Dozens of Indian paramilitaries were killed in the first suicide car bombing in the disputed region of Kashmir in nearly two decades. A lone militant is believed to have driven a vehicle laden with explosives close to a central reserve police force (CRPF) convoy and detonated it just after 3pm on Valentiner's Day on a busy highway outside the state capital of Srinagar.

"The convoy was coming into Kashmir valley and was hit by a vehicle explosion which was carried out by a suicide bomber," Sanjay Sharma, a CRPF spokesman, said. "It was a very powerful explosion and a bus has been completely shredded." Just just 3 days later, four more soldiers and a police officer were killed as they searched a village in Kashmir's southern Pulwama district for those involved with JeM. Eventually 3 militants were killed in an operation lasting 16 hours.

Seven MPs resigned from the Labour Party in protest at Jeremy Corbyn's approach to Brexit and anti-Semitism. They are: Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith, Mike Gapes, Gavin Shuker and Ann Coffey. Ms Berger said Labour had become institutionally anti-Semitic and she was "embarrassed and ashamed" to stay.

Mr Corbyn said he was "disappointed" the MPs had felt unable to continue working for the policies that "inspired millions" at the 2017 election. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said the "honourable thing for them to do" would be to stand down as MPs and seek to return to Parliament in by-elections. But Chuka Umunna, who enjoys the highest profile of the lot and was once compared to Barack Obama, said they had "taken the first step" and urged other Labour MPs - and members of other parties - to join them in "building a new politics".

Saudi Arabia pledged investment deals worth $20bn (£15.5bn) with Pakistan which is seeking to bolster its fragile economy. The deals include funding for an $8bn oil refinery in the city of Gwadar. It came as part of a high-profile Asian tour by the kingdom's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Pakistan is suffering a financial crisis. It has only $8bn left in foreign reserves and is looking to international backers for support.

Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan has been seeking help from friendly countries in order to cut the size of the bailout package his country is likely to need from the International Monetary Fund, under very strict conditions. The country is seeking its 13th bailout since the late 1980s and Saudi Arabia has already provided a $6bn loan.

Poland's prime minister accused Israel's foreign minister of racism in an escalating diplomatic row over the Holocaust that resulted in the cancellation this week of an international summit in Jerusalem. Mateusz Morawiecki withdrew his country's involvement in the summit after Yisrael Katz, who was appointed acting Israeli foreign minister on Sunday, said Poles "suckle antisemitism with their mother's milk" and accused all Polish people of harbouring "innate" antisemitism.

Katz's remarks were "unacceptable", Morawiecki said."Not only can we not accept such racist comments, but with all our strength we want to stress that we will fight for historical truth, for the honour of Poles," he told reporters.

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