WORLD

 New York, 25 September, 2026 (Ghufran): US President Donald Trump’s intense diplomatic engagements this week, including his address to the United Nations General Assembly and talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, highlighted the challenges facing his foreign policy agenda amid conflicts, economic pressures and growing resistance from international partners. Trump used his UN speech to defend his approach to global affairs, issue warnings over Iran and signal continued US willingness to use military power to pursue its international objectives. However, his meeting with Xi produced limited publicly announced outcomes, with the two sides agreeing to extend a trade truce while major issues including artificial intelligence, Taiwan, trade and Iran remained unresolved. The war with...

Addis Ababa, 25 September, 2026 (Ghufran): Heavy fighting has intensified in northern Ethiopia as federal forces battled Tigray rebels in the Afar region, while reports emerged of an internet and telecommunications blackout in Tigray, raising fears of a repeat of the humanitarian crisis during the 2020–2022 civil war. A humanitarian source said heavy clashes took place overnight around the town of Abala, where federal forces reportedly pushed back rebel fighters with the support of a military drone. Fighting was also reported in North Wollo Zone of Amhara, including areas near Lalibela, home to Ethiopia’s renowned rock-hewn churches. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) has claimed that the conflict has again become a full-scale war with the federal government after rebels seized lo...

Kyiv, 25 September, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he urged U.S. President Donald Trump to ask Chinese President Xi Jinping to use Beijing’s influence over Moscow to support diplomatic efforts aimed at ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskyy, who met Trump during his visit to the United States alongside the U.N. General Assembly, said he was awaiting details of Trump’s discussions with Xi. He also said Washington was seeking initial technical talks involving U.S., Ukrainian and Russian delegations, with the United Arab Emirates suggested as a possible venue. Zelenskyy said he thanked U.S. lawmakers for bipartisan support for a sanctions bill targeting Russia and expressed hope that Trump would implement the measures. He also said Trump had confirmed...

New York, 25 September, 2026 (Nosheen): Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Saleh al-Fawzan has called on the kingdom’s troops to remain prepared to defend the country amid escalating attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, the Grand Mufti addressed Saudi soldiers guarding the kingdom’s borders and members of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis, describing the protection of the country and defence against aggression as major duties. Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Yemen has continued to deteriorate as fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces intensifies, with more than 130,000 people reportedly displaced and fewer than 10 percent of health centres in affected areas equipped to provide the requir...

SEOUL, 24 September, 2026 (Kamran Raja): North Korea conducted a test firing of an upgraded 240mm guided multiple rocket launcher system on Tuesday, state news agency KCNA reported, saying the system would strengthen the country’s firepower along its southern border. KCNA said the test demonstrated the accuracy and extended range of rockets equipped with an autonomous precision guidance system, with the weapons capable of striking targets up to 100 kilometres away in trajectory flight mode and 115 kilometres in a combined glide mode. Pak Jong-chon, vice-chairman of North Korea’s Central Military Commission, who oversaw the test, called for the concentration of highly destructive attack forces along the southern border. North Korea has been steadily developing its tactical and conventional ...

NEW YORK, 24 September, 2026 (Ghufran): Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the United Nations General Assembly that Iran would not surrender, accusing the United States and Israel of waging war against Iran and targeting civilians. At the beginning of his address, Pezeshkian displayed images of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and children killed in a US strike on a school in Minab, while US representatives walked out of the General Assembly during his speech. The Iranian president alleged that the United States had targeted women and children and attacked schools, hospitals and civilian infrastructure, while also accusing Washington of using cluster bombs against children in Iran. Pezeshkian criticised the US for describing Iran as a terrorist state, saying Iran itself had been a victim of te...

 KYIV, 24 September, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Russian drone and missile attacks across Ukraine killed at least eight civilians overnight, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday, as diplomatic efforts to end the war continued at the United Nations General Assembly. Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Vyhivskyi said six agricultural workers were killed and 12 others wounded in an attack on the northeastern Kharkiv region, while a strike on Kyiv killed a man and a woman and damaged more than 50 civilian sites, including residential buildings, a maternity hospital, post offices and a textile plant. Officials in Odesa also reported heavy bombardment. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the international community to increase economic pressure on Russia and support efforts to end th...