Voters in Indian-controlled Kashmir choose local government for first time since losing autonomy | AP News

Voters in Indian-controlled Kashmir choose local government for first time since losing autonomy | AP News

Security was tight on Wednesday as a phased election for choosing a local government in Indian-controlled Kashmir opened in the first such vote since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government stripped the disputed region of its special status five years ago. (AP video shot by Mehraj Ud Din and Channi Anand) Security was tight on Wednesday

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Blinken expresses frustration at attacks he says threaten to ‘derail’ Israel-Hamas cease-fire talks

Blinken expresses frustration at attacks he says threaten to ‘derail’ Israel-Hamas cease-fire talks

CAIRO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed frustration Wednesday at surprise escalations that he said threaten to derail efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. He said the U.S. is still assessing the previous day’s deadly pager explosions, linked to Israel, in Lebanon. Blinken spoke in Egypt, where

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Thailand will indict ex-security personnel over the deaths of 78 Muslim protesters in 2004

Thailand will indict ex-security personnel over the deaths of 78 Muslim protesters in 2004

BANGKOK (AP) — Eight former state security personnel accused of responsibility for the deaths of 78 Muslim protesters who were arrested in southern Thailand in 2004 will be indicted on murder charges, the prosecutor’s office announced Wednesday. The case earned special notoriety because the manner in which the victims died. They were arrested, had their

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Americans can now renew passports online and bypass cumbersome paper applications

Americans can now renew passports online and bypass cumbersome paper applications

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans can now renew their passports online, bypassing a cumbersome mail-in paper application process that often caused delays. The State Department announced Wednesday that its online passport renewal system is now fully operational. “By offering this online alternative to the traditional paper application process, the Department is embracing digital transformation to offer

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