WORLD

 ISLAMABAD, 13 September 2026 (Kamran Raja): The Washington Post has reported that Afghanistan is once again emerging as a major hub for terrorist organisations, with Al-Qaeda rebuilding training facilities and expanding its presence under the Taliban regime. According to a special report by the American newspaper, Al-Qaeda has established at least eight new training centres in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power, while its safe havens and training camps are becoming active in different parts of the country. The report said Al-Qaeda and other militant organisations have established a foothold in at least 14 Afghan provinces, with Al-Qaeda now not only using Afghanistan as a sanctuary but also providing training and operational guidance to other groups, including the Te...

BAGHDAD, 13 September 2026 (Nosheen): Iraq has launched an investigation into a drone attack on a Saudi Arabian pipeline and temporarily closed three border crossings with Iran after Saudi Arabia and Iraq said the drones were launched from Iraqi territory. An Iraqi security source said the closures were part of an intelligence operation to track down those responsible, prevent their escape and curb the smuggling of drones through the crossings. The crossings closed include Shalamsheh in Basra province, al-Shib in Missan and al-Mandali in Diyala, while other crossings with Iran remain operational. Iraq’s security media cell said authorities had begun administrative and security reorganisation at several border crossings and intensified intelligence activities to identify security breaches a...

 SEOUL, 12 September 2026 (Kamran Raja): North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area toward the sea off its east coast on Saturday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. The missiles were launched at around 5:20 a.m. local time and flew approximately 250 kilometres before landing in the sea. South Korean and U.S. authorities were conducting a detailed analysis of the missiles’ specifications, while intelligence agencies from South Korea, the United States and Japan shared information on the launches. The JCS said South Korea’s military was closely monitoring North Korean activities and maintaining a strong readiness to respond to any provocation under its combined defence posture with the United States. South Korea’s presidential Nationa...

ADEN/DUBAI, 12 September 2026 (Nosheen): Saudi Arabia has shut down its East-West oil pipeline after the vital energy conduit came under an aerial attack amid the widening Middle East war. Reuters reported that the world’s largest crude oil exporter temporarily closed the 1,200-kilometre pipeline after a drone attack that both Baghdad and Riyadh said originated in Iraq, where Iranian-backed militias operate. Iraq dismissed a military commander on Saturday in response to the attack. The pipeline, which runs across the Arabian Peninsula, has helped Saudi Arabia bypass disruptions to tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping has slowed sharply amid the war between the United States and Iran. Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said the pipeline was shut as a precautionary measure...

NEW DELHI, 12 September 2026 (Ghufran): Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in New Delhi on Saturday to attend the BRICS summit and hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian television channels reported. Xi’s visit marks his first trip to India in seven years and comes as the two Asian neighbours cautiously work to rebuild relations damaged by a deadly military clash along their disputed Himalayan border in 2020, in which 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed. Xi received a red-carpet welcome after arriving in the Indian capital and was greeted by women performing traditional Indian dances. The meeting between Xi and Modi, scheduled for Saturday evening, will be their third meeting in three years, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson. China has ...

ADEN/DUBAI, 12 September 2026 (Kamran Raja): Iran-aligned Houthi forces have reached the strategic island of Perim in Yemen’s Bab el-Mandeb Strait, four Yemeni government sources told Reuters on Friday, in a move that could further strengthen their position along one of the world’s most important shipping routes. Two sources from Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government said their forces had withdrawn from Perim, while the Houthis had also taken control of the mainland Red Sea coastal town of Dhubab, which faces the island. The development could have significant implications for global trade and energy supplies, as control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait would provide Iran and its Houthi allies with greater leverage over a major maritime corridor connecting the Red Sea with ...

 NEW DELHI, 11 September 2026 (Nosheen): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin began talks in New Delhi on Friday, their second meeting in two weeks, with discussions expected to focus on strengthening trade, energy and defence cooperation between the two long-standing partners. The talks are taking place ahead of the annual BRICS summit in the Indian capital, which will be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, among other leaders. According to an Indian source, Modi and Putin are expected to discuss cooperation in civil nuclear energy, fertilisers, defence, critical minerals, manufacturing, railways and steel. The two leaders last met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in ...

NEW YORK, 11 September 2026 (Ghufran): New York commemorated the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on Friday with a solemn ceremony at Ground Zero, amid controversy over President Donald Trump’s absence and criticism from right-wing groups over the attendance of the city’s first Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani. Trump paid his respects at the Pentagon instead of attending the New York ceremony, where hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center and most of the 2,977 people killed that day lost their lives. Vice President JD Vance and Trump’s four living predecessors — George W. Bush, Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton — gathered at the memorial site in Lower Manhattan. The ceremony, which began shortly after 8:40am local time, was deliberately kept apolitical ...

TEHRAN, 11 September 2026 (Nosheen): Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei has strongly criticised the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), accusing him of undermining the organisation’s impartiality and neutrality. Baghaei said IAEA reports were being used by certain countries to build political and legal cases against other states, stressing that the agency’s findings should not be exploited for political purposes. He alleged that the IAEA’s independence and neutrality were increasingly being influenced by political agendas, which he said contradicted the organisation’s fundamental mandate. The Iranian spokesperson stressed that an institution established to contribute to international peace and security should not become part of efforts to cr...

 OTTAWA, 11 September 2026 (Ghufran): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Canada seeking increased military and financial support for Ukraine as the country faces intensified Russian air attacks ahead of winter. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada plans to produce millions of drones over the next two years, with one-third of the drones to be sent to Ukraine to support its defense. Carney said newly announced contracts would increase Canada’s military drone fleet tenfold from its current level of around 2,000 drones. Canada also announced a package of air-defense interceptors worth 350 million Canadian dollars ($254 million), to be delivered to Ukraine through a U.S. mechanism, while Zelenskyy described the assistance as crucial amid a global short...