ISLAMABAD/KABUL -- Pakistan's military said on Friday that 274 Afghan militants were killed and more than 400 were injured in cross-border clashes since Thursday.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Army, told a news briefing that Afghan militants opened fire and launched physical attacks in 53 locations across 15 sectors along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. (Pakistan-Afghanistan-Clash)
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KABUL -- Afghanistan's Minister of Industry and Commerce Nooruddin Azizi has held talks with Uzbekistan's Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev during an official visit to the border city of Termez, the Afghan ministry reported on Friday.
The discussions centered on strengthening bilateral relations, increasing trade volumes, expanding transit cooperation, removing obstacles to trade and transit, and enhancing broader economic collaboration, according to a statement from the ministry. (Afghanistan-Uzbekistan-Trade)
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NEW DELHI -- A local court in the Indian capital New Delhi on Friday discharged former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, and 21 others in the already scrapped excise policy case, officials said.
The special court refused to accept the chargesheet submitted by India's premier investigating agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), citing a lack of evidence and significant gaps in the inquiry. The court held that the chargesheet was not supported by adequate material to justify proceeding to trial. (India-Corruption Case)
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TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi rejected opposition calls on Friday to require prior parliamentary approval for arms exports, saying the matters fall under the government's administrative authority, prompting criticism from opposition parties and civil groups.
During a House of Representatives Budget Committee session on Friday, Takaichi said it would be appropriate for the government to take primary responsibility for approving arms exports after deliberation by the National Security Council, dismissing proposals from opposition lawmakers for a mechanism requiring advance approval by the Diet. (Japan-Takaichi-Arms export) ■



