Tehran, July 29: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday claimed that its Aerospace Force has attacked a US air base and the US Central Command (CENTCOM) headquarters of the American military in Jordan, local media reported.

Highlighting that the action was taken in response to attacks carried out by the US military against Iran, the IRGC statement mentioned that its Aerospace Force attacked the US air base and the US military’s CENTCOM headquarters in Jordan using ballistic missiles. The IRGC vowed to continue resistance until Iran faces “threats, illegal and hostile moves” from the US forces, Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.

The latest attack comes amid renewed tensions in West Asia following the military exchanges between Iran and the US.

Meanwhile, the US military said that it intercepted multiple ballistic missiles launched from Iran in what it described as an attempted “surprise attack” on American forces in the Middle East.

“At 5:45 p.m. ET today, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on US forces based in the Middle East,” the US Central Command (CENTCOM) wrote on X.

“All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted,” it said, adding “US forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness.”

On July 24, IRGC said that its forces carried out retaliatory strikes against the US bases and assets in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan. In statements carried by its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC said the strikes were conducted in response to what it described as US “crimes” against Iran.

The IRGC said its forces had targeted and completely destroyed a “very large” US ammunition depot at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait using “advanced and ultra-heavy” kamikaze drones, Xinhua News Agency reported. It further said that its forces targeted facilities housing US forces at the base.

The IRGC said its forces completed their earlier military operation against the data centre of a US firm in Bahrain, destroying its remaining building. It further said that it has destroyed three US ammunition and equipment depots at the Al-Adiri Camp in Kuwait, and targetted the watchtower of the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.

The IRGC also said US fighter aircraft suffered damage after its aerospace forces struck Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan. It further mentioned that barracks housing US forces at the base were also targeted.

According to the statement, the IRGC’s forces destroyed a Patriot air defence system and an espionage balloon and hit the US troop accommodation facilities after it carried out operations against US military positions in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

New Delhi, July 29: Indian travellers can now use the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to make online bookings for At the Top, Burj Khalifa, with the iconic attraction becoming the first in the UAE to accept the payment system for e-commerce transactions, NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) said on Wednesday.

The international arm of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) said the launch of the facility is in partnership with NEOPAY and Emaar Entertainment.

The move enables Indian visitors to book tickets and experiences at the world’s tallest building through the attraction’s official website using UPI-enabled payment apps before travelling to the UAE.

The latest integration builds on NIPL’s existing partnership with NEOPAY.

Since the introduction of QR code-based UPI merchant payments in the UAE in 2022, Indian travellers have been able to use UPI for payments at merchants across NEOPAY’s network. With the new rollout, UPI acceptance has now been extended to online bookings.

“Indian travellers are increasingly seeking payment experiences that are simple, familiar and seamless when they travel abroad. By enabling UPI acceptance for online bookings at At the Top, Burj Khalifa, we are making it easier for them to use a payment method they know and trust while planning their visit, even before they arrive in the UAE,” said Ritesh Shukla, Managing Director and CEO of NPCI International.

According to the company, the initiative addresses the growing demand for convenient and trusted cross-border digital payments while strengthening the digital payments bridge between India and the UAE.

Vibhor Mundhada, CEO of NEOPAY, said the integration marked a significant milestone in digital commerce between the two countries and made NEOPAY the first company in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region to enable UPI acceptance for e-commerce transactions.

An Emaar Entertainment spokesperson said the introduction of UPI for online bookings would make the customer journey simpler and more convenient for Indian visitors, who constitute one of the attraction’s largest international visitor segments.

Islamabad, July 29: As unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) continues to escalate, a human rights documentation and monitoring body has called on the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to intervene following reports of lethal firing by Pakistani forces on peaceful protestors in the occupied territory that left over 40 civilians dead and dozens injured.

In its urgent appeal to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, the PoK-based group Jammu Kashmir Human Rights Observatory (JKHRO) stated that the killings occurred after the peaceful Long March organised by Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) resumed from Rawalakot towards Muzaffarabad on July 27.

Citing JAAC, it said that large numbers of civilians participated in the march, estimating that the wider mobilisation may have involved more than 100,000 people.

“The combination of a mass civilian gathering, reported security-force deployment, alleged indiscriminate firing, restricted communications, limited media access and obstructed emergency coordination creates an immediate risk of further casualties. This is no longer a situation that can be addressed through statements of concern alone,” the JKHRO stated.

The group called on the UN human rights chief to intervene immediately by publicly calling for an end to the firing by Pakistani forces, seeking assurances that live ammunition would not be used against peaceful protesters, and ensuring emergency medical and humanitarian access in PoK.

It also appealed for the urgent deployment of relevant Special Rapporteurs or an OHCHR assessment mission, while urging the facilitation of credible negotiations to prevent further loss of life in the occupied territory.

Highlighting the humanitarian abuses by Pakistani authorities in PoK, the JKHRO said, “The international community has advance warning. The gathering is large. Security forces are reportedly deployed. Communications remain restricted. Fatal force has allegedly already been used. Initial accounts refer to more than 80 wounded, while other witnesses allege more; there is not yet a reliable final injury figure.”

“The essential question is no longer whether there is a risk of escalation. The essential question is whether the United Nations system will act quickly enough to help prevent the next death,” it added.

Earlier on July 17, the OHCHR raised serious concerns about infringements on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association in PoK amid escalating unrest in the occupied territory that has left dozens of people dead and injured.

In a statement issued, Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Jeremy Laurence, said that “the criminalisation of a civil society organisation and imposition of strict limitations on gatherings raise serious concerns about infringements on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association. Detained JAAC leaders must have access to legal representation and their families. Their rights to due process and fair trial must be fully guaranteed.”