Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan security forces killed 20 terrorists affiliated with the Indian-backed group &lsquo;Fitna al Khwarij&rsquo; during two separate operations in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Nov. 8-9, the military&#39;s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said on Monday.&nbsp;According to the ISPR, an intelligence-led operation in Shawal, North Waziristan, targeted the reported presence of terrorists. Eight terrorists were killed during a precise engagement.&nbsp;A second operation in Dara Adam Khel District resulted in the neutralization of 12 more terrorists following an intense exchange of gunfire. Security forces are continuing sanitization operations to eliminate any remaining threats in the area.&nbsp;The ISPR emphasized that these actions are part of Pakistan&rsquo;s ongoing counter-terrorism campaign under the federal Azm-e-Istehkam strategy, aimed at eradicating foreign-supported terrorism from the country.&nbsp;&ldquo;Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,&rdquo; the statement concluded.

Security

Pakistan security forces killed 20 militants linked to Indian-backed ‘Fitna al Khwarij’ in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Nov. 8-9, during operations in Shawal and Dara Adam Khel under the federal counter-terrorism strategy.

Pakistan forces kill 20 Indian-backed terrorists in operations: military

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif rejected what he called &ldquo;baseless propaganda&rdquo; about the safety and operations of the national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), on Monday. In a statement on X (Twitter), the minister said flight safety is &ldquo;non-negotiable&rdquo; and regulated by Pakistani and international authorities. He said that &ldquo;unqualified people cannot dictate it.&rdquo; <img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/fb77b442-2a62-4086-9939-97f8a6218799.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> The minister stated that PIA&rsquo;s average daily revenue over the past three days stood at Rs600 million ($2.1 million), achieved through uninterrupted domestic and international flight schedules. The minister said detractors were spreading malicious news to harm Pakistan&rsquo;s national interests and &ldquo;sabotage&rdquo; PIA&rsquo;s progress. He said the airline has been steadily improving after years of effort to restore profitability. According to the statement, PIA continues to operate flights as scheduled, serving destinations including Toronto, Manchester, Paris, Saudi Arabia, China and the Far East. There are plans to expand to Europe and North America in the future, as well.

Politics

Pakistan’s defence minister rejected “baseless propaganda” over PIA’s safety, saying flights meet international standards and recent revenues hit PKR 600 million daily.

‘Propaganda in the air’: Pakistan rejects claims of PIA safety issues

ISLAMABAD: At least eight people were killed and several others injured in an explosion near the historic Red Fort in the heart of India&rsquo;s capital on Tuesday, according to local authorities. Delhi Police spokesperson Sanjay Tyagi confirmed the casualties and said the blast occurred inside a car parked near the fort complex. However, he noted that the cause of the explosion had not yet been determined. Earlier, Indian media reported that the explosion was caused by a CNG blast in the parked vehicle. &quot;The exact cause is still under investigation,&quot; Tyagi said. &quot;We have teams on the ground gathering evidence.&quot; Local television channels reported that at least 11 people were injured in the incident. Their conditions were not immediately known. Video broadcast on local media showed thick smoke and flames rising from multiple vehicles on what witnesses described as a crowded street near a metro station in Old Delhi. The city&rsquo;s deputy fire chief told reporters that six vehicles and three autorickshaws caught fire following the blast. He added that firefighters had brought the blaze under control. Authorities at the scene could be seen attempting to disperse crowds that gathered around the area as emergency crews worked. The explosion occurred near the Red Fort, known locally as Lal Qila, a UNESCO World Heritage site built in the 17th century during the Mughal era. The landmark draws tourists from India and abroad throughout the year. Police said further updates would be provided once forensic teams complete preliminary examinations. With inputs from news agencies. This is a developing story...

India

Delhi Police say investigations are ongoing as the cause remains unknown and vehicles were burned nearby.

India begins blame game after New Delhi blast

ISLAMABAD: More than a million Syrians have returned home over the past year, but millions remain displaced within the country, according to a new United Nations report. Over 1.2 million Syrians crossed back into Syria from abroad since December 8, 2024, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reported. Most returnees came from Turkey, followed by Lebanon and Jordan, with smaller numbers arriving from Iraq, Egypt and beyond the region. While more than 1.9 million internally displaced people have returned to their home areas or intended destinations within the country, including over one million who left camps and collective sites in the north, around seven million people remain displaced inside the country. UNHCR data show that return movements are taking place across multiple governorates, including Aleppo, Homs, Damascus and Hama. Meanwhile internal returns are concentrated in northern Syria. The report said the figures reflect continuing population shifts more than a decade after the start of the conflict. The number of people returning from neighboring countries is also continually rising. Turkey&rsquo;s interior minister reported that 550,000 Syrians have returned since December 2024, bringing total voluntary returns from Turkey to 1.29 million since 2016. From Lebanon, an estimated 362,027 Syrians have gone back, and from Jordan, about 167,000 refugees registered with UNHCR have returned since December 2024. Smaller numbers have also returned from Iraq and Egypt. The report said the total number of Syrians who have returned either from abroad or from internal displacement since December 2024 exceeds three million, even as millions remain uprooted throughout the country.

Middle East

More than a million Syrians have returned home since late 2024, while about seven million remain displaced inside the country, according to a new UNHCR report.

Syria: Millions return home but millions still displaced

KATHMANDU: Nepal&#39;s police have arrested 423 people accused of crimes ranging from murder to vandalism during a deadly mass uprising in September that toppled the government, according to police data released on Monday. Suspects also face charges that include the illegal possession and use of weapons, as well as theft and indecent behavior, the data showed. &quot;A team is looking into the incidences and we are working to collect information,&quot; Nepal police spokesman Abi Narayan Kafle said. Youth-led protests that rallied under the loose umbrella title of &quot;Gen Z&quot;, referring to those aged under 28, erupted on September 8 after a government ban on social media. The movement was more broadly fuelled by economic hardship and growing anger over corruption. Protests then morphed into nationwide fury, culminating in the collapse of the government as crowds torched parliament and the Supreme Court. At least 76 people were killed in two days of violence, according to a new police toll, including 63 protesters, 10 escaped prisoners and three police officers. Thousands of activists used the group-chat app Discord in the aftermath of the uprising to nominate 73-year-old former chief justice Sushila Karki as their preferred interim leader. She was then appointed prime minister until elections due in March 2026. Arrests have taken place since the unrest but the police data issued on Monday gave the first indication of the scale of the detentions. More than 2,700 structures were attacked across Nepal, including government buildings, police stations, hotels, businesses, party offices and the houses of politicians. Supermarkets, stores and private residences were also looted. Some protesters were seen brandishing rifles on the second day of the unrest, weapons that were allegedly seized from the police. Around 14,500 detainees also escaped from prisons nationwide during the chaos. Authorities say 5,020 remain at large. Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal said on Saturday a special operation would be launched to recapture the escapees and recover looted weapons. Representatives of Gen Z protest groups have demanded Aryal&#39;s resignation, accusing him of failing to hold accountable those responsible for the deadly crackdown on young demonstrators. The government has imposed travel bans on former prime minster KP Sharma Oli and four former senior officials as a commission investigates the unrest.

Asia

Suspects also face charges that include the illegal possession and use of weapons, as well as theft and indecent behavior, the data showed.

Nepal police arrest more than 400 over September protests

JERUSALEM: An organization representing international media in Israel and the Palestinian territories on Monday condemned attacks by Israeli settlers on journalists in the occupied West Bank, urging Israeli authorities to halt the &quot;violence immediately&quot;.&nbsp;The Foreign Press Association (FPA), which represents hundreds of foreign journalists, said it was &quot;appalled&quot; by the recent attacks, especially during this year&#39;s olive harvest.&nbsp;&quot;Journalists, both local and foreign, have proven to be a clear target as they document an unprecedented level of unchecked violence against Palestinians during this year&#39;s olive harvest,&quot; the association said, citing two incidents involving journalists from international media outlets.&nbsp;The FPA said that on Saturday two employees of Reuters wearing clearly marked press vests and helmets were assaulted by masked Israeli civilians armed with clubs and rocks near the Palestinian village of Beita.&nbsp;&quot;A mob of dozens of settlers beat one of the employees, a female reporter, while she was already on the ground, resulting in severe injuries,&quot; the FPA said.&nbsp;&quot;They also attacked those who tried to help her. A Reuters security person was hit, and two Palestinian freelance journalists were injured while being chased.&quot;&nbsp;On October 10, settlers beat a veteran AFP photographer with sticks when filming the olive harvest in the same area.&nbsp;His car, along with a handful of others parked at a safe distance from the field, was stoned and then set on fire by the assailants.&nbsp;&quot;The photographer, who testified it was one of the worst attacks in his 30-year career, reported that Israeli forces at the scene refused to intervene, instead firing rubber bullets and tear gas at olive pickers and activists accompanying them,&quot; the FPA said.&nbsp;Several such incidents have occurred in the last few weeks, the FPA added.&nbsp;&quot;Israeli forces routinely harass and intimidate journalists, in some cases detaining them and threatening them with deportation,&quot; the FPA said.&nbsp;&quot;This is all part of a deepening climate of hostility toward the media by Israeli authorities,&quot; it added, urging the authorities to investigate the incidents and hold the perpetrators accountable.&nbsp;&quot;In particular, we urge central command head Major General Avi Bluth and police commander Moshe Pinchi to uphold their duties to ensure that journalists can work freely and safely,&quot; the association said.&nbsp;&quot;There cannot be press freedom in an environment in which journalists are threatened and harmed with complete impunity.&quot;&nbsp;Some 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the Palestinian territory and some of them have also attacked farmers trying to access their olive trees almost every day this year since the season began in mid-October, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority.&nbsp;Almost none of the perpetrators have been held to account by the Israeli authorities.&nbsp;Violence in the West Bank has soared since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023.

The Foreign Press Association condemned Israeli settler attacks on journalists in the occupied West Bank, urging authorities to stop the violence, investigate assaults on reporters, and ensure press freedom amid rising unrest since the Gaza war.

International media association denounces Israeli settler attacks on journalists

Web Desk/AFP

ISLAMABAD: Former US President Donald Trump said Sunday that he plans to give most Americans $2,000 each, funded by tariff revenues collected under his administration. &ldquo;A dividend of at least $2,000 a person (not including high-income people!) will be paid to everyone,&rdquo; Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, criticizing opponents of tariffs as &ldquo;fools.&rdquo; <div class="fr-embed" style="line-height: 2;"><iframe src="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115519726463094783/embed" class="truthsocial-embed" style="max-width: 100%; border: 0;" width="600" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> Any such payments would need authorization from Congress, which remains locked in budget negotiations following a partial government shutdown that has stretched beyond 40 days, halting funding for key federal programs and disrupting air travel and other industries. The US Senate on Sunday took a major step toward ending the shutdown, clearing the way for a formal debate on a motion to resume funding for federal agencies. Trump has previously floated similar ideas, referring to the proposed payment as a &ldquo;dividend&rdquo; or &ldquo;rebate.&rdquo; Last month, he said his administration was &ldquo;thinking about a little rebate,&rdquo; but emphasized paying down national debt as a priority. &ldquo;We have so much money coming in,&rdquo; Trump said at the time. &ldquo;The big thing we want to do is pay down debt.&rdquo; Earlier this year, Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri introduced a bill to provide $600 tariff rebates to most Americans, arguing that citizens should benefit directly from trade revenue. Since returning to the White House, Trump has expanded tariffs on major trading partners including China, Canada and Mexico. Under his &ldquo;Liberation Day&rdquo; announcement in April, the United States extended higher tariffs to most foreign nations, though some were later eased. Trump has claimed the United States is collecting &ldquo;trillions of dollars&rdquo; through tariffs imposed on foreign nations, though the Treasury Department reported $195 billion in tariff revenue for fiscal year 2025. His latest proposal comes as the US Supreme Court considers challenges to his authority to impose broad tariffs without congressional approval.

File Photo - US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC on November 7, 2025. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)

Americas

Former US President Donald Trump said Sunday that he plans to give most Americans $2,000 each, funded by tariff revenues collected under his administration.

Trump vows $2,000 tariff dividend to all except 'high-income people'

MOGADISHU: Thousands of Somalis have been forced to leave their homes in recent years as drought, conflict and limited assistance made life in rural areas increasingly difficult, a report by Amnesty International said. The report, &ldquo;No Rain, No Food, No Animals: The Human Rights Impact of Drought and Displacement in Somalia,&rdquo; said that between 2020 and 2023, people from southern Somalia moved to a refugee camp in Kenya after prolonged drought and economic strain left them without food, water or income. Communities facing worsening conditions Amnesty said drought linked to human-induced climate change had intensified since 2022, destroying crops and livestock and drying up water sources. Food prices rose by as much as 160% above pre-2020 levels, reducing access to basic goods and forcing displacement. Somalia declared the drought a national disaster in 2021. The report said government spending on health remains below 5% of the national budget, lower than the 15% target set under the Abuja Declaration adopted by African Union countries. Repeated displacement Many people displaced by drought have moved several times, initially to camps in southern Somalia and later across the border. Amnesty said services along migration routes were limited, leaving people to travel long distances without food, clean water or health care. Call for stronger response The Amnesty International&rsquo;s regional director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, said Somalia&rsquo;s contribution to global warming was small but its people were among the worst affected. &ldquo;Somalia&rsquo;s contribution to global warming is negligible, yet its people are bearing the brunt of the climate crisis,&rdquo; Chagutah said. &ldquo;Limited resources and ongoing conflict are not an excuse to neglect international obligations.&rdquo; Somalia ranks as the seventh most climate-vulnerable country in the world, according to the report. It mentioned that the government needed to develop climate-resilience policies and early-warning systems to reduce the impact of future droughts and floods. Appeal for international assistance Amnesty said Somali authorities should raise health and emergency spending and that high-income countries should meet financial and technical commitments to help Somalia adapt to the effects of climate change. &ldquo;The Somali authorities must urgently come up with climate-resilience policies that also address loss and damage,&rdquo; Chagutah said. &ldquo;The international community must step in to help Somalia adapt &mdash; not abandon it.&rdquo;

Africa

Amnesty International says prolonged drought, conflict and limited aid displaced thousands in southern Somalia between 2020 and 2023, leaving families struggling with hunger, disease and water shortages.

Somali drought drives mass displacement as aid and support remain limited

BANGKOK: Thailand announced on Monday it was suspending the implementation of a peace agreement with neighboring Cambodia after a landmine blast injured two Thai soldiers near the border. The deal, overseen by US President Donald Trump, was meant to secure a lasting end to hostilities following border clashes in July that killed at least 43 people and displaced more than 300,000 civilians on both sides. The Royal Thai Army said in a statement that the mine explosion in Sisaket province left one soldier with a severe leg injury, while pressure from the blast caused another to withstand chest pains. Thai government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat said that Bangkok will cease &quot;the follow-up to the joint declaration&quot;, meaning the accord with Cambodia inked in Kuala Lumpur in late October, months after the two sides had agreed a ceasefire. The next steps planned as part of the agreement&#39;s implementation included the release of 18 Cambodian soldiers detained in Thailand. &lsquo;Unwavering commitment&rsquo;Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told a press conference that &quot;we thought that the security threat had eased, but it has not actually decreased.&quot; Cambodian authorities did not immediately comment on the incident, but have in the past denied Thai accusations of planting new landmines along the border. Cambodia&#39;s defense ministry pledged in a statement on Monday an &quot;unwavering commitment&quot; to peace. The Southeast Asian neighbors have a dispute over parts of their border dating back more than a century, but July&#39;s fighting was sparked by Thailand&#39;s claims that Cambodia planted landmines that wounded its troops.

The Royal Thai Army said in a statement that the mine explosion in Sisaket province left one soldier with a severe leg injury, while pressure from the blast caused another to withstand chest pains.

Thailand suspends Cambodia deal after landmine injures troops

LONDON:&nbsp;The BBC&#39;s chairman apologised Monday for an &quot;error of judgement&quot; involving the editing of a speech by US President Donald Trump, which has resulted in high-profile resignations at the UK broadcaster. &quot;We accept that the way the speech was edited did give the impression of a direct call for violent action. The BBC would like to apologise for that error of judgement,&quot; Samir Shah said in a letter to a parliamentary watchdog committee. The BBC&#39;s director general and its head of news both resigned Sunday after it emerged that a former external standards adviser had raised impartiality concerns over the editing of Trump&#39;s speech to suggest he had directly instigated the 2021 attack on the US Capitol. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer supports a &quot;strong, independent BBC&quot;, his official spokesman said Monday as the broadcaster reeled from the resignation of two chiefs over an edited Donald Trump speech. &quot;In an age of disinformation, the argument for a robust, impartial British news service is stronger than ever,&quot; the spokesman told reporters, adding it was important that errors are corrected &quot;quickly&quot; to maintain trust. The outgoing CEO of BBC News on Monday said the broadcaster was &quot;not institutionally biased&quot;, after she resigned over accusations that it had misleadingly edited a speech by Donald Trump. &quot;I&#39;d like to make one thing very clear, BBC News is not institutionally biased. That&#39;s why it&#39;s the world&#39;s most trusted news provider,&quot; Deborah Turness told reporters outside the BBC&#39;s London headquarters, after she and BBC director general Tim Davie stepped down on Sunday. BBC Chair Samir Shah, who said it was a &ldquo;sad day for the BBC,&rdquo; was due to give an explanation on Monday to Parliament&rsquo;s Culture, Media and Sport Committee. The state-funded broadcaster has been accused of biased coverage by different ideological camps in recent years, including over its coverage of the war in Gaza. While Trump celebrated the resignations, accusing BBC journalists of being &ldquo;corrupt&rdquo; and &ldquo;dishonest,&rdquo; Turness insisted in her leaving note that &ldquo;allegations that BBC News is institutionally biased are wrong.&rdquo; The shake-up also comes as the UK government is set to begin reviewing the BBC&rsquo;s Royal Charter, which outlines the corporation&rsquo;s governance and public mission. The current charter ends in 2027 and will need to be renewed, with Davie adding he hoped a new chief would &ldquo;positively shape&rdquo; the next iteration, which will need to secure substantial funding to guarantee the BBC&rsquo;s long-term future. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, who previously called the allegations of bias &ldquo;incredibly serious,&rdquo; said a review of the charter by the UK government will help the BBC &ldquo;adapt to this new era.&rdquo; While some critics see the resignations as a timely reckoning for the once-beloved state institution, others have suggested they are a result of duress from right-wing detractors and the United States. Former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson threatened to stop paying his BBC license fee, while current Tory Party leader Kemi Badenoch welcomed the resignations following a &ldquo;catalogue of serious failures.&rdquo; But Liberal Democrats Party leader Ed Davey urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to tell Trump to &ldquo;keep his hands off&rdquo; the BBC. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s easy to see why Trump wants to destroy the world&rsquo;s number one news source,&rdquo; said Davey. &ldquo;We can&rsquo;t let him.&rdquo; ControversiesIt could take several months to find a replacement for Davie, who earned the moniker &ldquo;Teflon Tim&rdquo; for his ability to bounce back from scandals. But he was unable to ride out the latest controversy, which follows a Daily Telegraph report last week that several concerns were raised on impartiality in an internal memo by Michael Prescott, a former external adviser to the BBC&rsquo;s editorial standards committee. Among them was criticism over clips spliced together from sections of a Trump speech on Jan. 6, 2021, when he was accused of fomenting the mob attack on the US Capitol seeking to keep him in power despite losing his re-election bid. The edit made it appear he had told supporters he was going to walk to the US Capitol with them and &ldquo;fight like hell.&rdquo; In the undoctored clip, however, the president urged the audience to walk with him &ldquo;and we&rsquo;re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women.&rdquo; Earlier this year, the BBC issued several apologies for &ldquo;serious flaws&rdquo; in the making of another documentary entitled Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, broadcast in February. In October, it accepted a sanction from the UK media watchdog for what was deemed a &ldquo;materially misleading&rdquo; program, whose child narrator was later revealed to be linked to the organization accused of bias in its coverage of Israel. Pro-Palestinian protesters have also targeted the BBC&rsquo;s London headquarters over its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.<figure class="fr-media"> </figure><figure class="fr-media"> </figure>

United Kingdom

BBC was on Monday apologized for editing a speech that suggested Donald Trump had directly instigated an attack on the U.S. Capitol, resulting in the dramatic resignations of the broadcaster's top brass.

Pakistan forces kill 20 Indian-backed terrorists in operations: military

Latest News

‘Propaganda in the air’: Pakistan rejects claims of PIA safety issues

Pakistan forces kill 20 Indian-backed terrorists in operations: military

India begins blame game after New Delhi blast

Syria: Millions return home but millions still displaced

Nepal police arrest more than 400 over September protests