Category: World

US President Donald Trump said the current tariffs imposed on Chinese goods were “not sustainable,” as tensions between Washington and Beijing rise ahead of his expected meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. In an interview with Fox Business Network, Donald Trump was asked whether the steep tariffs levied by both countries could continue indefinitely.

“It’s not sustainable,” he said, adding, “That’s what the number is, it’s probably not, you know, it could stand but they forced me to do that.”

Donald Trump added that he would meet Xi Jinping “in two weeks,” and expressed cautious optimism about easing the dispute, saying he believed “things would be fine with China.”

The US President, while discussing Beijing’s trade practices, said, “China is always looking for an edge. I don’t know what’s going to happen. We’ll see what happens.”

The comments come as the trade war between the world’s two largest economies continues to rattle global markets. Washington’s import duties on Chinese goods have climbed to as high as 145 percent, sparking concerns about supply chains and slowing growth. Although both sides agreed to a 90-day truce earlier this year, that pause is set to expire on November 10 unless extended.

Earlier, Donald Trump warned that the US could impose an additional 100 percent tariff on Chinese products by November 1 if negotiations did not progress. He also hinted at canceling the planned meeting with Xi Jinping, which is expected to take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/they-forced-me-to-trump-says-100-tariffs-on-china-not-sustainable-ws-l-9643500.html

The ACB named the three players as “Kabeer, Sibghatullah and Haroon” and said that five other people were also killed in the attack.

At least three Afghanistani cricketers have been killed in a Pakistani airstrike in Paktika province. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said that the players had travelled from Urgun to Sharana in the eastern Paktika province on the Pakistan border to take part in a friendly match.

The ACB named the three players as “Kabeer, Sibghatullah and Haroon” and said that five other people were also killed in the attack.

It said that “after returning home to Urgun, they were targeted during a gathering” in what it described as “a cowardly attack carried out by the Pakistani regime”. The ACB did not give any more details on the attack.

Following the attack, Afghanistan pulled out of a tri-nation series with Pakistan and Sri Lanka next month. “as a gesture of respect to the victims”.

“The Afghanistan Cricket Board expresses its deepest sorrow and grief over the tragic martyrdom of the brave cricketers from Urgun District in Paktika Province, who were targeted this evening in a cowardly attack carried out by the Pakistani regime.” ABC said in a post on X.

Cricketers Mourn Deaths

Afghanistan’s T-20 team captain, Rashid Khan, condemned the recent attacks and welcomed ABC’s decision to withdraw from the friendly series.

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of civilian lives in the recent Pakistani aerial strikes on Afghanistan. A tragedy that claimed the lives of women, children, and aspiring young cricketers who dreamed of representing their nation on the world stage,” he said in a post on X.

Khan said it was absolutely immoral and barbaric to target civilian infrastructure, and such “unjust and unlawful actions represent a grave violation of human rights and must not go unnoticed.”

“In light of the precious innocent souls lost, I welcome the ACB’s decision of withdrawing from upcoming fixtures against Pakistan. I stand with our people at this difficult time, our national dignity must come before all else,” he added.

Another international player, Mohammad Nabi, added, “This incident is not only a tragedy for Paktika but for the entire Afghan cricket family and the nation as a whole.”

“The massacre of innocent civilians and our domestic cricket players by these oppressors is a heinous, unforgivable crime,” wrote Afghan international cricketer Fazalhaq Farooqi on Facebook.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/3-afghan-cricketers-among-8-dead-in-pakistani-airstrike-near-border-9476950?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

The U.S. military is holding two survivors aboard a Navy ship after rescuing them from a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean hit by a U.S. strike that killed two others, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday.

The disclosure, which has not been previously reported, raises the possibility that the survivors from Thursday’s strike are the first prisoners of war in a conflict declared by President Donald Trump against a “narcoterrorist” threat he says is emanating from Venezuela.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump told reporters that the strike was against “a drug-carrying submarine built specifically for the transportation of massive amounts of drugs.” He did not comment on how many were killed or survived the strike.

One of the sources said the vessel struck on Thursday moved below the water and was possibly a semi-submersible, which is a submarine-like vessel used by drug traffickers to avoid detection.

Five sources familiar with the matter said the U.S. military staged a helicopter rescue to pick up the survivors of the attack and bring them back to the U.S. warship.

Prior to Thursday’s operation, U.S. military strikes against suspected drug boats off Venezuela had not left any known survivors and videos presented by the Trump administration showed vessels being destroyed.

The Trump administration has said the previous strikes killed 27 people, raising alarms among some legal experts and Democratic lawmakers, who question whether they adhere to the laws of war.

The strikes come against the backdrop of a U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean that includes guided missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine and around 6,500 troops as Trump escalates a standoff with the Venezuelan government.

On Wednesday, Trump disclosed he had authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela, adding to speculation in Caracas that the United States is attempting to topple Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

In a letter this week to the United Nations’ 15-member Security Council, seen by Reuters, Venezuela’s U.N. Ambassador Samuel Moncada asked for a U.N. determination that the U.S. strikes off its coast are illegal and to issue a statement backing Venezuela’s sovereignty.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-military-holding-rescued-strike-survivors-navy-ship-sources-say-2025-10-17

The U.S. Treasury bought Argentine pesos in the spot and “Blue Chip Swap” markets on Thursday and it continues to monitor all markets, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Friday.

“Treasury is monitoring all markets, and we have the capacity to act with flexibility and with force to stabilize Argentina,” he said in a post on X.

It was the first announcement of participation in the “blue-chip” market, after Bessent previously spoke of buying pesos in the spot market. The pledged U.S. support also includes a $20 billion swap with the Argentine central bank and the workings of a $20 billion facility to invest in the South American country’s sovereign debt.

“We think the support from the U.S. Treasury is helping stabilize markets,” said Nigel Chalk, deputy director of the Western Hemisphere Department at the International Monetary Fund in a press briefing.

“IMF staff have spent many hours and have been very deeply engaged with both Argentina and the U.S. Treasury through this process,” he added.

He did not answer a question on whether the fund would rather see the peso, which trades in a band, float freely.

The official peso weakened 3.4% on Friday to 1,450 per dollar, not far from the record low close of 1,474.50 hit before Bessent first announced the U.S. backing.

Peso one-month nondeliverable forwards priced the currency at 1,446, after rising as high as 1,541 earlier this month. Three-month forwards see the peso near 1,690 per dollar, according to LSEG data.

The U.S. Treasury has not disclosed how much it has spent purchasing pesos or whether it will do it on a schedule.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/bessent-says-us-bought-pesos-again-currency-dips-2025-10-17

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy came to the White House on Friday looking for weapons to keep fighting his country’s war with Russia, but met an American president who appears more intent on brokering a peace deal than upgrading Ukraine’s arsenal.

While U.S. President Donald Trump did not rule out providing the long-range Tomahawk missiles Zelenskiy seeks, Trump appeared cool to the prospect as he looked ahead to a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hungary in the coming weeks.

After speaking with Zelenskiy for more than two hours, Trump implored both Ukraine and Russia to “stop the war immediately,” even if it means Ukraine conceding territory.

“You stop at the battle line, and both sides should go home, go to their families,” Trump told reporters on his way to his home in West Palm Beach, Florida. “Stop the killing. And that should be it. Stop right now at the battle line. I told that to President Zelenskiy. I told it to President Putin.”

Trump’s move to re-engage with Putin, a strategy that has frustrated Zelenskiy and some European allies in the past, cast a shadow on the U.S. president’s otherwise cordial exchange with his Ukrainian counterpart as they spoke with reporters ahead of a private lunch.

The two leaders then went behind closed doors where they also discussed a call the previous day between the Russian president and Trump, who has portrayed himself as a mediator between the warring forces despite the fact that Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

‘GET ALONG A LITTLE’

“I think President Zelenskiy wants it done, and I think President Putin wants it done. Now all they have to do is get along a little bit,” Trump told reporters.

Zelenskiy, however, noted how difficult it has been to try to secure a ceasefire. “We want this. Putin doesn’t want (it),” he said.

The Ukrainian leader was frank, telling Trump that Ukraine has thousands of drones ready for an offensive against Russian targets, but needs American missiles.

“We don’t have Tomahawks, that’s why we need Tomahawks,” he said.

Trump responded: “We’d much rather have them not need Tomahawks.”

Later, Trump reiterated that he wants the United States to hold onto its weaponry. “We want Tomahawks also. We don’t want to be giving away things that we need to protect our country,” he said.

After the meeting, which Zelenskiy described as productive, he told reporters he did not want to talk about long-range missiles, saying the U.S. did not want escalation, and that he was “realistic” about his chance of getting them.

The Ukrainian president, who spoke by phone with European leaders after the meeting, said he was counting on Trump to pressure Putin “to stop this war.”

When asked about Trump’s comments, Zelenskiy said: “President (Trump) is right, and we have to stop where we are. This is important, to stop where we are, and then to speak.”

It was unclear what Putin had told Trump that prompted him to agree to the upcoming meeting. Their August summit in Alaska ended early with no major breakthrough.

The Kremlin said much needed to be decided and that the summit might take place “a little later” than within the two-week period mentioned by Trump.

Trump’s conciliatory tone after the call with Putin raised questions over the near-term likelihood of assistance to Ukraine and reignited European fears of a deal that suits Russia. A spokesperson for the European Union said it welcomed the talks if they could help bring peace to Ukraine.

Trump was asked on Friday whether he was concerned Putin might be “playing” him for time by agreeing to talks.

“You know, I’ve been played all my life by the best of them, and I came out really well, so it’s possible,” Trump replied.

Michael Carpenter, a former U.S. official who is now a senior fellow at International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the meeting with Trump was not what Zelenskiy had been hoping for but was in line with the administration’s approach to the war.

“The underlying reality is that there is no inclination to impose costs on Russia,” he said.

The president expressed affection for Zelenskiy, at one point praising him for wearing what Trump called a “very stylish” dark suit jacket after he was knocked earlier this year for visiting the White House without one.

“He looks beautiful in his jacket,” Trump said. “I hope people notice.”

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/zelenskiy-seek-weapons-trump-shadow-new-putin-summit-2025-10-17

The indictment of John Bolton on charges of sharing classified information is stronger than the recent charges against two other political foes of President Donald Trump, but the former U.S. national security adviser has several options for mounting a defense, legal experts said.

Bolton, 76, said in a statement on Thursday that he was the latest target in Trump’s weaponization of the Justice Department against his enemies. He pleaded not guilty on Friday to 18 counts of transmitting and retaining national defense information.

Trump, a Republican who campaigned for the presidency on a vow of retribution after facing multiple legal woes following his first term in the White House that ended in 2021, has dispensed with decades-long norms designed to insulate federal law enforcement from political pressures.

The recent indictments of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both of whom investigated Trump, have alarmed some Trump critics who say his use of the criminal justice system to punish enemies resembles the tactics of authoritarian leaders.

But there are key differences between Bolton’s indictment and those against Comey and James.

The investigation of Bolton, who served as Trump’s national security adviser in 2018 and 2019 but has since become an outspoken Trump critic, began in 2022, predating the current Trump administration.

The charges were brought by experienced prosecutors in the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s office and the Justice Department. Both Comey and James were charged by Lindsey Halligan, a newly-installed U.S. Attorney in Virginia after Trump forced out her predecessor over his reluctance to pursue the cases.

The 26-page indictment of Bolton also includes far more detail than the other cases.

“This indictment is significantly more fulsome than those exceedingly bare-bones indictments,” said Benjamin Klubes, a Washington-based defense lawyer and former prosecutor.

Bolton’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.

SELECTIVE OR VINDICTIVE PROSECUTION

Like Comey and James, Bolton could seek to have the indictment dismissed on the basis of selective prosecution, meaning he was charged over conduct that other similarly situated people are usually not charged over, or vindictive prosecution, suggesting he was charged in retaliation for exercising his legal rights.

Comey has pleaded not guilty to charges of lying to Congress. James is expected to appear in court on mortgage fraud charges later this month and has denied wrongdoing.

To claim selective prosecution, Bolton could argue that no Trump administration officials faced charges over an incident earlier this year in which U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared details of an imminent attack in a Signal message group that included his wife, brother, personal lawyer, and a journalist from the Atlantic magazine.

Trump administration officials denied that any classified information was shared.

To argue vindictive prosecution, Bolton could point to numerous statements Trump made in interviews and on social media alleging Bolton broke the law and should go to jail. He could argue those statements showed Trump’s desire for retaliation over Bolton’s public criticisms of him, which are protected speech under the U.S. Constitution.

Such motions face a high bar, however, and judges may be less inclined to grant them if the evidence appears strong, said Steven Cash, a former prosecutor who is now executive director of The Steady State, a pro-democracy advocacy coalition of former national security professionals.

Comey also plans to argue that his indictment must be dismissed because Halligan was not properly appointed, an argument that would not be available to Bolton because his case is in Maryland.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/bolton-faces-tougher-defense-than-other-trump-foes-charged-with-crimes-2025-10-17

The U.S. military carried out a new strike on Thursday against a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean, and in what is believed to be the first such case, there were survivors among the crew, a U.S. official told Reuters.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not offer additional details about the incident, which has not been previously reported, except to say that it was not clear that the strike had been designed to leave survivors.

The development raises new questions, including whether the U.S. military rendered aid to the survivors and whether they are now in U.S. military custody, possibly as prisoners of war.
The Pentagon, which has labeled those it has targeted in the strikes as narcoterrorists, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Prior to Thursday’s operation, U.S. military strikes against suspected drug boats off Venezuela killed at least 27 people, raising alarms among some legal experts and Democratic lawmakers, who question whether they adhere to the laws of war.

John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, was charged on Thursday in a sweeping indictment that accuses him of sharing sensitive government information with two of his relatives for possible use in a book he was writing.
The indictment marked the third time in recent weeks the Justice Department has secured criminal charges against one of Trump’s critics.

The indictment says the notes Bolton shared with his two relatives in electronic messages included information he gleaned from meetings with senior government officials, discussions with foreign leaders, and intelligence briefings.

In some of the chats, Bolton and his relatives – whom the indictment does not identify – discussed using some of the material for a book. Bolton referred to the two people with whom he shared his daily notes as his “editors,” the indictment said.
“Talking with [book publisher] because they have a right of first refusal!” Bolton wrote in one message, according to the indictment.
The two relatives referred to in the indictment are Bolton’s wife and daughter, two people familiar with the matter said.
In a statement, Bolton said, “I look forward to the fight to defend my lawful conduct and to expose his abuse of power.”

The development came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was headed to the White House to push for more military support.

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Thursday (Oct 16) to another summit on the war in Ukraine, a surprise move that came as Moscow feared fresh US military support for Kyiv.

Trump and Putin may meet within the next two weeks in Budapest, the US president said, after a more than two-hour phone conversation he called productive. The Kremlin confirmed plans for the meeting, though neither side provided a date for when it would occur.

SECRETARY of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has blasted Illinois officials after a cop working in the state was arrested and accused of being an illegal alien.

ICE agents cuffed Radule Bojovic after he allegedly left his home in the Balkan country of Montenegro and overstayed his welcome in the US.

Bojovic came to America on a tourist visa, but it expired in 2015, the DHS said on Thursday.

His citizenship status came to light “during a targeted enforcement action” in Illinois.

After news of Bojovic’s arrest broke, Noem said it was proof the state was “completely corrupt” under Governor JB Pritzker’s leadership.

“Radical sanctuary politicians have allowed criminal illegal aliens to infiltrate our school districts, communities, and even police departments,” she wrote on X.

“President Trump and I will continue to put the safety of Americans FIRST.”

Bojovic had just started working with the Hanover Park Police Department, which is located outside of Chicago, earlier this year when he was arrested.

In August, the department shared a Facebook post congratulating him on graduating from a law enforcement academy.

“He now begins an intensive 15 weeks of field training and evaluation as he continues preparing to serve the Hanover Park community,” wrote the department.

Bojovic could be seen smiling and standing proudly beside the department’s chief and deputy chief in a picture posted on Facebook.

OPERATION MIDWAY BLITZ
ICE agents honed in on the cop during Operation Midway Blitz, which is targeting illegal immigrants who moved to Illinois because of the state’s sanctuary policies.

In a statement, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin blasted authorities for giving an accused illegal immigrant a firearm.

“Radule Bojovic violated our nation’s laws and was living ILLEGALLY in the United States for 10 years—what kind of police department gives criminal illegal aliens badges and guns?” she wrote.

“It’s a felony for aliens to even possess a firearm. A law enforcement officer who is actively breaking the law.”

Bojovic was approved by the Pension Fund Board of Trustees at the beginning of the year and was set to earn a starting salary of $78,955, DHS said.

Police records show that his 2025 earnings were $205,000, including over $9,000 for FICA/Medicare taxes, Fox News reported, citing authorities.

IMMIGRATION WAR
President Donald Trump is embroiled in a bitter feud with Pritzker over his immigration crackdown.

He launched Operation Midway Blitz in honor of Illinois resident Katie Abraham, who was killed in a drunk-driving car crash caused by illegal immigrant Julio Cucul-Bol.

Pritzker sued Trump after the president enforced federal policing with the National Guard without his permission.

On Thursday, the governor said, “President Trump says he wants to go to war with Chicago, use it, and our people as a training ground, and is sending military troops against the wishes of its people in order to punish his political opponents.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/15357845/radule-bojovic-ice-arrested-cop-kristi-noem/

A video of US President Donald Trump mistakenly calling India ‘Iran’ surfaced online, leaving netizens speculating about his ‘deteriorating’ cognitive health. Take a look…

The term ‘gaffe’ is no longer something many associate with former US President Joe Biden alone. After a video of a recent White House press conference began circulating online, US President Donald Trump, too, seemingly joined the list.
The video shows Trump speaking about the ‘importance’ of tariffs, during which he recalled the time he ‘stopped’ a war between India and Pakistan — or so most people assumed was the ‘correct version’ of what he actually meant to say.
During the press conference, Trump accidentally referred to India as ‘Iran’, and further called ‘Iran’ a ‘nuclear power’.

“If you look at Pakistan and Iran, I told them — I was in the midst of negotiating a trade deal,” the US President is heard saying in the clip.

“I heard that they were shooting at each other. And I said during one of my conversations — are you guys going to war? Two nuclear powers? I said, here’s the deal: if you go to war, I’m gonna put 200 per cent tariffs,” Trump continued.
As soon as Trump confused India with Iran and called Iran a ‘nuclear power’, netizens caught the mistake. What followed was classic internet behaviour — users sharing their two cents on everything from the US President’s ‘deteriorating cognitive health’ to broader political commentary.
Check out the viral post:
“In an insane moment, Trump calls Iran a nuclear power, and claims to have stopped a war between Pakistan and Iran- I heard they are shooting at each other. Two nuclear powers- confusing Iran with India. His cognitive ability is GONE,” the post read.
The post was shared on X (formerly Twitter), by the handle ‘ksphotos_fr’. The post was shared today and pulled more than 416K views from people.

Scheduled from Oct 20 to 23, the fourth plenum will see the upper echelons of China’s Communist Party review and endorse the next chapter of its national development blueprint, while potentially bringing clarity on the fate of sidelined senior officials.

Economic matters will dominate the agenda when the upper echelons of China’s Communist Party (CCP) convene a key session next week, with the centrepiece being the next five-year plan that lays out the country’s social and development priorities for the rest of the decade, say analysts.

Scheduled from Oct 20 to 23, the fourth plenum will unfold against a backdrop of tariff threats from the United States and stuttering domestic demand – pressures observers say will inevitably shape both the discussions and their outcome.

Analysts expect a strong emphasis on bolstering technological self-reliance and driving breakthroughs in innovation, alongside policies to tackle social inequality, unemployment and weak household spending.

They also note that the session could bring clarity on personnel matters, with speculation swirling over the fate of senior figures who have dropped out of public view in recent months.

It’s a timely moment, with the fourth plenum taking place barely a week before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea, where US President Donald Trump has touted a face-to-face meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

While analysts are divided on whether the sequencing is deliberate, they say the timeline allows Beijing to approach any potential Xi-Trump encounter with a clearer economic road map in hand, framing its posture at the regional gathering.

ENDORSING THE NEXT MASTER BLUEPRINT
The fourth plenum is one of seven plenary sessions typically held during each five-year term of the CCP’s Central Committee. The body comprises about 200 full and 170 alternate members drawn from the party elite.

The Central Committee sits below the Politburo and its standing committee in the CCP hierarchy. The Politburo typically has 25 members, while the apex standing committee currently has seven.

While past fourth plenums have typically focused on party ideology and governance, this year the economy will take centre stage as the committee reviews China’s 15th five-year plan – the latest chapter of its national blueprint for social and development priorities covering 2026 to 2030.

Five-year plans are usually reviewed at the fifth plenum, but this cycle, the review has been moved up after a months-long delay in the meeting schedule. Under party rules, they must be approved at a plenary session before being formally adopted at the Two Sessions parliamentary gatherings in March.

Policymakers have already signalled their priorities for the refreshed road map.

“It is essential to maintain strategic focus, actively adapt to the changes, secure strategic initiative in fierce international competitions, and make significant breakthroughs in the strategic task of promoting Chinese modernisation,” read a Politburo statement after its July meeting, as reported by state news outlet China Daily.

Analysts expect a renewed push for productivity, innovation and technological self-reliance to feature prominently in the next five-year plan.

“The upcoming five-year plan will renew the central government’s commitment to building ‘new quality productive forces’ in the shift toward domestic demand and consumption-driven growth, creation of high-quality jobs and efforts to increase household incomes,” Stefanie Kam, an assistant professor at the China Programme at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore, told CNA.

The term new quality productive forces, or “xin zhi sheng chan li” in Chinese, refers to Beijing’s high-tech push for innovation-driven growth.

Policymakers are also expected to keep up the refrain of “independent and unilateral opening up”, Kam said, referring to Beijing’s drive to liberalise on its own terms – a policy it has framed as part of a broader push for “high-level opening up”, or “gao shui ping dui wai kai fang” in Chinese.

Recent examples of such moves include the launch of a new K visa on Oct 1 to attract young foreign tech talent, alongside the expansion of visa-free access for 75 countries and counting to boost travel and business.

On the economic front, China fully opened its manufacturing sector to foreign investors late last year, while also expanding access to its healthcare industry by allowing wholly foreign-owned hospitals in some major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

At the same time, analysts said Beijing is likely to balance these overtures with rhetoric on national security – a consideration that has grown more pronounced in recent years.

“Language will probably balance high-level opening up with fortification of supply chains against US export controls and tariffs,” said Pan Guangyi, a lecturer in international political studies at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Canberra.

The two powers remain at odds on fronts including trade and technology, with Washington curbing Beijing’s access to advanced semiconductors and artificial intelligence chips. China has denounced such moves as an attempt at containment.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/china-fourth-plenum-agenda-five-year-plan-personnel-intrigue-5391666

Donald Trump held a press conference in the Oval Office last night to talk about his ‘crime surge’ – and there’s plenty more going on in Trump World

Donald Trump summoned the press to the Oval Office last night, boasting about the success of his crime crackdown, writes Mikey Smith.

FBI director Kash Patel was full of admiration for Trump as they both took credit for the recent decrease in violent crime rates. For instance, Memphis had already reached a 25-year low in overall crime before Trump’s task force was even introduced.

Yet, Patel continued to heap praise on Trump, crediting him with the achievement: “You did that in SEVEN MONTHS because you let good cops be cops.” It comes in a week where Trump was blasted for ‘incensitive and sick’ remarks about a fallen friend.

One statistic that has indeed increased is the number of arrests in areas targeted by Trump – but the quality of these arrests and their potential to result in convictions remains uncertain, reports the Mirror.

Regardless, Trump seems to have developed an appetite for it. After a chat with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi over the weekend, he enthusiastically praised the low crime rates under the often brutally authoritarian regime.

Trump and Patel then assured – or perhaps warned – that there’s more to come.

“Now it’s like a passion for me,” Trump declared, stating that his actions were “many many steps above” what he’d promised and “we’re just at the start.”

He’s started referring to it as “the surge”.

So, brace yourselves, San Francisco, Boston, Baltimore, New Orleans, New York…you might be next.

Meanwhile in Trump world

• Trump is ‘planning to launch missiles at California
• Stephen Miller’s ‘true feelings’ might be a little too much for prime time
• Mamdani sent a defiant message to Trump on his home turf
• Pam Bondi says Antifa is real because people have the same placards
• The kids who beat up Big Balls got sentenced
• He unveiled the Arc De Trump
• And he said he “hopes” more of his enemies will be investigated…while standing right next to the Attorney General

Organizers and supporters told NOTUS they expect a peaceful Saturday — but they are planning around possible provocation from federal law enforcement or agitators.

Millions of people are expected to protest President Donald Trump’s reach for more executive power at “No Kings” rallies across the country this Saturday, and organizers and supporters are worried about the presence of federal authorities in some of those cities.

Republican leaders have linked — without evidence — the rallies, which are expected across 2,500 towns and cities, to terrorism and political violence. But some of the protests’ organizers and their supporters say they’re more concerned about what the federal response to these gatherings might look like than they are about any demonstrators’ potential illegal conduct.

“We have a very volatile situation in which these federal forces are not wanted in these cities, and they’re behaving very aggressively towards the people there — being very provocative, attacking or arresting people who are filming them or protesting them,” said Chip Gibbons, policy director for Defending Rights & Dissent, one of the protests’ supporting organizations.

“There is some belief that Trump wants incidents like this to occur, because then it can justify what he’s doing even further. I would be very concerned about these federal forces trying to provoke one of the protests,” Gibbons continued.

“No Kings” national coalition partners told NOTUS that to counter Republicans’ narrative that they’re promoting extremism, they’ve been promoting nonviolence and prioritizing de-escalation while training activists.

“Trump can call us violent all he wants. The American people aren’t stupid,” wrote Hunter Dunn, a spokesperson for 50501, one of the “No Kings” coalition’s core organizing partners, in an email to NOTUS. “The No Kings coalition is aware that far-right agitators may sometimes try to disrupt our non-violent demonstrations, which is why we are prioritizing safety by making sure that volunteers are trained in de-escalation and community care.”

The White House did not address any concerns expressed by the protests’ organizers and supporters.

“The Trump Administration is focused on stopping the scourge of left-wing violence plaguing American communities. Left-wing protestors can beclown themselves by lawfully protesting the alternate reality they live in, but violence or breaking the law will not be tolerated,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson wrote in a statement to NOTUS.

Groups that are part of the “No Kings” coalition are bracing for potential escalation from the federal government, and they have even tailored some of their protest plans for the cities where Trump has directed increased federal law enforcement presence, from Portland, Oregon, to Memphis, Tennessee.

For some, like the American Civil Liberties Union, that includes setting up de-escalation and know-your-rights training in advance that covers “what to do if you encounter military troops or federal law enforcement agents,” said Ellen Flenniken, deputy director of campaigns for the ACLU’s Justice Division and the organization’s “No Kings” lead.

“Deploying troops and armed, militarized federal agents into our cities is an intentional tactic to sow fear, to intimidate anyone who dares to disagree with him,” Flenniken told NOTUS. “We are doing everything that we can to prepare for Saturday in all of those cities that have been impacted by the federal deployments.”

Local officials are also preparing for the possibility of escalation from federal personnel in response to protests.

A spokesperson for Portland Mayor Keith Wilson wrote that “Wilson’s primary concern is the unpredictable and escalating behavior of federal agents toward members of our community.”

“Over the past several months, Portlanders have largely demonstrated peacefully at the ICE facility. The federal response has consistently exceeded what’s warranted by the situation on the ground,” wrote spokesperson Cody Bowman. “Portlanders gathering peacefully to express their views are exercising their First Amendment rights. Any suggestion otherwise misrepresents the reality.”

That tracks with what many “No Kings” partners and supporters are saying: They condemn violence, and are only helping to facilitate peaceful protests.

In Congress, top Republicans are repeating similar claims that “No Kings” events specifically will promote or harbor unlawful activity, as some elected Democrats express support for the day of protest.

Last week, Speaker Mike Johnson called the “No Kings” protest planned in Washington a “hate America rally,” and said “all the pro-Hamas wing and the antifa people” would attend.

A reporter asked him Tuesday if he’s concerned about federal law enforcement responding with brutality this weekend. He readily dismissed the concern and said he hadn’t seen any federal agents “cross the line” so far this year.

“What I’ve seen is the abuse of law enforcement by radical leftist activists,” Johnson told reporters at his daily government shutdown news conference. “Most recently, the most threatening thing I’ve seen yet was the naked bicyclers in Portland who were protesting ICE down there. I mean, it’s getting really ugly.”

(Wilson’s office declined to comment on Johnson’s characterization of the city’s protests, or the naked cyclists that Johnson referenced.)

Source: https://www.notus.org/trump-white-house/no-kings-protest-trump-administration

Two people celebrating their 60th birthdays might look the same age on the outside, but their brains could be aging at completely different speeds. Scientists have discovered a way to measure tiny ripples of movement in blood vessels deep inside the brain, and these hidden pulsations may help explain why some older adults stay mentally sharp while others struggle, even when they’re the same age. Researchers summarize these beat-to-beat changes with a microvascular volumetric pulsatility index (mvPI), a normalized measure of volume change over one heartbeat.

Researchers at USC’s Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute used an ultra-powerful MRI scanner to peek inside the brains of younger and older adults. Their study, published in Nature Cardiovascular Research, found that the deep interior white matter of older brains showed much stronger blood vessel pulsations than younger brains. Interestingly, not all older adults looked the same. Some 60-year-olds had pulsation patterns that looked just like those of people in their twenties. Others showed dramatically elevated levels, especially if they had high blood pressure.

The team, led by Dr. Danny JJ Wang, developed a new way to watch these microscopic movements in living people. Unlike traditional brain scans that only show damage after it’s already happened, this approach captures beat-to-beat vascular mechanics during the scan. It turns a still into a heartbeat-by-heartbeat clip.

Your Brain’s Heartbeat
Every time your heart beats, your brain’s arteries expand and contract slightly. These rhythmic pulsations serve important purposes. They help pump cerebrospinal fluid through waste-clearing pathways and adjust blood flow to whichever parts of your brain are working hardest at the moment.

In a young, healthy brain, these pulsations follow a predictable pattern. They’re strongest at the brain’s surface, where blood vessels first enter from the skull, then gradually quiet down as you go deeper. It’s a bit like ripples spreading across a pond, strong at first, then fading as they move outward.

The research team recruited 11 young adults (average age 28) and 12 older adults (average age 60) for brain scans. They used a 7 Tesla MRI machine, about twice as powerful as the scanners you’d find in most hospitals. While participants lay still, a sensor on their finger tracked their pulse. At the same time, the scanner captured detailed images showing how blood volume changed throughout each heartbeat, creating essentially a 4D movie of the brain’s hidden rhythm.

What emerged was fascinating. The researchers mapped the brain in layers, from the outermost surface down through six levels of the wrinkled gray matter and into the white matter below (white matter is the brain’s wiring, the long fiber tracts that carry signals between regions). Each layer showed different pulsation patterns. And older adults looked different from younger ones in very specific ways.

In young adults, pulsations started strong at the surface and steadily decreased going deeper, reaching their quietest levels in the deep white matter. Older participants showed a different story. Their surface and outer layers looked similar to young adults. But in the deep white matter, pulsations were substantially higher. And the range between individual older adults was enormous, much more varied than among younger people.

The Blood Pressure Connection
Among the 12 older participants, half had been diagnosed with high blood pressure and half had normal blood pressure. When the researchers looked at these groups separately, a clear pattern appeared.

Young adults had the lowest white matter pulsations. Older adults with normal blood pressure fell in the middle, a bit higher than the young group. But older adults with high blood pressure showed higher levels compared to everyone else.

This suggests your brain ages on two tracks at once. There’s a gradual aging process that happens to everyone over time. But if you have risk factors like high blood pressure, there’s an accelerated aging process happening too. The combination determines how your individual brain ages.

Instead of being dampened, those pressure waves penetrate deeper into the brain, reaching the terminal arteries of the white matter, exactly where this study found elevated pulsations in older adults.

“Arterial pulsation is like the brain’s natural pump, helping to move fluids and clear waste,” said Wang, a professor of neurology and radiology at the Keck School of Medicine, in a statement. “Our new method allows us to see, for the first time in people, how the volumes of those tiny blood vessels change with aging and vascular risk factors. This opens new avenues for studying brain health, dementia, and small vessel disease.”

The researchers also used a different type of MRI to measure pulsations in the large arteries visible with conventional scans. The new microscopic measurements correlated with those larger-vessel patterns, confirming that what’s happening in tiny vessels reflects broader changes throughout the entire arterial system.

The amount of change varied by brain region. Older adults showed minimal increase in their outer gray matter compared to young adults. But the white matter differences were dramatic. This helps explain why white matter damage is such a hallmark of brain aging.

White matter contains the long nerve fibers connecting different brain regions, wrapped in fatty insulation that speeds up signal transmission. When white matter gets damaged, communication between brain areas breaks down. This contributes to slower thinking, problems with planning and decision-making, and eventually dementia.

The team created maps showing where high pulsations occurred most often. These hotspots appeared in specific territories and patterns. Previous research has linked this type of white matter damage to cognitive decline, stroke risk, and diseases like Alzheimer’s.

The spatial patterns suggest that elevated pulsations might directly contribute to tissue damage rather than just occurring alongside other aging changes. Studies in mice support this idea: when researchers gave mice high blood pressure, the animals showed elevated arterial pulsations along with disrupted fluid flow and impaired waste removal from brain tissue.

Your brain cells constantly produce metabolic waste, including proteins like beta-amyloid that pile up in Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists believe the brain has a waste-clearing system that relies on synchronized arterial pulsations to pump cerebrospinal fluid through channels around blood vessels, flushing out debris. When pulsations become too strong or lose their normal rhythm, this clearance system might falter, though this particular study didn’t measure waste clearance directly.

The elevated white matter pulsations seen in older humans, especially those with high blood pressure, could accelerate brain aging through multiple routes: direct mechanical damage to tissue and vessels, and possibly impaired waste removal. Both would make the brain more vulnerable to cognitive decline and neurodegeneration.

Stable Within A Person, Different Between People
Perhaps the most striking finding was how different older adults were from each other. When researchers compared individual brain maps, older adults showed far more variation than young adults. Some older people’s patterns were barely different from those of twenty-somethings. Others showed dramatic elevations.

This variability is both concerning and hopeful. It means some brains show much more pronounced aging changes than others, even at the same chronological age. But it also means accelerated aging isn’t inevitable. If we can figure out what protects some people while others decline faster, we might be able to intervene.

The blood pressure comparison offers one clear example. Managing blood pressure is already a cornerstone of staying healthy. This research suggests it might also protect your brain by affecting how your blood vessels pulse, though we’d need studies that follow people over time and test interventions to know for sure. Other factors likely play a role too in determining each person’s aging trajectory.

The fact that pulsation patterns stayed stable over months in the same person but differed dramatically between people suggests these measurements capture something fundamental about how your vascular system has aged. They likely reflect the combined effects of your genetics, lifestyle, medical history, and environment.

Brain Scans Today vs. Future Tools
The scanning method required about 30 minutes for the pulsation measurements plus 12 minutes to measure blood flow. It needs a 7 Tesla scanner, which only a handful of hospitals have. But since deep white matter pulsations turned out to be a key distinguishing feature, future research might find ways to focus on just that region, potentially cutting scan times or adapting the method for the more common 3 Tesla scanners.

Right now, doctors assess brain health mainly through structural scans showing damage that’s already occurred. If you’re 65 and your scan looks normal, you might feel reassured. But that snapshot doesn’t reveal whether harmful forces are actively accelerating aging in your brain. On the flip side, someone with early signs of white matter damage might have relatively normal vascular patterns, suggesting their condition might progress more slowly.

Source: https://studyfinds.org/brain-pulse-heartbeat-aging-older-adults/

Ace Frehley, original lead guitarist and founding member of the rock band KISS, has died. He was 74.

The musician’s family confirmed the heartbreaking news in a statement released Thursday.

“We are completely devastated and heartbroken. In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions as he left this earth,” the statement reads.

“We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others. The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension. Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace’s memory will continue to live on forever!”

Frehley’s former KISS bandmates Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons also released a joint statement to Page Six on Thursday.

“We are devastated by the passing of Ace Frehley. He was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history,” they shared.

“He is and will always be a part of KISS’s legacy. Our thoughts are with [his estranged wife] Jeanette, [daughter] Monique and all those who loved him, including our fans around the world.”

Frehley’s official cause of death has yet to be released. He had reportedly been hospitalized on life support as of Thursday afternoon, after falling in his studio and suffering a brain bleed just a few weeks before his death.

A statement was posted via his official Instagram on Sept. 25, confirming the “Cold Gin” rocker “had a minor fall” in his studio that resulted in a trip to the hospital.

“He is fine, but against his wishes, his doctor insists that he refrain from travel at this time,” the message read in part. “Ace looks forward to continuing on his tour and finishing work on his next album, ‘Origins Vol. 4.’”

Another Instagram post, shared on Oct. 6, revealed that Frehley “made the difficult decision” to cancel the remainder of his 2025 tour dates due to “some ongoing medical issues.”

Frehley (real name: Paul Daniel Frehley) grew up in the Bronx, New York, where he was introduced to music at an early age by his family. He taught himself guitar after being influenced by bands and artists like B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones.

“I’m always flattered when people tell me I influenced them. If I knew I was gonna influence thousands of guitar players, I woulda practiced more. I laugh, but that’s the truth,” he told Guitar World in 2024, noting that he had “never” taken a lesson and that his “sense of melody” came from singing in the church choir.

“I didn’t know I would become this iconic guitar player that so many people would listen to. I’ve had so many players come up to me and say, ‘You are the reason I play guitar,’ and I’m always like, ‘Wow…’”

In 1973, Frehley got his big break as one of the four founding members of KISS, alongside Simmons, Stanley and Peter Criss. He served as the lead guitarist and occasionally contributed as a lead vocalist for songs like “Shock Me,” “Into the Void” and “2,000 Man.”

The musician — known for his “smoking” guitar and stage effects — invented the persona of “The Spaceman” (aka “Space Ace”), which included his now-iconic silver metallic face makeup, a black-and-silver glam rock jumpsuit and platform boots.

Source: https://pagesix.com/2025/10/16/celebrity-news/ace-frehley-founding-member-of-rock-band-kiss-dead-at-74/

Over the past few days Pakistan has cracked down on the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a far-right Islamist group that was leading protest marches across Punjab province. The Pakistan military drove armoured personnel carriers through TLP protesters crowds as they marched towards Islamabad, shooting and killing dozens of people. Labbaik chief Saad Hussain Rizvi was shot and wounded while leading streets protests on October 14, his fate is uncertain. Internet blackouts have been imposed in Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The violence unfolded even as Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif obsequiously fawned over President Donald Trump in Sharm-el-Sheikh as the Gaza peace plan was being initialled.

It is the closest Pakistan has come to China’s crackdown on student protesters at the Tiananmen Square in 1989. The crackdown on the TLP marks what present military chief and de-facto ruler Field Marshal Asim Munir has called Pakistan’s transition to ‘a hard state’. Munir used an iron fist on the TLP where his predecessor General Bajwa used a velvet glove of diplomacy. Could the crackdown on the TLP become a Lal Masjid-like incident spreading across Pakistan?

In July 2007, Pakistani military dictator General Pervez Musharraf sent the military in to end a six-month standoff at Islamabad’s red mosque. Pakistani forces stormed the mosque complex killing around 100 militants including two radical cleric leaders who had turned the mosque into a militant hub enforcing Sharia laws, attacking music shops and kidnapping Chinese workers.

Unofficial estimates point to the deaths of over 1,000 civilians in the military action. The incident triggered off a raging insurgency in North-Western Pakistan and led to the creation of the deadly Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the single biggest internal security threat to the state. A small localised standoff triggered off Pakistan’s bloodiest insurgency phase in which over 70,000 people have been killed so far.

Pakistan has been here before. Every external adventure launched by its military dictators has resulted in internal chaos. Field Marshal Ayub Khan launched the 1965 war with India, and triggered domestic economic chaos which led to his exit. His protege General Yahya Khan launched a war with India in 1971 and lost half his country, East Pakistan. General Zia teamed up with the Western-led war in Afghanistan which seeded guns, drugs and radical Islam into his country. And finally, General Musharraf who overthrew the civilian government after his Kargil War adventure, put his country on the path to further ruin with the Lal Masjid attack.

In 2025, Field Marshal Munir has reaped the whirlwind for baiting India with the massacre of 26 Indian tourists in Pahalgam on May 20—the shattering of 11 Pakistani airbases, radar sites, the loss of several military jets and the deaths of nearly 100 Pakistani soldiers. Munir’s position is far more precarious than of previous dictators. Pakistan’s fragile economy is in the ICU, hooked on the ventilator-like support of a $7 billion IMF loan. Munir has to contend with not just a hostile India along its eastern borders, but an angry Afghan Taliban which has killed and captured dozens of Pakistani soldiers along the 2,600 km long Durand Line.

There are raging insurgencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, a Bihar-sized Pakistani province along the Afghan border and in Baluchistan, a Pakistani province the size of Rajasthan. The Pakistan Army is the world’s seventh largest, but it cannot simultaneously deploy along all fronts.

Worse, the crackdown on the TLP unfolds in Pakistan’s powerhouse province, Punjab. It is the core of the Pakistani state, its economic heart, political nerve centre and agricultural breadbasket. Punjab accounts for over 53 per cent of its population, generates over 55 per cent of its national GDP and over 70 per cent of tax revenue and agricultural income.

While the fringes of Pakistan have burned in insurgent violence, the core, Punjab province has been shielded thus far. But as recent events show, the province now houses increasingly radicalised far-right groups like the TLP that have quickly become political forces. The TLP, for instance, is Pakistan’s fourth largest political party and secured over 2.9 million votes in the 2024 elections.

In 2025, the TLP has seized on the plight of Palestinians in Gaza to pressurise the Pakistani state. As part of his bid to outmanoeuvre India, Field Marshal Munir has courted the US with deals for minerals and resources. Pakistan has also endorsed Trump’s 20-point Gaza Peace Plan which was signed in Egypt on October 14.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/pakistan-military-crackdown-tlp-protests-punjab-violence-2803357-2025-10-15

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday turned the Gaza Summit in Egypt into a platform to lavish praise on US President Donald Trump, calling him a “man of peace.”

Sharif expressed gratitude to Trump for “stopping the India-Pak war” and announced his intention to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize once again, crediting Trump with “saving millions of lives not only in South Asia but also in the Middle East.”

Trump, appearing amused by the compliments, responded with a smile, saying, “Wow! I didn’t expect that.”

While Trump seemed to enjoy the attention, Sharif’s remarks sparked criticism in Pakistan. Social media users accused the premier of excessive flattery, claiming his comments undermined the country’s image internationally.

Columnist S.L. Kanthan described the gesture as “bootlicking,” posting on X: “Whenever Trump wants his shoes shined like never before, he invites Pakistan’s tiny Prime Minister. Have never seen so much cringe in geopolitics.”

Similarly, Pakistani politician and historian Ammar Ali Jan condemned Sharif’s praise, writing, “Shehbaz Sharif’s constant and needless flattery of Donald Trump is a source of embarrassment for Pakistanis across the world.”

What did Sharif say?

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif once again endorsed US President Donald Trump’s claim of preventing an India-Pakistan conflict. Speaking at the Gaza Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Sharif repeatedly commended Trump for brokering the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas during his five-minute address.

“Today is one of the greatest days in contemporary history because peace has been achieved after untiring efforts led by President Trump, who is genuinely a man of peace,” Sharif said.

Source : https://www.moneycontrol.com/world/whenever-trump-wants-his-shoes-pakistan-pm-shehbaz-sharif-trolled-by-netizens-for-flattering-trump-article-13618453.html

The Taliban-Pakistan clashes further escalated on Tuesday night when a fresh round of fighting broke out between Pakistani security forces and Taliban fighters along the border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Videos of Pakistani soldiers reportedly captured by Taliban fighters are going viral on social media.

Another video has gone viral, claiming that Afghan forces captured a Pakistani military tank following the border clash.

The viral video, posted on X by the account ‘Afghanistan under Taliban rule’, shows a person driving an open-roof jeep. The man behind the wheel can be seen filming military tanks bearing Pakistani flags on the front as they pass by his vehicle.

The tank is reportedly Soviet-era T-55, which Pakistan purchased from Serbia a few years ago. Afghan Taliban forces are said to have seized this T-55 tank from the Pakistani Army and brought it across into Afghan territory. Reportedly, the tank had been used to target Afghan positions.

“They return from the war, bringing a Pakistani tank with them, all dusty and tired. God willing, they all return to Kandhar,” the man driving the vehicle and filming the video could be reportedly heard saying. Free Press Journal does not vouch for the authenticity of the viral footage.

Reportedly, one Taliban tank was destroyed by Pakistani forces. This is currently the deadliest clashes between the two countries in years.

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/pakistan-afghanistan-conflict-viral-video-shows-taliban-fighter-taking-a-pakistani-military-tank

The US President said India’s oil purchases had indirectly helped sustain Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying the continued trade “lets Russia carry on with this ridiculous war where they’ve lost a million and a half people.”

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him New Delhi would stop buying oil from Russia, calling it “a big step” in his push to isolate Moscow over the war in Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he had flagged concerns with PM Modi about India’s continued imports of Russian crude, which Washington believes help fund President Vladimir Putin’s war. “I was not happy that India was buying oil,” Trump said.

“He (PM Narendra Modi) assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That’s a big step. Now we’re going to get China to do the same thing,” he added.

Trump also said that PM is a close partner despite friction over energy policy. “He’s (PM Narendra Modi) a friend of mine. We have a great relationship,” Trump said when asked if he saw India as a reliable partner amid tensions with China.

However, New Delhi has not confirmed Trump’s claim that India will halt Russian oil imports.

Trump said securing Modi’s assurance was part of his diplomatic push to cut off Moscow’s energy revenue. “Now we’ve got to get China to do the same thing,” he said, adding that pressuring Beijing would be “relatively easy compared to what we just did over the last week in the Middle East.”

MODI LOVES TRUMP, SAYS US PRESIDENT, PRAISING INDIA RELATIONS

Though a fragile 48-hour ceasefire has taken hold, the tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan are boiling after Pakistani airstrikes deep inside Afghan territory killed 15 civilians. Earlier, the Taliban overran Pakistani outposts and seized uniforms and weapons from the abandoned facilities. The trousers were displayed in public in Afghanistan.

It’s no longer an Afghan-Pakistan border clash. It’s war that needed a ceasefire. Pakistani airstrikes in Kabul and Kandahar on Wednesday killed at least 15 Afghan civilians and injured over 100. This came after the Taliban, in a counterattack, seized border outposts in Spin-Boldak. The symbol of which became the pants of Pakistani soldiers who abandoned their posts.

“Empty trousers, recovered from abandoned military posts of the Pakistani army near Durand Line are displayed in eastern Nangrahar province, Afghanistan,” wrote Daud Junbish, an Afghan journalist with the BBC. He shared an image of Taliban fighters displaying trousers and weapons seized from border outposts they fled from after a counter-attack.

The dangerous escalation of the conflict saw Afghans rally behind the fighters of the Islamic Emirate against the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

“If needed, we will also join the Mujahideen and the army of the Islamic Emirate on the battlefield,” Mohibullah, a resident of Kandahar, was quoted by Tolo News as saying.

“The Islamic Emirate gave them a proper response. All the people are standing with them against Pakistan,” said Paktia resident Baitullah.

PAKISTAN AFGHANISTAN CLASHES KILLED OVER 200

The ongoing hostilities started last week after Islamabad targeted Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) camps in Kabul. This came even as Afghan foreign minister of the Taliban regime, Amir Khan Muttaqi, was on his maiden visit to India.

Afghans blamed Pakistan for the border conflict and repeated violation of Afghanistan’s airspace.

At the heart of the dispute is the controversial Durand Line, which colonial Britishers drew as a border between pre-Independent India and Afghanistan. The Durand Line, which has bifurcated the traditional Pashtun homeland, has never been accepted by the Pathans on either side.

Over the weekend, Pakistani and Afghan forces exchanged deadly fire in at least seven locations along the Durand Line.

Both sides claimed to have inflicted significantly heavier casualties on the other. Pakistan said it had killed over 200 fighters from the Afghan Taliban and their allies, while Afghanistan maintained it had eliminated 58 Pakistani soldiers, news agency Reuters reported.

AFGHANS RALLY BEHIND TALIBAN TO PROTECT THEIR HOMELAND AGAINST PAK ATTACKS

Following the Pakistani airstrikes on Wednesday, Afghans rallied being the Taliban to protect their homeland.

“The Islamic Emirate does not seek conflict with anyone, but Pakistan continues to oppress us,” Kabul Jan of Paktia told Tolo News.

A Kabul resident, Abdul Ghafour, said, “We defend the Islamic Emirate and our country. No foreigner has the right to interfere in our homeland.”

On Wednesday, a Pakistani airstrike in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar killed at least 15 civilians and left hundreds injured.

Earlier, the Taliban claimed its fighters killed “a large number” of Pakistani soldiers in retaliatory fire, and seized Pakistani weapons and tanks. A video of Taliban fighters on a seized Pakistani T-55 tank went viral.

Then came videos and images of Taliban fighters displaying trousers and weapons of Pakistani soldiers seized from attacks on two border outposts.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/afghans-display-pants-of-pakistan-soldiers-vow-to-join-taliban-mujahideen-fighters-islamabad-2803638-2025-10-15

The governor of California is daring the GOP-controlled Congress to open an investigation into “the vile and offensive” pro-Nazis, pro-rape and racist text messages recently revealed from Young Republican leaders across America.

“Those text chats invoked sending people who disagree with the group ‘to the gas chamber,’ expressed ‘love [for] Hitler,’ and contained other overtly antisemitic exchanges,” Gavin Newsom said Wednesday in a one-page letter sent to House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform chair James Comer. “They expressly endorse rape and other violence against women and use patently racist phrases for racial minorities,” Newsom noted.

“This is the definition of conduct that can create a hostile and discriminatory environment that violates civil rights laws,” the two-term Golden State governor added, also pointing out the GOP hypocrisy in going after Ivy League schools like “Harvard University for its allegedly inadequate response to campus antisemitism” but seeking to swipe the Young Republicans’ hateful talk and texts under the rug.

Then there’s the politics of it all, past, present and future.

Yes, the national Young Republicans board has insisted everyone on the chats, first revealed by Politico, “must immediately resign” from their state groups. Many have, many have been pink-slipped, and some like Vermont state Sen. Sam Douglass are digging their heels in.

Knowing perfectly well there will almost certainly be little or no positive response from Comer or other Republicans in the shut-down Congress, the timing-sensitive Newsom today made his demand not long after Vice President JD Vance dismissively said again without any sense of irony that those offended should “grow up” and “focus on the real issues, don’t focus on what kids say in group chats.”

On Tuesday, Vance took to social media and tried to flip the script on the topic with a dig at Virginia Democrats.

Last month, as the tightly contested Old Dominion election comes down to the final weeks, text messages from 2022 were made public that had Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones shooting his digital mouth off about shooting then Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert and saying vile things about the Republican’s children. Democrats like poll-leading gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger have condemned Jones’ comments, but Jones remains in the race.

Today, Vance was back on The Charlie Kirk Show podcast to take another kick at dampening the outrage and calls for consequences for the Young Republicans’ pro-Nazis, pro-rape and racist statements.

“The reality is that kids do stupid things, especially young boys,” the self-admitted “old guy” Veep said Wednesday. “They tell edgy, offensive jokes. That’s what kids do.”

Rarely missing an opportunity to call out or mock the Trump administration or the increasingly far-right GOP, Newsom made sure to put the Hillbilly Elegy author and potential 2028 rival in a leg-hold trap of his own making.

“Vice President Vance’s refusal to unequivocally condemn the invocation of gas chambers and rape underscores that the United States Department of Justice and other agencies with potential jurisdiction, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, that have aggressively investigated alleged antisemitism and unlawful gender ideology by the other institutions and organizations cannot be trusted to do so here,” Newsom wrote. “Congressional oversight is therefore essential.”

Source: https://deadline.com/2025/10/newsom-congress-investigation-hitler-texts-1236587550/

Diane Keaton’s cause of death has been revealed.

The “First Wives Club” actress died of pneumonia at age 79 on Saturday, Oct. 11, her family told People in a statement Wednesday.

“The Keaton family are very grateful for the extraordinary messages of love and support they have received these past few days on behalf of their beloved Diane, who passed away from pneumonia on October 11,” Keaton’s loved ones shared.

“She loved her animals and she was steadfast in her support of the unhoused community, so any donations in her memory to a local food bank or an animal shelter would be a wonderful and much appreciated tribute to her,” they added.

After Keaton’s death, a friend of the actress revealed her health had “declined very suddenly” in the final months of her life.

“It was so unexpected,” the friend told People at the time, “especially for someone with such strength and spirit.”

The pal added that Keaton’s health crisis “was heartbreaking for everyone who loved her.”

“In her final months, she was surrounded only by her closest family, who chose to keep things very private,” the friend shared. “Even longtime friends weren’t fully aware of what was happening.”

Another friend of Keaton’s, Grammy and Oscar-winning songwriter Carole Bayer Sager, said Keaton “lost so much weight” before her death.

“I saw her two or three weeks ago, and she was very thin,” Sager, 81, told People on Sunday. “I was kind of stunned by how much weight she’d lost.”

Meanwhile, one of Keaton’s film executive friends told the outlet that Keaton “was funny right up until the end.”

“She lived exactly how she wanted to, which was on her own terms, surrounded by the people and things she really loved,” the pal stated, adding that Keaton “kept a close circle and she liked it that way” in the final few years of her life.

Keaton, whose career spanned more than half a century, died Saturday, Oct. 11, in California, her family confirmed.

The “Father of the Bride” actress never disclosed if she was battling any illness. She previously survived two bouts with skin cancer and an eating disorder.

She last posted to her Instagram on April 11, sharing a photo with her Golden Retriever, Reggie. She had not been seen publicly in six months.

Many of Keaton’s former co-stars honored her in heartfelt tributes after her death, including Steve Martin, Woody Allen, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen, Mandy Moore and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Keaton was never married, but she had two children, daughter Dexter, 29, and son Duke, 25, whom she famously adopted after her 50th birthday.

Source: https://nypost.com/2025/10/15/entertainment/diane-keaton-cause-of-death-revealed/

The US has downplayed claims that Hamas is violating the ceasefire deal with Israel by not returning all the bodies of dead hostages.

Only nine of the 28 dead hostages have been returned, with Hamas saying it needs time and specialised equipment to recover the others from the ruins of Gaza.

The latest wo bodies returned on Wednesday have been identified as Inbar Hayman and Sgt Maj Muhammad al-Atarash, the Israel Defense Forces said early on Thursday.

The row over the return of dead hostages has led Israel to limit promised aid supplies to Gaza, but two senior advisers to US President Donald Trump have said plans to demilitarise the Strip and build a new transitional government are under way.

In an update on the implementation of Trump’s 20-point peace plan, the advisers told reporters that the US government did not so far believe Hamas had broken the agreement by not retrieving more remains.

The advisers argued that Hamas had acted in good faith by returning all living hostages and was working with various interlocutors to find and return the remains of the others.

Hamas’s armed wing said in a statement it was committed to the deal but had returned all the bodies of hostages it was able to reach.

One senior US adviser said the recovery of all the bodies could take weeks because of the level of destruction in Gaza.

He said rewards might be offered for Gazan civilians who gave information and that Turkish experts were expected to join the search.

Confirming the return of two more deceased hostages on Thursday, the IDF said Hayman was 27 when she was killed by Hamas on 7 October 2023 at the Nova festival. Her body was taken into the Gaza Strip.

Sgt Maj al-Atarash, who was 39, fell in combat on the same day, the IDF said.

“Hamas is required to fulfill its part of the agreement and make the necessary efforts to return all the hostages to their families and to a dignified burial,” it added.

In a statement, the Hostages Families Forum said: “The families of the hostages and of those released embrace the families of Inbar Hayman and Muhammad al-Atarash, whose loved ones came home yesterday for proper burial in Israel.

“Alongside the grief and the understanding that their hearts will never be whole, the return of Inbar and Muhammad, may their memories be a blessing, brings some measure of comfort to families who have lived with agonising uncertainty for over two years.

“We will not rest until all 19 hostages are brought home.”

Hamas is required to return all 28 dead hostages as part of the first phase of the Gaza peace plan.

But Hamas’s armed wing said in a statement “the remaining bodies require significant efforts and specialised equipment to search for and retrieve, and we are making a great effort to close this file”.

Earlier, Israel said it would “not compromise” on hostage returns, saying “the mission is not complete”.

Israel’s defence minister said he had instructed the IDF to prepare a “comprehensive plan” to defeat Hamas in Gaza in the event of a renewal of the war.

After meeting senior generals on Wednesday, Israel Katz said the military must be prepared to act if Hamas refuses to implement the peace plan.

The latest repatriations came after Israel said one of four bodies returned by Hamas on Tuesday was not one of the missing hostages.

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher has urged Israel to immediately open all border crossings into Gaza for humanitarian aid, as called for in the ceasefire plan.

In a post on X, Fletcher said Hamas must “make strenuous efforts to return all the bodies of the deceased hostages”.

He added: “As Israel has agreed, they must allow the massive surge of humanitarian aid – thousands of trucks a week – on which so many lives depend, and on which the world has insisted.”

He called for “a genuine, practical, problem-solving approach to removing remaining obstacles” and said “withholding aid from civilians is not a bargaining chip”.

Trump’s ceasefire plan, which both Israel and Hamas accepted, envisaged the handover of all 48 hostages would be completed by noon on Monday. Hamas returned all the 20 living hostages on Monday.

But the US-brokered ceasefire agreement appears to acknowledge that Hamas and other Palestinian factions may not have been able to find all hostage remains before the initial deadline on Monday.

Under the agreement, Israel also agreed to hand over the bodies of 15 Palestinians in return for every deceased Israeli hostage.

So far, Israel has returned the bodies of 90 Palestinians in exchange for the Israeli hostages’ remains.

Meanwhile in Gaza, residents report growing concern about the durability of the ceasefire – and food prices have surged as Palestinians stockpile food.

Traders and suppliers in the enclave have been hoarding food items to create shortages and drive up profits, fearing that the war could resume, local residents told the BBC.

“Every time we start to feel safe, new threats appear, and we fear the war will start all over again,” says mother-of-six Neven Al-Mughrabi, a displaced resident from Gaza who lives in Khan Younis.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3w9py9940go

US President Donald Trump has confirmed a report he authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela, provoking outrage from the South American nation’s leaders.

US forces have already conducted at least five strikes on suspected drug-carrying boats in the Caribbean in recent weeks, killing 27 people. UN-appointed human rights experts have described the raids as “extrajudicial executions”.

Speaking at the White House, Trump said the US “is looking at land” as it considers further strikes on drug cartels in the region.

Nicolas Maduro, whose legitimacy as Venezuela’s president is internationally contested after disputed elections last year, appealed on TV for peace with the US.

The increased US military presence in the region has raised fears in Caracas of a possible attack.

According to the New York Times, Trump’s authorisation would allow the CIA to carry out operations in Venezuela unilaterally or as part of any wider US military activity.

It remains unknown whether the CIA is planning operations in Venezuela, or whether those plans are being kept as contingencies, but the spy agency has a long history of activities in South America.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday alongside FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi, Trump was questioned about the New York Times report.

“Why did you authorise the CIA to go into Venezuela?” a journalist asked.

“I authorised for two reasons really,” Trump said in a highly unusual acknowledgement from a US commander-in-chief about an intelligence organisation whose activities are typically shrouded in secrecy.

“Number one, they [Venezuela] have emptied their prisons into the United States of America.”

He added: “And the other thing are drugs. We have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela, and a lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea, so you get to see that, but we’re going to stop them by land also.”

Venezuela plays a relatively minor role in the region’s drug trade. The president would not be drawn on whether the CIA’s goal was to topple Maduro, for whom the US has offered a $50m (£37m) bounty.

“Wouldn’t it be a ridiculous question for me to answer?” he said.

In the most recent US strike on Tuesday, six people were killed when a boat was targeted near Venezuela’s coast.

On Truth Social, Trump said that “intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks, and was transiting along a known” drug-trafficking corridor.

As has been the case in previous strikes, US officials have not specified what drug-trafficking organisation was allegedly operating the vessel, or the identities of those aboard.

Maduro took to the airwaves on Wednesday night to warn against escalation.

“No to regime change, which reminds us so much of the endless, failed wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and so on,” said the Socialist leader.

“No to CIA orchestrated coups d’état.”

He added: “Listen to me, no war, yes peace, the people United States.”

Earlier in the day Maduro ordered military exercises in the Caracas suburb of Petare and in neighbouring Miranda state on Wednesday.

In a message on Telegram, he said he was mobilising the military, police and civilian militia to defend the oil-rich country.

Foreign Minister Yván Gil said on Telegram that Venezuela “rejects the warmongering and extravagant statements of the president of the United States”.

“We view with extreme alarm the use of the CIA, as well as the military deployments announced in the Caribbean, which amount to a policy of aggression, threat, and harassment against Venezuela,” he added.

Trump has deployed eight warships, a nuclear-power submarine and fighter jets to the Caribbean in what the White House says is an effort to crack down on drug smuggling.

In a leaked memo recently sent to US lawmakers, the Trump administration said it had determined it was involved in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug-trafficking organisations.

US officials have alleged that Maduro himself is part of an organisation called the Cartel of the Suns, which it says includes high-ranking Venezuelan military and security officials involved in drug trafficking. Maduro has denied the claims.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0ex1jq9pdvo

Four Chinese officials have been dismissed over a fireworks display in the Himalayas last month by outdoor apparel brand Arc’teryx that drew heated criticism.

Videos of brightly coloured fireworks that apparently resembled a “rising dragon” erupting over a lush Tibetan landscape had sparked environmental concerns and a boycott campaign.

Arc’teryx and the Chinese pyrotechnics artist Cai Guo-Qiang, who designed the show, later apologised.

Authorities in Tibet’s Shigatse city said in a statement on Wednesday that more officials had been investigated and given warnings. They added that Arc’teryx and Cai have to provide compensation and help “restore the environment”.

Authorities said the fireworks, which lasted for nearly a minute and affected around 30 hectares (74 acres) of grassland, have caused limited short-term damage but said further monitoring was needed to assess “ecological risks”.

“The incident created fireworks remnants, plastic debris and other things that were not thoroughly cleaned,” the statement added.

“The instantaneous bright light and loud noise produced by the fireworks caused short-term disturbance to wild animals.”

The four officials who have been sacked include Gyantse county’s Communist Party secretary, public security chief and two senior members of county and city-level environmental agencies.

The artist who orchestrated the display, Cai, is best-known for his role behind fireworks for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He has said he would work with authorities in Tibet to help with the area’s recovery.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1lq4305336o

Last Friday Grace Jin Drexel received a text from her father in China, the prominent pastor Jin Mingri, telling her to pray for another pastor who had gone missing.

The text said that the other pastor had been detained while visiting the southern city of Shenzhen.

“Shortly after that, I got a call from my mum. She said she couldn’t contact my dad,” Ms Jin Drexel, who lives in the US, told the BBC.

Within hours her family realised that Mr Jin had also been caught up in what has been described by activists as China’s largest arrest of Christians in decades.

Some now fear that last weekend’s roundup of 30 Christians linked to the Zion Church network, which Mr Jin founded, marks the start of what could be a wider crackdown on underground churches.

They point to new laws passed in China which appear aimed at curbing underground church activity, and increasing pressure exerted by authorities on church members in recent months.

Despite being ruled by the atheist Chinese Communist Party, China has a sizeable Christian population. Government figures in recent years have stated there are about 38 million Protestants and nearly six million Catholics.

But these figures likely only account for members of churches registered with the officially approved Catholic Patriotic Association and the Protestant Three-Self Patriotic Movement, which emphasise loyalty to China and the Communist Party.

Rights activists and scholars estimate that tens of millions more Chinese attend unregistered churches, also known as house churches, which do not follow state-sanctioned ideologies.

Many of these churches have been impacted by the Chinese government’s attempts to increase its control of religious groups over the years. Church buildings have been demolished and crosses have been removed from public view, while religious material has become more tightly policed, with some Christian apps banned in China.

In 2005 and again in 2018, the government revised and tightened regulations on religious groups, while in 2016, Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for the “sinicisation” of religion.

Underground churches such as Zion were especially affected by the 2018 rules, which required government approval for worshipping in public. Many were forced to stop public activities and turned to holding online services, or simply shut down.

The following years also saw the arrests and sentencing of a few prominent pastors.

In recent months, there have been signs of Chinese authorities once again tightening the screws.

In May, pastor Gao Quanfu of the Light of Zion Church in Xi’an was detained on charges of “using superstitious activities to undermine the implementation of law”. The following month saw several members of the Linfen Golden Lampstand Church in Shanxi sentenced to years in prison for fraud, which rights groups have criticised as false convictions.

Then in September, authorities announced a new online code of conduct for religious personnel, which only allows online sermons to be conducted by licensed groups. This has been widely seen as an attempt to curtail underground churches’ online services.

In the last few months, Zion church members have also faced increasing questioning by police officers, Ms Jin Drexel said.

Many in Zion saw the stepped-up pressure as a prelude to a crackdown, but few anticipated it would be as large as it turned out to be, she said.

Last Friday and Saturday, Chinese authorities launched what’s been described as a sweeping crackdown across at least 10 cities, including Beijing and Shanghai. Besides Mr Jin who was taken from his main base in Beihai city in Guangxi province, they arrested other pastors, leaders and members of the congregation, according to the church.

The BBC has obtained a copy of what appears to be an official detention notice for Mr Jin, issued by the public security bureau in Beihai. It states that Mr Jin is currently held in the Beihai Number Two prison and that he is suspected of “illegal use of information networks”.

The BBC has asked local authorities to confirm the detention.

Some of the arrested church members have since been released, but the majority are thought to still be in detention, with some housed in the same prison as Mr Jin.

Corey Jackson, founder of Christian advocacy group Luke Alliance, said the nationwide scale and co-ordination of the arrests across China were unprecedented.

“We anticipate that this is just the beginning of a larger crackdown,” he said, adding that other underground churches in China were now preparing themselves for arrests.

Another Christian advocacy group, Open Doors, said the arrests were significant. “Zion Church was very well known and outspoken and it may have reached the level of organisation that authorities are getting nervous about organised social entities they do not control,” a spokesperson said.

He warned that China’s “policy of acting against house churches will continue” and that authorities may accuse more church members of fraud and economic crimes “as a strategy of intimidation”.

Sean Long, a Zion Church pastor and spokesperson based in the US, said other churches will be targeted as there is “a new wave of religious persecution emerging quickly across China”.

He called the latest arrests a “systematic roundup” to “unroot Zion”, and quoted the Chinese idiom “killing the chicken to scare the monkeys”.

“Zion is the chicken, we are the most influential… it’s to scare other Christians and house churches in China.”

When asked by the BBC for a response, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in London said: “We would like to stress that the Chinese citizens enjoy freedom of religious belief in accordance with law. Meanwhile, all religious groups and religious activities must comply with the laws and regulations of China.”

Earlier this week, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said it “firmly opposes the US interfering in China’s internal affairs with so-called religious issues”, in response to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s condemnation of the Zion church arrests.

Zion’s story began with Jin Mingri, also known as Ezra Jin.

Born in 1969 during the Cultural Revolution in the north-eastern province of Heilongjiang, he was a believer in the Chinese state while growing up.

That changed in 1989 when, as a student in the prestigious Beijing University, he began taking part in the pro-democracy movement that was eventually crushed in the Tiananmen Massacre.

While he did not happen to be at Tiananmen on 4 June, the events at the square changed his life. “It was a pivotal moment. For his whole life, he had faith in the state. When that was betrayed, it shattered his entire world view. It was a big come-to-Jesus moment,” Ms Jin Drexel said.

At first Mr Jin pursued his new Christian faith at a Three-Self church. In 2002 he moved to the US with his wife and daughter to study at a seminary in California, where his two sons were born.

The family moved back to China in 2007 for Mr Jin to continue his work. But he decided to set up an independent church, said Ms Jin Drexel, as he could no longer accept the Three-Self doctrine which calls for allegiance to the Chinese state. “He couldn’t be a pastor there as it was not a God-pleasing church… you can’t serve two masters.”

Zion began as a small house church in Beijing with just 20 followers. But over the years it expanded and began holding services in a large hall in an office building.

As it grew in influence, so did the scrutiny. In 2018, Chinese authorities asked the church to install CCTV cameras in the building, saying it was for “security”.

When it refused, followers began facing what church leaders say was harassment. Later that year, the church was shut down.

An exit ban was imposed on Mr Jin, who was placed under close surveillance. His family was able to leave for the US, as did some other church members such as Mr Long.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2pez2vg8wo

Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday announced a ceasefire following days of the deadliest clashes in years that killed dozens of people on both sides of the border.

The pause came after appeals from major regional powers, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as the violence threatened to further destabilize a region where groups, including the Islamic State group and al-Qaida, are trying to resurface.

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring armed groups, a charge rejected by the country’s Taliban rulers. Pakistan is grappling with militant attacks that have increased since 2021, when the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry described the ceasefire as a 48-hour one and said the ceasefire was at Afghanistan’s request. Key border crossings remained closed.

Moments later, the Taliban government’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the truce was at the “insistence” of the Pakistani side. His social media post did not mention a 48-hour time frame.

Earlier Wednesday, Pakistan said its troops killed dozens of Afghan security forces and militants in overnight fighting.

Humanitarian group Emergency NGO, which runs a surgical center in the Afghan capital of Kabul, said it received five dead and 40 wounded following explosions in the capital.

Dejan Panic, Emergency NGO’s country director in Afghanistan, said the victims had “shrapnel wounds, blunt force trauma and burns.” In a statement, he said 10 were in critical condition.

It was unclear what caused the blasts. There was an oil tanker explosion, confirmed by the Taliban. And two Pakistani security officials said their army had hit militant hideouts. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media.

Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, earlier said that Pakistani forces used light and heavy weapons in assaults on Spin Boldak in southern Kandahar province, with more than a dozen people killed and over 100 wounded. Afghan forces returned fire and killed several Pakistani soldiers, Mujahid said.

Pakistan maintains it has repelled “unprovoked” assaults, but denies targeting civilians during the fighting.

Meanwhile, people in the Pakistani border town of Chaman reported mortars falling near villages.

“People who live close to the border are leaving the area,” said resident Najibullah Khan, who urged the countries to end the fighting for good.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-afghanistan-border-fighting-civilians-killed-taliban-83794c9ab288077022e76df3cd2c545c

Hamas said it would be unable to retrieve any more bodies from the ruins of Gaza without specialised equipment.

Israel’s defence minister on Wednesday (Oct 15) threatened to resume fighting if Hamas does not honour the terms of a US-backed ceasefire that halted the war in Gaza.

The statement from Defence Minister Israel Katz’s office came after Hamas handed over the remains of two more deceased hostages, and said it would be unable to retrieve any more bodies from the ruins of Gaza without specialised equipment.

Since Monday, under a ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump, the Palestinian group has handed back 20 surviving hostages to Israel in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jails.

Before the two bodies were handed over late on Wednesday, Hamas had already returned the remains of seven of 28 known deceased hostages – along with an eighth body which Israel said was not that of a former hostage.

“If Hamas refuses to comply with the agreement, Israel, in coordination with the United States, will resume fighting and act to achieve a total defeat of Hamas, to change the reality in Gaza and achieve all the objectives of the war,” a statement from Katz’s office said.

Hamas’s armed wing said the two bodies returned would be the last for now – falling far short of the plan’s demand to hand over all of them.

“The Resistance has fulfilled its commitment to the agreement by handing over all living Israeli prisoners in its custody, as well as the corpses it could access,” the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement on social media.

“As for the remaining corpses, it requires extensive efforts and special equipment for their retrieval and extraction. We are exerting great effort in order to close this file.”

But senior US advisors said Wednesday, after Israel’s threat to resume fighting, that Hamas still intends to make good on its pledge.

“We continue to hear from them that they intend to honour the deal. They want to see the deal completed in that regard,” one advisor told reporters on condition of anonymity.

Still, any delay in returning the remaining bodies is likely to pile further domestic pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to tie humanitarian aid to the fate of the bodies.

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has threatened to cut off desperately needed aid supplies to Gaza if Hamas fails to return the remains of soldiers still held in the Palestinian territory.

HUMANITARIAN RISK
Israel, meanwhile, transferred another 45 Palestinian bodies that had been in its custody to Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, bringing the number returned to 90, the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry said.

Under the Trump plan, Israel is to return 15 Palestinian dead for every deceased Israeli hostage.

With the deal underway, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher urged Israel to immediately open all crossings into Gaza for humanitarian aid.

“It should happen now. We want it to happen immediately as part of this agreement,” Fletcher told AFP in an interview in Cairo on Wednesday, ahead of a planned trip to the Gaza border.

Israeli public broadcaster KAN had reported that the Rafah crossing point to Egypt would reopen, but this did not happen, and an Israeli spokesperson did not respond to an AFP request for comment.

Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, is expected to head to the Rafah crossing on Thursday.

It is the only border point that connects Gaza to the world without passing through Israel.

“The test is that we have children fed, that we have anaesthetics in the hospitals for people getting treatment, that we have tents over people’s heads,” Fletcher said.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/israel-threatens-resume-fighting-if-hamas-does-not-respect-gaza-truce-deal-5405186

The proposals would transform a program aimed at helping the most vulnerable people in the world into one that gives preference to mostly white people who say they are being persecuted.

The Trump administration is considering a radical overhaul of the U.S. refugee system that would slash the program to its bare bones while giving preference to English speakers, white South Africans and Europeans who oppose migration, according to documents obtained by The New York Times.

The proposals, some of which already have gone into effect, would transform a decades-old program aimed at helping the world’s most desperate people into one that conforms to Mr. Trump’s vision of immigration — which is to help mostly white people who say they are being persecuted while keeping the vast majority of other people out.

The plans were presented to the White House in April and July by officials in the State and Homeland Security Departments after President Trump directed federal agencies to study whether refugee resettlement was in the interest of the United States. Mr. Trump had suspended refugee admissions on his first day in office and solicited the proposals about how and whether the administration should continue the program.

Trump administration officials have not ruled out any of the ideas, according to people familiar with the planning, although there is no set timetable for approving or rejecting the ideas. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the confidential plans.

The proposed changes would put new emphasis on whether applicants would be able to assimilate into the United States, directing them to take classes on “American history and values” and “respect for cultural norms.”

The proposals also advise Mr. Trump to prioritize Europeans who have been “targeted for peaceful expression of views online such as opposition to mass migration or support for ‘populist’ political parties.”

That appeared to be a reference to the European far-right political party Alternative for Germany, whose leaders have trivialized the Holocaust, revived Nazi slogans and denigrated foreigners. Vice President JD Vance has criticized Germany for trying to suppress the views of the group, which is known as the AfD.

A senior official said the Trump administration was monitoring the situation in Europe to determine whether anyone would be eligible for refugee status. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan had not been finalized.

Mr. Trump enacted some of the proposals in the documents even before the plans were submitted to him, including slashing refugee admissions and offering priority status to Afrikaners, the white minority that once ran South Africa’s brutal apartheid system.

Mr. Trump has claimed that Afrikaners face racial persecution in their home country, a claim vigorously disputed by government officials there. Police statistics do not show that white people are more vulnerable to violent crime than other people in South Africa.

Taken together, the proposals provide a window into Mr. Trump’s intentions for a program that has come to symbolize America’s role as a sanctuary.

Mr. Trump and many American voters have rejected that role after years of record illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. Although the refugee program, with its meticulous screening processes and yearslong waits, is considered the “right way” of seeking protection in the United States, Mr. Trump has made clear he wants to crack down on immigration in general — both legal and illegal.

According to the rationale laid out in the documents submitted to Mr. Trump, America’s acceptance of refugees has made the country too diverse.

“The sharp increase in diversity has reduced the level of social trust essential for the functioning of a democratic polity,” according to one of the documents. The administration should only welcome “refugees who can be fully and appropriately assimilate, and are aligned with the president’s objectives.”

To that end, the documents say, Mr. Trump should cancel the applications of hundreds of thousands of people who are already in the pipeline to come to the United States as refugees, many of whom have gone through extensive security checks and referrals.

And Mr. Trump’s federal agencies proposed imposing limits on the number of refugees who can resettle in communities that already have a high population of immigrants, on the basis that the United States should avoid “the concentration of non-native citizens” in order to promote assimilation.

Thomas Pigott, a spokesman for the State Department, would not comment on specific details of the documents, but he said: “It should come as no surprise that the State Department is implementing the priorities of the duly elected president of the United States.” He added: “This administration unapologetically prioritizes the interests of the American people.”

The administration has made some exceptions to its refugee ban. According to the documents, federal agencies have worked to resettle a limited number of Afghans who assisted U.S. soldiers during the war.

Critics say the plans exposes the president’s vision for what America should look like.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/15/us/politics/trump-refugee-white-people.html?unlocked_article_code=1.tk8.8fd4.pXkU_4PnpWa6&smid=url-share

A men-only press conference with the Taliban foreign minister in New Delhi drew sharp rebuke from Indian media, forcing the religious hardline group to also invite female journalists.

Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi began a week-long trip to India last Thursday in what’s the first diplomatic visit by a top leader of the Islamic fundamentalist group since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021.

The trip was only made possible by the United Nations granting a temporary exemption to the travel ban imposed on Muttaqi.

It is seen as an attempt by New Delhi to shift its stance on the Taliban government in Kabul without giving them formal recognition.

After talks between Muttaqi and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Friday, New Delhi announced that it would upgrade ties with the Taliban and reopen the Indian embassy in Kabul.

But a press conference organized by the Taliban at the Afghan embassy in New Delhi on the same day drew sharp condemnation as only male reporters were invited. Indian journalists, media outlets and opposition politicians blasted the decision.

The Press Club of India “strongly condemned” it, while the Editors Guild of India lambasted it as “blatant gender discrimination on Indian soil.”

Sujata Madhok, president of the Delhi Union of Journalists, told DW it was outrageous that the Taliban brought their misogynist politics to New Delhi. “Geopolitics is all very well but gender politics is important too. Why should it be sacrificed in the ‘larger interest?'” she questioned.

Backlash forces Taliban climbdown
India’s Foreign Ministry tried to distance itself from the controversy, stating that it “had no involvement in the press interaction held by the Afghan foreign minister in Delhi.”

The ministry stressed that the event was organized solely by the Taliban side at the Afghan embassy, with no involvement from the Indian government.

The statement, however, did not quell the criticism, with some voices accusing the Indian government of tacitly permitting discriminatory norms on Indian soil.

Rahul Gandhi, a leading figure in the opposition Congress Party, wrote on X: “Mr. Modi, when you allow the exclusion of women journalists from a public forum, you are telling every woman in India that you are too weak to stand up for them. In our country, women have the right to equal participation in every space.”

After the backlash, the Taliban held another press conference at the Afghan embassy in New Delhi — this time inviting even female journalists, who occupied front-row seats at the event and questioned the minister about the brutal subjugation of Afghan women and girls under Taliban rule.

Muttaqi blames ‘technical issue’ for lack of women
At the presser, Muttaqi tried to downplay the exclusion of women journalists from the previous media event, blaming it on a “technical issue.”

“With regard to the press conference, it was on short notice, and a short list of journalists was decided, and the participation list that was presented was very specific. It was more of a technical issue,” he said.

Smita Sharma, an independent journalist focusing on foreign affairs who attended the second press conference on Sunday, believes the Indian government had ways to avert the incident.

“The Indian Foreign Ministry could have avoided this fiasco and bad optics by a timely intervention or letting its objection known to the first discriminatory press conference,” she said.

“The outrage in India really began with women journalists speaking up for their rights to not be discriminated in their professional duty based on gender by a visiting foreign delegation.”

‘Indian diplomacy missed an opportunity’
Suhasini Haidar, diplomatic affairs editor at the Indian English-language daily The Hindu, said the Taliban climbdown signaled that such gender discrimination was unacceptable in India.

“Muttaqi’s behavior, including bringing the Taliban flag into the embassy despite India not recognizing the Taliban government, was intended as a political statement implying Taliban rules could apply in Delhi. Yet, the subsequent open press conference acknowledged this was a misstep,” she told DW.

Haidar, who also attended the second press conference, said the change was not because of external diplomatic pressure, but rather due to public uproar and media solidarity.

“Public outrage played a key role, even though there were no rallies or activism beyond journalists’ objections,” she said.

“However, Indian diplomacy missed an opportunity during Jaishankar’s talks with Muttaqi. There was no statement about gender discrimination, girls’ education, or women’s right to work in Afghanistan — issues that could have been addressed.”

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/india-taliban-rapprochement-sparks-womens-rights-debate/a-74372036

The company, LimeChat, has an audacious goal: to make customer-service jobs almost obsolete. It says its generative AI agents enable clients to slash by 80% the number of workers needed to handle 10,000 monthly queries.

“Once you hire a LimeChat agent, you never have to hire again,” Nikhil Gupta, its 28-year-old co-founder, told Reuters.

Cheap labor and English proficiency helped make India the world’s back office — sometimes at the expense of workers elsewhere. Now, AI-powered systems are subsuming jobs done by headset-wearing graduates in technical support, customer care and data management, sparking a scramble to adapt, a Reuters examination found.

That’s driving business for AI startups that help companies slash staffing costs and scale operations — even though many consumers still prefer to deal with a person.

This account of the disruptive changes transforming India’s $283 billion IT sector is based on interviews with 30 people, including industry executives, recruiters, workers and current and former government officials. Reuters also visited two AI startups and tested voice and text chatbots that handle increasingly sophisticated customer interactions in human-like ways.

Rather than pump the brakes as the technology threatens jobs built on routine tasks, the country is accelerating, wagering that a let-it-rip approach will create enough new opportunities to absorb those displaced, Reuters found. The outcome of India’s gamble carries weight far beyond its borders — a test case for whether embracing AI-driven disruption can elevate a developing economy or render it a cautionary tale.

The global conversational AI market is growing 24% a year and should reach $41 billion by 2030, consultancy Grand View Research estimates.

India — which relies on IT for 7.5% of its GDP — is leaning in. In a February speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “work does not disappear due to technology. Its nature changes and new types of jobs are created.”

Not everyone shares Modi’s confidence in India’s preparedness. Santosh Mehrotra, a former Indian official and visiting professor at the University of Bath’s Centre for Development Studies, criticized the government for a lack of urgency in assessing AI’s effects on India’s young workforce. “There’s no gameplan,” he said.

Business process management employs 1.65 million workers in call centers, payroll, and data handling in India. Hiring has plummeted due to increased automation and digitalization, despite rising demand for AI coordinators and process analysts, said Neeti Sharma, CEO of staffing firm TeamLease Digital.

Net headcount in the segment, which represents one-fifth of IT output, grew by fewer than 17,000 workers in each of the past two years, down from 130,000 in 2022-2023 and 177,000 in 2021-2022, TeamLease Digital figures show.

Reuters spoke to three current and five former customer-service workers, who described increasing job insecurity and integration of AI, including tools that suggest responses and bots that handle nearly all routine queries autonomously.

Megha S., 32, was earning $10,000 a year at a Bengaluru-based software solutions provider. She said she was laid off last month, just before India’s festive season, as the company moved to implement AI tools to review the quality of sales calls.

“I was told I am the first one who has been replaced by AI,” said Megha, who spoke on the condition that her full name and former employer not be identified. “I’ve not told my parents.”

Sumita Dawra, a former labor ministry secretary who oversaw an Indian government taskforce on AI’s impact on the workforce before retiring in March, said while the technology offered productivity gains that would lead to new jobs, India could consider stronger social security measures, such as unemployment benefits, to help those displaced during the transition.

However, a senior Indian official told Reuters the government believed AI would ultimately have little impact on overall employment. India’s IT and labor ministries, and Modi’s office, didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/india/meet-ai-chatbots-replacing-indias-call-center-workers-2025-10-15

The U.S. government shutdown that has turned off the official flow of data could begin clouding the view for policymakers in Japan and other countries where insight into the fortunes of the world’s biggest economy informs the outlook for their own currencies, trade performance and inflation.

What happens in America, in other words, doesn’t stay in America, and global officials say being left data-blind by the shutdown over time could complicate their own policymaking and boost the risk of a mistake at a moment when countries are already adjusting to the Trump administration’s efforts to remake global trade.

“It’s a serious problem. We hope this gets fixed soon,” Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda told a news briefing on October 3, as he discussed the hurdles the BOJ faces in deciding when to resume interest rate hikes.

One Japanese policymaker went further.

“It’s a joke. (Federal Reserve Chair Jerome) Powell keeps on saying the Fed’s policy is data-dependent but there’s no data to depend upon,” said the official, who declined to be named as he was not authorized to speak publicly.

Bank of England policy member Catherine Mann said the questions surrounding U.S. data, the controversy over the Fed’s independence, and other issues don’t figure as directly into BOE policy debate as the shifts in trade policy, for example, which directly affect things like prices and the export outlook.

But she noted how over time the British pound lost its central status in the world, a process that took decades and was driven by multiple forces she referred to as “termites” that weakened the pound’s role over time.

Policy changes that could degrade the dollar’s standing or erode the Fed’s independence, “are things that we have in our mind but they’re not front and center,” Mann said. But “they are the termites, as opposed to something that is imminent.”

Finance and economic leaders from around the world are gathered in Washington this week for meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and – in a world beset by an ongoing European land war, tensions and violence in the Middle East, and long-term issues like climate change – much of the meeting’s oxygen is likely to be consumed by discussion of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans for the world, his performance in office so far, and, now, the sudden stop of official information about a $30 trillion economy that accounts for roughly one-fourth of world output.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/data-darkness-us-spreads-global-shadow-2025-10-15

Yemenis who have fled the Houthi-controlled area of this divided country paint a grim picture of life under the militant group. People are forced to attend rallies and chant death to America and Israel, pay crippling taxes and hand children over to become soldiers, they say.

ADEN, Yemen – Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi paramilitary has been lionized at pro-Palestinian protests around the world and on social media for its missile strikes on Israel over the Gaza war. In May, even U.S. President Donald Trump lauded the Houthis’ grit.

“We hit them very hard,” Trump said, in announcing the group had agreed to stop attacking ships in the Red Sea following weeks of U.S. strikes on them. “They had a great capacity to withstand punishment … You can say there’s a lot of bravery there.”

At home, many who have lived under Houthi rule have a starkly different view. In interviews with hundreds of Yemenis who have fled the Houthi-controlled part of this divided country, people described a militant group that silences critics, drives people into starvation, and has used international food aid to force parents to hand over children to be soldiers in its armed forces.

“People are between a rock and a hard place,” said Abdul-Salam, a 37-year-old farmer who lives in a displaced persons camp in Yemen after fleeing the Houthi-controlled part of the country. “The Houthis would give you a choice: be with them and take a food basket to stave off hunger, or get nothing.”

Like many interviewed for this story, Abdul-Salam spoke on condition that only his first name be used, saying he has family members still living under the Houthis.

Interviews with Yemeni civilians and dozens of aid workers, as well as a review of internal UN aid agency documents, reveal how the Houthis maintain their iron grip. They levy an array of taxes on their impoverished subjects, manipulate the international aid system and imprison hundreds. Human rights and aid organizations have faced waves of arrests: In late August, the World Food Program said 15 staff members were detained after Houthi authorities forced their way into the organization’s offices in Sanaa, the capital. This brings to 53 the number of aid workers currently being held in detention.

“People can’t breathe,” said Abu Hamza, who fled Houthi-controlled territory a few years ago. He spent a year in underground prison cells for speaking out against the Houthis during social gatherings, he said. “We are ruled by a militia cloaked in religion.”

Reuters wasn’t able to confirm all aspects of Abu Hamza’s account and those of others the news agency spoke to, but their stories about Houthi persecution were often similar and largely consistent.

Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the Houthis’ media office, said Yemenis know that the group’s position on Gaza has subjected it to an “American-Zionist demonization campaign in which their tools in the region, such as the Saudi and Emirati regimes, and others, participate.”

Hunger is pervasive across Yemen, a country torn by a civil war that erupted in 2014. The leading global hunger monitor, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, announced in June that more than 17 million out of Yemen’s 40 million people were facing “high levels of acute food insecurity.”

Source : https://www.reuters.com/investigations/how-houthis-rule-yemen-prisons-personality-cult-pilfered-food-aid-2025-10-15

A federal judge in California on Wednesday ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to halt mass layoffs of federal workers during a partial government shutdown while she considers claims by unions that the job cuts are illegal.

During a hearing in San Francisco, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston granted a request by two unions to block layoffs at more than 30 federal agencies while the case proceeds

The decision is likely to be appealed quickly, but it offers a reprieve for federal workers facing a nearly year-long push by the Trump administration to slash their ranks.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The White House said last week that it had begun substantial layoffs across the U.S. government, as Trump followed through on a threat to cut the federal workforce during the government shutdown, now in its 15th day. In an order Wednesday, Trump extended an existing freeze on hiring new federal workers, with exceptions for military personnel and appointees to political roles.

About 4,100 workers at eight agencies have been notified that they are being laid off so far, according to a Tuesday court filing by the administration.

Illston’s ruling came shortly after White House Budget Director Russell Vought said on “The Charlie Kirk Show” that more than 10,000 federal workers could lose their jobs because of the shutdown.

Illston at the hearing cited a series of public statements by Trump and Vought that she said showed explicit political motivations for the layoffs, such as Trump saying that cuts would target “Democrat agencies.”

“You can’t do that in a nation of laws. And we have laws here, and the things that are being articulated here are not within the law,” said Illston, an appointee of Democratic former President Bill Clinton.

JUDGE DEMANDS DETAILS ON LAYOFFS

Democracy Forward, a legal group that represents the unions, said Illston made clear that the president’s targeting of federal workers was unlawful.

“Our civil servants do the work of the people, and playing games with their livelihoods is cruel and unlawful and a threat to everyone in our nation,” Skye Perryman, the group’s president and CEO, said in a statement.

Illston ordered the administration to provide by Friday an accounting of any “actual or imminent” layoffs and to outline the steps agencies are taking to comply with her ruling.

A U.S. Department of Justice lawyer, Elizabeth Hedges, at the hearing said she was not prepared to address Illston’s concerns about the legality of the layoffs. She instead argued that the unions must bring their claims to a federal labor board before being able to sue over them in court.

Illston disagreed and chided the Justice Department for refusing to take a position on the unions’ legal claims.
“The hatchet is falling on the heads of employees all across the nation, and you’re not even prepared to address whether that’s legal,” she said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us-judge-says-she-will-likely-block-trumps-mass-layoffs-during-government-2025-10-15

The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday it had revoked the visas of six foreigners over social media comments made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The announcement of the revocations came as U.S. President Donald Trump posthumously awarded Kirk with the presidential medal of freedom, the highest civilian honor in the U.S., on what would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday.

“The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans,” the department said on X.
It listed South Africa, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Germany and Paraguay as the home countries of the people who had their visas revoked.

In one post, an Argentine national accused Kirk of “spreading racist, xenophobic, misogynistic rhetoric,” according to the State Department. Another person, according to the department, wrote in German: “when fascists die, democrats don’t complain.”

The State Department added that it continues to identify visa holders who it says celebrated Kirk’s assassination at a Utah university event last month.

It had previously warned that the U.S. would take action against foreigners “praising, rationalizing, or making light” of Kirk’s death.

Since January, the Trump administration has pursued a sweeping crackdown on immigration, including increasing social media vetting and revoking thousands of student visas and aiming to tighten the duration of others.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-revokes-visas-six-foreigners-over-comments-made-about-charlie-kirks-death-2025-10-14

Almost all of the approximately 60-person staff overseeing the programs were cut, said the two people, who asked for anonymity to share details the administration did not reveal in a legal filing that disclosed more than 4,200 layoffs across the federal government.
“The whole crux of the support staff is to ensure that taxpayer money is spent appropriately and we are not there anymore to do it,” said one of the people familiar with the layoffs.
The White House and Education Department did not respond to a request for comment.
This move follows the administration’s goal of dismantling the Education Department and its 2026 budget request to cut the $1.2 billion in funding approved by Congress for the multiple TRIO programs, including Upward Bound for high school students and Talent Search to identify promising younger students for eventual post-secondary opportunities.

Six Education Department offices were targeted, impacting dozens of programs, according to Rachel Gittleman, the head of the local AFGE union that represents 2,700 department employees.
REPUBLICANS SPOKE OUT AGAINST BUDGET CUTS
Republican lawmakers, who earlier this year had defended the program, were not informed of the decision to cut staff, aides told Reuters.
Republican senators, including Susan Collins of Maine and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, defended the program at a hearing in June, after the administration proposed eliminating it in the fiscal year that began October 1.
“I strongly disagree with the president’s proposal,” Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told Education Secretary Linda McMahon at the hearing.
“I have seen the lives of countless first-generation and low-income students, not only in Maine but across the country, who often face barriers to access a college education, changed by the TRIO program,” Collins said, wearing a pin dedicated to her state’s program.

McMahon responded by saying, “I know that these programs are very near and dear to your heart.”
Capito, the top Senate Republican overseeing Education Department funding, has previously led bipartisan legislation meant to strengthen the TRIO programs through a slate of administrative changes that would have been carried out by the staff now facing permanent elimination.
In September, two other Republican senators, Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, joined more than 30 Democrats in a letter demanding the disbursement of TRIO funds after months of delay.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/trump-administration-targets-college-prep-program-republicans-defended-sources-2025-10-14/

From 2019 to 2021, Syria’s authoritarian government carried out a secret operation to move tens of thousands of bodies from the exposed Qutayfah mass grave to a hidden site in the desert east of Damascus. The goal of the clandestine reburial was to hide evidence of atrocities as Bashar Assad tried to regain international standing.

The Assad government carried out a two-year clandestine operation to truck thousands of bodies from one of Syria’s largest known mass graves to a secret location more than an hour away in the remote desert, a Reuters investigation has found.
The conspiracy by President Bashar al-Assad’s military to excavate the mass grave in Qutayfah and create an enormous second mass grave in the desert outside the town of Dhumair has not been previously reported.
To uncover the location of the Dhumair grave site and detail the vast operation, Reuters spoke to 13 people with direct knowledge of the two-year effort to move the bodies, reviewed documents produced by officials involved, and analyzed hundreds of satellite images of both grave sites taken over the course of several years.
The operation to transfer bodies from Qutayfah to another hidden site dozens of kilometers away was called “Operation Move Earth,” and it lasted from 2019 until 2021. The purpose of the operation was to cover up the Assad government’s crimes and help restore its image, the witnesses said.

As Africa faces democratic setbacks and Western aid dries up, some argue the West’s influence was never as strong as assumed. Is it time to rethink who really shapes democracy on the continent?

In early 2025, as the United States announced wide-ranging aid cuts that predominantly affected African nations, there were fears that Western interest and influence on the continent was receding, as well as support for bolstering democratic norms and conventions.

Considerable funding through multilateral organizations like the United Nations and the African Union comes from Western democracies, as well as observer missions around elections. Without this, or with less of this, how would Africa’s democracies — which already often face significant challenges — fare?

Is the West getting too much credit?
Many observers regard the upcoming elections in Tanzania and Uganda as formalities, rather than fair contests. Tanzania’s opposition party Chadema has been banned from competing, its leader Tundu Lissu is in detention facing treason charges, and pro-democracy activists from Kenya claimed to have been abducted and tortured.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is seeking to extend his four-decade rule, and prominent opposition figures like Kizza Besigye and Bobi Wine have warned of increased oppression.

“In the context of democratization overall, one of the trends that we’ve picked up in East Africa is suppression of political opposition and the targeting of political parties and leaders who are trying to upset the status quo,” said Seema Shah, head of the Democracy Assessment Unit at International IDEA, a Sweden-based intergovernmental organization that advocates for democracy worldwide.

Kenya too has experienced a crackdown on youth protests and politically-motivated abductions. President William Ruto’s regime has faced criticism for its heavy-handed approach.

“It takes a lot of time to get into a rhythm of peaceful turnover and people accepting that a certain amount of friction, debate and opposition is natural and healthy, and we have to look at elections and the perks of being in power,” Shah told DW.

Trump election emboldens authoritarians
Cassandra Dorasamy of Amnesty International South Africa claimed that the return of US President Donald Trump to the White House has impacted how democracies are perceived.

“In the past few years, authoritarian practice has been emboldened and fast-tracked by the election of President Trump,” she told DW.

Trump’s actions to undermine institutions aimed at furthering human rights and democratic values abroad have alarmed observers in the US and abroad. This included effectively shuttering USAID and cutting funds to broadcasters Voice of America and Radio Free Europe.

But Dorasamy points out that democracy is not just under attack in the US, but in Europe, too: “The rise of anti-rights movements across the world and from Europe to Africa, we are seeing a strengthening of narratives that emboldened the anti-migrant sentiment, anti-democratic sentiment.”

Still, according to Shah, studies show democracy is the most popular form of governance.

“But they [citizens] are unhappy with the way that their democracies function,” she said, pointing to violence around election times, and the suppression of opponents after a campaign is won.

For South African artist and activist Lindelani Mnisi, reinvigorating belief in democratic ideals starts at grassroots level teaching. “Educate the civil society on their political rights, educate them on the intent of certain parties so that they’re voting knowledgeably,” he told DW, noting that this aspect is important in holding leaders to account.

Dorasamy calls for courage in the face of challenges to democracy, especially with elections coming up in Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Central African Republic and Uganda.

“Our response as civil society needs to be emboldened enough to call for free and fair elections. But also to call for a rethinking of the structures that are used to hold power to account when it comes to elections, be that the SADC (Southern African Development Community) or African Union mechanisms. Observation of elections shouldn’t just come from European or northern countries, but within Africa,” she said.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/can-the-west-really-influence-africas-democracies/a-74293382

New York City-area airports are refusing to play Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s video blaming Democrats for the government shutdown – as Gov. Kathy Hochul slammed the DHS chief over the “false” and “nakedly partisan” message.

John F. Kennedy International, LaGuardia, and New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International airports joined a growing list of travel hubs nationwide blocking the 36-second clip from broadcasting on TSA checkpoints due to its “politically partisan” remarks,” according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

“When Kristi Noem isn’t busy trying to defund the police in New York, she’s apparently hard at work subjecting travelers to obviously false and nakedly partisan messaging,” Hochul, a Democrat, said in a statement to The Post.

“Here in New York, we’ll stay focused on keeping the flying public safe – and that means not playing political ads in our airports.”

The fiery clip, warning of disruptions and staffing shortages amid the shutdown, won’t be shown at any Empire State airports run by state agencies or authorities, a government source added.

The Port Authority – which also runs Stewart International Airport in Newburgh and Teterboro Airport in the Garden State – said Noem’s video violates its “longstanding policies” banning political content from airing on airport-controlled screens.

Noem, who oversees the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), sent the video to every public US airport last week to play at TSA checkpoints.

“It is TSA’s top priority to make sure that you have the most pleasant and efficient airport experience as possible while we keep you safe. However, Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government,” Noem says in the video.

“And because of this, many of our operations are impacted and most of our TSA employees are working without pay,” the DHS secretary adds.

“We will continue to do all that we can to avoid delays that will impact your travel,” Noem continues. “And our hope is that Democrats will soon recognize the importance of opening the government.”

The partial government shutdown began on Oct. 1, after all but three Senate Democrats refused to vote for a continuing resolution that would’ve kept Washington funded through Nov. 21.

Source: https://nypost.com/2025/10/14/us-news/nyc-airports-snub-noems-government-shutdown-video-as-hochul-blasts-nakedly-partisan-spin/

LEGENDARY soul artist D’Angelo has died at the age of 51.

The singer died on Tuesday from pancreatic cancer at his home in New York City, his manager confirmed to The U.S. Sun.

“This is a monumental loss, not only for his family and loved ones but for the millions around the world who were touched by his revolutionary artistry,” D’Angelo’s manager Lindsay Guion told The U.S. Sun.

“D’Angelo was a genius, a force of nature whose music shifted the landscape of soul and R&B. More importantly, he was a cherished father, son, brother, and friend whose absence leaves an immeasurable void.”

Guion said the D’Angelo’s three children and the rest of his family are grieving their loved one’s death.

“The family is in the initial stages of processing this immense grief,” Guion said.

“They ask that their privacy be unequivocally respected during this incredibly difficult time.”

In May, D’Angelo had to cancel a performance with The Roots in Philadelphia due to a medical emergency.

“It is with the deepest of regrets that [I] must cancel my performance at the Roots Picnic in Philadelphia next weekend,” D’Angelo wrote in a statement shared through Roots Picnic’s Instagram page.

“But, due to an unforeseen medical delay regarding surgery [I] had earlier this year, [I’ve] been advised by my team of specialists that the performance this weekend could further complicate matters.”

Roots Picnic captioned the post: “Due to a longer-than-expected surgical recovery, @thedangelo won’t be able to join us at Roots Picnic this year. We’re sending love and keeping him in our thoughts as he continues to heal!”

Two months before D’Angelo’s canceled show, his ex and the mother of his son, Angie Stone, died in a car accident.

Stone, 63, was driving back to Atlanta from Alabama when her car “flipped over and was subsequently hit by a big rig,” PBS reported.

LEGENDARY ARTIST
The singer, born Michael Eugene Archer, was known for changing modern soul music by blending it with gospel, funk, and jazz.

He released his first album, Brown Sugar, in 1995.

Since then, he’s released two more studio albums along with live albums, compilations, and EPs.

D’Angelo has won four Grammys over the course of his career.

He’s won twice for R&B album, and once for Best R&B Song and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

The artist previously made headlines after he opened up about his early substance abuse issues.

“I didn’t really think I had a problem like that. I felt like, you know, all I got to do is clean up and I’ll be fine,” D’Angelo told Kiss FM in 2012.

“Just get in the studio and I’ll be f**king fine.”

D’Angelo opened up about his multiple arrests, drug addiction, and his road to recovery in his 2019 documentary, Devil’s Pie.

Just last year, songwriter Raphael Saadiq told Rolling Stone that D’Angelo was working on a new album.

“He’s excited … He’s working on six pieces right now and he seems super excited,” Saadiq told the “Rolling Stone Music Now” podcast.

MUSIC INDUSTRY REACTS
The artist’s unexpected death came as a shock to fans and music industry professionals alike.

“My sources tell me that D’Angelo has passed,” BET News host Marc Lamont Hill posted on X.

“Wow. I have no words. May he rest in perfect peace.”

Some fans were shocked to find out the artist’s name wasn’t trending due to a new album.

“Damn I thought people were talking about D’Angelo because he was dropping a surprise album,” one fan posted on X.

“Had no idea it was about this. RIP to a legend.”

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/15346171/dangelo-dead-secret-cancer-battle/

A BRIDE-TO-BE who died after suffering from over 20 stab wounds, including some in her back, took her own life, according to a second death investigation.

Outraged family members still aren’t convinced that schoolteacher Ellen Greenberg, 27, had died by suicide when her body was discovered in her Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, apartment on January 26, 2011.

She was found by her fiance Sam Goldberg, who told cops that he had to force himself into the apartment when Greenberg didn’t answer.

The horrified husband-to-be, who hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing, saw 10 stab wounds in Greenberg’s abdomen and chest and 10 in her neck and the back of her head.

A 10-inch knife was lodged in her chest and she was covered with bruises, Goldberg told investigators.

Mystery surrounded the case as officials first deemed her death a homicide, but abruptly said the wounds were self-inflicted.

Greenberg’s family has long been calling for officials to take a second look at the case, and has spearheaded lawsuits, petitions, and the Hulu documentary Death in Apartment 603.

This year, the pathologist who investigated her body reversed his findings and said he didn’t believe she died by suicide, CNN reported.

However, on Monday, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office reaffirmed its previous findings and concluded, “the manner of Ellen Greenberg’s death is best classified as ‘suicide.’”

In the report, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Lindsay Simon wrote that Greenberg had been suffering from anxiety over the grades she was giving her students.

Speaking of the wounds on the back of her neck, Simon admitted they were “unusual” but said the teacher was capable of inflicting them herself.

She also noted that Goldberg, who has long been scrutinized by the public, was not abusive toward her.

Goldberg’s timeline of how he discovered his fiancee’s body after her death has been corroborated by police interview, keycard swipes, surveillance, and text and phone logs, Simon wrote.

He didn’t have any defensive wounds, and there was no sign of a struggle in her apartment.

Simon said that she reviewed a cache of evidence, including the autopsy, police documents, pictures, and information found by experts hired by the Greenberg family.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/15346473/ellen-greenberg-autopsy-second-findings/

Turkish President Erdogan jokingly told Italy’s Giorgia Meloni to stop smoking, prompting laughter at the Gaza peace summit.

A light-hearted exchange between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during the Gaza peace summit in Egypt has gone viral.

In the short clip circulating on social media, Erdogan is seen greeting Meloni with a smile before playfully remarking, “I saw you coming down from the plane. You look great. But I have to make you stop smoking.” The Italian leader, slightly surprised but amused, laughed and responded, “I know, I know. I don’t want to kill somebody.”

Standing nearby, French President Emmanuel Macron joined in on the moment, chuckling and saying, “It’s impossible!”, prompting more laughter from those around.

The interaction took place on the sidelines of the Gaza peace summit, a diplomatic event attended by several world leaders, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and US President Donald Trump. The meeting focused on efforts to end the war in Gaza and shape a “new beginning” for the region’s post-war future.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/trending/you-look-great-but-stop-smoking-turkeys-erdogan-tells-italian-pm-meloni-video-goes-viral-101760456157794.html

US President Donal Trump is set to meet with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss air defense and long-range capabilities.

Donald Trump reveled in international praise after brokering peace in the Middle East during a successful visit to Israel on Monday.

Global leaders rallied behind Mr. Trump at a subsequent summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, supporting his efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. The US president is scheduled to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House this Friday.

This news comes as Russia’s economy teeters on the brink of a ‘once in 30 year crisis’ in a key sector. It comes as a lip reader spills Trump’s five-word threat to Macron during tense handshake power struggle.

However, insiders have told The Telegraph that the American leader is preparing to supply Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles in a bold move intended to force an end to the brutal war with Russia.

The two leaders will discuss their “visions” for deploying the long-range Tomahawk missile to pressure Vladimir Putin into negotiations, according to Mr. Zelensky, reports the Express.

“The main topics will be air defense and our long-range capabilities, to maintain pressure on Russia,” the Ukrainian leader stated.

Mr. Trump has hinted at the possibility of sending Tomahawks to Kyiv if Putin continues to obstruct any chance of peace talks.

The president has recently increased intelligence-sharing with Ukrainian forces to enhance their long-range attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, intensifying the pressure on Russia’s struggling economy.

Middle East triumph fuels Ukraine peace hopes.

Mr. Trump arrived in Tel Aviv on Monday to commemorate the release of 20 Israeli hostages under the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement.

After announcing his commitment to lasting peace, he jetted off to Egypt for discussions with global leaders to officially kickstart the initial phase of a White House agreement aimed at ending the Gaza war.

While addressing Israel’s parliament, Mr. Trump unveiled his plan to shift his attention towards brokering a resolution to the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

“It would be great if we could make a peace deal with [Iran]… First, we have to get Russia done,” he shared with the Knesset. “Let’s focus on Russia first.”

Trump touts resolution of eight conflicts
Since the conclusion of the Gaza war, Mr. Trump has proudly claimed to have resolved eight conflicts since stepping into the White House in late January.

However, finding a solution to the three-and-a-half-year-long struggle between Ukraine and Russia remains elusive and continues to pose challenges. Mr. Trump has struggled to gain an upper hand in negotiations with Putin.

Yet, his endorsement of the White House’s “peace through strength” doctrine in the Middle East on Monday has ignited new hope.

Mr. Zelensky expressed that the US president’s Israel-Hamas deal “brings more hope” to other regions plagued by war.

“We are working so that the day of peace comes for Ukraine as well. Russian aggression remains the last global source of destabilization, and if a ceasefire and peace have been achieved for the Middle East, the leadership and determination of global actors can certainly work for us, too,” the Ukrainian president posted on social media.

Ukraine delegation initiates Washington discussions
His prime minister and top aide flew to Washington on Monday to begin “high-level talks to strengthen Ukraine’s defense, secure our energy resilience, and intensify sanctions pressure on the aggressor”.

With speculation mounting that Mr Trump might provide Tomahawks to Ukraine, Mr Zelensky is prepared to present him with a comprehensive list of Russian military targets that could be struck with the weapons.

Kyiv is counting on the weapon’s ability to devastate Moscow’s war machine by severing supply lines and destroying missile and drone manufacturing facilities.

Tomahawks possess a range of approximately 1,500 miles, putting such targets well within striking distance.

Source: https://www.the-express.com/news/us-news/187139/donald-trump-plans-send-tomahawk-missiles-ukraine-nato-braces-ww3

A fire at a garment factory and a chemical warehouse in Bangladesh’s capital on Tuesday killed at least 16 people, the Fire Service and Civil Defense department said.

Fire official Talha bin Jashim said Tuesday’s blaze happened in Dhaka ’s Mirpur area and is believed to have started on the third floor of the seven-story garment building.

He said rescuers have recovered several bodies. Several other people were injured.

The fire was brought under control by the evening and the rescue operation is ongoing.

Bangladesh is the world’s second largest garment industry after China, and the sector has employed about 4 million workers, mostly women.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/bangladesh-fire-dhaka-casualties-factory-57c4cde3f24638ae1d15599a859964a6

President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to relocate World Cup matches set to be played next year in suburban Boston, after suggesting that parts of the city had been “taken over” by unrest.

Foxborough, Massachusetts, home to the NFL’s New England Patriots and about 30 miles from Boston, is set to stage matches as the U.S. cohosts the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada. Trump was asked about Boston’s mayor, Michelle Wu, a Democrat whom he called “intelligent” but “radical left.”

“We could take them away,” Trump said of the World Cup games. “I love the people of Boston and I know the games are sold out. But your mayor is not good.”

He suggested “they’re taking over parts of Boston” without offering details, but added “we could get them back in about two seconds.”

The Trump administration has already deployed National Guard troops to Washington and Memphis, and efforts to do so in Chicago and Portland, Oregon, have sparked legal fights.

Wu’s office did not react directly to Trump’s threat, issuing a statement that read, “Boston is honored and excited to host World Cup matches, and we look forward to welcoming fans from around the world to our beautiful city, the cradle of liberty and city of champions.”

Trump’s comments came during his meeting with Argentina President Javier Milei and it wasn’t immediately clear what he was referring to by parts of Boston having been seized. Earlier this month, however, there were multiple arrests in connection with a pro-Palestinian protest that turned violent on Boston Common. Four police officers were injured.

Trump has previously suggested he could declare cities “not safe” for the 104-game soccer tournament and alter a detailed hosting plan that FIFA confirmed in 2022. It includes games at NFL stadiums near New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

World Cup host sites aren’t up to Trump. The 11 U.S. cities — plus three in Mexico and two in Canada — are contracted with FIFA, which would face significant logistical and legal issues to make changes in the eight months before the June 11 kickoff.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/trump-boston-world-cup-revoke-matches-crime-cd448b4564f6d32b3118d9198a7073ef

Clashes erupted Tuesday between Pakistani and Afghan forces in a remote northwestern border region, with state-run media in Pakistan accusing Afghan troops of opening “unprovoked fire” that was repulsed.

Pakistani forces responded, damaging Afghan tanks and military posts, according to Pakistan TV and two security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Tahir Ahrar, a deputy police spokesperson in Afghanistan’s Khost province, confirmed the clashes but provided no further details.

This is the second time this week that the two sides have traded fire along their long border.

According to Pakistan’s state-run media, Afghan forces and Pakistani Taliban jointly opened fire at a Pakistani post “without provocation,” prompting what the media described as a “strong response” from Pakistani troops in Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Security officials said Pakistan’s military also destroyed a sprawling training facility of the Pakistani Taliban.

There was no immediate comment from Pakistan’s military, which has been on high alert since Saturday, when both sides traded fire across multiple border regions, resulting in dozens of casualties on each side.

Although the clashes halted on Sunday after appeals from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, all border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained closed.

Over the weekend, Kabul said that it targeted several Pakistani military posts and killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in retaliation for what it called repeated violations of Afghan territory and airspace. Pakistan’s military reported lower figures, saying it lost 23 soldiers and killed more than 200 “Taliban and affiliated terrorists” in retaliatory fire along the frontier.

Tensions have remained high since last week, when the Taliban government accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes in Kabul and in an eastern market. Pakistan has not acknowledged those allegations.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-afghanistan-clashes-northwest-taliban-f953f284cfe5566d030e2c48e81df3fd

Hamas has now handed over eight dead hostages to Israel, leaving at least 19 presumed dead and one unaccounted for in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas handed over more bodies of deceased hostages to Israel on Tuesday (Oct 14), one sign of progress after a number of apparent setbacks in the day since United States President Donald Trump touted his plan to end the Gaza war.

The bodies were returned after Israel announced it would cut in half the number of humanitarian aid trucks allowed into Gaza in a move to punish Hamas for what Israel called the militant group’s violation of its agreement to transfer remains under the ceasefire deal reached last week.

Meanwhile, re-emergent Hamas fighters demonstrated they were reasserting control in Gaza by deploying hundreds of security forces in the streets and executing several people they accused of collaborating with Israel.

The outlook for Trump’s peace plan darkened further when the president threatened Hamas with military strikes unless the militant group disarmed.

“If they don’t disarm, we will disarm them. And it will happen quickly and perhaps violently,” Trump said at the White House, one day after he spoke before the Knesset in Jerusalem.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained the war cannot end until Hamas surrenders its weapons and cedes control of Gaza, a demand the fighters have rejected.

On Monday, Trump proclaimed the “historic dawn of a new Middle East” to Israel’s parliament, as Israel and Hamas were exchanging the last 20 living Israeli hostages in Gaza for nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners.

But the return of 28 dead hostages has remained one of the final details to be worked out in the deal to end more than two years of hostilities that began with Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct 7, 2023. Hamas has now handed over eight coffins of dead hostages, leaving at least 19 presumed dead and one unaccounted for still in the Gaza Strip.

On Tuesday, the Israeli military said it received four coffins from the Red Cross at a meeting point in the northern Gaza Strip. Those coffins, escorted by Israeli forces, crossed the border into Israel shortly before midnight and were being taken for forensic identification, the Israeli military said.

Hamas also confirmed the transfer was underway.

“At this moment, the men are continuing to oversee the implementation of what was agreed upon regarding the handover of bodies as part of the agreement to end the war in Gaza,” Hamas spokesperson in Gaza, Hazem Qassem, said on Facebook.

It was not immediately clear if the handing over of bodies was sufficient for Israel to restore a full complement of aid deliveries.

Israeli officials said they had decided to restrict aid, allowing only half the agreed number of aid trucks into Gaza starting on Wednesday, and to delay plans to open the southern border crossing to Egypt because Hamas had violated the ceasefire deal by failing to turn over the bodies of hostages.

Israel’s two-year assault has left much of the enclave in ruins, and Gaza City and the surrounding areas are suffering from a famine that has afflicted more than half a million Palestinians, creating great need for the expected 600 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily during the ceasefire.

Plans have yet to be implemented to open the crossing to Egypt to let some Gazans out, initially to evacuate the wounded for medical treatment.

HAMAS ASSERTS CONTROL
Hamas, which seized Gaza in a brief 2007 civil war, has swiftly reclaimed the streets of Gaza’s urban areas following the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops last week. Gaza residents said Hamas fighters were increasingly visible on Tuesday, deploying along routes needed for aid deliveries.

In a video circulated late on Monday, Hamas fighters dragged seven men with their hands tied behind their backs into a Gaza City square, forced them to their knees and shot them from behind, as dozens of onlookers watched from nearby storefronts.

A Hamas source confirmed that the video was taken on Monday and that Hamas fighters participated in the executions. Reuters was able to confirm the location by visible geographic features.

Trump has previously given his blessing to Hamas to reassert some control of Gaza, at least temporarily. Israeli officials have so far refrained from commenting publicly on the re-emergence of the group’s fighters.

Palestinian security officials said dozens of people had been killed in clashes between Hamas fighters and rivals in recent days.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/hamas-israel-palestine-gaza-hostage-bodies-aid-cut-threaten-5402751

Analysts say Beijing has left room to negotiate and could adjust its fees based on Washington’s actions.

As China and the United States begin charging additional port fees on Tuesday (Oct 14), analysts warn the global shipping industry faces growing uncertainty and turmoil – though Beijing’s exemption of domestically built vessels is expected to limit the impact.

China announced retaliatory port fees last Friday and released implementation details in the first hour of Tuesday – the same day the Chinese and US measures took effect. Fees will be waived for vessels built in China and for empty vessels arriving for repairs.

Analysts note that as China is a major importer of energy and grain, its fees will mainly affect tankers and dry bulk carriers, prompting cargo owners and carriers to rethink deployments.

This could increase volatility in shipping rates over the short term, while US port fees are more likely to impact container cargo shipping, they added.

China’s port fee policy targets US-built, flagged, owned or operated vessels, as well as those owned or operated by any entity in which US individuals or businesses hold 25 per cent or more of the equity, voting rights or board seats.

“It is this latter stipulation that is the real kicker,” Roar Adland, global head of research at brokerage SSY, wrote in an online post, adding that the share of the worldwide fleet potentially ensnared by the additional fees is substantial.

“The 25 per cent plus ownership rule in China’s retaliatory measures extends the policy’s reach to even third-country vessels owned and operated by entities that have financial ties to the US, thereby casting a wider net over the global fleet,” analysts said in a note by HSBC Global released on Monday.

China’s port fees are set to put US agricultural exports at a considerable cost disadvantage.

Major iron ore traders, including Vale, reportedly have a significant portion of their ownership held by US investors and could also be heavily impacted, according to the HSBC report.

However, the exemption of China-built vessels announced on Tuesday has provided relief to cargo owners and carriers, given Chinese shipbuilders’ dominant share in the global industry.

About 36 per cent of the global fleet consists of China-built vessels, with the share rising to 48 per cent for dry bulk carriers, as well as 30 per cent for container ships and 23 per cent for crude oil tankers currently in trade, Jayendu Krishna, director at Drewry Maritime Research, said on Tuesday.

This gives operators greater flexibility and allows them to adjust vessel deployment, but operational challenges remain as shipowners may not have enough time to revise schedules, Krishna added.

Tankers, especially very large crude carriers, will be hit hardest as most of those in service were built in South Korea or Japan. The port fee scheme is likely to boost short-term demand for China-built vessels, Haitong Futures shipping analyst Lei Yue said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, US port fees could subject the world’s top 10 carriers to US$3.2 billion in charges by 2026, with China’s state-owned Cosco Group’s fleet the most exposed, according to calculations by shipping data provider Alphaliner.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/china-us-port-fees-shipping-trade-war-disruption-5402746

While Penang’s chief minister told CNA that the state retains strong interest from American and Chinese multinational corporations, experts fear that a substantial tariff rate by Washington for the semiconductor sector could diminish its role in the global supply chain.

A threat by United States President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on semiconductor imports has cast a dark cloud over Penang, with experts saying it could derail a boom which has propelled the northern Malaysian state into a powerhouse in this essential technology sector.

Yet Penang’s Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow is more upbeat, telling CNA that the state – as well as the country – remains in a “relatively competitive position” to draw investments.

Speaking at a White House dinner on Sep 4 with tech bosses, Trump said: “Chips and semiconductors – we will be putting tariffs on companies that aren’t coming in. We will be putting a tariff very shortly.”

He did not give an exact deadline or rate for the planned levy, but added: “We will be putting a very substantial tariff, not that high, but fairly substantial tariff with the understanding that if they come into the country, if they are coming in, building, planning to come in, there will not be a tariff.”

While there has been no formal announcement of any sectoral tax on semiconductors by the US for now, the writing may be on the wall.

On Sep 26, Trump announced a new sectoral levy imposing a 100 per cent tariff on any branded or patented pharmaceutical product, unless a company builds its pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in America.

The move made waves in neighbouring Singapore, where pharmaceutical exports are worth about S$4 billion (US$3.08 billion) and make up 13 per cent of its domestic exports to the US.

Now, industry players in Malaysia are waiting to see if Trump enact similar tariffs on the semiconductor chips industry as previously hinted. Penang plays an outsized role in the global semiconductor supply chain despite being Malaysia’s second smallest state.

Dubbed the “Silicon Valley of the East” by observers, the northern state accounts for 5 per cent of global semiconductor exports, according to state government figures.

It is also an investment destination for some of the bigger American multinational corporations (MNCs) in the sector including Intel, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Micron and Infineon.

Penang’s importance as a chip hub underlines Malaysia’s significance to the global supply chain, with the Southeast Asian nation accounting for 13 per cent of global testing and packaging of the product, according to the Malaysian Investment Development Authority.

On one hand, Penang officials are sanguine that its semiconductor industry can stay robust, citing how despite the current uncertain climate, companies are still exploring expansion opportunities.

In a written response to queries from CNA, Chow said that with Malaysia’s reciprocal tariff rate set at 19 per cent and sectoral tariffs on semiconductors not yet formally announced, the country and Penang remain in a “relatively competitive position” to draw investment.

“While global investment sentiment experienced some uncertainty in recent years, we’ve seen renewed engagement from US companies, with several returning to explore expansion opportunities through (the state’s investment promotion agency) InvestPenang.

“Increasingly, companies are adopting a forward-looking approach, designing strategies that extend beyond current political cycles in the US,” Chow added.

He quoted Malaysia’s investment figures, citing how in the first half of 2025, the US is the highest contributor of approved manufacturing foreign direct investment (FDI) in Penang with a total investment value of RM2.6 billion (US$615.5 million), representing a quarter of the northern state’s approved manufacturing investment.

Chow said this indicates Penang’s attractiveness for US companies presently.

On the other hand, economists told CNA that Penang should be bracing for impact, amid warning signs from industry leaders in Malaysia and some corporations holding pause on their investments.

The experts added that a high semiconductor tariff rate of potentially 80 per cent or more could directly impact the sector and reduce foreign investment due to the state’s high exposure to US exports.

Based on government data for the first half of this year, Penang accounted for around 55 per cent of Malaysia’s exports to the US, dominated by semiconductors as well as electrical and electronics.

Malaysian-American economist Woo Wing Thye, a distinguished fellow at the think tank Penang Institute, told CNA that a high levy would hurt the sector and raise prices of products made in Penang – to the extent that it may no longer be realistic to operate there and export to the US.

“If the semiconductor tax is announced at 80 per cent or more, prices will go up and this will hurt the industry,” said Woo, who is also vice-president for the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network’s Asia office.

He added that tariffs would certainly hurt the high-tech semiconductor firms, and while chips made in Penang are typically made for mid-level tech products such as household items like vacuum cleaners, they will also not be spared from the adverse effects of an additional hefty trade levy.

Wong Siew Hai, president of the Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association, told CNA that “Penang’s semiconductor eco-system momentum remains intact”.

He cited how the state is the top contributor of manufacturing FDIs in Malaysia, with a 20 per cent share of the country’s total from January to June.

“A big portion of this comes from the electrical, electronics and semiconductor companies. The tariffs for semiconductors are still at zero, no impact as of now. Businesses continue as normal,” said Wong.

“We hope the US will make a wise decision in the future in order to help both the semiconductor industry and allow the US companies (in Penang) to flourish.”

In fact, some firms are expanding operations in Penang, including the Nasdaq-listed Analog Devices, which produces integrated circuits and software.

The firm’s ASEAN business director George Chia was quoted as saying during a media roundtable on Oct 2 that the company was expanding its presence in Penang and was keen on hiring locals for its factory workforce.

Chia lauded Penang’s role as a “driving force” in backend operations in the industry, and praised Malaysia in the sector of integrated circuit design and innovation.

“Other countries are still initiating efforts to understand the semiconductor landscape. Malaysia has already made significant progress,” he added.

Penang’s dense ecosystem of suppliers clustered around the Bayan Lepas and Batu Kawan area is concentrated with companies involved in assembly, testing and advanced packaging of semiconductors.

This includes US global chipmaker AMD, which announced in August a new office and engineering lab facility in Bayan Lepas, which will house 1,200 employees.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/penang-tariffs-semiconductor-chips-silicon-valley-5399886

On Friday October 9, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while addressing the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) , made baseless claims of downing seven Indian jets during the military confrontation with India in May.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and MP Nishikant Dubey on Monday strongly criticised Pakistan at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York. He said that Pakistan is a country that is one of the most serious violators of the CAAC (Children and Armed Conflict) agenda.

He stated, “We strongly condemn their attempt to divert the world’s attention from the grave abuses against children within their borders, as evidenced by the Secretary-General’s 2025 report on CAAC and the ongoing cross-border terrorism. Beyond their borders, the same report detailed attacks by Pakistan on health workers in schools—particularly girls’ schools—and incidents along the Afghanistan border where cross-border shelling and airstrikes by Pakistan were directly responsible for the killing and maiming of Afghan children.”

He also said, “The international community has not forgotten the brutal, targeted attacks carried out by Pakistan-trained terrorists that claimed the lives of 26 innocent civilians in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, 2025. In a considered and balanced response, India exercised its legitimate right to defend its people against terrorism and bring its organisers and perpetrators to justice, carrying out surgical strikes on nine terrorist hideouts under Operation Sindoor in May 2025.”

He further said, “In contrast, Pakistan deliberately targeted our border villages, resulting in the deaths of numerous civilians, including children. Pakistan must look at itself in the mirror, stop preaching on this platform, and act to protect children within its borders.”

On Friday October 9, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while addressing the UNGA, made baseless claims of downing seven Indian jets during the military confrontation with India in May.

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/bjp-leader-nishikant-dubey-accuses-pakistan-of-attacks-on-schools-health-workers-in-unga-speech-video

About a dozen of us walked into a US immigration office in Virginia on Saturday morning, people born all over the world excited to take the final step in becoming American citizens.

We clutched our naturalisation notices as we filed through security and lined up at the check-in desk. Soon, we would raise our right hands and swear the Oath of Allegiance to the United States in a ceremony that is known as both solemn and celebratory. Carrying small American flags, we would walk out citizens.

But then, abruptly, we learned the ceremony had been cancelled because of the government shutdown.

“You should have been notified,” said the staff member at the desk.

None of us had received any emails or phone calls. The staff at the entrance had let us in without warning, raising the possibility that they too had not been notified.

Later, when I checked the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website, it was temporarily down.

When it came back online, I saw my appointment had been cancelled days earlier “due to unforeseen circumstances.” If you hadn’t checked the website yourself, you would never have known.

“We regret any inconvenience this may cause,” the notice said.

Around me at the office, disappointment quickly turned into confusion.

One woman in a hijab quietly asked if I had been turned away too, worried it might have been because of her clothing.

A man had gathered his family to celebrate his final step to becoming a US citizen, only to leave anxious and uncertain.

A few people seemed genuinely frightened, wondering how the delay might affect their work, lives and plans.

This was more than an inconvenience.

Some of us had spent years plodding through paperwork and interviews, as well as preparing for the citizenship test. After more than a decade of having a green card, I had decided to become a citizen and vote. All of us now were stuck in limbo.

At the office, we were told to come back on 1 November. With the ongoing federal shutdown, though, there’s a chance that could slip.

The immigration service is largely funded by application fees and so it typically stays open during a government shutdown.

But its director, Joseph Edlow, said in a post on X that public-facing services such as interviews and naturalisation ceremonies can be delayed. He added that the agency “regrets any negative impacts but must ensure it complies with the law”.

It’s unclear how many USCIS appointments or oath ceremonies have been cancelled nationwide. The service lists field office closures on a web page, but it does not provide totals for cancelled ceremonies. Anecdotal reports have circulated online about other oath ceremonies that have been scrapped.

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

KARY Perry broke her silence on her romance with Justin Trudeau with a cheeky onstage comment during her London concert.

The superstar is currently on her Lifetimes world tour and took to the stage at London’s O2 Arena on Monday night.

Addressing the crowd, the pop star said: “London, England, you’re like this on a Monday night after a whole day at work and a whole day at school?

“No wonder I fall for Englishmen all the time… but not anymore.”

The 40-year-old singer also received a surprise marriage proposal from a fan during the show but had to turn it down.

She laughed: “I wish you’d asked me 48 hours ago.”

The quip came just days after photos emerged of Katy, 40, and hunky former Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, 53, kissing aboard her 78ft yacht, the Caravelle, off the coast of Santa Barbara, California.

In the snaps, a shirtless Trudeau could be seen with his hand on the star’s bottom as the two shared a private moment.

Sources told The Sun the pair have been secretly dating since the start of the summer.

“They haven’t been able to spend a lot of time together as she’s on tour, but they’re constantly in contact — always FaceTiming and messaging each other,” an insider said.

Rumours of a relationship first surfaced in July after the pair were spotted dining together at upscale Montreal restaurant Le Violon.

The meeting came a month after Katy confirmed her split from British actor Orlando Bloom, 48.

The insider added: “He’s a bit of a geek and can’t believe someone as famous and glamorous as Katy is interested in him, whereas she’s flattered such a respected politician wants to date her.”

Katy and Orlando – who share five-year-old daughter Daisy Dove – announced their separation in June, five months after their January split.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/15342921/katy-perry-breaks-silence-justin-trudeau-romance-gig/

The deadliest clashes in years erupted after alleged Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan. With both sides trading blame, fears of escalation are growing

In one of the deadliest escalations between Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent years, dozens of soldiers have been killed on both sides of the border following a night of heavy cross-border fighting. The clashes mark a dangerous new phase in a relationship already strained by disputes over militant sanctuaries, sovereignty violations, and territorial legitimacy.

According to Pakistani and Afghan government officials, at least 23 Pakistani soldiers and 9 Afghan troops were killed in the fighting that erupted on the night of October 11–12.

The Taliban later claimed it had killed 58 Pakistani soldiers, injured dozens more, and captured 25 military posts, a version that Islamabad has not confirmed. On the other hand, Pakistani military sources told Dawn that over 200 Taliban and affiliated fighters were killed in retaliatory operations. None of these claims have been independently verified.

The latest violence was sparked by alleged Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghan territory. The Taliban government has described its response as retaliation. But at the heart of the confrontation lies the long-festering issue of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) presence inside Afghanistan and Islamabad’s growing frustration with Kabul’s refusal to act against the group.

Here is a detailed breakdown of what triggered the fighting, what each side is claiming, and why the situation remains volatile.

Where And When Did The Clashes Take Place?

The confrontation began on the night of Saturday, October 11, along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border, with heavy exchanges of fire reported in multiple districts of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The key areas affected included Chitral, Bajaur, Mohmand, Angoor Adda, and Kurram.

Additional firing was reported near Baramcha and Bahram Chah in Balochistan, while Pakistan retaliated with heavy artillery near Tirah and across the border in Nangarhar province, as per AP.

On the Afghan side, TOLO news reported that the Taliban Ministry of Defence deployed tanks and heavy weapons in Kunar province, raising the risk of a broader military escalation.

Both the Torkham and Chaman border crossings, the two main trade and transit routes between the countries, were closed on Sunday following the clashes, disrupting cross-border commerce and movement.

What Triggered The Taliban’s Retaliation?

Afghan authorities said the cross-border assault was in response to alleged Pakistani airstrikes carried out last week. The Taliban government accused Pakistan of bombing Abdul Haq Square in Kabul, near several government ministries, and a civilian market in Paktika province. It called the attacks “violent, unprecedented and heinous”.

Pakistan has not officially admitted to the strikes. However, a Pakistani security official told Reuters that airstrikes were indeed conducted and were targeting Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Noor Wali Mehsud, who was reportedly travelling in a vehicle in Kabul. It remains unverified whether Mehsud was killed or survived.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Taliban government, described the bombings as an “airspace violation” and warned of retaliation. He said: “There is no kind of threat in any part of Afghanistan’s territory. The Islamic Emirate and the people of Afghanistan will defend their land and remain resolute and committed in this defence.”

Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who is on a visit to India, also issued a warning. “If Pakistan doesn’t want good relations and peace, then Afghanistan has other options as well,” he said.

Who Is The TTP, And What Role Does It Play In The Conflict?

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistan Taliban, is a banned militant group that seeks to overthrow Pakistan’s government and establish rule based on a hardline interpretation of Islamic law. It emerged in 2007 following Pakistani military operations in the tribal areas and has since been involved in major terrorist attacks, including the 2014 Peshawar school massacre.

The TTP regained strength since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Pakistan accuses Kabul of allowing the group to operate freely from Afghan soil. While the Taliban government denies this, Pakistan’s army maintains that the group is being sheltered across the border.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces, in its statement as quoted by Dawn, said the skirmishes began “on the night of Oct 11/12, 2025, [after] Afghan Taliban and India-sponsored Fitna-al-Khawarij launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistan, along the Pak-Afghan border.”

Pakistan refers to the TTP as Fitna-al-Khawarij, which roughly means those who have strayed from the right path of Islam or those who are guided by a distorted understanding of Islam.

Afghan officials have rejected this claim. On October 12, Foreign Minister Muttaqi stated, “There is no presence of TTP in Afghanistan now.”

What Is The Durand Line And Why Does It Matter In This Conflict?

At the heart of repeated skirmishes between Pakistan and Afghanistan is the Durand Line, a 2,611-kilometre border drawn in 1893 by the British, which Afghanistan has never formally recognised. The Taliban, like previous Afghan governments, considers it a colonial-era imposition that unjustly divides ethnic Pashtun populations on both sides.

The latest fighting erupted along sectors that lie directly on this disputed boundary, including Chitral, Bajaur, and Kurram. Afghanistan’s rejection of the Durand Line has long fuelled tensions over fencing, cross-border movement, and accusations of sovereignty violations.

Speaking in India, Muttaqi referenced the boundary dispute explicitly, saying: “The Afghanistan–Pakistan border, the Durand Line, is more than 2,400 km long. It could neither be controlled by ‘Changez’ nor ‘Angrez’… Strength alone cannot control it.”

Pakistan, meanwhile, treats the line as an international border and has militarised the frontier, citing the need to block infiltration by militants. But the Taliban’s ideological and political rejection of the boundary makes regular cooperation on border control almost impossible.

What Explains The Timing Of This Escalation?

Several analysts link the current escalation to a recent surge in attacks by the TTP on Pakistani military personnel. According to the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), an Islamabad-based think tank, at least 2,414 fatalities were recorded in the first three quarters of 2025. In its latest report released in September, CRSS warned that “2025 could be the deadliest year in more than a decade” if the trend continues.

At the same time, tensions have been heightened by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to India, where New Delhi has announced plans to reopen its embassy in Kabul and expand diplomatic engagement with the Taliban regime. This move has drawn unease in Islamabad, which has long viewed India’s presence in Afghanistan with suspicion.

Ibraheem Bahiss, a Kabul-based senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, said to Al Jazeera: “Muttaqi’s red-carpet welcome in India was probably a factor in the ultimate decision by the Pakistan army to escalate in the major way that we saw.”

How Have International Actors Responded?

While India has not issued an official comment on the clashes, several other countries have expressed concern.

Qatar’s foreign ministry urged both sides to “prioritise dialogue and diplomacy, exercise restraint, and work to contain the disputes”.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said it “calls for restraint, avoiding escalation, and embracing dialogue and wisdom to contribute to reducing tensions”.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on state television, “Stability between the two countries that border Iran contributes to regional stability.”

Source : https://www.news18.com/explainers/pakistan-afghanistan-border-clashes-what-triggered-the-fighting-and-could-it-escalate-ws-l-9632506.html

The demonstrations began on September 25 over water and power shortages, but quickly escalated into wider anger over corruption, poor governance, and lack of basic services

Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina fled the country on Monday stating that his life was under threat as the country remains embroiled in weeks-long protests led by the youth. The unrest, led largely by young people frustrated with economic hardship and governance failures, represents the latest in a wave of Gen Z-driven movements challenging leaders around the world.

VLADIMIR Putin’s shadow war on the West is already under way as the Kremlin has entered what military experts call “Phase Zero”.

It means Vlad is layering his ominous groundwork for a future conflict with Nato, as his tentacles spread across Europe through espionage, sabotage, drones, and unmarked troops.

The chilling warning comes from the respected Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which says Moscow is now in the “informational and psychological condition-setting phase” of a potential showdown with the Alliance.

Analysts say the writing is on the wall and Russia may strike sooner than expected.

According to Eastern European outlet Nexta, the Kremlin is already gaining significant experience in modern warfare.

It could also launch new aggression without waiting for its army to fully recover from the war in Ukraine — a sign Moscow may strike sooner than Western intelligence expects.

The Kremlin is adapting, building reserves, refining tactics and learning from the bloodbath in Ukraine.

Former Nato planner and Army intelligence officer Philip Ingram previously told The Sun: “It’s almost certain the Russians are probing to see what a political reaction and a security reaction would be to these drone incursions.

“Putin wants to find any cracks that he can then exploit in the future, and then look at the military reaction, see whether Nato is actually in a position to defend itself.”

The Iron Curtain never really fell. It’s shifting east and west at once — through drones, hackers, cyberwarriors and “little green men.”

Nato may not yet be at war, but “Phase Zero” has already begun.

‘Little green men’

In a flashback to Crimea 2014, Estonia, Nato’s most vulnerable member – shut down a section of its border on October 10.

The closure came after armed men in unmarked uniforms appeared on the roadside near the “Saatse Boot,” a strange kilometre-long stretch where an Estonian road briefly cuts through Russian territory.

Estonian officials confirmed the seven unidentified Russian were “definitely not border guards” and warned they posed a “threat”.

A border guard source said: “We saw extremely large units with intense activity.

“These are definitely not border guards. For us, it clearly created a threat.”

Another insider said: “At first, they moved along the roadside, but at some point they simply lined up across the road.

“That created a dangerous situation for us, and we had to make a decision immediately to close the highway passing through the Saatse Boot.”

Authorities acted to “prevent escalation”, fearing Putin could use the location to stage provocations against civilians.

Officials said: “Closing the Saatse Saapa crossing is necessary to ensure the safety of Estonian people and prevent possible incidents.”

The incident — the first sighting of Putin’s notorious “little green men” near a NATO frontier in this campaign, according to ISW — follows Russian airspace violations over Estonia on September 7 and 19.

Britain, which has 900 troops stationed just 113 miles from the flashpoint, scrambled two RAF planes for a 12-hour Nato patrol near Russian airspace.

Defence Minister John Healey declared at the time: “Not only does this provide valuable intelligence to boost the operational awareness of our Armed Forces, but sends a powerful message of Nato unity to Putin and our adversaries.”

Putin’s hybrid war

The border scare is only one front in Putin’s creeping offensive.

In the last two weeks, Europe has been hit by a wave of hybrid attacks — mysterious drone flights over military bases, fighter jet incursions into Nato skies, coordinated sabotage and crippling cyberstrikes.

Airports in Denmark, Poland, and Romania have faced repeated drone incursions, while Copenhagen airport was forced to shut down twice in one day.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned: “Over recent days, Denmark has been the victim of hybrid attacks,” adding that “there is one main country that poses a threat to Europe’s security, and it is Russia.”

Danish intelligence chief Finn Borch was blunt: “The risk of Russian sabotage in Denmark is high.”

Last week, a massive ransomware attack paralysed Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin airports, forcing airlines back to pen-and-paper check-ins.

Security expert Anthony Glees told The Sun: “Without doubt, the Russians are behind these attacks… Putin’s strategic planners have demonstrated they can attack our cyberspace with impunity and at will.”

Putin’s warplanes are also pushing boundaries.

Three Russian MiG-31 jets armed with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles violated Estonian airspace last week, loitering for nearly 12 minutes before being repelled by NATO F-35s.

Poland reported 19 separate airspace violations in two weeks and a low flyover near a critical oil and gas platform.

US President Donald Trump responded with a stark warning: Nato “shouldn’t hesitate” to shoot down Russian jets next time.

European diplomats have privately told Moscow that further incursions “will be met with full force.”

Russia’s ambassador to France, Alexey Meshkov, issued a chilling threat in return: “There are many NATO planes that violate Russian airspace… They are not shot down afterwards.”

He denied any Russian involvement in the drone swarms, claiming: “Russia doesn’t do that, play with anyone. It’s not really our thing.”

Ukraine strikes back

While Russia escalates its hybrid war, Ukraine is hitting back hard.

Backed by vital US intelligence, Kyiv’s long-range drone campaign has targeted Russia’s oil refineries, striking 16 of 38 facilities and triggering fuel shortages and soaring prices.

One US official told the Financial Times that Ukraine chooses the targets while Washington provides intelligence on vulnerabilities — a collaboration that has transformed Kyiv’s ability to evade Russian air defences.

And Washington may soon go further.

Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky held back-to-back calls on Sunday discussing possible US sales of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine — a move the Kremlin fears could tilt the battlefield.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15336313/

Trump, addressing a summit of world leaders at this Egyptian city after a ceasefire reached in Gaza ending the Israel-Hamas war, said from the podium that he thinks “India and Pakistan will live very nicely together”.

US President Donald Trump on Monday praised India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi without naming him, saying “India is a great country with a good friend of mine at the top”.

Trump, addressing a summit of world leaders at this Egyptian city after a ceasefire reached in Gaza ending the Israel-Hamas war, said from the podium that he thinks “India and Pakistan will live very nicely together”.

“India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top and he’s just done a fantastic job. I think Pakistan and India are going to live very nicely together,” Trump said while looking at Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who was standing behind him, as he responded with a chuckle.

Earlier praising Sharif and his “favourite field marshal” Pakistan army chief Gen Asim Munir, Trump also invited the Pakistan prime minister to address the gathering.

Sharif said peace has been achieved in the Middle East after “untiring and relentless efforts” of President Trump.

“Pakistan had nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his outstanding (and) extraordinary contributions to first stop the war between India and Pakistan and then achieve a ceasefire along with his very wonderful team,” he said.

Sharif said he would like to nominate Trump again for the Nobel Peace Prize for “saving millions of lives not only in South Asia but also in the Middle East”.

After missing out on the Nobel Peace Prize, Trump has claimed to have resolved eight wars, including the one between India and Pakistan, saying, he did not do this for the Nobel.

Trump has been claiming to resolve seven conflicts till now, including the one between India and Pakistan. However, he has now increased that figure to eight after adding the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Since May 10, when Trump announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after a “long night” of talks mediated by Washington, he has repeated his claim dozens of times that he “helped settle” the conflict between India and Pakistan.

India has consistently maintained that the understanding on cessation of hostilities with Pakistan was reached following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two militaries.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/donald-trump-praises-india-and-pm-modi-as-world-leaders-gather-in-egypt-for-gaza-peace-summit-9449645?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

It’s often said that a picture can speak a thousand words.

The one in Indian newspapers on Monday morning showing female journalists occupying front-row seats at the Afghan Taliban foreign minister’s press conference in Delhi is certainly one of those.

The conference – the second press event by Amir Khan Muttaqi at the Afghan embassy in about 48 hours – was called after a huge uproar over the exclusion of women from his first meeting on Friday.

Muttaqi said at Sunday’s conference that the exclusion was unintentional and not “deliberate”.

“With regard to the [Friday’s] press conference, it was on short notice and a short list of journalists was decided, and the participation list that was presented was very specific.

“It was more a technical issue… Our colleagues had decided to send an invitation to a specific list of journalists and there was no other intention apart from this,” he added.

The UN has referred to the situation in Afghanistan as “gender apartheid” where women and girls are not allowed to attend secondary school or university, visit parks or gyms. The jobs they are allowed to do are increasingly restricted and the Taliban government enforces head-to-toe coverings and restricts their travel.

The Taliban government, which retook power in 2021, has previously said it respects women’s rights in accordance with their interpretation of Afghan culture and Islamic law, but Western diplomats have said their attempts to gain recognition have been hampered by the curbs on women. The suppression of women’s rights under their rule is the harshest in the world.

Muttaqi arrived in India on Thursday for a week of high-level talks with the government from Russia, the only country so far to fully recognise their government.

Delhi has not formally recognised Afghanistan’s de facto rulers, but it is one of a number of countries that maintain some form of diplomatic or informal relations with them, even maintaining a small mission in Kabul and sending humanitarian aid there.

The visit is being seen as a ramping up of relations between the countries and is key for both – the Taliban government receives a boost in its quest for recognition, while India advances its strategic and security interests. On Friday, Muttaqi met Foreign Minister S Jaishankar who announced that India would reopen its embassy in Kabul which was shut after the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

The press event later in the day was attended by around 16 male reporters while female journalists were turned away from the embassy gates.

A source in the Taliban government had admitted women had not been invited to attend.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it “had no involvement in the press interaction” as it was held at the Afghan embassy.

But the gender discrimination on Indian soil angered politicians and journalists who criticised the government for letting it happen.

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said that by allowing the event to go ahead, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “telling every woman in India that you are too weak to stand up for them”.

The Editors Guild of India, the Indian Women’s Press Corps (IWPC) and the Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI), issued strong statements, calling the exclusion “highly discriminatory”.

“While diplomatic premises may claim protection under the Vienna Convention, that cannot justify blatant gender discrimination in press access on Indian soil,” the Guild said.

“Whether or not the MEA co-ordinated the event, it is deeply troubling that such a discriminatory exclusion was allowed to proceed without objection,” it added.

The NWMI said it was the Indian government’s “responsibility to uphold the democratic rights and constitutional freedoms of female citizens, including their right to work and livelihood” and that they should have questioned such “blatant gender discrimination”.

The group also criticised male journalists who attended Friday’s conference for not standing up for their female colleagues. “In moments like these, silence can be seen as complicity in normalising gender discrimination,” the statement said.

Amid growing outrage in India, Muttaqi’s team sent out fresh invitations for Sunday’s interaction, describing it as an “inclusive” event open to all media personnel.

It’s not clear what led to the second press meet – though there is no official confirmation, there has been some speculation that the Indian government may have intervened.

The conference was well attended and the minister was asked some hard-hitting questions about the reason for keeping out women from Friday’s meeting – and the rights of Afghan girls and women.

“We have 10 million students in schools and institutes, including over 2.8 million women and girls. In madrassas, education continues up to graduation,” Muttaqi responded. “Some limits exist, but we’ve never declared women’s education religiously haram [forbidden], it’s only postponed until further order,” he said.

Many journalists who attended the press conference questioned the minister’s claim, pointing out the restrictions the Taliban have imposed on girls and women since 2021.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gze7ely6vo

The United States said on Monday (Oct 13) it stood by its ally the Philippines and emphasised their mutual defence treaty after Chinese and Philippine vessels clashed amid heightened tensions in the disputed South China Sea.

Earlier, China’s Foreign Ministry urged Manila not to challenge Beijing’s efforts to “safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests” after Sunday’s incident in the Spratly Islands, in which the Philippines said China deployed water cannon and rammed a Filipino vessel.

US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott condemned China’s “ramming and water cannoning” of a Philippines vessel and said Washington stood with its ally “as they confront China’s dangerous actions which undermine regional stability”.

In a statement, Pigott reaffirmed that Article IV of the 1951 US Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty “extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft – including those of its Coast Guard – anywhere in the South China Sea”.

China and the Philippines have traded accusations over the confrontation near Sandy Cay, a coral reef within the Spratly Islands.

The two nations have confronted each other repeatedly in recent years in the South China Sea, a strategic trade route that facilitates more than US$3 trillion in annual ship-borne commerce, and which China claims most of.

Tensions have heightened recently and Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, told a regular press briefing the Philippines should immediately stop “violations and provocations”.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/us-back-philippines-south-china-sea-vessel-clash-5399541

Malaysia Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said his ministry will discuss with the education ministry on further action to contain the spread of the virus in schools.

Around 6,000 students in Malaysia have been infected with influenza and some schools have been closed for the safety of children and staff, an education ministry official said.

“We already have extensive experience in dealing with infectious diseases from the COVID-19 pandemic,” director general Mohd Azam Ahmad said on Monday (Oct 13), according to a video of his remarks posted by a local news broadcaster.

Young Europeans are skeptical of the EU’s democratic institutions. Now, the bloc is trying to reach out and gain their support — can it succeed?

For 18-year-old Aisling Giltinane from Ireland, cyberbullying is a deeply personal issue as she experienced it when she was younger.

She jumped at the chance to join a small group of young Europeans who came to the EU Commission’s headquarters in Brussels, to meet with EU Commissioner Glenn Micallef in September to discuss it.

“I wanted to make a difference,” she told DW. “I wanted to show what we can do so that other kids don’t have to go through the same.”

The participants — some still in high school, others already working — got a chance to bring their own ideas to the table.

These include making it easier to report cyberbullying, improving education on the topic, as well as involving teachers and parents more. The EU Commission wants to present a “Comprehensive EU Action Plan on Cyberbullying” next year and the discussions will feed into it.

But for many, the meeting is about more than just cyberbullying: “For me it’s mostly about the opportunity to voice not only my concerns, but also my ideas,” George Vella, an 18-year-old from Malta said. By talking directly to politicians he says his concerns are more likely to be addressed than if he just voices them on social media or with friends.

Aisling Giltinane said she had a positive exchange with Commissioner Micallef, who is in charge of International Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport. “We were able to tell him what we wanted, and he really took that on board.”

Young Europeans often critical of the EU
Unlike the small group visiting Brussels, not all young people in Europe voice confidence in the European Union or its democratic structures. A new survey by the German TUI Foundation found that 40% of the participants agreed with the statement that the way the EU works is not particularly democratic. Another 51% said that the EU is a good idea but poorly implemented. Some 53% believe that the EU is too concerned with trivial matters.

The survey questioned over 6,000 people aged 16 to 26 years old from across Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Poland and the UK.

The voter turnout of the last European election also shows a declining interest in taking part in EU democratic processes. In 2019, 42% of 15 to 24-year-olds voted. According to the statistical office Eurostat, only 36% showed up at the ballot box in 2024, meaning a decline of 6 percentage points. The number of young people voting in the latest election also lagged the average participation rate of 51%.

Can Europe win back young people?
Student George Vella thinks that the EU is doing a lot for young people, but that this is sometimes not “visible enough.” National governments often get credit for initiatives that actually come from the European Union, he said.

In Brussels, Commissioner Micallef says he is sure that “young people see the European Union as part of the solution to the challenges they face.” Speaking to DW after the meeting, he said, young people expect their trust in the EU to be repaid by concrete action.

He added that the EU is going to act in areas such as affordable housing, the quality of jobs and bringing down energy costs.

However, delivering tangible results might prove tricky. Enrique Hernandez-Diez, youth researcher and public law professor at the University of Extremadura, points out that the EU lacks legislative power in areas like employment, social security, and housing.

On these issue that are often key to a younger demographic, the EU’s role is limited to supporting member states, coordinating or offering ideas and funds, he said. Meanwhile, those benefitting from EU supported schemes often lack awareness about where the funds come from.

At times the bloc also gets blamed by national politicians for unpopular policies, distorting the EU’s image among some population groups, he added.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/eu-wants-to-get-win-back-young-europeans-gen-z-democracy-brussels/a-74255419

During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, the German government provided billions in support to small businesses, the self-employed and freelancers. Now they are being asked to repay the aid. Many are resisting.

Hairdresser Marion Alemeier still remembers March 23, 2020. It was day two of Germany’s first lockdown in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19, when then Economics Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) and then Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD) made bold promises. In his explanation of the coronavirus emergency aid for microenterprises and self-employed individuals, Scholz said: “It is very important to me that we are providing a grant, not a loan. This means that nothing needs to be repaid.”

To which Altmaier added: “We will not leave anyone behind!”

Five and a half years later, Marion Alemeier now feels quite abandoned.

“There was a lot of hype, but none of the promises were kept,” she told DW. “Many colleagues and friends warned me at the time: ‘Be careful, you’ll have to pay this back.’ And I replied, ‘No, that’s not possible; they can’t do that.'”

At the time, Alemeier received €9,000 ($10,400) in emergency aid, money she urgently needed because for six weeks she had lost all her income. It was not until May 4, 2020, that the social distancing rules were relaxed in Germany and hair salons were allowed to reopen.

Faulty calculations
Later, however, it was announced that the subsidy had only been awarded based on an estimate of what was needed to bridge the “liquidity gap” caused by the pandemic. The reason for this was that the Federal Economy Ministry estimated that of the approximately €13 billion that the federal and state governments had paid in emergency pandemic aid for the months of March to June 2020, €5 billion had been overpaid.

As a result, tens of thousands of requests for repayment were sent out — including to Marion Alemeier. The hairdresser was asked to repay €7,000. She took legal action against the official decision and won, but the North Rhine-Westphalian state government still wants half of the money from her, €3,500, as a settlement.

Self-employed individuals such as Alemeier were able to apply for €9,000, businesses with up to ten employees could get up to €15,000, and €25,000 were available for companies with ten to 50 employees. For many, this financial support was a lifeline at the time, or at least an enormous help.

This was also the case for hairdresser Guido Wirtz, a representative of hairdressers in the neighboring state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

In an interview with DW, he said: “Politicians made promises that they did not keep. There is a tremendous sense of disappointment and anger among all hairdressers. It wasn’t until mid- to late 2024 that sales returned to pre-pandemic levels, but with significantly fewer customers.”

Many of his colleagues were so desperate that they even canceled their retirement plans to make ends meet, while others simply gave up: “Us hairdressers are dying quietly.”

Downside of German federalism
What really gets small business owners and the self-employed riled up is Germany’s federal regulatory patchwork in which each state handles the issue of repayment differently.

In Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, those affected were unable to appeal the decision and had to take legal action immediately. The Administrative Court of Baden-Württemberg has now ruled in favor of the entrepreneurs in five cases: they were not ordered to repay the money received during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The reasoning behind the ruling will be provided at a later date, as the judgments are not yet final.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, the repayment terms on the websites changed no less than 15 times in just a few weeks.

Hesse has now imposed a moratorium, temporarily halting the review of coronavirus emergency aid. Hesse’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Kaweh Mansoori, explains the reasoning behind this decision: “Ultimately, this is not about large global corporations, but about the self-employed, small and medium-sized businesses and skilled trades. I therefore want to exhaust all legal options to give relief to those affected. For me, it is also a question of fairness.”

Hairdresser Wirtz now has one fewer employee and is repaying his €15,000 in emergency aid in monthly installments of €635.

“Politicians no longer know how to get out of this situation,” Wirtz said. “A politician once told me that they estimate the costs of processing the repayments to be significantly higher than the repayments themselves. After all, a lot of staff were hired to keep track of and handle the procedures.”

Political disenchantment
Rainer Hermann is one of the people in North Rhine-Westphalia who knows the most about the details of the COVID-19 emergency aid. In mid-2020, the lawyer founded the IG NRW-Soforthilfe (IG NRW Emergency Aid) and now supports almost 11,000 people who are fighting back against the repayment requests, including Marion Alemeier.

In his opinion, the emergency aid program is a disgraceful administrative disaster. People are not only depressed, but also extremely angry, he told DW: “I have seen highly educated people, seasoned entrepreneurs, slip into extremism — you can’t talk to them anymore. Others are completely desperate and broken. Many have already filed for bankruptcy or will have to do so shortly because, of course, the other economic aid measures are now being settled.”

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/german-businesses-asked-to-repay-covid-19-emergency-aid/a-74295702

Dozens of fighters were killed in overnight border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, both sides said on Sunday, in the most serious fighting between the neighbours since the Taliban came to power in Kabul.
The Pakistan military said that 23 of its soldiers were killed in the clashes. The Taliban said nine on its side were killed.

Tensions have risen after Islamabad demanded the Taliban take action against militants who have stepped up attacks in Pakistan, saying they operate from havens in Afghanistan. The Taliban, which came to power in 2021, denies that Pakistani militants are present on its soil.

Each side said it inflicted far higher casualties on the other side, without providing evidence. Pakistan said it had killed more than 200 Afghan Taliban and allied fighters, while Afghanistan said that it had killed 58 Pakistani soldiers.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the figures.

PAKISTANI AIRSTRIKES TRIGGER RETALIATORY ATTACKS

On Thursday, Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Kabul and on a marketplace in eastern Afghanistan, according to Pakistani security officials and the Taliban, setting off retaliatory attacks by the Taliban. Pakistan has not officially acknowledged the airstrikes.
Afghan troops opened fire on Pakistani border posts late on Saturday. Pakistan said that it had responded with gun and artillery fire.

Both nations claimed to have destroyed border posts of the other side. Pakistani security officials shared video footage, which they said showed Afghan posts being hit.

The exchanges were mostly over on Sunday morning, Pakistani security officials said. But in Pakistan’s Kurram area, intermittent gunfire continued, according to local officials and residents.
Afghanistan’s ministry of defence had previously said that their operation had finished at midnight local time.
Kabul said on Sunday that it had halted attacks at the request of Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The two Arab Gulf nations had released statements of concern about the clashes.
“There is no kind of threat in any part of Afghanistan’s territory,” the Taliban administration’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Sunday. “The Islamic Emirate and the people of Afghanistan will defend their land and remain resolute and committed in this defence.”

A record number of Chinese restaurants and cafes have flooded Singapore over the past year, using the island as a test bed for global expansion as they escape pallid consumer demand, extreme price competition and super-squeezed profit margins back home.
Well-known firms such as Luckin Coffee (LC0Ay.D), and bubble tea major Mixue (2097.HK),  joined hotpot and mala restaurant operators in the post-pandemic surge overseas, hoping to draw on the cachet of the internationally oriented city-state in a trend that industry experts and executives expect to accelerate.

“It’s really tough to operate in China now, so many brands are choosing to expand abroad,” said Josie Zhou, overseas general manager of Hunan cuisine restaurant Nong Geng Ji, which picked Singapore for the first stage of its global push.
Persistent price wars are forcing Chinese food and beverage firms to explore new growth models abroad, said Joanna Jia, Singapore manager of bubble tea chain ChaPanda, which opened two franchisee tearooms in the city in July and plans two more.
Weak demand has stifled growth in China since the end of COVID-19 lockdown almost three years ago. A long-time property market slump and U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods have exacerbated price wars in sectors as varied as food and beverages, e-commerce and autos, intensifying deflationary pressure.

In going global, culturally similar Singapore has long acted as a stepping stone for Chinese firms and is a country keen to develop relationships with major economies including China at a time when the top economy, the U.S., is raising trade barriers.
About 85 Chinese food and beverage brands were operating around 405 outlets in Singapore as of August, more than double the 32 brands running 184 outlets in June last year, showed data from consultancy Momentum Works.
That record growth comes even as local operators including low-cost hawker stalls, mid-sized firms and even Michelin-star restaurants grapple with rising costs and lower consumer spending – just as firms do in China.
Officials at Chinese brands said they are confident of their Singapore prospects as they can draw on the lean business models and supply chain management that helped them survive at home where a record 3 million restaurants went bust last year.

Tearoom chain Chagee (CHA.O), for instance, can prepare an iced milk tea with customised amounts of ice and sugar in just eight seconds with the help of machines built by in-house developers, said Jonathan Ng, Chagee’s director of government and public affairs for the Asia-Pacific region.
Such nimble processes and quickly adapting to change in consumer preference by offering a wider variety of drinks at far lower prices helped brands such as Luckin and Mixue blunt growth of Western rivals including Starbucks (SBUX.O), in China.
Starbucks’ market share in the world’s second-largest economy – home to more than a fifth of its cafes – slumped to 14% last year from 34% in 2019, showed data from researcher Euromonitor International. The U.S. company is looking to sell some of its Chinese operations.

“The Singapore market may be tough, but the mainland market is brutal – and they survived,” said Maybank China economist Erica Tay.
These ready-made models, however, have drawn the ire of local businesses. Singapore Tenants United for Fairness, representing 700 business owners, in a June statement on LinkedIn, said domestic companies struggle to compete.
“When an SME from China is often even bigger than our local large enterprises, it should be clear that our small businesses are not on a level playing field with such players. In fact, we are not even in the same stadium,” the cooperative said.

GATEWAY SINGAPORE

Traditionally a bridge between Eastern and Western cultures, Singapore is an ideal gateway for expansion with its 6.1 million predominantly Chinese population, said officials at Chinese firms. It is also a wealthy, fashionable place so having a presence there is for good branding, they said.
“If we can build up our brand in Singapore, the brand awareness can go to Malaysia and Vietnam, even Indonesia,” said ChaPanda’s Jia.
Some smaller Chinese names are often backed by deep-pocketed investors allowing them to outbid local rivals for prime locations.
Michelin-starred Yong Fu from Shanghai, for example, entered Singapore last year with investment of S$10 million ($7.72 million).
The sum covered renovation and provides liquidity for rental, staff and other operational costs such as a wine cellar for about five years, said Ye Cheng Zhong, a Yong Fu director and one of three investors.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinese-food-beverage-firms-flock-singapore-first-step-expansion-drive-2025-10-12/

The ongoing shutdown debate between Democrats and President Donald Trump’s Republicans is largely avoiding the difficult fiscal issues clouding the country’s future – the rising national debt and the long-term financial health of Social Security and Medicare.
The fifteenth partial federal govern since 1981 has been sparked by Democrats’ demand for spending, which would cost about $1.5 trillion over the next decade according to the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, adding to the nearly $38 trillion national debt.

“We have huge real problems in this country, and we are stuck in a perpetual messaging war between the two parties, instead of real attempts to fix these divisions and divides and do something to deal with our fiscal problems,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, which advocates for deficit-reduction.
The Senate has now voted repeatedly on dueling funding packages, including a bill passed by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and backed by Trump that would reopen federal agencies at recent funding levels through November 21. But Democrats favor their own legislation, which would ramp up spending mainly for healthcare.

There has been little or no discussion about how to reduce the nearly $2 trillion federal deficit.
Most government shutdowns over the past 44 years have involved fiscal issues such as spending, deficits and the need for a balanced budget. But since the start of Trump’s first term in 2017, the government has now shut down three times over social issues including immigration and healthcare.

The current standoff is centered on $1.7 trillion in funds for agency operations, which amounts to only about one-quarter of annual federal spending.
In the meantime, independent analysts warn that the U.S. finds itself in a deteriorating fiscal position, with debt growing faster than the economy, interest payments on debt crowding out spending for programs and financial weakness threatening social trust funds for the elderly.

MULTIPLYING DEBT

The national debt has risen from $5.67 trillion to $37.88 trillion over the last quarter-century, increasing steadily regardless of which party held sway in the White House and Congress. Interest on the debt alone now exceeds $1 trillion per year, more than what the U.S. government spends on defense, and Social Security and Medicare are due to run short of funds , which could trigger across-the-board cuts for beneficiaries.
Republican leaders including House Speaker Mike Johnson have warned about the debt impact of higher spending in the shutdown debate. But most Republican rhetoric has focused on “radical” Democratic priorities, rather than fiscal health, while Democrats have ignored the fiscal issue altogether and blamed Republicans for increasing the deficit by enacting Trump’s tax-cut and spending bill.

The Trump bill is expected to add $4.1 trillion to the deficit over a decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office, which also forecast that the cost could be offset by an estimated $4 trillion in new revenue brought in by Trump’s tariffs.
“I think Donald Trump would spend any amount for whatever it takes to advance his personal interest,” said Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee.

SOME DEFICIT HAWKS REMAIN

A handful of Republican fiscal hawks have voiced the need to rein in federal spending. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has voted repeatedly against the Republican funding bill, saying the measure – like the Democratic version – would add to the debt.
Others agree but view the government shutdown as part of an organized effort by party leaders and appropriators to maintain control of spending decisions and avoid the politically difficult choices that come with deficit-reduction.
“To the outside world, this looks dysfunctional. But this is a very well-honed process,” said Republican Senator Ron Johnson, who has proposed legislation to end shutdowns and wants federal spending reduced to levels seen before the COVID pandemic.
“What you’re seeing right here, the shutdown showdown, this is the magician’s shiny object. Look over here! Look at this! Don’t look at the $37 trillion we’re in debt,” the Wisconsin Republican told reporters.
Republican Senator Roger Marshall said he hopes that Republican control of the White House and both chambers of Congress can eventually facilitate a reduction in federal spending to about $6.4 trillion as a first step toward balancing the budget.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/partisan-shutdown-standoff-ignores-key-risk-us-stability-rising-national-debt-2025-10-12/

At least 44 people were killed in Mexico after days of heavy rains and flooding, the government said on Sunday.
Torrential rains from tropical storms Priscilla and Raymond triggered landslides and flooding across five states.

There were 18 people killed in Veracruz state, 16 in Hidalgo, nine in Puebla and one in Queretaro, a government statement said.

The government of President Claudia Sheinbaum was managing a response plan to support 139 affected towns.

Photos posted by the Mexican military showed people being evacuated by soldiers using life rafts, homes that were flooded with mud and rescue workers trudging through waist-height waters through town streets.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/least-44-people-dead-after-torrential-rains-mexico-2025-10-12/

Hamas freed the last living Israeli hostages from Gaza on Monday under a ceasefire deal and Israel sent home busloads of Palestinian detainees, as U.S. President Donald Trumptold Israel’s parliament that peace had arrived in the Holy Land.
The Israeli military said it had received all hostages confirmed to be alive, after their transfer from Gaza, by the Red Cross. The announcement prompted cheering, hugging and weeping among thousands waiting at “Hostage Square” in Tel Aviv.

In Gaza, thousands of relatives, many weeping with joy, gathered at a hospital where buses brought home some of the nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees freed by Israel as part of the accord.
“The skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still and the sun rises on a Holy Land that is finally at peace,” Trump told the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, saying a “long nightmare” for both Israelis and Palestinians was over.
“Now it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East,” he said before departing for a summit in Egypt intended to cement the truce.

He arrived in the Egyptian beach resort of Sharm el-Sheikh about an hour before sundown for the summit of more than 20 world leaders, which Trump will chair alongside President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

FORMIDABLE OBSTACLES REMAIN

The release of the last living hostages captured in the October 2023 attacks, which killed 1,200 Israelis and precipitated the war, in return for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees follows a ceasefire and partial Israeli withdrawal.
Thousands of Palestinians have been able to return to the ruins of homes they fled in the Gaza Strip, where health authorities say 68,000 people were killed in fighting that displaced nearly the entire 2.2 million-strong population.
However, formidable obstacles remain, even to securing an enduring ceasefire, much less to bringing a wider, more durable peace. Among the immediate issues still to be resolved: recovering the remains of another 26 hostages believed to have died and two whose fates are unknown.

Hamas says recovering the bodies could take time as not all burial sites are known. It said on Monday it would soon hand over four bodies. Israel’s defence minister said handing over so few would be a “gross violation” of the group’s commitments.
Aid supplies are meant to flow more smoothly into the enclave under Trump’s plan. U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher underlined the need to “get shelter and fuel to people who desperately need it and to massively scale up the food and medicine and other supplies going in.”
Beyond that, crucial issues have yet to be resolved, including how to govern and police Gaza, and the ultimate future of Hamas, which still rejects Israel’s demands to disarm.

Hamas gunmen, seeking to assert their presence, launched a security crackdown in Gaza City after Israel’s pullback, killing 32 members of a rival group, a Palestinian security source said.
The Gaza War has also reshaped the Middle East through spillover conflicts, with Israel imposing punishing damage in a 12-day war against Iran and campaigns against its regional allies, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis.
Trump, who has presented his plan as the catalyst for a wide regional peace settlement, even floated the idea of a peace deal between arch Middle East enemies Iran and Israel to the Knesset, saying he thought Iran wanted one: “Wouldn’t it be nice?”

JOY, RELIEF ON BOTH SIDES

Beaming with relief and joy, two hostages waved to cheering crowds from vans on the way to an Israeli hospital, one hoisting a large Israeli flag then forming a heart with his hands.
Video footage captured emotional scenes of families receiving phone messages from their loved ones as they were being released, their faces lighting up with disbelief and hope after months of anguish.
“I am so excited. I am full of happiness. It’s hard to imagine how I feel this moment. I didn’t sleep all night,” said Viki Cohen, mother of hostage Nimrod Cohen, as she travelled to Reim, an Israeli military camp where hostages were being transferred.
Palestinians meanwhile rushed to embrace prisoners freed by Israel. Several thousand gathered inside and around Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, some waving Palestinian flags, others holding photos of their relatives.
“I am happy for our sons who are being freed, but we are still in pain for all those who have been killed by the occupation, and all the destruction that happened to our Gaza,” a Gaza woman, Um Ahmed, told Reuters in a tearful voice message.
Freed prisoners arrived in buses, some of them posing from the windows, flashing V-for-Victory signs. The appearance of armed masked Hamas fighters at the scene underscored the difficulty of resolving Israel’s demand that they disarm.
Israel was due to release 1,700 detainees it captured in Gaza, as well as 250 prisoners from its jails convicted or suspected of security offences, including attacks on Israelis.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israelis-honour-trump-hostages-return-home-two-years-after-their-capture-2025-10-12/

A mass shooting early Sunday at a crowded bar on an idyllic island considered to be the largest Gullah community on the South Carolina coast has left four people dead and at least 20 injured, officials said.

A large crowd was at Willie’s Bar and Grill on St. Helena Island when sheriff’s deputies arrived and found many people with gunshot wounds. An estimated 5,000 or more Gullah people living on the island trace their ancestry back to enslaved West Africans who once worked rice plantations in the area before being freed by the Civil War.

Bar owner Willie Turral was inside the establishment, which was packed for a high school alumni event, when he heard shots going off “in bursts” outside. He described the scene: “Screaming and panic and fear.”

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on the social platform X that many people ran to nearby businesses seeking shelter from the gunfire.

“This is a tragic and difficult incident for everyone,” the statement said. “We ask for your patience as we continue to investigate this incident. Our thoughts are with all of the victims and their loved ones.”

Among the injured, four were in critical condition at hospitals Sunday afternoon. The victims’ identities were not released.

Turral said the bar was hosting an event for alumni of Battery Creek High School in Beaufort, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) northwest of St. Helena Island. He said people were having a good time when the shots were heard.

“It was scary from the inside,” he said, with “people not knowing what’s really going on outside, people trying to get to safety.”

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace posted on X that she was “COMPLETELY HEARTBROKEN to learn about the devastating shooting.”

Willie’s Bar and Grill advertises itself as serving authentic Gullah-inspired cuisine and describes itself on its website as “not just a restaurant but a community pillar committed to giving back, especially to our youth.”

Source : https://apnews.com/article/south-carolina-shooting-st-helena-147cdcdee43deff913afa548cf28de6e

Hillary Clinton heaped some rare praise on her former arch-enemy Donald Trump for his handling of the Gaza peace deal in a recent interview.

“I really commend President Trump and his administration,” Clinton told CBS News 24/7 Friday.

“As well as Arab leaders in the region, for making the commitment to the 20-point plan and seeing a path forward for what’s often called the day after,” she added.

Clinton’s comments came just a day after Hamas agreed to Trump’s peace plan in a stunning move that is expected to end the two year war that’s ravaged the Gaza Strip.

The agreement — which received cheers from Gazans and Israelis alike — will see the release of the remaining 48 Israeli hostages as early as Monday, and Israeli forces withdrawing from the territory in stages.

Hamas is to be disarmed, while a transitional government led by an international body will be created to govern Gaza.

An independent Palestinian state will be an “aspiration” for the people of Gaza, though those terms were left unclear in the agreement.

Clinton — who argued for a two-state solution as Secretary of State under former President Barack Obama — encouraged the Trump administration to buckle down and hold Israel and Gazans accountable to the terms of their deal, as well as the rest of the world.

“Let’s now support this process and bring it together, not just in a nonpartisan way in our own country, but literally internationally as a great global commitment to try to bring peace, security, stability and a better future to the Middle East,” Clinton told CBS.

She also praised the Trump administration’s shrewd move to bring Israel to the negotiating table after Hamas leaders were attacked by Israel during peace talks in Qatar in September.

“That provided an opening for both President Trump and his representatives to marshal all of the regional powers, including, of course, Qatar, but also to make it clear to Israel, ‘No, this is now enough. We cannot continue this. This conflict needs to end, and we’ve got to move on,” Clinton said.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/10/12/us-news/hillary-clinton-heaps-rare-praise-on-president-trump-for-handling-of-israel-hamas-peace-deal-i-really-commend/

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will attend an international summit in Egypt on Monday alongside Donald Trump and other world leaders to finalise an agreement aimed at ending the war in Gaza, his office has said.

He was invited by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is leading the event in Sharm el-Sheikh alongside Trump.

Leaders from more than 20 countries are expected to attend, including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Trump’s plan for ending the war in Gaza has left open the possibility of a role for Abbas’s Palestinian Authority (PA) after it carries out reforms, though Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected its involvement.

The PA is a governing body that has control of parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. It is run by Fatah, a rival to Hamas. Abbas is also in charge of the PLO – the umbrella organisation which represents Palestinians at international fora.

Last month, Abbas, 89, was barred from travelling to New York to appear in person at the UN General Assembly when he and 80 other Palestinian officials had their visas revoked by the US state department.

Speaking via video at the assembly, he said he was ready to work with world leaders to implement a peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians. He also reiterated his rejection of a future governing role for Hamas in Gaza, and demanded it disarm.

The first phase of Trump’s 20-point peace plan was agreed to by Israel and Hamas on Wednesday, and a ceasefire came into effect on Friday.

It will see the expected exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners on Monday.

Negotiations are then expected to follow over the details of latter phases which include the governance of Gaza, the extent of Israeli troop withdrawal and the disarming of Hamas.

Both Israel and Hamas have confirmed officials will not attend the summit in Egypt.

Sisi’s office said Monday’s international gathering aimed “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security and stability”.

Egypt’s foreign ministry said a “document ending the war in the Gaza Strip” was expected to be signed.

Other world leaders confirmed to be attending are French President Emmanuel Macron, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will also attend.

Meanwhile, former UK prime minister Sir Tony Blair, who is expected to be part of a “Board of Peace” supervising Gaza’s governance under Trump’s peace plan, met the PA’s Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh on Sunday.

Al-Sheikh said he had “confirmed our readiness to work with President Trump, Mr Blair” and other partners to secure the entry of aid and the release of hostages and prisoners, before starting on “recovery and reconstruction”.

“We stressed the importance of stopping the undermining of the Palestinian Authority, and especially the return of the withheld Palestinian revenues and preventing the undermining of the two-state solution in preparation for a comprehensive and lasting peace in accordance with international legitimacy”, he added in a post on X.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4pllm1r7wo

Floods caused by torrential rain have left a number of people trapped in vehicles in Spain’s north-eastern Catalonia region, officials say.

Videos on social media have emerged showing torrents of muddy water sweeping through the towns of La Ràpita and Santa Bàrbara in the Tarragona province, and moving everything in their path.

The highest red alert has been declared in the coastal province by Spain’s national weather agency AEMET.

So far there have been no reports of any deaths or injuries.

Catalonia’s Civil Protection agency urged residents in Tarragona’s Ebro Delta to stay indoors, as AEMET warned of 180mm (7in) of rain in 12 hours in the area.

“The situation is complicated, and more rain is forecast,” Cristina Vicente, a senior official at the agency, was quoted as saying by the La Vanguardia newspaper.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0qpee28wqpo

President Prabowo Subianto has made reforming Indonesia’s state-owned enterprises a priority. Can a new regulator work with sovereign wealth fund Danantara to make it happen?

On paper, the Indonesian state-owned company that Arif works for has enormous potential: A vast market in a country of 280 million people, decades of expertise and easy access to government funding.

In reality, Arif said his employer has been bleeding money, weighed down by mounting debt, lawsuits, and corruption scandals that have scared off private partners and tarnished its reputation in recent years.

Arif requested not to disclose his full name and his workplace because he is not authorised to speak to the media.

But checks by CNA showed by Arif’s employer has been investigated, and its executives found guilty, in a number of cases ranging from fictitious projects to bribery and mark-ups dating back to 2016.

When President Prabowo Subianto established a new sovereign wealth fund called Danantara on Feb 24 this year to manage the assets of all state-owned enterprises (SOEs), Arif said he felt upbeat.

Danantara, with assets under management worth more than US$900 billion, aimed to free state firms from political interference and make them run like real businesses.

As Indonesia’s second sovereign wealth fund after the Indonesia Investment Authority, it also aimed to optimise outbound investments and draw more foreign investment.

“When I saw Danantara – the people behind it, their statements, their plans – suddenly I felt hope again,” said Arif, who is with the company’s legal department.

But with Indonesia on Oct 2 replacing the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises with a new regulator called the State Owned Enterprise Management Agency (BP BUMN), it is unclear how the transition will be carried out and whether it will facilitate what observers say are long-overdue reforms.

On Wednesday (Oct 8), Prabowo appointed Dony Oskaria, the chief operating officer of Danantara and former SOEs deputy minister, to lead the new regulatory body.

“BP BUMN and the SOE ministry are nearly identical (in function). The bottom line: We want to quickly transform (Indonesia’s) SOEs … so they become effective companies,” Dony told reporters after his inauguration, as quoted by Detik.

“ We hope there will be collaborations between BP (BUMN) and Danantara.”

As regulator of Indonesia’s state-owned enterprises, the new agency, like its ministry predecessor, will retain the state’s golden share – a 1 per cent Class A stake – in each enterprise.

The remaining 99 per cent of government-held shares will be transferred to Danantara, which will serve as the operator.

The “golden share” gives the government special veto rights, including the authority to approve changes to the company’s articles of association, mergers, acquisitions, liquidation, or decisions that affect national interest, Indonesian media outlets reported.

While BP BUMN will formally manage the Class A shares on behalf of the state, all operational revenues and dividend policies will be consolidated under Danantara.

Experts are divided on the government’s decision to create a new regulatory agency instead of letting Danantara have full control over Indonesia’s SOEs, with critics arguing it could create more bureaucracy, slow down decision-making, and hinder reforms.

“It actually makes things more complicated. It just lengthens the bureaucratic chain,” said Bhima Yudhistira, managing director of the Center of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS).

Others, however, welcome the change, saying the new law provides a clearer separation of powers between Danantara and the BP BUMN – something that had been ambiguous under the ministry of SOEs.

Before the law was amended, it was not clear who SOEs reported to and who called the shots, experts said.

“Institutionally, SOEs now stand on firmer ground because their roles are clearly delineated,” said Achmad Nur Hidayat, an economist at Jakarta National Development University, who believes the two bodies can balance each other out.

TURNING AROUND STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISES

Since taking office last year, President Prabowo Subianto has made reforming Indonesia’s sprawling state-owned enterprises one of his priorities.

In multiple speeches, he has highlighted losses made by SOEs, warning that mismanagement and corruption would no longer be tolerated and that law enforcers were keeping a close eye.

“I’ve ordered my management to clean up the SOEs,” he declared on Sep 29 at an event of the Prosperous Justice Party, a member of his governing coalition.

“Some of them are reckless. They’re entrusted with the people’s money, but act like these companies belong to their ancestors. The firms are losing money — and they still give themselves bonuses. Outrageous.”

If Indonesia’s SOEs could achieve even a modest five per cent profitability ratio, he said, they would more than cover the country’s 660 trillion rupiah (US$39 billion) fiscal deficit.

Danantara is expected to receive dividends of around 114 trillion rupiah from its 2024 financial year profit, CNBC Indonesia reported in August. The business news portal reported that 97 per cent of SOE dividends come from only eight SOEs.

In November 2024, Antara news agency reported that Bank Rakyat Indonesia, Bank Mandiri and state energy firm Pertamina were among the top 10 SOE dividend contributors to the government.

Of more than 1,000 SOEs, some are barely breaking even while more than half are running at a loss of around 50 trillion rupiah in total each year, Danantara COO Dony cited to CNBC Indonesia in August.

Danantara has been tasked with turning things around. The sovereign wealth fund aims to do so by cutting the number of state-owned enterprises to between 200 and 400 over the next three years through mergers, privatisations and dissolutions.

Experts warn Danantara could still face obstacles going forward.

Under the new law, BP BUMN holds sweeping powers to approve Danantara’s budgets and work plans.

“This gives BP BUMN a very dominant position within the SOE ecosystem — even more powerful than the former SOE Ministry,” said Herry Gunawan, director of the think tank Next Indonesia Center, as quoted by Tempo on Oct 6. “This development effectively reduces Danantara’s autonomy.”

Experts fear the sweeping power could result in a bureaucratic tug-of-war between Danantara and the new agency.

Some even predict that executives resistant to restructuring will exploit the overlap to play one institution against the other.

“You’ll have people siding with Danantara and others siding with BP BUMN,” said Bhima of CELIOS.

CNA has contacted Danantara and BP BUMN for comment.

WILL POLITICS DRIVE INVESTMENT?

According to the new law, the new agency is also authorised to “optimise” state-owned enterprises and ensure they remain “aligned with national development priorities.”

Such phrasing, critics say, is vague and open to multiple interpretations, potentially allowing the agency to intervene at will.

“In the name of ‘optimising SOEs’, BP BUMN could summon executives or issue directives directly to state companies, bypassing Danantara altogether,” warned Herry of Next Indonesia Center.

Experts caution that such sweeping authority could be misused to compel SOEs to take on projects that look good on paper or serve short-term government agendas, but are financially unsustainable.

“This is where the danger lies,” said Tauhid Ahmad, a senior economist at the think tank Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF).

“When SOEs are pushed to fund or execute projects that don’t make commercial sense, they carry the losses while the political benefits go elsewhere. In the end, it erodes their balance sheets, undermines their credibility with lenders, and forces taxpayers to pick up the bill.”

One example is Whoosh, Southeast Asia’s first high-speed railway – a flagship project championed by former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and financed largely through a US$5.4 billion loan from the China Development Bank, which covered about 75 per cent of the total cost.

The line was hailed as a symbol of national pride when it opened in 2023. But weak passenger demand has left the project racking up 4.2 trillion rupiah in losses last year and another 1.24 trillion rupiah in the first half of 2025.

A group of state enterprises called PT Pilar Sinergi BUMN Indonesia, which holds a 60 per cent stake in the Indonesia-China joint venture running Whoosh, has borne most of the financial strain.

Despite the losses, Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono said last month that the Prabowo administration remains keen to expand the high-speed rail network to connect Jakarta and Surabaya, a distance of roughly 670 km. The current line covers 142 km, linking Jakarta and Bandung.

Meanwhile, local media have reported that Jokowi’s infrastructure push has left several of Indonesia’s state construction firms struggling under massive debts accumulated since he first took office in 2014.

Four of the country’s largest construction SOEs — including Waskita Karya and Wijaya Karya — have faced mounting difficulties repaying loans taken to fund toll roads, airports, and public housing projects.

Their combined debt peaked at 215 trillion rupiah in 2021 before easing to 184 trillion rupiah in the first quarter of 2025, thanks largely to debt restructuring and government bailouts.

These figures highlight the cost of politically driven development projects, economists said.

“For years, SOEs have been used as tools of fiscal policy — asked to build, borrow, and spend, even when the returns don’t add up,” said Tauhid of INDEF.

“That model is unsustainable. When politics drives investment, companies end up with debt, not growth.”

PROHIBITION ON HOLDING DUAL OFFICES LAUDED

Experts, however, lauded the new law’s prohibition on dual office-holding and the requirement that SOE commissioner positions be filled by professionals rather than political appointees.

A commissioner in Indonesia is similar to a board member in other countries.

“Banning commissioners from simultaneously holding ministerial or vice-ministerial positions is a fundamental step toward reducing conflicts of interest,” said Achmad of Jakarta National Development University.

A 2022 report by the Asian Development Bank noted that “many senior managers, including board members, have historically been politically appointed and were not qualified for their roles”. This has led to “poor management and lax governance of SOEs” and, in several cases, “notable instances of operational mismanagement.”

Data from the non-profit Indonesia Corruption Watch show that between 2016 and 2023, there were 212 corruption cases involving SOEs, resulting in the conviction of 349 officials.

But political appointments have persisted under Prabowo. His administration has appointed 33 vice-ministers as SOE commissioners – a practice Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said will soon end in compliance with the new law.

Under Prabowo, commissioner posts have also been awarded to politicians, entertainers and campaign volunteers.

Among them are actor-turned-campaign manager Fauzi Baadilla, who became commissioner of postal operator Pos Indonesia in July 2024, and composer Yovie Widianto, who was appointed commissioner at fertiliser producer Pupuk Indonesia in June 2025.

Achmad said the challenge now is ensuring that the reform is enforced, not merely declared.

“We need mechanisms that can withstand public scrutiny — independent nomination committees based on sectoral competency, clear cooling-off periods for those with potential conflicts of interest and measurable, publicly reported key performance indicators for commissioners,” he said.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-state-owned-enterprises-regulator-agency-operator-danantara-5392801

CNA speaks to parents, educators and psychologists to explore the growing trend of children with autism entering mainstream schools – and the support and struggles that come with it.

Nine-year-old Ethan (not his real name) has never once complained about going to school. Each morning, he heads off with enthusiasm and returns brimming with excitement, eager to share stories about his day.

But this year, a new challenge has tested him.

This is the first year the Primary 3 student had to sit for graded examinations. While he excelled in oral assessments – scoring 87 marks in one – he managed just 15 out of 100 in a recent written paper.

“Reading is very difficult for him so he can’t read the questions and he doesn’t really understand why exams are important,” said his mother, Jane (not her real name), adding that Ethan has a history of speech delays.

She now wonders if enrolling him in a mainstream school three years ago, instead of a special education (SPED) school, was the right decision.

Ethan was diagnosed with autism at age six and was recommended by the National University Hospital to be enrolled in a SPED school that offers the national curriculum.

“I cried when we got the results because we sent him for extra classes and gave him more learning support, but he was still struggling.”

Initially, Jane followed the doctor’s advice and applied to St Andrew’s Mission School, which caters to children with autism. But her application was rejected as Ethan was not yet able to read, she said.

CNA has reached out to St Andrew’s Mission School for comment.

Determined for him to continue with the national curriculum, Jane enrolled him in a mainstream school in Bukit Panjang.

“We don’t want him to feel that he is different. My husband and I both work from home, so we felt we could teach him daily and guide him along,” Ms Jane said, adding that he has adapted well.

MORE CHOOSING MAINSTREAM PATH

Like Jane, a growing number of parents are opting to place their children with autism in mainstream schools rather than SPED institutions.

A study published in July in Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore, analysed medical records of children born between 2008 and 2011 who were referred to an autism clinic or diagnosed with autism.

Researchers reviewed demographic data, diagnostic methods, psychological assessments, early intervention attendance and school placement outcomes.

Of the 1,282 school placement recommendations recorded, 19.7 per cent were advised to attend mainstream schools, while 39.1 per cent were recommended SPED schools offering the national curriculum. The remaining 41.2 per cent were advised to opt for SPED schools offering a customised curriculum.

However, in practice, 45.9 per cent of the 1,483 children in the cohort ended up in mainstream schools, while 21.8 per cent enrolled in SPED national curriculum schools, and 32.3 per cent attended SPED schools with customised programmes.

Notably, 3.4 per cent of children placed in mainstream schools had originally been recommended for SPED customised programmes.

Senior consultant of the department of child development at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital Wong Chui Mae, who is the principal investigator of the study and, said the results mirror common patterns seen in clinical practice.

One factor influencing parental decisions, added Dr Wong, was the limited availability of SPED schools offering the national curriculum. At the time, Pathlight School was the only such option. Since then, St Andrew’s Mission School has opened, and Anglo-Chinese School (Academy) is slated to launch in 2026.

During MOE’s budget debate in March, then-Second Minister for Education Maliki Osman said the ministry’s priority is to provide a good education for students with special education needs, regardless of school type.

He said mainstream teachers are trained to support diverse learners, and that students, teachers and leaders in SPED schools are given access to the same developmental support as those in mainstream schools.

Whether mainstream or SPED, there is no right or wrong choice, and neither is one type of school better than another, Dr Wong said, stressing that each child has different needs.

Children with autism generally fall into two broad groups: those with language and communication difficulties, and those with behavioural challenges such as sensory sensitivities or rigidity.

The first group often struggles with academic learning due to significant language impairments.

“Once you have significant language impairment as part of their autism symptoms, all the academics are affected because language underlies all academic learning,” Dr Wong said.

Ethan, whose reading difficulties persist, belongs to this category. Earlier this year, he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) after a psychological assessment. He was again recommended for transfer to a SPED school.

Still, Jane remains hopeful that he will make progress as the year-end examinations draw near.

“We still have some hope that things will change and he will begin to manage,” she said.

NAVIGATING MAINSTREAM EDUCATION

CNA spoke to several parents whose children had been recommended for mainstream schools by medical professionals. These parents cited social learning, communication development and broader academic exposure as benefits of mainstream education.

Ms Su-Lynn Tan, principal educational psychologist at Promises Healthcare, said learning alongside neurotypical peers can aid long-term development and adaptation.

“For children who can cope with the national curriculum and have adequate adaptive skills to learn in large group settings, mainstream schools could be a better option due to opportunities to assess regular CCAs and having national exams like PSLE.”

But she cautioned that the pace of learning and the school environment can be overwhelming for children with more complex needs.

Ms Kate Tan, whose nine-year-old son Leo (not his real name) is in Primary 3, said early intervention helped prepare him for mainstream schooling. His teachers and special needs officer have been supportive.

Despite coping academically – he even received an award from the Ministry of Education (MOE) last year – Leo struggles socially.

“He keeps emphasising that these are my classmates and not friends. There’s probably only one boy in his class that he would say is his friend,” Ms Tan said.

Leo is soft-spoken and sensitive to noise. Assemblies, cheers and recess chatter often overwhelm him.

“During recess, he just wants to eat alone and enjoy his food,” Ms Tan said. “Sometimes it’s hard for me to ask if he is happy being alone or if he wants friends.”

Earlier this year, a classmate called him “stupid” – a taunt he took to heart. “He told me, ‘I’m not stupid, why are they calling me stupid?’” she recalled.

Bullying is a challenge that children with autism are more vulnerable to, experts said.

“It can really impact the child’s self-esteem when they’re being perceived as different. Over time, it can lead to a child feeling very reluctant to attend school,” said Ms Tan of Promises Healthcare.

“For many students, school is really not just about academics. It’s really about play, friendships, team building. So when students with autism feel excluded from any of these aspects, the whole experience of school then becomes very stressful, even if they can cope academically.”

DAILY CHALLENGES

Ms Laura (not her real name), another parent, is trying to move her 10-year-old son Nathan (not his real name) to a SPED school after he struggled with daily learning tasks and sensory overload in his mainstream class of 40.

“In a class of 40, the teacher cannot be expected to chase after every child,” said Ms Laura, who only wanted to be known by her first name.

“If my son forgets to hand in homework, they would simply shrug and say he didn’t know it was due,” she said. “You can’t fault the teacher, they have 40 other students.”

Nathan would often avoid physical education lessons by slipping away unnoticed. “He’s very good at making himself invisible,” she said.

“Teachers rarely insisted he join in. He managed to do this for a while without anyone really questioning it.”

For Ms Laura, these incidents highlight the gaps between what mainstream schools can reasonably provide and what children like Nathan need.

“Forty kids in a class … He is not able to survive,” she said.

She succeeded in her appeal to MOE to allow Nathan to switch to a SPED school, though her son has been placed on a waiting list for the past five months due to a lack of vacancies, according to a letter from MOE seen by CNA.

Mr Tang of Spectrum Psychology said many parents start to “see the cracks” when their children reach Primary 3 – a stage where exams begin and the academic load increases sharply.

KKH’s Dr Wong added that in some cases, students perform well academically but face mental health challenges as a result of bullying.

“Those with high abilities know that they are being left out, or they feel it when they’re not invited to join things. Or they’re very aware that during group work they’re the last to be chosen,” she said.

“To truly build inclusive schools and an inclusive society, the school systems and the classroom need to change in order to bring into place adaptations that allow that individual to thrive.”

DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, SAME GOALS

Whether in SPED or mainstream settings, the key is finding the right environment to meet a child’s needs, experts said.

At St Andrew’s Mission School, each class has one teacher for every six students. Teacher Fung Wing Sang said five core strategies are used: physical structure, schedules, work systems, routines and visual materials.

These include defined zones in classrooms, visual schedules to help students anticipate their day and detailed step-by-step guides for tasks.

Students who feel dysregulated can go to a calm corner. Visual strategies are also used to remind them how to get help.

Routines play a crucial role – from switching on the fans and unpacking their bags in the morning, to following specific steps during dismissal – every action is broken down into smaller, manageable steps, Ms Fung said.

“These are the routines that they follow every day, and it offers them the predictability of what’s going to happen,” Ms Fung said. “It tells them what they are expected to do, and it gives them a bit of comfort knowing that the day is not going to change.”

Many of these approaches are being adopted in mainstream classrooms as well.

May (not her real name), a year head at a primary school in Pasir Ris, said inclusive techniques are designed to benefit the whole class, not just children with autism.

Calm corners help students who are dealing with emotions, while teaching classmates how to support one another when someone is upset. Routines and visual tools are also used to help children stay on task.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/children-autism-mainstream-schools-special-education-5388766

Australia’s push to ban children from social media is “well intentioned” but will not make them safer online, video streaming giant YouTube warned on Monday (Oct 13).

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last year unveiled landmark laws that will ban under-16s from social media by the end of 2025.

Popular platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram face heavy fines for flouting the laws.

YouTube, which will also fall under the ban, has argued that it is not a social media platform and should receive some kind of exception.

The firm’s local spokeswoman Rachel Lord told a senate committee the ban was “well intentioned” but would risk “unintended consequences”.

“The legislation will not only be extremely difficult to enforce, it also does not fulfil its promise of making kids safer online,” she said on Monday.

“Well-crafted legislation can be an effective tool to build on industry efforts to keep children and teens safer online, but the solution to keeping kids safer online is not stopping them from being online.”

Lord said the platform should be “out of scope of this legislation, because we are not a social media service”.

Australia has been a leader in global efforts to prevent internet harm, but current legislation offers almost no details on how the ban will be enforced.

Some experts are concerned that the law will be merely symbolic.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/youtube-australia-socia-media-ban-children-safe-5397741

POP star Katy Perry and former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau are “constantly in contact” after they went public with their romance, The Sun can reveal.

The pair were recently pictured kissing aboard her yacht, with cheeky Trudeau putting his hand on the singer’s bottom.

And insiders last night told The Sun the pair have been secretly dating since the start of the summer.

A source said: “They haven’t been able to spend a lot of time together as she’s on tour, but they’re constantly in contact — always FaceTiming and messaging each other.”

Relationship rumours began to swirl in July after singer Katy, 40, and Trudeau, 53, were seen dining together at the swanky Le Violon restaurant in Montreal, Canada.

It came a month after Katy announced she had split from Brit actor Orlando Bloom, 48.

At the time, neither Katy nor Trudeau commented on the romance claims.

Our source said: “He’s a bit of a geek and can’t believe someone as famous and glamorous as Katy is interested in him, whereas she’s flattered such a respected politician wants to date her.”

Katy and Trudeau were pictured on her yacht, the 78ft Caravelle, off Santa Barbara in California, last month.

The singer, in a swimsuit, and shirtless Trudeau, were caught in a clinch when a passenger on a tourist boat took a picture and recognised the ex-PM from his tattoo.

Katy split from Pirates of the Caribbean star Orlando — with whom she has daughter Daisy Dove, five – in January.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/15335380/katy-perry-justin-trudeau-public-romance-kiss/

Tomaino Ndam Njoya, an experienced parliamentarian with international credibility, is confident she can achieve what many have failed to do over the past four decades: unseat President Paul Biya in Cameroon’s election.

There was great surprise when Cameroon’s electoral commission announced the 12 candidates for the October 12 presidential election. For the third time in Cameroon’s political history, one of the contenders running for the highest office in the country is a woman.

The fact that Tomaino Hermine Patricia Ndam Njoya was even allowed to run is remarkable, given that the initial list comprised over 80 candidates in Cameroon. Kah Walla, who made history as Cameroon’s first female presidential candidate in 2011, did not succeed in defeating President Paul Biya. Neither did Esther Dang, who also ran in 2011.

But this time, the chances of a female president are looking better than ever. This is not only because Africa has more female politicians, ministers and presidents.

With the adoption of the first Women’s Convention in 2021, more than 81 women’s organizations nationwide have gained influence that would have been unthinkable in previous elections.

In this Central African country, equality before the law prevails. Women make up over half of the population. But standing alongside 11 male presidential candidates is still a rarity.

The mayor with presidential ambition

Ndam Njoya is not new to active politics. She is the mayor of the city Foumban and chairwoman of the Democratic Union for Cameroon (UDC).

The 56-year-old politician’s election campaign slogan is: “Freedom. Justice. Progress.”

Cameroon is at a “crossroads,” Ndam Njoya told DW. “It is clearly a matter of the sovereign people leading the Republic of Cameroon, which has been weakened and threatened by long-term chaotic governance, into a new era that we all deserve.”

She is not fazed by the fact that few people believe she stands a chance. She intends to fight until election day. Traveling across the country, campaigning on social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, she is using all channels to draw attention to herself.

In doing so, she has to put up with some disparaging remarks. Her male competitors refer to her as “the wife of her late husband.” The fact is that in 2021, she took over the chairmanship of the UDC from her deceased husband, Adamou Ndam Njoya, a prominent opposition figure, who was Cameroon’s Minister of Education in the late 1970s and also served as mayor of Foumban for many years. Adamou Ndam Njoya ran for president in 1992, 2004 and 2011, but he lost to Paul Biya, who has ruled the country for four decades. The 92-year-old president is seeking an eighth term in office.

Courting votes in the diaspora

Ndam Njoya has set herself ambitious goals. In the run-up to the elections, she visited the diaspora in Germany, Italy and France to encourage them to vote. Unlike the Cameroonian diaspora in France, the Cameroonian community in Germany largely supports Biya’s CPDM party.

To convince them to support her candidacy, Ndam Njoya met with Joy Alemazung, the Cameroonian-born mayor of the German municipality of Heubach, Cameroonian-born SPD local politician Steve Kommogne, and other Cameroonians.

But that wasn’t her only European stop. In September, she spoke about the urgency of peace and solidarity at the annual meeting of the World Brotherhood in Rome. Pope Leo was present during her speech.

Shortly afterwards, in Gabon, she outlined her ideas for better neighborly relations on both sides of the Cameroonian conflict. The Anglophone crisis in Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest regions has been raging since 2016. In addition, Cameroon has also been a target of Islamist insurgency, particularly on its northern border.

As a member of parliament, she was a member of the Forum of Women in Africa and Spain for a Better World and a member of the African Parliamentary Union.

The fact that, despite her extensive contacts, she has chosen not to pursue an international career but to fight for the future of her country has also earned her the goodwill of other opposition politicians.

Endorsements from former presidential candidates

A dozen former presidential candidates who failed in their bid in July have thrown their support behind her.

Among them is Shewa David Damuel, an entrepreneur nominated by the Patriotic Movement for a New Cameroon (MPCN) and a former member of the Social Democratic Party (SDF). “The opposition must work together,” he told DW. “Cameroon is at a crossroads. The opposition is divided; it is weak, so we must stand behind Ndam Njoya.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/2025-cameroon-election-presidential-candidates-tomaino-ndam-njoya-paul-biya/a-74249332

Manila has decried the incident as a “clear threat” from China, while Beijing insists the Philippines’ vessels bear “full responsibility” for the collision in the long-disputed naval region.

The Philippines, on Sunday, accused a Chinese ship of deliberately colliding with a Philippine vessel anchored near an island in the disputed South China Sea.

Chinese maritime forces used water cannon and rammed a Filipino government ship near the Thitu Island, according to Manila. The Philippines’ officials described the incident as a “clear threat” from Beijing.

Such confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels have grown increasingly common in recent years. China claims nearly all of the South China Sea which is a crucial path for over $3 trillion (€ 2.58 trillion) in annual ship trade.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that most of China’s claims in the South China Sea, particularly on its resources, had no basis in international law. It was a landmark victory for the Philippines but the issue remains rife nearly a decade later, and China continues raising the pressure on Manila and other naval rivals to comply with Beijing’s stance.

Parts of the waters are also claimed by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Tensions between Manila and Beijing have been rising steadily through the year, especially over a prime fishing location in the disputed waters.

What did the Philippines say?

The Philippine Coast Guard said three vessels, including the government’s BRP Datu Pagbuaya. were anchored near the Manila-controlled island as part of a government program to protect local fishermen when a Chinese ship approached and intimidated them by using water cannon.

An hour later, the Chinese vessel is said to have used water cannon directly at the BRP Datu Pagbuaya.

“Just three minutes later… the same (Chinese) vessel deliberately rammed the stern” of the Philippine boat, “causing minor structural damage but no injuries to the crew”, the coast guard’s statement said.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/philippines-says-china-rammed-their-ship-in-south-china-sea/a-74322578

Acknowledging divisions within Israeli society, the Prime Minister called for national unity

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that Israel’s military campaign “is not over,” on the eve of the expected release of all living Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian detainees as part of the next stage of the Gaza ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
In a recorded video message released on Sunday evening, Netanyahu appeared hoarse but smiling, describing the moment as “an evening of tears; an evening of happiness.”
“It is a historic event, which some did not believe would ever happen,” he said, referring to the imminent release of hostages held in Gaza.

Acknowledging divisions within Israeli society, the Prime Minister called for national unity. “I know that there are many debates among us,” he said. “But on this day, and I hope also in the period that is almost upon us, we have all the reasons to put them aside, because with joint strength, we achieved spectacular victories — victories that stunned the entire world.”

Netanyahu also cautioned that Israel still faces serious security threats despite recent gains. “The military campaign is not over,” he warned. “There are still major security challenges ahead of us. Some of our enemies are trying to recover in order to attack us again.”
He added: “We are on this.”
The Prime Minister said Israel’s recent military achievements had created “major opportunities” for the country, and urged Israelis to continue working together. “We will overcome the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities,” he said.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/world/middle-east/benjamin-netanyahu-big-warning-israeli-hamas-hostage-release-gaza-peace-plan-article-152989421

Taylor Swift was spotted hanging with Caitlin Cark while cheering on her fiancé, Travis Kelce, at his Kansas City Chiefs game against the Detroit Lions.

The pop star was seen chatting with the WNBA star in her private suite at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday night.

Broadcast cameras panned to the pair laughing and chatting after Swift greeted Travis’ dad, Ed Kelce, with a warm hug. Ed was wearing a shirt with his son’s jersey number on the back.

The “Opalite” singer looked casual in a black Chiefs jersey, and she rocked a fun silver manicure.

The Indiana Fever star, a self-proclaimed Swiftie, famously joined the singer at Travis’ game in January.

Swift — who was nowhere to be seen at Travis’ Monday night game against the Jacksonville Jaguars — is fresh off the Oct. 3 release of her twelfth studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl.”

Swift, 35, addressed her romance with the tight end, 35, in several songs, including “The Fate of Ophelia,” “Opalite,” “Eldest Daughter,” “Wi$h Li$t,” “Wood” and “Honey.”

In “Wood,” the ninth track on the album, Swift leans into her raunchiest lyrics yet by singing about being “d–kmatized” by the NFL player’s “manhood.”

“It ain’t hard to see / His love was the key / That opened my thighs,” she sings in part.

In another titillating chord progression, she sings, “Girls, I don’t need to catch the bouquet / To know a hard rock is on the way / […] / The curse on me was broken by your magic wand.”

Taylor revealed that her mom, Andrea Swift, did not pick up on the innuendos throughout the sensual tune.

“She thinks that the song is about superstitions, which it absolutely is,” the Grammy winner joked on Monday’s episode of SiriusXM’s “Morning Mash Up.”

“That’s the joy of the double entendre. You can read that song for people, and it just goes right over their heads.”

Taylor also included several hidden messages dedicated to her future husband in the music video for “The Fate of Ophelia,” which was released on Travis’ birthday last week.

The songwriter caught a football while singing the lyrics, “Pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibes.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/10/12/entertainment/taylor-swift-hangs-with-caitlin-clark-in-chiefs-suite-at-travis-kelces-game/

Zabihullah Mujahid, chief spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said the faction with Pakistan’s military “cannot tolerate Afghanistan’s peace and progress” and is deliberately stoking conflict.

The Taliban government has accused a powerful faction within Pakistan’s military of orchestrating a campaign of hostility and misinformation aimed at destabilising Afghanistan and diverting attention from Islamabad’s internal chaos.

Speaking in Kabul, Zabihullah Mujahid, chief spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), said the faction “cannot tolerate Afghanistan’s peace and progress” and is deliberately stoking conflict along the Durand Line-the disputed border dividing the two countries.

Mujahid had earlier claimed that Afghanistan had killed over 58 Pakistani soldiers in different areas along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and managed to capture 25 Pakistani posts. Pakistan Army’s Media Wing ISPR has admitted to the killing of 23 Pakistani soldiers.

Taliban Says Pakistan’s Military Faction ‘Sabotaging Peace’

Mujahid accused the Pakistani faction of spreading anti-Afghanistan propaganda, ignoring ISIS sanctuaries inside Pakistan, and sabotaging peace efforts. “This group is creating chaos to mask its own failures,” Mujahid said. “It rejects all logical solutions to Pakistan’s security crisis and seeks to drag the entire region into instability.”

According to him, Afghan forces have full control of national borders and have strengthened defenses to prevent illegal crossings or attacks. He added that Afghanistan’s overall security has remained stable for eight months, with no major incidents. “Every act of aggression has been met with a decisive response,” he said. “Afghanistan reserves the right to defend its territory and airspace.”

Retaliatory Strikes Along Durand Line

Tensions flared after Pakistan allegedly carried out strikes on Thursday in Paktika’s Bermal district, violating Afghan airspace. Explosions were reportedly heard in Kabul that night.

In retaliation, Afghan forces launched coordinated strikes on Saturday night, targeting Pakistani military posts across six provinces, including Kandahar and Nangarhar. Mujahid claimed Afghan troops seized 20 Pakistani posts, killing 58 soldiers and wounding around 30. “Only nine of our fighters were martyred,” he added, saying operations paused at Qatar and Saudi Arabia’s request. However, fresh clashes erupted Sunday after Pakistan resumed firing, reigniting hostilities.

‘Propaganda And Proxy Wars’

Mujahid accused the Pakistani faction of running a disinformation network designed to “poison relations between the Afghan and Pakistani peoples” and mislead the international community. He alleged that Islamabad has turned a blind eye to ISIS-Khorasan operations within its borders, where terror networks continue to recruit and train fighters. “ISIS’s roots are in Pakistan’s Orakzai region,” he said. “Even recent terror attacks in Tehran and Moscow were planned from hideouts inside Pakistan.”

He claimed that ISIS-K leader Shahab al-Muhajir and his associates are currently sheltering in Pakistan and urged Islamabad to hand them over or expel them.

Afghanistan Warns Of Consequences

Mujahid called on Pakistan to end airspace violations and “provocative acts” near the border, warning of “very negative consequences” if aggression continues. He said most Pakistanis – military officers, politicians, and civilians alike – do not support the rogue faction’s anti-Afghan stance. “They too are victims of its dictatorial behavior,” he added.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/pakistan-afghanistan-clashes-taliban-says-pak-military-faction-sabotaging-peace-warns-of-retaliation-9443122?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

China has offered India a chance to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), signalling a potential revival of trade relations between the two Asian giants. Beijing views India’s participation as a way to boost exports and lower tariffs, while New Delhi has historically kept its distance to safeguard domestic industries.

India’s ties with China have witnessed a shift, particularly after the United States imposed stringent tariffs. Both nations are now exploring ways to strengthen their economic relationship.

“If New Delhi adopts a more open stance toward Beijing and joins the RCEP, China could import more from India. Indian goods could become more competitive than others. Tariffs on products within this bloc could reach zero within a decade. Greater cooperation in trade and investment could benefit both nations,” the possibilities of India joining RCEP, Leqing Zhang, director of the Center for International Finance Studies in Beijing, told ET.

India has stayed out of the RCEP mainly to protect its domestic industries and farmers. Concerns include a flood of cheaper Chinese imports, particularly in electronics, machinery and dairy, which could undermine local producers and widen the trade deficit.

Some RCEP provisions on services and investment also do not align with India’s national interests. These factors led New Delhi to opt out in 2019.

China Could Import More From India

Zhang expressed optimism about potential trade integration if India reconsiders its stance. “I believe that if India takes a more open approach toward China, we could definitely import more from India,” he said.

He also expressed hope that both sides could resolve remaining border issues.

India’s exports to China in FY 2024-25 fell by 14.4% to $14.3 billion from $16.7 billion in FY 2023-24, while imports from Beijing rose 11.5% to $113.4 billion, up from $101.7 billion the previous year.

“The RCEP has existed for several years. Unfortunately, India has not joined it so far. Perhaps in the future, India may reconsider this policy. We could achieve greater integration in trade, and bilateral commerce would grow rapidly,” he said.

Special Offers And Opportunities

Zhang highlighted that Chinese companies could set up branches and factories in India. The country’s strong service sector and tourism potential could attract investment from China, creating opportunities for growth in both nations.

“China and India are large economies. Challenges remain, but India is experiencing the highest economic growth,” he added.

Comparing Economic Growth

He pointed out that China’s growth rate is slower than before, though a 5% rate is sustainable. World Bank data show China’s GDP growth dropped from 5.4% in 2023 to 5% in 2024.

India’s GDP, in contrast, surged 7.8% in the April-June quarter, marking the highest level in five quarters. India’s FY 2025 growth stood at 6.5%.

He also highlighted global challenges, including protectionist measures and reciprocal tariffs led by the United States, which affect economic momentum.

“China and India will feel the impact of these shocks,” he said.

India faces a 50% tariff, while China faces 30%.

Source : https://zeenews.india.com/world/china-invites-india-to-rcep-could-this-redefine-bilateral-trade-and-economic-ties-2971170.html

Hamas has called Donald Trump a racist, a “recipe for chaos” and a man with an absurd vision for Gaza.
But one extraordinary phone call last month helped persuade Hamas that the U.S. president might be able to hold Israel to a peace deal even if the group surrendered all the hostages that give it leverage in the war in Gaza, two Palestinian officials said.

In the call, widely publicised at the time, Trump put Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone after a meeting at the White House in September, to apologise to Qatar’s prime minister for an Israeli strike on a residential complex that housed Hamas’ political leaders in the emirate’s capital Doha.

Trump’s handling of the Qatar bombing, which failed to kill the Hamas officials it targeted, including lead negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, gave the group more faith that he was able to stand up to Netanyahu and that he was serious about ending the war in Gaza, the two officials said.
Now, after signing up to a Trump-brokered ceasefire on Wednesday, the militant group has put further faith in the word of a man who only this year proposed expelling Palestinians from Gaza and rebuilding it as a U.S.-controlled beach resort.
Under the deal, which took effect on Friday, Hamas agreed to give up its hostages without an agreement on full Israeli withdrawal. Two other Palestinian officials, from Hamas, acknowledged that was a risky gamble which relies on the U.S. president being so invested in the deal he will not let it fail.

Hamas leaders are well aware their gamble could backfire, one of the Hamas officials said. They fear that once the hostages are released, Israel could resume its military campaign, as happened after a January ceasefire that Trump’s team had also been closely involved in.
However, gathered for indirect talks with Israel in a conference centre in the Sharm el-Sheikh Red Sea resort, Hamas was reassured enough by the presence of Trump’s closest confidants and regional heavy-weights to sign up to the ceasefire even though it leaves many of the group’s core demands unresolved, including moves towards a Palestinian state
Trump’s eagerness was felt “heavily” in the conference centre, one of the Hamas officials told Reuters. Trump personally called three times during the marathon session, a senior U.S. official said, with his son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff shuttling between Israeli and Qatari negotiators

While it may pave the way to ending the war, which began with Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, there is no certainty that later phases envisaged in Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan will materialize.
But Trump’s handling of both the Qatar strikes and the ceasefire that ended Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June gave the Hamas negotiators confidence that the U.S. president would not just let Israel resume fighting as soon as the hostages are released, the two Palestinian officials and another source briefed on talks said.
They were among five Palestinian officials including three from Hamas, as well as two senior U.S. officials and five other sources briefed on the talks who spoke to Reuters for this story.
Trump’s aides saw an opportunity to turn his anger at Netanyahu over the Qatar strike into pressure on the Israeli leader to accept a framework for ending the Gaza war, according to a source in Washington familiar with the matter.
Trump, who has cultivated ties with Gulf states important to a range of his wider diplomatic and economic policies, considers the Qatari emir a friend and did not like to see images of the strikes on television, a senior White House official said, calling the strike a significant turning point that coalesced the Arab world.
Trump’s public promise that no such Israeli attacks against Qatar would happen again lent him credibility in the eyes of Hamas and other regional actors, said a Palestinian official in Gaza briefed on the talks and mediation efforts.
“The fact that he gave Qatar a security guarantee that Israel would not attack them again, has increased Hamas’s confidence that a ceasefire will remain in place,” said Jonathan Reinhold of the Political Studies Department at Bar-Ilan University in Israel.
Hamas also took note of Trump’s public order for Iran and Israel to halt hostilities, said the Palestinian official in Gaza, singling-out Trump’s demand on his Truth Social platform that Israeli planes “turn around and head home” from a planned bombing raid on Iran hours after he had announced a ceasefire in their 12-day war in June.
“Though theatrical, he does what he says,” the official said, saying it showed Trump was willing to make Israel abide by a ceasefire.

TALKS WERE STUCK ON TUESDAY

Trump announced his overall plan on September 29, during Netanyahu’s White House visit, and Hamas gave its conditional agreement four days later, which the U.S. president took as a green light.
As recently as Tuesday, talks on how to implement the plan looked stuck around issues including how quickly and how far Israeli troops would withdraw in Gaza to allow Hamas to gather and release the hostages, an official familiar with the talks told Reuters. Mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey were unable to get things moving, the source said.
To break the deadlock, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Tuesday decided he had to travel to Sharm el-Sheikh, the source said, while Witkoff and Kushner flew in on Wednesday morning, and the talks kicked off around noon.
The presence of NATO power Turkey’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin was also important because of Ankara’s strong ties to Hamas and President Tayyip Erdogan’s recent meeting with Trump, after which he said Trump had requested he help convince Hamas to accept the plan.
For two years Hamas has insisted it will only release the hostages in return for a full Israeli withdrawal and final end of the conflict. Israel has said it will only stop fighting when all hostages are returned and Hamas is destroyed.
Neither has totally got its way. Israel will remain in around half of Gaza for the foreseeable future, while Hamas survives as an organisation and a demand in Trump’s plan that it give up its weapons has been left for a later date. That dynamic in itself, with both sides needing further results, may help drive forward future talks, one of the sources briefed on the talks said.
An important development during the talks was the mediators’ success in convincing Hamas that its continued holding of hostages had become a liability for it rather than leverage, the senior U.S. official and the Palestinian official in Gaza said.
Hamas came to a view that continuing to hold hostages undermined global support for Palestinians, and that without them, Israel would have no credibility to restart fighting, the Palestinian official said.
However, the group received no formal written guarantees backed by specific enforcement mechanisms that the first phase involving the hostage release, a partial Israeli pull-back and a halt to fighting, will progress to an envisaged wider deal that ends the war, two of the Hamas officials told Reuters.
Instead, it has accepted verbal assurances from the United States and mediators – Egypt, Qatar and Turkey – that Trump will see the deal through and not allow Israel to resume its military campaign once the hostages are freed, the Hamas sources and two other officials briefed on talks said.
“As far as we are concerned this agreement ends the war,” one of the Hamas official said.

THE GAMBLE COULD BACKFIRE

Hamas leaders are well aware their gamble could backfire, the Hamas official said.
Despite an agreement then for a phased hostage release to accompany Israeli withdrawals after the January ceasefire, Trump announced part way through the process that Hamas should free all its captives in one go or he would cancel the deal and “let hell break out”.
The deal broke down weeks later and the continued war resulted in more than 16,000 more Palestinian deaths according to Gaza health authorities, and an Israeli embargo on aid that led to the global hunger watchdog determining there was famine in the enclave.
Israel might be tempted to keep opportunistically striking Hamas, one regional diplomat said, especially if the militant group or its allies launch attacks such as rocket fire into Israeli territory.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trusting-trump-why-hamas-gambled-giving-up-gaza-hostages-2025-10-10/

The heroic images of three Confederate leaders carved into the granite face of Georgia’s Stone Mountain have towered over the countryside outside Atlanta since the 1970s, paying silent homage to the Southern cause in the U.S. Civil War.
Its supporters say the monument – often compared with Mount Rushmore – honors those who fought and died for the Confederacy in the 1861-65 war between the states. But detractors have long viewed it as a defiant symbol of white supremacy. They say its messaging needs to be openly acknowledged and put into historical context in the interest of racial justice.

To accomplish that, the Republican-controlled state government authorized $14 million to redesign the museum at the base of the mountain. The aim is to present a more balanced view of what the gigantic bas-relief carving represents.
“The past is ugly,” said Reverend Abraham Mosley, the first Black chairman of Stone Mountain Park’s governing board, referring to the links between the Confederacy, slavery and the South’s legacy of racism, which the museum currently obscures.
But the project is now facing a lawsuit that could stop it cold just months before it is due to open. The Sons of Confederate Veterans, a group that says it is committed to the “vindication” for the Southern cause, argues that state law stipulates that Stone Mountain must stand as a “tribute to the bravery and heroism” of those who suffered and died for the Confederacy. The redesign, the SCV says, would dishonor that memory and violate the law.

Featuring images of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee and General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, all on horseback, the monument implicitly portrays the Southern “lost cause” as noble and just. The museum currently presents the war as the South’s struggle to protect the rights of the states against encroachment on the federal government.
The redesign, approved in the wake of the 2020 killing of George Floyd by a white police officer, runs counter to President Donald Trump’s efforts to purge schools and museums – including the Smithsonian Institution – of content that highlights the role played by racism in shaping U.S. history and culture.
A spokesperson from the White House deferred questions about Stone Mountain to authorities in Georgia.
While there are no plans to alter the monument itself, the new exhibits would highlight the issue of slavery as driving the dispute between the industrial North and the agrarian South that led to the formation of the Confederacy and the Civil War.

Some displays would explore the links between Stone Mountain, once the site of the Ku Klux Klan cross-burnings, and the struggle for Civil Rights, which was at its height when the carving was commissioned.
“It’s a challenge to reinterpret Stone Mountain, and I salute the idea, but the devil will be in the details,” said W. Fitzhugh Brundage, a historian and professor who focuses on race and the American South at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The SCV’s lawsuit is still in its early stages. Martin O’Toole, spokesperson for its Georgia division, said the park’s governing board was pandering to “woke ideology.”
“They can take it all down to Atlanta, if they want,” O’Toole said, referring to the new exhibits. “But it doesn’t belong there.”

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/battle-lines-drawn-over-confederate-tribute-georgias-stone-mountain-2025-10-11/

A PREGNANT woman is among six people dead after two mass shootings in Mississippi.

Another 12 people were injured as gunfire broke out around midnight on Saturday as the streets were filled with people for Leland High School’s football homecoming celebrations.

Crowds had gathered in Mississippi Delta area after Leland High School’s homecoming game against Charleston High School.

Two separate gunmen are believed to have opened fire in Heidelberg and Leland.

Mississippi Senator Derrick Simmons confirmed six people were killed and at least a dozen had been injured.

All of the victims are believed to be adults with them all rushed to nearby hospitals.

Mississippi governor Tate Reeves said on social media: “Initial investigations indicate that at Heidelberg High School, two people were killed, including an expectant mother.

“A suspect has been identified, and was taken into custody by law enforcement officials.

“In Leland, multiple people were killed and injured during a shooting on one of the town’s main streets.

“Law enforcement officials are working to identify those responsible.”

Mayor Lee told CBS News that the shooting happened around midnight.

“We’re making every effort to find out who did the shooting,” Mr Lee said.

“We’re just in prayer right now for our whole city because this is not something we represent here in the city of Leland.”

When speaking to Fox News Digital, he added that “this is not something that’s ever happened here before.”

“It was homecoming weekend, of course, and everybody’s family and friends and neighbors [were] together having fun in the downtown area, as we do every year,” he added.

So far no suspect has been identified and no one has been detained in relation to the shooting.

The investigation is ongoing and is being led by the Mississippi bureau of investigation.

The identities of the victims have not been released.

Leland, 120 miles (190km) north-east of the state capital Jackson, is a small city in Washington County with a population of 4,000 people.

Residents under the age of 21 had been placed under a 9pm curfew by cops in May in an attempt to crackdown on violence.

Those older than 21 had a 12am curfew.

One woman caught up in the homecoming incident shared on Facebook how she locked herself into the trunk of a stranger’s truck to stay safe.

“I’m still shaken,” she said in a video after the shooting.

“I just kept recording in case it was going to be my last, I was calling all my people saying ‘look I am in somebody’s trunk. I know my body is going to be hurting tomorrow.”

Superintendent Jessie King told The New York Post how there was no indication of any violence breaking out after the game.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15330541/leland-shooting-high-school-football-game/

ACTRESS Diane Keaton has died at the age of 79, a family spokesperson has confirmed.

She is best known for her roles in classic movies The Godfather, Manhattan and Annie Hall for which she won the Oscar for Best Actress in 1978.

A spokesperson on behalf of the Keaton family confirmed to PEOPLE that she died in California and that no further details are currently available.

Her family are asking for privacy at this time.

In a statement, they said: “There are no further details at this time, and her family are has asked for privacy in this moment of great sadness.”

She is survived by her two children Dexter, 29, and Duke Keaton, 25.

The actress’s lengthy career began on stage in the 1960s when she starred in the 1968 Broadway production of Hair.

In 2017, Keaton told People Magazine that she struggled with bulimia during this time, after the director told her she needed to lose weight.

She also overcame skin cancer aged just 21 after she was diagnosed with basal-cell carcinoma – the most common type of cancer.

The young star fought off the disease but again suffered with another form of cancer later in life in 2011.

However, not long after her Broadway debut she catapulted to fame, bagging numerous accolades along the way.

Just a year after Hair, Keaton was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role in Woody Allen’s Play It Again, Sam.

In 1970 she broke into film with a role in Lovers and Other Strangers followed by a starring role in The Godfather, acting alongside Al Pacino.

It would be a role she would return to for both sequels in 1974 and 1990.

By 1977 she bagged an Academy Award for Best Actress in Woody Allen’s rom-com Annie Hall.

Many speculated that the movie was in fact based on the pair’s real-life relationship.

Keaton told The New York Times in 1977: “It’s not true, but there are elements of truth to it.”

She continued to collaborate with Allen throughout her career.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/15331871/actress-diane-keaton-died-film-star/

The US plans to impose an additional 100% tariff on all Chinese goods starting 1 November

China has accused the United States of “double standards” following President Donald Trump’s announcement of new tariffs on Chinese imports. The US plans to impose an additional 100% tariff on all Chinese goods starting 1 November, pushing the total US tariff on Chinese products to roughly 130%, the highest in decades. Beijing criticised the move as unfair and warned it could seriously disrupt global trade.

China’s Ministry of Commerce criticised the US over its tariff threat, saying, “Willful threats of high tariffs are not the right way to get along with China.” A spokesperson added, “Our position on the trade war is consistent. We do not want it, but we are not afraid of it.” The comments came after the US announced a 100% tariff on Chinese goods and export controls on critical software.

US-China trade war

US President Donald Trump has accused Beijing of “extraordinarily aggressive” and “hostile” trade actions after China announced restrictions on exports of nearly all its products, particularly rare earth elements, to foreign entities. In response, the US has imposed new export controls on critical software. The announcement triggered market volatility, with economists warning of potential disruptions to global supply chains and rising prices for electronics, clean energy products, and other goods.

The new US tariffs will have a severe impact on supply chains worldwide, affecting markets across the US, Asia, and Europe. Companies reliant on Chinese inputs may face production delays and higher costs, while consumers could see increased prices on everyday products.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/double-standards-china-slams-us-as-trump-announces-additional-100-tariff-9630299.html

Former US President Joe Biden has started radiation therapy to treat an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones.

Former US President Joe Biden is undergoing radiation therapy for an aggressive form of prostate cancer diagnosed in May.

“As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is currently undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment,” his spokesperson said on Saturday.

Biden, who turns 83 next month, underwent a procedure known as Mohs surgery in September to remove cancerous cells from his skin.

Following that procedure, his physician wrote in a memo that “all cancerous tissue was successfully removed” and that no further treatment was required.

Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis revealed this May
The Democratic former president revealed in May that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer that had metastasized to the bone.

Biden’s office said in a statement at that time that his cancer appeared to be “hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.”

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/joe-biden-begins-radiation-treatment-for-prostate-cancer/a-74320112

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were crowned “Humanitarians of the Year” Thursday evening — promoting family values while desperately trying to forge a path of reconciliation with their own clan.

The couple were honored in New York City at a gala for Project Healthy Minds, a non-profit dedicated to expanding access to mental health services throughout the US.

Despite having barely been seen together in public this year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex wore coordinating Armani suits and clasped hands on the red carpet.

Insiders told Page Six that, behind the scenes, Markle — who has never shied away from going into detail about how her husband’s relatives allegedly mistreated her — has actually been supporting Harry’s recent bid to reconcile with his family, especially his father.

“They need the [royal] family,” said a source, adding, “Meghan is aware of that.”

The couple is well aware of the cachet their royal ties afford them: Their stationery and that of their children has “HRH” emblazoned on it.

“Meghan knows that Harry won’t be returning to royal duties, but on a human, personal level, [she wants for him to be] able to get on good terms with his father,” added the source.

Harry, 41, has made it clear he’s keen to make amends with King Charles, 76, who is fighting a cancer battle. Sources tell us tentative talks are happening around his wife and children — Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4 — to travel to the UK at some point in the near future.

Security remains a sticking point, as Harry lost a court appeal against the UK government in May, after being denied taxpayer-funded protection in his homeland — a move he called “unjustified and inferior treatment,” but was a result of him having stepped down as a working royal.

And it was reported by the Telegraph this week that a “known stalker” came within feet of Harry twice last month when he was in London to attend events including the WellChild Awards. The paper revealed that the woman, who allegedly previously followed him to Nigeria, was “body-blocked” by his security team who recognized her.

But one insider made it clear that Markle is not holding Harry back from his family and that she encouraged him to see the king while he was in London.

The insider added that the couple both very much want Charles to spend time with his grandchildren, and that Harry is believed to have given his father a photo of Archie and Lilibet during their private tea together at Clarence House.

Harry is said to have been relieved to find his father doing well after not having seen him in person for 19 months — wearing a big smile afterward as he told reporters Charles was “great.” And the wayward prince has seemed lighter and happier since, sources said.

He was seen beaming at Thursday’s gala as well as Friday at a Manhattan forum for Project Healthy Minds in honor of World Mental Health Day.

“Harry is just at his happiest when he is at events like this,” said one guest who has worked with Harry for years, “This is basically just what he sees as his life’s work.”

And while insiders praised Markle — who will be in Washington, DC, Tuesday for Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit — for helping her husband find a path back to his father, she’s still stirring up trouble.

Critics, including royal watcher Richard Fitzwilliams, blasted her as “insensitive beyond belief” for posting a social media video of her feet propped up in a car driving near Paris’ Pont de l’Alma tunnel — where Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, died in a car crash in August 1997.

She was in town for Paris Fashion Week, supporting designer Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Balenciaga debut and air-kissing with Anna Wintour.

Markle has also been busy promoting the second season of her Netflix show, “With Love, Meghan” — which failed to make the streamer’s Top 10 shows — and working on a corresponding holiday special.

Apple TV+, meanwhile, scored a royal coup this week when Harry’s brother, Prince William, appeared on Eugene Levy’s series “The Reluctant Traveler.”

The 43-year-old spoke to the “Schitt’s Creek” actor about the media frenzy that surrounded his childhood and how he hoped to protect his own children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis from it.

But he included an unexpected name drop.

‘”I hope we don’t go back to some of the practices in the past that Harry and I had to grow up in,” William said, publicly speaking his brother’s name for the first time in years.

The siblings have not seen each other nor, reportedly, spoken since the publication of Harry’s shocking tell-all memoir, “Spare,” in which he claimed that William physically attacked him during an argument over Markle — in which the future king is said to have called her “rude” and “abrasive.”

William “grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and … knocked me to the floor,” Harry wrote.

And even if Harry does bring his young family back to the UK to visit the king, sources said peace between the brothers is still not in the cards.

But they also believe William — who was seen crying this week during an on-camera chat with a woman whose husband committed suicide days after the loss of their child — feels things more deeply than he’s sometimes given credit for.

They take care to point out it’s not just Harry who has Princess Diana’s empathetic nature.

“We see that William is more like his mother than the royal family — the previous generation was stoic,” said Hugo Vickers, royal author and friend of the family. “The only tears the Queen [Elizabeth] ever showed was when the Royal Britannia, the royal yacht, was decommissioned. She certainly didn’t express emotion when Diana or [her own mother] died.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/10/11/royal-family/meghan-markle-pushing-prince-harry-to-royal-reconcilation/

Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau were recently spotted making out on the singer’s lavish yacht, confirming their romantic involvement.

In photos published by the Daily Mail on Saturday, the “Firework” singer,40, rocked a black one-piece swimsuit on the deck of the Caravelle while enjoying a passionate kiss with a shirtless Trudeau, who wore only a pair of jeans for the yacht day.

Another snapshot showed the former Canadian Prime Minister, 53, cradling the hitmaker’s rear end as they embraced on the yacht’s upper deck.

In yet another photo, Perry, 40, wrapped her arms around Trudeau’s neck as he seemingly nuzzled her cheek.

The steamy photos were reportedly taken off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif. in late September by a tourist on a passing boat.

“She pulled up her boat next to a small public whale-watching boat, then they started making out,” a witness to the encounter told the Daily Mail.

“I didn’t realise who she was with until I saw the tattoo on the guy’s arm and I immediately realized it was Justin Trudeau.”

Reps for Trudeau and Perry did not immediately return Page Six’s requests for comment.

The “I Kissed a Girl” songstress and politician first sparked romance rumors in July, when the pair was spotted on an intimate dinner date in Montreal.

They were also seen enjoying a stroll at Mount Royal Park before images of Trudeau emerged at Perry’s sold-out “Lifetimes” tour in Canada.

In August, a source told the Daily Mail that the romance had already encountered a setback, following the frenzied romance speculation and the media attention surrounding their dinner date.

“She’s busy, he’s busy,” an insider told the outlet. “They have a lot going on, and the newness has worn off.” The source also shared that the pair had texted “nonstop” throughout July.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/10/11/celebrity-news/katy-perry-and-justin-trudeau-pack-on-the-pda-on-her-yacht/

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi visited Darul Uloom Deoband in Saharanpur, signalling hopes for stronger India-Afghanistan relations.

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Saturday expressed confidence that the India-Afghanistan ties will grow stronger in future as he visited Darul Uloom Deoband in Saharanpur, one of the most influential Islamic seminaries in South Asia.

A raging controversy over the absence of women journalists from his presser in New Delhi a day earlier, which sparked sharp criticism from opposition parties and media bodies, followed the Afghan minister for the second day, but the seminary maintained that there were no restrictions from any side on women journalists covering its events on Saturday.

“I am thankful for such a grand welcome and the affection shown by the people here. I hope that India-Afghanistan ties advance further,” the Afghan leader told reporters as he was greeted by Mohtamim (vice-chancellor) of Darul Uloom Deoband Abul Qasim Nomani, president of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind Maulana Arshad Madani and officials of the seminary, amid a floral shower.

Hundreds of students of the Islamic seminary and a large number of locals who had gathered at the Deoband campus jostled to shake hands with the visiting foreign dignitary, but were stopped by security personnel.

“We will be sending new diplomats, and I hope you people will visit Kabul as well. I have hopes for stronger ties in the future from the way I was received in Delhi. These visits may be frequent in the near future,” Muttaqi said.

Later, a public event organised by Deoband was cancelled due to “overcrowding” and “security reasons”.

Prior to his arrival from Delhi by road, intelligence and security agencies made extensive arrangements at Deoband. Officials from the Afghan embassy in Delhi arrived here on Friday for the high-level visit and met officials at Darul Uloom to review all arrangements.

Muttaqi, who landed in New Delhi on Thursday on a six-day trip, is the first senior Taliban minister to visit India after the group seized power four years back. India has not yet recognised the Taliban set up.

Opposition parties on Saturday termed the absence of female journalists from the press conference of Afghan Foreign Minister “unacceptable” and an “insult to women”, and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “silence” in the face of such discrimination exposes the “emptiness” of his slogans on ‘Nari Shakti’.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were among those who criticised it.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said, “(Tali)ban on female journalists in India. Shocking and unacceptable that the Govt of India agreed to it — and that too in New Delhi on the eve of the International Day of the Girl Child.”

The Editors Guild of India and the Indian Women Press Corps (IWPC) termed the act as highly discriminatory and said it cannot be justified on grounds of diplomatic privilege under the Vienna Convention.

Amid the row, the Darul Uloom Deoband asserted that there were no directives to keep women journalists away from covering the visit of the Afghan minister to the seminary.

“There were no restrictions from the Afghan foreign minister’s office about who would attend,” Deoband PRO Ashraf Usmani, also the media in-charge of Muttaqi’s programme, told PTI, and dismissed as “baseless” claims that women journalists were kept away.

The Islamic seminary’s clarification came regarding a public event of the Afghanistan minister that was scheduled to be held during his visit to the Darul Uloom Deoband in Saharanpur on Saturday but was called off at the last moment due to “overcrowding” and “security reasons”.

“There were no directives from anywhere on the attendance of women journalists. But the programme got called off at the last moment,” Usmani told PTI.

“Though the programme was called off due to overcrowding, the presence of a couple of women journalists for the Afghanistan minister’s event was enough to rebut reports of women journalists being made to keep away from the event,” he said, even naming news channels those journalists represented.

More people turned up for the event than were expected. So the Afghanistan minister’s speech didn’t happen as local administration cited security concerns as a reason for cancelling the public event, Usmani said.

“Various things were doing the rounds, from women journalists not being allowed to them being made to sit separately. All of this was baseless,” said Usmani, who is a Nazim (equivalent to departmental head) in Darul Uloom Deoband.

The president of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, Maulana Arshad Madani, told reporters that Jamiat’s relationship with Afghanistan is very old, and thousands of people from there had come here to study and later went back.

Asked about Friday’s press conference of the Afghan foreign minister, Madani told reporters, “It was a coincidence that yesterday’s press conference was attended only by men. The Afghan foreign minister had not said no to women coming to the press conference. It was wrong and propaganda.”

On the Afghan leader’s engagements at the Deoband, Usmani said: “Amir Khan Muttaqi participated in a scholarly session inside the seminary’s central library, where he symbolically read a lesson of Hadees (Prophetic tradition) under Maulana Nomani.”

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/afghan-foreign-minister-muttaqi-visits-darul-uloom-deoband-stronger-india-afghanistan-ties-2801670-2025-10-12