Dozens wounded in suicide attack outside Kabul police station - Aljazeera.com

At least 95 people have been wounded in a large explosion outside a police station in Kabul, officials said.

The blast occurred about 9am (04:30 GMT) in western Kabul, interior ministry spokesperson Nasrat Rahimi said before adding that the bomb went off when a vehicle was stopped at a checkpoint outside the station.

Health ministry spokesperson Wahidullah Mayar said at least 95 people, mostly civilians and including women and children, were taken to hospital. There was no immediate confirmation of any deaths in the attack.

The explosion sent a massive plume of smoke over the Afghanistan capital.

"I heard a big bang and all the windows broke with glass flying everywhere," shopkeeper Ahmad Saleh told the AFP news agency.

"My head is spinning and I still don't know what has happened but the windows of about 20 shops around one kilometre from the blast site are broken," he added.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to videos on social media and witnesses, small arms fire could be heard following the blast. 

The attack came a day after the Taliban called for the boycott of a presidential election scheduled to take place on September 28 and threatened to attack election rallies.

The Taliban, who have been staging near-daily attacks across the country, usually target Afghan forces and government officials or those seen as loyal to the government.

On Tuesday, a bomb targeting a van carrying employees of the Interior Ministry's counter-narcotics division killed five people and wounded seven in Kabul.

Separately, security forces stormed two Islamic State hideouts in Kabul overnight on Tuesday, killing two of the group's fighters and seizing a large quantity of explosives, according to the National Directorate of Security. 

Three members of the security forces were also killed, an agency spokesman was quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency. 

The US and the Taliban met in Doha this week for an eighth round of talks aimed at striking a peace deal that would slash the American military presence in Afghanistan.

Despite negotiations, the fighting has not subsided, as the civilian casualty rates across Afghanistan jumped back to record levels last month, according to the United Nations. 

According to the United Nations, more than 1,500 civilians were killed or wounded in the Afghan conflict in July alone, the highest monthly casualties so far this year and the worst single month since May 2017.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

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2019-08-07 10:01:00Z
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Pakistan Warns India's Move To End Kashmir's Special Status Could Lead To War - NPR

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Supporters of the Pakistani religious party Jamaat-e-Islami demonstrate to protest India's policy on Kashmir, in Lahore, Pakistan, on Tuesday. K.M. Chaudary/AP hide caption

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K.M. Chaudary/AP

Pakistan's prime minister warned that a move by India to strip Kashmir of its special status could lead to war between the two countries and the ethnic cleansing of Muslims in the restive Himalayan region.

Imran Khan accused India's Hindu-nationalist government of promoting a "racist ideology."

Referring to India's cross-border airstrike in February on the village of Pulwama in the Pakistan-controlled portion of Kashmir, Khan said such provocations would be more frequent, possibly leading to war, after New Delhi's decision affecting Indian-administered Kashmir.

"This will be a war that no one will win and the implications will be global," Khan said, addressing a joint session of Pakistan's parliament.

He predicted India will intensify a crackdown on Kashmiris, adding, "I fear they may initiate ethnic cleansing in Kashmir to wipe out the local population."

Kashmir remained on lockdown following a decree from India's president on Monday rescinding the region's special status. On Tuesday, India's parliament passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Bill formalizing the change, which is likely to be challenged in court on constitutional grounds.

The disputed Muslim-majority territory of Kashmir is split between India and Pakistan. They have fought two major wars over the region, which is a source of constant tension between the rival neighbors.

Indian-administered Kashmir, which also has sizeable Hindu and Buddhist minorities, enjoyed a semi-autonomous status since it acceded to India in 1947. But discontent there has fueled a protracted separatist movement that has claimed some 45,000 lives since the late 1980s.

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Security personnel stand guard at a roadblock in the city of Jammu on Tuesday. Rakesh Bakshi/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Rakesh Bakshi/AFP/Getty Images

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party won an overwhelming victory in elections this spring, vowed in the campaign to revoke the constitutional clause dealing with Kashmir, known as Article 370.

Meanwhile, in Kashmir, where Internet and phone service was cut off ahead of Monday's decree, some 400 local politicians have been placed under arrest by Indian security forces, according to India Today.

The magazine reports that hotels, guest houses, government and private buildings have been turned into makeshift jails to house the detainees, which include separatist leaders and even politicians seen as working for an accommodation with India.

Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh was quoted by the Press Trust of India as saying Kashmir's summer capital, Srinagar, was "totally peaceful."

Although the communications blackout made it difficult to know the situation in Kashmir, there were reports of sporadic protests. There have also been numerous protests across Pakistan, proclaiming solidarity with India's Muslim Kashmiris.

A spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Civil Rights, Rupert Colville, on Tuesday expressed deep concern over the situation in Kashmir. "We are seeing, again, blanket telecommunications restrictions, perhaps more blanket than we have ever seen before, the reported arbitrary detention of political leaders and restrictions on peaceful assembly," he told reporters in Geneva.

Long-simmering tensions between India and Pakistan erupted again in February when a Pakistan-based separatist group, Jaish-e-Mohammed, claimed responsibility for a massive car-bomb attack that killed at least 40 Indian security forces troops and wounded half as many in Srinagar.

Islamabad denied any responsibility for the attack, which was followed by India's airstrike on Pulwama.

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2019-08-07 08:27:00Z
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Dozens wounded in suicide attack outside Kabul police station - Aljazeera.com

At least 95 people have been wounded in a large explosion outside a police station in Kabul, officials said.

The blast occurred about 9am (04:30 GMT) in western Kabul, interior ministry spokesperson Nasrat Rahimi said before adding that the bomb went off when a vehicle was stopped at a checkpoint outside the station.

Health ministry spokesperson Wahidullah Mayar said at least 95 people, mostly civilians and including women and children, were taken to hospital. There was no immediate confirmation of any deaths in the attack.

The explosion sent a massive plume of smoke over the Afghanistan capital.

"I heard a big bang and all the windows broke with glass flying everywhere," shopkeeper Ahmad Saleh told the AFP news agency.

"My head is spinning and I still don't know what has happened but the windows of about 20 shops around one kilometre from the blast site are broken," he added.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to videos on social media and witnesses, small arms fire could be heard following the blast. 

The attack came a day after the Taliban called for the boycott of a presidential election scheduled to take place on September 28 and threatened to attack election rallies.

The Taliban, who have been staging near-daily attacks across the country, usually target Afghan forces and government officials or those seen as loyal to the government.

On Tuesday, a bomb targeting a van carrying employees of the Interior Ministry's counter-narcotics division killed five people and wounded seven in Kabul.

Separately, security forces stormed two Islamic State hideouts in Kabul overnight on Tuesday, killing two of the group's fighters and seizing a large quantity of explosives, according to the National Directorate of Security. 

Three members of the security forces were also killed, an agency spokesman was quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency. 

The US and the Taliban met in Doha this week for an eighth round of talks aimed at striking a peace deal that would slash the American military presence in Afghanistan.

Despite negotiations, the fighting has not subsided, as the civilian casualty rates across Afghanistan jumped back to record levels last month, according to the United Nations. 

According to the United Nations, more than 1,500 civilians were killed or wounded in the Afghan conflict in July alone, the highest monthly casualties so far this year and the worst single month since May 2017.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

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2019-08-07 07:53:00Z
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Pakistan will 'go to any extent' to fight India's plan for Kashmir - CNN

The Indian territory remains in lockdown amid a communications blackout, with landline connections, internet and mobile coverage all suspended. Tens of thousands of additional Indian troops have also been deployed into the already heavily militarized region to head off unrest, following Tuesday's parliamentary vote in Delhi to change the status of Jammu and Kashmir from a state to a union territory, thereby removing its autonomy and placing it under the direct control of Delhi.

The controversial vote was met with outcry from Pakistan, which also claims Kashmir and described the move as illegal.

"Pakistan never recognized the sham Indian efforts to legalize its occupation of Jammu and Kashmir through Article 370 or 35-A decades ago, efforts which have now been revoked by India itself," said Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday, referring to the Indian constitutional provision that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

The scrapping of Article 370 will also allow non-residents to purchase property in the valley, and apply for jobs or scholarships that had previously been reserved for the state's residents -- a move experts fear could lead to a demographic change in Hindu-dominated India's only Muslim-majority state.

The remote mountainous region of Ladakh, currently part of Jammu and Kashmir, will also be separated and turned into a standalone union territory, the government said.

"Pakistan Army firmly stands by the Kashmiris in their just struggle to the very end. We are prepared and shall go to any extent to fulfill our obligations in this regard," Bajwa said.

Relations between the nuclear powers of India and Pakistan have been strained since February, when Pakistan reportedly shot down two Indian fighter jets over Kashmir and captured one of the pilots. India said it had retaliated by shooting down a Pakistani jet, which fell on the Pakistan side of the border.

Pakistan released the captive pilot in March and the situation calmed -- but India's Kashmir vote has inflamed tensions again.

On Tuesday Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan also condemned India's decision, accusing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party of believing "that Muslims should be ethnically cleansed in India."

"If the world does not act now, if the so-called developed world does not uphold its own laws, then things will go to a place that will damage the whole world," said Khan, who added he would lobby the United Nations Security Council about the issue.

Earlier on Monday, Pakistan's Foreign Secretary had summoned India's High Commissioner to convey "a strong demarche" on the Kashmir vote, it said in a statement.

Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs "strongly" condemned India revoking Article 370 and would "exercise all possible options to counter the illegal steps," a ministry statement said.

China, which controls about 20% of the Kashmir region, has also protested India's decision, with the Chinese Foreign Ministry accusing India of encroaching on Chinese territorial sovereignty.

Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Tuesday that scrapping Article 370 "is unacceptable and will have no effect," and urged India to "strictly abide by the relevant agreements reached by both sides."

China has close economic, diplomatic and military ties with Pakistan, making it one of the nation's closest allies in region.

India's foreign ministry responded that the bill was "an internal matter concerning the territory of India. India does not comment on the internal affairs of other countries and similarly expects other countries to do likewise."

Kashmir on lockdown

Kashmir is one of the world's most dangerous flashpoints, and has been the epicenter for more than 70 years of an often violent territorial conflict between the Pakistan and India.

The mountainous Kashmir region was free to accede to either India or Pakistan after the two countries separated in 1947. When the Hindu king of Jammu and Kashmir chose to join India in exchange for military protection, it became the country's only Muslim-majority state.

The India-controlled Jammu and Kashmir state covers around 45% of Kashmir, in the south and east of the region, while Pakistan controls Azad Kashmir, Gilgit and Baltistan, which cover around 35% of the total territory in the north and west.

Skirmishes along the de-facto border between Indian-controlled Kashmir and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, known as the Line of Control, continue to break out periodically. Earlier this year, two Pakistani soldiers were killed in cross-border fire with Indian forces, according to the country's military.

But with Jammu and Kashmir now on lockdown, and further change imminent, many Kashmiris are reeling with shock.

"Unprecedented horror in Kashmir," tweeted Shah Faesal, a prominent politician from Kashmir who arrived in New Delhi yesterday. "From citizens to subjects ... A people whose land, identity, history, was stolen, in broad day light."

In addition to the communication blackout, a number of prominent politicians have also been placed under house arrest, including at least two former chief ministers of the state, according to CNN affiliate CNN-News18.

Faesal was unable to reach or message the two former chief ministers, he said in a separate Facebook post.

Until last week, Indian authorities had said the deployment of extra troops were in response to a potential security threat in the region. But residents were tense even before the announcement on Monday, rushing to secure essential supplies.

Now, with news of the bill confirmed, "people are in shock," Faesal wrote.

"Everyone is mourning what we lost ... It's the loss of statehood that has hurt people deeply. This is being seen as the biggest betrayal by the Indian state in last 70 years."

Nikhil Kumar, Swati Gupta, Manveena Suri, Mukhtar Ahmad and Helen Regan contributed reporting.

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2019-08-07 07:18:00Z
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Dozens wounded in suicide attack outside Kabul police station - Aljazeera.com

At least 95 people have been wounded in a large explosion outside a police station in Kabul, officials said.

The blast occurred about 9am (04:30 GMT) in western Kabul, interior ministry spokesperson Nasrat Rahimi said before adding that the bomb went off when a vehicle was stopped at a checkpoint outside the station.

Health ministry spokesperson Wahidullah Mayar said at least 95 people, mostly civilians and including women and children, were taken to hospital.

The explosion sent a massive plume of smoke over the Afghanistan capital.

"I heard a big bang and all the windows broke with glass flying everywhere," shopkeeper Ahmad Saleh told the AFP news agency.

"My head is spinning and I still don't know what has happened but the windows of about 20 shops around one kilometre from the blast site are broken," he added.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to videos on social media and witnesses, small arms fire could be heard following the blast. 

Violence is surging across Afghanistan and in Kabul as the United States and the Taliban negotiate a peace deal ahead of elections planned for September 28.

According to the United Nations, more than 1,500 civilians were killed or wounded in the Afghan conflict in July alone, the highest monthly casualties so far this year and the worst single month since May 2017.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

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2019-08-07 07:14:00Z
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Hong Kong faces worst crisis in 20 years, senior Chinese official says - Fox News

A senior Chinese official said Wednesday that Hong Kong is facing its worst crisis in more than 20 years after months of violent protests that started over a now-suspended controversial extradition law.

“Hong Kong’s crisis ... has continued for 60 days, and is getting worse and worse,” Zhang Xiaoming, the head of China’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs office, said, according to Reuters.

CHINA WARNS HONG KONG PROTESTERS NOT TO 'PLAY WITH FIRE' AS DEMONSTRATORS 'PREPARED TO DIE FOR THE MOVEMENT'

Zhang said the violence is intensifying in an upheaval unlike anything seen since Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997, Reuters reported.

An umbrella is abandoned as protesters pull back from tear gas on Monday, Aug. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

The protests started in April when millions took to the streets to protest the extradition law, which would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be tried in Communist mainland China. The protesters have since called for Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam to resign.

China said Tuesday the “unscrupulous and violent criminal” protesters would be punished.

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The protesters have also said they "strongly condemn the lawlessness and the inhuman actions done by police."\

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2019-08-07 05:09:30Z
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China warns on U.S. deployment of arms in Asia as trade tensions flare - NBCNews.com

BEIJING — China said Tuesday that it "will not stand idly by" and will take countermeasures if the U.S. deploys intermediate-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region, which Washington has said it plans to do within months.

The statement from the director of the foreign ministry's Arms Control Department, Fu Cong, follows the U.S.'s withdrawal last week from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, a move Fu said would have a "direct negative impact on the global strategic stability" as well as security in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

Fu's comments also come as the country's central bank said Washington's earlier decision to label Beijing a currency manipulator would "severely damage international financial order and cause chaos in financial markets," further worsening tensions between the world's largest economies.

A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor in Seongju, South KoreaReuters file

China was particularly concerned about announced plans to develop and test a land-based intermediate-range missile in the Asia-Pacific "sooner rather than later," in the words of one U.S. official, Fu said.

"China will not stand idly by and be forced to take countermeasures should the U.S. deploy intermediate-range ground-based missiles this part of the world," he told reporters at a specially called briefing.

He also advised other nations, particularly South Korea, Japan and Australia, to "exercise prudence" and not allow the U.S. to deploy such weapons on their territory, saying that would "not serve the national security interests of these countries."

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in Asia over the weekend that he wanted to deploy midrange conventional missiles in the Asia-Pacific within months. Australian officials said Monday that the locations for the bases were not yet known but their country would not be one of them.

Trade tensions

The arms debate comes amid amid a rapidly escalating China-U.S. trade war.

The Treasury Department's decision to dub Beijing a currency manipulator would "prevent a global economic and trade recovery," the People's Bank of China (PBOC) said in the country's first official response to the latest U.S. salvo.

Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer gestures towards Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin as he chats with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He before they pose for a photo in Shanghai on July 31.Ng Han Guan / Reuters

China "has not used and will not use the exchange rate as a tool to deal with trade disputes," the PBOC said in a statement on its website.

"China advised the United States to rein in its horse before the precipice, and be aware of its errors, and turn back from the wrong path," it said.

The U.S. currency accusation, which followed a sharp slide in the yuan on Monday, has driven an even bigger wedge between China and the U.S., and crushed any lingering hopes for a quick resolution to their year-long trade war.

The dispute has already spread beyond tariffs to other areas such as technology, and analysts caution tit-for-tat measures could widen in scope and severity, weighing further on business confidence and global economic growth.

The Treasury Department said on Monday it had determined for the first time since 1994 that China was manipulating its currency, taking their trade dispute beyond tariffs.

China "no longer expects goodwill from the United States," Hu Xijin, the newspaper's editor-in-chief, tweeted on Tuesday.

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2019-08-06 10:36:00Z
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