Muhammad Abbas Swati (2026)

15/10/2025

At least five Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli attack in Gaza City, medical sources told Al Jazeera, despite a ceasefire agreed between Hamas and Israel.

Sources from al-Ahli Arab Hospital in told Al Jazeera Arabic on Tuesday that Israeli soldiers killed five Palestinians in the Shujayea neighbourhood of Gaza City.
The Israeli military said it opened fire to remove a threat posed by people who approached its forces in northern Gaza.

It said soldiers fired against “suspects” who were “crossing the yellow line” – the line to which Israel’s military pulled back under the ceasefire deal that took effect on Friday – and were approaching soldiers in breach of the agreement.

13/10/2025

Trump boards Air Force One to fly to Egypt for 'peace summit'
US president Donald Trump has boarded Air Force One and is now set to leave Israel to fly to Egypt for the Gaza peace summit.

He was seen on to the plane by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom the pair shared seemingly warm exchanges – although most of the conversation on the runway was inaudible due to the noise of the plane.

Trump and Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will co-host a summit of more than 20 world leaders in Sharm El Sheikh.

The summit’s aim is “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”, according to the Egyptian presidency.

The impressive aims of the meeting are matched by a similarly impressive guest list, many of whom have played a vital role in securing the ceasefire and hostage release deal that is currently in place.

13/10/2025

Pakistani and Afghan forces have exchanged deadly fire at multiple locations along their border, and the two sides claim to have captured and destroyed border posts in one of the worst border clashes in recent years.

The Taliban administration’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said at least 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed in “retaliatory” attacks on Saturday night, two days after blasts were reported in the Afghan capital, Kabul, and the southeastern province of Paktika.

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The Pakistani military admitted 23 of its soldiers were dead while claiming to have killed 200 Taliban and affiliated “terrorists”. Pakistan’s interior minister called the Afghan attacks “unprovoked firing”.

The Taliban government has accused Pakistan of carrying out Thursday’s bombings. Pakistan has neither confirmed nor denied the allegations.

Pakistan was accused of backing Taliban fighters during their rebellion against the United States-led occupation of Afghanistan and was one of only three countries that recognised the first Taliban government from 1996 to 2001.

But the rise of attacks inside Pakistan since the return of the Taliban to power in 2021 has strained their ties as Islamabad has accused the Taliban administration of providing safe haven to fighters from the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Pakistan Taliban. Kabul has denied the allegations.

So what’s the latest on the fighting? What triggered the clashes? And is the situation expected to escalate further?

01/10/2025

A senior Hamas figure has told the BBC that the group is likely to reject Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza, saying it "serves Israel's interests" and "ignores those of the Palestinian people".

The figure said that Hamas is unlikely to agree to disarming and handing over their weapons - a key condition of Trump's plan.

Hamas is also said to object to the deployment of an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in Gaza, which it views as a new form of occupation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted Trump's plan during White House talks on Monday. Hamas has not yet given an official response.

Qatar's foreign ministry has said Hamas is studying the White House proposal "responsibly".

A senior Palestinian official with knowledge of Hamas talks told the BBC they involve the group's leadership both inside and outside of Gaza.

The group's military commander in the territory, Ez al-Din al-Haddad, is thought to be determined to keep fighting rather than accept the plan on offer. Hamas figures outside Gaza have recently found themselves sidelined in discussions as they do not have direct control over the hostages.

Trump's 20-point Gaza peace plan in full
Watch: Trump and Netanyahu outline peace plan to end war in Gaza
Hamas talks, which are expected to take several days, also include other Palestinian factions.

The armed group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), which took part in the 7 October attack and previously held some Israeli hostages, rejected the plan on Tuesday.

For Hamas, a key sticking point is thought to be that the plan requires them to hand over all of the hostages in one go - giving away their only bargaining chip.

Even with Donald Trump's backing for the plan, there is a lack of trust that Israel will not resume its military operations once it has received the hostages - particularly after it attempted to assassinate Hamas leadership in Doha earlier this month, in defiance of the US.

30/09/2025

ISLAMABAD — An internet blackout hit Afghanistan on Monday, with local media reporting a potential nationwide cut of fiber-optic services as part of a Taliban crackdown on immorality.

It’s the first time Afghanistan has experienced a shutdown of this kind since the Taliban seized power in August 2021.

Earlier this month, several provinces lost their fiber-optic connections after Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada issued a decree banning the service to prevent immorality.

On Monday, internet-access advocacy group Netblocks said that live metrics showed connectivity in Afghanistan had “collapsed” to 14% of ordinary levels, with a near-total nationwide telecoms disruption in effect.

“The incident is likely to severely limit the public’s ability to contact the outside world,” the group added.

The Associated Press was unable to contact its Kabul bureau, as well as journalists in the eastern and southern provinces of Nangarhar and Helmand. There was no confirmation of the blackout from the Taliban government, which relies heavily on messaging apps and social media for its external and internal communications.

The private TOLO News TV channel said sources had confirmed that fiber-optic internet could be cut all over the country starting Monday.

29/09/2025

At least 12 people have been killed and 17 others are missing as Typhoon Bualoi hit Vietnam with heavy rain and strong winds, tearing through communities, flooding roads and damaging houses, according to state media.

In the early hours on Monday, the typhoon made landfall and caused waves as high as 8 metres (26 feet), according to the national weather agency.

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The typhoon then weakened to a tropical storm that moved into Laos, state media reported.

The storm swept away temporary bridges and flooded roads and low-water crossings across several provinces. Flooding in cities submerged vehicles, and many highland communities were cut off, according to The Associated Press news agency.

State media said rescue teams were searching for 17 missing fishermen.

Strong winds collapsed houses in Hue City, Thanh Hoa and the province of Ninh Binh.

A woman carries belongings as she walks amidst the debris after typhoon Bualoi made a landfall in Nghe An province on September 29, 2025.
A woman carries belongings as she walks amid the debris after Typhoon Bualoi made landfall in Nghe An province [AFP]
In the Quang Tri province, strong winds broke the ropes anchoring a fishing boat taking shelter, leaving nine crew members and their vessel adrift, four of whom managed to swim to shore.

In the Gia Lai province, families reported losing contact with eight people on a fishing trip.

According to state media, more than 347,000 households lost power before the typhoon made landfall just after midnight on Sunday.

Nguyen Tuan Vinh, in the Nghe An province, cleaning up debris, told the Reuters news agency it was “one of the strongest” storms he had experienced.

29/09/2025

WASHINGTON, Sept 28 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters on Sunday that he has received a "very good response" to his proposal for ending the war in Gaza and is optimistic about getting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to back it when the two meet on Monday.
He said U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law who was a Middle East envoy during his first term, were having talks with Netanyahu in New York ahead of the Monday meeting at the White House.
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"We’re getting a very good response because Bibi wants to make the deal too," Trump said in a telephone interview, using Netanyahu's nickname. "Everybody wants to make the deal."
When international leaders gathered at the United Nations in New York this week, the U.S. unveiled a 21-point Middle East peace plan to end the nearly two-year-long war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
That plan calls for the return of all hostages, living and dead, no further Israeli attacks on Qatar and a new dialogue between Israel and Palestinians for “peaceful coexistence,” a White House official said.
A Hamas representative said on Saturday that the group had not seen the U.S. plan that was presented at the U.N.

24/09/2025

WASHINGTON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will meet leaders and officials from multiple Muslim-majority countries on Tuesday and discuss the situation in Gaza, which has been under a mounting assault from Washington's ally Israel.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday that Trump will hold a multilateral meeting with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan. A person familiar with the matter said Gaza will be discussed.
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Axios reported Trump will present the group with a proposal for peace and post-war governance in Gaza.
In addition to freeing hostages and ending the war, Trump is expected to discuss U.S. plans around an Israeli withdrawal and post-war governance in Gaza, without Hamas involvement, according to Axios.
Washington wants Arab and Muslim countries to agree to send military forces to Gaza to enable Israel's withdrawal and to secure funding for transition and rebuilding programs, Axios reported.
Trump will address the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, a day after dozens of world leaders gathered at the United Nations to embrace a Palestinian state, a landmark diplomatic shift nearly two years into the Gaza war that faces fierce resistance from Israel and the United States.

20/09/2025

A Taliban official has rejected the idea that the US could retake a key airbase in Afghanistan after President Donald Trump told reporters he wanted it back.

Zakir Jalal, who works in the Taliban's foreign ministry, said the idea of the US maintaining any military presence in Afghanistan was "completely" rejected during talks between the two sides before the Taliban returned to power.

It came after the US president hinted retaking Bagram airbase - the epicentre of Nato forces in Afghanistan for two decades - might be possible "because they need things from us".

The base was handed to the Afghan military shortly before the Taliban took control of Afghanistan.

19/09/2025

GAZA — Israeli tanks advanced along two gateways to the center of Gaza City on Thursday while internet and phone lines were cut off for several hours, signaling a potential escalation in ground operations in the Palestinian enclave.

Israeli forces control Gaza City’s eastern suburbs and in recent days have been pounding the Sheikh Radwan and Tel Al-Hawa areas, from where they would be positioned to advance on central and western areas where most of the population is sheltering.

“We are scared, but what can we do?” said Bassam Al-Qanou, a displaced man sheltering with around 30 family members in one of countless ragged improvised tent camps along the city’s beach.

He said the family had no way to get out, and nowhere to go.

At least 85 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes or gunfire across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, most in Gaza City, according to the territory’s health ministry.

The Israeli military said four of its personnel had been killed during combat in southern Gaza.

A total of 48 hostages remain in Gaza since their capture in a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Israeli officials say around 20 are still alive.

In separate developments, Israel attacked Hezbollah military targets in southern Lebanon, while two Israelis were killed at Allenby Crossing between the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Jordan, in what the Israeli military called a terror attack.

17/09/2025

ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan, along with 15 other countries, on Tuesday voiced concern over the security of the Global Sumud Flotilla, in which their citizens are participating to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.

"The foreign ministers of Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Ireland, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain and Türkiye express their concern about the security of the Global Sumud Flotilla — a civil society initiative in which citizens of their countries are taking part," Foreign Office spokesperson Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan said in a statement.

He said the Global Sumud Flotilla has informed about its objective of delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, and raising awareness about the urgent humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people and the need to stop the war in Gaza.

"Both objectives, peace and humanitarian aid delivery, together with the respect of international law, including humanitarian law, are shared by our Governments. We therefore call on everyone to refrain from any unlawful or violent act against the Flotilla, to respect international law and international humanitarian law," Ambassador Khan said.

He recalled that any violation of international law and human rights of the participants in the Flotilla, including attack against vessels in international waters or illegal detention, would lead to accountability.

16/09/2025

Congressional China hawks said Monday that they’re planning to scrutinize President Donald Trump’s promised deal to keep TikTok alive, insisting his “framework” for an agreement with China has to obey last year’s law to pry the app out of Chinese control.

“Any agreement must comply with the historic bipartisan law passed last year to protect the American people, including the complete divestment of ByteDance control and a fully decoupled algorithm,” a spokesperson for the House China Committee said.

On Monday, President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent teased a “framework” for TikTok’s divestment from Beijing-based parent company ByteDance — though Bessent said Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping would have to agree to terms during a Friday phone call.

A White House official familiar with the negotiations told POLITICO that the deal would reduce ByteDance’s ownership to less than 20 percent, which would comply with the law. The official also said it would completely remove the Chinese Communist Party’s ability to access the user data of American citizens.

“I look forward to reviewing it,” House China Chair John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) told POLITICO on Monday. “We want to have an opportunity to read it, understand it, make sure it’s preserved for Americans under the law … I trust they’re negotiating a good solution.”

On Capitol Hill, where even hawks have largely dodged the issue of what happens after a Trump-negotiated deal, a few took a seemingly hard line.

“It’s a good idea that Congress passed a law that it’s either going to be done away with in the United States, or it’s going to be owned by an American company,” Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told POLITICO. “I don’t know what the framework says — but anything short of that, the President would be violating congressional intent.”

Other senior lawmakers, however, are taking a more cautious approach.

“I’ll just have to wait and see,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of GOP leadership. “It’s good if there’s a deal.”

Muhammad Abbas Swati

15/10/2025

13/10/2025

13/10/2025

01/10/2025

30/09/2025

29/09/2025

29/09/2025

24/09/2025

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