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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is likely to survive Thursday’s no-confidence vote — but both the EU’s far left and far right have taken issue with how she is doing her job.

On Monday afternoon, when the European Parliament met for the second time after the summer break in Strasbourg, legislators got down to business right away.

Jordan Bardella, the French chairman of the far-right group Patriots for Europe, accused European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of a lack of transparency, a failed migration policy and a loss of competitiveness because of her climate policy.

He also called the customs deal with the US a disaster. “You have effectively signed Europe’s surrender,” he said.

The next to speak was the deputy chair of the left-wing group, French politician Manon Aubry. Her accusations were also serious: failure in her dealings with Israel and the war in Gaza, in achieving the Green Deal, focusing on arms purchases instead of social security. “You must go,” she told von der Leyen.

However, von der Leyen kept calm. “The truth is that our opponents are not only ready to exploit any divisions, they actively fuel these divisions,” she countered confidently, calling for unity.

Two no-confidence votes in three months

Yet it is unprecedented for a European Commission president to face two votes of no-confidence within just three months. It is seen as unlikely that she will be ousted in Thursday’s vote — but it reveals just how fragmented the parliament has become.

It further displays how fragile trust between the Commission and parties from the political center is by now.

Unlike the last vote of no-confidence in July, this time, the push came from the radical left as well as the political right wing. Although their worldviews clash, their goals seem to be similar: to undermine von der Leyen, and strengthen their own grip on power in the parliament.

For Almut Möller, director of European and Global Affairs at the European Policy Centre (EPC), this is not unexpected. “It is no surprise given the increasing political fragmentation in the European Parliament,” she said.

Olivier Costa, director of research at the French Centre national de la recherche scientifique, or CNRS, who is an expert on EU institutions, highlighted the rise of extremist forces on the left and right as the root cause.

What is the criticism of von der Leyen’s leadership?

Costa also points to the dwindling ability to cooperate between Social Democrats and Christian Democrats, which was formerly the core alliance in the European Parliament. He added there was second reason: Ursula von der Leyen’s leadership style, which many perceive as too centralized and hierarchical.

“She really sees herself as a prime minister,” Costa said, adding that the principles of cooperation and consensus are taking a back seat, with decisions being made by those at the top. This has caused discontent in the parliament and even within the Commission.

Meanwhile, Europe’s political landscape has become more complicated. Since 2019, the former “grand coalition” between the right-wing conservative European People’s Party (EPP) and the social democrats (S&D) is no longer sufficient to secure stable majorities.

“We have seen that already in some votes, especially on environment and migration or international questions, that there is no hesitation anymore for the EPP to vote with them [far-right parties],” he said.

Personal clashes between Manfred Weber (EPP) and Iratxe García (S&D) at the top of the parliamentary groups have made compromises harder to reach. The result is a power vacuum in the center that is being exploited by the political fringes.

Criticism mounts from all sides

Still, the parties in the center are still trying to stick together, but patience with the Commission President’s course is wearing thin. “We have to acknowledge that the political platform upon which the Commission President and her Commission stand holds for now, but is not that solid in the center either,” Möller told DW.

There is criticism from all sides: parts of the Liberal Party complain about the slow pace of bureaucracy cutbacks, the EPP is annoyed about unilateral foreign policy decisions, and the Social Democrats and Greens are increasingly skeptical about a shift toward growth and competitiveness and away from social projects and the Green Deal.

However, Möller warns against jumping to conclusions. “These [accusations] will not fundamentally be a threat to the power of the Commission President,” she explained, adding that von der Leyen will “have to focus on keeping the center engaged and happy.”

In her view, ironically, the upcoming no-confidence votes are an opportunity to do just that.

Von der Leyen may be able to discipline her coalition by turning the vote into a question of loyalty.

Dangerous or invigorating?

So, are the no-confident votes a sign of dangerous destabilization or democratic vitality? “Both,” Costa said, explaining that “controversy is the proof that democracy is vivid, within EU institutions, but it’s always the same thing: It’s vivid until the point where it becomes too much for the system and the system is destabilized.”

On Thursday, the European Parliament will decide on von der Leyen’s future. However, Costa does not see any grounds for an imminent resignation, but rather views the situation as the new normal, which consists of nonstop stress tests.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/ursula-von-der-leyen-and-the-polarized-european-parliament/a-74268990

Israelis have gathered across the country to mark two years since the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023, as negotiations continued in Egypt over an end to the war in Gaza.

The attack saw over 1,200 people killed and 251 others taken back to Gaza as hostages. It was the single deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.

Israel responded by launching a military offensive in Gaza which has killed more than 67,000 people, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry. Its figures are seen as reliable by the UN and other international bodies.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that alongside “immense pain”, Israel had shown “miraculous resilience”.

“Our bloodthirsty enemies have hit us hard, but they have not broken us,” Netanyahu said on Tuesday.

He vowed to “achieve all the goals of the war: the return of all the kidnapped, the elimination of the Hamas regime and the promise that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel”.

Recalling Hamas’s attack on southern Israel two years ago, UN Secretary General António Guterres said: “The horror of that dark day will be forever seared in the memories of us all”.

He also called on all parties to agree to US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, describing it as a “historic opportunity” to “bring this tragic conflict to an end”.

The Israeli government delayed official memorials until 16 October – after the end of the Jewish High Holiday season – but events still took place across the country on Tuesday.

A memorial ceremony for the families of Israelis killed in the Hamas attack was held in Tel Aviv. Organised by the families themselves, it was broadcast across Israeli television channels.

Hours earlier, a minute’s silence was observed across the country.

Meanwhile, Israeli and Hamas negotiating teams convened in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for a second day of indirect talks to discuss the terms of the proposal.

A senior Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations told the BBC that an evening round of indirect talks began at 19:00 Cairo time (16:00 GMT).

The official said the morning session ended without tangible results, amid disagreements over the proposed Israeli withdrawal maps from Gaza and over guarantees Hamas wants to ensure Israel does not resume fighting after the first phase of the deal.

He added that the talks are “tough and have yet to produce any real breakthrough,” but noted that mediators are working hard to narrow the gaps between the two sides.

Earlier, a Palestinian official said the negotiations were focused on five key issues: a permanent ceasefire; the exchange of the hostages still held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Gaza; the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza; arrangements for humanitarian aid deliveries; and post-war governance of the territory.

President Trump’s negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, were expected to depart the US this evening and arrive in Egypt on Wednesday, a source familiar with the talks told the BBC.

“We have a really good chance of making a deal, and it’ll be a lasting deal,” the president told reporters at the White House on Monday.

In Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square earlier, 29-year-old Hagar – whose brother survived the attack on the Nova music festival, where 378 people were killed and dozens more were taken hostage by Hamas gunmen – told the BBC: “No place feels like home anymore and until all the hostages come back none of us will feel safe.”

“When we see everybody home again, we can breathe again. Then we can start to recover,” she added.

Outside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem, people gathered to show their support for the families of the hostages. Israel says 48 remain in captivity in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to be alive.

Demonstrator Atalia Regev told the BBC: “We need to do every compromise needed for the hostages to come back home. But we really want assurances that we will be safe.”

Opinion polls now consistently show that around 70% of Israelis want the war to end in exchange for the release of the hostages.

At the site of Nova festival, mourners gathered to pay their respects.

From there, the boom of Israelis air strikes and artillery could be heard just a few kilometres away in Gaza, where witnesses said the intense Israeli bombardment continued.

In Gaza City, air and artillery strikes were reported in the early hours of Tuesday in the western Tal al-Hawa, Rimal and Nasr neighbourhoods and in the eastern neighbourhood of Sheikh Radwan, as well Shati refugee camp to the north-west.

“When the evening comes, the fear comes with it,” displaced Gaza City resident Emaan al-Wahidi, whose 17-year-old son was killed by an Israeli air strike last year, told the BBC.

“Me and my three children are afraid of the air strikes. All the night we are sleeping together, holding each other, especially my smallest child who puts his head on me all night.”

“Every second we look at the news to see what happened. And I’m afraid that this ceasefire will not be completed and that the war will come back to us.”

Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City said it had received the bodies of six people by the afternoon, including three killed in an Israeli strike in the southern al-Sabra neighbourhood.

Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis said another two dead people had been brought there. One of them was killed by Israeli forces while seeking aid to the south, medics said.

Unicef spokesman James Elder described how mothers and wounded children were “lining the corridor floors” of Nasser, and that premature babies were having to share a single bed or oxygen source.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c24rj4pg05no

The United States may supply Pakistan with AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, as indicated by a recent arms contract notification from the Department of War.

Pakistan may receive advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles AIM-120 (AMRAAM) from the United States, PTI reported, after an arms contract deal was recently notified by the United States Department of War (DoW), initially known as the Department of Defence.
The contract notification listed Pakistan among the buyers of AIM-120 AMRAAM, along with other nations. The arms deal may cost Pakistan, whose economy is already in doll-drums and dependent on IMF’s bailout, a whopping $41.6 billion.
If this deal takes place, it may raise questions about America’s foreign policy of arming a terror-sponsor state with advanced weapons and expose its double standards in lecturing other nations.

The US government shutdown entered its second week on Monday (Oct 6), with no sign of a deal between President Donald Trump’s Republicans and Democrats to end the crisis.

Democrats are refusing to provide the handful of votes the ruling Republicans need to reopen federal departments, unless an agreement is reached on extending expiring “Obamacare” healthcare subsidies and reversing some cuts to health programmes passed as part of Trump’s signature “One Big Beautiful Bill”.

With the government out of money since Wednesday and grinding to a halt, Senate Democrats looked set to vote against a House-passed temporary funding bill for a fifth time.

The hard line taken by Democrats marks a rare moment of leverage for the opposition party in a period when Trump and his ultra-loyal Republicans control every branch of government and Trump himself is accused of seeking to amass authoritarian-like powers.

With funding not renewed, non-critical services are being suspended.

Salaries for hundreds of thousands of public sector employees are set to be withheld from Friday, while military personnel could miss their paychecks from Oct 15.

And Trump has upped the ante by threatening to have large numbers of government employees fired, rather than just furloughed – placed on temporary unpaid leave status – as is normally done during shutdowns.

The president said on Sunday that workers were already being fired, but White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt walked back the comments a day later, saying he was only “referring to the hundreds of thousands of federal workers who have been furloughed”.

Republicans are digging in their heels, with House Speaker Mike Johnson telling his members not even to report to Congress unless the Democrats cave, insisting any healthcare negotiation be held after re-opening the government.

“If he’s serious about lowering costs and protecting the healthcare of the American people, why wait?” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a challenge to Johnson on Monday.

“Democrats are ready to do it now,” he wrote on X.

SHUTDOWN IMPACTS
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill”, which he signed into law on Jul 4, would strip 11 million Americans of health care coverage, mainly through cuts to the Medicaid programme for low-income families.

That figure would be in addition to the four million Americans Democrats say will lose health care next year if Obamacare health insurance subsidies are not extended – while another 24 million Americans will see their premiums double.

Republicans argue the expiring healthcare subsidies have nothing to do with keeping the government open and can be dealt with separately before the end of the year.

As the shutdown begins to bite, the Environmental Protection Agency, space agency NASA and the Education, Commerce and Labor departments have been the hardest hit by staff being furloughed – or placed on enforced leave – during the shutdown.

The Transport, Justice, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs Departments are among those that have seen the least effects so far, the contingency plans of each organisation show.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/us-government-shutdown-second-week-no-deal-republicans-democrats-5387321

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said Russia’s president is trying to “intimidate and instill fear” and is waging an “information war” against Germany. Meanwhile, electric cars are set to get a tax break. More on DW.

Merz calls for scrapping of EU combustion-engine ban
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday spoke in favor of scrapping the EU’s 2035 deadline for ending new combustion-engine vehicle sales.

The move comes as the EU pledged to fast-track a review of the 2035 target after pressure from carmakers.

Merz spoke with German broadcaster NTV, ahead of a meeting on Thursday with representatives from the automotive industry, saying that he thought the EU ban was “wrong.”

“I don’t want Germany to be one of the countries supporting this wrong ban,” Merz said.

Merz noted that diesel engines are still needed for truck manufacturing and that it would be a “serious mistake” for Germany not to be able to conduct research in this area.

The German chancellor also expressed hope that synthetic fuels could be developed in the coming years which would allow combustion engines to run “in an environmentally friendly manner.”

“We should not ban, we should enable technologies, and that is my goal,” he said.

Merz said the issue was “still being discussed” with his junior coalition partners, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), as environment minister Carsten Schneider was “not yet convinced” about the need to abandon the target.

Merz said he hopes the government would come to an agreed position before Thursday’s auto sector meeting.

Germany’s influential automotive giants, such as Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, have all cast doubt on the EU target.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of conducting a “hybrid war” against Germany, saying Moscow’s campaign extends beyond Ukraine to target all of Europe.

“He is waging an information war against us. He is waging a military war against Ukraine and this war is directed against all of us,” Merz told broadcaster NTV on Monday.

He said Putin aims to undermine Europe’s political order and that supporting Ukraine is in Germany’s interest to defend open, liberal societies.

Asked whether Putin was waging war on Germany, Merz replied: “He is waging a hybrid war against us.”

The chancellor linked recent drone incidents across Europe to Russian intimidation efforts, saying, “We will not be intimidated and we will defend ourselves effectively.”

Merz said he is considering speaking directly with Putin but noted that “every attempt to talk to him at the moment is ending in even tougher attacks on Ukraine.”

He added that he had a heated exchange with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at last week’s EU meeting in Copenhagen after Orban accused Germany of avoiding negotiations.

Merz said he reminded Orban that Putin responded to his own visits to Kyiv and Moscow last year by bombing a children’s hospital in Kyiv.

There are now almost daily attacks on critical infrastructure in Europe. In the same week that drones were spotted over several European airports, a cyberattack against security software used by many of those same hubs, including Berlin Airport, left passengers and personnel scrambling. At the same time, Germany’s Deutsche Bahn rail service experienced the latest in a series of high-level sabotage incidents.
For more news on Russia’s war in Ukraine, check out our blog here.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-news-merz-says-putin-waging-hybrid-war/live-74247283

The US has dominated the global technology market for decades. But China wants to change that.

The world’s second largest economy is pouring huge amounts of money into artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. Crucially, Beijing is also investing heavily to produce the high-end chips that power these cutting-edge technologies.

Last month, Jensen Huang – the boss of Silicon Valley-based AI chip giant Nvidia – warned that China was just “nanoseconds behind” the US in chip development.

So can Beijing match American technology and break its reliance on imported high-end chips?

After DeepSeek
China’s DeepSeek sent shockwaves through the tech world in 2024 when it launched a rival to OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

The announcement by a relatively unknown startup was impressive for a number of reasons, not least because the company said it cost much less to train than leading AI models.

It was said to have been created using far fewer high-end chips than its rivals, and its launch temporarily sank Silicon Valley-based Nvidia’s market value.

And momentum in China’s tech sector has continued. This year, some of the country’s big tech firms have made it clear that they aim to take on Nvidia and become the main advanced chip suppliers for local companies.

In September, Chinese state media said a new chip announced by Alibaba can match the performance of Nvidia’s H20 semiconductors while using less energy. H20s are scaled-down processors made for the Chinese market under US export rules.

Huawei also unveiled what it said were its most powerful chips ever, along with a three-year plan to challenge Nvidia’s dominance of the AI market.

The Chinese tech giant also said it would make its designs and computer programs available to the public in China in an effort to draw firms away from their reliance on US products.

Other Chinese chip developers have also secured major contracts with big businesses in the country. MetaX is supplying advanced chips for the likes of state-owned telecoms operator, China Unicom.

Another hotly-tipped potential challenger to Nvidia is Beijing-based Cambricon Technologies.

Its Shanghai-listed shares have more than doubled in value over the last three months as investors bet that it will benefit from Beijing’s push for Chinese firms to use locally produced high-end chips.

Tencent, which owns the super app WeChat, is another notable tech giant that has heeded the government’s call to use Chinese chips.

There has also been no shortage of state-backed trade shows, promoting Chinese technology companies in a bid to attract investors.

“The competition has undeniably arrived,” a spokesperson for Nvidia told the BBC in response to queries about the recent progress made by Chinese chip firms.

“Customers will choose the best technology stack for running the world’s most popular commercial applications and open-source models. We’ll continue to work to earn the trust and support of mainstream developers everywhere.”

Yet some experts have cautioned that claims made by Chinese chipmakers should be taken with a pinch of salt due to a lack of publicly available data and consistent testing benchmarks.

China’s semiconductors perform similarly to the US in predictive AI but fall short in complex analytics, said computer scientist Jawad Haj-Yahya, who has tested both American and Chinese chips.

“The gap is clear and it is surely shrinking. But I don’t think it’s something they will catch up on in the short-term.”

Where China leads – and lags
On the BG2 technology and business podcast in September, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang highlighted the strengths of China’s tech sector, crediting its hardworking and vast talent pool, intense domestic competition and progress in chipmaking.

“This is a vibrant entrepreneurial, high-tech, modern industry,” he said, urging the US to compete “for its survival”.

His assessment is likely to be welcomed by officials in Beijing.

The country has long vied to become a global leader in tech, partly to reduce its reliance on the West.

For years, China has invested heavily in what President Xi Jinping calls “high-quality development”, which covers industries from renewables to AI.

Even before US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, China had spent tens of billions of dollars as part of its efforts to transform its vast economy from the “world’s factory” for basic products to a home of cutting-edge industries.

An ongoing tariffs war with Trump’s America has only made that mission more urgent.

Xi has vowed to make his country more self-reliant and not depend on “anyone’s gifts”.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgmz2vm3yv8o

Elon Musk has called on his X followers to cancel their Netflix subscriptions over a Transformers cartoon.

Earlier this week, the Tesla boss and X owner became the world’s first ever person to reach a net worth of more than $500 billion (£372.5billion).

The 54-year-old saw the value of his businesses rise to £370.9 billion, the Forbes’ billionaires index reported.

This further cemented his status as the world’s richest person, with most of his wealth tied closely to his 12% stake in Tesla.

Now, however, the 54-year-old Tesla and SpaceX business owner has taken aim at a new Netflix cartoon.

Taking to social media, Musk claimed that Transformers Earthspeak is ‘pushing a woke gender identity propaganda’.

Musk responded to a clip posted by the account ‘Libs of TikTok’ showing a robot speaking to a non-binary child about people who ‘aren’t female or male’.

The robot replies: ‘What a wonderful word for a wonderful experience.’

In another clip, the robot – named Nightshade – can be seen being referred to as ‘they/them’ by the child and saying: ‘He/she. just doesn’t fit who I am.’

In addition, Optimus Prime – the main Transformers character – apologises for referring to another character by their wrong pronouns.

Commenting on X, Musk re-shared a post by Father Ted creator Graham Linehan, who said he had cancelled his Netflix account, writing ‘Cancel Netflix’.

This comes after Lineham arrived at court last month after being accused of harassing a transgender woman just days after his arrest over social media posts, relating to a separate incident.

The 57-year-old comedy writer, behind major shows such as Father Ted and IT Crowd, was met by police after he arrived at Heathrow where he was arrested on ‘suspicion of inciting violence’ for multiple posts made on X earlier this year taking aim at the transgender community.

Source : https://metro.co.uk/2025/10/05/elon-musk-urging-netflix-users-cancel-subscription-new-cartoon-24344525

Japan’s ruling conservative party has elected Sanae Takaichi as its new leader, positioning the 64-year-old to be Japan’s first female prime minister.

Takaichi is among the more conservative candidates leaning to the ruling party’s right. A former government minister, TV host and avid heavy metal drummer, she is one of the best known figures in Japanese politics – and a controversial one at that.

She faces many challenges, including contending with a sluggish economy and households struggling with relentless inflation and stagnant wages.

She will also have to navigate a rocky US-Japan relationship and see through a tariff deal with the Trump administration agreed by the previous government.

If confirmed as prime minister, one of Takaichi’s key challenges will be uniting the party after a turbulent few years which saw it rocked by scandals and internal conflicts.

Last month, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, whose term lasted just over a year, announced he would step down after a series of election defeats that saw the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) governing coalition lose its majority in both chambers of parliament.

Prof Jeff Kingston, director of Asian Studies at Temple University in Tokyo, told the BBC that Takaichi was unlikely to have “much success at healing the internal party rift”.

Takaichi belongs to the “hardline” faction of the LDP, which believed that “the reason the LDP support has imploded is because it lost touch with its right-wing DNA”, he added.

“I think she’s in a good position to regain the right wing voters, but at the expense of wider popular appeal, if they go into a national election.”

Takaichi has been a long-time admirer of Britain’s first female prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. She is now ever closer to fulfilling her Iron Lady ambition.

But many women voters don’t see her as an advocate for progress.

“She calls herself Japan’s Margaret Thatcher. In terms of fiscal discipline, she’s anything but Thatcher,” Prof Kingston said.

“But like Thatcher she’s not much of a healer. I don’t think she’s done much to empower women.”

Takaichi is a staunch conservative who’s long opposed legislation allowing women to keep their maiden names after marriage, saying it is against tradition. She is also against same sex marriage.

A protégé of the late former leader Shinzo Abe, Takaichi has vowed to bring back his economic vision, known as Abenomics – which involves high fiscal spending and cheap borrowing.

The LDP veteran is hawkish on security and aims to revise Japan’s pacifist constitution.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2pmy7m72lo

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hopes to announce the release of all hostages from Gaza “in the coming days,” as Israel and Hamas prepare for indirect talks in Egypt on Monday on a new U.S. plan to end the war.

In a brief statement late Saturday, Netanyahu said he has sent a delegation to Egypt “to finalize technical details,” adding that “our goal is to contain these negotiations to a time frame of a few days.”

But Netanyahu signaled there would not be a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, something Hamas has long demanded. He said Israel’s military will continue to hold territories it controls in Gaza, and that Hamas will be disarmed in the plan’s second phase, diplomatically “or through a military path by us.”

The prime minister spoke after Hamas said it has accepted some elements of the U.S. plan. President Donald Trump welcomed the militant group’s statement but on Saturday warned that “Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off.”

Trump later said the ceasefire would begin immediately once Hamas confirms the “initial withdrawal line” in Gaza. A map with his social media post appeared to show much of Gaza still open to Israeli forces.

Trump has also ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza. Some in Gaza City reported a notable easing of Israeli strikes Saturday, though hospital officials said at least 22 people were killed, including women and children.

Israel’s army said leaders instructed it to prepare for the U.S. plan’s first phase. Israel has moved to a defensive-only position in Gaza and will not actively strike, said an official who was not authorized to speak to the media on the record.

Still, an Israeli strike on Gaza City’s Tuffah neighborhood killed at least 17 and injured 25 others, said Al-Ahli hospital director Fadel Naim. “The strikes are still ongoing,” Naim said. Israel’s military said it struck a Hamas member and “regrets any harm caused to uninvolved civilians.”

Shifa Hospital director Mohamed Abu Selmiyah earlier Saturday said Israeli strikes killed five Palestinians across Gaza City.

Momentum ahead of war’s anniversary

Trump appears determined to deliver on pledges to end the war and return all hostages ahead of Tuesday’s second anniversary of the Hamas attack that sparked it on Oct. 7, 2023. His proposal has widespread international support. On Friday, Netanyahu’s office said Israel was committed to ending the war.

Monday’s indirect talks are meant to prepare the way for the release of hostages from Gaza and Palestinians from Israeli detention, mediator Egypt said.

A senior Egyptian official said U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Egypt to head the U.S. negotiating team. The talks also will discuss maps showing the expected withdrawal of Israeli forces from certain areas in Gaza, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to brief the media.

The official also said Arab mediators are preparing for a comprehensive dialogue among Palestinians aimed at unifying their position toward Gaza’s future. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Gaza’s second most powerful militant group, said it accepted Hamas’ response after rejecting the plan days earlier.

Progress, but uncertainty ahead

Under the plan, Hamas would release the remaining 48 hostages — around 20 of them believed to be alive — within three days. It would give up power and disarm.

In return, Israel would halt its offensive and withdraw from much of Gaza, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow an influx of humanitarian aid and eventual reconstruction.

Hamas said it was willing to release the hostages and hand over power to other Palestinians, but that other aspects of the plan require further consultations among Palestinians. It didn’t address the issue of Hamas demilitarizing.

Amir Avivi, a retired Israeli general and chairman of Israel’s Defense and Security Forum, said while Israel can afford to stop firing for a few days in Gaza so the hostages can be released, it will resume its offensive if Hamas doesn’t lay down its arms.

Others said that Hamas’ position fundamentally remains unchanged. Its rhetoric “simply repackages old demands in softer language,” said Oded Ailam, a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.

Still, two vocal members of the right-wing bloc of Netanyahu’s coalition, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, criticized the plan’s progress but didn’t threaten to immediately leave the government.

And some speakers at the large weekly rally in Tel Aviv over the war expressed a cautious hope not heard for months.

A group representing some hostages’ families said the prospect of seeing loved ones return “has never been closer.” They appealed to Trump to keep pushing “with full force” and warned that “extremists on both sides” will try to sabotage the plan.

Meanwhile, protests have erupted across Europe calling for the war’s end.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-10-04-2025-b1519189e3f65ee76b468d064c0c4afa

Day-to-day communications from the agency have gone silent, with social media channels dormant and updates on ongoing missions delayed. Critical operations, however, remain active.

Nasa has announced that its operations are currently halted due to a lapse in government funding, with a notice on its website stating the agency is “closed” until further notice.

The development comes as the United States entered a government shutdown on October 1, 2025, after Congress failed to pass a budget or temporary funding measure.

The shutdown, the first in nearly six years, has forced thousands of federal workers to be furloughed across government agencies, including Nasa. According to official guidelines, only essential staff required for the protection of life and property are continuing work, meaning most Nasa projects — from space science research to public outreach — have been paused.

Day-to-day communications from the agency have gone silent, with social media channels dormant and updates on ongoing missions delayed. Critical operations, however, remain active. This includes monitoring astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), spacecraft currently in operation across the solar system, and planetary defense activities like asteroid tracking.

These efforts are considered vital to safety and are continuing with a limited workforce.

The shutdown could have wide-reaching consequences for Nasa’s programs and future missions. Preparatory work for upcoming launches, such as the Artemis program’s next steps toward returning humans to the Moon, may face delays.

Research projects supported by Nasa funding have been suspended, interrupting scientific studies and university collaborations that rely heavily on the agency’s resources. Contractors working with Nasa could also experience disruptions if prolonged gaps in government funding continue.

This is not the first time Nasa has faced such challenges. Previous shutdowns, including a significant one in 2018–2019, stalled progress on projects and created uncertainty for the agency’s scientists and engineers.

The longer the standoff persists in Washington, the more difficult it becomes for Nasa to maintain momentum on ambitious goals like lunar exploration and Mars missions.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/nasa-is-closed-heres-why-the-american-space-agency-is-shut-down-funding-freeze-donald-trump-2797310-2025-10-03

Russia’s sustained bombardment of Ukraine’s power grid is deepening concerns about the safety of the country’s nuclear facilities after a drone knocked out power for more than three hours to the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in northern Ukraine, officials said Thursday.

The drone strike adds to concerns raised more than a week ago when the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine became disconnected from the power grid following attacks that each side has blamed on the other.

Both Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia are not currently operational, but they require a constant power supply to run crucial cooling systems for spent fuel rods in order to avoid a potential nuclear incident.

A blackout also could blind radiation monitoring systems installed to boost security at Chernobyl and operated by the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency.

“Russia is deliberately creating the threat of radiation incidents,” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Wednesday, criticizing the U.N. nuclear watchdog and its chief Rafael Mariano Grossi for what he described as weak responses to the danger.

“Every day of Russia’s war, every strike on our energy facilities, including those connected to nuclear safety, is a global threat,” he said. “Weak and half-measures will not work. Strong action is needed.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected Ukrainian claims that Russia has been shelling the power lines around the Zaporizhzhia plant as “nonsense” and blamed Ukraine for attacking the Moscow-controlled plant, warning that Russia could respond in kind.

The war that followed Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbor more than three years ago appears no closer to ending, despite months of U.S.-led peace efforts.

Drones overwhelm air defenses
Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address that Russia launched over 20 Shahed drones against energy infrastructure in Slavutych, the city whose power supply services Chernobyl, the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident.

A wave of drones overwhelmed defenses and caused a blackout Wednesday, he said, affecting the sarcophagus that prevents radioactive dust from escaping the destroyed fourth reactor and storage housing more than 3,000 tons of spent fuel. He did not provide details of how it was affected.

“The Russians could not have been unaware that a strike on Slavutych would have such consequences for Chernobyl,” Zelenskyy said.

Last February, a drone armed with a warhead hit Chernobyl’s protective outer shell, briefly starting a fire. Radiation levels there did not increase, officials said.

Europe’s biggest nuclear plant using diesel generators
The Zaporizhzhia plant, which is Europe’s biggest and one of the 10 biggest nuclear facilities in the world, has been disconnected from the grid for over a week.

It has repeatedly been caught in the crossfire during the war. Zelenskyy blamed Russian artillery for cutting the power line to the plant, but Putin mocked the claim, saying: “are we striking ourselves?”

He accused Ukraine of “playing a dangerous game” by attacking the plant, adding ominously: “People on the other side must understand that if they continue this dangerous game, they also have functioning nuclear power plants.”

“What would prevent us from responding in kind?” he added. “Let them think about it.”

The facility is using emergency diesel generators to run cooling systems for its six shutdown reactors and spent fuel.

The IAEA says the plant is not in immediate danger but wants it swiftly reconnected to the grid.

Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said the situation is unprecedented. “No nuclear power plant in the world has ever operated under such conditions, and it is impossible to make any reliable forecasts,” it said in a statement to The Associated Press.

Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, an American nonprofit organization, said no nuclear plant was designed to be able to function safely for an extended period without access to stable off-site power.

“The situation at Zaporizhzhia is indeed extremely fragile and increasingly dire,” he told AP.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-drones-chernobyl-nuclear-plant-c451827a8a842d634203c0111131d152

The lawsuit filed by a coalition of unions, employers and religious groups, seeks to block Trump’s order imposing a visa fee of $100,000 on H-1B applications.

United States President Donald Trump-led administration’s new H-1B visa plan was challenged in a federal court in San Francisco on Friday. The lawsuit was filed by a coalition of unions, employers and religious groups, and seeks to block Trump’s order imposing a one-time visa fee of $100,000 on H-1B applications, Reuters reported.

This is the first lawsuit to challenge the proclamation issued by Trump on the hiked visa fee, even as the US President moves to restrict immigration to the country.

The H-1B visa program allows employers in the US to hire foreign workers in specialty fields, with the technology companies relying heavily on workers who receive these visas.

These employers who sponsor H-1B used to typically pay between $2,000 and $5,000 in fees, but Trump’s order bars new visa recipients from entering US unless the employer sponsoring their visa makes a payment of $100,000.

What does the lawsuit say about Trump’s order?
The plaintiffs have argued that Trump’s move is unlawful and that he has changed the H-1B program. They say that the changes force employers to either “pay to play” or seek a “national interest” exemption, which further “opens the door to selective enforcement and corruption”, Bloomberg reported.

In the lawsuit, the groups said that the US President “has no authority” to impose fees, taxes or other mechanisms unilaterally to generate revenue for America. They further added that he could not “dictate how those funds are spent.”

The lawsuit said that Trump had “disregarded” limitations and “asserted power he does not have” while issuing the proclamation. “The Constitution assigns the ‘power of the purse’ to Congress, as one of its most fundamental premises,” the suit says, according to Bloomberg.

It adds that Trump “displaced a complex, Congressionally specified system for evaluating petitions and granting H-1B visas.”

The plaintiffs in the case are the United Auto Workers union, the American Association of University Professors, the Justice Action Center and the Democracy Forward Foundation on behalf the Global Nurse Force, and several religious organisations.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/trumps-100-000-visa-fee-challenged-what-does-the-lawsuit-say-against-new-h-1b-plan-101759536787168.html

Pope Leo initially impressed conservative Catholics after his election in May as he embraced traditions shunned by his predecessor Pope Francis and steered clear of hot button social issues that divided the 1.4 billion-member Church.
But his honeymoon with conservatives appears over after he unexpectedly took aim at U.S. President Donald Trump’s hard-line immigration policies, questioning whether they were in line with the Church’s pro-life teachings.

“Someone who says I am against abortion but I am in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States, I don’t know if that’s pro-life,” Leo, the first U.S. pope, told reporters on Tuesday.
Some critics, who had praised the pope for his early reserve, expressed shock that Leo criticized the current champion of global conservatives.
Former Texas Bishop Joseph Strickland, a fierce Francis critic who was relieved from duty by the late pope but has praised Leo, criticized the new pope on social media for causing “much confusion … regarding the sanctity of human life and the moral clarity of the Church’s teaching.”

“So tired of papal interviews. He should return to his previous silence,” opined the Rorate Caeli blog, which had previously criticised Francis and praised Leo.
The Trump administration, which was sharply critical of Francis but has rarely commented about Leo, also pushed back.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she rejected the characterisation of inhumane treatment of immigrants.

POPE LIKELY UNDETERRED BY CRITICISM

Vatican officials and papal associates said Leo cares especially deeply about the treatment of immigrants and is unlikely to be deterred by criticism.
But it could detract from his mission, expressed during his inaugural papal mass, to work for unity across a global Church that has become more divided and polarized in recent decades.
While the naturally cautious Leo will look to avoid repeated clashes with conservatives that could harden opposition to his agenda, he will not renounce his own set of values.

“Is he going to ruffle the feathers of American conservatives at some points? Yes,” said Elise Allen, author of a biography of Leo for Penguin Peru and the only journalist to interview the pope since his election.
“They shouldn’t be surprised that he does that,” she told Reuters.
Cardinal Michael Czerny, a senior adviser to both Francis and Leo, said the new pope was following an instruction given by St. Paul, a 1st century leader of Christianity: “Preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season.”
“(Leo) encourages and challenges each local Church and each Christian, faced with complex and urgent issues, to live the Gospel,” the cardinal told Reuters.
Leo was a relative unknown on the global stage before his election in May. He spent most of his career as a missionary in Peru, where Allen said he developed a desire to care for immigrants and speak up for social causes.

“He understands the priority of the abortion issue, but he’s not going to be somebody that says that’s far more important than immigration,” she said.
Francis drew conservative Catholic ire throughout his 12-year papacy. He spurned much of the pomp of papacy, repeatedly clamped down on the traditional Latin Mass, and allowed priests to bless same-sex couples on a case-by-case basis.

LEO DISTINCT FROM FRANCIS

Leo earned conservative praise immediately in the hours after his election by wearing a traditional red papal garment called a mozzetta, which Francis never wore, in his first public appearance.
Leo has since held separate private meetings with U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke and Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, two prominent Francis critics who lost Vatican jobs under the late pope. Burke once famously compared the Church under Francis to “a ship without a rudder”.
Leo also let Burke celebrate a Latin Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica later this month, something Francis had refused.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/pope-leos-critique-trump-ends-honeymoon-with-conservative-catholics-2025-10-02/

Frank Heemskerk, a top executive at the Dutch semiconductor giant ASML, made the remarks at a business event in Brussels when he was asked if his company had easy access to European leaders.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s candid and business-friendly approach drew praise from Dutch semiconductor giant ASML, after its CEO Christophe Fouquet met him for two hours. According to ASML executive Frank Heemskerk, PM Modi not only listened but urged the company to offer feedback, saying: “You’re too friendly, tell me what we can do better.”

Heemskerk made the remarks at a business summit in Brussels when he was asked if his company had easy access to top leaders of the European Union.

“It’s not always easy. It’s easier to get a meeting in the White House with a senior official than to get a meeting with a commissioner,” he quipped.

He added that European policymakers should take a cue from PM Modi’s approach, noting that “political leaders should sit down with the companies that are making the investments.”

Commenting on ASML’s recent 1.3 billion euro deal with French AI firm Mistral, he said, “Of course, it’s easier since it’s a European company, we understand each other better.”

He, however, emphasised that the real reason for the partnership is Mistral’s strong focus on industrial AI, not geopolitics.

The Dutch tech giant’s praise for PM Modi comes as India is on the brink of a semiconductor revolution, making bold strides in developing semiconductor chips.

In August, the Prime Minister was presented with the first made-in-India chip called Vikram, which was developed by ISRO’s Semiconductor Laboratory.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/dutch-tech-major-asml-praises-pm-narendra-modi-approach-european-leaders-meeting-not-so-easy-2796946-2025-10-03

Israel ordered all Palestinians to evacuate Gaza City, warning holdouts would face its offensive. The order comes as Hamas weighs US President Trump’s peace plan, which has drawn skepticism from Egypt and Qatar.

Israel’s defense minister issued a stark ultimatum on Wednesday: All remaining Palestinians must leave Gaza City immediately or face the “full force” of Israel’s expanding offensive.

In a statement posted on X, Defence Minister Israel Katz called the evacuation the residents’ “last opportunity” to move south before the military escalates operations. “Those who remain in Gaza will be considered terrorists and terror supporters,” Katz declared, framing the order as a final step to isolate Hamas fighters.

The announcement followed Israel’s claim that its forces had captured the Netzarim axis, a strategic corridor stretching to the Mediterranean that effectively splits the enclave in two and tightens the encirclement of Gaza City. The Israel Defense Forces said Palestinians fleeing south must pass through checkpoints as the fighting intensifies.

Katz insisted the campaign would continue until “all hostages are returned and Hamas is disarmed, on the path to ending the war.”

The evacuation order came as Hamas leaders weighed a new peace proposal put forward by US President Donald Trump. The 20-point plan, announced with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, calls for Hamas to release all hostages, give up power in Gaza, and disarm in exchange for Palestinian prisoner releases, the end of fighting, and large-scale reconstruction under international governance.

The plan has received broad international support but drew reservations from key mediators. Egypt’s Foreign Minister Bader Abdelatty said on Wednesday that more negotiations were needed, echoing Qatar’s concerns a day earlier.

A senior Hamas official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said some provisions were “unacceptable” and would need amendments. He stressed that a formal response would come only after consultations with other Palestinian factions.

Nearly two years after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and triggered the war, 48 hostages remain in Gaza. Israel believes about 20 are still alive. Most of the others were released during earlier ceasefire agreements.

HUMAN TOLL

At least 21 more were killed Wednesday, local hospitals said. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of civilians remain trapped in Gaza City despite mass evacuations, many too weak or too poor to flee.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/leave-now-or-be-considered-terrorists-israel-warns-palestinians-in-gaza-city-glbs-2796526-2025-10-02

The Gaza peace deal presented to Hamas is significantly different from the one on which the US and Muslim countries agreed on earlier. Israeli President Netanyahu managed to secure “significant 11th-hour changes”. Hamas is seeking changes in clauses, while Qatar wants discussions on the details of the deal amid outrage across the Ummah.

The world was enthused by US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan and that Israel agreed to it. A group of eight Muslim and Arab countries, including Pakistan and Qatar, endorsed it. However, it now seems that an entirely different peace deal has been presented to Palestinian terrorist group Hamas than what was agreed upon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apparently got the White House to make “11th hour changes” to the agreed-upon deal, and Qatar, which is the key negotiator with Hamas, is demanding discussions on the details of the agreement.

“The deal now before Hamas is significantly different than the one the US and a group of Arab and Muslim countries had previously agreed on, due to Netanyahu’s intervention,” reported the US-based media outlet Axios. The Associated Press too reported that changes had been made in the original proposal that Arab and Muslim countries had worked out with Trump. The text was altered to favour Israel, it said.

The allegations of a change in the text of the Gaza peace plan amid a looming deadline for Hamas with Trump giving the Palestinian outfit “three to four days to respond” to the deal or risk destruction.

Eight Muslim and Arab countries—Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan—on September 30 issued a joint statement, endorsing Trump’s Gaza peace plan. However, it came to light a day later that the fine print of the plan that was presented to Hamas had been changed in the meantime.

Hamas now wants changes in clauses in the peace plan, including on disarmament, the AFP reported, quoting a Palestinian source close to the terrorist group’s leadership.

Qatar, which has played a key role in the negotiations, too wants discussions on the details of Trump’s Gaza peace deal. Qatar’s stance appeared to reflect Arab countries’ discontent over the text of the 20-point plan put out by the White House after Trump-Netanyahu talks, according to the Associated Press.

To finalise the deal, discussions were happening on September 29 in two places—Washington DC and Doha—simultaneously. While Trump and Netanyahu discussed the details at the White House, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was presenting it to Hamas leaders in Doha, Axios quoted a source as saying.

Hours earlier, Trump made Netanyahu call up Thani and apologise to him for the recent strike in Qatar. The strike was aimed at Hamas officials who have been hosted by Qatar for years. The public apology made Qatar resume its efforts as an interlocutor with Hamas.

WHAT ARE THE CHANGES MADE TO THE GAZA PEACE PLAN?

Netanyahu managed to secure “significant 11th-hour changes” to Trump’s proposal regarding the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) withdrawal from Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas, according to The Times of Israel.

There were two sticking points, one on the IDF’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and the other of Hamas’ disarmament.

Point 3 of Trump’s Gaza peace plan, according to The Times of Israel, stated that “Israeli forces will withdraw to the battle lines as of when the [US special envoy Steve] Witkoff proposal was presented to prepare for hostage release.”

However, the updated version presented by the White House stated that “Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed-upon line”.

It refers to a new map and presents a scope for the IDF to remain in most of Gaza even after the first pullback, enabling a release of hostages by Hamas.

Even after the International Stabilization Force (ISF) of Arab and Muslim countries is deployed and Hamas is disarmed, the IDF would still be in Gaza, and, finally, ringfence the Palestinian territory with troops.

On disarmament of Hamas too, The Times of Israel reported that Netanyahu got a change in the text, benefiting Israel.

Whereas the version presented to the Muslim nations granted amnesty to “Hamas members who commit to peaceful coexistence”, the new agreement adds that those members also have to “decommission their weapons”.

MUSLIM COUNTRIES FURIOUS OVER CHANGES IN GAZA PEACE PLAN

Officials from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey were reportedly furious over the changes, according to sources with knowledge.

The Axios report even suggests that Qataris even tried to convince the Trump administration not to release the detailed plan due to those objections.

But the White House released it anyway, pushing the Arab and Muslim countries to support the plan.

Leaders of Arab and Islamic nations are now facing fierce backlash for Trump’s Gaza peace plan and for recognising Israel. Critics, including activists on X, labelled leaders “traitors to the Ummah,” accusing them of trading Palestinian sovereignty for geopolitical favour amid Gaza’s crisis.

“They hoped so much—for the hundredth time—that ‘Trump would turn against Netanyahu’. And they were disappointed again—for the hundredth time—to discover that Trump and Netanyahu are aligned on everything. Predictions: They won’t learn anything, and will continue to hope and be disappointed even for the hundred-and-first time,” wrote entrepreneur and investor Eli David on X.

QATAR, EGYPT, AND TURKEY URGING HAMAS TO ACCEPT TRUMP’S GAZA PEACE PLAN

Meanwhile, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, key mediators with ties to Hamas, have been urging the group to accept Trump’s proposal, according to Axios.

On September 29, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad met Hamas leaders in Doha to present the plan, emphasising its potential to end the war. A follow-up meeting on September 30 included Turkish intelligence director Ebrahim Kalin.

Al-Thani stressed that the plan, despite needing clarification, achieves the goal of halting the conflict. However, Hamas has expressed reservations and is seeking consensus with other Palestinian factions.

Journalist Jeremy Scahill of DropSiteNews, which covers Gaza, West Asia, and US foreign policy, noted, “Important fact that no one mentions: On August 18, Hamas formally agreed to 98% of the Gaza ‘ceasefire’ terms that the US and Israel demanded. Israel then attempted to assassinate the Palestinian negotiators in Doha. And now the Trump admin claims it has a new ‘ceasefire’ plan.”

Qatar has called for further negotiations to refine the plan’s details, while Trump insists there is little room for renegotiation.

The friction is over the changes favouring Israel on disarmament timelines and withdrawal conditions.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/did-donald-trump-benjamin-netanyahu-trick-muslim-arab-countries-on-gaza-peace-plan-hamas-2796341-2025-10-01

At the 34th meeting of the UNHRC’s 60th session in Geneva on Wednesday, Indian diplomat Mohammed Hussain called out Islamabad’s hypocrisy in unusually sharp terms.

India has delivered a stern message to Pakistan at the United Nations Human Rights Council, questioning how a country with its own record of minority persecution can dare to lecture others on human rights.

At the 34th meeting of the UNHRC’s 60th session in Geneva on Wednesday, Indian diplomat Mohammed Hussain called out Islamabad’s hypocrisy in sharp terms. “India finds it deeply ironic that a country like Pakistan seeks to lecture others on human rights,” he said. “Instead of spreading propaganda, Pakistan should confront the persecution of minorities on their own soil.”

Hussain’s intervention was part of India’s broader pushback against Pakistan’s repeated attempts to use international forums to malign New Delhi while ignoring its own domestic failures.

Other attendees also pointed towards Pakistan’s human rights violations in their remarks. Geopolitical researcher Josh Bowes flagged the alleged human rights violations in Balochistan, repeating India’s criticism that Islamabad routinely suppresses its most vulnerable communities while projecting a moralistic stance abroad.

“The USCIRF Religious freedom report for 2025 states that over 700 individuals were in prison for blasphemy charges, with 300 per cent increase from the last year,” he said.

He added that the Baloch National Movement’s human rights wing, Paank, recorded 785 enforced disappearances and 121 killings in just the first six months of 2025. The Pashtun national jirga, he added, reported that around 4,000 Pashtuns remain missing this year.

UKPNP RAISES ALARM OVER HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN POJK

While Nasir Aziz Khan, spokesperson of the United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP), urged the UN and the international community to intervene against Pakistan’s growing repression in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). Speaking in Geneva, Khan warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis in the region.

“Pakistan has deployed Rangers and shut down phone and internet services to suppress a legitimate, non-violent movement demanding ownership of resources, fundamental rights, and justice,” he said.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/deeply-ironic-to-lecture-on-human-rights-india-slams-pakistan-at-unhrc-glbs-2796534-2025-10-02

Trump’s latest bid for the Peace Prize comes a day after he unveiled the Gaza peace plan, which could become the eighth conflict he claims to have mediated.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said it would be an “insult” to his country if he does not receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his self-proclaimed role in ending at least seven international conflicts.

The latest claim to the Nobel Peace Prize comes a day after Trump announced the Gaza peace plan, which, if accepted by Hamas, could be the eighth war the US President has claimed to have mediated.

“Will you get the Nobel Prize? Absolutely not. They’ll give it to some guy that didn’t do a damn thing,” Trump said while addressing top US military officers.

“It’d be a big insult to our country, I will tell you that. I don’t want it, I want the country to get it,” he said, adding, “It should get it, because there’s never been anything like it.”

The President’s latest push for the top award comes ahead of October 10, when this year’s Nobel Prize announcements will be made.

Trump has long been irked by the fact that former President Barack Obama, a Democrat, won the prize in 2009.

Trump’s claim of mediating wars

In his latest speech, Trump repeated his claim to have solved seven wars since he assumed office in January this year.

He further said that if Gaza peace plan, which he unveiled during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the US on Monday, works out, “we’ll have eight, eight in eight months. That’s pretty good.”

Last week, while addressing the United Nations General Assembly, the US President repeated his claim of ending “seven wars in seven months”.

“They said they were unendable, some were going for 31 years, one was 36 years. I ended 7 wars and in all cases they were raging with countless thousands of people being killed,” he said. He said he deserved the peace prize “for each one of them”.

Trump has claimed to have mediated the wars between Israel and Iran, India and Pakistan, Rwanda and Congo, Thailand and Cambodia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Egypt and Ethiopia and Serbia and Kosovo. However, India has repeatedly denied Trump’s involvement in the ceasefire during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan.

Does Trump have a chance?

Trump’s bid for the Nobel Peace Prize is not just about his mere claims. Several international leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Pakistani leader Shehbaz Sharif among others, have nominated the US President for the prize. Other nations—including Rwanda, Gabon, Azerbaijan, and Cambodia—have also backed Trump for the award.

However, experts say that the chances of Trump winning the prize this year is considered to be close to zero. Oeivind Stenersen, a historian who has co-written a book on the Nobel Peace Prize, told AFP that Trump’s chances are “completely unthinkable”.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/donald-trumps-fresh-claim-on-nobel-peace-prize-says-not-winning-nobel-would-be-insult-to-us-101759264163813.html

Ambassador Nkosinathi Emmanuel “Nathi” Mthethwa’s body was discovered outside a Paris hotel. His death is being treated as a possible suicide, the local presecutor’s office says.

Mthetwa’s lifeless body was found on Tuesday in the interior courtyard of the upscale Hyatt hotel.

On Monday evening, his wife had reported her husband missing to the police after receiving a message “in which he apologized to her and expressed his intention to end his life,” prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a statement.

“Initial investigations suggest that this could have been a deliberate act, without the intervention of a third party,” she said.

She emphasized the investigation would seek to collect all the details.

The ambassador, better known as Nathi Mthethwa, had booked a room on the hotel’s 22nd floor.

The safety mechanism of a window in his room had been forced open with scissors, the office had earlier said, but investigators found no signs of a struggle or traces of medication or narcotics.

58-year-old Mthethwa had been serving as ambassador to France since his appointment in December 2023.

‘A moment of deep grief’ — President Ramaphosa

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Mthethwa’s “untimely passing” was “a moment of deep grief in which government and citizens stand beside the Mthethwa family.”

Ramaphosa said Mthwethwa had served South Africa in a number of capacities “during a lifetime that has ended prematurely and traumatically.”

South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) confirmed Mthethwa’s death in a statement and said he “was a distinguished servant of the nation, whose career was marked by dedicated service in critical ministerial portfolios, including Minister of Police and Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture.”

DIRCO said the circumstances of Mthethwa’s “untimely death” were being investigated by French authorities.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/south-africas-ambassador-to-france-found-dead-in-paris/a-74190786

The national Black Lives Matter movement claims $33.4 million of its cash is being withheld by one of its progressive partner organizations, The Post has learned.

In a scathing lawsuit, Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation accuse the Tides foundation — backed by George Soros — of alleged “deceptive business practices” as well as “egregious mismanagement” of its money, while demanding its return.

The lawsuit was filed last year, but the stakes were raised on Monday when the BLMGNF — which oversees its other regional operations — asked the California Attorney General to step in and investigate Tides.

Even during the course of the lawsuit, BLMGNF accuses Tides of spending $6 million of their donations, despite promising to freeze any cash belonging to the group during the litigation, according to one of their lawyers.

“My client now has to pay money just to get their own money back, after my client raised 100% of it,” said Lawrence Segal, representing BLMGNF.

Segal claimed the BLM money may even have been used by Tides to fund their defense against them.

“More than $1 million has been spent by Tides out of my client’s money just on attorney’s fees —possibly to pay their own lawyers,” said Segal. “It appears that they are paying themselves from charitable donations in order to pay the legal fees that resulted from this case.”

BLMGNF began its relationship with Tides soon after it set up its movement in 2013.

Because the fledgling group was not a tax exempt charity at the time, it needed a fiscal sponsor to distribute the money it received from anonymous donors to other organizations, and selected Tides to do so.

Things got complicated after huge amounts of money poured in following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020, with BLM taking in some $90 million in donations between 2020 and 2022.

However, that was a drop in the ocean to Tides, which oversees more than $1.4 billion in cash from myriad nonprofits, but commingles all funds, the lawsuit claims. That makes it difficult for groups like BLMGNF to monitor where their cash is going, legal papers say.

“TIDES does not segregate monies,” Segal told The Post. “All of my client’s money is apparently commingled in one giant account. Tides’ fiscal sponsorships are very loosely regulated, at best.”

Tides did not return a request for comment from The Post. The group has previously called the lawsuit “completely false” and defended their actions, saying: “BLMGNF’s lawsuit seeks to circumvent the intent of the Fund’s donors and deprive grassroots Black Lives Matter chapters critical resources, for its own benefit.”

BLMGNF have also been criticized for how they have handled donations. Out of the $90 million windfall in donations following Floyds’ death, it only gave out about $30 million for charitable purposes in the next two years.

Another $22 million went on expenses including salaries and investments.

Patrisse Cullors, a cofounder of the group, went on a real estate spending spree, The Post revealed in April, 2021.

Cullors, who maintained she did not use BLMGNF donations to make the real estate purchases, resigned a month after that story.

One of her brothers, Paul Cullors, is still associated with BLMGNF, taking in more than $200,000 a year as “head of security,” federal filings show.

In addition to the lawsuit, Tides has been under fire by the Congressional Ways and Means Committee for acting as a conduit for contributions for nonprofits that organized anti-Israel protests on Ivy League campuses following the Oct. 7th Hamas terror attacks on Israel.

Last year, Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.), chair of the committee, demanded that the IRS revoke Tides’ nonprofit status. The group acted as a conduit for donations from groups such as the People’s Forum, Students for Justice in Palestine and the Adalah Justice Project, he said.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/09/30/us-news/black-lives-matter-suing-soros-backed-tides-foundation-over-missing-33m/

Pakistan’s rising star at the White House comes as ties between the US and India continue to nosedive. However, experts agree that India maintains its long-term value as a strategic partner to Washington.

Ties between Pakistan and the US continue to build momentum under President Donald Trump as Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir visited the White House last week, bearing praise for Trump along with plans for more economic and strategic cooperation.

In a statement, Sharif thanked Trump for helping broker a deal in July promising a lower tariff rate for Pakistan in return for US investment in Pakistan’s energy, mining and agriculture sectors.

The White House share photos from the Oval Office meeting, where Munir is seen presenting Trump with a box full of rare earth minerals. This is Munir’s second visit to the US this year.

It remains doubtful whether Pakistan really possesses “massive” oil reserves, as Trump has put it. But Trump notably took a jab at New Delhi when announcing the deal in July, quipping that India may “one day buy Pakistani oil.”

Sharif’ also called Trump a “man of peace” last week and credited the president for helping facilitate a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after a short-lived conflict in May, which was sparked by a deadly militant attack on Indian tourists in India-administered Kashmir.

Munir has said Trump deserves a Nobel Peace Prize, while India denies Trump played any role in the ceasefire.

Pakistan’s rising star at the White House comes as ties between the US and India continue to nosedive. The hopes of Trump continuing the close relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have faded, as the distance between the two men feels far greater that during Trump’s first term.

On a geopolitical level, the US and India have been building strategic ties for many years, for example, vis a vis China, while maintaining a cooperative trade relationship.

Now, India continues to face a 50% tariff from the US over its continued imports of Russian oil amid the war in Ukraine.

India’s long-term strategy

Closer US–Pakistan ties are now prompting doubts in Indian policy circles about the reliability of the US as a strategic partner.

Harsh Pant, head of the Strategic Studies Programme at Observer Research Foundation (ORF), a New Dehli think tank, told DW that the calculus of Indian foreign policy could change if Pakistan grows to become central to US strategy.

“If India doubts Washington’s commitment as a long-term partner, it will fundamentally alter how India addresses challenges in the Indo-Pacific,” said Pant, who is also a professor of international relations at King’s College in London.

“This would not only reshape India’s approach to the region but also impact America’s broader Indo-Pacific strategy, the Quad partnership, and the many collaborative efforts between India and the US to balance rising Chinese influence,” Pant added. The Quad is a joint forum of four Indo-Pacific powers: India, the US, Australia, and Japan, which Washington hopes will curb China’s influence in the region.

Pakistan plays the field with Saudi Arabia

Further complicating the geopolitical picture is Pakistan’s recent defense pact with Saudi Arabia, an important US ally in the Middle East. The pact includes a mutual defense clause, stating “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both.”

For India, having its archrival aligned with a major Middle Eastern power is a strategic concern. However, Ajay Bisaria, a former Indian envoy to Pakistan, told DW that Indian policymakers are not yet alarmed.

“Given Pakistan’s economic troubles, it is compelled to adapt its foreign policy to stay relevant to its three main international backers: the US, China, and Saudi Arabia. It tries to monetize its location by leveraging shifting geopolitical circumstances and pushing transactional relationships. India views Pakistan’s actions as part of its ongoing effort to remain globally relevant, ” Bisaria said.

Bisaria added that India’s leadership is confident that time will eventually run out on the US and Pakistan’s current rapprochement.

“India is alert to these maneuvers but not overly concerned given the sustainability of Pakistan’s balancing act and the inevitability of disappointment in US-Pakistan ties in the long run,” he added.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/india-watches-as-trump-moves-closer-to-pakistan/a-74177283

The bronze statue, sculpted by artist Fredda Brilliant, was unveiled in 1968 at the square as a nod to Mahatma Gandhi’s days as a law student at the nearby University College London.

Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in Tavistock Square, London, was defaced on Monday, just days before the annual Gandhi Jayanti celebrations are scheduled to take place at the site on October 2. The High Commission of India has strongly condemned the incident, calling it a “shameful act” and an assault on the legacy of nonviolence.

In a post on X, the Indian mission said the desecration was reported to the local authorities, even as its officials were on site to coordinate the restoration of the monument to its original state.

The plinth of the iconic statue, which depicts the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, in a seated meditative pose, was discovered daubed with disturbing anti-India graffiti.

“The High Commission of India in London is deeply saddened and strongly condemns the shameful act of vandalism of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Tavistock Square in London,” the High Commission said in a statement.

“This is not just vandalism, but a violent attack on the idea of non-violence, three days before the International Day of Non-Violence, and on the legacy of the Mahatma. We have taken this up strongly with local authorities for immediate action, and our team is already on site, coordinating with authorities to restore the statue to its original dignity,” it added.

The Metropolitan Police and the local Camden Council authorities stated that they are investigating reports of vandalism.

Gandhi Jayanti, designated as International Day of Non-Violence by the United Nations, is commemorated with floral tributes and the Father of the Nation’s favourite bhajans at the monument in London annually on October 2.

About The Statue
The bronze statue, sculpted by artist Fredda Brilliant and created with the backing of the India League, was unveiled in 1968 at the square as a nod to Mahatma Gandhi’s days as a law student at the nearby University College London. The inscription on the plinth reads: “Mahatma Gandhi, 1869-1948”.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/india-reacts-as-gandhi-statue-near-london-university-vandalised-shameful-act-9368510?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

President Donald Trump secured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s backing on Monday for a U.S.-sponsored peace proposal to end a nearly two-year-old war in Gaza, but questions loomed over whether Hamas would accept the plan.

Speaking at a joint White House press conference following a meeting with Netanyahu, Trump said they were “beyond very close” to an elusive peace deal for the Palestinian enclave. But he warned the Islamist group Hamas that Israel would have full U.S. support to take whatever action it deemed necessary if the militants reject what he has offered.

The White House released a 20-point document that called for an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas disarmament and a transitional government led by an international body.

Trump went into Monday’s meeting seeking to overcome Netanyahu’s misgivings over parts of the plan. It was not immediately clear whether the Trump administration and Israel had resolved all their differences, including over the possibility of a future Palestinian State, which Netanyahu has forcefully rejected, and any role for the Palestinian Authority in post-war governance of the enclave.

Trump thanked Netanyahu “for agreeing to the plan and for trusting that if we work together, we can bring an end to the death and destruction that we’ve seen for so many years, decades, even centuries.”

NETANYAHU SAYS PLAN MEETS ISRAEL’S WAR AIMS

Standing next to Trump, Netanyahu responded: “I support your plan to end the war in Gaza, which achieves our war aims.

“It will bring back to Israel all our hostages, dismantle Hamas’ military capabilities, end its political rule, and ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel,” he said.

It was clear, however, that Hamas remained the key to whether Trump’s peace proposals get off the ground.

The group’s absence from negotiations and its previous repeated refusals to disarm raised doubts about the plan’s viability.

Hamas, which triggered the war with its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, still holds 48 hostages, 20 of them still alive, Israel says.

“Hamas hasn’t yet received the plan officially, nothing beyond media publication,” a Hamas official told Reuters.

But an official briefed on the talks later said Qatar and Egypt shared the document with Hamas, which told mediators they will review it “in good faith” and then respond.

In Netanyahu’s fourth White House visit since Trump returned to office in January, the right-wing Israeli leader was looking to bolster his country’s most important relationship after a slew of Western leaders formally embraced Palestinian statehood at the United Nations last week in defiance of the U.S. and Israel.

Trump sharply criticized the recognition of statehood as a prize for Hamas.

Monday’s meeting marked a stepped-up diplomatic effort from the president, who vowed during the 2024 presidential campaign to quickly bring the conflict to a close and has since repeatedly claimed that a peace deal was near, only for it to fail to materialize.

Washington outlined its peace plan to Arab and Muslim states on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly last week.
Trump presented his set of proposals in effusive terms on Monday but ended what was billed as a press conference without taking questions.

He has previously hailed international deals that delivered less than promised. He headed into an August summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin seeking a ceasefire in the Ukraine war and emerged with no such deal. Nonetheless, he called the meeting “a 10” on a scale of one to 10.

Netanyahu, while praising Trump as a friend of Israel, put some distance between himself and some items in Trump’s plan, including the reforms being demanded of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority and the prospects for eventual Palestinian statehood.

The Palestinian Authority welcomed Trump’s efforts on Monday and reiterated its commitment to work with the U.S. and partners to reach a comprehensive deal, news agency WAFA reported.

Netanyahu is under mounting pressure from the hostages’ families and, according to public opinion polls, a war-weary Israeli public. But he also risks the collapse of his governing coalition if far-right ministers believe he has made too many concessions for a peace deal.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-forces-advance-ahead-trump-netanyahu-gaza-war-talks-2025-09-29

On the eve of meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel is working on a new ceasefire plan with the White House, but details are still being sorted out.

Netanyahu has come under heavy international pressure to end the war, especially during the ongoing offensive in Gaza City. The death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has topped 66,000 Palestinians, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Sunday.

In Monday’s White House meeting, Trump is expected to share a new proposal for ending the conflict.

“We’re working on it,” Netanyahu told Fox News Sunday’s “The Sunday Briefing.” “It’s not been finalized yet, but we’re working with President Trump’s team, actually as we speak, and I hope we can — we can make it a go.”

Arab officials briefed on the plan say the 21-point proposal calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages held by Hamas within 48 hours and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the proposal has not been formally announced.

Netanyahu has vowed to continue fighting until Hamas, whose Oct. 7, 2023, attack triggered the war, is destroyed. But he repeated an offer to allow Hamas operatives to leave Gaza as part of a deal ending the conflict.

“If they finish the war, release all the hostages, we let them out,” he said.

Growing international pressure on Israel

Trump has so far stood behind Israel. But the U.S. leader has shown signs of impatience lately, particularly after Israel struck the headquarters of Hamas’ political leadership in Doha, Qatar, earlier this month. Ceasefire talks have stalled since, despite growing international and domestic protests.

Key Western allies have joined a list of countries recognizing a Palestinian state over Israeli objections. The European Union is considering sanctions and there are growing moves for a sports and cultural boycott against Israel.

A defiant Netanyahu told fellow world leaders Friday at the U.N. General Assembly that his nation “must finish the job” against Hamas in Gaza, where 48 hostages are still held captive, around 20 of them believed by Israel to be alive.

Trump’s 21-point ceasefire plan

Trump’s ceasefire proposal would include the release of all hostages within 48 hours and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian enclave, according to three Arab officials briefed on the plan. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing talks, said the proposal is not final and changes are highly likely.

Trump discussed the proposal with Arab leaders in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

A Hamas official said the group was briefed on the plan but has yet to receive an official offer from Egyptian and Qatari mediators. Hamas has said it is ready to “study any proposals positively and responsibly.”

The official said the group had previously said it was willing to release all hostages in return for an end to the war and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the strip.

Nonstop explosions reported in Gaza

Local hospitals in central Gaza said at least 10 people were killed when at least two strikes hit homes in the Nuseirat refugee camp.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said in its daily report the death toll has climbed to 66,005, with a further 168,162 wounded since the war started.

The ministry, part of the Hamas-run administration, does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its toll, but has said women and children make up around half the dead. Its figures are seen as a reliable estimate by the U.N. and many independent experts.

Residents reported hearing sounds of explosions overnight across the city, likely coming from the demolition of buildings through the detonation of explosive-laden vehicles and robots. “They were nonstop,” Sayed Baker, a Palestinian who shelters close to a Shifa hospital, said of the explosions.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strikes, but said it struck 140 Hamas military targets over the past 24 hours, including militants, observation equipment and infrastructure.

On Sunday, the military said it had struck a high-rise building in Gaza City after warning residents to evacuate. The strike leveled the 16-story Macca tower. No casualties were reported.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-09-28-2025-7d182d2ca7d2d46070a37969807e1547

Iran’s theocracy prepared Sunday for a possible confrontation with the West after the United Nations reimposed sanctions over its nuclear program, even as some pushed for continued negotiations to ease the economic pain squeezing the country.

The sanctions imposed before dawn Sunday again freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran and penalize any development of Iran’s ballistic missile program, among other measures. It came via a mechanism known as “snapback,” included in Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Iran’s Parliament briefly denounced the sanctions before going into a closed-door session likely to discuss the country’s response, which could include abandoning the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and rushing for the bomb. People worry about a new round of fighting between Iran and Israel, as well as potentially the United States, as missile sites struck during the 12-day war in June now appear to be being rebuilt.

Meanwhile, Iran’s rial currency fell to a new record low of 1.1 million to $1, sending food prices even higher and making daily life that much more challenging.

“The government must negotiate. This is a world of business,” said Mohsen Rahaei, a 49-year-old Tehran resident. “One must get along with everyone, with all countries. Until when we want to fight? We won’t gain anything.”

Iran considers withdrawing from treaty

Iran tried a last-ditch diplomatic push at the U.N. General Assembly in New York this week, but efforts by its officials, as well as China and Russia, failed to stop the sanctions.

Speaking to the Young Journalists Club, which is affiliated with Iranian state television, lawmaker Ismail Kowsari said Parliament would discuss withdrawing from the nuclear treaty. Nonproliferation experts fear such a move could see Iran follow a path first laid down by North Korea, which said it abandoned the treaty before obtaining nuclear weapons.

Kowsari however said it wouldn’t mean Iran would go for the bomb. Such a move would need the approval of Iran’s 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian diplomats have long pointed to Khamenei’s preachings as a binding fatwa, or religious edict, that Iran won’t build an atomic bomb.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf issued his own warning to those who would honor the U.N. sanctions as the chamber began meeting Sunday.

“We announce that if any country wants to take action against Iran based on these illegal resolutions, it will face serious reciprocal action from Iran, and the three European countries that are the initiators of this illegal action will also face our reaction,” Qalibaf said without elaborating, according to a report by the state-run IRNA news agency.

Parliament soon after entered a closed session, without any formal announcement on what, if anything, was decided.

Iran warns against any military attack

Leaders in both Iran’s regular military and its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard both issued statements Sunday, warning that their forces were ready for any possible attack. Concerns have grown among the public that Israel could launch a new attack in the wake of the sanctions.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry applauded the sanctions being reimposed.

“The goal is clear: prevent a nuclear-armed Iran,” the ministry said. “The world must use every tool to achieve this goal.”

France, Germany and the United Kingdom triggered “snapback” over Iran 30 days ago, citing Tehran’s restrictions of monitoring its nuclear program and the deadlock over its negotiations with the U.S.

Iran further withdrew from the International Atomic Energy Agency monitoring after Israel’s war in June, which also saw the U.S. strike nuclear sites in the Islamic Republic.

Meanwhile, Iran still maintains a stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60% purity — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90% — that is largely enough to make several atomic bombs, should Tehran choose to rush toward weaponization.

Iran has long insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, though the West and IAEA say Tehran had an organized weapons program up until 2003.

The three European nations on Sunday said they “continuously made every effort to avoid triggering snapback.” But Iran “has not authorized IAEA inspectors to regain access to Iran’s nuclear sites, nor has it produced and transmitted to the IAEA a report accounting for its stockpile of high-enriched uranium.”

The nations also noted Iran enriches uranium at a level that no other peaceful program does.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the three European nations for “an act of decisive global leadership” for imposing the sanctions on Iran and said “diplomacy is still an option.”

“For that to happen, Iran must accept direct talks,” Rubio said.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/iran-snapback-sanctions-nuclear-us-israel-war-c3864332df26e886eaa2922f807e0ec5

At least 39 people have died, including children, in a crush at a political rally in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, officials say.

Tens of thousands of people had gathered on Saturday at a campaign event for actor-turned-politician Vijay, in the southern Karur district.

It was delayed by several hours, local media reported. Images broadcast on television showed people fainting in the packed crowds.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin told reporters in Karur that the death toll included at least 17 women, 13 men and nine children. A further 51 people were receiving treatment, he said.

Compensation of one million rupees ($11,300; £8,400) will be provided to the families of the deceased, Stalin added, and there will be an inquiry into the incident.

One man told Indian news agency ANI from outside a hospital that his brother’s two sons had been at the event.

“The elder one passed away, the younger one is missing. My relatives, my sister-in-law, is in the ICU. What should I do?” he said.

Vijay wrote in an online statement that his heart was “broken” and that he was in “unbearable, indescribable pain and sorrow”.

He sent his “deepest sympathies and condolences” to the families of those who had died, and prayers for a “speedy recovery” to those in hospital.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98dqyj5dpjo

U.S. PresidentDonald Trump on Saturday said he was directing the U.S. military to deploy to Portland, Oregon and to protect federal immigration facilities against “domestic terrorists”, saying he was authorizing them to use “full force, if necessary.”
Ordering the latest crackdown on a Democrat-led city, Trump said in a social media post that he was directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.”

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, who like other Oregon officials learned of Trump’s order from social media, said: “The number of necessary troops is zero, in Portland and any other American city. The president will not find lawlessness or violence here unless he plans to perpetrate it.”
Violent crime in Portland has dropped in the first six months of 2025, data show. Homicides fell by 51% compared to the same period a year earlier, according to preliminary data released by the Major Cities Chiefs Association in its Midyear Violent Crime Report. That report showed Portland had 17 homicides in the period compared with 56 in Louisville, Kentucky, and 124 in Memphis, Tennessee, which have comparable population sizes.

In a press conference on Saturday, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, a Democrat, rejected the need for troops and said she spoke with Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“There is no insurrection, there is no threat to national security, and there is no need for military troops in our major city,” Kotek said.
“I’m going to continue communicating that to the president, and I hope he will be open to reconsidering the deployment.”
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, wrote on X that Trump “may be replaying the 2020 playbook and surging into Portland with the goal of provoking conflict and violence.”
In 2020, protests erupted in downtown Portland, the Pacific Northwest enclave with a reputation as a liberal city, following the killing in Minneapolis of George Floyd. The protests dragged on for months and some civic leaders at the time said they were spurred rather than quelled by Trump’s deployment of federal troops.

GROWING TENSIONS IN MAJOR CITIES

It was unclear whether Trump’s warning that U.S. troops could use “full force” on the streets of Portland meant he was somehow authorizing lethal force and, if so, under what conditions. U.S. troops are able to use force in self-defense on domestic U.S. deployments.
The Pentagon did not offer any clarification about whether Trump was deploying National Guard, active-duty troops or perhaps a mix of the two, as was the case in Los Angeles earlier this year.
“We stand ready to mobilize U.S. military personnel in support of DHS operations in Portland at the President’s direction. The Department will provide information and updates as they become available,” said Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesperson.
Asked about the Portland decision on Saturday, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said ICE agents needed to be protected amid protests against immigration raids.

“We’re not going to put up with it. This administration is not playing games,” she said in an interview on Fox News.
Portland Police Chief Bob Day said there had already been an increase in federal law enforcement in recent days to bolster security at the ICE facility in the city’s southwest.
There have been growing tensions in major U.S. cities over Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown days after a shooting targeting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Dallas left one detainee dead and two others seriously wounded.

TRUMP FOCUS ON CRIME, ‘ANTIFA’

On Thursday, Trump told reporters that “crazy people” were trying to burn buildings in Portland. “They’re professional agitators and anarchists,” he said, without providing evidence.
Trump last week signed an executive order that declares the anti-fascist antifa, movement a domestic “terrorist organization” as part of a crackdown on what he claims is left-wing-sponsored political violence.
According to U.S. law enforcement, there has never been a terrorist incident in the United States connected to antifa. Trump first sought to designate the movement as a domestic terror organization during the nationwide George Floyd protests.
The most notorious episode involving the movement occurred in Portland in August 2020, when Michael Reinoehl, a self-identified antifa supporter, shot and killed Aaron “Jay” Danielson, a member of the far-right group Patriot Prayer.
Reinoehl was killed by federal and local law enforcement officers during an attempt to arrest him.
Trump has made crime a major focus of his administration even as violent crime rates have fallen in many U.S. cities. His crackdown on municipalities led by Democrats including Los Angeles and Washington has spurred legal challenges and protests.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-orders-deployment-troops-portland-ice-facilities-2025-09-27/

Cybercriminals have stolen data on over 8,000 children attending nurseries in London operated by childcare provider Kido International, the hackers said on their dark web portal.
The gang, which calls itself Radiant, evidenced its claim by publishing the names, photos, home addresses, and family contact information of 10 children it said attended one of Kido’s 18 nurseries in Greater London.

The hack, which raises serious concerns about child safeguarding and data privacy, was the latest in a string of serious ransomware incidents in Britain that have rocked businesses in Britain this year.

“Next steps for us will be to release 30 more ‘profiles’ of each child and 100 employees,” the post on Radiant’s leak website said.
Kido International did not respond to an emailed request from Reuters for comment. In a statement, London’s Metropolitan Police said they had made no arrests. “Enquiries are ongoing and remain in the early stages within the Met’s Cyber Crime Unit,” the statement said.
Speaking over an encrypted messaging service, the nursery hackers said they had been inside Kido’s networks for weeks.
Asked where they were based, the hackers said they were in Russia, though they did not provide evidence to support that statement.

Ransomware is malicious software used by cybercriminals to encrypt a company’s data and demand payment for its release. The hackers declined to say how much money they were asking Kido International to pay.
“Cybercriminals will target anyone if they think there is money to be made, and going after those who look after children is a particularly egregious act,” Jonathon Ellison of the National Cyber Security Centre, part of Britain’s GCHQ spy agency, said in a statement.
A government source said on Thursday that the British government was considering providing financial support for carmaker Jaguar Land Rover’s suppliers after a shutdown caused by a cyberattack was extended until October.
A day earlier, police said they had arrested a man as part of an investigation into a ransomware attack against Collins Aerospace, owned by RTX (RTX.N). The attack crippled automated check-in systems at London Heathrow, Britain’s busiest airport, and caused travel chaos at other airports across Europe.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/london-nurseries-hit-by-hackers-data-8000-children-stolen-2025-09-26/

Billionaire Elon Musk and Prince Andrew are named in new files released by Congressional Democrats that relate to the late convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The files turned over to the House Oversight Committee by the Jeffrey Epstein Estate appear to show that Musk had been invited to Epstein’s island in December 2014.

Separately a manifest for a flight from New Jersey to Florida in May 2000 names Prince Andrew among the passengers.

Musk and Prince Andrew have been approached for comment.

Prince Andrew has previously strenuously denied any wrongdoing. Musk has previously been quoted as saying that Epstein had invited him to the island but he had declined.

The partial records are from the third batch of documents produced by the Jeffrey Epstein Estate. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee say they include phone message logs, copies of flight logs and manifests for aircrafts, copies of financial ledgers and Epstein’s daily schedule.

In addition to Musk and Prince Andrew, the files released publicly also contain the names of other prominent figures including internet entrepreneur Peter Thiel and Steve Bannon, a former advisor to Donald Trump

One line in the records dated 6 December 2014 reads: “Reminder: Elon Musk to island Dec. 6 (is this still happening?)”

A flight manifest records that Prince Andrew was on a flight with Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell from Teterboro, New Jersey, to West Palm Beach, Florida, on 12 May 2000. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of conspiring with Epstein to traffic girls for sex.

On 11 May 2000, Buckingham Palace said on its website that Prince Andrew had flown to New York to attend a reception in New York for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Andrew returned to the UK on 15 May, a later entry said.

In the files, there is also an entry referring to a planned lunch with Peter Thiel in November 2017.

There is also an entry referring to a planned breakfast with Steve Bannon 17 February 2019.

The files also mention tentative plans for a breakfast party with Microsoft founder Bill Gates in December 2014. In 2022 Gates told the BBC that meeting Jeffrey Epstein had been a “mistake”.

It is not suggested that those mentioned in the files were aware of the alleged criminal activity for which Epstein was later arrested.

Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

In 2008, he reached a plea deal with prosecutors after the parents of a 14-year-old girl told police in Florida that Epstein had molested their daughter at his Palm Beach home.

He was arrested again in July 2019 on sex trafficking charges.

Sara Guerrero, a spokesperson for the Democrats on the committee, urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to release more files related to Epstein.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyl8j1we0lo

Trump has already slapped 50 per cent tariffs on Indian imports, which also includes a 25 per cent ‘penalty’ for continued purchase of Russian oil.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced tariffs of up to 100 per cent on imports of branded and patented pharmaceutical drugs, starting October 1, 2025. India’s pharmaceuticals sector, one of the most dependent domestic industries on trade with America, could be significantly impacted by the move.

“Starting October 1st, 2025, we will be imposing a 100 per cent Tariff on any branded or patented Pharmaceutical Product, unless a Company IS BUILDING their Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plant in America,” the Republican leader said on Truth Social.

Trump’s posts showed that his devotion to tariffs did not end with the trade frameworks and import taxes that were launched in August, a reflection of the president’s confidence that taxes will help reduce the government’s budget deficit while increasing domestic manufacturing.

“”IS BUILDING” will be defined as, “breaking ground” and/or “under construction.” There will, therefore, be no Tariff on these Pharmaceutical Products if construction has started. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” he added.

In his latest tariff blitz, Trump also slapped 50 per cent duty on imports of kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, 30 per cent on upholstered furniture, and 25 per cent on heavy trucks.

While Trump did not provide a legal justification for the tariffs, he appeared to stretch the bounds of his role as commander-in-chief by stating that the taxes were needed “for National Security and other reasons.”

How Could India Be Impacted?

America is India’s largest export market for pharmaceutical goods. In FY 24, of India’s $27.9 billion worth of pharma exports, 31 per cent or $8.7 billion (Rs 77,138 crore) went to the US, according to the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India, an industry body. Another $3.7 billion (Rs 32,505 crore) worth of pharma products were exported in just the first half of 2025.

Per reports, India supplies over 45 per cent of generic and 15 per cent of biosimilar drugs used in the US. Firms like Dr Reddy’s, Aurobindo Pharma, Zydus Lifesciences, Sun Pharma and Gland Pharma reportedly earn anywhere from 30-50 per cent of their total revenues from the American market.

Although the latest American tariffs appear to mainly target branded and patented drugs — a segment dominated by multinational giants — uncertainty looms over whether complex generics and speciality medicines from India would also be under the scanner. Moreover, large players already have manufacturing facilities in the US.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/trump-announces-100-tariff-on-pharmaceutical-drugs-india-may-be-hit-9346442?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

A flurry of cyberattacks that grounded planes from Dallas to Berlin were designed to sow chaos and deter ordinary people from going about their lives, an expert has said.

Disruption swept some of the world’s biggest airports last weekend after an air traffic outage brought flights across the US to a standstill and a cyber attack crippled check-in and boarding systems at Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin.

Then, in another incident, mysterious drones were spotted flying over four airports in Denmark – Aalborg, Sonderborg and Esbjerg, as well as at the Skrydstrup airbase – last night and this morning.

This came after drones were spotted hovering above Copenhagen and Oslo’s airports earlier this week.

Dr Daniel Gardham, from the University of Surrey Centre for Cyber Security, said it is ‘unsurprising’ that the aviation industry has been hit.

‘There’s a reason the attackers are going after these very visible targets, he told Metro.

‘One is that it affects the everyday person – it brings your attention to these matters, whether you care about it or not.

‘And secondly, with airports in particular, they have different systems in place that have to work together so it runs more efficiently.’

These systems range from software managing the conveyor belt and baggage to the fuel pumps in the aircraft, which opens airports up to a larger possibility of being attacked.

‘It is unsurprising that they are able to find vulnerabilities at an airport, just because of the scale of the operation, and the fact that it comprises so many pieces that have to work together,’ he said.

He added that while the complexities are unlikely to disappear anytime soon despite advancements in AI and technology, an average traveller shouldn’t lose sleep over possible cyber-related flight disruption.

Dr Gardham said: ‘I’m sure the airports themselves are very worried, because they know that they’re being targeted.’

While passengers should be mindful about cybersecurity, there’s not much passengers themselves can do. He’s recommended that they take out travel insurance in case something happens.

So, how prepared is the UK for the likelihood of more cyber attacks targeting aviation – and how worried should you be?

Mantas Sabeckis, an ethical hacker and infosecurity researcher, said the UK aviation world is taking cyber threats seriously, and he feels they’re doing a good job of keeping on top of the changes.

He pointed to a recent UK Cyber Security Breaches Survey, which showed that around 76% of large UK businesses have plans in place for cyber incidents.

‘They push for basics like keeping systems updated, training staff on cyber risks, and having a solid plan to bounce back quickly if something goes wrong,’ he told Metro.

‘That being said, aviation is very complex, with lots of different companies and suppliers working together. This means there are still weak spots – like the recent cyberattack linked to Collins Aerospace is a good example of causing big headaches at airports.

‘So, even though the UK is doing well compared to many places, the job of protecting aviation cyber systems is never done. You have to keep learning, improving, and staying alert as hackers get smarter.’

Are digital boarding passes safer?

As airports remain on high alert, airlines are preparing to end the use of paper boarding passes. Ryanair, for example, is going 100% digital from November 12, a move that has been labelled a nightmare by passengers.

Mr Sabeckis said while online boarding passes usually speeds up check-in and boarding, they come with risks – especially in light of the recent attacks.

‘Staff have to fall back on manual processes like handwritten boarding passes, which slows everything down and can cause confusion,’ he said.

‘I think digital boarding passes are the future, and now is still a good time for airlines like Ryanair to continue adopting digital boarding passes, but they need to do it carefully. They should keep in mind that the aviation sector saw a 600% year-on-year increase in cyberattacks, and this means they must prepare for potentially more frequent and sophisticated cyber threats that could disrupt automated systems.’

What about the US? Are they safe from cyber attacks?

It is not just the UK and European travel hubs that have been targeted in recent years.

Airlines in the US fell victim to the Scattered Spider cybercrime network shortly after hackers paralysed Marks and Spencer payment systems in the UK, leading the FBI to issue an alert about the group in June.

The FBI said it has seen the Scattered Spider cybercriminal group ‘expanding its targeting to include the airline sector.’

‘These actors rely on social engineering techniques, often impersonating employees or contractors to deceive IT help desks into granting access,’ the FBI warned.

Source : https://metro.co.uk/2025/09/25/prepared-uk-airport-cyber-hacks-24251063/

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday declaring that his plan to sell Chinese-owned TikTok’s U.S. operations to U.S. and global investors will address the national security requirements in a 2024 law.
The new U.S. company will be valued at around $14 billion, Vice President JD Vance said, putting a price tag on the popular short video app far below some analyst estimates.

Trump on Thursday delayed until January 20 enforcement of the law that bans the app unless its Chinese owners sell it amid efforts to extract TikTok’s U.S. assets from the global platform, line up American and other investors, and win approval from the Chinese government.

The publication of the executive order shows Trump is making progress on the sale of TikTok’s U.S. assets, but numerous details need to be fleshed out, including how the U.S. entity would use TikTok’s most important asset, its recommendation algorithm.
“There was some resistance on the Chinese side, but the fundamental thing that we wanted to accomplish is that we wanted to keep TikTok operating, but we also wanted to make sure that we protected Americans’ data privacy as required by law,” Vance told reporters at an Oval Office briefing.
Trump’s order says the algorithm will be retrained and monitored by the U.S. company’s security partners, and operation of the algorithm will be under the control of the new joint venture.

Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping had indicated approval of the plans. “I spoke with President Xi,” Trump said. “We had a good talk, I told him what we were doing and he said go ahead with it.”
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. TikTok did not immediately comment on Trump’s action.
Trump has credited TikTok, which has 170 million U.S. users, with helping him win reelection last year. Trump has 15 million followers on his personal TikTok account. The White House also launched an official TikTok account last month.
“This is going to be American-operated all the way,” Trump said.
He said that Michael Dell, the founder, chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies; Rupert Murdoch, the chairman emeritus of Fox News owner Fox Corp and newspaper publisher News Corp, and “probably four or five absolutely world-class investors” would be part of the deal.

The White House did not discuss how it came up with the $14 billion valuation.
TikTok’s Chinese parent, ByteDance, currently values itself at more than $330 billion, according to its new employee share buyback plan. TikTok contributes a small percentage of the company’s total revenue.
According to Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives, TikTok was estimated to be worth $30 billion to $40 billion without the algorithm as of April 2025.
Alan Rozenshtein, a professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, said the executive order left unanswered questions, including whether ByteDance would still control the algorithm.
“The problem is that the president has certified the deal, but he has not provided a lot of information on the algorithm,” he said.

Chinese media on Friday also painted a different picture of the TikTok agreement, suggesting ByteDance would continue to play a major or operational role.
ByteDance will set up a new U.S. company as part of the restructuring of TikTok’s U.S. operations, Chinese media outlet LatePost reported, citing sources.
The new company to be set up by ByteDance will be responsible for e-commerce, branding operations and interconnection with international operations, the report said.
The report also said the joint venture, as described by the White House and valued at $14 billion, would be responsible for U.S. digital security, safeguarding content and software as well as related local businesses.
Another Chinese financial magazine, Caixin, also reported, citing people close to the deal, that ByteDance planned to set up a TikTok U.S. entity that will receive some revenue from the new TikTok joint venture.
The White House and ByteDance did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) development bank would give 10 Eurasian countries an alternative to Western-dominated lenders like the World Bank and IMF, say analysts.

China’s push for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to set up a development bank is its latest effort to internationalise the yuan and challenge Western-dominated financial institutions like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), analysts say.

They add that the multilateral lender could offer a lifeline to countries facing Western sanctions, while giving emerging economies an alternative source of funding and a hedge against dollar dependence.

Speaking at the SCO summit in Tianjin earlier this month, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced plans for a development bank – calling on countries to accelerate its creation.

“It should be established as soon as possible to provide stronger support for the security and economic cooperation of member states,” Xi said.

SCO member states include Russia and Iran which face Western sanctions, as well as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Belarus and China itself.

If successful, the SCO Bank could be more than just another lender, experts told CNA – it would join establishments like the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) as part of a growing network of Chinese-led multilateral institutions aimed at reshaping global finance by loosening the dollar’s grip.

“Chinese banks are huge,” said Charles Chang, a finance professor at Fudan University in Shanghai, noting that four of the world’s largest banks – the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), Agricultural Bank of China (ABC), China Construction Bank (CCB) and Bank of China (BOC) – were Chinese.

“There’s incredible capital accumulation there. As a result, when and how they move will necessarily have a big impact,” Chang said.

The SCO Bank comes at a critical juncture, as tariff tensions mount and the dollar’s dominance endures. As US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Bloomberg in August: “We have extraterritorial power with the dollar.”

“Why do Russia, China and Iran want to come off these dollar payment rails? Because when there’s bad behaviour, we can make it very difficult for them with sanctions,” Bessent said.

At the same time, questions remain about the viability of the new bank, with few details released so far.

How will investments and debt servicing be determined?

Will the yuan dominate or will a basket of member currencies be used? And how can the SCO bank gain credibility and ensure transparency in lending?

“The structure of the internal governance is key,” Chang said.

STARTING SMALL: HOW THE SCO BANK COULD TAKE SHAPE 

An official SCO statement released hours after Xi’s speech on Sep 1 said the bloc had “decided to establish a development bank and accelerate consultations on a series of issues related to the financial institution’s operation”.

“The world has entered a new period of tumultuous change and global governance has arrived at a new crossroads,” Xi said during his address, where he also pledged US$1.4 billion in loans to SCO members over the next three years.

“The shadows of Cold War mentality, bullying, are not dissipating, and there are new challenges that are increasing, not diminishing,” Xi added.

Beijing has yet to provide a timeline, outline how the bank will be structured, or explain what its lending priorities and decision-making framework will look like.

But analysts told CNA they believe an SCO Bank would likely follow a familiar Chinese trajectory: starting small before gradually evolving into a more defined institution, much like the Beijing-based AIIB.

“We don’t know much at this point, but like many Chinese-led global governance initiatives and institutions, it will likely start small and grow into itself over time, developing a more definite set of functions,” Joe Mazur, a senior analyst at the Trivium China think tank in Beijing, told CNA.

“Whatever form it ultimately ends up taking, it will likely join the ranks of the AIIB and similar (Chinese-led) organisations that seek to form an alternative to Western-dominated institutions,” Mazur said.

Kun Fan, an arbitrator and associate law professor at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), told CNA that the bank’s credibility would ultimately rest on its legal architecture.

“It should also guard against dominance (of one state) and keep smaller members on equal footing, while ensuring independent tribunals and fair procedure,” she said.

“Having clear legal provisions and dispute resolution clauses could provide legal certainty and give smaller member states more leverage when dealing with more powerful states or state-owned enterprises,” she added.

Developed with an initial focus on Asia’s infrastructure needs, the AIIB has since grown to more than 100 members, including countries like India, Singapore, South Korea, Brunei and Australia.

Since its launch, it has expanded from funding basic infrastructure to backing major projects in energy transition, urban development and digital connectivity – which include flagship projects like Indonesia’s Batam-Bintan Bridge Project as well as renewable energy investments in the Maldives.

As of end-2024, the bank announced that it had approved 303 projects with total payments of US$58.8 billion in funding and also aims to increase its annual financing to US$17 billion by 2030.

The NDB, meanwhile, was established in 2015 by BRICS countries to mobilise resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in emerging markets and developing countries.

Originally formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China, with South Africa joining soon after, the bloc has since expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia.

As of July 2025, the bank said it has approved US$40 billion in loans for over 120 projects, including some within China.

Experts expect the SCO Bank to focus heavily on infrastructure and development programmes for a start.

Chang of Fudan University described it as a natural extension of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), saying early emphasis would likely be on large-scale infrastructure projects.

“Infrastructure is usually the first thing people will think about,” Chang said.

He also noted discussions were emerging around “newer core technologies” such as rare-earth minerals, artificial intelligence, digital finance, and supply-chain logistics. “That might be further down the line though,” he added.

The SCO Bank could also ultimately serve purposes beyond financing, acting as a platform for regulatory cooperation or policy dialogue outside the orbit of US-led institutions like the IMF and World Bank.

“But it remains to be seen which parties will ultimately join, fund and engage,” Chang said.

LOOSENING THE DOLLAR’S GRIP

For many members, the appeal of an SCO Bank lies in its promise to ease dependence on the US dollar, experts said.

Most international loans and trade settlements remain dollar-denominated – and for now, the US dollar remains unrivalled as the backbone of the global economy.

According to IMF data, the dollar made up nearly 60 per cent of global foreign exchange reserves in 2024 – far ahead of the euro at 20 per cent, the Japanese yen at 6 per cent, the British pound at 5 per cent and the Chinese yuan at 2 per cent.

Although dollar share has slipped from its peak of 72 per cent of reserves in 2001 as foreign reserve managers diversify into other currencies, it still remains the dominant reserve currency.

Such dominance means that when the US Federal Reserve raises interest rates, the effects ripple across the world – triggering capital outflows, weakening local currencies and increasing the cost of dollar-denominated debt.

But observers have noted that the dollar’s once unshakable grip may be loosening.

In a Xinhua commentary piece published on Jul 5, Maya Majueran, BRI director of Sri Lanka, wrote that “dollar dominance was slowly eroding” amid “multiple forces driving this transition”.

China has already been pushing bilateral currency swap deals – more than 40 worldwide – to encourage the use of the yuan in trade, investment settlement and debt repayment.

Such swaps allow central banks to exchange their currencies directly, reducing reliance on the US dollar.

Majueran said “emerging markets are diversifying their reserve portfolios, bilateral trade in local currencies is gaining momentum and the weaponisation of the dollar, particularly through sanctions, is prompting the building of parallel financial systems”.

These changes are also being “further accelerated by growing geopolitical tensions and fragmenting trade relationships”, Majueran added.

The Argentine government reached an agreement with the People’s Bank of China in 2023 – securing US$1.7 billion in yuan from a currency swap to repay part of its US$2.7 billion debt to the IMF.

The remaining US$1 billion was covered by the Development Bank of Latin America.

The yuan has also become the most popular foreign currency in Russia, surpassing the US dollar in 2023, after Western sanctions severed Moscow’s access to global financial systems following its invasion of Ukraine.

At a meeting with Xi in Beijing on May 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin also revealed that “90 per cent of all payments are already made in roubles and yuan”.

WHICH COUNTRIES STAND TO GAIN?  

For countries under Western sanctions or financial isolation, such as Russia and Iran, an institution operating outside the dollar system could provide a crucial lifeline.

“China, being squarely in the cross-hairs of the US, certainly stands to benefit, which is why we see its prominence in initiating and pushing forward this initiative,” said Chang.

“But I think that all critical trade partners stand to benefit, including much of the ex-Soviet Republics and Southeast Asia.”

He added: “Keeping in mind that this is not just funding, but also potentially impacts currency dependence, trade, and other geopolitics, the most-dependent nations will tend to benefit the most.”

But this appeal is not confined to SCO members. Southeast Asian countries will also be paying attention, said Chong Ja Ian, associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore. “ASEAN members would indeed look at the SCO Bank as an additional source of funding,” he told CNA.

Still, too little is known about the bank to assess whether it would strengthen ASEAN’s position or risk undermining its own initiatives, Chong said.

Indonesia, he added, might be attracted if the terms are favourable, but borrowing could also “turn into economic and political problems if badly handled”.

He cited maritime tensions where China’s “nine-dash line” claims overlap with Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone near the Natuna Islands.

“Greater dependence on China could complicate these issues for Indonesia,” said Chong, adding that elsewhere in the region, countries like Vietnam and the Philippines – both with ongoing territorial disputes with China – are likely to remain cautious.

“The Philippines has had negative experiences with the BRI,” he added.

In 2023, Manila dropped Chinese loans to finance three ambitious railway projects, valued at more than US$5 billion – these included the Mindanao railway, the Subic-Clark freight railway, as well as a proposed long-haul commuter railway.

AIIB lending rates were also said to have been “significantly higher” compared to funding from Japan or South Korean official development assistance, said Philippine Senator Sherwin Gatchalian.

“That would give (Manila) reason to remain wary of an SCO bank,” said Chong.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/sco-development-bank-china-global-financial-order-5365976

Trump indicated that he was in a sour mood at the UN because of a trio of mishaps that he suggested was part of a conspiracy against him.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was the victim of “three very sinister events” during his time at the United Nations on Tuesday and that the Secret Service will be looking into the issues.

The president was attending the UN General Assembly, where he gave a speech excoriating the institution for having squandered its potential. He also criticised US allies in Europe for their handling of the Russian war in Ukraine and their acceptance of immigrants as he told fellow world leaders that their nations were “going to hell.”

On his social media website, Trump indicated that he was in a sour mood at the UN because of a trio of mishaps that he suggested was part of a conspiracy against him.

First, the escalator came to a “screeching halt” with Trump and his entourage on it, an event that Trump called “absolutely sabotage.”

Stephane Dujarric, the UN spokesman, said a videographer from the US delegation who ran ahead of Trump may have “inadvertently” triggered the stop mechanism at the top of the escalator.

“The people that did it should be arrested,” Trump said on Truth Social.

Second, Trump said his teleprompter went “stone cold dark” during his address to the UN The problem with that accusation is the White House was responsible for operating the teleprompter for the president, according to a UN official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Third, Trump said that the sound was off at the UN as he spoke and that people could only hear his remarks if they had interpreters speaking into earpieces. Trump said his wife, Melania, told him she couldn’t hear what he said.

“This wasn’t a coincidence, this was triple sabotage,” said Trump, who is seeking an investigation of the matter.

Trump told the UN to save its security tapes regarding the escalator stoppage as the Secret Service will be involved in the inquiry.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-presodent-donald-trumps-triple-sabotage-claim-about-un-secret-service-looking-into-it-9339336?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

Several countries have recognized Palestine as a state. While Germany is not among them, political pressure on the federal government is growing.

France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta and Andorra declared that they were recognizing the state of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday. The day before, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Portugal recognized Palestine. These historic decisions bring to 156 the number of countries that currently recognize the Palestinian state.

The United States, on the other hand, strictly rejects recognition, as does Israel. Its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has described such a step as “a reward for terror” for the radical Islamist group Hamas— which is categorized as a terrorist organization by the Israel, US, EU and others — that led the terror attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 which sparked the war in Gaza.

For the Palestinian Authority, with its longtime President Mahmoud Abbas, recognition by such important states would be a prestige win and a diplomatic defeat for Israel, especially now with the conflict in Gaza escalating.

Germany looking for ‘two-state solution’

The German government won’t be taking this step “in the short term,” as it officially put it. “We won’t be joining this initiative,” said Chancellor Friedrich Merz from the governing conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in August when Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited.

However, Merz’s reasoning was rather formal in nature. “We do not consider the conditions for state recognition to be fulfilled in any way at present. Recognition must be the final step in a peace process that results in a two-state solution,” he said.

The difficulty is that a two-state solution is nowhere in sight. The chance of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel seems to have been practically reduced to zero since the beginning of the war in Gaza, which has so far killed around 65,000 people, according to the Hamas-led Gazan Health Ministry. Critics therefore argue that the German government is only putting forward this unrealistic prerequisite for recognition to avoid making a decision.

Fight against antisemitism key for Merz

The German government is faced with a particular dilemma when it comes to Israel and a Palestinian state. As a consequence of the 6 million Jews murdered during the Nazi era, Berlin feels a special responsibility for Israel’s security and has even declared this to be a matter of “reason of state.”

For the German chancellor, this is clearly not just empty rhetoric. Earlier in September, during a speech at the reopening of a synagogue in Munich that had been destroyed by the Nazis, Merz fought back tears as he said “since October 7, we have been experiencing a new wave of antisemitism, in old and new guises, blatant and poorly concealed, in words and deeds, on social media, at universities, in public spaces. I would like to tell you how ashamed this makes me, as chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, but also as a German, as a child of the postwar generation, a child who grew up with the motto ‘Never again’ as a mission, a duty, a promise.”

Nevertheless, Merz has tried to separate the fight against antisemitism from his assessment of Israel’s policies and, above all, from Israel’s military actions in Gaza.

He has sharply criticized Israel’s military actions and the resulting humanitarian catastrophe, and in the summer stopped all arms exports to Israel that could be used in the Gaza war. At a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Merz said “criticism of the Israeli government’s policies must be possible; it may even be necessary. Dissent on this issue is not disloyalty to our friendship.”

EU, civil society call on Germany to take action on Israel

However, pressure is mounting on the German government to take a stronger stance. EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas has called on Germany to participate in sanctions against Israel, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has suggested that the EU suspend trade advantages with Israel.

Jens Spahn, chairman of the center-right CDU and CSU Union parties in the German parliament, said this reminds him of the darkest chapter in German history. “What will be the consequence? ‘Don’t buy from Jews’? We’ve been through all that before,” he said on the German public broadcaster ZDF, alluding to the Nazis’ calls for a boycott of Jewish businesses in the 1930s. When it comes to Israel and Gaza, Spahn warned, “the balance is very quickly lost in Germany and it tips over into antisemitism.”

Pressure is also mounting on the domestic front. The center-left Social Democrats (SPD) in the coalition government are certainly open to the idea of sanctions, and the opposition Green party has gone even further. Its co-leader, Franziska Brantner, told the German Press Agency dpa that Merz and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, also of the CDU, must decide: “Will they side with those who are working for peace for all people in Israel and Palestine? Or will they stand idly by and watch as an Israeli government, parts of which are extreme right wing, continues to rage in Gaza, making the prospect of peace and the release of the hostages increasingly remote?”

An alliance of dozens of civil society organizations has also launched a petition calling on the German government to follow up its criticism of Israel with action.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/germany-walks-tightrope-over-recognizing-state-of-palestine/a-74070391

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan also sharply criticised the Pakistani air force for carrying out strikes on its own people.

India responded to Pakistani provocations at the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday by reminding its neighbour that it bombs it own citizens and exports terror to cause instability globally.

“A delegation that epitomises the antithesis of this approach continues to abuse this forum with baseless and provocative statements against India,” Indian representative at the UNHRC, diplomat Kshitij Tyagi, said, in a video that is now going viral.

“Instead of coveting our territory, they would do well to vacate the Indian territory under their illegal occupation and focus on rescuing an economy on life support, a polity muzzled by military dominance, and a human rights record stained by persecution (and) perhaps once they find time away from exporting terrorism, harbouring UN-proscribed terrorists, and bombing their own people,” Tyagi said, referring to the reports of a Pakistani Air Force strike in Matre Dara village, Tirah Valley, in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that led to a large number of civilian casualties.

Tyagi’s remarks came when he was speaking during Agenda Item 4 of the UNHRC session. He was referring to the airstrike that was conducted in the wee hours of Monday morning where Pakistani fighter jets JF-17 dropped eight LS-6 bombs on the Matre Dara village.

A report by DD News said that 30 people, including women and children, were killed in that attack. It also said that disturbing images of civilian bodies strewn about were seen in the aftermath of the strikes.

The roots of insurgency in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) go back to the early 2000s, when Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters fleeing the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 sought refuge across the Durand Line.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, groups like the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), formed in 2007 under Baitullah Mehsud, turned the tribal belt into a hub of militancy, targeting Pakistani security forces and civilians alike. The Pakistani Army launched large-scale operations such as Operation Zarb-e-Azb in 2014 and Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad in 2017, claiming major successes.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/exports-terror-bombs-own-people-pakistans-provocation-gets-indias-scathing-reply-at-unhrc-ws-l-9592646.html

Follow the latest news on President Donald Trump and his administration | September 22, 2025

President Donald Trump on Monday promoted unproven ties between Tylenol, vaccines and autism without offering new medical evidence.

“Don’t take Tylenol,” Trump instructed pregnant women around a dozen times during the unwieldy White House news conference, also urging mothers not to give their infants the drug, known by the generic name acetaminophen. He also repeated long-debunked claims that ingredients in vaccines or timing shots close together could contribute to rising rates of autism in the U.S., without providing medical evidence.

The rambling announcement, which appeared to rely on existing studies rather than significant new research, comes as the Make America Healthy Again movement has been pushing for answers on the causes of autism.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – a remote and mountainous region with several terrorist hideouts – has become a key battleground for successive Pak governments trying to establish control over it.

Thirty people, including women and children, were reportedly killed in air strikes in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Monday. China-made J-17 fighter jets dropped eight Chinese-made LS-6 bombs – laser-guided precision munitions – on a village in the Tirah Valley around 2 am.

The deaths sparked outrage among local communities already on edge over an increase in terror attacks in recent years. Last week there was a protest in Mingora, a city in the province’s Swat Valley; thousands came together to demand the government and its security apparatus restore peace swiftly.

Pakistan’s main opposition party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, has hit out at the government and the party’s Khyber office said on X “no words can encompass this sorrow and grief… drone (attacks) and bombings have sown so many seeds of hatred… nothing will be left”.

The deaths also raised questions about the quality of intelligence and counter-terrorism operations in the province, which shares an international border with Afghanistan. Pak military said the strikes were based on intel that said terrorists were frequenting civilian areas and using them to mask their activities.

Critics, however, have repeatedly questioned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif administration’s inability to protect the lives and properties of civilians; in June Amnesty International’s South Asia office slammed the “alarming disregard for civilian life”. That was after the death of a child in a drone strike.

In March 10 civilians were killed in an anti-terror op in the Katlang area of the Khyber province. The provincial government’s spokesperson, Muhammad Saif, told the Associated Press the operation was ordered after intel said the area was being used as a “hideout and transit point for terrorist” elements.

Locals said 10 bodies, including those of women and children, were recovered from the area.

The bottomline is that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – a remote and mountainous region riddled with terrorist hideaways – is a key battleground for successive Pak governments trying to establish control over it.

Why Pak Air Force Bombed Khyber

Media reports indicate the target was a bomb-manufacturing facility operated by the Tehreek-e-Taliban, a terror group Pak says is based in Afghanistan and has links to that nation’s government. The Pak government has repeatedly called on its Kabul counterpart to stop cross-border terrorist attacks.

Kabul has just as repeatedly denied that claim. An April 14 statement by the Taliban-affiliated Bakhtar News Agency quoted deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat as dismssing the allegation and counter-accusing the Pakistan government of deflecting blame rising from its failure to control violence.

“Pakistan’s security problems are its internal matter,” Hamdullah Fitrat told the agency, “Blaming Afghanistan is a way for Islamabad to avoid accountability for its own shortcomings.”

Police in Khyber told the Associated Press two TTP commanders, Aman Gul and Masood Khan, had set up bomb-making operations in the village, and employed civilians to act as ‘human shields’.

The completed crude bombs were then stored in mosques in nearby areas.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has topped a nationwide opinion poll. Meanwhile, Kenyan athletes won both the men’s and women’s races at the Berlin Marathon. DW has the latest from Germany.

Germany slashes aid and development budget

Germany has cut its budget for international development by 8% and emergency aid has been halved. Aid agencies warn of drastic consequences.

Syrian leader to attend UN General Assembly for first time since 1967

Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa has arrived in New York along with a senior delegation to attend meetings of the UN General Assembly.

It marks the first attendance of a Syrian head of state in nearly 60 years.

Sharaa, a former al-Qaida leader, is expected to deliver his first address at the General Assembly on Tuesday. He is accompanied by several ministers.

The visit underscores the sweeping changes in Syria’s political landscape in less than a year. In December 2024, Syrian dictator Bashar Assad was ousted by rebel forces led by al-Sharaa, which brought an end to nearly 14 years of civil war.

Since then, al-Sharaa has sought to restore Syria’s international ties.

Along with his appearance at the General Assembly, al-Sharaa is likely to use his visit to push for further sanctions relief for Syria.

Syria seeks sanctions relief

The Middle Eastern nation is attempting to rebuild its economy and infrastructure after 14 years of civil war.

After meeting al-Sharaa, US President Donald Trump in Jne temporarily waived some sanctions imposed on Syria under the Assads’ rule.

While many US sanctions were subsequently waived, Congress must vote to permanently remove them.

Shortly afterwards, the US also revoked the designation of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a foreign terrorist organization. The Syrian transitional government has largely emerged from this group.

Hamas said that the image released was a farewell picture and each hostage has been labelled as “Ron Arad”, an Israeli Air Force navigator who was captured in 1986. Along with it, the hostages were also given a number.

Hamas, shared a compilation picture of the remaining 47 Israeli hostages held in Gaza on Saturday. Hamas said that the image released was a farewell picture and each hostage has been labelled as “Ron Arad”, an Israeli Air Force navigator who was captured in 1986. Along with it, the hostages were also given a number.

The text on the image accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of rejecting a ceasefire-hostage deal and blamed the IDF Chief of Staff for going ahead with the invasion of Gaza despite his reported opposition to it.

It reads, “Because of [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s refusal, and [IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal] Zamir’s capitulation, a parting image as the military operation in Gaza City begins.”

According to a report by Ynet, an Israeli publication, officials say out of the 47 hostages, only 20 are believed to be alive. 2 of the remaining hostages are in a grave condition and the rest are dead.

A statement from al-Qassam Brigades said, “Your prisoners are distributed within the neighborhoods of Gaza City, and we will not be concerned for their lives as long as Netanyahu has decided to kill them,” as reported by CNN.

“The commencement of this criminal operation and its expansion means that you will not receive any prisoner, neither alive nor dead, and their fate will be the same as that of (Ron Arad).”

During the ceasefire between January and March 2024, Hamas released 30 hostages – 20 Israeli civilians, five soldiers, and five Thai nationals. They also released the bodies of eight killed Israeli captives. In May, they released an American-Israeli hostage as a “gesture” to the United States.

Israel, in exchange, released 2,000 prisoners and detainees.

Israeli strikes killed at least 14 people overnight in Gaza City, said health officials, as Israel ramps up its offensive there and urges Palestinians to leave.

The strikes come as Western countries are getting fed up with the intensifying war in Gaza with some moving to recognise Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly next week.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/hamas-releases-farewell-photo-of-hostages-blames-israels-gaza-invasion-9313026?pfrom=home-ndtv_topstories

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, in announcing the major fee increase on Friday, said it would be paid annually, and would apply to people seeking a new visa as well as renewals.

The White House issued a major clarification Saturday to its new H-1B visa policy that had rattled the tech industry, saying a $100,000 fee will be a “one-time” payment imposed only on new applicants.

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, in announcing the major fee increase on Friday, said it would be paid annually, and would apply to people seeking a new visa as well as renewals.

But White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a clarification on Saturday, hours before the new policy was to go into effect.

“This is NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies… only to new visas, not renewals, and not current visa holders,” she said in a social media post.

The executive order, which is likely to face legal challenges, comes into force Sunday at 12:01 am US Eastern time (0401 GMT), or 9:01 pm Saturday on the Pacific Coast.

Prior to the White House’s clarification, US companies were scrambling to figure out the implications for their foreign workers, with several reportedly warning their employees not to leave the country.

Some people who were already on planes preparing to leave the country on Friday de-boarded over fears they may not be allowed to re-enter the United States, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

“Those who already hold H-1B visas and are currently outside of the country right now will NOT be charged $100,000 to re-enter,” Leavitt said.

“H-1B visa holders can leave and re-enter the country to the same extent as they normally would,” she added.

H-1B visas allow companies to sponsor foreign workers with specialized skills — such as scientists, engineers, and computer programmers — to work in the United States, initially for three years but extendable to six.

Such visas are widely used by the tech industry. Indian nationals account for nearly three-quarters of the permits allotted via lottery system each year.

The United States approved approximately 400,000 H-1B visas in 2024, two-thirds of which were renewals.

India, US business concerns

US President Donald Trump announced the change in Washington on Friday, arguing it would support American workers.

The H-1B program “has been deliberately exploited to replace, rather than supplement, American workers with lower-paid, lower-skilled labor,” the executive order said.

Trump also introduced a $1 million “gold card” residency program he had previewed months earlier.

“The main thing is, we’re going to have great people coming in, and they’re going to be paying,” Trump told reporters as he signed the orders in the Oval Office.

Lutnick, who joined Trump in the Oval Office, said multiple times that the fee would be applied annually.

“The company needs to decide… is the person valuable enough to have $100,000 a year payment to the government? Or they should head home and they should go hire an American,” he told reporters.

Though he claimed that “all the big companies are on board,” many businesses were left confused about the details of the H-1B order.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/100-000-h-1b-visa-fee-one-time-payment-for-new-applicants-us-white-house-amid-chaos-9315109?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

President Trump announced Friday that the US military carried out a third strike against alleged drug traffickers affiliated with a terror organization — killing “3 male narcoterrorists.”

“On my Orders, the Secretary of War ordered a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

The president did not say which terror group was targeted or which nation the vessel originated from.

“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking illicit narcotics, and was transiting along a known narcotrafficking passage enroute to poison Americans,” Trump continued.

Three men aboard the boat were killed, and no US forces were harmed in the attack, according to Trump, who said the vessel was traveling in international waters.

Footage of the airstrike included in Trump’s post shows a small boat racing across the ocean before the massive explosion leaves it engulfed in flames.

“STOP SELLING FENTANYL, NARCOTICS, AND ILLEGAL DRUGS IN AMERICA, AND COMMITTING VIOLENCE AND TERRORISM AGAINST AMERICANS!!!” he warned.

Trump ordered the first military strike targeting alleged drug-smuggling terrorists on Sept. 2.

The blast killed 11 suspected members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang the Trump administration has designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization operating under the control of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro’s regime, as their boat traveled in open waters.

The second US strike against Venezuela-based drug traffickers took place on Sept. 15, killing 3 “male terrorists,” who were once again using a boat to smuggle narcotics, according to Trump.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/09/19/world-news/us-strikes-venezuela-drug-trafficking-boat-enroute-to-poison-americans-trump-says

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Friday urged Saudi Arabia to turn “a new page” with the Iran-backed group and set aside past disputes to create a unified front against Israel, following years of hostility that strained Riyadh’s ties with Lebanon.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states designated Shi’ite Hezbollah a terrorist organisation in 2016. In recent months, Riyadh has joined Washington and Hezbollah’s rivals within Lebanon in pressuring the Lebanese government to disarm the group, which was badly weakened by last year’s war with Israel.

In a televised address on Friday, Qassem said that regional powers should see Israel, not Hezbollah, as the main threat to the Middle East and proposed “mending relations” with Riyadh.

“We assure you that the arms of the resistance (Hezbollah) are pointed at the Israeli enemy, not Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, or any other place or entity in the world,” Qassem said.

He said dialogue would “freeze the disagreements of the past, at least in this exceptional phase, so that we can confront Israel and curb it”, and said that pressuring Hezbollah “is a net gain for Israel.”

Saudi Arabia once spent billions in Lebanon, depositing funds in the central bank and helping rebuild the south after a 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel – only to see the group grow more powerful in Lebanon and the region with Iran’s help.

Relations soured sharply in 2021 when Sunni Saudi Arabia expelled the Lebanese ambassador, recalled its own envoy and banned Lebanese imports. A statement in Saudi state media at the time said Hezbollah controlled the Lebanese state’s decision-making processes.

Hezbollah’s then-secretary general Hassan Nasrallah called Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammad bin Salman a “terrorist” and repeatedly criticised Saudi’s role in Yemen.

But recent months have seen seismic political shifts in the region, with Israel pummelling Hezbollah last year and killing Nasrallah, and rebels toppling the group’s Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad in December.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hezbollah-chief-makes-overtures-saudi-arabia-front-against-israel-2025-09-19

Lavrov’s comments come amid months of repeated warnings from US President Donald Trump, who has criticised India’s oil trade with Russia and threatened tariffs. In recent weeks, Trump has taken a noticeably softer approach towards India despite his rhetoric.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said American threats of tariffs against India and China are proving ineffective, adding that Washington is beginning to realise the futility of using pressure tactics with two ancient civilisations.

Speaking on Russia’s main Channel 1 TV programme The Great Game, Lavrov said that both New Delhi and Beijing have stood firm in response to tariff warnings from Washington.

“Both China and India are ancient civilisations. And talking to them like ‘either you stop doing what I don’t like or I’ll impose tariffs on you’ won’t work. And the ongoing contacts between Beijing and Washington, between New Delhi and Washington, show that the American side understands it, too,” he said.

LAVROV POINTS TO SHIFT IN US APPROACH

The widely expected cut of a quarter percentage point comes amid economic pressures ranging inflation and tariffs to sluggish job growth. Two more cuts are expected before the end of the year.

It cut the benchmark lending rate to a range between 4.0% and 4.25%.

The Fed paused its easing cycle in January due to uncertainty over how President Donald Trump’s import tariffs might affect inflation and the overall economy.

It said Wednesday’s cut was warranted as, “downside risks to employment have risen” even as inflation has “moved up and remains somewhat elevated.”

Although inflation remains slightly above the Fed’s target rate of 2%, data shows hiring has slowed to a halt in recent months, while the unemployment rate has risen.

Lowering interest rates, and reducing borrowing costs, is tool used by central banks to boost hiring and increase consumer spending.

Tension between the White House and the Fed

The new Fed Governor, Stephen Miran, formerly an economic adviser to Trump, voted against the decision, favoring a deeper cut of 50 basis points.

Miran was sworn in earlier this week, amid criticism from Democrats that he would not separate economic decision making from political pressure.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/us-federal-reserve-cuts-interest-rate-for-first-time-in-2025/a-74033463

The strategic defence pact between Pakistan and Saudi comes just days after an Israeli strike targeted Hamas leaders in neighbouring Qatari capital Doha.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday signed a new defence agreement, under which the two sides said an attack on either of them would be considered “an aggression against both”.

The deal – “Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement” – was signed by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Sharif traveled to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of the crown prince, a statement said.

The strategic defence pact comes just days after an Israeli strike targeted Hamas leaders in neighbouring Qatari capital Doha. The air strike in Doha was described by the US, on which Gulf states have long depended on for their security, as a unilateral attack that does not advance American and Israeli interests.

“This agreement… aims to develop aspects of defence cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression,” AFP news agency quoted a statement published by the Saudi Press Agency.

“The agreement states that any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both,” it added.

The signing of the agreement also comes just months after the four-day military conflict between Pakistan and India which followed Operation Sindoor carried out by Indian armed forces in retaliation to the April 22 terror attack of Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam in which terrorists found to have links with Pakistan killed 26 people.

The military conflict ended with Pakistani DGMO reaching out to the Indian counterpart seeking a pause on the fighting.

Israel last week carried out an attempt to kill political leaders of Hamas, the Palestinian outfit that is fighting the Israel forces in Gaza. The Israel strike in Doha killed six people.

Qatar, which said one of its security forces was killed in the attack, said Israel was treacherous and engaged in “state terrorism.”

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said shortly after the air strike it was a “wholly independent Israeli operation” against top “Terreorist chieftains of Hamas”.

Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility, the PMO said.

In another parallel development, Qatar and the United States are also on the verge of finalising an enhanced defence cooperation agreement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he was not informed by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in advance about Israel’s attack in Qatar last week.

India’s response
India said it “will study the implications” of the strategic mutual defence pact signed between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, under which an attack on either nation will be treated as “aggression against both.”

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, addressing a weekly media briefing in Delhi, noted that the government had been aware this agreement was being considered.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/pakistan-saudi-arabia-sign-key-defence-deal-attack-on-one-aggression-against-both-101758155639691.html

As part of the celebrations, light shows were organised on various iconic buildings around the world in tribute to PM Modi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned 75 on Wednesday, 17 September 2025. From world leaders to followers and well-wishers, people across the globe extended their birthday wishes to the Prime Minister.

As part of the celebrations, light shows were organised on various iconic buildings around the world in tribute to PM Modi. In Mumbai, several landmarks, including the five-star hotel Trident, held light displays featuring images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Internationally, Piccadilly Circus in London also displayed an image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The digital screen featured the message:
“Warm birthday wishes, celebrating 75 years”, alongside a picture of the Prime Minister.

Piccadilly Circus is a road junction and public space located in London’s West End, within the City of Westminster. It was constructed in 1819 to connect Regent Street with Piccadilly. In this context, the word “circus”, derived from the Latin word meaning “circle”—refers to a round open space at a street junction.

The iconic Times Square in New York also featured a picture of Prime Minister Modi, extending birthday wishes on his 75th birthday.

Besides, a spectacular 3D drone show was organised on Wednesday at the SP College Ground in Pune on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 75th birthday.

The show, named “Jyotine Tejachi Aarti”, lasted for 45 minutes. Around 1,000 drones showcased the achievements of the Modi government, along with Pune’s social, cultural, and historical landmarks.

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/from-times-square-to-mumbai-everyone-wishes-pm-modi-on-his-75th-birthday-video

Robert Redford, the director, actor, and activist has died at his home in Utah. Redford rose to fame in films like “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “All the President’s Men.”

Redford died “at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah, the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved,” his publicist Cindi Berger said.

He passed away in his sleep at his home in the mountains of Utah, according to his publicist Cindi Berger.

Redford rose to fame in films like “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “All the President’s Men,” using his star power to spotlight American culture and politics.

He later became a champion of independent cinema and was a vocal advocate for environmental causes.

Sundance Kid becomes indie champion

Born on August 18, 1936, in Santa Monica, California, Redford has always been independently minded. His fame and success never drove him from one Hollywood party to the next.

Redford focused on doing his own thing, by consciously choosing roles that had meaning for him, as well as the directors he worked with.

Initially written off as “just another California blond,” Redford defied expectations with his rugged charisma and enduring appeal, becoming one of Hollywood’s most bankable leading men and a beloved global icon for over 50 years.

UK fighter jets will join a NATO operation over Poland to help defend the alliance’s eastern flank after Russian drones entered Polish airspace last week, the defence ministry said Monday (Sep 15).

“British fighter jets will fly air defence missions over Poland to counter aerial threats from Russia, including drones,” the ministry said in a statement, adding the missions by RAF Typhoons would start “in the coming days”.

NATO chief Mark Rutte said Friday the alliance would reinforce the defence of its eastern flank following a Russian drone raid into Polish airspace.

Poland and its NATO allies last week scrambled jets to shoot down Russian drones over allied airspace for the first time since the war in Ukraine started three-and-a-half years ago.

And on Saturday, Romania became the latest NATO member state to report a drone incursion, as Poland also scrambled aircraft in response to fresh Russian drone strikes just over the border in Ukraine.

“Russia’s reckless behaviour is a direct threat to European security and a violation of international law,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement.

He said the “aircraft are not just a show of strength, they are vital in deterring aggression” as well as securing NATO airspace and protecting the UK’s national security.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/uk-says-fighter-jets-join-nato-missions-over-poland-5350771

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said a Sep 17 deadline to reach a deal could be extended by 90 days to allow the deal to be finalised.

United States and Chinese officials said on Monday (Sep 15) they have reached a framework agreement to switch short-video app TikTok to US-controlled ownership that will be confirmed in a Friday call between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The potential deal on the popular social media app, which counts 170 million US users, was a rare breakthrough in months-long talks between the world’s number one and number two economies that have sought to defuse a wide-ranging trade war that has unnerved global markets.

After a meeting with Chinese negotiators in Madrid, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said a Sep 17 deadline that could have disrupted the popular social media app in the US encouraged Chinese negotiators to reach a potential deal.

He said that the deadline could be extended by 90 days to allow the deal to be finalised, but declined to discuss specifics of the deal.

Bessent said that when commercial terms of the deal are revealed, it will preserve cultural aspects of TikTok that Chinese negotiators care about.

“They’re interested in Chinese characteristics of the app, which they think are soft power. We don’t care about Chinese characteristics. We care about national security,” Bessent told reporters at the conclusion of two days of talks.

Trump, when asked if China would hold a stake in the company, told reporters, “We haven’t decided that but it looks to me, and I’m speaking to President Xi on Friday, for confirmation of that.”

It is the second time this year that the two sides have said they were nearing a TikTok deal. The earlier announcement in March ultimately did not pan out.

Any agreement could require approval by the Republican-controlled Congress, which passed a law in 2024 requiring divestiture due to fears that TikTok’s US user data could be accessed by the Chinese government, allowing Beijing to spy on Americans or conduct influence operations through the app.

But the Trump administration has repeatedly declined to force a shutdown, which could anger the app’s millions of users and disrupt political communications. Trump has credited the app with helping him win re-election last year, and his personal account has 15 million followers. The White House launched an official TikTok account last month.

“A deal was also reached on a ‘certain’ company that young people in our Country very much wanted to save. They will be very happy! I will be speaking to President Xi on Friday. The relationship remains a very strong one!!!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Bessent did not say whether parent company ByteDance would transfer control of the app’s underlying technology to the unnamed US buyer. Wang Jingtao, an official at the Chinese cyberspace regulator, said the deal could license intellectual property rights, including algorithms.

Aside from TikTok, the US has cited national security concerns to block shipments of semiconductors and other advanced technology to China, and ban Chinese products that Washington has concluded could be used to spy on Americans or gather intelligence.

China’s top trade negotiator, Li Chenggang, told reporters that those concerns amounted to “unilateral bullying.”

“The United States cannot on the one hand ask China to take care of its concerns, and on the other hand continue to suppress Chinese companies,” Li said.

Li said the two sides had reached a “basic framework consensus” on resolving TikTok-related issues – a slight variation from the language used by the US side.

The US-China meeting at the Spanish foreign ministry’s baroque Palacio de Santa Cruz was the fourth round of talks in four months to address strained trade ties as well as TikTok’s divestiture deadline.

Delegations led by Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng have met in European cities since May to try to resolve a trade war that has seen tit-for-tat tariff hikes and a halt in the flow of rare earths to the United States.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/us-china-framework-deal-tiktok-trump-xi-speak-friday-5350091

When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered this week’s attempted assassination of Hamas leaders in Qatar, he took a major gamble in his campaign to pound the group into submission.

With signs growing that the mission failed, that gamble appears to have backfired.

Netanyahu had hoped to kill Hamas’ senior exiled leaders to get closer toward his vision of “total victory” against the militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and pressure it into surrendering after nearly two years of war in the Gaza Strip.

Instead, Hamas claims its leaders survived, and Netanyahu’s global standing, already badly damaged by the scenes of destruction and humanitarian disaster in Gaza, took another hit.

The airstrike Tuesday has enraged Qatar, an influential U.S. ally that has been a key mediator throughout the war, and drawn heavy criticism across the Arab world. It also has strained relations with the White House and thrown hopes of reaching a ceasefire into disarray, potentially endangering the 20 hostages still believed to be alive in Gaza.

But while the strike marks a setback for Netanyahu, the Israeli leader shows no sign of backing down or halting the war. And with his hard-line coalition still firmly behind him, Netanyahu faces no immediate threat to his rule.

Netanyahu’s hope for an ‘image of victory’ for his government

Five low-level Hamas members and a Qatari security guard were killed in the strike. But Hamas has said the intended target, senior exiled leaders meeting to discuss a new U.S. ceasefire proposal, all survived. The group, however, has not released any photos of the leaders, and Qatar has not commented on their conditions.

If the airstrike had killed the top leadership, the attack could have provided Netanyahu an opportunity declare Hamas’ destruction, said Harel Chorev, an expert on Arab affairs at Tel Aviv University.

“It’s all very symbolic and it’s definitely part of the thing which allows Netanyahu at a certain point to say ‘We won, we killed them all,’” he said.

Israel’s fierce 23-month offensive in Gaza has wiped out all of Hamas’ top leadership inside the territory. But Netanyahu has set out to eradicate the group as part of his goal of “total victory.”

That is now looking increasingly unlikely, making it even harder for Netanyahu to push a ceasefire through his hard-line coalition.

Far-right members of Israel’s governing coalition have cornered Netanyahu, threatening to topple his government unless Israel pushes ahead with an expanded operation in Gaza City, despite serious misgivings by many in the military leadership and widespread opposition among Israel’s public.

A successful operation in Qatar could have allowed Netanyahu to placate the hard-liners, even though it would have eliminated the very officials responsible for negotiating a possible ceasefire.

Burning the channel with Qatar

Israel has had the ability to target Hamas leaders in Doha from the start of the war but did not want to antagonize the Qataris while negotiations took place, Chorev said.

Qatar has helped negotiate two previous ceasefires that have released 148 hostages, including eight bodies, in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners. Israel’s military has rescued just eight hostages alive, and retrieved the bodies of 51 hostages.

While Israel has complained that Qatar was not putting pressure on Hamas, it had continued to leave that channel open — until Tuesday.

“Israel, by the attack, notified the whole world that it gave up on the negotiations,” Chorev said. “They’ve decided to burn the channel with Qatar.”

Asked if ceasefire talks would continue, Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said that after the strike, “I don’t think there’s anything valid” in the current talks. But he did not elaborate and stopped short of saying Qatar would end its mediation efforts.

How Netanyahu hopes to win the release of the remaining hostages remains unclear.

On Thursday, Sheikh Mohammed accused Israel of abandoning the hostages.

“Extremists that rule Israel today do not care about the hostages — otherwise, how do we justify the timing of this attack?” Sheikh Mohammed told the U.N. Security Council.

Nonetheless, he said his country was ready to resume its mediation without giving any indication of next steps. On Friday, Sheikh Mohammed met in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was scheduled to visit Israel this weekend in a sign of how the Trump administration is trying to balance relations between key Middle East allies.

Straining ties with the US

Netanyahu, who has received ironclad support from the U.S. since President Donald Trump returned to office, appears to have strained ties with his most important ally.

Trump said he was “very unhappy” about the airstrike and assured the Qataris such an attack would not happen again.

Trump, however, has not said whether he would take any punitive action against Israel or indicated that he will pressure Netanyahu to halt the war.

Netanyahu, in the meantime, remains undeterred and threatened additional action if Qatar continues to host the Hamas leadership.

The message to Hamas is clear, he said Thursday: “There is no place where we cannot reach you.”

Little impact on the war in Gaza

Israel is pressing ahead with its expanded offensive aimed at conquering Gaza City. The military has urged a full evacuation of the area holding around 1 million people ahead of an expected invasion.

“Netanyahu’s government is adamant to go on with the military operation in Gaza,” said Gayil Talshir, a political scientist at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Israel has brushed off calls to halt the war from the United Nations, the European Union and a growing number of major Western countries who plan to recognize a Palestinian state at the U.N. Security Council later this month, she said.

The only one who might be able to change this trajectory is Trump, she added, by telling Israel “enough is enough.”

Source : https://apnews.com/article/israel-qatar-doha-netanyahu-assassinations-hamas-fd6b73dc26dbf06f40e6b1f19ac5bb8b

India Today visited casinos near the India-Nepal border in cities like Dhangadhi and Kanchanpur, where the aftermath of recent violent protests is clearly visible. Several of these facilities were targeted during the unrest, and were vandalised and looted.

Nepal is slowly emerging from five days of violent protests that have left at least 50 people dead and caused widespread damage across several cities. While the protests initially targeted government offices and infrastructure, the unrest soon spread to private businesses, including one of Nepal’s most prominent and lucrative sectors: the casino industry.

Casinos in Nepal, particularly those located near the India-Nepal border in cities like Dhangadhi and Kanchanpur, catering primarily to Indian tourists and foreign nationals as local Nepali citizens are not permitted to gamble, have been vandalised and looted.

In Kanchanpur, one of the city’s biggest casinos was stormed by a large crowd during the peak of the unrest. The mob reportedly forced entry into the building, damaged slot machines and gaming tables, looted cash and valuables, and caused extensive destruction across multiple areas of the facility, including the dance floor and restaurant sections.

The remnants of broken furniture, shattered mirrors and disconnected electrical systems are visible throughout the property, which now remains sealed off.

The recent turmoil has also put a heavy economic toll. In Dhangadhi, where India Today visited the site of a major casino, the building stands locked and deserted. There is no activity inside and security guards are not letting anyone near the premises.

These establishments, often housed within or attached to large hotels, play a significant role in the tourism economy of the region. However, following the wave of unrest, many of these casinos have either been vandalised or ransacked and all have now been shut down indefinitely.

According to local sources, the casinos has been closed since the protests turned violent. Business owners and hotel operators in the area have expressed concern over safety, especially after reports emerged that a mob had attacked and set fire to the Hilton Hotel nearby, a property closely linked to one of the largest casinos in the region.

Hilton Hotel in Kathmandu, which alone reported damages exceeding Rs 8 billion, My Republica news portal reported, quoting a HAN statement.

Additionally, Nepal’s hotel industry, a key pillar of its tourism-driven economy, has incurred losses exceeding Rs 25 billion following widespread vandalism, looting and arson during the recent student-led anti-government protests, according to a media report released Friday.

Nearly two dozen hotels across major cities including Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara, Butwal, Bhairahawa, Jhapa, Biratnagar, Dhangadhi, Mahottari and Dang-Tulsipur were damaged during the unrest. Both domestic and international hotel brands were affected.

According to the Hotel Association Nepal (HAN), many of the damaged properties will remain closed until significant repairs and reconstruction are completed, putting the jobs of more than 2,000 hotel workers at risk.

Meanwhile, the appointment of Sushila Karki as Nepal’s first woman interim Prime Minister has brought some hope of political calm. However, the road to recovery for the tourism and casino sectors is expected to be long.

Normalcy is gradually returning to Kathmandu and other areas of Nepal. During a visit to the capital this morning, India Today observed vehicles, including public transport, moving freely, indicating that daily activities are slowly resuming.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/ground-report/story/nepal-genz-protests-ground-report-casinos-shut-looted-vandalised-hotels-hit-tourism-industry-billion-losses-2786816-2025-09-13

Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk’s killer remains at large after his shooting on a Utah college campus. The FBI officials on Friday released a video footage showing the suspect running and jumping from a rooftop.

The US investigators on Friday (Thursday in US time) released new photos and video footage of a person of interest in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, saying they had recovered the rifle believed to have been used in the politically charged shooting.

At a press briefing, officials said security-camera footage showed a man climbing stairwells to reach a campus rooftop, firing the fatal shot, then running and jumping down before fleeing the area.

“Multiple leads are currently being investigated, but no suspect is in custody,” say Utah law enforcement officials.

US President Donald Trump urged supporters on Thursday (Sep 11) to respond peacefully to the killing of right-wing campaigner Charlie Kirk, as the murderer continued to evade a manhunt more than 24 hours after the shooting put an already divided US on edge.

Trump, who soon after the killing angrily pledged a wide-ranging response against the “radical left”, told reporters that Kirk had been “an advocate of nonviolence”.

“That’s the way I’d like to see people respond,” he said.

Kirk, a 31-year-old superstar on the Republican right who sparked surging youth support for Trump, was shot while addressing a large crowd at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.

A day later, authorities said the gunman remained at large.

“Multiple leads are currently being investigated, but no suspect is in custody,” Utah law enforcement officials posted, after cancelling a previously scheduled media briefing.

“We’re doing everything we can to find him, and we’re not sure how far he has gone yet,” FBI Special Agent Robert Bohls said earlier.

The FBI, which described the attack on Kirk as “targeted”, published grainy photos of a young person it called “the potential shooter”.

The pictures showed a man wearing a black baseball cap, dark sunglasses, and what appeared to be jeans, with a long-sleeved top emblazoned with a design that included an American flag.

A reward of up to US$100,000 was posted for information leading to his capture.

Police say they believe the shooter fired a single bullet from a rooftop up to 180m, hitting Kirk in the neck.

A high-powered bolt-action rifle was recovered in a wooded area.

“DARK MOMENT”
Reflecting the highly political nature of the killing, Kirk’s coffin was transported to his home city of Phoenix on JD Vance’s official plane.

Footage showed the vice president with his hands on the casket as it was carried to Air Force 2.

Kirk’s widow, Erika, held hands with Vance’s wife as they got off the plane in Arizona, the headquarters of the powerful Turning Point USA.

The right-wing mediasphere remained in a state of heightened emotion Thursday, with Fox News contributors recounting the impact Kirk had on their lives.

Conspiracy theories ricocheted around the internet, while calls for a return to civility vied with those demanding vengeance.

“THIS IS WAR” wrote the popular right-wing X account of @LibsofTikTOK

Fox News host Jesse Watters on Wednesday said the killing signified that his side of the political spectrum was under attack.

“Whether we want to accept it or not, they are at war with us. And what are we going to do about it?” he asked his audience.

“MARTYR” FOR THE RIGHT
Students at Utah Valley University on Thursday described the shock and their broader fears as political divisions deepen across the country.

Dave Sanchez told AFP that witnessing the killing made him “sick to my stomach”.

“We watch him all the time, and so it really does feel like one of your own family members, your own brother’s been killed,” said Sanchez, 26.

Kirk, who supporters have hailed as a “martyr” for conservative ideals, had an outsized influence in US politics.

He co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 to drive conservative viewpoints among young people, with his natural showmanship making him a go-to spokesman on television networks.

Kirk used his enormous audiences on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to build support for anti-immigration policies, outspoken Christianity and gun ownership, and to spread carefully edited clips of his interactions during debates at his many college events.

Three months ago, a Minnesota man shot dead a Democratic lawmaker and her husband in their home, and Trump survived an assassination attempt during his election campaign in July 2024.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/charlie-kirk-killing-peaceful-response-trump-5345371

POLITICAL activist Charlie Kirk’s last words before being fatally shot during a debate event in Utah have emerged.

The Conservative activist, 31, was doing a Q&A at Utah Valley University in Orem when a single shot was fired at him on Wednesday afternoon.

Kirk, a father of two, was hosting an event for Turning Point USA, a nonprofit he founded at 18 which works with conservative youth on college campuses, when he was struck.

The event was previously described as a “high-energy evening featuring a candid conversation about conservative values.”

A video circulating on social media shows the activist speaking from a tent with “The American Comeback” written on it as gunfire rang out.

Moments before he was shot, Kirk was discussing gun violence throughout the country.

“Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?” one audience member asked Kirk.

“Counting or not counting gang violence,” he replied before being cut off by the gunshot.

FBI director Kash Patel said in a statement on X that the person responsible for the shooting had been arrested.

However, when asked about the statement, Utah officials said that a person of interest was being interviewed.

Chilling footage showed Kirk recoil back to his left and fall into his chair.

Blood could be seen pouring down from his neck as the crowd began to panic.

Attendees screamed and chaotically fled the stage area after Kirk collapsed.

Witness Justin Higgens told NBC News that he saw the speaker get hit by the bullet.

“We heard a big loud shot, I saw a bunch of blood come out of Charlie, I saw his body kind of kick back and go limp, and everybody dropped to the ground,” Hickens said.

As people began to dash for the exit, Hickens said he felt safe as no more gunshots rang out after Kirk was hit.

“I kind of turned around and all of a sudden I saw officers walking with this very elderly gentleman with white hair,” Hickens said.

“They had him arrested, they had him on his knees and he was screaming about his rights and all that stuff.

“They cuffed him and put him away.”

Witness Tyler McGettigan also told NBC News that there was no security going into the event.

“I was expecting when I got here that I’d have to pass through some kind of security, but that just wasn’t a thing,” McGettigan said.

“No one checked the barcode or the QR code. There was no checkpoint to get in. It was literally, anyone could walk in if they wanted.”

DECLARED DEAD

Donald Trump confirmed the death of his longtime friend on social media.

“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” he posted.

“He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”

Kirk leaves behind his wife Erika and their two young children, a one-year-old son and a daughter who turned three just weeks ago.

Initial statements reported that Kirk was in critical condition as he was being treated at a local hospital.

“[Kirk] is in the hospital, and we are praying for him at this time,” Turning Point USA initially confirmed to NBC News.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox posted on X immediately after the shooting, declaring that he will hold those responsible “fully accountable.”

“I am being briefed by law enforcement following the violence directed at Charlie Kirk during his visit to Utah Valley University today. We will continue to share updates,” the governor posted.

“Those responsible will be held fully accountable. Violence has no place in our public life.

“Americans of every political persuasion must unite in condemning this act. Our prayers are with Charlie, his family, and all those affected.”

‘DISGUSTING’ ATTACK

Politicians and fellow political activists were quick to condemn the shooting of Charlie Kirk.

“The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible,” Democratic California governor Gavin Newsom posted on X.

“In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.”

Trump also begged for prayers as Kirk fought for his life.

Kirk rose to fame after being an early supporter of Trump’s bid for president in 2012, when he was just 18 years old.

The two came together for presidential rallies and events hosted by Kirk’s organization.

In January, the day before he was sworn into office, Trump spoke about Kirk, who was in attendance at an event.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15160563/charlie-kirk-shooting-killed-last-words/

Recent protests in Nepal, driven by Gen-Z, erupted in response to the government’s ban on 26 social media apps and widespread corruption. Initially peaceful, the movement escalated into violence, resulting in tragic deaths and destruction of public property, including government buildings.

Nepal in the past few days witnessed events unfolding at turbulent speeds that have shocked the world and its own people. In what is being termed a Gen-Z protest, the world saw a surge of thousands and lakhs of young people angry over the government’s decision to ban as many as 26 social media apps, including global platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and X.
The youth’s agitation was not just against the government’s ban on social media apps, but also against corruption, as citizens had been witnessing how politicians and their families were living luxurious lives while common people struggled. Many reports say the government banned social media because a youth-driven movement was in the making to expose the lavish lifestyles of politicians and their children.
Social media posts—before the ban—were exposing the ultra-luxurious lives of netas and their families like studying in foreign universities, vacationing in global destinations, rich, powerful, and full of privileges, at the expense of taxpayers who were struggling for basic needs.

The agitation turned violent when several protesters were allegedly killed by the security forces in an attempt to thwart and control them. What followed after this was an unprecedented mess as agitators, in a fit of rage, set fire to their own Parliament, the President’s House, the Prime Minister’s residence, and other ministers’ homes—forgetting that all of this was funded by taxpayers and that they were burning down their own infrastructure.

Disturbing scenes emerged on Tuesday evening when the violent mob lost full control and went full throttle against politicians. Their houses were targeted, and families were seen running for lives.
The angry mob chased them, thrashed them, brutally beat them, and even attempted attacks with the intent to kill. One particularly horrifying event unfolded on August 9, when the wife of a former Prime Minister was reportedly burned alive. While some reports suggested that she succumbed to injuries, many claimed she’s alive, undergoing treatment and recovering.
While this was one case that was seen and recorded on camera, it’s enough to hint to the world what was happening on the ground.
While the youth may have started their agitation with pure intentions—to punish a corrupt government—the scenes also show that even the protesters crossed many red lines. Yet, they are still being praised instead of being held accountable for the destruction they caused, which affected many businesses with no connection to politics.

The incident took place at their home in Dallu area in the state capital Kathmandu.

Rajyalaxmi Chitrakar, the wife of Nepal’s ex-prime minister Jhalanath Khanal, died on Tuesday, say media reports, after protesters, led by Gen Z, trapped her in their home and set the house on fire.

The incident took place at their home in Dallu area in the state capital Kathmandu.

Ms Chitrakar was rushed to Kirtipur Burn Hospital but died during the treatment, say family sources.

Nepal’s prime minister KP Sharma Oli, whose own house was set on fire, resigned Tuesday as protests against a short-lived ban on social media grew increasingly violent and expanded into broader criticism of his government and accusations of corruption among the Himalayan country’s political elite.

Mr Oli’s finance minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel, 65, was chased through the streets of the capital, showed a disturbing video. The minister, showed the video, was kicked and thrashed brutally.

Demonstrations led by young people angry about the blocking of several social media sites gripped the country’s capital a day earlier, and police opened fired on the crowds, killing 19 people.

The ban was lifted Monday night, but the protests continued, with demonstrators setting fire to the homes of some of Nepal’s top leaders and the parliament building. The airport in the capital of Katmandu was shut, and army helicopters ferried some ministers to safe places.

As the protests intensified, Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli said he was stepping down immediately.

The demonstrations – called the protest of Gen Z – began after the government blocked platforms, including Facebook, X and YouTube, saying the companies had failed to register and submit to government oversight.

But even after the sites came back online, the rallies continued, fueled by anger over the deaths of protesters at the hands of police and against alleged corruption by the government.

In particular, many young people are angry that the children of political leaders – so-called Nepo Kids – seem to enjoy luxurious lifestyles and numerous advantages while most youth struggle to find work.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/ex-nepal-pms-wife-burnt-alive-as-protesters-set-his-house-on-fire-9244838?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

“I am pleased to announce that India, and the United States of America, are continuing negotiations to address the Trade Barriers between our two Nations,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that the US and India will resume negotiations to address “trade barriers” between the two countries.

In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump wrote, “I am pleased to announce that India and the United States of America are continuing negotiations to address the Trade Barriers between our two Nations. I look forward to speaking with my very good friend, Prime Minister Modi, in the upcoming weeks. I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!”

The announcement comes weeks after the US imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, including an additional 25 per cent penalty on purchases of Russian oil.

Earlier this week, President Trump, while making an announcement in the White House, called the India-US ties a “very special relationship” and affirmed that he and PM Modi would always be friends, asserting that there is “nothing to worry about”.

However, he expressed displeasure over what “he (PM Modi) is doing” in contemporary times.

When asked by ANI, “Are you ready to reset relations with India at this point?”, US President Trump said, “I always will. I’ll always be friends with (PM) Modi. He’s a great Prime Minister. I’ll always be friends, but I just don’t like what he is doing at this particular moment. But India and the United States have a very special relationship. There is nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion.”

The US President also responded to his post on Truth Social, where he called out losing ‘India and Russia to China’, saying that he does not think that has happened.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday also responded warmly to Trump’s affirmation of the India-US ties, saying he “deeply appreciates and fully reciprocates” the US President’s sentiments and positive assessment of the bilateral relations.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/donald-trump-says-will-speak-to-pm-modi-in-upcoming-weeks-amid-tariff-row-9248063?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

As per sources, Lekhak submitted his resignation to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli during the emergency cabinet meeting held at the official residence this evening.

Nepal Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak on Monday evening stepped down from the post following deadly violence in two decades, which has so far claimed 19 lives.

As per sources, Lekhak submitted his resignation to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli during the emergency cabinet meeting held at the official residence this evening.

“The Home Minister had made it clear in the Nepali Congress meeting that he will be stepping down from the post on moral grounds. He tendered his resignation to the Prime Minister during the cabinet meeting this evening,” a source confirmed ANI.

The resignation of the Home Minister comes after the bloodiest day in two decades, which claimed the lives of at least 19 people across Nepal in protests against corruption and the social media ban.

The nation-wide protest resulted in 17 deaths in Kathmandu alone, with two deaths in Itahari City of Sunsari district. Curfew has been imposed in various locations of Kathmandu along with other districts where the protests were violent.

The Rupandehi District Administration Office, about 270 kilometres from Kathmandu, has imposed curfew in Butwal and Bhairahawa from 4 pm to 10 pm on Monday following similar protests in Kathmandu.

Chief District Officer Tokraj Pandey said the curfew has been enforced within designated zones, prohibiting any gatherings, rallies, protests, meetings, or sit-ins.

In Butwal, the curfew covers the area from Dhago Karkhana Bridge in the east to Belbas Chowk in the west, from Chidiyakhola in the north to Mangalpur in the south.

In Bhairahawa, it extends from Rohinikhola Bridge in the east to Bethari Bridge in the west, from Buddha Chowk in the north to Meudihawa in the south.

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/nepal-home-minister-ramesh-lekhak-resigns-after-deadly-violence-claims-19-lives

A resurfaced 2003 birthday letter allegedly signed by President Donald Trump for Jeffrey Epstein has sparked controversy. The provocative note, released by the House Oversight Committee, includes Trump’s signature, which critics claim matches verified samples. Trump denies authenticity, calling it fake, while the Wall Street Journal stands by its reporting.

A resurfaced birthday letter allegedly signed by President Donald Trump for disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday has reignited controversy following its public release by the Wall Street Journal on Monday. The letter features provocative imagery and a dialogue-style message between “Donald” and “Jeffrey,” with Trump’s name appearing where pubic hair would be in an outline of a naked woman.
The letter, reportedly part of a birthday book gifted to Epstein in 2003, was recently handed over by Epstein’s estate in response to a subpoena from the House Oversight Committee. The document includes messages from other high-profile individuals like former President Bill Clinton and attorney Alan Dershowitz.

Trump has long denied the letter’s authenticity, calling it “fake” and “nonexistent” in a defamation lawsuit filed against the Wall Street Journal, Rupert Murdoch, and others at News Corp. The lawsuit followed the WSJ’s reporting last summer. A spokesperson for Dow Jones, the Journal’s parent company, stated at the time: “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”

Norway’s Minority Labour Party government won a second term in power on Monday while the populist right achieved its best-ever election result, official results showed, in a ballot dominated by concerns over rising living costs and wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Incumbent Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere’s Labour and four smaller, left-leaning parties won 87 seats, above the 85 needed for a majority, with 99% of ballots counted.

Stoere, 65, will remain heavily reliant on his smaller allies, however, to pass major legislation such as fiscal budgets. To get their backing, he will likely face tough discussions over issues such as tax hikes for the wealthy, future oil exploration, and divestments by Norway’s $2 trillion sovereign wealth fund from Israeli companies.

“Stoere will continue as prime minister, but with a much more difficult parliamentary situation, in which he is dependent on five parties to govern,” Jonas Stein, an associate professor in political science at the University of Tromsoe, told Reuters.

Despite the left’s victory, Monday’s ballot showed a shift further to the right among conservative voters, with the populist, anti-immigration Progress Party of Sylvi Listhaug, 47, making its best-ever showing in an election.

Progress secured 48 seats in the 169-seat parliament, more than double its allocation from four years ago, as the party’s promise of large tax cuts appeared to have resonated with many voters.

Listhaug, a onetime firebrand who cites Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher as her role models, campaigned on what she said was wasteful public spending on areas such as international aid and subsidies to green energy.

“Young people today are much more right-wing than earlier. I think the Progress Party has won a huge part of the youth vote, especially among young men,” said Eirik Loekke, a fellow at Civitas, an Oslo-based liberal think-tank.

None of the right-wing parties that won seats, including former Prime Minister Erna Solberg’s Conservatives, have sought the backing of U.S. President Donald Trump, unlike some of their counterparts elsewhere in Europe.

SAFE HANDS

Stoere welcomed the results, playing down any shift to the right. “This is a signal to outside Norway that social democracy can also win despite a right-wing wave,” he told a jubilant crowd of Labour supporters chanting “four more years”.

Voter concerns over the conflict in Ukraine and an aggressive Russia, which shares a border with Norway in the Arctic, have given a boost to the left in recent months after former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, 66, joined Stoere’s cabinet.

Many Norwegians saw the decision as a safeguard in case of a new armed conflict, given Stoltenberg’s decade-long tenure – until October of last year – as head of the western military alliance.

Some 59% of Norwegians believe a new war in Europe is likely within the next decade, up from 55% last year, according to a survey by the Peace Research Institute Oslo.

Also looming large in the final weeks of the election was the war in Gaza, with Stoere’s smaller allies calling for Norway’s $2 trillion sovereign fund, the world’s largest and a major source of the country’s wealth, to divest further from Israeli companies.

Since June 30, the fund has divested from more than two dozen Israeli companies, following media reports that it had built a stake in a jet engine company that provides maintenance for Israeli fighter jets.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/norway-ruling-labour-party-wins-reelection-while-populists-score-gains-2025-09-08/

By beating Jannik Sinner in four sets, Carlos Alcaraz once again becomes the world’s number one tennis player. The US Open final was delayed due to tightened security measures owing to the presence of Donald Trump.

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz sealed his second US Open title after a four-set win over Italy’s Jannik Sinner in New York.

Alcaraz broke the Sinner serve in the first game of the match, as he raced away with the first set 6-2 in a little over half an hour.

But Sinner wasn’t going to take defeat lying down, and fought back to take the second set 6-3.

Much like the first set, the third part of the match saw Alcaraz dominate, with his serve, almost impreganable over the last two weeks, again firing.

The fourth set proved to be much more cagey, and Sinner had his chances, but erred when the opportunities were presented to him, as Alcaraz broke in the fifth game of what turned out to be the final set.

By beating last year’s US Open champion, Alcaraz usurps the Italian as the world number one tennis player atop the ATP rankings.

How did the crowd react to the presence of Donald Trump?

Sunday’s final had a delayed start, after tightened security due to the attendance of US President Donald Trump meant streams of people were held up entering the Arthur Ashe stadium.

Trump was met with boos by some sections of the crowd.

Sealed with an ace

But the players received a much warmer welcome, particularly during some epic points that defied belief.

And it was ultimately Alcaraz that took the spoils, winning the title with an ace on his third championship point.

Alcaraz’s victory ends Sinner’s 27-match winning run at hard-court Grand Slams.

“I tried my best today. I couldn’t do more,” said Sinner.

The contest between Alcaraz and Sinner marked the first time the same two players had met in three major finals in a row in a calendar year. Alcaraz won an epic final against Sinner in the French Open, saving three championship points en route to a five-set victory. Sinner exacted revenge a few weeks later, in winning the Wimbledon final against the Spaniard in four sets.

“I’m seeing you more than my family,” Alcaraz joked, eliciting a grin from Sinner. “It’s great to share the court, to share the locker rooms, everything.”

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/carlos-alcaraz-beats-jannik-sinner-to-win-second-us-open-title/a-73912412

In an interview, Zelensky was asked whether he thinks the US sanctions on Russia have backfired, given the recent Modi-Putin bonhomie seen at the SCO Summit.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has backed US tariffs on countries like India, even as New Delhi has stepped up its diplomatic efforts to help broker an end to the Ukraine war. “I think the idea to put tariffs on the country…continuing to make deals with Russia is the right idea,” said Zelensky in an interview with ABC News.

Zelensky was asked about his views on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China for a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), where he was pictured alongside the leaders of China and Russia. His statement came as the Trump administration prepares to expand sanctions against Russia. Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last month failed to achieve a diplomatic breakthrough.

On Sunday, Trump said that he is ready to expand sanctions against Russia. National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett also hinted at new sanctions that will be levelled against Moscow, citing India as a particular example. “At the National Economic Council, we are responsible for making sure that sanctions get enforced and that people who are helping Russia with their war against Ukraine…for example, what India has been doing by buying Russian oil…that we’re ready to respond to them economically,” said Hassett after the latest Russian military strikes on Ukraine. “I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of talk today and tomorrow about the level of sanctions and the timing of sanctions.”

In recent weeks, India has stepped up its advocacy to end the Ukraine war. Modi spoke to Zelensky twice last month over it. Modi said he was glad to speak with Zelenskyy and hear his perspectives on recent developments. “I conveyed India’s consistent position on the need for an early and peaceful resolution of the conflict. India remains committed to making every possible contribution in this regard, as well as to further strengthening bilateral ties with Ukraine,” Modi said on X.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/ukraines-zelensky-reacts-to-modi-putin-sco-summit-bonhomie-i-think-us-tariff-is-right-idea-101757302419310.html

At least one person was killed and several others injured in an explosion while a cricket match was being played in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Saturday, police said.

The blast occurred at Kausar Cricket Ground in Khar tehsil of Bajaur district. Bajaur District Police Officer Waqas Rafique confirmed that the blast was carried out through an improvised explosive device, the Dawn newspaper reported.

A man was killed while several others, including children, sustained injuries, police said. The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital.

Source: https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/blast-during-cricket-match-in-pakistans-khyber-pakhtunkhwa-kills-one-injures-several/cid/2121665

Former US President Joe Biden recently underwent skin cancer surgery, his spokeswoman said.

Biden had Mohs surgery, she told the BBC’s US partner CBS News, but did not immediately provide further details.

The procedure is used to cut away skin until no evidence of cancer remains.

The 82-year-old had been spotted with a wound on the right side of his head in recent days.

In 2023, Biden had a cancerous skin lesion removed from his chest during a routine health screening.

In May, he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones.

“Cancer touches us all,” Biden wrote on social media at the time. “Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places.”

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c80grled59do