WORLD

WASHINGTON, 28 September, 2026 (Nosheen): Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Washington on Monday for talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio amid escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis. According to the Saudi state news agency, the two officials are expected to discuss bilateral relations as well as key regional and international developments. The visit comes amid heightened hostilities between Riyadh and the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. Sources previously told Reuters that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had sought US military assistance against the Houthis earlier this month. Washington reportedly declined to launch strikes but agreed to provide intelligence and targeting support. The talks are expected to focus on Saudi-US rela...

TEHRAN, 27 September, 2026 (Ghufran): Iran has reiterated that diplomacy remains the only way to resolve its conflict with the United States and Israel, while maintaining that its conditions must be met before the Strait of Hormuz can be reopened. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran’s conditions were clear and that reopening the strategic waterway depended on their fulfilment, adding that only a negotiated solution could resolve the deadlock. Iran presented a peace proposal at the United Nations General Assembly earlier this week and said it had been conveyed to the United States through Qatari mediators. US President Donald Trump said he had rejected the proposal, while Araghchi said mediators had not officially communicated a final US response and that Tehran was waiting fo...

 TEHRAN, 27 September, 2026 (Nosheen): Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has urged the United States to clarify whether it is prepared to engage in negotiations or intends to disrupt the diplomatic process, while stressing that Iran will not bow to pressure or threats. In an interview, Pezeshkian said Iran was “invincible” and should not be addressed through force or coercion. He warned that any attack on Iran would draw a strong response and said those responsible would ultimately have to leave. On the Strait of Hormuz, Pezeshkian said the issue could not be resolved through threats and should instead be addressed through negotiations. He said Iran’s only demand was for the United States to return to the memorandum of understanding and honour its commitments. Pezeshkian questio...

 KABUL, 27 September, 2026 (Kamran Raja): The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) has claimed that its forces captured several Taliban checkpoints during clashes in Kamdesh district of Nuristan province on Saturday. In a statement, the AFF said fighting began in parts of Kamdesh in the morning and was continuing, while a local resident also reported hearing gunfire in the area. According to the group, Taliban forces launched an early-morning attack on its positions using drones, prompting AFF commandos to target several drones before launching a counter-attack. The Front claimed that its fighters captured several Taliban checkpoints during the counter-attack and that Taliban fighters withdrew from the Arandu area and parts of Kamdesh towards Nari district in neighbouring Kunar provinc...

 JOHANNESBURG, 27 September, 2026 (Nosheen): At least 27 people have been killed and 26 others wounded in two separate mass shootings in South Africa’s major cities, police said on Sunday. In the first incident, eight gunmen armed with assault rifles stormed a bar in Wedela, west of Johannesburg, at around 7:30 p.m. GMT on Saturday, opening fire on customers outside before entering the premises and continuing the attack. Seventeen people, including 13 men and four women, were killed, while 15 others were wounded. Police said the motive remained unknown, although the attack appeared to be linked to an earlier incident at the same tavern, where one person was killed and another wounded last month. In a separate shooting at an entertainment venue in a township outside Cape Town early...

 RIYADH, 27 September, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Yemen’s armed forces have warned that Houthi militants are using modified Iranian air defence weapons as loitering missiles, posing a serious threat to civilian aircraft operating over the southern Red Sea. According to Yemen’s armed forces spokesperson, Colonel Majid Abdullah Al-Nuzaili, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps experts in Yemen are converting the weapons and launching them from Hodeidah Governorate toward international air routes over the southern Red Sea. He said the missiles can remain airborne for up to 25 minutes, use thermal tracking systems and target heat sources without distinguishing between military and civilian aircraft. Al-Nuzaili warned that the weapons pose a direct threat to civil aviation, passengers and hum...

 ATHENS, 26 September 2026 (Kamran Raja): One woman has died and five people remain missing after an explosion caused a two-storey residential building to collapse in Plaka, a tourist area of central Athens, Greek authorities said. The blast, which occurred on Friday, injured three people and damaged nearby houses, shops and vehicles. Emergency crews, assisted by rescue dogs, searched through the rubble and recovered the body of a young woman early Saturday. Authorities were also searching for an elderly couple who lived in one apartment and four tourists staying in another. The tourists, whose nationalities have not yet been confirmed, were reportedly due to leave for a flight from Athens airport on Friday afternoon but failed to appear. The cause of the explosion remains unclear...

MOSCOW, 26 September, 2026 (Ghufran): Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that all proposals for a settlement to the war in Ukraine remain on the table, but Moscow will carefully assess its interests before deciding on any response. Speaking to journalists in St Petersburg, Putin said Russia had been prepared to resume negotiations with Kyiv following Russia’s parliamentary elections, but accused Ukraine of launching attacks on Moscow and targeting polling stations. Putin described the attacks as provocative actions and said Russia would respond, warning that Ukraine would face the consequences of what he called continued provocations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said attacks on Russian targets were a response to Russian strikes on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructu...

Tehran, 26 September, 2026 (Ghufran): Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is medically healthy and has fully recovered from injuries to his face and legs. In an interview with US media, Pezeshkian said Khamenei had no specific ongoing health problems and described him as completely healthy after meeting him twice, including once for more than seven hours. Addressing Iran’s proposal concerning the Strait of Hormuz, Pezeshkian said Tehran would reopen the strategic waterway and resume negotiations if the United States accepted its proposal, adding that talks could begin on the same day Washington agreed to the offer. He said deep mistrust remained between Tehran and Washington, making a direct meeting with US President Donald Trump difficult...