WORLD

WASHINGTON, 17 August, 2026(News Desk) — U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will reduce military exercises conducted with its key regional ally South Korea, citing his positive relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Seoul’s refusal to assist Washington regarding Iran.Trump said he was unhappy that the United States had previously agreed to participate in joint military exercises with South Korea, arguing that the drills were costly and could send what he described as an inappropriate and hostile signal to North Korea.In a post on Truth Social, Trump also said he had recently asked South Korean President Lee Jae Myung whether South Korea wanted to join the United States in the “denuclearization” of Iran, but received a negative response. Trump h...

NAYPYIDAW, 17 August, 2026 (Ghufran) — Myanmar’s military-backed government has verified 308,797 displaced people living in Bangladesh as former residents of Rakhine State, but said the repatriation process will begin only after security conditions in the region improve.Myanmar’s foreign ministry said it had verified 308,797 people out of 828,824 names submitted by Bangladesh as of July 31, 2026.According to the United Nations, more than 700,000 Rohingya fled to neighbouring Bangladesh in 2017 following a crackdown by Myanmar security forces. Many Rohingya continue to leave Myanmar through dangerous land and sea routes.Myanmar said 4,241 people on Bangladesh’s repatriation list had been identified as individuals it alleges were involved in terrorist activities, while another 113,507 people...

JERUSALEM, 17 August, 2026 (Kamran) — U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday after holding talks with Hamas leaders, as he seeks to revive a Gaza peace plan that Israel has so far rejected.The meeting came two weeks after Hamas endorsed the latest stage of Trump’s Gaza plan. Netanyahu has refused to support the proposal, insisting that any settlement must ensure that Hamas is “genuinely disarmed.”A diplomatic official confirmed to AFP that the meeting in Jerusalem began late Monday morning.Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, met Hamas’s new leader Khalil al-Hayya in the Egyptian Mediterranean city of El-Alamein on Sunday, according to sources familiar with the discussions.The sources said Kushner demanded that Hamas verify it was ...

WASHINGTON, 17 August, 2026 (Nosheen): U.S. President Donald Trump has warned Oman that it could face military action if it interferes with U.S. operations in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.Speaking in an interview with U.S. media, Trump said his administration had established a direct backchannel for communication with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).Trump also claimed that the United States still possesses extensive weapons stockpiles, saying the amount of weaponry used by Washington so far was “negligible.” He added that the U.S. had a large number of medium-range weapons available.The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global energy route through which a significant share of the world’s oil supplies passes. Any disruption in the waterway could have major implicati...

MEXICO, 17 August, 2026(Ghufran) — The United States has expanded its military campaign against drug-trafficking groups in Latin America, with the Trump administration seeking agreements that could allow U.S. forces to conduct joint operations on land in allied countries across the region.U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently announced that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to allow joint military operations against criminal groups on their territory, following Ecuador, which launched similar missions with U.S. forces in March. Guatemala, however, has denied reaching such an agreement.Speaking during a military exercise in Panama, Hegseth said the United States intends to extend its campaign against suspected drug-trafficking organizations from maritime operations to land....

اینڈے، انڈونیشیا، 17 اگست 2026 (نوشین) – مشرقی انڈونیشیا میں شدید زلزلے کے متاثرین کی تلاش اور امدادی کارروائیاں پیر کو بھی جاری رہیں، جہاں زلزلے کے نتیجے میں کم از کم 54 افراد ہلاک ہوچکے ہیں۔ ہزاروں افراد کو محفوظ مقامات پر منتقل کردیا گیا ہے، جبکہ مشرقی نوسا تنگارا میں تقریباً 1,600 آفٹر شاکس ریکارڈ کیے گئے ہیں۔ زلزلے کے باعث مختلف علاقوں، جن میں سیکا اور مانگارائی شامل ہیں، میں لینڈ سلائیڈنگ ہوئی اور سڑکیں بند ہوگئیں۔ حکام کے مطابق تقریباً 500 مکانات کو نقصان پہنچا ہے، جبکہ متاثرین کے لیے خوراک، خیمے اور دیگر امدادی سامان پہنچانے کے لیے طیارے تیار کیے گئے ہیں۔ مختلف علاقوں میں ہنگامی فیلڈ اسپتال بھی قائم کیے جائیں گے، جہاں نیورو سرجنز اور آرتھوپیڈک سرجنز سمیت طبی عملہ زخمیوں کا علاج کرے گا۔زلزلے نے انڈونیشیا کے یوم آزادی کی تقریبات کو بھی متاثر کیا، جبکہ متعدد متاثرین خیموں میں رہنے پر ...

BEIRUT, 16 August, 2026 (Kamran Raja): At least 11 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese authorities, in one of the deadliest days of attacks since an agreement aimed at reducing hostilities was announced in June.Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said seven people were killed in an Israeli strike on a house on the outskirts of Ansar, around 70 kilometres south of Beirut. Lebanese state media reported that three children and two women were among those killed.The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said the strike killed a commander of Hezbollah, describing the operation as a response to an attack against Israeli soldiers. The IDF also said members of the commander's family, whom it accused him of using as human shields, were present and were harmed...