YEREVAN — Armenia on Monday launched joint military drills with the United States, a move that reflects its leader’s efforts to forge closer ties with the U.S. and other Western allies as the country’s relations with old ally Russia sour.

The “Eagle Partner” war games are aimed at increasing interoperability of units participating in international peacekeeping missions, according to Armenia’s Defense Minister Suren Papikyan.

They involve Armenian peacekeeping forces, servicemen of the U.S. Army Europe and Africa, and the Kansas National Guard. It wasn’t immediately clear how many troops were taking part.

The exercises were scheduled to last through July 24.

Russia has been Armenia’s main economic partner and ally since the 1991 Soviet collapse. Landlocked Armenia, which used to be part of the Soviet Union, hosts a Russian military base and is part of the Moscow-led security alliance, the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Armenia’s ties with Russia, however, have grown increasingly strained since Azerbaijan waged a lightning military campaign last year to take the Karabakh region, ending three decades of ethnic Armenian separatist rule there.

Armenian authorities accused Russian peacekeepers who were deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh after a previous round of hostilities in 2020 of failing to stop Azerbaijan’s onslaught. Moscow rejected the accusations, arguing that its troops didn’t have a mandate to intervene.

Russia has engaged in a delicate balancing act, trying to preserve close relations with Armenia while also maintaining warm ties with Azerbaijan and its main ally Turkey, a key economic partner for Moscow amid Western sanctions.

The Kremlin has been angered by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s efforts to deepen Armenia’s ties with the West and distance his country from Moscow-dominated alliances. Russia was particularly vexed by Armenia’s decision to join the International Criminal Court, which last year indicted Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes connected to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

As the rift with Russia kept widening, Armenia froze its participation in the Russian-dominated security alliance, canceled its involvement in joint military drills and snubbed the bloc’s summits.

In September 2023, Armenia also held the “Eagle Partner” drills, eliciting dismay in Moscow, where officials called the move “unfriendly.”
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Islamabad — The government of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif plans to seek a formal ban on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, the party of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

“We feel we have very credible evidence that Tehreek-e-Insaf should be banned,” Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said at a press briefing in Islamabad on Monday.

Alleging the party had received foreign funds and organized anti-state rioting, Tarar said the government would approach the Supreme Court of Pakistan to seek a ban.

Khan’s party has repeatedly rejected the allegations.

The announcement followed a Supreme Court ruling that granted Khan’s party a share in seats reserved for women and non-Muslims across all legislatures. 

The decision gives PTI roughly 80 seats. It also deprives Sharif’s ruling coalition of a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, the lower house of Pakistan’s bicameral parliament.

On Monday, the government filed a petition seeking a review of the top court’s verdict.

PTI leader Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari said the government’s plan to ban the party was “a sign of panic.”

“They have realized the courts can’t be threatened and put under pressure,” Bukhari said in a statement to the media.

Calling the decision unconstitutional and a blow to democratic norms, the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan urged the government to immediately withdraw the ban.

“It will achieve nothing more than deeper polarization and the strong likelihood of political chaos and violence,” the commission said in a statement posted on social media platform X.

The government will present the move to the Cabinet on Tuesday for approval, Tarar said.

Grounds for ban

Khan’s party emerged as the single biggest national party in the February 8 general elections. PTI-backed candidates, forced to run as independents after the party was stripped of its unified electoral symbol, won 93 seats.

If the party is dissolved, it will not only lose the share of reserved seats granted by the top court, but its current lawmakers will also have to quit all the legislatures.

Pakistan’s federal government can dissolve a political party but must refer the decision to the Supreme Court within 15 days for formal approval, explained Rashid Chaudhry, national coordinator of the Islamabad-based electoral watchdog Free and Fair Election Network.  

“If the Supreme Court upholds the reference, then the party is dissolved,” Chaudhry told VOA.

The Supreme Court might turn down the government’s request, said Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of the Lahore-based Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency.

He cited major legal victories that various courts handed down to the former prime minister and his party recently, including a decision on Saturday acquitting Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, of engaging in an illicit marriage.

“PTI supporters and those who are neutral already hold very negative views about the government and the military,” Mehboob said. “They will become even more critical, and sympathy for the PTI will increase.” 

Freedom eludes Khan

Despite courts overturning nearly three decades’ worth of prison sentences in recent months, Khan has remained in jail since August 2023. He faces numerous charges, including corruption and violence against state institutions.

Earlier this month, the Geneva-based Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which reports to the U.N. Human Rights Council, said Pakistani authorities have “no legal basis” for Khan’s detention.

Late last month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution urging “the full and independent investigation of claims of interference or irregularities” in Pakistan’s election.

Slamming that resolution as interference in the country’s internal matters, the Pakistani parliament passed a counter-resolution. 

Sharif’s government accuses PTI of seeking support from foreign capitals and lobbyists against Pakistan.

It has also repeatedly rejected international calls to investigate the alleged manipulation of the February 8 vote. 
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Islamabad — Authorities in northwestern Pakistan said Monday that a suicide bomber drove an explosive-laden vehicle into a military compound, followed by several armed insurgents storming it, resulting in the death of at least three soldiers and injuries to 12 others.

The pre-dawn raid occurred in the garrison city of Bannu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. Local police officials and witnesses reported that the intensity of the blast had also shattered nearby civilian homes, injuring at least six people.

Security sources told VOA that Pakistani soldiers quickly “cornered” the assailants in a part of the building, killing four of them in the ensuing heavy gunfight. They said that army commandos were conducting a “clearance operation” to neutralize the threat and secure the compound completely. 

A spokesperson from the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), told VOA they are waiting for further details.

Militants linked to the globally designated terrorist group, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, took responsibility for staging Monday’s assault. Bannu and surrounding districts have routinely experienced TTP attacks, mostly targeting military and police forces.

Pakistan maintains TTP leaders and fighters orchestrated the violence from their sanctuaries on Afghan soil and are being increasingly facilitated by the neighboring country’s Taliban government. 

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson reiterated Islamabad’s concerns at a regular news conference on Thursday, saying “this very serious issue” has been the subject of bilateral discussions with Afghanistan for the last several months. 

“Pakistan is concerned about the terror threat that we face from individuals and entities which have support and sponsorship from across the border in Afghanistan,” Mumtaz Baloch said. “We urge Afghanistan to take concrete and effective action against these entities and to ensure that the Afghan territory is not used to foment terror attacks inside Pakistan,” she added. 

The Taliban government has dismissed the charges, saying TTP is an internal problem for Pakistan to deal with.

UN findings

TTP, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, is known to have publicly pledged allegiance to Afghanistan’s Taliban leaders. It has provided shelter and recruited for the Afghan Taliban to help them wage insurgent attacks against the U.S.-led NATO troops for years until U.S. and international forces withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021. 

A new United Nations report released earlier this month described TTP as “the largest terrorist group” operating in Afghanistan and noted it had intensified its terrorist activities in Pakistan since the return of the Taliban to power in Kabul three years ago. 

“TTP continues to operate at a significant scale in Afghanistan and to conduct terrorist operations into Pakistan from there, often utilizing Afghans,” said the report by the U.N. sanctions monitoring team. It estimated that TTP had “6,000-6,500” fighters based in Afghan territory. 

“Further, the Taliban have proved unable or unwilling to manage the threat from Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan…Taliban support to TTP also appears to have increased,” the U.N. report stated. “The Taliban do not conceive of TTP as a terrorist group: the bonds are close, and the debt owed to TTP is significant,” the report added. 

Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid rejected the U.N. report in a statement over the weekend. He claimed that no “foreign groups” operate in the country, nor are “any individuals or entities” being allowed to threaten other countries from Afghanistan. 
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Taipei, Taiwan — The shooting at a rally for former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday quickly became a trending topic on China’s social media platforms Sunday.

The Chinese foreign ministry released a statement on its website Sunday, indicating that the country is closely following the incident involving Trump.

“President Xi Jinping has expressed sympathies to former President Trump,” the Chinese foreign ministry said in its statement.

The FBI said Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, a resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was the suspect in the attempted assassination of Trump.

As of noon, Beijing time Sunday, the Weibo entry “Trump was shot” had garnered more than 300 million views, making it the top trending topic on the platform. Weibo, a Chinese social media platform similar to X, formerly Twitter, mirrors trends seen on international platforms like X, which is banned in China.

Not only did the entry “Trump was shot” dominate Weibo’s trending topics, but at one point, half of the top 20 searches were related to the shooting. Updates such as “Trump’s right ear was shot through by a bullet,” “One person died at the scene,” and “The shooting suspect was killed,” along with U.S. President Joe Biden’s responses, also garnered significant attention.

Fast reaction came also from Chinese businesses: By noon Sunday in Beijing, shopping websites like Taobao and Pinduoduo listed T-shirts featuring images of Trump raising his arms after being injured. Some internet commenters jokingly remarked, “This is the speed of Chinese e-commerce.”

Major state media outlets, including Xinhua News Agency and CCTV, extensively covered the shooting.

Many Chinese experts interviewed said they believed that the assassination attempt was genuine and speculated that it could positively influence Trump’s campaign.

Chinese social media was also rife with speculation that the shooting was “self-directed and self-staged.”

Notably, Jin Hao, former executive editor of Xinhua News Agency’s “World Military,” commented on Weibo, saying that, after looking at the clips from the scene and observing Trump’s “remarkably swift” reaction, “he [knew he] was shot as soon as he touched his ears and immediately crouched down.” Jin remarked, “This isn’t something that ordinary people can react to.”

Some Weibo users also echoed that “it has been practiced hundreds of times.”

However, this conspiracy theory faced criticism from many bloggers, and others who argued that Trump’s ear injury was just a few centimeters away from the brain.

Even Jin Canrong, a professor at the School of International Relations at Renmin University of China, known for his strong anti-American stance, bluntly stated in an interview with the Shanghai-based media Observer Net that this incident was “an assassination.”

Jin noted that in the photos from the scene, the injured Trump raised his hands in a fighting gesture, surrounded by Secret Service agents and the American flag, effectively creating a heroic image for himself.

Currently based in California, Albert Chiu, a political science professor at Taiwan’s Tunghai University, said in an interview with VOA that Trump was shot during a live broadcast, and the shooter was killed on the scene, making it hard for any “conspiracy theory” to take hold. He emphasized that the ongoing culture of political assassination in the United States warrants more attention.

According to He Yue, a member of the National Union of Journalists in the United Kingdom, the enthusiasm of Chinese netizens for discussing the shooting reflects daily restrictions on free speech, where “domestic politics is off-limits.” They can only engage openly when negative topics related to American democracy arise, He Yue said.

Because “Chinese netizens really cannot discuss Chinese politics, when it comes to other countries’ political events, like the shooting, it feels like they’ve found an outlet to vent,” he told VOA. “The most heated discussions revolve around whether this is a ploy and who orchestrated it. Chinese people have lived in a world of falsehoods for too long; everything feels fake, so they use this mindset to judge foreigners.”

Taiwan’s reaction

On Sunday, Chen Shui-bian, former Taiwanese president who was shot while campaigning for reelection two decades ago, pointed out in interviews with several Taiwanese media outlets that the locations of both shootings — his in Tainan, in southern Taiwan, and Trump’s in Butler, Pennsylvania — can be seen as “sacred places of democracy” for both countries. Each attack resulted in minor injuries to presidential candidates, which he characterized as “a striking coincidence.”

One day before the 2004 Taiwan presidential election, the “319 shooting incident” occurred. President Chen was shot while campaigning in a jeep in Tainan. The bullet only caused a minor abdominal injury after penetrating his clothing.

The Presidential Office of Taiwan stated Sunday, “President (Lai Ching-te) extends sincere concerns to former President Trump and prays for his speedy recovery.” Lai strongly condemned any form of political violence and expressed his deepest condolences to all victims.

Eric Chu, chairman of the China-friendly opposition Kuomintang party, also stated in an interview that he promptly expressed condolences to the U.S. side, hoping for former President Trump’s swift recovery, and emphasizing the party’s condemnation of political violence.
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KATHMANDU, Nepal — Rescuers in Nepal have recovered a total of 11 bodies from the river that two buses full of people were swept into by a landslide, officials said Monday.

Rescuers found the bodies in different spots along the riverbanks as they searched for the missing buses and some 50 people who were on board.

Government administrator Khima Nanda Bhusal said seven bodies were identified and relatives contacted. Three of the dead are Indians and the remaining four are Nepali nationals.

He said four more bodies were also recovered from the river, but because they haven’t been identified, it was unclear if they had been on board the buses.

“We will continue the search as long as it is needed and have no plans to give up. We will work until all of them are found,” he said.

The buses were on the key highway connecting Nepal’s capital to southern parts of the country when they were swept away Friday morning near Simaltal, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of Kathmandu. Three people were ejected from the buses and were being treated in a nearby hospital.

The first body was recovered Sunday some 50 kilometers (30 miles) from where the buses fell. Other bodies were recovered from as far as near the border with India. Two of them were found in Tribeni, more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the landslide site, officials said.

Relatives of those missing gathered on the river seeking information as rescuers from the security forces used magnets, scuba diving equipment and underwater sonar imaging devices for the search.

Nepal’s rivers generally are fast-flowing due to the mountainous terrain. Heavy monsoon downpours in the past few days have swollen the waterways and turned them murky brown, making it even more difficult to see the wreckage.

Weather conditions improved Saturday and search teams were able to cover more ground in the hunt for the missing buses and passengers. Heavy equipment cleared much of the landslide from the highway, making it easier to reach the area as rescuers expanded their scope toward the southern region from where the first body was found, Bhusal said.

Monsoon season brings heavy rains to Nepal from June to September, often triggering landslides in the mountainous Himalayan country.

The government imposed a ban on passenger buses traveling at night in the areas where weather warnings are posted, according to the Home Ministry.
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KATHMANDU, Nepal — Nepal’s newly appointed prime minister took the oath of office Monday at a ceremony in Kathmandu.

The leader of the Nepal’s largest communist party, Khadga Prasad Oli, was named prime minister on Sunday following the collapse of a previous coalition government.

This is his fourth time serving as prime minister of the Himalayan nation.

Two deputy prime ministers and 19 ministers appointed by him also took the oath of office. He is expected to further expand the Cabinet including members from the coalition partner parties.

Oli, 72, will be leading a coalition government made up of his Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) and the Nepali Congress party, the two largest parties in Nepal.

The last government headed by Pushpa Kamal Dahal collapsed on Friday after Oli’s party, which had been a part of the coalition, withdrew its support to join the new partnership.

Oli will have to seek a vote of confidence in parliament to continue in office within a month. The two parties in the new alliance have more than half the members in parliament required to prove their majority.

Oli’s biggest challenge as prime minister will be balancing Nepal’s relationship with its giant neighbors India and China, as both seek to wield influence over the small nation. Landlocked Nepal is surrounded by India on three sides and imports all of its oil and most supplies from India. It also shares a border with China.

Oli was born in a village in east Nepal and has been involved in politics since he was young.

He worked up the ranks of the communist party and was jailed a total of 14 years for opposing the autocratic rule of Nepal’s monarchs. The royals had banned political parties until 1990, when street protests forced then-King Birendra to hold free elections that turned Nepal into a constitutional monarchy, which was formally abolished in 2008.

Oli has had two kidney transplants.
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BEIJING — China posted lower than expected growth in the second quarter on Monday, with all eyes on how top officials gathering for a key meeting in Beijing might seek to tackle the country’s deepening economic malaise.

The world’s second-largest economy is grappling with a real estate debt crisis, weakening consumption, and an aging population.

Trade tensions with the United States and the European Union, which have sought to limit Beijing’s access to sensitive technology as well as putting up tariffs to protect their markets from cheap, subsidized Chinese goods, are also dragging growth down.

And on Monday, official statistics showed the economy grew by only 4.7 percent in the second quarter of the year.

It represents the slowest rate of expansion since early 2023, when China was emerging from a crippling zero-Covid policy that strangled growth.

Analysts polled by Bloomberg had expected 5.1 percent.

Retail sales — a key gauge of consumption — rose just two percent in June, down from 3.7 percent growth in May.

“The external environment is intertwined and complex,” the National Bureau of Statistics said.

“Domestic effective demand remains insufficient and the foundation for sound economic recovery and growth still needs to be strengthened,” it added.

‘A modest policy tweak’

From Monday, President Xi Jinping is set to oversee the ruling Communist Party’s secretive meeting known as the Third Plenum, which usually takes place every five years in October.

Beijing has offered few hints about what might be on the table.

State media in June said the delayed four-day gathering would “primarily examine issues related to further comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese modernization,” and Xi has said the party is planning “major” reforms.

Analysts are hoping those pledges will result in badly needed support for the economy.

“The four-day meeting of the country’s top governing body couldn’t come soon enough,” Harry Murphy Cruise, an economist at Moody’s Analytics, said in a note.

But, he said, “while the case for reform is high, it’s unlikely to be a particularly exciting affair”.

“Instead, we expect a modest policy tweak that expands high-tech manufacturing and delivers a sprinkling of support to housing and households,” he added.

Reform not expected

The People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s official newspaper, appeared to confirm lower expectations when it warned last week that “reform is not about changing direction and transformation is not about changing color.”

Ting Lu, chief China economist at Nomura, said the meeting was “intended to generate and discuss big, long-term ideas and structural reforms instead of making short-term policy adjustments.”

The Third Plenum has previously been an occasion for the party’s top leadership to unveil major economic policy shifts.

In 1978, then-leader Deng Xiaoping used the meeting to announce market reforms that would put China on the path to dazzling economic growth by opening it to the world.

And more recently following the closed-door meeting in 2013, the leadership pledged to give the free market a “decisive” role in resource allocation, as well as other sweeping changes to economic and social policy.

Stubbornly low

Beijing has said it is aiming for 5% growth this year — enviable for many Western countries but a far cry from the double-digit expansion that for years drove the Chinese economy.

But the economic uncertainty is also fueling a vicious cycle that has kept consumption stubbornly low.

Among the most urgent issues facing the economy is the beleaguered property sector, which long served as a key engine for growth but is now mired in debt, with several top firms facing liquidation.

Authorities have moved in recent months to ease pressure on developers and restore confidence, including by encouraging local governments to buy up unsold homes.

Analysts say much more is required for a full rebound, as the country’s economy has yet to bounce back more than 18 months after damaging Covid-19 restrictions ended.
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State Department — Presidents, prime ministers and international organizations worldwide condemned the political violence and assassination attempt targeting former U.S. President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

U.S. authorities are still investigating the shooting.

U.S. President Joe Biden said he spoke with Trump Saturday night in what Biden described as a short and good conversation. “An assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation,” Biden told reporters Sunday.

The State Department declined to comment on private diplomatic conversations between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterparts. Blinken posted on X, formerly Twitter, that he was “shocked and saddened” by the shooting at former President Trump’s rally and grateful that he is safe.

Argentina

Argentine President Javier Milei said in a post on X that the apparent assassination attempt showed the “desperation of the international left” and its willingness to “destabilize democracies and promote violence to screw itself into power.”

Australia

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the “inexcusable attack” on democratic values.

He told reporters at the Australian Parliament House, “In Australia, as in the United States, the essence and the purpose of our democracies is that we can express our views, debate our disagreements and resolve our differences peacefully.”

Bangladesh

The prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, condemned the attempt on Trump’s life. Speaking at a news conference in Dhaka, Hasina described the attack as “truly tragic.” “The United States, as a torchbearer for democracy in the world, how could such a thing happen there?” she asked.

Brazil

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in a pinned social media post, said that the shooting during the campaign rally is unacceptable and must be “vehemently repudiated” by all defenders of democracy.

His predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, a close ally of Trump, expressed solidarity with what he called “the world’s greatest leader of the moment.” Bolsonaro was stabbed in the abdomen at a campaign event ahead of the 2018 presidential election, which he won.

Canada

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his dismay at the shooting, saying his thoughts were with Trump, those at the event and all Americans.

“It cannot be overstated — political violence is never acceptable,” he wrote on X.

China

The Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement that President Xi Jinping has expressed sympathies to Trump and that China is following the shooting incident.

Djibouti

Djibouti President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh “vehemently” denounced the “reprehensible and alarming assassination attempt” on Trump. He wrote on X, “Political violence is a grave threat to global stability, must be unequivocally condemned and outlawed.”

Egypt

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi emphasized his country’s condemnation of the attack in a statement and wished for the U.S. election campaigns to resume peacefully.

Ethiopia 

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said he was deeply shocked by the attack targeting Trump. Abiy wrote on X that he wished the American people a peaceful and democratic election season.

The European Commission

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X she was deeply shocked by the shooting, adding that political violence has no place in democracy.

France

French President Emmanuel Macron sent his wishes to Trump for a speedy recovery. “It is a tragedy for our democracies. France shares the shock and indignation of the American people,” he posted on X.

Germany

In a post on X, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the attack was “despicable” and “such acts of violence threaten democracy.” He said his thoughts are with all those who were affected.

Greece

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his shock at the attack on Trump. “Political violence is unacceptable in our democratic societies,” he wrote on X.

Gulf Cooperation Council

Jasem Al-Budaiwi, secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, condemned the attempted assassination of Trump. In a statement, Al-Budaiwi said that under no circumstances are terror and violence acceptable, adding that the incident goes against human values, morals, and standards. 

Hungary

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on X that his thoughts and prayers were with Trump “in these dark hours.”

India

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was deeply concerned by “the attack on my friend.” “Strongly condemn the incident. Violence has no place in politics and democracies,” he wrote on X.

Iraq

Masrour Barzani, the prime minister of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, condemned the attack “in the strongest terms,” saying on X his thoughts are with the victims of “this senseless act of terrorism.”

Israel

Shortly after the shooting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on X that he and his wife were “shocked by the apparent attack” on Trump and prayed for Trump’s safety and speedy recovery.

At the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said he watched “in horror,” adding that the attack was also an “assassination attempt on American democracy.”

Italy

Italian President Sergio Mattarella said in a statement the attack was a cause for serious alarm and “a disconcerting symptom of the deterioration of the civil fabric and of the dangerous refusal of confrontation, dialogue and respect for democratic life.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wished Trump a quick recovery.

Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on X that he prayed for Trump’s speedy recovery, adding, “We must stand firm against any form of violence that challenges democracy.”

On April 15,2023, Kishida was safely evacuated after a man appeared to throw an explosive device in his direction at a campaign event Wakayama, in western Japan. This after former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe was killed in April 2023 after being shot twice during a campaign speech near Nara, Japan.

Lithuania

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda strongly condemned the act of political violence. “It has no place in democracy,” he wrote on X.

Mexico

Mexico’s outgoing president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, denounced the attack on X and said, “Violence is irrational and inhumane.”

NATO

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg condemned the attempted assassination on Trump. On X, Stoltenberg said, “Political violence has no place in our democracies” and that the Atlantic alliance stands together to defend freedom and values.

Nigeria 

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said the attack was “distasteful” and went “beyond the pale of democratic norms.”

“Violence has no place in democracy,” he wrote on X, and said, “Nigeria stands in solidarity with the United States of America at this time.”

Organization of American States

Luis Almagro, secretary-general of the Organization of American States, said he condemned “in the strongest terms” the attack against Trump. “Violence has absolutely no place in an election, in politics or in our societies,” he wrote on X.

Pakistan

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described the shooting as a “shocking development,” condemning all forms of political violence and wishing Trump a swift recovery and good health.

Imprisoned Pakistani opposition leader and former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was shot and injured at a rally in November 2022, wished Trump a full recovery. “Political violence is a tool of cowards and has no place in a democracy,” he said on X.

Philippines

Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. wrote on X, “It is with great relief that we receive the news that former President Donald Trump is fine and well after the attempt to assassinate him.” 

“Together with all democracy loving peoples around the world, we condemn all forms of political violence. The voice of the people must always remain supreme,” Marcos added.

Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin currently has no plans to call Trump, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.

On Sunday, the Kremlin said it did not believe the current U.S. administration was responsible for Saturday’s assassination attempt on Trump, but it criticized the “atmosphere created” by the current U.S. administration “during the political struggle.”

Saudi Arabia

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses its condemnation and denunciation of the attempt on the life of Trump and its complete solidarity with the U.S., the former President, and his family,” Saudi’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that the Kingdom rejects “all forms of violence.”

Singapore

The prime minister of Singapore, Lawrence Wong, said he was relieved to hear reports that Trump is safe and recovering well. Wong wrote on X, “We should never resort to violence regardless of any differences of views.”

South Africa

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa wrote on X that the attempted assassination “is a stark reminder of the dangers of political extremism and intolerance.”

Ramaphosa also voiced his hope that “the citizens and leaders of America will have the fortitude and sagacity to reject violence and seek peaceful solutions.”

South Korea

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said he was “appalled by the hideous act of political violence.” “The people of Korea stand in solidarity with the people of America,” he wrote on X.

Slovakia

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who survived an assassination attempt in May, condemned the shooting. In a Facebook post, Fico drew a direct comparison between the two incidents and suggested that the attack on Trump was “scripted like through a copybook,” implying it was orchestrated by Trump’s political opponents.

Taiwan

Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, said on X his thoughts and prayers are with Trump. “Political violence of any form is never acceptable in our democracies. I offer my sincere condolences to the victims affected by the attack.

Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the assassination attempt and expressed solidarity. “I believe that the investigation into the attack will be conducted most effectively to ensure there is no shadow over the U.S. elections and global stability,” Erdogan wrote on X.

Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was relieved to learn that Trump is now safe. 

“I am appalled to learn about the shooting,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “Such violence has no justification and no place anywhere in the world. Never should violence prevail.”

United Nations

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres unequivocally condemned this act of political violence and sent his best wishes to Trump for a speedy recovery, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

United Arab Emirates

The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack, describing it as “a criminal and extremist act.”

United Kingdom

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on X that he was appalled by the “shocking scenes,” and sent his best wishes to Trump and his family.

“Political violence in any form has no place in our societies,” he said.

British lawmaker Nigel Farage, who is a friend of Trump, sought to place much of the blame on the “mainstream media,” which he claimed opposed the former U.S. president. Speaking to the BBC, he described the incident as “horrendous,” although he said he was not entirely surprised by it.

Uzbekistan

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, in a post on Telegram, strongly condemned the attack and the act of violence. He wished Trump a speedy recovery.

The Vatican

The Vatican press office released a statement on Sunday expressing concern about the violence, which it said, “wounds people and democracy, causing suffering and death.” The statement added that the Holy See is “united in the prayer of the U.S. bishops for America, for the victims, and for peace in the country, so that the motives of the violent may never prevail.”

Venezuela

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro condemned the attack during a campaign event in the town of Guacara. “We have been adversaries, but I wish President Trump health and [a] long life, and I repudiate the attack,” Maduro added.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
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WASHIINGTON — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol condemned political violence Sunday, the day after an assassination attempt against former U.S. President Donald Trump.

“I am appalled by the hideous act of political violence. I wish former President Trump a speedy recovery,” Yoon said in a post on his X social media account in English. “The people of South Korea stand in solidarity with the people of America.” 

On Saturday, Trump — who is set this week to be officially nominated as the Republican presidential candidate in the Nov. 5 election against Democratic President Joe Biden — said he was hit in his right ear by a bullet fired by a gunman during his rally in Pennsylvania. The gunman was shot and killed at the scene by a Secret Service sniper.

The South Korean presidential office also released a statement, saying “Our government strongly condemns any form of political violence.”

It added, “Our government would like to offer sympathy to the American people who are shaken by this incident.” 

In a separate statement, South Korea’s foreign ministry repeated the condemnation of political violence, adding that it is closely monitoring the issue in close consultation with the South Korean Embassy in the U.S. The country’s political parties denounced in unison the assassination attempt on Trump.

“Political terrorism is a threat to democracy and cannot be tolerated for any reason,” Ho Jun Seok, a spokesperson for the ruling People Power Party, said in a statement.

He continued, “political terrorism is the product of politics based on extremism and hatred, and politicians have a responsibility to unite society.”

Han Min-soo, a spokesperson for the main opposition Democratic Party, said, “Political terrorism is a serious challenge to democracy. It cannot be justified for any reason.”

Physical attacks against political leaders are not uncommon in South Korea.

This year, former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed in the neck during a visit to Busan in January.

In 2006, former President Park Geun-hye, then leader of the Grand National Party, was severely injured by a knife-wielding man in his 50s while she took the podium at a campaign rally in Seoul. Her father, Park Chung-hee, who served as president for nearly 16 years, was shot to death by a confidant in 1979.

South Korean people expressed their feelings, hearing the news of the assassination attempt targeting Trump.

“As the United States is an eternal ally of South Korea, I was shocked to learn a presidential candidate was shot,” Wonjung Jung, a 32-year-old office worker in Seoul, told VOA’s Korean Service on Sunday.

“There are many terrorist attacks against politicians now, and that is not acceptable in any way,” he said.

Yunseo Son, a 28-year-old graduate student in the U.S., told VOA’s Korean Service that she was dismayed about violence used against innocent people.

“I feel a bit regretful that such violence occurs at a campaign rally, and it is very upsetting for the victims. I hope it can be resolved peacefully,” she said.

Kubok Chung, a retired professor of Korean history, wondered if the incident occurred because of the lack of gun control in the United States.

“In American society, it is a tradition for individuals to own firearms, but to eliminate violence, individual firearm possession must be banned, like in South Korea,” he told VOA’s Korean Service.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has identified the suspected gunman as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from Pennsylvania. The FBI is still searching for a motive behind his attack on the former president. Public records show Crooks had no prior convictions and was a registered Republican, like Trump. But other records indicate he made a $15 political donation in 2021 to a left-leaning group that supports Democratic candidates, on the day President Joe Biden was sworn into office.
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KATHMANDU, Nepal — The leader of the Nepal’s largest communist party, Khadga Prasad Oli, was named the Himalayan nation’s new prime minister on Sunday following the collapse of a previous coalition government.   

A statement issued by the president’s office said Oli will take his oath of office on Monday.   

Oli will be leading a coalition government made up of his Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) and the Nepali Congress party, the two largest parties in Nepal.   

It is his fourth time as Nepal’s prime minister.   

The last government headed by Pushpa Kamal Dahal collapsed on Friday after Oli’s party, which had been a part of the coalition, withdrew its support to join the new partnership.   

Oli would have to seek vote of confidence in parliament to continue in office within a month. The two parties in the new alliance have more than half the members in parliament required to prove their majority.   

Oli, 72, was born in a village in east Nepal and has been involved in politics since he was young. He has a kidney illness and has had kidney transplant surgeries. He has made regular trips abroad for medical treatment. 
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irvine, california — NATO and China’s efforts to deepen cooperation with like-minded countries in the Indo-Pacific and Europe are viewed by some analysts as part of the growing competition between major powers, especially between the United States and China.    

“[The latest development] is a standard major power competition,” said Ian Chong, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore.  

These efforts are aimed at “finding out where are their friends and who can support their efforts,” he said. “[But] it’s pretty clear that the competition between major powers is intensifying,” he told VOA by phone.    

During its annual summit in Washington, NATO announced it would launch four new joint projects with Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. The projects will focus on deepening cooperation with the four Indo-Pacific countries on Ukraine, artificial intelligence, disinformation, and cybersecurity.

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the goal is to “harness the unique strengths” of democracies to address shared global challenges. In response, the Chinese government accused NATO of “inciting bloc confrontation and hyping up regional tensions” by engaging with countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

Instead of expanding its footprint to the Indo-Pacific region through these joint projects, some experts say NATO is trying to involve more like-minded countries in the process of building up competencies in critical areas of competition.  

“These are core areas that will shape military and other forms of competition moving forward so NATO wants to establish more cooperation with like-minded democracies,” said Stephen Nagy, a regional security expert at the International Christian University in Japan.  

Since NATO has labeled China as “the decisive enabler” of Russia’s war against Ukraine, Nagy said the alliance is trying to show Beijing that it won’t back out of the global competition in key areas.    

“NATO is signaling to China that they can be part of the solution, or they would be part of the problem,” he told VOA by phone.    

In an interview with VOA’s Mandarin Service, Japan’s Foreign Press Secretary Maki Kobayashi said that while Tokyo has been working closely with NATO member states, these efforts shouldn’t be viewed as an attempt to establish a NATO in Asia.

China’s attempt to counter NATO  

While the U.S. and its NATO allies aimed to strengthen cooperation with Indo-Pacific countries through the summit in Washington, China is also beefing up military cooperation with Belarus and Russia.  

On Monday, China initiated an 11-day joint military exercise near the border of Poland with Belarus, the newest member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. While the Chinese Foreign Ministry insisted that the exercise wasn’t targeting any country, some analysts told VOA that the move is Beijing’s response to NATO’s growing interest in Asia.

In addition to the military exercise with Belarus in Europe, China also announced Friday a joint naval exercise with Russia in waters near the southern city of Zhanjiang.  

The Chinese defense ministry characterized the drills, which will take place near the disputed South China Sea, as attempts for Beijing and Moscow to demonstrate their resolve and capabilities to address “maritime security threats and preserving global and regional peace and stability.”  

Nagy in Japan said Beijing is trying to show its displeasure toward NATO’s efforts to strengthen ties with Indo-Pacific countries. 

“China is signaling to NATO member states that they can cause headaches for them in their region or regions that matter to them,” he told VOA.    

Apart from closely aligning the dates of the two military exercises with the NATO Summit, China also used last week’s SCO Summit in Kazakhstan to uphold its “no limits partnership” with Russia and promote the alternative world order that it has been championing in recent years.

While the SCO isn’t an alliance with a common goal, some experts say China will still try to use it as a platform to “build its own blocs” to counter NATO and dilute Western influence.    

“China is strengthening these arrangements through bilateral agreements and strategic partnership, which often include security,” Sari Arho Havren, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, told VOA by phone.    

But since the SCO includes member states such as India, which is also part of the quadrilateral security dialogue with Australia, Japan, and the U.S., Nagy thinks New Delhi is unlikely to back any efforts to transform SCO into a counterweight of NATO.  

And while China might engage in some security cooperation with other authoritarian states like Russia or Iran — such as the joint military exercise the three countries conducted in March — Nagy said the differences in the three countries’ tolerance for risk and their visions for these partnerships will make it difficult for them to form a formal alliance. 

In his view, Russia has a higher tolerance for risk while China is concerned about how the war in Ukraine may affect stability around the world.  

“In the North Korea front, China is not happy about Putin’s recent trip to Pyongyang while Beijing wants a stable relationship with Iran, which adds limits to their cooperation,” Nagy told VOA. 

“The idea that these countries can converge to form an alliance to combat the so-called Western containment is not feasible, but they may align themselves so they can coordinate the supply of resources,” he added. 

Despite some limitations in reality, Arho Havren said China and NATO’s latest efforts to deepen partnerships show that a bloc competition may be emerging. 

“Both sides are more assertive and clear about their messaging and recent developments may accelerate this trend,” she told VOA.   
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ISLAMABAD, pakistan — An appeals court in Pakistan on Saturday acquitted former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife of charges their 2018 marriage was in breach of Islamic law, a crime for which both had been serving seven-year sentences. 

However, authorities promptly re-arrested Khan, the 71-year-old most popular Pakistani politician, and his third wife, Bushra Bibi, citing new charges against them, including corruption and inciting violence against the powerful military and other state institutions. 

The two were found guilty in February of allegedly breaking Islamic law by failing to observe the mandated three-month interval between Bibi’s divorce from a previous marriage and their marriage. 

The federal court ruled Saturday that the prosecution had failed to prove its case, and “consequently, both the appellants are acquitted of the charge.” It added, “They are directed to be released forthwith if not required to be detained in any other case.” 

But Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political party said that following the acquittal verdict, authorities issued new arrest warrants and prevented the couple from leaving the prison near the capital, Islamabad. 

Khan was initially convicted and sentenced on corruption charges last August. He received three back-to-back convictions, including the one related to his marriage, and long prison terms as well as disqualification from politics just days before the February 8 national election.  

The rapid judicial actions prompted the former prime minister and his party to accuse Pakistan’s powerful military of influencing court proceedings to block Khan from running again and undermine PTI campaigning. 

Despite repeated convictions and a nationwide state crackdown on PTI supporters, Khan-backed candidates won 93 of 266 seats in the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament. All of Khan’s sentences have since been overturned or suspended, and he was supposed to walk out of jail on Saturday. 

“Mr. Khan has been arrested in 3 more cases. …Yet another gimmick to keep the illegal imprisonment prolonged,” a PTI statement said, rejecting as baseless new charges of anti-state violence and corruption against Khan and his wife. 

The PTI warned that the political turmoil gripping Pakistan since the former prime minister was removed from power in 2022 through a parliamentary vote of no confidence would only worsen by keeping Khan in jail despite his acquittals. 

Saturday’s ruling came a day after Pakistan’s Supreme Court declared that the PTI was unconstitutionally denied at least 20 seats in the National Assembly, citing pre-poll manipulation by the country’s election commission. That verdict dealt a critical blow to the country’s ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is believed to be backed by the military. 

Friday’s top court verdict would further enhance the PTI’s strength and turn it into the largest parliamentary party. However, observers say it does not immediately threaten Sharif’s coalition government, which came to power after the highly contentious February vote. 

“It is now hoped that this judgment will preclude the kind of blatant engineering that defined this last general election,” Pakistan’s prominent English-language DAWN newspaper wrote in an editorial Saturday. “The government and establishment must not stand in the way of its implementation,” the paper said. 

The reference to establishment collectively refers to the military and spy agencies it leads. The military has staged several coups against elected governments and governed Pakistan for more than three decades since it gained independence in 1947. 

Politicians, including Khan, have publicly claimed that generals influence national political affairs even when not in power, charges the army denies. 
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ISLAMABAD — Thousands of supporters of a Pakistani radical political party rallied near the capital, Islamabad, on Saturday, denouncing Israeli strikes in Gaza and urging the government to send more aid to the Palestinians.

The protesters also demanded that Pakistan declare Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a terrorist.” There was no immediate response from the government following the rally in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

Pakistan has no diplomatic relations with Israel. Pakistan has been calling for a cease-fire in the nine-month Israel-Hamas war, and in recent months has sent relief items for the Palestinians in Gaza.

Saad Rizvi, head of the Islamist Tehreek-e-Labiak Pakistan party, which led the rally, said the sit-in at the protest would continue as long as its demands are not accepted by the government.

Hundreds of police were deployed near the rally, which took place as militant attacks have surged in Pakistan.
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Phnom Penh, Cambodia — A Cambodian military helicopter has gone missing following an “accident” in bad weather in the southwest of the country, its Defense Ministry said Saturday. 

The ministry said in a Facebook post that the chopper went missing in the rugged Cardamom Mountains, which are cloaked in dense rainforest. 

“A helicopter has lost contact with the headquarters of the air force … during a training [session],” it said. 

“The accident happened due to bad weather,” it added. 

The ministry did not say when the chopper went missing, what model it was, or how many people were on board. 

But air force sources told AFP that a Chinese-made Z-9 chopper with at least two people aboard disappeared Friday during a training exercise. 

The Defense Ministry said rescue teams began searching for the missing chopper Saturday morning, but the chopper had not been found. 

Local press reports said the search was focused on Pursat province. 

Cambodia bought 12 Z-9 helicopters from China in 2013 to boost its military capacity. 

Four Cambodian soldiers died, and one was injured in 2014 when a Z-9 exploded in midair before crashing into a water-filled quarry during military training on the outskirts of the capital Phnom Penh. 

In 2008, Cambodia’s chief policeman, Hok Lundy, was killed in a helicopter crash along with the deputy army commander and two pilots when their chopper went down in bad weather. 
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KATHMANDU, Nepal — Rescuers in Nepal on Saturday recovered the first body after a landslide swept away two buses, pushing them into a raging river a day earlier, authorities said.

The buses, carrying more than 50 people, fell into the Trishuli River, which was swollen by continuous rainfall over the past few days as heavy monsoon downpours turned their waters murky brown, making it even more difficult to see the wreckage.

The body was that of a man and was found some 50 kilometers (31 miles) from where the buses fell, said government administrator Khima Nanda Bhusal. He added that rescuers found a bank card and were in the process of identifying the man, whose body was transported to a nearby hospital.

Rescuers are now expanding their search area toward the southern region from the landslide area where the man’s body was found, Bhusal said.

Weather conditions improved Saturday, and search teams were able to cover more ground in the hunt for the missing buses and passengers. Heavy equipment had cleared much of the landslides from the highway, making it easier to reach the area.

Soldiers and police teams were using rubber rafts, divers and sensor equipment to try to locate the buses.

Three people were ejected from the buses and were being treated in a nearby hospital.

Nepal’s rivers generally are fast-flowing due to the mountainous terrain. Heavy monsoon downpours in the past few days have swollen the waterways.

The buses were on the key highway connecting Nepal’s capital to southern parts of the country when they were swept away Friday morning near Simaltal, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of Kathmandu.

A third bus was hit by another landslide Friday morning a short distance away on the same highway. Authorities said the driver was killed, but it was not clear if there were other casualties.
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ISLAMABAD — Pakistan said Saturday that a newly secured multibillion-dollar loan from the International Monetary Fund would help improve the cash-starved country’s macroeconomic stability.

The official reaction came hours after the Washington-based global lender announced its preliminary agreement with Islamabad for a “37-month” loan of about $7 billion under the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility arrangement.

“This agreement is subject to approval by the IMF’s executive board and the timely confirmation of necessary financing assurances from Pakistan’s development and bilateral partners,” stated Friday’s announcement by the IMF. It did not mention a date for board action, which typically is a formality before the disbursement of funds.

“The new program aims to support the authorities’ efforts to cement macroeconomic stability and create conditions for a stronger, more inclusive and resilient growth,” said the IMF statement.

On Saturday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif shared the news while meeting with his finance team and praised them for negotiating the staff-level agreement.

“The IMF [executive] board will now convene its meeting and will also approve it, God willing,” Sharif said in his televised remarks at a meeting of top finance ministry officials.

He emphasized the importance of timely implementation of economic reforms and structural changes “to improve our macroeconomic indicators … because only then can this be the final IMF program in the country’s history.” 

Pakistan’s fiscal year, which started July 1, will see roughly $25 billion in external debt payments, a significantly higher amount than its current level of foreign exchange reserves.

Sharif’s coalition government has implemented several unpopular reforms — such as imposing unprecedentedly high taxes and raising energy costs — to meet IMF requirements and secure the loan, triggering strong public opposition.

Inflation in Pakistan declined from 28% in January to 12% last month, but experts say the rate is still the highest in Asia.

Since gaining independence in 1947, Pakistan has received 23 bailout packages from the IMF, the most of any country. Critics blame chronic financial mismanagement, rampant corruption and repeated military-led dictatorial rules for hindering economic progress in the South Asian nation of more than 240 million people.

“The authorities have also committed to advance anti-corruption as well as governance and transparency reforms, and gradually liberalize trade policy,” Friday’s IMF statement quoted its mission chief to Pakistan, Nathan Porter, as saying.

Pakistan’s finance minister, Muhammad Aurangzeb, has stated that the new IMF loan would unlock investments from other international financial institutions and friendly countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

“Pakistan owes about $8.4 billion to the IMF, to be repaid over the next 3-4 years. The bailout package of $7 billion is less than this amount. There is nothing to celebrate,” Yousuf Nazar, a leading economic commentator and former Citigroup executive, wrote Saturday on social media platform X while commenting on the new IMF deal.
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NEW DELHI — When the son of Asia’s richest man gets married, the celebrations are expected to be lavish. But the breathtaking scale of the festivities held for the youngest son of Indian business tycoon Mukesh Ambani has become the talk of the country.

Anant Ambani tied the knot with his fiancée, Radhika Merchant, Friday in Mumbai at a star-studded event where the guests included reality TV star, Kim Kardashian, actors Nick Jonas, Priyanka Chopra and John Cena, former British prime ministers Tony Blair and Boris Johnson, as well as the who’s who of India from Bollywood stars and politicians to top businessmen.

The nuptials marked neither the start nor the end of the extravaganza. More parties are in store for the weekend. They will cap monthslong prewedding bashes where international pop stars Justin Bieber and Rihanna have performed, and India’s most popular actors have shaken a leg.

In India, where weddings have long been a display of status and wealth, the Ambani gala has surpassed anything the country has seen so far. For some it marked the arrival of Indian billionaires and their growing global clout. Others saw the glitzy celebrations as shining a light on the country’s growing wealth inequalities.

Mukesh Ambani’s wealth is estimated at $124 billion, according to Forbes. The family’s sprawling business empire, Reliance Industries, spans interests in petrochemicals and oil and gas to telecoms and retail.

“If you look at it, in the past, it was the great Indian maharajas who lived and celebrated on this scale. The maharajas of this new era in India are really the billionaires,” Harish Bijoor, a brand consultant, told VOA in a phone interview.

“When guests come from across continents, it shows not just that they know how to do it in style, but also the influence they command,” he added.

Declaring the wedding a public event, Mumbai police blocked key roads around the Ambani-owned Jio Convention Center where ceremonies began last Friday. Many offices in the busy business hub where it is situated declared work-from-home for their staff.

The celebrations have set off a social media frenzy, with millions of Indians transfixed by the events. They have closely scrutinized the grand, sequin-studded outfits and stunning jewelry that included outsized emeralds and diamonds worn by the Ambani family. There has been huge speculation around how much the parties cost. The wedding invitations were made of silver and gold, according to local media reports.

While the events were private, leaked videos have made the rounds on social media.

Reliance’s official Facebook page has also shared some video clips of dance performances and photographs of the events.

The list of VIP’s who have joined in the celebrations is long. In March, at a three-day prewedding event in Ambani’s ancestral hometown of Jamnagar, among the 1,200 guests were tech billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner and a string of Bollywood stars. One hundred chefs whipped up some 500 dishes. Rihanna performed for the guests.

In May, the Ambanis went on a four-day European cruise on a chartered luxury ship that began in the Sicilian city of Palermo and ended in Rome. Videos showed performances on the liner by the Backstreet Boys, Pitbull and David Guetta and singer Katy Perry belting out numbers at a masquerade ball in Cannes.

In Indian living rooms, where cricket, Bollywood and politics usually hog the conversation, the Ambani wedding has become the hot topic of conversation, with opinion divided on whether the celebrations are too ostentatious or the billionaire family had the right to spend their money as they want in a country where the big fat Indian wedding is the norm for even the middle class.

India’s wedding industry is worth $130 billion, nearly double that of the United States, according to a report by Jefferies, a global investment firm.

“Why should the Ambanis make it a small affair? If they have the money, then why should they not splash on their wedding when the average Indian also does the same?” Bindu Sachthey, a New Delhi resident told VOA. “I don’t agree with people who criticize or troll them for this gala affair. I am enjoying having a peek into how the ultrarich celebrate.”

As the Ambani fortunes have grown in recent decades, the family has scaled up its lifestyle. Their Mumbai residence, built in 2010, is a 27-story private apartment building, with three helipads, a private movie theater and a hanging garden.

Some said the ostentatious celebrations made them uncomfortable in a country where millionaires and billionaires are multiplying as the economy grows, but the per capita annual income is still about $2,700.

India has 200 billionaires, worth around $1trillion in wealth, nearly a quarter of the country’s 2023 gross domestic product, according to Forbes.

“I am very ambivalent about these celebrations. I would rather Indian billionaires do more for philanthropy and use their wealth for society rather than spend in this manner,” said author Gurcharan Das, author and former top business executive told VOA.

“But if some of the influential and rich foreign guests who came here decide that this is the time to invest in a rising India, I would say brilliant, the wedding would have served a purpose.” 
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SYDNEY — Russia has accused Australia of inciting “anti-Russian paranoia” for charging a Russian-born couple with espionage, the Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) reported Saturday.

The married couple, who hold Australian citizenship, were arrested on charges of working to access material related to Australia’s national security, though no significant compromise had been identified, the Australian Federal Police said on Friday.

The woman, 40, an information systems technician in the Australian Army, traveled to Russia and instructed her husband in Australia to log into her official account to access defense materials, police said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, speaking to reporters on Friday, warned that “people will be held to account who interfere with our national interests and that’s precisely what these arrests represent.”

Russia’s embassy in the capital, Canberra, said a press conference by Australian authorities on Friday about the arrests “was clearly intended to launch another wave of anti-Russian paranoia in Australia,” the ABC said, citing an embassy statement.

The embassy requested written information from the Australian authorities on the couple’s situation and was considering “appropriate measures of consular assistance,” the ABC reported.

The embassy did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.

On Friday, Igor and Kira Korolev appeared in the magistrate’s court in Brisbane, court filings show, charged with one count each of preparing for an espionage offense, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in jail. The charges are the first under laws introduced in 2018.

They did not apply for bail and were remanded in custody until September 20 when they are next due to appear, media reported.

Australia, one of the largest non-NATO contributors to the West’s support for Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion, announced a A$250 million ($170 million) military aid package for Kyiv on Thursday at a NATO summit in Washington.

Canberra has been supplying defense equipment to Kyiv, banned exports of aluminum ores to Russia and sanctioned more than 1,000 Russian individuals and entities.
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seoul, south korea — North Korea has denounced a declaration at a recent NATO summit that condemned Pyongyang’s weapons exports to Russia, calling the document “illegal,” state media said Saturday.

In a joint declaration this week, NATO leaders condemned North Korea for “fueling Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” by “providing direct military support” to Moscow.

NATO leaders also voiced “profound concern” over China’s industrial support to Russia.

Pyongyang has repeatedly denied allegations that it is shipping weapons to Moscow, but in June leader Kim Jong Un and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin signed an agreement that included a pledge to come to each other’s military aid if attacked.

Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency reported Saturday that the foreign ministry “most strongly denounces and rejects” the NATO declaration.

Citing a ministry spokesman, the agency said the declaration “incites new Cold War and military confrontation on a global scale,” and requires “a new force and mode of counteraction.”

On the sidelines of the NATO summit, Seoul and Washington this week also signed guidelines on an integrated system of deterrence for the Korean peninsula to counter North Korea’s nuclear and military threats.

South Korea’s presidential office said Seoul and Washington will carry out joint military drills to help implement the newly announced guidelines, which formalize the deployment of U.S. nuclear assets on and around the Korean peninsula to deter and respond to potential nuclear attacks by Pyongyang.

Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in years, with Pyongyang ramping up weapons testing as it draws closer to Russia.

After Pyongyang sent multiple barrages of trash-carrying balloons across the border, Seoul last month fully suspended a tension-reducing military deal and resumed live-fire drills on border islands and by the demilitarized zone that divides the Korean peninsula.
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Islamabad — A new United Nations report says the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an alliance of extremist groups, is “the largest terrorist group” in Afghanistan and receives growing support from that country’s Taliban rulers to conduct cross-border attacks in Pakistan.

The U.N. sanctions monitoring team released the assessment late Wednesday amid a dramatic surge in TTP-led terror attacks against Pakistani security forces and civilians, killing hundreds of them in recent weeks.

“TTP continues to operate at a significant scale in Afghanistan and to conduct terrorist operations into Pakistan from there, often utilizing Afghans,” the report read. It noted that the globally designated terrorist group, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, is operating in Afghanistan with an estimated strength of 6,000-6,500 fighters.

“Further, the Taliban have proved unable or unwilling to manage the threat from Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, whose attacks into Pakistan have intensified,” the document said. “Taliban support to TTP also appears to have increased.”

The deadly violence has strained relations between Islamabad and the de facto Taliban government in Kabul, which denies allegations of the presence of any terrorist groups or that it allows the use of Afghan soil to threaten neighboring countries.

“The Taliban do not conceive of TTP as a terrorist group: the bonds are close, and the debt owed to TTP is significant,” the U.N. report said. 

TTP emerged in Pakistan’s volatile border areas in 2007, providing recruits and shelter to the Afghan Taliban as they intensified insurgent attacks against U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan in the years that followed.

The international forces withdrew from the country in August 2021, clearing the way for the Taliban to reclaim power from the then-U.S.-backed Afghan government in Kabul.

Al-Qaida links

The U.N. report said regional al-Qaida operatives in Afghanistan, who have long-term ties to the Taliban, are assisting TTP in conducting high-profile terrorist activities inside Pakistan.

The Taliban have not immediately responded to the latest U.N. findings, but they have previously rejected such reports as propaganda meant to malign their government, which they call the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

The U.N. assessment quoted member states as noting that TTP operatives, along with local fighters, are being trained in al-Qaida camps that the terrorist outfit has set up in multiple border provinces such as Nangarhar, Kandahar, Kunar, and Nuristan. Al-Qaida’s support for TTP also involves sharing Afghan fighters for military staffing or attack formations.

The report quoted one U.N. member state as expressing concern that “greater collaboration” with al-Qaida could transform TTP into an “extra-regional threat.”

US weapons and TTP

U.N. member states reiterated that NATO “caliber weapons, especially night vision capability, that have been provided to TTP since the Taliban takeover add lethality to TTP terrorist attacks against Pakistani military border posts.”

Officials in Islamabad have also repeatedly attributed the increasing number of casualties among security forces to the modern U.S. weapons that were left behind by international forces and have fallen into the hands of TTP.

The U.S. Department of Defense responded to the allegations in a quarterly report made public in late May, saying that Pakistani intelligence forces recovered a few U.S.-manufactured small arms, including M-16 and M-4 rifles, following counterterrorism operations earlier this year.

“Militants, including the TTP, are probably using only a limited quantity of U.S.-origin weaponry and equipment, including small arms and night vision goggles, to conduct attacks in Pakistan,” the U.S. report said. It added, however, that “the amount of U.S.-origin weaponry that Pakistani sources allege is in the hands of anti-Pakistan militants is likely an exaggeration.”

Islamabad has repeatedly called on Kabul to rein in TTP-led cross-border terrorism, apprehend its leaders, including Mehsud, and hand them over to Pakistan. The Taliban’s response has been that TTP is an internal security issue for Pakistan to handle instead of blaming Afghanistan.

TTP has gradually intensified the number of attacks against Pakistan from 573 in 2021 to 1,203 in 2023, with the trend continuing into 2024, according to the U.N. report. Pakistani officials also attribute the spike in violence to the “greater operational freedom” the terror outfit has enjoyed in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power almost three years ago.

The Taliban’s spy agency, the General Directorate of Intelligence, facilitated three new guest houses in Kabul for TTP leaders and reportedly issued passes to senior TTP figures to facilitate ease of movement and immunity from arrest, as well as weapons permits, according to the U.N. report.

The assessment noted that the Taliban are concerned that “excessive pressure” might lead TTP to collaborate with the Afghanistan-based Islamic State affiliate, known as IS Khorasan, which routinely plots deadly attacks on Taliban security forces and members of the Afghan Shiite minority. 
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