WORLD

 GAZA, 20 August 2026 (Ghufran): Prices of essential goods have surged in Gaza as the smuggling of items restricted or banned by Israel has expanded, with traders, officials and residents alleging that middlemen and others are making large profits from the illicit trade. According to an investigation based on court documents and interviews with traders, truckers, officials and residents, Palestinians are paying inflated prices for groceries and batteries, while hospitals have increasingly turned to smugglers to obtain medicines and medical equipment. Cigarettes and tobacco, which have been banned from entering Gaza since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, are reportedly among the most profitable goods for smugglers and merchants.Other products, including iPhones, s...

 KYIV, 20 August 2026 (Kamran Raja): Russia launched a massive overnight missile and drone barrage against Kyiv and the surrounding region, killing at least 16 people and injuring around 40 others, Ukrainian officials said Thursday. The attack continued for several hours and involved ballistic and cruise missiles as well as jet-powered drones, placing further pressure on Ukraine’s air defence systems.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack struck 28 locations across the country and described it as a massive assault aimed at causing extensive damage to civilian infrastructure. Emergency services reported that 15 people were killed in Kyiv, while another person died in the wider Kyiv region. The strikes damaged around 30 apartment buildings, a school, a children’s ho...

نئی دہلی، 20 اگست 2026 (نیوز ڈیسک): بھارتی سپریم کورٹ نے جمعرات کو نوجوانوں کے احتجاج کے دوران پولیس تشدد اور سکیورٹی اہلکاروں پر مظاہرین کے حملوں کے الزامات کی تحقیقات کے لیے ایک پینل تشکیل دے دیا۔ یہ احتجاج قومی میڈیکل کالج داخلہ امتحان کے سوالیہ پرچے لیک ہونے کے بعد شروع ہوا تھا۔ مظاہروں کا آغاز نئی دہلی سے ہوا اور بعد ازاں دیگر شہروں تک پھیل گیا، جب پارلیمنٹ کی جانب مارچ کرنے کی کوشش کرنے والے ہزاروں مظاہرین کو آنسو گیس اور لاٹھی چارج کا سامنا کرنا پڑا۔عدالت کے حکم کے مطابق تحقیقاتی پینل کی سربراہی سپریم کورٹ کے ایک سابق جج کریں گے، جبکہ پینل میں مزید دو ریٹائرڈ ججز اور دو سابق پولیس سربراہان بھی شامل ہوں گے۔ پینل ان الزامات کی بھی تحقیقات کرے گا کہ خواتین مظاہرین کو مبینہ طور پر ہدف بنا کر تشدد، ہراساں کیے جانے اور بدسلوکی کا سامنا کرنا پڑا، جبکہ دیگر مظاہرین سکیورٹی اہلکاروں کے ہاتھو...

Kyiv, 19 August 2026 (Ghufran): Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 103 prisoners of war each, officials from both sides confirmed on Wednesday, with Ukrainian intelligence indicating that another exchange is expected before the end of the month. Russia and Ukraine have carried out regular prisoner exchanges throughout the war that began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, despite remaining far apart over the terms of a potential peace agreement.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the Ukrainians released in the latest exchange included servicemen from the Armed Forces, the State Border Guard Service and the National Guard. On the Russian side, Interfax news agency, citing the Russian Ministry of Defence, also confirmed the prisoner exchange. One of the Ukrainian returnees, 2...

MOSCOW, 19 August, 2026 (Nosheen) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday hosted Myanmar’s military-backed leader Min Aung Hlaing for talks aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation between the two countries.Opening the talks, Putin said Russia and Myanmar had cooperated on foreign policy and security issues while also developing a number of economic projects.The two countries have conducted joint military exercises and are working on plans for Russia to build a nuclear power plant, a seaport, oil refineries and other infrastructure facilities in Myanmar. Min Aung Hlaing’s visit is the latest in a series of overseas trips to countries including China, India, Laos and Thailand as he seeks to strengthen international recognition and improve Myanmar’s diplomat...

ABU DHABI, 19 August, 2026 (Ghufran) — The United Arab Emirates has suspended all trade activities, exchanges and financial transactions with Iran until further notice, the UAE Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, citing a regional escalation that it said was undermining regional and international peace and security.The announcement came a day after the UAE Defence Ministry said it had detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran, marking the first such reported incident since a May 4 strike on Fujairah port. In a subsequent statement, the UAE Defence Ministry said its assessment indicated that the missiles had targeted maritime traffic. Both missiles fell into the sea, according to the ministry.Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei rejected the UAE's statement on Wedn...

MANILA, August 18, 2026 (Ghufran): A student livestreamed himself shooting a schoolmate dead before taking his own life at a high school in the Philippines on Tuesday, authorities said, in the country’s second school shooting in as many months.The incident took place at Ateneo de Zamboanga University, a Catholic private institution in western Mindanao.Regional police spokeswoman Shella Chang told AFP that the shooter went to the classroom of the victim, shot the student and then went to the fifth floor, where he shot himself. Interior Secretary Victor Remulla separately confirmed that the ninth-grade suspect had livestreamed the incident on social media. The alleged shooter’s Facebook account has since been disabled.A video circulated by local media showed the barrel of a gun moving down a...

WASHINGTON, 18 August, 2026 (Nosheen): US President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran would not agree to the kind of deal he considers necessary to end the conflict with the United States, as talks between the two countries remained stalled.Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said the United States was involved in the conflict for one primary reason: to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.“They’re not going to make the kind of a deal that I feel is necessary. Look, we’re in there for one reason: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. Asked whether Washington was seeking an extension of an interim agreement with Iran, Trump replied, “No.”The interim agreement reached in June had called for an “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all f...