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This month’s confrontation between India and Pakistan caused a diplomatic, military and political earthquake in Asia and beyond. The tectonic plates will take a while to resettle.  The root cause was all too familiar, dating back to the 1947 partitioning of India and Pakistan and the unresolved issue of Kashmir, control over which remains divided between the two nations. Pakistan’s official position is that this conflict can only be resolved through a plebiscite, as ordered by the UN Security Council in 1948, while India maintains that its control over its part of Kashmir is non-negotiable. Since 1989, the Indian-controlled portion…

The UEFA Conference League final on Wednesday between Chelsea and Real Betis offers the two clubs the chance to cap a successful domestic season (both have already secured European qualification) with major silverware. But the occasion also provides the subplot of two Manchester United loanees aiming to become the latest Old Trafford “rejects” to enjoy success after leaving the fallen giants.Jadon Sancho, who helped Borussia Dortmund to last season’s Champions League final while on loan from United, has spent this season with Chelsea on a deal that could see the former England winger make a £25 million permanent transfer to…

CNN  —  Monday began as a day of celebration for many in Liverpool, the free-spirited, soccer-loving city in northwest England. It ended in panic and horror, after a car rammed crowds and injured dozens of people, including children. Police are now picking through the details of the disturbing incident in the center of the city, which saw the vehicle tear through fans celebrating the Liverpool soccer team’s Premier League title win. An arrest was quickly made, but plenty of questions remain – including why a 53-year-old man drove into a throng of people. Here’s what we know. Liverpool was awash…

CNN  —  India’s financial capital and one of its largest cities has experienced its wettest May in more than a century, with the unusually early arrival of the monsoon season causing a ferocious weekend downpour that turned roads into rivers and flooded a newly inaugurated underground train station. Mumbai, a city of more than 12 million, has recorded more than 400 millimeters of rainfall this month so far, according to data from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), with much of the downpour arriving late last weekend. The deluge caused chaos and delays across transport networks, including at the newly inaugurated…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Drones have harassed airports and bedeviled local police. They have trespassed over nuclear plants and prisons. On the battlefield, they can kill.But aside from shooting down the devices, which may create further danger, there’s often not much anyone can do to stop drones when they pose a threat or wander where they’re not welcome.That’s beginning to change. Cheap and easily modified, unmanned aerial vehicles have become a part of daily life as well as a tool for governments and bad actors alike — used for intelligence gathering, surveillance, sabotage, terrorism and more. Concerns about their misuse have…

BERLIN (AP) — The suspect in a knife attack at a festival in the German city of Solingen went on trial Tuesday on murder and terrorism charges, and acknowledged his guilt as the proceedings opened.Three people were killed in the Aug. 23 attack at a “Festival of Diversity” marking the 650th anniversary of the city in western Germany. The Syrian man, who has been identified only as Issa Al H. in line with German privacy rules, was arrested a day after the attack.He is charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and membership in a foreign…

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland is set to hold a presidential runoff election on Sunday, with a right-wing nationalist and a pro-European liberal running neck-and-neck in a race that could shape the future of one of NATO’s and the European Union’s most strategically important member states.The vote comes amid heightened regional tensions driven by Russia’s war in neighboring Ukraine, security concerns across Europe and internal debates about the rule of law.The winner will replace conservative incumbent Andrzej Duda, whose second term expires this summer. Most political power in Poland lies with a government led by a prime minister and parliament,…

LONDON (AP) — Tesla sales across Europe plunged by half last month even as growth in the electric car market picked up pace, according to data released Tuesday.The numbers are the latest indication of how much the Tesla brand is suffering because of the backlash against billionaire CEO Elon Musk over his far-right views. Sales of Tesla vehicles in 32 European countries tumbled 49% to 7,261 in April from 14,228 in the same month the previous year, according to the figures released by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, or ACEA. At the same time, sales of battery-electric vehicles by all…

Reuters  —  India’s defense minister has approved a framework for building the country’s most advanced stealth fighter jet, the defense ministry said on Tuesday, amid a new arms race with Pakistan weeks after a military conflict between the neighbors. Indian state-run Aeronautical Development Agency, which is executing the program, will shortly invite initial interest from defense firms for developing a prototype of the warplane, envisaged as a twin-engine 5th generation fighter, the ministry said. The project is crucial for the Indian Air Force, whose squadrons of mainly Russian and ex-Soviet aircraft have fallen to 31 from an approved strength of…

CNN  —  Shai Gilgeous-Alexander enjoyed arguably the best playoff game of his career to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 128-126 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves and to within one game of the NBA Finals. After suffering a 42-point beatdown in Game 3, the Thunder led the Timberwolves for the vast majority of a tight Game 4, never trailing after the opening seven minutes. Oklahoma City’s lead grew to 11 at the start of the third quarter – the largest lead of the night for either team – and, behind Gilgeous-Alexander’s blistering offensive display, managed to hold off a…