in Gaza, says Australia PM Albanese New Zealand's close ally Australia announced earlier this week that it will recognise the state of Palestine during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September. With this, Australia joins France, the UK and Canada to recognise statehood for Palestine. New Zealand weighs its options: 'Have supported two-state solution' In a statement issued by foreign minister Winston Peters, the government said it will 'carefully weigh up its position'. 'New Zealand, as a long-standing supporter of the two-state solution and Palestinian self-determination, is an active participant in discussions about how to broker a ceasefire and a political settlement to enable Israelis and Palestinians to live peacefully side-by-side. While we are a long way away from the Middle East, we will continue to ensure our voice is heard," said Peters. The foreign minister has further added that the cabinet will make a formal decision in September. 'It is only right that this complicated issue be approached calmly, cautiously and judiciously. Over the next month, we look forward to canvassing this broad range of views before taking a proposal to Cabinet," Peters added further. Opposition MP ejected after calls for sanctions on Israel Meanwhile, opposition leader and co-leader of the left-leaning Green Party, Chloe Swarbrick, was asked to leave the NZ parliament on Wednesday as he made strong statements against Israel's actions. During a heated debate, Swarbrick called on government lawmakers to endorse her proposal to impose sanctions on Israel for its alleged war crimes in Gaza. 'If we find six of 68 government MPs with a spine, we can stand on the right side of history,' said Swarbrick. Her remarks were deemed as "completely unacceptable" by the speaker, Gerry Brownlee, who then asked her to leave the parliament for the rest of the week, which Swarbrick said she would do 'happily'.


Hindustan Times
12 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
How Donald Trump's 50% US tariff bomb is pushing India closer to China
US President Donald Trump's threat of a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods is pushing Prime Minister Narendra Modi closer to BRICS nations, including China. This marks a significant shift in bilateral ties between India and China that saw their lowest point in 2020 following the Galwan Valley clash. Chinese President Xi Jinping and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PM Narendra Modi's latest move is to resume direct flights with China as soon as next month, people familiar with the negotiations, who asked for anonymity to discuss private matters, told news agency Bloomberg. The deal could be formally announced when Modi is expected to head to China for the first time in seven years and meet President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation held in Tianjin from August 31, the report added. India had suspended direct flights during the Covid-19 pandemic, which coincided with the Galwan Valley clash in east Ladakh that killed 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese troops. Henry Wang, president of the Center for China and Globalization think tank in Beijing, told the news agency that ties between India and China are in an 'up cycle", and as leaders of the Global South, 'they have to really speak to each other". 'Trump's tariff war on India has made India realise that they have to maintain some kind of strategic autonomy and strategic independence,' he added. Washington DC has long courted New Delhi as a counterbalance to Beijing in geopolitics but with Donld Trump's trade wars, China and India are finding common ground. Xu Feihong, China's ambassador to India, has offered Modi moral support over the tariffs. 'Give the bully an inch, he will take a mile,' Xu last week wrote on X over a quote from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi denouncing the use of tariffs 'as a weapon to suppress other countries.' --With assistance from Dan Strumpf, Sudhi Ranjan Sen, Mihir Mishra, Anthony Palazzo and Colum Murphy. Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton has warned that Donald Trump's tariff measures against India, intended to hurt Russia, could end up having the opposite effect by pushing New Delhi closer to Moscow and Beijing. "Trump's tariffs against India are intended to hurt Russia but they could push India closer to Russia and to China to oppose these tariffs," John Bolton told CNN in an interview. The former NSA further cautioned, 'Trump's leniency on the Chinese, and heavy-handed tariffs on India, jeopardise decades of American efforts to bring India away from Russia and China.' Trump's 50% tariff on India Modi's economic calculus was fundamentally altered this month when Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent as a penalty for its purchases of Russian oil. Donald Trump's remarks that India's economy was 'dead' and its tariff barriers 'obnoxious' further strained relations. China shows thaw signs China, also a prime target in Trump's trade wars, has shown signs it's ready for a thaw. This month, it eased curbs on urea shipments to India — the world's largest importer of the fertilizer. Although initial volumes are small, the trade could expand, easing global shortages and prices. China relaxed the ban in June but had maintained restrictions on India until now. Adani Group's investments The Adani Group is reportedly in talks with Chinese electric vehicle major BYD Co. for a potential partnership that could enable billionaire Gautam Adani's conglomerate to produce batteries in India, further expanding its clean energy footprint. (With inputs from agencies)