WORLD

MOSCOW, 11 August, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has condemned the terrorist attack carried out against civilian facilities in Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan, saying that at least 13 people were killed, most of them foreign nationals.According to preliminary information cited by Zakharova, eight citizens of Uzbekistan and one citizen of Tajikistan were among those killed, while around 20 other foreign nationals sustained injuries in the attack on August 10.Zakharova said the attack targeted facilities where citizens of Russia’s friendly countries live and work, alleging that the perpetrators sought to create divisions between the nations and undermine their relations. “The terrorist attacks perpetrated by Ukrainian militants have claimed the lives of not...

TASHKENT, 10 August, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Seven Uzbek citizens were killed in a drone attack in Russia’s Tatarstan region on Monday, according to the Uzbek Consulate in Kazan. The consulate did not immediately provide further details about the victims. Earlier, local authorities said at least 13 people, including a child, were killed and 39 others injured in a Ukrainian drone attack targeting industrial and civilian sites in the city of Nizhnekamsk in Tatarstan. Between two and three million citizens of Uzbekistan, Central Asia’s most populous country, work in Russia, with remittances from migrant workers forming an important part of the Uzbek economy. Uzbekistan has maintained a careful diplomatic balance over the war in Ukraine, preserving close relations with Russia while also emphasizin...

WASHINGTON, 09 August, 2026 (Nosheen): Pop superstar Taylor Swift has made her music unavailable to US President Donald Trump’s political accounts on TikTok after a Trump-affiliated account used her song August in a video featuring Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. The Team Trump TikTok video showed the couple watching fireworks with the message, “Mood because it’s August and Donald Trump is your president,” and was captioned, “I’m sure Taylor Swift is going to be super excited we used her song!” The song has since been removed, with TikTok displaying a notice saying, “This sound isn’t available.” The incident follows earlier use of Swift’s songs Father Figure and The Fate of Ophelia by Trump-affiliated accounts, both of which have subsequently become unavailable on those political accou...

RIYADH, 09 August 2026 (Nosheen): Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s internationally recognized government have strongly condemned the attack on an oil tanker operated by the United Arab Emirates’ state-owned energy company ADNOC while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz.The two countries joined Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar and Syria in condemning the incident, which the UAE has blamed on Iran. According to the UAE, the attack did not result in any injuries.In a statement, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the attack as a serious violation of maritime security and safety, warning that such incidents could also threaten the security of global energy supplies.The Saudi ministry said the Kingdom holds Iran responsible for the consequences of what it described as continued acts of aggression ...

JAKARTA, 09 August, 2026 (Ghufran): Indonesia has closed all access to Mount Bromo National Park in East Java following the rapid expansion of a wildfire that has been burning in the volcano’s caldera area since Monday.The park operator announced the closure late Saturday, saying all tourist activities had been suspended from Saturday evening for an indefinite period.The wildfire has so far affected around 176 hectares (435 acres) of land at Mount Bromo, an active volcano and one of Indonesia’s most popular tourist destinations, famous for its vast “sand sea” caldera. The affected area has increased significantly from approximately 60 hectares reported on Thursday. The park operator said the closure was necessary to protect visitors, staff and residents in surrounding areas. Tourists who ...

Beirut, August 8, 2026 (Ghufran):Lebanon and Israel have agreed on a shortlist of countries that could send troops to verify the disarmament of Hezbollah under a US-brokered agreement, a Lebanese official said on Friday.The official declined to identify the countries on the shortlist or disclose how many countries were included. The United States is expected to select one or more countries from the list.The shortlist was finalized during meetings between Lebanese and Israeli officials at the US embassy in Rome this week. The talks focused on implementing a June 26 agreement linking Israel’s gradual withdrawal of troops from Lebanon to the disarmament of Hezbollah, which would be verified by a third party.Hezbollah is not a party to the agreement and has refused to surrender its weapons. “...

Kathmandu, August 8, 2026 (Ghufran):Nepali rescue workers have spotted five bodies at a site where five climbers went missing last year, officials said on Saturday. Three foreign climbers — an Italian-Canadian, an Italian and a German — along with two Nepali nationals have been missing since November last year after being caught in an avalanche on Mount Yalung Ri.Two other climbers, an Italian and a French national, had died at the mountain’s base camp. Yalung Ri rises to 5,630 metres (18,470 feet) in Nepal’s Dolakha district, near the border with China’s Tibet region.Thabindra Kumar Kafle of Gaurishankar Rural Municipality, where the mountain is located, said workers assigned by a hiking company to search for the missing climbers spotted the bodies on Friday. “We are trying to reach the ...

Berlin, August 8, 2026 (Nosheen):Two drones were spotted over a military base in western Germany late Thursday, just two days after an explosive-laden drone was discovered near a runway at Leipzig/Halle Airport in the eastern part of the country, authorities said Saturday.A spokesperson for Germany’s armed forces said the drones were sighted at around 10 p.m. on Thursday at the military base in Mechernich, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, about 35 kilometres from the Belgian border.Military police were deployed after the sighting was confirmed, and the matter was subsequently handed over to police in the nearby town of Euskirchen. Police are investigating the incident, the spokesperson said, without providing further details. German media reported that the Bundeswehr facility in Me...

CALI, Colombia, August 8, 2026(Nosheen): Colombia’s newly inaugurated President Abelardo de la Espriella has vowed to take a tougher stance against drug-running guerrillas and strengthen relations with the United States, marking a significant shift to the right for the Andean nation.De la Espriella, a 48-year-old former lawyer and dual US-Colombian citizen, took the presidential oath on Friday alongside Vice President Jose Manuel Restrepo. The two leaders celebrated their inauguration with embraces and the military-style salute that became a hallmark of their election campaign.The new president has pledged to intensify military action against armed groups involved in drug trafficking, including bombing cocaine laboratories hidden in Colombia’s jungles. He has also promised to build “mega-p...