WORLD

KATHMANDU, 23 October, 2026 (Nosheen): Nepal will receive $20 million in assistance from the United Nations’ Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) following the devastating floods that struck the country’s border region with China’s Tibet in August, the government announced on Thursday. The floods, which occurred on August 26, killed approximately 1,500 people, while more than 5,000 remain missing. According to official data, the disaster affected around 60,000 people from 15,000 families and caused an estimated $2.7 billion in damage to infrastructure, including roads, bridges, schools and 13 hydropower plants. Preliminary official estimates suggest that reconstruction costs could exceed $4.7 billion, making the $20 million UN assistance less than one per cent of the total amount ...

Islamabad, 22 October, 2026 (Kamran Raja): The Saudi-led coalition announced on Thursday that it had intercepted and destroyed a drone in the Riyadh region, amid escalating security concerns following a series of attacks targeting critical infrastructure across Saudi Arabia. Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki confirmed the interception in a statement posted on X but did not disclose the drone’s origin or intended target. Meanwhile, Saudi Aramco instructed employees to evacuate its headquarters in Dhahran and work remotely, according to six sources familiar with the matter. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Earlier, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation reported that two people were killed and eight others injured in an attack on King Fahd Int...

Islamabad, 22 October, 2026 (Nosheen): North Korea has announced plans to resume anti-South Korea propaganda broadcasts along the heavily fortified border this month, escalating tensions between the two countries following land mine explosions that injured three South Korean frontline soldiers. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and a senior political figure in Pyongyang, announced the decision on Wednesday during a visit to frontline areas where North Korean troops are strengthening border fortifications. She warned that North Korea would retaliate against any South Korean actions that threaten its territorial security or the safety of its military personnel. Kim described the fortification work as a major undertaking supporting her brother’s policy of permanently ...

Islamabad, 22 October, 2026 (Ghufran): Iran has warned that it could target undersea internet cables, data centres and artificial intelligence facilities linked to the United States if war breaks out again, as Tehran announced the suspension of negotiations with Washington amid escalating regional tensions. According to Iran’s state news agency IRNA, Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei issued the warning on Thursday, signalling the possibility of expanding any future conflict to critical digital infrastructure. Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that its naval forces had targeted four oil-carrying vessels in the northern Arabian Gulf, accusing them of transferring oil cargoes between ships while travelling along unauthorised routes. The IRGC said fires were st...

 Islamabad, 22 October, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Russia launched a series of ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv, while Ukraine sent hundreds of drones towards Moscow overnight, as both sides continued their military operations despite renewed US efforts to end the ongoing conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed hope that negotiations with Russia, the first since February, could take place in early November. Ukraine reported that Russia had fired at least 21 ballistic missiles in three waves, while Russia claimed that Ukraine had launched 630 drones towards Moscow during the night. Meanwhile, the two countries exchanged the bodies of fallen soldiers, with Russia handing over 252 bodies and Ukraine returning 25, according to Belarusian state news agency Belta. The exch...

ST PETERSBURG, 21 October, 2026 (Ghufran): US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to consider resuming US-mediated trilateral peace talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States, as Washington renewed efforts to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II. The meeting, held at a grand imperial palace in St Petersburg, marked the ninth in-person encounter between Witkoff and Putin and began with a goodwill gesture from Moscow — the release of Stephen Hubbard, a retired American schoolteacher held in Russia. During the discussions, Putin also offered to assist US President Donald Trump in addressing concerns over Iran, highlighting Russia's decades-long relationship with Tehran and its willingness to use those ties to address US conc...

SANAA, 21 October, 2026 (Nosheen): Yemeni government forces have intensified their military offensive against Houthi positions near the stronghold of Taiz following a 24-hour operation launched under the name “Operation Dawn Yemen.” Military spokesman Majed Abdullah al-Nuzaili said that 744 strikes had targeted what he described as legitimate military targets, including fortifications, supply networks and command centres. According to the military, around 200 Houthi fighters were neutralised, while 90 vehicles and key facilities were disabled during the offensive. Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition announced on Tuesday that it had destroyed the launch platform used by Houthi forces to fire a ballistic missile towards Riyadh. Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki confirmed the o...

 ANKARA, 21 October, 2026 (Ghufran): Türkiye plans to seek parliamentary authorisation to deploy military personnel to Saudi Arabia under a trilateral defence agreement with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, a ruling party lawmaker told Reuters on Wednesday. The proposed mandate will be submitted after parliament approves legislation ratifying the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, signed by the three countries in August. Türkiye submitted the agreement for parliamentary ratification on Tuesday, marking a step towards formalising mutual defence commitments among the three partners. A lawmaker from Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), speaking anonymously, said Turkish personnel deployed under the agreement would not participate in offensive operations. Initial deployments w...

 RIYADH, 21 October, 2026 (Kamran Raja): French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Riyadh on an unannounced visit aimed at expressing solidarity with Saudi Arabia as the kingdom faces escalating attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Macron became the first Western leader to visit Saudi Arabia since the Houthis intensified their attacks this month, sending a strong message of support to France’s oil-rich Gulf ally. According to the French presidency, Macron was scheduled to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, to discuss regional security and energy supplies. The visit also aims to demonstrate France’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia in response to Houthi attacks on its territory and to continue efforts to secure and diversify hydrocarbo...