KASHMIR: Four Indian soldiers were killed in a gun battle with rebels fighting New Delhi’s rule in the disputed territory, officials said today. The Indian army said one suspected militant had also been killed.

The fighting started on Wednesday, days after Indian troops started searching for militants in dense forests, a military official said.

CONGO: A rebel group with alleged links to neighbouring Rwanda claimed on Wednesday that it had seized Mweso in Congo’s conflict-hit eastern region amid intense fighting.

The town came under the control of the M23 rebel group following days of battles with government-backed forces, said group spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka.

UNITED STATES: Former high-ranking US government official Stuart Seldowitz was arrested on Wednesday after being captured on video harassing a halal food vendor in New York City by labelling him a “terrorist” and saying the death of 4,000 Palestinian children in Gaza “wasn’t enough.”

Mr Seldowitz, who previously served as deputy director of the US State Department’s office of Israel and Palestinian affairs, was arrested on charges of aggravated harassment, hate crime stalking, stalking causing fear and stalking at a place of employment, New York police said in a statement.

LIBERIA: The party of President George Weah, the Coalition for Democratic Change, alleged today that the opposition had rigged last week’s presidential run-off vote won by Joseph Boakai. 

Although the party raised concerns, a statement said that, in the interests of national unity, it did not intend to take the matter further.

The final results, released on Monday, showed that Mr Boakai had won by just over 20,000 votes.