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India and Pakistan tensions flare over Kashmir

India’s home minister Rajnath Singh will travel will travel to Pakistan next week for a one-day regional meeting but will not hold a one-on-one with his Pakistani counterpart, the Indian foreign ministry said.

The meeting in Islamabad will be bewteen home ministers from countries belonging to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).


It comes days after India lashed out at Pakistan, accusing its neighbour of fanning violent protests in Indian-administered Kashmir that have claimed more than 50 lives this month.

“There is no such proposal (for a bilateral meeting),” foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said in New Delhi.

“We want a peaceful, cooperative relation with Pakistan. We are prepared to discuss all outstanding issues with Pakistan but in an atmosphere free of terror and violence,” he said, without specifying which issues would be raised in the August 4 meeting.

The SAARC group includes India, Pakistan, Nepal, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

In a surprise move last December, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif with a view to restarting a stalled dialogue.

But planned peace talks were postponed after seven Indian soldiers died when an air base came under attack in January, which New Delhi blamed on a banned Pakistan-based group.

Indian-administered Kashmir has seen massive protests since the killing on July 8 of popular young rebel leader Burhan Wani in a gunfight with soldiers.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the rivals won independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the territory in full.

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India leads global heat rankings with top 50 cities

Experts say India has always had hot summers, but the widespread and intense heat across regions suggests a change

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India leads global heat rankings with top 50 cities

Highlights

  • World's 39 hottest cities all in India on April 29.
  • Banda hit 46.2°C, highest temperature globally on April 27.
  • Uttar Pradesh has 21 of 50 hottest cities.
India has swept the entire global heat map. On April 27 all 50 of the world's hottest cities were in India, according to data from AQI.in. Not one entry came from the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa, or Australia.

The pattern continued on April 29, with the world’s top 39 hottest cities all located in Indian states. Sasaram in Bihar led at 45°C, followed by Varanasi and Balangir at the same temperature.

Mirzapur and Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh also recorded 45°C, while Buxar in Bihar matched this temperature.

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