World Echo

A government building in southern Iran was attacked on Wednesday, authorities said, as the country's top prosecutor warned of a "decisive response" to any attempt to create instability after days of economic protests. Spontaneous protests, driven by dissatisfaction at Iran's economic stagnation, began on Sunday in Tehran's largest mobile phone market, where shopkeepers shuttered their businesses, and have since drawn in students across the country. "A portion of the provincial governors' office door and its glass were destroyed in an attack by a number of people," said Hamed Ostovar, the head of the judiciary in the city of Fasa, as quoted by the justice ministry's Mizan agency, without specifying how the attack was carried out. The attack came after the country's prosecutor general said the protestor's economic concerns were legitimate, but warned action would be taken if necessary. "Peaceful livelihood protests are part of social a...

People around the world toasted the end of 2025, bidding farewell to one of the hottest years on record, packed with Trump tariffs, a Gaza truce and vain hopes for peace in Ukraine. New Year celebrations took on a sombre tone in Sydney as revellers held a minute of silence for victims of the Bondi Beach shooting before fireworks lit up the harbour city at the stroke of midnight. Heavily armed police patrolled among hundreds of thousands of people lining the Sydney shore barely two weeks after a father and son allegedly opened fire on a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people in Australia's deadliest mass shooting for almost 30 years. Dancers perform on stage as people celebrate the New Year 2026 at the Juyongguan Great Wall, Beijing, on January 1, 2026. Photo: AFP Parties paused for a minute of silence an hour before midnight Wednesday, with the famed Sydney Harbour Bridge bathed in white light to symbolise peace. "Right now, the joy that we usually feel at the start...

Bangladesh bids farewell on Wednesday to former prime minister Khaleda Zia in a state funeral drawing vast crowds, mourning a towering leader whose career defined politics for decades. Zia, the first woman to serve as prime minister in the South Asian nation of 170 million people, died on Tuesday aged 80. Flags were flown at half-mast, and thousands of security officers lined the streets as her body was carried through the streets of the capital, Dhaka, in a vehicle in the colours of the national flag. Supporters of Bangladesh’s former prime minister Khaleda Zia carry a wreath to mourn her death as they gather before the funeral ceremony in Dhaka on December 31, 2025 Photo: AFP Retired government official Minhaz Uddin, 70, said he had never voted for her, but came to honour the three-time prime minister. "I came here with my grandson, just to say goodbye to a veteran politician whose contributions will always be remembered," he said, watching from behind a barbed wire barrica...

Turkish police detained 357 suspects in a nationwide operation against Islamic State on Tuesday, the interior minister said, a day after three police officers and six militants were killed in a gunfight in northwest Türkiye. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said authorities carried out raids in 21 provinces across the country. "Just as we have never given an opportunity to those who try to bring this country to its knees with terrorism, we will never give them an opportunity in the future either," Yerlikaya said on X. Earlier, the Istanbul prosecutor's office said police raided 114 addresses in Istanbul and two other provinces, seizing various digital materials and documents. Police clashed with militants on Monday during an eight-hour siege at a house in the town of Yalova, on the Sea of Marmara coast south of Istanbul. The clash came a week after more than 100 suspected IS members were detained over alleged plans to carry out Christmas and New Year attacks. Read More: Th...

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not fully agree on the issue of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but the Republican leader did not specify what the disagreement was. In a briefing after a meeting with Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump was asked if he had a message for Netanyahu about the West Bank and whether he was concerned that settler violence there could undermine peace. "We have had a discussion, big discussion for a long time on the West Bank. And I wouldn't say we agree on the West Bank 100%, but we'll come to a conclusion on the West Bank," Trump said. "I don't want to do that, it will be announced at an appropriate time," Trump added when asked what the disagreement between them was. Netanyahu "will do the right thing," he said. Read More: Trump warns Iran of new US strike if it rebuilds nuclear or missile programmes Israel has been under mounting int...

The ‍United Arab ‌Emirates' defence ministry ‍said ‌on ⁠Monday it ​has ended the ​mission of its counterterrorism ⁠units in Yemen ‌voluntarily, state ⁠news agency WAM reported. It said the decision came after ⁠a comprehensive assessment. Earlier, the leader of Yemen's presidential council declared a state of emergency and cancelled a security pact with the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday after Abu Dhabi-backed separatists seized swathes of territory. "The Joint Defence Agreement with the United Arab Emirates is hereby cancelled," a statement said, while a separate decree announced a 90-day state of emergency including a 72-hour air, sea and land blockade. The announcements by Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Presidential Leadership Council, come after the Saudi-led coalition fighting in divided Yemen said it struck a UAE weapons shipment destined for the separatists. Read More: Saudi-led coalition targets Mukalla dock in Yemen over alleged STC arms delivery The UAE-backed...

Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday that its national security was a red line and backed a call for United Arab Emirates forces to leave Yemen within 24 hours, shortly after a Saudi-led coalition carried out an airstrike on the southern Yemeni port of Mukalla. The warning marked Riyadh’s strongest language yet against Abu Dhabi, as the coalition said it struck what it described as foreign military support to UAE-backed southern separatists. Yemen’s Saudi-backed presidential council head also set a deadline for Emirati forces to leave, urging the UAE to comply. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are both major players in the OPEC oil exporters’ group, and any disagreement between the two could hamper consensus on oil output decisions. The group is scheduled to meet virtually on Sunday. Yemen’s presidential council head, Rashad al-Alimi, cancelled a defence pact with the UAE, the Yemeni state news agency said, and accused Abu Dhabi in a televised speech of fuelling internal strife in Yem...

A train carrying 250 people derailed partially on Sunday in Mexico, killing 13 people and injuring 98, officials said. The train's locomotive left the tracks during a trip in southern Oaxaca state, said the Mexican navy, which operates this particular rail line. The navy had initially reported 20 people injured, but hours later announced in a statement that "98 were injured... and unfortunately, 13 people lost their lives." Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she had directed the secretary of the navy and other senior personnel to travel to the area and assist the families of those affected. Read More: Nursing home fire in Indonesia kills more than a dozen The country's Attorney General's office said it was opening an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. The train runs between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean and carries both passengers and freight. The line was inaugurated in 2023 as a major infrastructure project under then-presiden...

A fire at a nursing home on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi killed more than a dozen people, with three others injured, a local official said Monday. Firefighters received the report of the blaze at 8:31 pm Sunday at a nursing home in the North Sulawesi provincial capital Manado, said the city's fire and rescue agency chief Jimmy Rotinsulu. "There were 16 deaths; three (people) had burn injuries," he told AFP. Many bodies of the victims were found inside their rooms, Jimmy said, adding that many of the elderly residents were likely resting in their rooms in the evening when the fire broke out. Authorities managed to evacuate 12 people -- all unhurt -- and transfer them to a local hospital, he said. Footage aired by local broadcaster Metro TV showed the fire engulfing the nursing home, while locals helped to evacuate an elderly person. Deadly fires are not uncommon in Indonesia, a Southeast Asian archipelago of more than 17,000 islands. A fire tore through a seven-storey...

Hamas has confirmed that its armed wing spokesman, known as Abu Ubaida, was killed in Gaza months after Israel said he had died in an air strike. In a statement released on Monday, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades said Abu Ubaida had been killed during the war with Israel, describing him as a “commander and spokesman” whose identity had remained concealed throughout his public appearances. Israel had announced in August that Abu Ubaida was killed in an air strike on Gaza on 30 August, but Hamas had not previously acknowledged his death. The confirmation came in a video message posted on the group’s Telegram channel, in which the Qassam Brigades paid tribute to what it called a “masked man loved by millions”. Read more: Woman killed, family members injured as storms cause building collapse in Gaza Separately, Hamas also confirmed the death of Mohammed Sinwar, its senior leader in Gaza and the younger brother of former Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar. The Israeli military said in May that Mo...

Three Turkish police officers and six Islamic State militants were killed in a gunfight in northwest Turkey on Monday, the interior minister said, a week after authorities detained more than 100 suspected Islamic State members accused of planning attacks over Christmas and New Year. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said eight police officers and another security force member were wounded during a raid on a property in the town of Yalova, on the Sea of Marmara coast south of Istanbul. More than 100 addresses were raided nationwide early on Monday as part of the operation. Turkey has stepped up operations against suspected Islamic State militants this year as the group has returned to prominence globally. The United States carried out a strike against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria last week, while Australian police said two gunmen who attacked a Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach earlier this month appeared to have been inspired by the group. On Dec. 19, the US military...

At least nine people, including five children, were killed in a stabbing attack in Suriname’s capital Paramaribo, police said on Sunday. According to authorities, the suspect attacked neighbours and children during the overnight incident, using a sharp object. Four adults and five minors were killed, while a sixth child and another adult sustained serious injuries and were rushed to hospital. Police said officers opened fire when the suspect attempted to attack them during the arrest. He was shot in the legs and remains hospitalised under guard. Investigations into the motive behind the attack are ongoing. from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt/I9cAu1H

Under the shadow of civil war and questions over the poll's credibility, voters in Myanmar cast their ballots in apparently low numbers in a general election on Sunday, the first since a military coup toppled the last civilian government in 2021. The junta, having crushed pro-democracy protests after the coup and sparked a nationwide rebellion, said the three-phase vote would bring political stability to the impoverished Southeast Asian nation, despite international condemnation of the exercise. But the United Nations, some Western countries and human rights groups have said the vote is not free, fair or credible, given that anti-junta political parties are out of the running and it is illegal to criticise the polls. Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, deposed by the military months after her National League for Democracy won the last general election by a landslide in 2020, remains in detention, and the party she led to power has been dissolved. Map shows Myanmar’s general ...

A Palestinian woman was killed, and several of her family members were injured after a building collapsed due to storms in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, according to medics. Medical sources told Anadolu that the wall of a home that was damaged in past Israeli attacks fell upon the tent of a 30-year-old woman in the Al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City. Heavy rainfall and strong winds that have been pounding the enclave since last night flooded and uprooted thousands of displacement tents across Gaza, according to an Anadolu correspondent and witnesses. Read More: Pakistan ready to join Gaza peace force if mandate excludes disarming Hamas: Dar Hundreds of tents for displaced people set up on the beach of Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, were also flooded by rising sea waves caused by the low-pressure weather system. Weather conditions pose great danger to displaced Palestinians who are living in worn-out tents or severely damaged high-risk buildings, which have been under repeated Is...

Bangladesh police on Sunday said the alleged killers of popular student leader Sharif Osman Hadi had fled to India, in comments likely to further strain relations with its neighbour. Hadi, a vocal critic of India who took part in last year's mass uprising, was shot by masked assailants in Dhaka earlier this month and later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Singapore. "The killing was premeditated. Those behind it have been identified," SN Nazrul Islam, a senior Dhaka Metropolitan Police officer, said at a news conference. Suspects Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh left Bangladesh through the Haluaghat border with India shortly after attacking Hadi on Dec 12, Islam said. They were received at the border by two Indian citizens, who escorted them into the northeastern state of Meghalaya before handing them over to two accomplices. Bangladeshi investigators were in contact with their Indian counterparts, who had arrested the two suspected accomplices, Islam said....

A brief scuffle broke out outside the Bangladesh Embassy in London on Saturday as pro-Khalistan Sikh activists confronted a group of Indo-UK Hindu protesters demonstrating over the killing of Hindus in Bangladesh. Paramjeet Singh Pamma, a coordinator of the Khalistan Referendum campaign, confronted the Hindu protesters during the demonstration. Video footage and eyewitness accounts showed a short physical altercation between Pamma and an Indian Hindu protester before British police intervened. Hindutva group was protesting against Bangladesh government today in front of Bangladesh high commission in London. They were confronted not by Muslim diaspora from Bangladesh but by the Sikh diaspora from India. pic.twitter.com/hpyby1RcKj — Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) December 27, 2025 UK police quickly separated the two groups, restored order and dispersed the Indo-UK Hindu protesters from the immediate area outside the embassy. Following the police intervention, pro-Khalistan Sikhs formed a protec...

More than 200 people, including women and children, were killed in ethnically motivated attacks carried out by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in parts of Darfur, according to a statement released Saturday by the Sudan Doctors Network. Citing testimonies from survivors who arrived at displacement camps in Tina, near the Sudan-Chad border, the network said civilians were targeted and killed on an ethnic basis in the areas of Ambro and Abu Qamra in North Darfur and Sirba in West Darfur after RSF forces attacked the locations. “The victims included children, women and men who were deliberately targeted and killed on ethnic grounds,” the statement said, describing the assaults as a gross violation of international humanitarian and human rights law. Read More: At least 15 dead, 19 injured in Guatemala bus accident There was no immediate comment from the RSF. The reported killings came amid intensified fighting in North Darfur. The Joint Force of Armed Movements, which is...

At least 15 people were killed and 19 injured after a passenger bus plunged into a ravine on the Inter-American Highway in western Guatemala, authorities said on Saturday. “Fifteen people have died in this traffic accident — 11 men, three women and a minor,” Leandro Amado, a spokesperson for local firefighters, told reporters, adding that around 19 injured people were taken to hospitals near the scene. The crash occurred in the Solola Department between kilometres 172 and 174, an area known for dense fog that reduces visibility for drivers. Images shared by the fire department on social media early on Saturday showed the wrecked bus in the ravine as firefighters worked to rescue victims. from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt/LuDEk4z

Yemen's Saudi-led coalition said any military moves by the main southern separatist group STC in the eastern province of Hadramout that undermined de-escalation efforts would be countered to protect civilians, the Saudi state news agency reported on Saturday. The statement from coalition spokesperson General Turki al-Malki followed a request from Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, for the coalition to take immediate measures to protect civilians in Hadramout from "violations committed by armed groups affiliated with the STC". The Southern Transitional Council (STC), backed by the United Arab Emirates, has ousted the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government from its Aden headquarters and claimed broad control across the south this month. Read More: Pakistan backs Saudi-UAE peace efforts in Yemen On Friday, the STC rejected a Saudi call to withdraw from areas it seized earlier in December, saying it would continue securing the easte...

China on Friday imposed “countermeasures” against US defense firms and executives after the Donald Trump administration approved a record arms sale to Taiwan. “In response to the latest US announcement of large-scale arms sales to China’s Taiwan region, China has decided to take countermeasures in accordance with the anti-foreign sanctions law against 20 US defense-related companies and 10 senior executives who have engaged in arming Taiwan in recent years,” said a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The Trump administration early this month announced eight new arms packages for Taiwan totaling well over $11 billion, in a one-time record sale to Taipei. The sales approved by the US State Department include an over $4 billion sale of 60 M107A7 Self-Propelled Howitzers and related equipment, 82 M142 HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, 420 Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, more than $1 billion in ALTIUS tube-launched loitering drone munitions, and $353 million in TOW missiles....

The Greek coastguard on Friday rescued nearly 400 would-be migrants from a fishing boat and another vessel off southern Crete, ANA news agency reported. In one operation about 35 nautical miles from the small island of Gavdos, off Crete, a coastguard vessel, a Danish freighter and a helicopter took 365 people off a fishing boat, according to the agency. Read More: Four people offloaded at Islamabad Airport for attempting travel on fake visas Earlier about 30 people were moved onto a Frontex European frontier agency boat, about 25 nautical miles from Gavdos. They were taken to Crete. Some 39 people on a rubber dinghy were rescued on Thursday just south of Crete. The sea between Turkey and Greece and Libya to Greece are popular routes for undocumented migrants trying to reach Europe. There are many accidents however. Seventeen bodies, mainly Egyptians and Sudanese, were found and another 15 people were believed missing after one their vessel capsized this month. from Latest World News,...

Five people were killed in an explosion at a mosque belonging to the Alawite minority sect in the Syrian city of Homs on Friday, Syrian state news agency SANA said. SANA cited Syrian Health Ministry official Najib al-Naasan as saying 21 others were wounded and that the figures were preliminary, indicating they could rise. Homs city’s press office said an explosive device had detonated inside the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib mosque and that security forces had cordoned off the area. Local official Issam Naameh told Reuters the blast took place during Friday noon prayers, typically the busiest time for mosques. Read More: Turkey detains 115 alleged IS members Syrian state media published footage showing rescuers and security forces examining debris splayed across the mosque’s green carpet. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Syria has been rocked by several episodes of sectarian violence since longtime leader Bashar al-Assad, an Alawite, was ousted by a rebel offensi...

Former special assistant on accountability to ex-prime minister Imran Khan, Mirza Shahzad Akbar, was injured in a violent attack near his home in Cambridge, United Kingdom, on Wednesday, police and Akbar confirmed.  Akbar told The Express Tribune’s London correspondent that an image of his injured face circulating on social media is fake and generated by artificial intelligence, dismissing the posts as misinformation. He said the attacker struck him after confirming his identity, and his nasal bone was broken in the assault, with other facial wounds also sustained.  Cambridge police are actively investigating the targeted attack, collecting forensic evidence and reviewing CCTV footage from the surrounding area. Authorities have not yet announced any arrests or identified a suspect, but have assured Akbar they are working to apprehend the individual responsible and anyone who may have directed the attack. Read: Ex-PM Imran Khan aide Shahzad Akbar injured in UK attack ...

Greek coastguard were searching Thursday for a missing child off the island of Farmakonisi after rescuing 52 migrants in two separate incidents in the Aegean Sea, local media reported. They found 13 migrants who had arrived on the small, uninhabited island, but one boy was reported missing from the group, said the ANA news agency. Another 39 migrants were found on board an inflatable boat off the southern island of Crete, according to the same source. They were taken to the village of Kaloi Limenes in Crete. No details about their nationality were provided. Two coastguard vessels and an airforce helicopter were deployed for the operation off Farmakonisi, opposite the Turkish coast. Many migrants try to reach the Greek islands from Turkey or Libya as a way of entering the European Union. But both crossings are perilous. Earlier this month, 17 people were found dead in a migrant boat drifting off Crete. Another 15 people were reported missing. The vessel had set off from the Libyan port ...

Saudi Arabia said on Thursday it remains hopeful that Yemen’s main southern separatist group will end an escalation that has given it broad control across the south, deepening uncertainties in a country already divided between two administrations since civil war erupted over a decade ago. In a foreign ministry statement, the kingdom described the military operations by Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC) - through which the group seized the eastern provinces of Hadramout and Mahra earlier this month - as an “unjustified escalation.” “The kingdom remains hopeful that the public interest will prevail through ending the escalation by the Southern Transitional Council and the withdrawal of its forces from the two governorates in an urgent and orderly manner,” the statement said. Read More: 80 Pakistani students handed job offer letters for technician positions in Saudi Arabia A joint Saudi-Emirati military delegation arrived in Aden on December 12 to discuss measures aimed at d...

Pope Leo decried conditions for Palestinians in Gaza in his Christmas sermon on Thursday, in an unusually direct appeal during what is normally a solemn, spiritual service on the day Christians across the globe celebrate the birth of Jesus. Leo, the first US pope, said the story of Jesus being born in a stable showed that God had "pitched his fragile tent" among the people of the world. Leo, celebrating his first Christmas after being elected in May by the world's cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis, has a quieter, more diplomatic style than his predecessor and usually refrains from making political references in his sermons. In a later Christmas blessing, the pope, who has made care for immigrants a key theme of his early papacy, also lamented the situation for migrants and refugees who "traverse the American continent". Read More: Christmas celebrated across Pakistan amid tight security Leo, who has in the past criticised US President Donald Trump's...

Christmas is marked across the world with a rich blend of faith, tradition and local culture. From midnight Mass and candlelit prayers to vibrant parades, decorations and family gatherings, the holiday reflects both its Christian roots and the unique customs of the societies that celebrate it. These images capture how Christmas unfolds in different countries, shaped by history, culture and community spirit. West Bank Christian scouts march during Christmas Eve celebrations at the Manger Square outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. PHOTO: AFP Scouts marched in Bethlehem on Wednesday, as the historic West Bank city emerged from the shadow of the Gaza genocide to celebrate its first festive Christmas in more than two years. Throughout the genocide that intensified in October 2023, a sombre tone had marked Christmases in the biblical birthplace of Jesus Christ. United States Nativity scene set in Dedham, Massachusetts, with baby Jesus missing from it, a placquered saying "I...

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said the latest version of a plan to end the Russian invasion would freeze the front line, but still pave the way for Ukrainian withdrawals and the creation of demilitarised zones. Zelensky said the 20-point plan, agreed on by US and Ukrainian negotiators, was being reviewed by Moscow. The Kremlin is unlikely to abandon its hardline territorial demands and Zelensky also conceded there are some points in the document that he does not like. But it appears Kyiv has managed to shift the plan away from an original 28-point US proposal, which adhered to many of Russia's core demands. That plan had demanded that Ukraine withdraw from the 20 percent of the Donetsk region it still controls and that land occupied by Moscow be recognised as Russian territory. A requirement for Kyiv to legally renounce its bid to join NATO has also been dropped from the latest plan, though the United States has long said it would not admit Ukraine to the bloc. "I...

Bangladesh on Tuesday summoned the top Indian envoy as fresh protests erupted outside its high commission in New Delhi over the mob lynching of a Hindu worker in Dhaka. The garment worker was accused of blasphemy and lynched on December 18 as anti-India sentiment rises in the neighbouring majority Muslim nation. Seven suspects have been arrested over the killing. On Tuesday, hundreds of demonstrators converged near Bangladesh’s High Commission in New Delhi waving saffron flags and banners, including one that read: “Stop Killing Hindus in Bangladesh”. “Hindus are warning Bangladesh that it is taking the wrong approach,” said Puneet Gautam, 37, a protester and member of the right-wing Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) organisation. VHP members and security personnel clashed outside Dhaka’s outpost as the crowd shoved its way through yellow metal barricades around 300 metres from the building. Earlier on Tuesday, Bangladesh’s foreign ministry had summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma t...

British police arrested Swedish activist Greta Thunberg in London on Tuesday at a pro-Palestinian protest, UK-based campaign group Prisoners for Palestine said. The group said Thunberg was arrested under the Terrorism Act for holding a sign that read: “I support the Palestine Action prisoners. I oppose genocide.” The British government has proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation. A City of London police spokesperson said two other people had been arrested for throwing red paint at a building. The spokesperson added that a 22-year-old woman later attended the scene and was arrested for displaying a placard in support of a proscribed organisation. Read More: Israeli defence minister vows military to remain in Gaza Prisoners for Palestine, which supports some detained activists who have gone on hunger strike, said the building was targeted because it was used by an insurance firm that it said provides services to the British arm of Israeli defence company Elbit Systems. Th...

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that Israel’s military would never fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip for security reasons and that a civilian-military army unit would be established in the Palestinian enclave. Under a US-backed peace plan signed by both Israel and Hamas in October, the Israeli military is meant to gradually withdraw completely from the coastal enclave, and Israel would not re-establish civilian settlements there. “We are located deep inside Gaza and we will never leave all of Gaza. There will never be such a thing. We are there to protect, to prevent what happened,” Katz said in a speech, referring to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 raid on Israel. The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to comment. Read More: Dozens mourn six killed in Israeli shelling of Gaza shelter Referring to units of the Israeli military, Katz said: “When the time comes, in northern Gaza ... we will build Nahal units instead of the (Israeli) communities that were displ...

The UN World Food Programme predicts that the number of children suffering from food shortages in Afghanistan could reach around 4 million, with malnutrition among children at its highest level in decades. The report published its findings on December 16, 2025, mapping areas where food insecurity and acute malnutrition range from alert to critical. According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report for Afghanistan, three million more women, men, and children face acute hunger or worse compared to the 14.8 million last year. The IPC system assesses degrees of food insecurity, categorising it into 5 phases, ranging from Phase 1 (Minimal) to Phase 5 (Famine). IPC3+ includes Phase 3 (Crisis) and higher, indicating that individuals in this category are facing significant food insecurity, which is how the crisis in Afghanistan has been labelled. Nearly 3.7 million cases of children aged 6–59 months are projected to suffer acute malnutrition between January 202...

Iran insisted on Monday that its missile programme was defensive in nature and designed to dissuade attack, while adding the existence of its arsenal was not up for debate. Israel had presented Iran's ballistic missiles, along with its nuclear programme, as the two main threats it sought to neutralise during the 12-day war the foes fought in June. "Iran's missile programme was developed to defend Iran's territory, not for negotiation," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a weekly press conference. "Therefore, Iran's defense capabilities, designed to deter aggressors from any thought of attacking Iran, are not a matter that could be talked about." Iran's ballistic capabilities put Israel within striking distance, and after Israel's unprecedented attacks that sparked the war in June, Tehran responded with waves of missiles and drones launched at Israeli cities. According to US broadcaster NBC, Israel is growing increasingly concer...

A Russian general was killed by a car bomb in southern Moscow on Monday, Russian investigators said, adding that they suspected Ukrainian special services could have been behind the attack. The bomb exploded under the Kia Sorento car driven by Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Russian General Staff's army operational training directorate, as he left a parking space at 06.55am Moscow time (0355 GMT). Russia's State Investigative Committee said Sarvarov had died from his injuries. It published a video of the wrecked vehicle, with blood visible on the driver's seat and one of the doors blown off. Svetlana Petrenko, a spokesperson for the committee, said investigators were gathering forensic evidence, questioning witnesses and reviewing security camera footage. "Various versions for the killing are being examined, one of which involves the possible role of Ukrainian intelligence services in organising the crime," she said. There was no official comment fr...

Southeast Asian foreign ministers met in Malaysia on Monday to try to restore a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia after two weeks of fierce fighting that has killed at least 60 people and displaced more than half a million. The ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will seek to salvage a truce first brokered by the organisation’s chair, Malaysia, and US President Donald Trump after a previous round of border clashes in July. Thailand and Cambodia's top diplomats attended the gathering in Kuala Lumpur, the first face-to-face meeting involving the two governments since the fighting resumed on December 8, as Malaysia urged the bloc to play a more forceful role in halting the conflict. "It is my hope that this special meeting will renew our efforts for a return to stability in the affected areas. ASEAN must do whatever is necessary to maintain regional peace and stability," Malaysia's Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said in opening remarks t...

US President Donald Trump is preparing for a more aggressive immigration crackdown in 2026 with billions in new funding, including by raiding more workplaces — even as backlash builds ahead of next year’s midterm elections. Trump has already surged immigration agents into major US cities, where they swept through neighborhoods and clashed with residents. While federal agents this year conducted some high-profile raids on businesses, they largely avoided raiding farms, factories and other businesses that are economically important but known to employ immigrants without legal status. ICE and Border Patrol will get $170 billion in additional funds through September 2029 - a huge surge of funding over their existing annual budgets of about $19 billion after the Republican-controlled Congress passed a massive spending package in July. Administration officials say they plan to hire thousands more agents, open new detention centers, pick up more immigrants in local jails and partner with outs...

Nine people were killed and 10 others wounded when armed assailants opened fire at a licensed tavern near Johannesburg early Sunday, the South African Police Service said. The shooting occurred shortly before 1am local time at a licensed tavern in Bekkersdal township, about 40 kilometres southwest of Johannesburg, police said in a statement. According to investigators, around 12 suspects arrived in a white minibus and a silver sedan before opening fire on patrons inside the establishment. Police said the attackers continued firing as they fled the scene. The wounded were taken to nearby hospitals, while the motive behind the attack remains under investigation. Read: Three-Year-Old Among 11 Killed as Gunmen Attack Illegal Bar in Pretoria The incident marks the second major mass shooting reported in South Africa this month. Earlier, 12 people were killed in an attack on a hostel near Pretoria. Bekkersdal is part of the Rand West City local municipality and has been described by local aut...

Bangladesh deployed police and paramilitary forces in the capital on Saturday ahead of funeral prayers for slain youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, whose killing has triggered widespread violence and unrest across the country. Hadi, 32, a key figure in last year’s student-led uprising that toppled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was shot in the head by masked assailants while launching his election campaign in Dhaka last week. He died on Thursday night in Singapore after six days on life support. The unrest erupted amid rising political tensions following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. Hadi, a spokesperson for the student-led group Inquilab Mancha, was a key figure in the protests that toppled Hasina. He was shot in the head by masked assailants while launching his election campaign in Dhaka and later flown to Singapore for advanced medical care, where he died after six days on life support. Read: Protests in Bangladesh as India cites security conce...

Nearly 540 migrants crammed on a sailing boat were rescued early Friday south of the island of Crete, the Greek coastguard said. The 539 would-be asylum seekers were rescued by a patrol vessel of EU border agency Frontex near the small island of Gavdos in the Libyan Sea, a coastguard spokeswoman told AFP. So far, the coastguard has recorded nationals from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan and the Palestinian territories aboard the boat, the spokeswoman said. Read More: US Homeland Security chief pauses green card lottery programme They will first be taken to the Cretan city of Rethymno, she added. Under standard EU procedure, all will undergo health checks before having their asylum claims processed. The port they had sailed out from was not immediately clear, the spokeswoman said. Migrants have been trying to reach Crete from Libya for the last year, as a way of entering the European Union. from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://i...

The newly appointed Australian High Commissioner, Tim Kane, met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on December 19, 2025. The meeting was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the High Commissioner on his appointment and expressed confidence that his tenure would strengthen the enduring relations between Pakistan and Australia. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the loss of innocent lives in the terrorist shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney, on December 14, 2025, and stated that Pakistan unequivocally condemns the attack. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s solidarity with Australia during this period of grief, saying terrorism has no religion and must be condemned in all forms. He also emphasised the need for collective action to eliminate the threat of terrorism. Read: Australia vows new hate laws as youngest B...