Dainik Jagran

NEW DELHI -- For nearly three centuries, Muslims and Hindus in India’s northern Varanasi city have prayed to their gods in a mosque and a temple that are separated by one wall. Many see it as an example of religious coexistence in a country where bouts of deadly communal violence are common. That coexistence is now under threat due to a controversial court case. A local court earlier this month began hearing a petition filed by a group of Hindus that seeks access to pray inside the Gyanvapi mosque compound, arguing it was built on top of the ruins of a medieval-era temple that was razed by a Mughal emperor. The petitioners say the complex still houses Hindu idols and motifs, a claim that has been contested by the mosque’s authorities. The legal battle is the latest instance of a growing phenomenon in which Hindu groups petition courts demanding land they claim belongs to Hindus. Critics say such cases spark fears over the status of religious places for India’s Muslims, a minority comm...

ISLAMABAD -- Defiant former Prime Minister Imran Khan early Thursday warned Pakistan's government to set new election s in the next six days or he will again march on the capital along with 3 million people. Khan spoke at a rally of thousands of demonstrators in Islamabad aiming to bring down the government and force early election s. The government earlier had summoned troops to guard important buildings, including the parliament and offices of the president and Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. The measures came following clashes between demonstrators and police. Khan in his address claimed that five of his supporters were killed in the violence across the country. There was no immediate comment from the government about Khan's claim, whose supporters were dispersing. Earlier, Khan had vowed that he will stage a prolonged sit-in to get his demands accepted. Khan, a former cricket star turned Islamist politician, was prime minister for over three and half years until being ouste...

CANBERRA, Australia -- Australia’s new government has urged China to lift trade sanctions if it wants to reset a bilateral relationship that plumbed new depths under the previous administration. The Chinese premier’s congratulatory letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on his election victory was widely seen as a relaxation of Beijing’s two-year ban on high-level government contact with Australia . Premier Li Keqiang said China was ready to work with Australia to development the bilateral relationship. But Albanese said it was China, not Australia, that had changed since his center-left Labor Party was last in power in 2013. China has created a series of official and unofficial trade barriers in recent years to a range of Australian exports worth billions of dollars including coal, wine, barley, beef and seafood. “It is China that has placed sanctions on Australia,” Albanese told reporters Tuesday at a Tokyo summit that he attended with President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister...

HONG KONG -- Former Hong Kong Catholic leader Cardinal Joseph Zen and five others have denied charges for allegedly failing to register a relief fund aimed at financially assisting protesters who faced legal costs during the 2019 anti-government protests. The six, which also include singer Denise Ho and former opposition lawmakers Margaret Ng and Cyd Ho, were first arrested two weeks ago on suspicion of collusion with foreign forces but were not charged. They appeared at Hong Kong’s West Kowloon court Tuesday. Zen and the five others were trustees of the now-defunct 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which was set up in 2019 to assist protesters who required financial assistance with legal or medical costs. They were charged with failing to register the fund as an organization with the police — an offense that could incur a fine of up to 10,000 Hong Kong dollars ($1,275). The trial will begin Sept. 19, and will take place over five days. Cardinal Zen’s arrest was condemned internationally,...