No more deadly venture

As elections near, India's nationalist BJP is trying to wrestle votes away from the opposition in Indian-administrated Kashmir. But standard campaign tactics might not be enough to win over Muslim voters in the region.

ing Abdullah II of Jordan defends his country's actions in shooting down Iranian missiles on Saturday, saying that Jordan's security comes above all else. Also, MPs in the UK back a new bill to ban smoking in the country, but Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces rebellion from within the Conservative Party. Finally, Paris Saint-Germain mount a comeback to beat Barcelona and qualify for the Champions League semi-final, with one Spanish newspaper blaming the result on "suspect refereeing".

Authorities in Germany's Bavaria say they want to restrict the use of cannabis at festivals and beer gardens. Germany legalized recreational marijuana earlier this month, a move opposed by the Bavaria-based CSU.

Solomon Islanders began voting on Wednesday in a crucial election that will decide China's foothold in the Pacific region. Polling booths opened at 7 a.m. local time on Wednesday (2000 GMT on Tuesday), with almost 420,000 registered voters to elect 50 members of the national parliament. There are more than 1,000 polling stations scattered across the Solomons archipelago, 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) off Australia's coast.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated in Russia and Kazakhstan as the worst flooding in decades continues. In Orenburg, floodwaters rose higher than official expectations.

Members of the United Nations Security Council failed to reach a consensus on a Palestinian bid for full UN membership.