WORLD

 TAIPEI, 13 August, 2026(Nosheen): Taiwan's armed forces have conducted an anti-blockade exercise involving the navy and coast guard as part of the island's annual Han Kuang military drills, according to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense.The exercise simulated the escort of a merchant vessel through potentially contested waters. Navy and coast guard ships provided security, while a minesweeper cleared a safe navigation route and guided the vessel to ports on Taiwan's east coast.Officials said the combat-oriented exercise was designed to strengthen coordination among government agencies and improve Taiwan's maritime defense resilience. It marked the first time the coast guard and navy had jointly conducted an anti-blockade drill.The exercise comes amid growing concern that Beijing could...

MOSCOW, 13 August, 2026 (Ghufran): Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup, an island claimed by Japan in the Kuril chain near Hokkaido, prompting a strong protest from Tokyo.According to Russian media, Putin visited the  Yasny fish-processing plant on Iturup. Russian state news agency TASS described the visit as Putin’s first in person to the island chain. The visit came a day after he oversaw naval drills in Russia’s Far East.Russia and Japan have never signed a formal peace treaty following World War Two, with the unresolved territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands remaining a major obstacle. Japan refers to the disputed islands as the Northern Territories. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi protested Putin’s visit on social media platform X, saying that the Northern...

TEHRAN, 12 August 2026 (Nosheen): Acclaimed Iranian photojournalist Yalda Moaiery has been sentenced to 15 years in prison over allegations related to her photographs, media interviews and reporting, according to details reviewed by Reuters.Moaiery, who has spent much of her career documenting protests, dissent and the lives of women in Iran, learned of the sentence on Iran’s National Journalist Day.The sentence was reportedly issued under legislation enacted following a 12-day war between Israel and Iran in 2025. Iranian authorities say the law is aimed at combating espionage and cooperation with hostile states.Moaiery said that when she appeared before Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, she was not provided with formal case documents. Instead, a friend accompanying her reportedly copied detai...

MADRID, 12 August 2026 (Nosheen): Spain has rejected any discussion over the sovereignty of the North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, after Morocco’s justice minister reiterated Rabat’s claims over the two Spanish territories.Spanish officials said the status of Ceuta and Melilla as Spanish territories was not open for negotiation. The remarks came after Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi said Rabat continued to raise the issue during negotiations with Spain, with the long-term objective of resolving the matter through dialogue.Morocco has regarded Ceuta and Melilla as occupied territories since gaining independence in 1956 and argues that sovereignty over the cities should ultimately be transferred to Rabat. Spain, however, considers both enclaves integral parts of its ter...

ANKARA, 12 August 2026 (Kamran Raja): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed hope that more countries will join the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement signed last week by Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, saying the alliance could eventually expand to include countries across the region.Speaking to the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat daily, Erdogan said the vision behind the agreement was not limited to the three founding countries. He said appropriate conditions could emerge in the future for all countries in the region to come under its umbrella.The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was signed last Friday as the Middle East continues to face the consequences of the US-Iran war, which has involved regional players and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. ...

TEHRAN, 11 August, 2026 (Ghufran): Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has appointed several senior military commanders to key positions within the country’s armed forces, according to Iranian media reports, in a major reshuffle of the country’s military leadership amid the ongoing war.Major General Ali Abdollahi has been appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, while Amir Kioumars Heidari has been named Deputy Chief of the General Staff. Major General Ahmad Vahidi has also been appointed commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), one of the country’s most powerful military and security institutions.In another key appointment, Major General Mostafa Izadi has been named deputy commander of the IRGC, while Hojjatoleslam Taeb has been appointed head of t...

DAMASCUS, 11 August, 2026 (Nosheen): A Syrian court on Tuesday sentenced ousted President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia after finding him guilty of serious crimes committed during the country’s nearly 14-year-long war. The court convicted Assad of premeditated and intentional killings, including the deaths of children, torture, arbitrary arrests and crimes against humanity.The verdict marks the first conviction against Assad, who was ousted in a rebel offensive in December 2024 that brought an end to decades of authoritarian rule by his family in Syria. Assad reportedly fled Damascus as rebel forces advanced on the capital and is currently residing in Moscow. The Syrian conflict, which began in 2011, resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and caused widespread des...

BOGOTA, 11 August, 2026 (Ghufran): At least 111 people have been killed after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia early Monday, causing buildings to collapse in several cities and leaving people trapped under the rubble.According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake struck at a depth of around 107 kilometers near San Jose del Palmar in the Choco province on Colombia’s Pacific coast. The tremor was felt across the country, including in major cities. Authorities warned that significant casualties and widespread damage were possible as rescue teams continued operations in affected areas.The highest reported number of fatalities was recorded in Risaralda province, where Governor Juan Diego Patino said 42 people had died. In Pereira, a building with a severely dam...

BUNIA, Congo _11 August, 2026 (Kamran Raja): The death toll from Congo’s rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak has surpassed 2,000, with health authorities facing major challenges in reaching affected communities because of armed conflict, poor road networks and work stoppages by health workers over unpaid salaries.According to government data released Tuesday, the outbreak has recorded 4,381 confirmed cases, including 2,011 deaths. The current outbreak was officially declared on May 15, although health authorities said genetic sequencing indicated that it had begun months earlier, in February. The death toll has risen at an alarming pace, reaching the first 1,000 deaths in around nine weeks and doubling in only about three weeks.Health officials have described the situation as increasingly ala...