AP, Peshawar
The death toll from twin blasts in the northwestern town of Parachinar climbed to 45 overnight, bringing the overall death toll from three separate attacks in Pakistan on Friday to 61, with several others in critical condition, officials said.
Shahid Khan, a government official in Parachinar, confirmed the toll Saturday, saying residents who had been preparing to celebrate the end of Ramadan were now in mourning. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a Sunni extremist group, claimed the twin bombings at a crowded market in the Shiite-dominated town, linking them to sectarian fighting in Syria.
Trump admin OKs drone sale to India
AP, Washington
The Trump administration has authorized the sale of unarmed surveillance drones to India, the manufacturer said Friday, as the two nations’ leaders prepare for their first face-to-face meeting.
India initiated its request to buy 22 Guardian MQ-9B unmanned aircraft for maritime surveillance last year. The deal is estimated to be worth about $2 billion. The offer is still subject to congressional approval.
Iran offers S Arabia help after Mecca bombing
PTI, Tehran
Iran on Saturday condemned a suicide bombing near Islam’s holiest site in Mecca and offered Saudi Arabia its assistance in tackling terrorism despite their severed ties.
“Iran… as always expresses its readiness to assist and cooperate with other countries to confront these criminals, who deal death and ignorantly spread hate,” foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghassemi said.
Colombian rebels release kidnapped Dutch journalists
AP, Netherlands
Two Dutch journalists who were kidnapped earlier this week by leftist rebels in Colombia have been released unharmed, Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Bert Koenders said early Saturday.
Koenders said in a statement that Derk Bolt and Eugenio Follender “are doing relatively well under the circumstances.”
Koenders said he spoke by phone to the journalists shortly after their release.
