WORLD

 JERUSALEM, 24 August, 2026 (Nosheen): Israel has moved forward with a controversial settlement plan in the occupied West Bank that has drawn strong international condemnation and renewed concerns over the future of a two-state solution. Israel’s Housing Ministry has invited bids for the construction of more than 1,200 housing units in the E1 area near Jerusalem. The project aims to establish a continuous bloc of Israeli settlements between East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Critics warn that the planned settlement could divide the West Bank into northern and southern sections and separate East Jerusalem from the rest of the territory, making the establishment of a geographically contiguous Palestinian state increasingly difficult. The deadline for construction bids falls one week ...

 CONAKRY, 24 August, 2026 (Kamran Raja): At least 30 people were killed after a massive pile of waste collapsed at the largest landfill in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, following heavy rains, government officials said. The incident occurred early Sunday at the Dar Es Salam landfill after heavy rainfall began around 2 a.m. Authorities said the rainwater swept over the huge pile of refuse, triggering a landslide that buried nearby makeshift homes. A search and rescue operation was launched to locate survivors and recover victims. Six people were seriously injured, while several homes were destroyed in the disaster. According to Lt. Col. Baldé Mamadou Bailo, sanitation officer for the military engineering battalion, the open-air landfill had been scheduled to close on Sunday.Authorities...

 KYIV, 24 August, 2026 (News Desk): UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is set to visit Kyiv on his first foreign trip as prime minister, where he will announce a new measure allowing Ukraine access to information needed to produce its own long-range missiles. During his visit, Burnham will chair his first meeting of the “coalition of the willing,” an initiative established by the United Kingdom and France under his predecessor, Sir Keir 4 Starmer, to coordinate international support for Ukraine. Burnham is also expected to accept an award on behalf of the British people in recognition of the UK's support for Ukraine and participate in events marking Ukraine’s 35th anniversary of independence. As part of the UK’s continued military support for Kyiv, Burnham will announce that his gover...

24 August, 2026 (News Desk): Global oil prices fell by more than one dollar a barrel ahead of an expected announcement of tougher US sanctions on Iran, as investors opted to take profits following gains recorded in the previous week. Brent crude fell by $1.22, or 1.29 percent, to $93.17 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude declined by $1.20, or 1.38 percent, to $85.86 per barrel. Oil prices had risen for a second consecutive week last week, with both benchmarks gaining more than five percent amid growing concerns over global supply. The latest decline came as investors assessed the potential impact of additional US sanctions against Iran. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has indicated that Washington could impose some of the toughest sanctions in history against Tehr...

 TEHRAN 23 August, 2026(News Desk): Iran has rejected the threat of new US sanctions, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi describing the expected measures as a sign of Washington’s desperation and insisting they will fail to defeat Tehran. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is scheduled to hold a press conference on Monday, where he is expected to announce what he has described as “the toughest sanctions in history” against Iran. Iran is already facing severe economic pressure from international sanctions, while its infrastructure has suffered repeated attacks and thousands of people have reportedly been killed since the United States and Israel launched military operations against the Islamic Republic on February 28. Despite the pressure, Tehran has maintained a defiant stance a...

NEW YORK, 23 August, 2026 (News Desk): Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has defended a memorandum of understanding with the United States as the best way for Iran to move beyond what he described as a situation of “neither war nor peace,” as tensions continued across the Middle East. “There is not a single provision in this agreement that amounts to capitulation,” Pezeshkian said in a speech published by Iran’s state-run IRNA early Sunday. He added that the supreme leader sets the country’s policies and that the government would follow that path.The memorandum of understanding signed by US President Donald Trump in June set a 60-day deadline for ending the war with Iran and reaching an agreement on its nuclear programme. That period ended last week, but there have been no clear signs of...

WASHINGTON, 23 August, 2026 (News Desk): US President Donald Trump hit back at Canada on Sunday after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced retaliatory tariffs on the United States following a breakdown in trade negotiations. “Canada wants the benefits of being a state, without being one!!!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “They have also charged our great farmers, for many years, massive amounts of tariffs. No more!!!” he said. Carney said on Saturday that new Canadian tariffs would take effect on September 8, notably targeting the US steel and dairy industries. New 50 per cent US tariffs impacting about $20 billion worth of goods, or 5.5 per cent of Canadian exports to the US, came into force on Saturday. The affected products range from hockey sticks to cement. “You’re at ...

CAIRO, 23 August, 2026 (News Desk): Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip killed at least two people, including a four-year-old boy, and wounded seven others on Sunday, according to Palestinian health officials.One of the strikes targeted a building in Zawayda in central Gaza after the Israeli military reportedly warned the property’s occupants to leave the area, residents said. Palestinian medics said flying debris and shrapnel from the strike spread across the surrounding area, injuring at least six people. Among those wounded was four-year-old Mohammad Abdel-Salam Taha, who was later pronounced dead at a hospital. The attack reduced the targeted building to a pile of twisted steel and concrete, according to residents. “There is no ceasefire, there is nothing,” said Abu Ahmed, a displaced...

 STOCKHOLM, 23 August 2026 (Ghufran): Swedish police are investigating whether an 18-year-old man accused of attacking students at a high school with a sword was involved in online communities promoting school violence. The attack took place on Friday at a school in the central Swedish town of Fagersta, where one teenage girl was killed and two teenage boys were seriously injured. The suspect was arrested by police following the attack.According to local newspaper Fagersta-Posten, the parents of a 17-year-old girl confirmed that their daughter was among those killed in the attack. A police source told Reuters that investigators are examining whether a TikTok account that posted a picture of a sword around 20 minutes before the assault belonged to the suspect. Swedish newspaper Dag...

 NEW DELHI, 23 August 2026 (Kamran Raja): Search-and-rescue operations continued off India’s eastern coast on Sunday for 22 crew members who remain missing after a Panama-flagged cargo vessel, Ocean Winner, sank with 24 people on board. According to Indian officials, two Chinese nationals were rescued after the vessel sank. The rescued seafarers told authorities that the ship developed a severe list on Friday and sank within about eight minutes, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel. Shyam Jagannathan, Director General of India’s Maritime Administration, said the chances of finding survivors generally decline sharply after 12 hours, but rescue teams were continuing their efforts to locate the missing crew members. The Indian Coast Guard said 22 crew members remain unaccounted for...