PARIS:&nbsp;Revelers around the world toasted the start of 2026 on Thursday, bidding farewell to a volatile year when temperatures soared, US President Donald Trump upended global trade, and the brutal conflict in Ukraine raged on. While a fragile truce took hold in devastated Gaza, violence in Sudan continued unabated.&nbsp; A new American pope was installed at the Vatican, the world lost pioneering zoologist Jane Goodall, and Labubu dolls sparked a worldwide frenzy. In Sydney, partygoers paused for a minute of silence to remember the victims of the mass shooting on Bondi Beach before fireworks lit up the skies at the stroke of midnight. Heavily armed police patrolled the shoreline, packed with hundreds of thousands of people, barely two weeks after 15 people were gunned down at a Jewish festival in Australia&#39;s deadliest mass shooting for almost 30 years. Bathed in white lightThe famed Sydney Harbour Bridge was bathed in white light to symbolize peace. Pacific nations, including Kiribati and New Zealand, were the first to see in 2026, with Seoul and Tokyo following Sydney in celebrations that spread around the globe with each passing hour. In Hong Kong, a major New Year fireworks display was cancelled&nbsp;in homage to 161 people killed in a fire in November that engulfed several apartment blocks. &lsquo;10 percent&rsquo; awayUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country was &ldquo;10 percent&rdquo; away from a deal to end the fighting, which soon reached the four-year mark. Russia&rsquo;s Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, used his traditional New Year address to urge his compatriots to believe that Moscow would deliver a victory in Europe&#39;s deadliest conflict since World War II. In the Ukrainian city of Vyshhorod, beauty salon manager Daria Lushchyk said the war had made her work &ldquo;hell&rdquo; but that her clients were still showing up. &ldquo;Nothing can stop our Ukrainian girls from coming in and getting themselves glam,&rdquo; Lushchyk said. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Tariff blitz and fragile truce&nbsp;</h2>This year has brought a mix of stress and excitement for many, war for others still -- and a daring jewel heist at the Louvre. Pop megastar Taylor Swift got engaged to her American football player boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and K-pop heartthrobs BTS made their long-awaited return. Trump returned as US president in January, launching a tariff blitz that sent global trade and world stock markets into meltdown. As he prepared to host a New Year&#39;s party at his lavish Florida home, the Republican president launched a broadside at Oscar-winning actor George Clooney. After two years of war that left much of the Gaza Strip in ruins, pressure from Trump helped land a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October -- though both sides have accused each other of flagrant violations. &ldquo;We bid farewell to 2025 with deep sorrow and grief,&rdquo; said Gaza City resident Shireen Al-Kayali. &ldquo;We lost a lot of people and our possessions. We lived a difficult and harsh life, displaced from one city to another, under bombardment and in terror.&rdquo; Optimism in Syria&nbsp;In contrast, there was optimism despite abiding internal challenges in Syria, where residents of the capital Damascus celebrated a whole year since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. &ldquo;There is no fear, the people are happy, all of Syria is one and united, and God willing &hellip; it will be a good year for the people and the wise leadership,&rdquo; marketing manager Sahar al-Said, 33, told AFP as bells rang in Damascus. Fireworks in DubaiIn Dubai, thousands of revelers queued for up to nine hours for a spectacular fireworks and laser display at the Burj Khalifa, the world&rsquo;s tallest building. Revelers popped champagne near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Bulgaria adopted the euro, and huge crowds danced at Edinburgh&#39;s Hogmanay street party. More than 2.5 million people were expected to pack Rio de Janeiro&#39;s Copacabana Beach for what authorities have called the world&rsquo;s biggest New Year&#39;s Eve party. Crowds packed the city&#39;s expansive coastline for concerts and fireworks, mostly dressed in white, a tradition related to Iemanja, the goddess of the sea in Afro-Brazilian faiths. In the US capital, the Washington Monument was lit up to kick off America&#39;s 250th birthday celebration year. And in New York, thousands gathered in freezing temperatures amid tight security for the traditional ball drop in Times Square. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Sports, space and AI &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>The coming 12 months promise to be full of sports, space, and questions over artificial intelligence. Athletes will gather in Italy in February for the Winter Olympics. And for a few weeks in June and July, 48 nations will compete in the biggest football World Cup in history in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. NASA is planning a crewed mission to orbit the Moon during a 10-day flight, more than 50 years after the last Apollo lunar mission. And after years of unbridled enthusiasm, AI is facing scrutiny, and nervous investors are questioning whether the boom might now resemble a market bubble.

Europe

Americas

Australasia

Middle East

The coming 12 months promise to be full of sports, space, and questions over AI; in February, athletes will take part in the Winter Olympics, and in June and July, 48 nations will compete in the football World Cup.

World welcomes 2026 with fireworks after year of Trump and turmoil

WASHINGTON: US Justice Department officials on Sunday denied redacting the Epstein files to protect President Donald Trump as criticism mounted over the partial and heavily-censored release of documents. Victims of Jeffrey Epstein have expressed anger after a cache of records from cases against the late sex offender were released Friday with many pages blacked out and photos censored. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday defended the Justice Department and a decision to remove an image of several group photos including at least one showing Trump. &quot;There were concerns about those women and the fact that we had put that photo up,&quot; Blanche, a former personal lawyer to the president, told NBC&#39;s &quot;Meet the Press.&quot; &quot;So we pulled that photo down. It has nothing to do with President Trump.&quot; When asked if any material was redacted to due to political sensitivities -- which would be illegal -- Blanche replied &quot;absolutely,&nbsp;positively&nbsp;not.&quot; Democratic lawmakers on Sunday accused Trump himself of defying a law ordering the release of all files on Epstein, who amassed a fortune and circulated among rich and famous people. &quot;It&#39;s all about covering up things that, for whatever reason, Donald Trump doesn&#39;t want to go public, either about himself (or) other members of his family, friends,&quot; Democratic congressman Jamie Raskin said on CNN&#39;s &quot;State of the Union.&quot; The tranche of materials released Friday included photographs of former president Bill Clinton and other famous names such as pop stars Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson. The Justice Department said it was protecting Epstein&#39;s victims with the blackouts.But the many redactions -- and allegations of missing documents -- only added to calls for justice in a case that has fueled conspiracy theories from Trump&#39;s right-wing base. - Republican: &#39;Selective concealment&#39; -Republican congressman Thomas Massie, who has long pushed for complete release of the files, on Sunday joined in with the Democrats&#39; demands. &quot;They&#39;re flouting the spirit and the letter of the law. It&#39;s very troubling the posture that they&#39;ve taken. And I won&#39;t be satisfied until the survivors are satisfied,&quot; he told CBS&#39;s &quot;Face The Nation.&quot; A 60-count indictment that implicates well-known people was not released, Massie charged. &quot;It&#39;s about the selective concealment,&quot; he said. Senator Rand Paul, a fellow Republican and frequent critic of Trump, warned during an appearance on ABC&#39;s &quot;This Week&quot; that any material not revealed &quot;will just plague them for months and months more.&quot; Trump tried to block the disclosure of the files linked to Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. The president finally bowed to mounting pressure from Congress -- including members of his own party -- and signed the law compelling publication of the material. Trump was once a close friend of Epstein, regularly attending parties together, but he cut ties with him years before his arrest and faces no accusations of wrongdoing. - Accomplice in jail -At least one released file contained dozens of censored images of naked or scantily clad figures, while previously unseen photographs of disgraced former prince Andrew show him lying across the legs of five women. Other pictures show Clinton lounging in a hot tub, part of the image blacked out, and swimming alongside a dark-haired woman who appears to be Epstein&#39;s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell, Epstein&#39;s former girlfriend, remains the only person convicted in connection with his crimes, and is serving a 20-year sentence for recruiting underage girls for the former banker, whose death was ruled a suicide. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House minority leader, said on &quot;This Week&quot; that justice officials must provide written explanation to Congress within 15 days about why they withheld any documents. &quot;It does appear, of course, that this initial document release is inadequate,&quot; Jeffries said.

US Justice Department officials denied redacting the Epstein files to protect President Donald Trump as criticism mounted

Trump administration denies cover-up over redacted Epstein files

NEW YORK:&nbsp;The US Department of Justice has dismissed eight immigration judges in New York City, the association representing them said Tuesday, amid tensions with the courts as President Donald Trump&rsquo;s administration cracks down on undocumented migrants. According to the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ), which confirmed media reports, the eight judges all worked at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan.&nbsp; The address houses a court that reviews cases in which migrants seek to regularize their status.<figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/7fc194e0-9ab7-46d7-94d3-17d73d7f6682-NYC ICE.jpg" alt="NYC ICE.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 1000px; height: 563px;"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">NEW YORK: Immigration activists block ICE vans during a protest against a purported ICE raid on Canal Street on November 29, 2025, in New York City. (Photo by AFP/File)</figcaption></figure> For months, masked federal officers have been patrolling the hallways of the Jacob K Javitz Federal Building daily.&nbsp; The officers make arrests of migrants as they leave hearings, but under the watchful eye of the press, which is frequently present. Crackdown on migrantsImages of scuffles with police and of immigrant families being separated have gone viral around the world, making 26 Federal Plaza a symbolic site of the Trump administration&rsquo;s crackdown on migrants nationwide. It&#39;s unclear what led to the dismissals of eight New York judges.&nbsp; However, they join approximately 90 judges who were dismissed across the country this year out of about 600, according to a report by The New York Times. More aligned judges&nbsp;As migrant advocacy groups see them, these dismissals are aimed at replacing the outgoing judges with others who are more aligned with the administration&#39;s immigration policy. The dismissals took place after several dozen people gathered in Manhattan over the weekend to try to prevent a possible raid by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency against street vendors.&nbsp; The New York police made several arrests. As a so-called sanctuary city for migrants, New York City voluntarily limits cooperation between its local authorities and federal immigration services.&nbsp; However, it does not prevent their operations.

It's unclear what led to the eight New York judges being dismissed; however, they join approximately 90 judges who were dismissed over the year across the country out of about 600, according to a report by The New York Times.

Trump administration dismisses eight immigration judges in New York

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said late Saturday that six Democrats involved in a video calling on military officers to refuse illegal commands &ldquo;should be in jail.&rdquo; The Republican leader&#39;s remarks came after he accused the Democrat lawmakers on Friday of &ldquo;seditious behaviour, punishable by death.&rdquo; Democrats slammed Trump&#39;s comments as &ldquo;absolutely vile&rdquo; threats against the six senators and representatives, all of whom have served in the military or intelligence community. &lsquo;SEDITION AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL&rsquo;Trump took to social media on Saturday night, writing:&ldquo;THE TRAITORS THAT TOLD THE MILITARY TO DISOBEY MY ORDERS SHOULD BE IN JAIL RIGHT NOW, NOT ROAMING THE FAKE NEWS NETWORKS TRYING TO EXPLAIN THAT WHAT THEY SAID WAS OK.&rdquo; He said that the Democrats&#39; message was &ldquo;SEDITION AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL&rdquo; and that &ldquo;THERE CAN BE NO OTHER INTERPRETATION OF WHAT THEY SAID&rdquo;.<div class="fr-embed"><iframe src="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115597077845312894/embed" class="truthsocial-embed" style="max-width: 100%; border: 0" width="600" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>&lsquo;Refuse illegal orders&rsquo;The video posted on social media Friday called on the military to &ldquo;refuse illegal orders&rdquo; and featured Arizona&#39;s Mark Kelly, Michigan&#39;s Elissa Slotkin, along with Jason Crow of Colorado, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of&nbsp;Pennsylvania&nbsp;and Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire. They did not specify which orders they were referring to, but Trump has ordered the National Guard into multiple US cities, in many cases against the wishes of local officials, in a bid to bring alleged rampant unrest under control. Death penalty&nbsp;Abroad, Trump has also ordered strikes on a series of alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean that have left more than 80 people dead and which experts say are illegal. Trump has alluded to the death penalty on previous occasions. In 2023, former US military officer Mark Milley told a journalist he had secretly called his Chinese counterpart after the January 6, 2021 riots at the US Capitol to reassure Beijing that the United States remained &ldquo;stable&rdquo; and had no intention to attack China. Trump subsequently wrote on social media that &ldquo;in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!&rdquo;

Says, ‘THE TRAITORS THAT TOLD THE MILITARY TO DISOBEY MY ORDERS SHOULD BE IN JAIL RIGHT NOW, NOT ROAMING THE FAKE NEWS NETWORKS TRYING TO EXPLAIN THAT WHAT THEY SAID WAS OK.’

Trump urges jail time for Democrats over military message

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said he will host New York&#39;s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani for a meeting Friday, after fiercely attacking the 34-year-old self-described Democratic Socialist during his recent campaign. Trump said on his Truth Social platform the mayor-elect &quot;asked for a meeting&quot; and it &quot;will take place at the Oval Office on Friday, November 21st.&quot; Mamdani&#39;s spokesperson Dora Pekec confirmed the meeting in a statement. &quot;As is customary for an incoming mayoral administration, the Mayor-elect plans to meet with the President in Washington to discuss public safety, economic security and the affordability agenda that over one million New Yorkers voted for just two weeks ago,&quot; Pekec said Wednesday. Two men raised in Queens Trump&#39;s meeting with Mamdani marks the coming together of two men raised in the Queens borough of New York, but their similarities may end there. Anti-immigrant Trump has derided Mamdani&#39;s South Asian name, and threatened to cut federal funding for New York upon the Muslim&#39;s election to run America&#39;s largest city. &quot;Mandami, whatever the hell his name is,&quot; Trump said recently -- deliberately mispronouncing the Uganda-born politician&#39;s surname. &lsquo;Turn the volume up!&rsquo; Mamdani has not backed down from Trump, calling out the 79-year-old Republican during his victory rally earlier this month. &quot;Donald Trump, since I know you&#39;re watching, I have four words for you -- turn the volume up!&quot; he said to his cheering supporters. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later confirmed the president had indeed watched Mamdani speak.

Trump's meeting with Mamdani marks the coming together of two men raised in the Queens borough of New York, but their similarities may end there; Mamdani's spokesperson Dora Pekec confirmed the meeting in a statement.

Trump says will meet with New York mayor-elect Mamdani on Friday

WASHINGTON: More than 22 million people, many of them children, could die preventable deaths by 2030 due to aid cuts by the United States and European countries, new research said Monday. The findings are an update of a study earlier this year that focused only on US assistance and said that sweeping reductions by President Donald Trump could lead to 14 million additional deaths.

 More than 22 million people could die by 2030 due to aid cuts by the United States and European countries

US, European aid cuts could cause 22.6 million deaths: research

WEST PALM BEACH: President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to send US forces into Nigeria with &quot;guns-a-blazing&quot; if Africa&#39;s most populous country does not stem what he described as the killing of Christians by Islamists. &quot;If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, &#39;guns-a-blazing,&#39; to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,&quot; he said on Truth Social. &quot;I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet.&quot;

President Donald Trump threatened action against Nigeria, saying the U.S. may halt all aid and send forces "guns-a-blazing" to target Islamist perpetrators if the government fails to stop killings of Christians, posting on Truth Social.

Trump threatens military action in Nigeria over 'killing of Christians'

Gaitty Ara Anis

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s announcement signaling a possible resumption of US nuclear testing after more than three decades has drawn mixed reactions from nuclear policy experts, who warned of legal hurdles and global security risks.&nbsp;Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters the United States would conduct nuclear tests if other nations do.&nbsp;&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to do some testing, yeah, and other countries do it,&rdquo; Trump said in response to a question from AFP. &ldquo;If they&rsquo;re going to do it, we&rsquo;re going to do it.&rdquo;&nbsp;He did not clarify whether he was referring to warhead tests, missile tests, or subcritical experiments.&nbsp;The statement came ahead of Trump&rsquo;s meeting with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping in South Korea, where both leaders were expected to discuss tariffs.&nbsp;Dr. Kelly Voss Coletti, a nuclear nonproliferation expert at the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology, told Pakistan TV Digital that it was &ldquo;too early to call this announcement official.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;It is still a statement, not a policy,&rdquo; she said, noting that any resumption of nuclear explosive testing in the United States would require congressional approval and a lengthy authorization process.&nbsp;Miles Pomper, a senior fellow at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Washington, said the president&rsquo;s wording left critical questions unanswered.&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not clear whether he meant testing missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads or the warheads themselves,&rdquo; he said. Pomper noted that &ldquo;missiles are routinely tested in all nuclear states, including Pakistan.&rdquo;&nbsp;Dr. Coletti cautioned that US moves carry global ripple effects.&nbsp;&ldquo;The international system tends to look to the United States for leadership on nuclear nonproliferation,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;If the US begins the long process of resuming nuclear weapons testing, other countries will likely follow.&rdquo;&nbsp;Pomper acknowledged that the US deterrence strategy plays a political role.&nbsp;&ldquo;Testing is the only way to know how aging plutonium pits perform,&rdquo; he said, adding that deterrence remains central to US strategic policy.&nbsp;Coletti urged Washington to honor its moratorium and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty to &ldquo;demonstrate the US&rsquo; commitment to global peace.&rdquo; Pomper, meanwhile, suggested such a move would signal a shift back into &ldquo;an already ongoing arms race.&rdquo;&nbsp;Russia and China, both considered strategic competitors, have recently expanded their advanced weapons testing capabilities. Moscow recently announced tests of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile and the Poseidon underwater torpedo.&nbsp;Since 1992, the United States has relied on the Stockpile Stewardship and Management Program, using simulations and non-detonating experiments, to ensure the reliability of its arsenal without live testing.&nbsp;Coletti also emphasized that the president does not hold exclusive authority in approving nuclear explosive tests.&nbsp;&ldquo;The power lies with Congress,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Even if proposed, the decision will take time to implement.&rdquo;&nbsp;On regional implications, experts said US testing would not immediately alter deterrence dynamics between Pakistan and India. However, Pomper noted it could &ldquo;provide Iran and North Korea with talking points,&rdquo; ahead of the 2026 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty review conference.&nbsp;Environmental risks also remain contentious. While Pomper argued underground testing is &ldquo;not hazardous,&rdquo; Coletti warned of long-term groundwater contamination, pointing to the US National Cancer Institute&rsquo;s fallout risk assessments from Cold War&ndash;era tests.&nbsp;&ldquo;Even underground, radioactive materials can escape through cracks caused by the explosion,&rdquo; she said. With additional inputs from AFP

President Donald Trump signaled the US could resume nuclear testing if rivals do, prompting nonproliferation experts to warn of legal hurdles, environmental risks, and a potential renewed arms race, though some argue testing may support deterrence credibility.

Trump nuclear testing plan sparks expert concern

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump and Indian Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi are taking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to task for their own reasons. Trump is doing it for Modi&rsquo;s refusal to acknowledge his role in ending the Pakistan-India conflict in May, while Gandhi heads an opposition that has been down for too long. US President Donald Trump claimed he used trade pressure to stop a May Pakistan-India clash, saying &ldquo;seven brand new&rdquo; planes were shot down. Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to publicly deny Trump&rsquo;s account and &ldquo;find the courage&rdquo; to respond. &lsquo;Seven brand new planes&rsquo;&nbsp;US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that &ldquo;seven brand new, beautiful planes were shot down&rdquo; during the Pakistan-India conflict earlier this year. While referring to the aerial encounters between the two countries, the US president said the two countries were &ldquo;going at it&rdquo; in May, during which &ldquo;seven planes were shot down.&rdquo;&nbsp; &ldquo;Seven brand new, beautiful planes were shot down,&rdquo; Trump said in his speech, available on White House YouTube channel, to business leaders in Japan during a dinner. &nbsp; <div class="fr-embed youtube-embed"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eDOKTKbcJC4" title="President Trump Delivers Keynote Remarks at APEC CEOs Luncheon" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; max-width: 100%; display: block;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe>&nbsp;</div> India continues to deny that any of its aircraft were lost and rejects Trump&rsquo;s claim regarding the ceasefire. &nbsp; &lsquo;Great service to the world&rsquo;The US president said he told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, &ldquo;We&#39;re not going to do any trade if you&#39;re going to be fighting.&rdquo; The same message was also sent to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif &mdash; whom he termed &ldquo;a very nice man, a very good man&rdquo; &mdash; and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir. &ldquo;And within about 24 hours, that was the end of that,&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;It was amazing, actually.&rdquo; &ldquo;A lot of the wars that I stopped were because of tariffs,&rdquo; he said, adding that he was able to do a &ldquo;great service to the world [&hellip;] because of tariffs, because of trade.&rdquo; &nbsp; &#39;Don&rsquo;t be scared Modi ji&rsquo;&nbsp;Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament, in a post on X on Wednesday, while hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said: &ldquo;Trump is insulting Modi in country after country. Latest is South Korea. 1. Repeated that he used trade to frighten Modi into stopping Operation Sindoor. 2. Said 7 planes were shot down.&rdquo; &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t be scared Modi ji, find the courage to respond,&rdquo; the opposition leader added, while throwing down the gauntlet.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1983482933160939544&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=82a003937f4acc08242766ee2e8d1415521c90d7&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 416px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> This is not the first time; the Indian opposition leader has challenged PM Modi on the issue. Back on July 29 during a debate in the Indian Parliament, Rahul Gandhi, in his speech available on his Youtube channel, said: &ldquo;Donald Trump has said 29 times, 29 times he said he got the ceasefire done, if he is lying than the prime minister should say it here, if he has the courage should say it here that he is lying.&rdquo; &ldquo;If he has the courage, if he has the courage, if he has the courage, if he has the courage of Indira Gandhi, let him say here, that &lsquo;Donald Trump you are a liar, you did not make a ceasefire, and that we did not lose any planes&rsquo;, let him say if he has the courage.&rdquo; &ldquo;If he has even 50% of the courage of Indira Gandhi than say it here, if he has the courage, if he really has the courage, than this evening the prime minister should say it here Donald Trump is a liar, don&rsquo;t have President Trump tell you that I have stopped the war 29 times, have the courage to tell him that no, to hell with you, you cannot stop any war, we are going to fight,&rdquo; Gandhi challenged Modi to loud applause from the opposition benches. <div class="fr-embed youtube-embed"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TFmq0kSb9OU" title="Does Modi Have Courage to Call Trump a Liar? | Operation Sindoor Debate in Parliament | Rahul Gandhi" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; max-width: 100%; display: block;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe>&nbsp;</div>

India

Donald Trump claims credit for stopping the Pakistan-India conflict in May; Rahul Gandhi has challenged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to show courage and deny Trump’s statements.

Trump, Rahul Gandhi gibe about Modi 

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE: &nbsp;US President Donald Trump said he had clinched a deal with China&rsquo;s President Xi Jinping on rare earths aboard Air Force One on Thursday. The US president told reporters China rare earths deal was for one year and was extendable. He also said that the US and China would &lsquo;work together&rsquo; on the Ukraine war. US President Donald Trump described his meeting with China&#39;s leader Xi Jinping was a &quot;great success&quot; and said he would head to China in April for new talks.<div class="fr-embed youtube-embed"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I2hY2qJYtj0" title="President Trump Gaggles with Press on Air Force One, Oct. 30, 2025" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; max-width: 100%; display: block;"></iframe>&nbsp;</div>&quot;I&#39;ll be going to China in April and he&#39;ll be coming here sometime after that, whether it&#39;s in Florida, Palm Beach or Washington, DC.&quot; &quot;A lot of things we brought to finalisation&quot; at Thursday&#39;s talks in Busan, South Korea, added Trump, praising Xi as a &quot;tremendous leader of a very powerful country&quot;. &nbsp;He also said that he did not discuss Taiwan with President Xi. Trump also said he was too &#39;busy&#39; to meet North Korea&#39;s Kim Jong Un, adding he could &quot;come back&quot;. &nbsp; &#39;Consensus reached&#39;President Xi Jinping said China has reached a consensus with the United States on economic and trade issues, state media reported, after meeting Thursday with US leader Donald Trump. On Thursday, Xi told Trump that the two countries &quot;should have positive interactions on the regional and international stage&quot;, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported. Xi said that teams from both sides had &quot;exchanged in-depth views on important economic and trade issues and reached a consensus on resolving them&quot;, according to the Xinhua readout which offered no details on specific agreements reached. &quot;Both teams should refine and finalise follow-up work as soon as possible, maintain and implement the consensus and provide tangible results to set minds at ease about the economies of China, the United States and the world,&quot; he added. Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump wrapped up their meeting on Thursday without making any official comments as Trump departed from South Korea. Trump, Xi meeting The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Sitting opposite each other, each leader was flanked by senior officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury chief Scott Bessent, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Xi&#39;s team, which arrived from Beijing shortly before -- the US side was already in South Korea -- included Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, and Vice Premier He Lifeng. Trump and Xi opened their first face-to-face meeting in six years, seeking a truce to end a trade war that has roiled the world economy. Both countries need to work together: XiBefore the meeting, Xi told Trump that while the two countries did not always see eye to eye, they should strive to be &quot;partners and friends.&quot; &quot;China and the US can jointly shoulder our responsibility as major countries and work together to accomplish more great and concrete things for the good of our two countries and the whole world,&quot; Xi said. The US president, who minutes before the meeting said he had ordered the Pentagon to start nuclear weapons testing on a level with China and Russia, complimented a smiling Xi as a &quot;very tough negotiator&quot; as they shook hands. &quot;We&#39;ll have a great understanding,&quot; Trump said, predicting a &quot;fantastic relationship for a long period of time.&quot; The US leader&#39;s latest missive on nuclear weapons testing broadened the stakes for his talks with Xi. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;Even in five years&#39;&nbsp;</h2>Minutes before meeting Xi, Trump wrote on Truth Social that &quot;because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis.&quot; Trump added that in terms of nuclear weapons stockpiles, China was a &quot;distant third&quot; behind the United States and Russia, &quot;but will be even in 5 years.&quot; The comments came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had successfully tested a nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered underwater drone, in defiance of US warnings. No response&nbsp;Trump did not provide details or respond to a journalist&#39;s question about his surprise nuclear announcement before the crucial meeting with Xi. The world&#39;s two top economies&#39; trade tussle -- encompassing&nbsp;everything from rare earths to soybeans and port fees -- has rocked markets and gummed up supply chains for months. Following productive preparatory talks by top officials, Trump had said on Wednesday, on his way to South Korea, that &quot;a lot of problems are going to be solved&quot; in a &quot;great meeting.&quot; Export controls on rare earths &nbsp;Trump indicated that the agreement would include lowering 20% tariffs on Chinese goods related to fentanyl, which has killed tens of thousands of Americans. Of particular importance to Trump -- with an eye on US farmers -- is whether China will resume purchases of American soybeans. Another major issue is Beijing&#39;s export controls on rare earths announced this month, which prompted Trump to question the Xi summit. Beijing holds a virtual monopoly on these materials, which are essential for sophisticated electronic components across a range of industries. &quot;The easiest wins could include removing port fees for ships or lifting some fentanyl-related tariffs, which fall fully under presidential authority. China, in turn, could agree to purchase more US commodities to show goodwill,&quot; Yue Su at The Economist Intelligence Unit told AFP. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Crowning achievement&nbsp;</h2>The Xi-Trump meeting took place on the sidelines of the APEC summit, attended by leaders of 21 countries, including Japan, Australia, and Canada. South Korea is the final stop on an Asia tour that saw Trump showered with praise and gifts, including a replica of an ancient Korean golden crown. In Japan, new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she would nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize and gave him a putter and a gold-plated golf ball. &lsquo;Not too distant future&rsquo;However, Trump&#39;s hopes of a re-run of his 2019 meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Demilitarized Zone frontier appear to have dashed. Trump said that they would meet in the &quot;not too distant future&quot; and that he would like to &quot;straighten out&quot; tensions between North and South Korea. On Thursday, he hailed the military alliance with South Korea as &quot;stronger than ever&quot; and said he had given the green light for Seoul to build a nuclear-powered submarine.

China

Says meeting with China's leader Xi Jinping was a 'great success'; China rare earths deal is for one year and is extendable; and US and China to ‘work together’ on the Ukraine war; President Xi said China has reached a consensus with the United States on economic and trade issues.

Articles tagged with "Donald Trump"