7 killed, 3 injured in twin blasts in Pakistan
Peshawar, June 20: At least seven people were killed and three others injured on Saturday in twin roadside blasts in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said. No group has claimed responsibility for it yet. The explosions occurred in Marka Bera area of the Bannu district. According to a police official, the first explosion occurred when an improvised explosive device (IED) planted along a roadside detonated, striking a passenger van and killing five people on the spot. He said a second blast occurred shortly afterwards at the same location, targeting people involved in rescue efforts. Two people were killed in the second explosion, while a vehicle was also damaged. (PTI)
Trump deepens dustup with Meloni over disputed photo
Washington, June 20: US President Donald Trump on Saturday lashed out at Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, insisting that she asked “over and over” for a photo with him at the G7 summit and criticising what he said was Italy’s lack of cooperation during the Iran war. The remarks deepen the spat that began this week with Trump’s interview with an Italian broadcaster, during which Trump claimed Meloni “begged” for the photo during the G7 meeting in France. Meloni has called that “completely fabricated.” The dustup led Italy’s foreign minister to cancel a planned trip to the US as Meloni’s government lined up in her defence. (AP)
Indian man jailed in UK for smuggling people to France
London, June 20: An Indian man who admitted smuggling migrants from the UK to France in the back of trucks has been jailed for more than five years by a court in south-east England. Jaskirat Singh, 25, was prosecuted by the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) over his role in facilitating the illegal movement of non-British nationals between December 2024 and March 2026. Earlier this month, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to facilitate illegal immigration. Singh, who was sentenced by the Canterbury Crown Court on Thursday, is believed to have earned around 185,000 pounds through the illegal operations. (PTI)
UK man under probe after Pak visit convicted of terror offences
London, June 20: A 20-year-old man in the UK who was under the scanner of security agencies after a trip to Pakistan has been convicted of sharing and possessing Islamist terrorist material. Shuja Gibraeel Mohsin was found guilty on Friday at the end of a two-week trial at the Old Bailey court in London and will be sentenced on August 14. “Mohsin was stopped in January 2024 by Counter Terrorism officers at Heathrow airport as he returned to the UK from a trip to Pakistan,” the Metropolitan Police said. He was allowed to go after his phone and other devices were examined. “They found evidence that Mohsin had been viewing material and joined various chat groups linked to extreme Islamist groups, including the Taliban, Hamas and Daesh (ISIS),” the police said. (PTI)
