Indian Sub-continent

KABUL, Jul 18 (NNN-ANA) – The Afghan security forces have seized a variety of arms and ammunition, during a series of operations in south-western Nimroz province, the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) said, in a statement today.

The confiscated weapons included 107 pistols, 24 assault rifles, and a good quantity of munitions, such as cartridges and bullets, the statement added.

The statement did not mention, if anyone had been arrested during the operations.

COLOMBO, Jul 18 (NNN-XINHUA) – Over 3,000 people have visited the artificial beach, built in the Port City Colombo, in the first two days since its opening on Saturday, state media reported, today.

This is the first artificial beach built in Sri Lanka, and visitors can enter the beach free of charge, the state-owned Daily News reported.

Food stalls with local and foreign cuisine and facilities for swimming and water sports on the artificial beach are available, the Daily News reported.

BENGALURU, July 18 (Reuters) - India's second-largest software services exporter Infosys (INFY.NS) said on Monday it has signed a deal with an existing client to provide artificial intelligence (AI) and automation services that will span over five years, with a target spend estimated at $2 billion.

AI and automation-related development, modernization and maintenance services are included in the agreement, the company said in an exchange filing.

The company did not disclose the client's name.

New Delhi, Jul 18 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear on July 21 an appeal of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi challenging the Gujarat High Court's verdict which dismissed his plea seeking a stay on his conviction in a defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark.

A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and Manoj Mishra agreed to hear the plea after senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Gandhi, sought listing of the appeal on July 21 or July 24.

Thane, Jul 18 (PTI) A special court here in Maharashtra has convicted a 29-year-old man for molesting a teenage girl in the lift of her building and handed him rigorous imprisonment for six months.

The incident occurred in August 2018 after the girl, then aged 13, entered the elevator to reach her flat located on the sixth floor of the building.

Islamabad, Jul 18 (PTI) Cash-strapped Pakistan has received a rollover of an additional USD 600 million loan from its all-weather ally China to help shore up the country's foreign exchange reserves on the back of an IMF deal, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday.

It is in addition to the over USD 5 billion in loans that Beijing has rolled over for Pakistan in the last three months, helping the debt-ridden nation avert a default as negotiations to secure the IMF bailout dragged on, the Dawn newspaper reported.

Bengaluru, Jul 18 (PTI) Several opposition leaders hit out at the BJP on Tuesday, saying their meeting here is aimed at saving the country, democracy and the Constitution.

They alleged the country's democracy was being "played with" under the BJP government and there was a need to protect the "idea of India".

Deliberations at the opposition unity meeting underway in Bengaluru aim at giving the grouping of 26 parties a name, structure and common agenda to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

DHAKA, Jul 17 (NNN-BSS) – At least three bodies were recovered, after a waterbus capsized in the Buriganga river, in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, last night, a police official said.

Shahinur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Dhaka’s Kotwali police station, said that, “the bodies of two men and a boy have so far been retrieved.”

According to the official, the boat carrying about 60 people, capsized following a collision with a sand-laden vessel on the river, at around 8:15 p.m. local time yesterday.

NEW DELHI (AP) — Finance ministers from the Group of 20 nations meeting in India on Monday are poised to address critical global economic challenges, including the threats posed by climate change and rising debt among low-income countries.

The finance minister of India, which is hosting the global grouping, said the G20 will focus on strengthening the global economy as growth remains uneven and below average.

16 July 2023; MEMO: The Secretary General of the Makkah-based NGO Muslim World League (MWL), Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa has paid a visit to a Hindu temple in New Delhi as part of a five-day visit to India.

Issa who is also President of the International Islamic Halal Organisation, spent three hours at the Swaminarayan Akshardham on Thursday and engaged in interfaith dialogue with representatives of the Hindu community.