Former Afghan national security adviser announces candidacy

A former national security adviser has registered as a candidate for president of Afghanistan and called on the Taliban to engage in peace negotiations to end the country's 17-year war.

Mohammad Hanif Atmar, of the Peace and Moderation party, announced his candidacy on Friday in an address to hundreds of supporters at a hotel in Kabul.

Afghans go to the polls to elect a new president on July 20.

Current Afghan president Mohammad Ashraf Ghani says he will register to run for re-election in the coming two days.

The Taliban have been steadfast in their refusal to enter peace talks with the Afghan government and have also threatened to halt talks with the United States.

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Experts, images suggest a Saudi ballistic missile programme is in the works

Question remains where Saudi Arabia gained the technical know-how to build such a facility. A military base deep inside Saudi Arabia appears to be testing and possibly manufacturing ballistic missiles, experts and satellite images suggest, evidence of the type of weapons programme it has long criticised its arch-rival Iran for possessing. Further raising the stakes for any such programme are comments by Saudi Arabia's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who said last year that the kingdom wouldn't hesitate to develop nuclear weapons if Iran does. Ballistic missiles can carry nuclear warheads to targets thousands of kilometres away. Officials in Riyadh and the Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment. Having such a programme could further strain relations with the United States, the kingdom's longtime security partner, at a time when ties already are being tested by the killing of Washington Post ...

Sarfraz apologises for 'black guy' comment

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Two youths killed by Indian forces in occupied Kashmir

Indian government has deployed forces across occupied Kashmir as residents observe Black Day. Indian troops killed two Kashmiri youths in the Khonmoh area of Srinagar, Kashmir Media Service (KMS) said on Saturday. Clashes between Indian police and residents of the area erupted in the aftermath of the killings, when Indian police used force to disperse demonstrators who had come out on the streets to protest. The killings took place on India's Republic Day, which is observed as Black Day by residents of Indian-occupied Kashmir and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The call to observe India's Republic Day as Black Day was given by the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), that is led by Syed Ali Gillani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, the KMS said. The JRL leaders said in a statement that India had "no justification" to observe Republic Day in held Kashmir as the territory had been "illegally occupied" against the wishes of Kashmiri ...

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