Google Alert – BD Army
Leo will surely like what he sees: For the past week, bands of young Catholics from around the world have invaded the area around St. Peter’s Square for their special Jubilee celebration, in this Holy Year in which 32 million people are expected to descend on Rome to participate in a centuries-old pilgrimage to the seat of Catholicism.
The young people have been traipsing through cobblestoned streets in color-coordinated t-shirts, praying the Rosary and singing hymns with guitars, bongo drums and tambourines shimmying alongside. Using their flags as tarps to shield them from the sun, they have taken over entire piazzas for Christian rock concerts and inspirational talks, and stood for hours at the Circus Maximus to confess their sins to 1,000 priests offering the sacrament in a dozen different languages.
On Saturday, they began arriving at the Tor Vergata field on the eastern flank of Rome for the culmination of their Jubilee celebration – the encounter with Leo. “AP
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Pakistan Army inducts Z-10ME helicopters to ‘reinforce battlefield response’
ISLAMABAD, Aug 2: The Pakistan Army has inducted Z-10ME attack helicopters to reinforce its “integrated battlefield response”, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday.
The Aviation Industry Corporation of China had displayed its Z-10 attack helicopter for the first time outside its home country at the Singapore Airshow in February 2024, according to Reuters. It also noted that as of then, the model had Pakistan as the only known export customer, but no sales had been announced at the air show.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir presided over the induction ceremony and later witnessed a firepower demonstration by the “newly inducted Z-10ME helicopters” at the Muzaffargarh Field Firing Ranges, the ISPR said in a press release, without specifying the number of the craft acquired. “DAWN
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Trump orders nuclear submarines moved after Russian ‘provocative statements’
WASHINGTON, Aug 2: U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in “the appropriate regions” in response to remarks from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev about the risk of war between the nuclear-armed adversaries.
Security analysts called Trump’s move a rhetorical escalation with Moscow, but not necessarily a military one, given that the United States already has nuclear-powered submarines that are deployed and capable of striking Russia.
Medvedev on Thursday said Trump should remember that Moscow possessed Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities of last resort, after Trump had told Medvedev to “watch his words.” “REUTERS
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Turkey, Italy and Libya hold talks in Istanbul
ISTANBUL, Aug 2: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday hosted a mini-summit in Istanbul with the prime ministers of Italy and Libya’s UN-recognised government for talks on several issues including migration, officials said.
Images from what the Turkish presidency called “Turkey-Italy-Libya cooperation summit” at Erdogan’s Istanbul office showed leaders gathered around a table. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also attended the talks.
At the meeting, Erdogan said it was important to cooperate in addressing the challenges faced by the Mediterranean basin, including irregular migration movements, according to his office. “AFP
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Iran president lands in Lahore, eyeing to boost trade ties
LAHORE,Aug 2: Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian landed in Lahore on Saturday, eyeing to reaffirm his commitment to elevate the annual bilateral trade with Pakistan.
Pakistan has recently expressed solidarity and a desire for cooperation with Iran, which experts say is vital to securing shared interests in a shifting geopolitical environment.
Pezeshkian is paying a two-day official visit to Pakistan over the weekend, making it his first trip to Islamabad in his current role, the Foreign Office said. Ahead of his trip, Pakistan yesterday pledged to help defuse tensions between Iran and the United States.
Ex-premier and MNA Nawaz Sharif and his daughter, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, received the distinguished guest upon his arrival in Lahore.
According to PTV News, the Iranian president will pay a visit to Mazar-i-Iqbal and then head to Islamabad, where he will meet with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
PM Shehbaz had met with Pezeshkian during his visit to Iran in late May, which was part of his regional tour to friendly countries aimed at expressing gratitude for their support during the conflict with India. “DAWN
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India Will Buy Russian Oil Despite Trump’s Threats
NEW YORK, Aug 2: Indian officials said on Saturday that they would keep purchasing cheap oil from Russia despite a threat of penalties from President Trump, the latest twist in an issue that New Delhi thought it had settled.
Mr. Trump said last week that as part of his latest round of tariffs, he would impose an unspecified additional penalty on India if it did not cut off its imports of Russian crude oil. On Friday, he appeared to echo reports of a recent dip in the arrival of Russian oil to India.
“I understand that India is no longer going to be buying oil from Russia,” he told reporters. “That’s what I heard. I don’t know if that’s right or not. That is a good step. We will see what happens.”
But on Saturday, two senior Indian officials said there had been no change in policy. One official said the government had “not given any direction to oil companies” to cut back imports from Russia.
At a news conference a day earlier, Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesman for India’s foreign ministry, declined to address Mr. Trump’s threat directly. But he suggested there would be no change of policy regarding Russia. “NYT