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			<title>US and Iran review draft proposal to end war, Qatar says</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638448/us-and-iran-review-draft-proposal-to-end-war-qatar-says</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638448/us-and-iran-review-draft-proposal-to-end-war-qatar-says#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 26 10:58:22 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Says there have been developments in talks with both sides and that efforts to narrow gaps are continuing]]>
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				<![CDATA[The United States and Iran are committed to mediation efforts and are reviewing proposals aimed at bridging their differences, Qatar said on Tuesday.

&quot;Both parties remain committed to the negotiation process; as we mentioned, we are facilitating the real-time exchange of proposals between them,&rdquo; foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told reporters, according to Reuters and Al-Arabiya.



🔴 Qatar says it remains hopeful that a deal could be reached between the United States and Iran as both sides review proposals put forward by mediators including Doha

🔴 &ldquo;Both parties remain committed to the negotiation process; as we mentioned, we are facilitating the&hellip; pic.twitter.com/7bNfbYNxXD
&mdash; Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) November 3, 2026


&quot;We remain hopeful that there is still a chance for a deal to set the environment for future negotiations&quot;, he said.

Qatar said that both the United States and Iran remained committed to mediation efforts and were reviewing proposals put forward by mediators. While the Qatari team that travelled to Tehran had since returned to Doha, talks were continuing, Qatar&#39;s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said.

&quot;There are intensive joint regional efforts underway to avoid escalation,&quot; he told a news briefing, adding that the &quot;bridging&quot; of gaps &quot;is ongoing&quot;

Three tankers hit mines in Strait of Hormuz, Iran&#39;s Revolutionary Guards Navy quoted as saying

Three oil tankers struck mines and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday after entering unauthorised shipping lanes with their navigation and identification systems switched off, the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted Iran&#39;s Revolutionary Guards Navy as saying.

The vessels were left burning off the southern coast of the strait, the IRGC Navy said, warning ships against ignoring Iranian regulations and cooperating with the US military to transit unauthorised routes.

Iran-US deal still out of reach despite diplomatic push, Iranian official says

Iran and the United States remain far from a deal to end the war, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday, despite intensified diplomatic efforts to avert a return to major conflict after the US midterm elections.

Overnight, the US carried out &quot;defensive&quot; strikes on Iran&#39;s Qeshm island, with a US official saying the strikes targeted surface-to-air missiles used against US assets. Another official said the strikes appeared to be limited and did not signal a resumption of major combat operations.

&quot;Mediators are working hard to narrow gaps between Tehran and Washington,&quot; the senior Iranian official said, after Qatari mediators travelled to Tehran on Monday night for talks on a version of a draft US-Iran deal that has been under negotiation for the past eight days.

&quot;Tehran&#39;s conditions must be met if the US wants Hormuz reopened,&quot; the Iranian official cautioned, referring to the waterway critical for global energy supplies.

The Iranian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said nuclear talks could only start after Iran&#39;s conditions were fulfilled and that Tehran would not accept Washington&#39;s &quot;excessive demands&quot;.

Tehran would respond forcefully, in the region and beyond, to US strikes, the official added.

Oil prices rose by about $1 on Tuesday, having dropped more than 7% the previous day on hopes diplomacy was progressing.

Additionally, Iran&#39;s Revolutionary Guards said they downed a US MQ-9 drone and two Lucas drones in the skies near the Strait of Hormuz.]]>
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			<title>Trump faces major political test as Americans vote in midterms</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638415/trump-faces-major-political-test-as-americans-vote-in-midterms</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638415/trump-faces-major-political-test-as-americans-vote-in-midterms#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 26 06:15:29 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[AFP]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[More than 57 million Americans had already voted early before Tuesday, indicating the high energy]]>
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				<![CDATA[American voters will deliver a verdict on the first two years of President Donald Trump&#39;s second term in Tuesday&#39;s midterm elections, with polls and nonpartisan analysts favoring Democrats to wrest the House from Republicans while control of the Senate remains uncertain.

The battle for the Senate is unfolding across nearly 10 closely ​contested statewide races, most in Republican strongholds.

History is against Trump&#39;s Republicans: the sitting president&#39;s party has lost ground in Congress in all but two midterm elections since World War Two. Trump&#39;s approval rating is hovering &zwnj;near his all-time lows, dragged down by deep voter frustration over the war with Iran and the resulting rise in fuel prices.

There is little doubt this year&#39;s election is all about Trump, the central US political figure for most of the last decade. Trump himself has told his supporters repeatedly to &quot;pretend I&#39;m on the ballot,&quot; a message Democratic leaders have happily echoed.

The president has held more than two dozen campaign rallies since the start of October, the vast majority in states he easily won in 2024, underscoring the extent to which Republicans are playing defence.

Read: Candidates make final push for US midterms

Led ​by Trump, Republicans have portrayed Democratic candidates as radical, un-American and even communist.

&quot;The Democrat Party has nominated the most extreme and dangerous slate of candidates in American history,&quot; Trump said on Monday during a speech in Washington.

But opinion ​polls show voters are most concerned about affordability and disapprove of Trump&#39;s handling of the issue, after his sweeping tariff policy and his decision to attack Iran in February increased domestic ⁠costs. Republican candidates, meanwhile, have struggled to distance themselves from a president who demands fealty and rarely acknowledges mistakes.

All 435 seats in the US House of Representatives are up for election, along with 35 of the Senate&#39;s 100 seats, though the majority ​of contests are not considered competitive. Democrats must flip at least three House seats and four Senate seats to win a majority in each chamber.

A Democratic House or Senate could launch investigations into what Democrats describe as self-dealing by the Trump administration and ​demand concessions to approve legislation.

A Democratic Senate would also have the power to block Trump appointments, including US Supreme Court nominations if vacancies arise.

But while Democrats have put Republicans on the defensive on much of their home turf, they have little margin for error. The party must defend all of its current seats, including a tight race in Michigan, while winning at least two states that voted for Trump by a double-digit margin two years ago: Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas.

Opinion polls show Democrats either narrowly leading or within striking distance in all of ​those states.

Michigan race roiled by cross-party endorsement

The Michigan Senate contest between progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, 42, and Republican former US Representative Mike Rogers, 63, received a fresh jolt on Sunday, when Democrat Haley Stevens, who narrowly lost to El-Sayed in the party&#39;s primary ​election, endorsed Rogers in a surprise reversal.

In addition to the implications for Senate control, the Michigan race represents a high-profile test of whether Republicans&#39; identity-based attacks &ndash; El-Sayed would be the nation&#39;s first Muslim senator &mdash; prove effective in a battleground state.

A win for El-Sayed, who has criticised Israel and supports liberal policies such as universal healthcare, would also boost the party&#39;s left wing ahead of the 2028 presidential election.

Read more: Israel maintains highest state of alert on eve of US midterm elections

The Alaska Senate race has been caught up in its own turmoil, after the New York Times reported that the campaign of Democratic candidate Mary Peltola, 53, helped recruit a third candidate who shares the first and last name of her Republican opponent, Dan Sullivan, 61.

Peltola has denied involvement. Trump&#39;s Justice Department has launched a criminal probe into the allegations and filed a lawsuit to block certification of the election results, though a judge dismissed the latter effort.

In Texas, Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, 37, has his party once again dreaming of winning the biggest Republican state after decades of heartbreak. His scandal-plagued opponent, Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, 63, has benefited ​from a nine-figure investment from the world&#39;s richest man, Elon ​Musk, who has spent hundreds of millions of dollars boosting ⁠Republicans.

In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton, 62, a megachurch pastor, held a narrow polling lead over Republican US Senator Roger Marshall, 66. The state voted for Trump by more than 16 percentage points in 2024 and has not elected a Democratic senator in nearly a century.

And in Maine, Republican US Senator Susan Collins, 73, is once again seeking to defy the Democratic leanings of her home state ​and win a sixth term. She faces Democrat Troy Jackson, 58, a former state senate president who unexpectedly became the nominee after Democratic oyster farmer Graham Platner dropped out amid ​accusations of misconduct, which he denied.

Other ⁠competitive Senate races are taking place in Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio and South Carolina, all Republican-held seats.

Trump&#39;s Justice Department intervenes

There are 47 US House races widely seen as competitive, according to a Reuters analysis of the leading election forecasters. If the other contests all proceed as predicted, Democrats would need to win only 13 of those 46 races to secure a majority.

The fight for the House has been waged largely on Republican turf, including some districts Trump carried by double digits in 2024. A Trump-backed Republican effort to redraw districts in several states ⁠to make them ​safer for the party appears not to have yielded the gains the White House expected.

Democrats have warned that Trump, who has long falsely claimed that US elections ​are rigged, may attempt to challenge Tuesday&#39;s results if Republicans lose.

In addition to its actions in Alaska, Trump&#39;s Justice Department also filed a lawsuit in California to block ballots it says may be invalid, a break from decades of practice meant to insulate elections from political influence. The US Supreme Court on Monday rejected the ​administration&#39;s request for an emergency order in the case.

Three dozen governors&#39; races will also take place on Tuesday, as well as thousands of state-level legislative contests and ballot measures on everything from a billionaires&#39; tax to abortion rights.

Economic discontent

Republicans insist that Trump&#39;s tax cuts and immigration crackdown will benefit Americans, and they are portraying Democratic candidates as left-wing radicals.

But in his final public campaign appearance Monday, Trump barely touched on the economy and spent most of the time in a rambling talk about his problem-plagued renovation of Washington&#39;s Reflecting Pool.

&quot;This is the last day before the midterm elections, the most important midterm I believe in our lifetime,&quot; he said, 26 minutes into the speech, before quickly returning to talking about renovations.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer branded it a &quot;pathetic closing message.&quot;

Some Republican supporters remain confident.

Also read: US midterms: Polls show Democrats ahead in battle for Congress

&quot;We&#39;re going to win. As a matter of fact, we&#39;ve probably already won,&quot; Texas military veteran Yvonne Clouser told AFP.

But while Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority, the battlefield is extending into conservative states like Kansas, Texas, Iowa, Ohio and Alaska.

Decision Desk HQ&#39;s final forecast projected 241 House seats for Democrats against 194 for Republicans, and a narrower 52-48 Democratic Senate majority.

Disputed results?

Polls can underestimate one party&#39;s support, and Republicans hope their voters turn out in force on Election Day.

More than 57 million Americans had already voted early before Tuesday, indicating the high energy.

The campaign has attracted more than $11 billion in political advertising, while billionaire Trump ally Elon Musk has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into Republican political efforts.

As soon as polls close, concerns will mount over whether results will be accepted by the Republicans.

Trump, who tried to overturn his 2020 election defeat, has repeatedly alleged widespread voter fraud and accused Democrats -- with no evidence -- of cheating.

The Justice Department, run by a close Trump ally, has already sued to potentially block certification of Alaska&#39;s Senate race if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan narrowly loses, although a court ruled against the effort on the eve of the election.

Trump, who will watch the midterm results at the White House on Tuesday night, signalled that if he does lose control of Congress, he could simply defy Democrats.

&quot;I veto everything,&quot; he told a podcast Monday, although he said he might strike deals with Democrats eventually.]]>
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			<title>US Supreme Court rejects Trump, lets California count all ballots</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638433/us-supreme-court-rejects-trump-lets-california-count-all-ballots</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638433/us-supreme-court-rejects-trump-lets-california-count-all-ballots#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 26 10:00:17 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Administration demanded that California separate any ​allegedly unlawful ballots from other ballots and not count them]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Acting on the eve of the US midterm elections, the Supreme Court quickly rejected on Monday a bid by US President Donald Trump&#39;s administration to temporarily block California from counting mail-in ​ballots from more than 20,000 registered voters who federal officials allege are likely non-US citizens.

The justices denied the Justice Department&#39;s emergency request just hours after it filed it, &zwnj;shutting down the administration&#39;s claims over disputed ballots that could have affected thousands of voters and injected uncertainty into election outcomes.

The decision represented another defeat for Trump as his fellow Republicans fight to retain control of Congress in Tuesday&#39;s midterms. California is the most populous US state and a Democratic stronghold.

The administration intensified its focus on alleged noncitizen voting in the run-up to the midterms. Multiple studies and state audits show that ineligible voting, including by noncitizens, is ​rare.

The Supreme Court&#39;s brief, one-sentence order on Monday did not offer any explanation of its action, as is common when it handles emergency matters. No justice publicly dissented from the ​decision. The court also did not ask California for a response to the administration&#39;s request, a step that, when taken, usually signals serious consideration of ⁠an emergency case.

Read: Trump faces major political test as Americans vote in midterms

California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, called the decision &quot;a welcome sight for all Americans given the disgusting and dangerous attacks on our democracy by the federal government.&quot;

&quot;Tomorrow (Tuesday), Californians can feel secure in ​knowing the state will carry out a free and fair election &mdash; just as we&#39;ve always done,&quot; Newsom added.

A federal appeals court refused the administration&#39;s request on Friday.

The administration had demanded that California separate any ​allegedly unlawful ballots from other ballots and not count them until those voters are determined to be US citizens.

&quot;Once California commingles the challenged ballots with lawful ones, there is no way to get the challenged ballots back,&quot; the Justice Department said in its request to the Supreme Court.

Trump has made false claims about widespread US voting fraud, including in the 2020 election lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

&quot;We will continue pursuing every available legal avenue to protect the ​integrity of our elections and ensure federal law is enforced,&quot; acting US Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said in a social media post after the administration&#39;s filing earlier in the day.

Constitutional questions

The US Constitution ​assigns the responsibility of administering elections to states, though the federal government has some oversight. The lawsuit marked a rare federal intervention in the voting process and signalled a willingness by the administration to contest the election &zwnj;results in ⁠court.

The administration already sought to restrict voting by mail &mdash; a mode of casting ballots used more often by Democratic-leaning voters &mdash; but the Supreme Court in September rebuffed that effort. And a federal judge on Sunday dismissed the administration&#39;s lawsuit concerning the US Senate race in Alaska.

The list of 20,000 registered voters was amassed by the US Department of Homeland Security and sent to California officials and to Los Angeles County officials.

Read more: Judge blocks Trump administration from pressuring states over noncitizen voting

The Justice Department sued in federal court on October 15, claiming California is unlawfully preventing its enforcement of a 1996 US law that makes it a criminal offence for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. The department ​said California&#39;s action violated the Constitution&#39;s Supremacy Clause, ​which holds that federal law generally preempts ⁠state law.

California has said that the state&#39;s safeguards against noncitizen voting are robust and that the lawsuit threatens to deprive 20,000 people of their right to vote based on vague accusations. The administration&#39;s process for scrutinising voter lists to identify noncitizens is flawed and likely rife with errors, it said in ​court papers.

California has 52 seats in the House of Representatives, more than any other state. Democrats need a net gain of four House seats ​to win a majority in ⁠the chamber.

&#39;Bend to the will&#39;

US District Judge David Carter in Los Angeles denied the administration&#39;s request on October 28.

&quot;Never before in American history has the federal government, on the eve of an election, sought to coerce a state and local government to abandon their own constitutional election procedures and bend to the will of the executive branch,&quot; Carter wrote.

Carter raised concerns over the reliability of the administration&#39;s data, noting that people recently ⁠flagged by the ​federal government as noncitizens on voter rolls in other states have repeatedly turned out to be naturalised US citizens.

&quot;If the ​executive can discount votes and threaten an ongoing election due to unproven allegations, then our democracy is in danger,&quot; Carter wrote.

The San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals also refused on Friday to block the ballots, emphasising the state&#39;s power over ​election procedures and California&#39;s &quot;comprehensive statutory scheme to ensure the integrity of its elections,&quot; including a system for cancelling registrations if a voter is shown to be ineligible.]]>
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			<title>US strikes Iran’s Qeshm Island as IRGC claims downing of two more US MQM-170 drones</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638408/us-strikes-irans-qeshm-island-as-irgc-claims-downing-of-two-more-us-mqm-170-drones</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638408/us-strikes-irans-qeshm-island-as-irgc-claims-downing-of-two-more-us-mqm-170-drones#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 26 05:37:06 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Iran delivers ‘firm, rational’ response to US, says ‘ball in America’s court to prevent war’]]>
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				<![CDATA[The US carried out strikes on Iran&#39;s Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, a US official said on Monday. The strikes, earlier reported by the Wall Street Journal, appeared to be limited and were not a resumption of major combat operations, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Another official said the strikes were defensive measures against Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against US assets.

The Pentagon referred a request for comment to the US Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East. CENTCOM did not respond to requests for comment.

Earlier on Monday, Iranian state media outlet IRNA reported that there were several explosions on Qeshm Island. The Journal reported that the attack was the latest in a series of strikes carried out by Washington in recent weeks. Fox News, citing officials, said the strikes were defensive and carried out in response to Iran firing at a US aircraft.

Iran&rsquo;s state news agency IRNA reported five explosions on Qeshm Island, located in the Strait of Hormuz. Separately, the semi-official Fars news agency said explosions were heard coming from the direction of the sea in Bandar Lengeh in Hormozgan province.

Read: Tehran engaged in &lsquo;intensive shuttle diplomacy&rsquo; through Qatari, Pakistani mediators: Araghchi

The cause of the explosions was not immediately known. Neither agency provided details on casualties or damage. The reports come amid continued diplomatic efforts between Tehran and Washington over tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Monday that the two countries were continuing to exchange messages through mediators. He confirmed that Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi had visited Doha to facilitate the exchanges through Qatari mediation.

Iran delivers &lsquo;firm, rational&rsquo; response to US, says &lsquo;ball in America&rsquo;s court to prevent war&rsquo;

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tuesday that Tehran has delivered a &ldquo;firm and rational&rdquo; response to Washington, stressing that the US must now decide whether to prevent another war.

Speaking during a parliamentary session, Ghalibaf, who is also leading Iran&rsquo;s negotiating team in talks with the US, said Tehran remained prepared for both diplomacy and military confrontation.

&ldquo;Iran has delivered a firm and rational response to the American side, and now the ball is in America&rsquo;s court to prevent war,&rdquo; he said.

He stressed that Iran&rsquo;s armed forces remained at the highest level of defensive readiness.

&ldquo;If Washington makes another strategic mistake, it should know that this time it will face a new battlefield and will find itself even more desperate to seek a way out,&rdquo; he warned.

Ghalibaf also accused the US of pursuing a longstanding policy aimed at dominating Iran, saying Washington had previously relied on compliant governments but now employed military, economic and psychological warfare.

He said Iran would not surrender to military threats, warning that any miscalculation by Washington would trigger an unpredictable response.

Ghalibaf added that Iran&rsquo;s military response to any renewed attack would not be limited by geographical boundaries.

Iran&#39;s foreign minister says talks with Saudi Arabia are ongoing; Yemen fighting intensifies

Talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia are ongoing as Tehran aims to reach new regional security arrangements for countries in the region without foreign military involvement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X on Tuesday.



أكدتُ في حواري مع شبكة الجزيرة أننا لا نكنّ أي عداء لدول مجلس التعاون، ونثمّن الدور الإيجابي الذي تؤديه قطر وعُمان، ونواصل الحوار مع السعودية. هدفنا الوصول إلى ترتيبات أمنية إقليمية جديدة تقوم بها دول المنطقة نفسها، بعيدًا عن أي وجود عسكري أجنبي. https://t.co/19ER3bOjoW
&mdash; Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) November 3, 2026


Last week, top officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan met Iranian officials in Tehran, the first high-level contact between Iran and the three nations since August. The US-Israeli war on Iran started in late February, and since then, fighting has spread to Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

Riyadh said the visit was intended to open negotiating channels to &quot;prevent the return of military escalation,&quot; as fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen&#39;s Iran-aligned Houthis had intensified in recent weeks.

Houthi attacks on the kingdom escalated as the powerful militia advanced towards the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping chokepoint that lies on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz.

The Houthis have also attacked Saudi oil facilities and airports, including Riyadh&#39;s international airport, disrupting flights and oil exports and drawing Saudi airstrikes on Yemen in response.

Impoverished Yemen has been mired in a civil war since the Houthis pushed the internationally recognised, Saudi-backed government out of the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.

Iran-US deal still out of reach, senior Iranian official tells Reuters

Iran and the United States are far from reaching a deal to end the war, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday, adding that Tehran would not accept Washington&#39;s &quot;excessive demands&quot;.

The comments come at a time of heightened diplomatic efforts, with Qatar acting as a key intermediary, to prevent a potential return to active conflict after the midterms.

Iran&rsquo;s Revolutionary Guard says it downed 2 US drones in Strait of Hormuz

Iran&rsquo;s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Monday that it downed two US drones south of Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

The report said the IRGC Aerospace Force used electronic warfare systems against the two MQM-170 drones, bringing the number of aircraft of that type reportedly captured by Iranian forces to four. Tasnim said the operation had prevented the drones from completing their missions. It provided no other operational details.

The report follows two similar Iranian announcements last week.

Read more: Iran warns US of prolonged war after Trump signals more strikes

On Friday, the IRNA news agency reported that the IRGC Aerospace Force downed an MQM-170 drone over Qeshm Island using electronic warfare systems.

On Thursday, the IRGC Navy said it had seized control of another drone of the same type in the western Strait of Hormuz and landed it intact. The US military rejected Iran&rsquo;s account of Thursday&rsquo;s incident.

The latest report comes amid ongoing indirect diplomatic contacts between Tehran and Washington.

US, Iran have made progress toward negotiated settlement: Vance

US Vice President JD Vance said on Monday that Washington has made &ldquo;progress&rdquo; in talks with Iran, saying he and President Donald Trump feel &ldquo;pretty good&rdquo; about reaching a negotiated settlement.

&ldquo;I actually just spoke with the president of the United States about an hour ago about this,&rdquo; Vance told reporters. &ldquo;Look, the president and I both feel pretty good about the prospects for potentially coming to a negotiated settlement. We&rsquo;re going to keep on working at it.&rdquo;

&ldquo;The Iranians are always a little unpredictable, and as the president always says, he retains kinetic options. He retains non-kinetic options, but we&rsquo;ve certainly made some progress. We&rsquo;ll see if we can make some more,&rdquo; he said.

Asked whether Iran had been given a deadline before strikes resume, Vance said: &ldquo;No, we haven&rsquo;t set deadlines.&rdquo;

&ldquo;Having destroyed their nuclear program, we want to make sure they don&rsquo;t rebuild it or try to rebuild it. That&rsquo;s what matters most to the United States,&rdquo; he said.

&ldquo;We do think that there is a pathway there, but it really does require a firm commitment and a verifiable commitment that they don&rsquo;t rebuild that nuclear program,&rdquo; he added.

Vance&#39;s remarks came hours after Trump said at the reopening of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington that Iran wants to make a deal to end the conflict, now in its ninth month.

&ldquo;They want to make a deal, and that could happen,&rdquo; Trump said, adding that Iran had asked Washington to stop targeting its leaders, &ldquo;and we will.&rdquo;]]>
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			<title>Houthis claim strike on Saudi airport, airbase</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638425/irans-foreign-minister-says-talks-with-saudi-arabia-are-ongoing</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638425/irans-foreign-minister-says-talks-with-saudi-arabia-are-ongoing#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 26 08:19:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
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				<![CDATA[Saudi-led coalition says drone intercepted over Makkah region as Houthis deny launching attack]]>
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				<![CDATA[The Houthis&nbsp;on Tuesday&nbsp;claimed to have struck an airport and an airbase in Saudi Arabia&#39;s Abha and Khamis Mushait areas.

In a post on X,&nbsp;Houthi spokesman&nbsp;Yahya Saree claimed that the group had &quot;carried out two military operations&quot;, further adding that&nbsp;the &quot;first operation targeted Abha International Airport with a drone, and the strike was precise, leading to the disruption of air traffic at the airport&quot;.

The&nbsp;spokesman added that&nbsp;the second operation &quot;targeted Khamis Mushait Air Base with a ballistic missile, and the strike was direct, by the grace of God&quot;.



نفذت القوات المسلحة اليمنية عمليتين عسكريتين استهدفت العملية الأولى مطار أبها الدولي بطائرة مسيرة وكانت الإصابة دقيقة وأدت إلى تعطل حركة الملاحة في المطار، فيما العملية الأخرى استهدفت قاعدة خميس مشيط الجوية بصاروخ باليستي وكانت الإصابة مباشرة بفضل الله.
&mdash; العميد/ يحيى سريع (@Yah_Saree) November 3, 2026



Saudi-led coalition says drone intercepted over Makkah region as Houthis deny launching attack

The Saudi-led coalition said on Tuesday that it intercepted and destroyed a drone over the Makkah region in western Saudi Arabia amid escalating tensions with the Houthi group in Yemen.

Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki reported the interception on US social media company X, without giving any details about injuries or damage.



التحالف:

اعتراض وتدمير طائرة مسيرة بمنطقة مكة المكرمة. pic.twitter.com/TyVAfPo42D
&mdash; المتحدث الرسمي باسم قوات التحالف (@CJFCSpox) November 3, 2026


Meanwhile, the Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had not carried out any operation targeting Saudi territory today.

Last week, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile targeting southern Saudi Arabia and a drone in the Riyadh region amid escalating hostilities with the Yemeni group. The same day, the coalition said ​it had intercepted and destroyed ​a drone launched by the Houthis over the Makkah region, which Saree dismissed as false in a post on X, saying the group&#39;s operations were ⁠targeting Saudi oil facilities and military bases.

On October 24, the Saudi-led ​coalition said it destroyed two ballistic missiles fired ​by the Houthis towards Taif and Yanbu, with Saudi Arabia&#39;s Civil Defence briefly issuing alerts warning of potential danger in the holy city of Makkah and its second-largest city Jeddah.

Araghchi says talks between Iran, Saudi Arabia ongoing

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia were ongoing as Tehran aimed to reach new regional security arrangements for countries in the region without foreign military involvement.

Last week, top officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan met Iranian officials in Tehran, the first high-level contact between Iran and the three nations since August. The US-Israeli war on Iran started in late February, and since then, fighting has spread to Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

Riyadh said the visit was intended to open negotiating channels to &quot;prevent the return of military escalation,&quot; as fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen&#39;s Houthis had intensified in recent weeks.

Houthi attacks on the kingdom escalated as the group advanced towards the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping chokepoint that lies on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz.

Read: Saudi-led coalition intercepts Houthi ballistic missile, drone near Riyadh

The Houthis have also attacked Saudi oil facilities and airports, including Riyadh&#39;s international airport, disrupting flights and oil exports and drawing Saudi air strikes on Yemen in response.

Impoverished Yemen has been mired in a civil war since the Houthis pushed the internationally recognised, Saudi-backed government out of the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.

Meanwhile, the US carried out &quot;defensive&quot; strikes on Iran&#39;s Qeshm island overnight, with a US official saying the strikes targeted surface-to-air missiles used against US assets. Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Guards said they downed a US MQ-9 drone overnight in the skies over the east of the Strait of Hormuz.

&quot;Mediators are working hard to narrow gaps between Tehran and Washington,&quot; the senior Iranian official said, after Qatari mediators travelled to Tehran on Monday night for talks on a version of the draft US-Iran deal that has been under negotiation for the past eight days.

&ldquo;Tehran&#39;s conditions must be met if the US wants Hormuz reopened,&rdquo; the Iranian official cautioned, adding that nuclear talks could only start afterwards and that Tehran would not accept Washington&#39;s &quot;excessive demands&quot;.]]>
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			<title>Russian strikes kill 26 in Ukraine after longest ceasefire ends</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638418/russian-strikes-kill-26-in-ukraine-after-longest-ceasefire-ends</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638418/russian-strikes-kill-26-in-ukraine-after-longest-ceasefire-ends#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 26 06:37:13 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[AFP]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2638418</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Russia targeted a village in Zaporizhzhia, adjacent to Kherson, with repeated strikes]]>
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				<![CDATA[Russia said its emergency warnings app came under a &quot;massive cyberattack&quot; on Monday, hours after Ukraine reported a hack&nbsp;in an apparent exchange of blows between the foes, as their longest truce came to an end.

Moscow&#39;s emergency ministry said hackers posted &quot;false information&quot; on the app, which is designed to warn the public of incoming drone attacks and other threats.

Hours earlier, Ukraine said it suspected its air raid alert system had been compromised, after baseless alerts of a radiation threat appeared on the app.

The cyberattacks came as the longest truce of the war, limited to Ukraine&#39;s eastern Kherson region, ended on Sunday after Russia refused the offer of an extension, according to Kyiv.

Moscow did not immediately say who was behind the attack on its app, while Ukraine&#39;s Centre for Strategic Communications SPRAVDI blamed the hack it suffered on Russia.

Read:&nbsp;Russian strikes cut power to thousands in Ukraine as drones damage Russian facility

The rare pause in fighting, brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump and which began early Tuesday, had enabled a humanitarian mission to the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky as the war grinds through its fifth year.

&quot;The ceasefire, which was in effect from October 27 to November 1, has ended,&quot; Ukraine&#39;s Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, said.

He called the temporary truce &quot;an important step in our joint humanitarian efforts&quot; with Russia.

US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine are set to resume this month, having been effectively frozen since the United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran in February.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday his country would stop hitting Russian oil refineries &ndash; as US counterpart Donald Trump has demanded &ndash; if Washington provided Kyiv with powerful Patriot interceptor missiles.

Raid alert app hack

Kherson regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin warned local people to be particularly vigilant when the ceasefire ended and to &quot;respond immediately to warnings about Russian attacks&quot;.

&quot;The Air Alarm application has probably been subjected to hostile interference,&quot; Ukraine&#39;s air force said in a message. &quot;There is no radiation threat.&quot;

Air force spokesperson Yuriy Ignat confirmed to AFP that the app had been hacked.

Hours later, Russia&#39;s emergency ministry said its teams were working to fix a &quot;massive cyberattack&quot; which was &quot;enabling attackers to send false information to the public&quot;.

&#39;Worse than before&#39;

Russia&#39;s full-scale invasion in February 2022 has destroyed parts of eastern and southern Ukraine, left hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians dead and forced millions to flee their homes.

AFP spoke to several Kherson residents, one of whom said the ceasefire had been a &quot;breath of fresh air&quot;.

&quot;We have to use this time to get things done,&quot; said Volodymyr Omeltchenko, a 38-year-old gardener, before the truce ended.

&quot;We&#39;re pruning the rose bushes for winter.&quot;

Read More:&nbsp;US approves $2.1 billion Patriot missile sale to Ukraine

Pope Leo, who had pressed Russia for a truce in Oleshky, had said he hoped the temporary pause would &quot;strengthen the desire for dialogue and lead to new concrete peace initiatives&quot;.

A Ukrainian military officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed concern that the fighting would be &quot;worse than before&quot; when it resumed.

Russian forces on the other side of the Dnipro River had taken advantage of the calm of the past few days to amass new troops, transport ammunition stocks and collect intelligence on Ukrainian positions using surveillance drones, the officer said.

Oil attacks

Russia and Ukraine exchanged strikes elsewhere on Sunday.

Russia said a drone had struck an &quot;industrial enterprise&quot; east of Moscow overnight, with Ukrainian media reporting that Kyiv had attacked the Kstovo oil refinery.

Kyiv has repeatedly struck Russian oil and gas sites, in what it says is fair retaliation for Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Trump has been pressing Kyiv to stop the attacks, blaming them for rising diesel costs that analysts attribute to the Iran war.

Zelensky said on Fox News on Sunday that he told Trump and his team: &quot;If you want us not to attack Russia&#39;s refineries, they have not to attack our energy system.&quot;

&quot;Another alternative, give us Patriot missiles,&quot; he said.

Ukraine&#39;s energy ministry reported fresh power outages across the country Sunday, including in Kyiv, following Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.]]>
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			<title>North Korea rejects US allegations over Binance crypto theft, warns of response</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638428/north-korea-rejects-us-allegations-over-binance-crypto-theft-warns-of-response</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638428/north-korea-rejects-us-allegations-over-binance-crypto-theft-warns-of-response#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 26 08:45:00 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Anadolu Agency]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2638428</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Kim Jong Un's sister accuses Washington of politicising allegations to damage Pyongyang's international standing]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[North Korea on Monday rejected US allegations linking it to a multibillion-dollar cryptocurrency theft involving Binance, accusing Washington of using cybercrime allegations to undermine its international reputation.

Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and a senior Workers&#39; Party official, called the allegations a &quot;grave political provocation,&quot; state news agency KCNA reported on Tuesday.

She said the FBI was attempting to portray North Korea as a &quot;cyber criminal state&quot; by alleging that a hacking group supported by Pyongyang was involved in the theft.

&quot;The US&nbsp;assertion is an absurd rhetoric and nothing new,&quot; Kim said in a statement. She accused Washington of routinely blaming North Korea for major international cyberattacks without providing credible evidence.

Kim also cited US allegations linking Pyongyang to last year&#39;s cryptocurrency theft involving the exchange Bybit.

Read: FBI and US Secret Service working with Binance after $6.3 billion hack, source says

&nbsp;

North Korea has repeatedly denied US accusations of state-sponsored cyberattacks, while Washington has accused North Korean hacking groups of stealing digital assets to finance the country&#39;s weapons programs.

Kim suggested Washington could benefit from recovering stolen cryptocurrency, referring to US plans to establish a strategic cryptocurrency reserve.

She said Pyongyang was closely monitoring US provocations and that Washington&#39;s hostile attitude could prompt it to reconsider its position on several issues.]]>
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			<title>8, including trekkers, missing in Indian Himalayas as snowfall hampers rescue efforts</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638427/8-including-trekkers-missing-in-indian-himalayas-as-snowfall-hampers-rescue-efforts</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638427/8-including-trekkers-missing-in-indian-himalayas-as-snowfall-hampers-rescue-efforts#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 26 08:35:07 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Anadolu Agency]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2638427</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Rescuers find tent, belongings buried under snow at 4,000 meters, but no trace of missing group in Uttarakhand state]]>
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				<![CDATA[Eight people, including trekkers, were missing in India&#39;s northern Uttarakhand state on Tuesday as heavy snowfall and poor visibility hampered rescue operations in the Himalayan region, local media reported.

Rescue teams discovered a tent buried under snow, along with clothing, slippers and food supplies, near Kedartal in Uttarkashi district, according to the Hindi daily Dainik Jagran.

A search covering a 2- to 3-kilometre (1.5-mile) radius around the site failed to locate the missing people, the newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The operation was suspended after continuing snowfall reduced visibility to near zero.

Read: More than 100 foreign trekkers stranded in flood-hit region of Nepal, official says

A 10-member rescue team was airlifted to the area on Monday, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI).

The missing group includes five trekkers from West Bengal, two women from Uttar Pradesh and a local guide.

They were among a trekking party that departed Gangotri on October 27 and was scheduled to return on October 29.

Four members, including three porters and a cook, were rescued Saturday after avalanches blocked the route.

Authorities said multiple avalanches had struck the trekking route, complicating ground searches and helicopter operations.

Meanwhile, authorities have closed high-altitude trekking routes above 4,000 meters following heavy snowfall, Dainik Jagran reported Tuesday.

Rescue operations are expected to resume when weather conditions improve.]]>
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			<title>Judge blocks Trump administration from pressuring states over noncitizen voting</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638414/judge-blocks-trump-administration-from-pressuring-states-over-noncitizen-voting</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638414/judge-blocks-trump-administration-from-pressuring-states-over-noncitizen-voting#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 26 06:08:36 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2638414</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Ruling marks latest in series of legal setbacks ​for Trump's efforts to assert control over election administration]]>
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				<![CDATA[A US judge on Monday temporarily barred the Trump administration from moving ahead with a plan it says would prevent noncitizen voting, but that critics say risks disenfranchising eligible voters and ​infringing on states&#39; authority over elections.

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan barred the Justice Department and the Department &zwnj;of Homeland Security from sending states lists of registered voters the administration says may not be citizens, and from asking state election officials to separate those voters&#39; ballots or not count them until citizenship is proven.

The ruling marks the latest in a series of legal setbacks ​for US President Donald Trump&#39;s efforts to assert federal control over election administration ahead of the November 3 midterms. Trump&#39;s fellow ​Republicans are battling to retain majorities in both houses of Congress.

However, the Trump administration notched a ⁠victory on Monday in a separate case where a panel of the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals ​cleared the government to threaten state and local election officials with prosecution if they did not comply with demands related to ​voting by alleged noncitizens. Chutkan is not bound by that ruling.

Noncitizen voting is illegal, and all available evidence shows that it is exceedingly rare. But Trump, who falsely asserts that his loss in the 2020 presidential election was due to fraud, has long accused states &mdash; which are responsible ​for administering elections &mdash; of facilitating noncitizen voting.

Read:&nbsp;US judge dismisses Trump election lawsuit in Alaska

Over the past month, the Trump administration ramped up a pressure campaign against election officials ​over alleged noncitizen voting by sending letters to officials in California and Washington state demanding they not count any ballots from people on lists of &zwnj;voters ⁠the administration said may not be citizens.

In response, voting rights and privacy advocates asked Chutkan to temporarily prevent the Trump administration from sending such lists to states and making such demands. The plaintiffs alleged the administration was violating the Privacy Act of 1974, which restricts the federal government&#39;s ability to disclose sensitive private information.

The Justice Department said in a court filing on Saturday ​that its letters to California ​and Washington were part of ⁠an effort to enforce a federal law banning noncitizen voting and did not amount to a distinct policy subject to review by a federal court.

Earlier this week, a federal judge in ​Los Angeles rejected the Justice Department&#39;s request to order California to temporarily set aside mailed ballots ​from more than ⁠20,000 registered voters it said were likely not citizens.

Chutkan, a Washington, DC-based appointee of former Democratic President Barack Obama, said the administration&#39;s data may not be reliable, meaning there was a risk that lawfully registered voters would be disenfranchised. An appeals court rejected on Friday ⁠the department&#39;s ​request for an emergency order pending appeal.

Also on Friday, a federal judge ​in San Francisco ordered the Justice Department to stop threatening to prosecute state and local election officials who do not comply with the Trump administration&#39;s demands over ​alleged noncitizen voting.]]>
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			<title>US intelligence sharing has fractured under Trump, officials say</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638456/us-intelligence-sharing-has-fractured-under-trump-officials-say</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638456/us-intelligence-sharing-has-fractured-under-trump-officials-say#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 26 11:59:52 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2638456</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Troubles came during Tulsi Gabbard's tenure as director of national intelligence, amid tensions with CIA]]>
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				<![CDATA[US intelligence sharing on Iran and other global threats with Congress and across the federal government has slowed and, in some cases, temporarily stopped during President Donald Trump&#39;s second term, according to eight current and former officials and people briefed on the matter.

Former officials and outside experts said the disruptions risk leaving policymakers with an incomplete picture of threats facing the country, echoing intelligence failures exposed after the September&nbsp;11, 2001, al Qaeda attacks. The slowdown comes as the administration weighs whether to resume strikes on Iran after the midterm elections on Tuesday.

The problems emerged during Tulsi Gabbard&#39;s tenure as director of national intelligence, amid deep tensions between her office and the CIA. While those tensions have subsided since her resignation in June, problems stemming from the clash persist, according to two US officials familiar with the matter.

The CIA has stopped co-authoring assessments with the National Intelligence Council (NIC), an analytical group within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the officials said, reducing the number of reports that pull together the intelligence community&#39;s views for decision-makers on subjects including Iran.

Lawmakers and their staffs also briefly stopped receiving intelligence reports from Gabbard&#39;s office in the days after the US military intervention in Iran in June 2025 and again after the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicol&aacute;s Maduro in January 2026, according to two people familiar with the matter. Gabbard&#39;s team had accused lawmakers of leaking to the press.

Read:&nbsp;Iranian strikes caused billions in damage to US intelligence sites: report

The disruption in intelligence sharing has not been previously reported.

CIA spokesperson Liz Lyons said the CIA &quot;participates fully&quot; in the process of providing intelligence assessments through the Presidential Daily Brief, which is led by ODNI, and through the NIC.

Now, some former officials are working on a bipartisan basis at Stanford University&#39;s Hoover Institution to draw up plans to rebuild the intelligence community in the next administration, four former US officials said.

&ldquo;All of these things are adding up in a really complex world where policymakers need to have a more sophisticated, nuanced, and integrated view of the world, and they are getting less,&rdquo; said Beth Sanner, a former deputy director of national intelligence during Trump&#39;s first term.

Turf wars and reduced cooperation

The problems inside the intelligence community started last year amid significant cuts to national security agencies, including the ODNI and the CIA, as Trump moved to remove or sideline officials he viewed as disloyal.

Some analysts who remain at the intelligence agencies are now careful not to write assessments at odds with White House&rsquo;s views for fear of political retaliation, two former officials and a current US official said. The officials did not say which topics the analysts were avoiding.

&ldquo;Analysts still do the work, but this White House has made them irrelevant because the president treats unwelcome information as disloyalty,&rdquo; said Julia Curlee, a former CIA analyst who said she was fired from the Trump National Security Council last year for being transgender.

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

The situation was worsened by what officials described as one of the biggest turf wars in three decades between two of the most important agencies: the CIA and the ODNI, which was formed in the aftermath of the September&nbsp;11 attacks.

Read more:&nbsp;Trump administration conducting mass firings at top US intelligence agency: CNN

Reuters earlier detailed the dispute between the agencies.

The infighting between the agencies &mdash; triggered when Gabbard&#39;s office revoked the security clearances of current and former intelligence officials a year ago &mdash; reached the point where White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles had to intervene several times to defuse tensions, three former officials said.

The National Intelligence Council, which for decades has been a key resource for officials and lawmakers making foreign policy decisions, lost its main author when the CIA stopped writing into the assessments last year.

The assessments are meant to consolidate the views of the nation&rsquo;s 18 intelligence agencies, and the council relied heavily on the CIA for analysis on topics like Iran and Russia.

While the CIA continued sharing intelligence with the NIC and working with it on some reports, its analysts focused on their own assessments.

Since the move, the intelligence council, which was also hit by staff cuts, has slowed production of its assessments, two people familiar with the matter said. None have focused on the war in Iran, five current and former officials said.

In response to a request for comment, an ODNI official said the group has maintained assessment levels close to &quot;historic trendlines.&quot;

&quot;While Tulsi did not utilise the NIC, DNI Clayton has proven to be a good steward of the IC and recognises the value of the NIC,&quot; said a US official, referring to Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton.

New barriers

Some former intelligence officials worry that new barriers are appearing between agencies.

&quot;The problem is that by taking actions which have the effect of hollowing out institutions where there&#39;s actual intelligence community coordination on things, you&#39;re creating little lily pads, and then everybody can pick their own lily pad to listen to,&rdquo; said Morgan Muir, the former deputy director of national intelligence in the Biden administration who also briefed President George W. Bush.

Gabbard&#39;s office also stopped briefing Congress on election threats in 2025, according to two people familiar with the matter and a former US official.

Clayton, who became director of national intelligence in August, has resumed congressional briefings on election threats, officials said.

Also read:&nbsp;US intelligence warns Israel could undermine Iran peace deal: report

&quot;Director Clayton remains committed to ensuring that ODNI and the intelligence community have the resources they need to continue informing key US&nbsp;government decision-makers and keeping Americans safe,&quot; ODNI said in a statement to Reuters.

In another clash between agencies, the FBI late last year stopped sharing some intelligence with the National Counterterrorism Centre for several weeks after the centre&#39;s then-head, Joe Kent, and his staff tried to investigate the shooting of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, two former officials said.

FBI leaders told Kent they believed NCTC was overstepping its authority.

The FBI did not respond to a request for comment.]]>
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			<title>Israel maintains highest state of alert on eve of US midterm elections</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638257/israel-maintains-highest-state-of-alert-on-eve-of-us-midterm-elections</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638257/israel-maintains-highest-state-of-alert-on-eve-of-us-midterm-elections#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 26 10:59:25 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Anadolu Agency]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2638257</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Israeli-US security coordination reaches highest levels amid possible escalation with Iran, Israeli news website says]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Israel remained on the highest state of military alert on Monday, a day before the United States midterm elections, amid concerns over a possible resumption of war with Iran, according to Israeli media.

Americans head to the polls Tuesday for midterm elections halfway through Republican President Donald Trump&rsquo;s second term, with all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 Senate seats and governorships in 36 states up for grabs, alongside thousands of local positions and ballot measures.

Trump has repeatedly pledged not to launch new strikes against Iran before the midterm elections, while suggesting that military operations could resume afterward, amid a continued US military buildup in the region and stalled diplomatic efforts.

According to Israeli media, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&rsquo;s government has been pushing for renewed strikes against Iran, ostensibly aimed at overthrowing its government, although Israeli officials acknowledge that the final decision rests with the White House.

Israeli news website Walla reported Monday that the military remained on high alert amid US and Israeli concerns that Iran could launch a surprise attack, either directly or through allied groups, against American interests in the region or Israel. The report said intelligence agencies fear Tehran could stage a large-scale military provocation that might influence the US midterm elections.

Read:&nbsp;US midterms: Polls show Democrats ahead in battle for Congress

Walla said the Israeli military had intensified defensive and offensive preparations in recent weeks in coordination with US Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Pentagon.

Citing unnamed Israeli military officials, the website said security coordination between Israel and the US had reached its highest levels and that Israel would receive advance warning if Washington decided to attack Iran. However, Israeli military assessments suggest that the likelihood of a US preemptive strike before the midterm elections remains low, as Trump prefers to exhaust diplomatic negotiations and pressure before resorting to military action, according to the report.

Walla also said that more than 3,000 US troops were stationed in Israel, noting that no unusual increase in American military aircraft arrivals had been recorded over the past week, unlike the periods preceding previous escalations.

The report added that Israeli officials believe Tehran is seeking to buy time in negotiations with Washington, while disagreements persist over Iran&rsquo;s nuclear program and ballistic missiles.

Concerns over renewed war

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have persisted since the US and Israel launched a war against Iran in February, followed by a ceasefire in April and renewed confrontations between the US and Iran in July.

The developments come amid warnings that Netanyahu could seek to push Washington toward another military confrontation with Tehran.

In an article published Sunday, Haaretz military analyst Amos Harel warned that Netanyahu might resort to military and political escalation to remain in power, using the Iranian issue and pressures surrounding the US midterm elections. Harel also warned against attempts by Netanyahu to persuade Washington to resume military operations despite lacking a domestic mandate to launch another war.

Read More:&nbsp;Trump&#39;s approval falls to record low of 31% as midterms near, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

Israeli Channel 12 reported Sunday that Netanyahu had pressed Trump during a phone conversation to resume the war against Iran after the US midterm elections, while the American president preferred to give diplomacy another chance.

The heightened security alert also comes amid political uncertainty in Israel following last week&rsquo;s parliamentary elections. Netanyahu&rsquo;s bloc secured 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, compared with 48 for opposition parties led by former army chief Gadi Eisenkot and 19 for Arab parties.

No bloc secured the 61 seats required to form a government, leaving Israel facing a political deadlock. The results have complicated efforts to form a governing coalition amid disagreements among opposition parties over whether to seek support from Arab parties.]]>
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			<title>US midterms: Polls show Democrats ahead in battle for Congress</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638251/us-midterms-polls-show-democrats-ahead-in-battle-for-congress</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638251/us-midterms-polls-show-democrats-ahead-in-battle-for-congress#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 26 10:37:09 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Anadolu Agency]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2638251</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[National surveys give Democrats advantage in House races while latest state polls show gains in Senate battlegrounds]]>
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				<![CDATA[Democrats lead Republicans in national polling ahead of Tuesday&#39;s United States midterm elections, with new surveys showing the party gaining ground in several closely contested Senate races as voters express dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump&#39;s handling of the economy.

With all 435 House of Representatives seats and 35 Senate seats on the ballot, the elections will determine whether Republicans retain control of Congress for the remaining two years of Trump&#39;s second term.

A RealClearPolling average of surveys conducted through October&nbsp;30 shows Democrats leading Republicans 52% to 43.1% on the generic congressional ballot, an 8.9-percentage-point advantage. An NBC News survey conducted October 28-30 found Democrats ahead 52% to 45%, while an Emerson College poll conducted October&nbsp;24-26 put the gap at 10 points.

The generic ballot measures nationwide preferences for congressional candidates rather than support in individual districts, meaning a national lead does not necessarily translate into a corresponding number of House seats.

House: Democrats lead nationally

Republicans currently control the House, where 218 seats are needed for a majority.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report&#39;s latest ratings, updated Friday, place 222 districts in categories favoring Democrats and 195 favouring Republicans, with another 18 classified as toss-ups. Of the 18 toss-up districts, 14 are currently held by Republicans and four by Democrats.

Cook shifted another 12 House races toward Democrats on October&nbsp;30, including Republican-held districts in Colorado and Pennsylvania, reflecting changes in its assessment of the electoral landscape.

Read:&nbsp;Michigan Senate race a test of attacks on Muslim candidate, progressive agenda

Among the closely watched contests are California&#39;s 22nd District, where Republican Representative&nbsp;David Valadao faces Democrat Randy Villegas; New York&#39;s 17th, where Republican Representative Mike Lawler faces Democrat Cait Conley; and Texas&#39; 15th, where Republican Representative Monica De La Cruz faces Democrat Bobby Pulido.

Republicans are also contesting Democratic-held seats in Florida, North Carolina and Texas, where redistricting has altered the electoral landscape. However, district-level polling remains uneven, and the national figures offer only a broad indication of the environment in which individual races are being fought.

Senate: Democrats gain ground in battlegrounds

The battle for the Senate is more complicated. Republicans hold 53 seats, compared with 47 held by Democrats and two independents who caucus with them.

Democrats need a net gain of four seats to secure a majority. A 50-50 split would leave Republicans in control because Vice President JD Vance can cast tie-breaking votes.

The latest New York Times/Siena University polls, conducted from October&nbsp;23-November 1, show Democratic candidates ahead in six of seven key Senate battlegrounds and effectively tied with Republicans in the seventh. Five of those Democratic leads are in Republican-held states, including Texas and Kansas, which have not elected Democratic senators since 1988 and 1932, respectively.

In Michigan, the only Democratic-held seat among the seven surveyed, Abdul El-Sayed leads Republican Mike Rogers 53% to 42%, an 11-point advantage.

In Texas, Democrat James Talarico leads Republican Ken Paxton 50% to 43%, while in Maine, Democratic challenger Troy Jackson has 51% support against Republican Senator&nbsp;Susan Collins&#39; 45%.

Former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown leads Republican Senator Jon Husted 49% to 44% in Ohio, while Democrat Adam Hamilton leads Republican incumbent Roger Marshall by the same margin in Kansas.

The contests are tighter in Alaska and Iowa. In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola leads Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan 48% to 46%, while Iowa Democrat Josh Turek is effectively tied with Republican Ashley Hinson, 48% to 47%.

The surveys show Democrats improving their position since September in six of the seven states.

Read More:&nbsp;Trump rallies Republicans for midterms

Maine shifted from a three-point Republican lead in September to a six-point Democratic advantage, while Michigan&#39;s Democratic lead widened from five to 11 points. Kansas moved from a tie to a five-point Democratic lead, while Alaska was the only state where Democrats lost ground, with their advantage narrowing from seven points to approximately one point.

The surveys did not include North Carolina, another Republican-held seat where recent polling has consistently shown Democrat Roy Cooper leading Republican Michael Whatley.

The latest findings are not uniform across pollsters, and several battleground contests remain close in broader polling averages.

Trump&#39;s approval and voter priorities

The New York Times/Siena surveys found that just 38% of likely voters across the seven battleground states approved of Trump&#39;s job performance. Democratic candidates also led among independent voters in every state surveyed, while respondents expressed greater trust in Democrats on the cost of living, foreign wars and protecting the interests of ordinary people.

Across the seven states, Democratic candidates held a nine-point advantage over Republicans on handling the cost of living.

The findings are consistent with broader national dissatisfaction. An Associated Press-NORC survey conducted on October 8-12 found that 36% of voters approved of Trump&#39;s job performance, while 64% disapproved.

Also Read:&nbsp;Power bills and data centers cast rare spotlight on utilities in US midterms

The economy and cost of living emerged as the leading election concerns, cited as important voting issues by 85% and 84% of respondents, respectively. Health care followed at 69%, while 64% identified the war with Iran as an important issue.

The survey also found that 47% of voters wanted Democrats to control the House, compared with 38% who preferred Republicans. For the Senate, the figures were 46% and 38%, respectively.

What the polls cannot predict

Despite Democrats&#39; polling advantage, uncertainties surrounding turnout and survey accuracy could affect the results.

The New York Times/Siena polls, which surveyed between 610 and 1,215 likely voters in each state, had margins of sampling error ranging from 3.3 to 4.8 percentage points. They also found that voters who made their decisions during the preceding month favoured Republicans by nine points, indicating that late shifts in support could matter.

Polling errors can arise from inaccurate turnout assumptions, difficulties reaching certain demographic groups and systematic biases shared by multiple surveys.

The surveys also found that Democrats&#39; support among some key demographic groups had strengthened since September, although polling has historically struggled to accurately measure white working-class voters.

With several Senate contests separated by only a few percentage points, small differences between polling estimates and actual voting patterns could change the balance of power in Congress.]]>
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			<title>US judge dismisses Trump election lawsuit in Alaska</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638126/us-judge-dismisses-trump-election-lawsuit-in-alaska</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638126/us-judge-dismisses-trump-election-lawsuit-in-alaska#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 26 18:34:19 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2638126</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[US judge Sharon Gleason blocks Trump's latest bid to expand federal control over state-run elections]]>
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				<![CDATA[A federal judge on Sunday threw ​out a lawsuit by President Donald Trump&#39;s administration &zwnj;seeking to block Alaska from certifying a loss by Republican Senator Dan Sullivan in Tuesday&#39;s ​midterm elections if votes for a ​rival who shares his name could have ⁠changed the outcome.

The ruling by US ​District Judge Sharon Gleason in Anchorage was ​the latest blow to Trump&#39;s efforts to assert a greater federal role in elections, which under the ​US Constitution are administered by the ​states.

Read More: Bill Maher compares Donald Trump to Taylor Swift in response to president&#39;s criticism

The race, in which Democratic former US Representative Mary &zwnj;Peltola ⁠is challenging Sullivan, could prove critical for determining whether Trump&#39;s fellow Republicans can retain control of the Senate in the midterms.

The ​Trump administration ​has taken ⁠an increasingly aggressive approach to election oversight, pressing states for ​voter-registration data and arguing that stricter ​measures ⁠are needed to ensure public confidence in the vote. Critics, including Democratic and some ⁠Republican ​election officials, view the ​moves as federal overreach.]]>
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			<title>Iranian strikes cause billions of dollars in damage to US bases: report</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2637949/iranian-strikes-cause-billions-of-dollars-in-damage-to-us-bases-report</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2637949/iranian-strikes-cause-billions-of-dollars-in-damage-to-us-bases-report#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 31 Oct 26 16:25:45 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Web Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2637949</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[More than 115 Iranian strikes damage US bases; renewed hostilities threaten further costly damage across Middle East]]>
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				<![CDATA[Iranian strikes on more than two dozen United States military bases and other sites in the Middle East have caused billions of dollars in equipment damage, with attacks initially targeting early-warning systems before expanding to aircraft, warehouses and troop accommodation, an Associated Press report revealed.

The AP independently verified damage to American targets through satellite imagery from multiple providers and spoke to four regional officials who were briefed on the attacks or had firsthand knowledge of the damage. The analysis found that, through August, more than 115 drone and missile strikes claimed by Iran or Iran-backed groups had damaged or destroyed structures at 26 military bases and other sites housing US equipment.

According to the report, Iran initially focused on aircraft hangars and systems designed to detect incoming strikes, before broadening its targets to warehouses, troop accommodation and other facilities. The attacks, the analysis said, were aimed at weakening the systems that helped protect US bases and enabled them to function.

Read: 81 US aircraft lost or damaged during Iran war, congressional document shows

The attacks have significantly altered the American military presence in the region, with the US moving many of its assets out of the Persian Gulf, two regional officials told the AP. These included aircraft, air defence and communications systems, as well as other equipment crucial to base operations, the report said.

The report said the damage raised questions about the effectiveness of American defences in the region as President Donald Trump considered fresh strikes after Tuesday&#39;s midterm elections and Tehran vowed major retaliation. It warned that a resumption of hostilities could cause further costly damage to military bases, deepening uncertainty over whether Washington would rebuild its installations and replace equipment in the region after the war.

The analysis found that Iranian strikes had damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and other structures at US bases between April 1 and June 30. The report said its findings offered a broader picture of the destruction than previously released independent assessments, including those by the Pentagon&#39;s inspector general.

The Trump administration and US military have disclosed few details about the conflict&#39;s toll on personnel and equipment. Delays in releasing satellite imagery have also hampered independent assessments, the report further said.

US Central Command declined to comment on the damage, citing operational security. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, however, said US forces and bases were well protected and the military was stronger than ever.

&ldquo;Our service members in CENTCOM have everything they need to continue their historic success ensuring Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon,&rdquo; he said in a statement.

Kuwait bears brunt of attacks

Most Iranian attacks have targeted Kuwait, although US installations in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have also been hit, the AP analysis of satellite imagery showed.

The deadliest known strike on US troops during the war took place in Kuwait, where six soldiers were killed in a drone attack at Port Shuaiba on March 1.

Ali Al Salem Air Base was struck at least 30 times, damaging or destroying 15 aircraft hangars, several warehouses and 10 buildings near a residential area.

Also Read: US costs of Iran war rise to over $47 billion, according to Pentagon estimate

Camp Buehring, also in Kuwait, suffered extensive damage. Most of its hangars were rendered inoperable, while its gym was destroyed in March and a store for troops was hit in late July. A separate strike severely damaged the garage and dining room, two regional officials told the AP.

The officials and two other regional military officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details about the damage.

Although the strikes inflicted far greater damage on Iran, American equipment losses were inevitable, said Raphael Cohen, director of the National Security Programme at the RAND School of Public Policy.

Modern warfare had made militaries &ldquo;susceptible to large-scale, cheap drone attacks&rdquo;, he said.

&ldquo;This should be a wake-up call for the United States,&rdquo; Cohen added.

Early-warning systems among first targets

Iran began its retaliation by striking systems designed to detect incoming attacks before expanding its targets to buildings and equipment that kept US bases operational, the report said.

Within the first two days of the war in late February, Iran destroyed protective enclosures housing US radar systems at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait and Naval Support Activity Bahrain. It also struck portable radars at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia and Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.

Iran prioritised key early-warning radars that form the backbone of the US air defence system and are difficult and expensive to replace, said N.R. Jenzen-Jones, director of Armament Research Services.

A radar in Jordan was reportedly destroyed. It was one of only 13 such systems possessed by the US Army worldwide, with each costing about half a billion dollars, according to the AP report.

Another radar in Qatar was significantly damaged, although it remains unclear whether it was destroyed. The system was purchased under a 2013 deal worth $1.1 billion and appeared to be the only one of its kind in the region.

The attacks were likely &ldquo;intended to disrupt and degrade the U.S. and allies&rsquo; ability to respond to further strikes&rdquo;, Jenzen-Jones said.

Read More: It&#39;s going to get wrapped up soon: Trump on Iran war

After hitting the radar, Iran carried out more than 50 successful strikes on 18 locations housing US military equipment during the first month of the war, prioritising sites with aircraft.

The attacks damaged refuelling aircraft, communications systems, fuel bunkers and troop accommodation, two regional officials said. A strike on Prince Sultan Air Base damaged the rear half of a Boeing E-3 Sentry surveillance aircraft, while another hit a CIA unit at the US Embassy in Riyadh.

A regional military official who recently visited the Saudi air base described damaged equipment, debris and bombed-out barracks and dining halls. He said the attack on the surveillance plane also damaged several other aircraft, including two aerial refuelling tankers.

A Congressional Research Service report updated in October said 15 US aircraft had been damaged at bases across the region.

Al Dhafra Air Base, south of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, was also frequently targeted early in the war. A regional military official said aircraft hangars, other installations, an early-warning radar system and surveillance drones had been damaged.

Satellite imagery delays hamper assessment

Major satellite imagery providers with US contracts blocked or delayed the public release of images at the request of American officials, sometimes citing national security concerns, the report revealed. This limited independent verification until imagery became available from OneAtlas, a satellite provider owned by Airbus.

At Camp Buehring, high-quality imagery from reliable providers was unavailable until late August. More than 30 structures were damaged or destroyed between the suspension of imagery in early March and its return in August. The report said it confirmed repeated strikes on the base in March, April, May and July.

With neither side outlining a clear end to the conflict, further damage remains possible if hostilities resume, the report said.

The conflict could signal a new operating environment for US forces, Cohen said, warning that military installations and equipment were increasingly vulnerable to relatively inexpensive drone attacks.

&ldquo;This is the operating environment that we&rsquo;re going to face in the future,&rdquo; he said.

&ldquo;The idea that we can rely on fixed infrastructure in the way that we have during the global war on terrorism is over.&rdquo;]]>
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			<title>Fact-check: Viral video of Chinese freight train to Afghanistan is from Oct 2024</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2637050/fact-check-viral-video-of-chinese-freight-train-to-afghanistan-is-from-oct-2024</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2637050/fact-check-viral-video-of-chinese-freight-train-to-afghanistan-is-from-oct-2024#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 26 17:04:29 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Fact Check By iVerify]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2637050</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Viral video misleadingly claims to show a newly launched China-Afghanistan freight train]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Several people have been sharing a video on social media platform X since October 23, 2026, allegedly showing a new railway route connecting Iran to Afghanistan via China. However, the video is from October 2024 and shows the resumption of direct freight train services between China and Afghanistan.

Chinese and Afghan media reported on Oct 23, 2026, that a dedicated freight train carrying commercial goods departed Shandong Province for Hairatan port in northern Afghanistan, with the journey expected to take about 20 days.

The train marked the first dedicated freight service from Shandong to Hairatan, a key trade and transport hub in Afghanistan&rsquo;s Balkh Province. It was expected to travel through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan before entering Afghanistan via the Termez border crossing.

How it started 

An X account identified as an Afghan propaganda account based on its past posts shared a video of a Chinese train with the following caption on Oct 23: &ldquo;China has launched its first freight train from Shandong to Hairatan, Afghanistan, carrying goods worth 8 million yuan. Transit Route: Kazakhstan &rarr; Uzbekistan &rarr; Afghanistan. The train is expected to reach Afghanistan in approximately 20 days, opening another route for trade between China and Afghanistan.&rdquo;

The post garnered 43,805 views.

On Oct 25, a pro-Iran user on X, based on its past posts and profile picture, shared a video of a Chinese train with the following caption: &ldquo;Afghanistan now has a railway connection to China with the help of Iranian engineering firms. Iranian companies have made significant efforts to revive Afghanistan&rsquo;s rail network, and more tracks are under construction. Iran now has a new rail route option to China via Afghanistan.&rdquo;

The post garnered 234,425 views.

The same video was also shared on the same day by another X user with the caption: &ldquo;Afghanistan now has a railway connection to China with the help of Iranian engineering firms. Oil: Iran - Afghanistan - China. Pakistan will be sidelined. No way Afghanistan will allow a drop of Iranian oil /LPG into Pakistan.&rdquo;

The post garnered 12,106 views.

The same video was shared by multiple other users on X, as can be seen here, here, here, here and here.

Methodology

A fact-check was initiated to verify the viral claim due to its high virality and keen public interest amid tense regional relations.

A keyword search was conducted to verify whether the video was covered by any credible Iranian, Chinese, Afghan or international media outlets in the context of the Shandong-Hairatan freight train&rsquo;s launch but yielded no results.

A reverse image search was conducted to trace the source of the video, which yielded the same visual being shared by Arezo News, an Afghan news channel on Oct 31, 2024.

How it started

An X account identified as an Afghan propaganda account based on its past posts shared a video of a Chinese train with the following caption on Oct 23: &ldquo;China has launched its first freight train from Shandong to Hairatan, Afghanistan, carrying goods worth 8 million yuan. Transit Route: Kazakhstan &rarr; Uzbekistan &rarr; Afghanistan. The train is expected to reach Afghanistan in approximately 20 days, opening another route for trade between China and Afghanistan.&rdquo;

The post garnered 43,805 views.

On October 25, a pro-Iran user on X, based on its past posts and profile picture, shared a video of a Chinese train with the following caption: &ldquo;Afghanistan now has a railway connection to China with the help of Iranian engineering firms. Iranian companies have made significant efforts to revive Afghanistan&rsquo;s rail network, and more tracks are under construction. Iran now has a new rail route option to China via Afghanistan.&rdquo;

The post garnered 234,425 views.

The same video was also shared on the same day by another X user with the caption: &ldquo;Afghanistan now has a railway connection to China with the help of Iranian engineering firms. Oil: Iran - Afghanistan - China. Pakistan will be sidelined. No way Afghanistan will allow a drop of Iranian oil /LPG into Pakistan.&rdquo;

The post garnered 12,106 views.

The same video was shared by multiple other users on X, as can be seen here, here, here, here and here.

Methodology

A fact-check was initiated to verify the viral claim due to its high virality and keen public interest amid tense regional relations.

A keyword search was conducted to verify whether the video was covered by any credible Iranian, Chinese, Afghan or international media outlets in the context of the Shandong-Hairatan freight train&rsquo;s launch but yielded no results.

A reverse image search was conducted to trace the source of the video, which yielded the same visual being shared by Arezo News, an Afghan news channel on Oct 31, 2024.





The video&rsquo;s caption stated the following: &ldquo;The Afghan Embassy in China has announced the opening of a railway to transport goods between China and Afghanistan. The first train loaded with 50 containers of electrical appliances, clothes and other goods will leave the Chinese city of Nantong and arrive in Hairatan port in northern Afghanistan in 20 days, the Afghan embassy in China said in a statement.&rdquo;

A keyword search yielded a report by Afghan outlet Kabul Now, published on October 31, 2024, titled &ldquo;China and Afghanistan resumes direct freight train services&rdquo;.

The report stated that Chinese and Taliban officials had announced the resumption of direct freight train services between China and Afghanistan. China&rsquo;s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, confirmed that a freight train carrying 55 wagons had departed from Nantong, Jiangsu Province, bound for Afghanistan, marking a step toward strengthening bilateral trade relations.

Another report by Afghanistan International, published on October 31, 2024, titled &ldquo;Taliban announces launch of direct freight railway line Between China &amp; Afghanistan,&rdquo; also reported on the development.

The reports focused on the resumption of direct freight train services between China and Afghanistan in October 2024.

Fact-check status: misleading

The claim that a viral video shows a newly launched freight train from China to Afghanistan is misleading.

The video dates back to October 2024 and relates to the launch of a direct freight railway line from China&rsquo;s Nantong to Afghanistan&rsquo;s Hairatan port.

This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan&mdash; a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.]]>
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			<title>Meet the heat storm: 7 takeaways from Reuters investigation that gave supersized heat waves a new name</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2635951/meet-the-heat-storm-7-takeaways-from-our-investigation-that-gave-supersized-heat-waves-a-new-name</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2635951/meet-the-heat-storm-7-takeaways-from-our-investigation-that-gave-supersized-heat-waves-a-new-name#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 20 Oct 26 16:59:57 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2635951</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[A data-driven examination of global temperatures shows heat waves have surged in size and frequency since the 1960s]]>
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				<![CDATA[Heat waves have evolved from sporadic, isolated episodes to massive, cascading weather events that can blanket vast swaths of the planet for months or even years at a time.

To continue calling such sprawling phenomena &ldquo;heat waves&rdquo; would be like calling a monsoon a rain shower. To understand the new reality of these immense expanses of heat, Reuters consulted with two dozen climate researchers and analysed temperatures around the globe for every hour of every day since 1960. From those results, we developed a new concept: the &ldquo;heat storm.&rdquo;

Scientists and researchers often discuss global warming in the context of risks that will arise if the planet&rsquo;s average global temperature rises more than 2&deg;C (3.6&deg;F) above pre-industrial levels. What is an ordinary person to make of that? Not much.

Heat waves are the connective tissue between the science of global warming and our everyday experience.

But supersized heat waves used to be rare. No longer. Now they swarm the planet.



2020s: The 10 largest heat storms mark a new era, with massive, cascading heat events touching virtually every person on the planet. Illustration: Reuters

Naming events is &ldquo;a powerful way for people to understand that something is happening&rdquo;, Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Programme on Climate Change Communication, told Reuters. Yet &ldquo;we don&#39;t currently do that with heat waves&rdquo;, he said, even though heat has been estimated to kill almost half a million people a year.

These are the key findings of the Reuters investigation, The Age of Heat Storms:

What is a heat storm?

There is no universal definition of a heat wave. So, in consultation with climate scientists, we have defined an ordinary heat wave as five or more consecutive days of abnormally high temperatures. We call the largest heat waves &mdash;&nbsp;those that at their peak cover at least 1% of the globe, roughly half the size of Canada &mdash; heat storms.

More and bigger

Heat storms were rare in the 1960s, when they averaged about five active storms per year. This decade, heat storms have averaged about 102 a year. One of them caused this summer&rsquo;s deadly heat in Europe.

Read: Heatwave in Karachi leaves eight dead, rescue confirms

Biography of a 367-day heat storm

The largest heat storm on record, named Heat Storm Vera, lasted for 367 days over 2023-2024 and swept over nearly 85% of the globe. Reuters tells the story of how Vera impacted every corner of the world, from a football player going to the hospital in Texas, to Amazonian river dolphins dying in a &ldquo;circus of death&quot;,&nbsp;to a cocoa farmer whose livelihood was destroyed in Ivory Coast.



After heat storms battered Bolivia in October 2023, Lake Titicaca, one of South America&rsquo;s largest lakes, edged towards record low levels. Photo: REUTERS

Greenhouse gas emissions

As greenhouse gas emissions have increased, so too have heat storms and ordinary heat waves. From the 1960s to this decade, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by more than 30%. Over that time, the average portion of the planet likely to be covered by heat storms and heat waves has risen more than 12-fold.

18 years without a break

Another new phenomenon we identified: heat storms that run consecutively, simultaneously, or both &mdash;&nbsp;heat storm cascades. The duration of these cascades swelled from an average of roughly two months in the 1960s to nine months in the early 2000s.

Then, on July 6, 2008, a cascade started &mdash;&nbsp;and still has not stopped. For more than 18 years straight, at least one heat storm has been roiling the planet, and often more than one.

We are in a heat storm now

The world is now in the grip of Heat Storm Raimundo, which broiled Europe and stoked massive wildfires in Spain and France this summer. Since its inception on February 28, 2026, Raimundo has touched almost three-quarters of the planet&rsquo;s surface.

Live tool to track heat storms

As part of this series, Reuters has created an online Heat Storm Tracker that names and follows heat storms in real time. This is now a feature of the Reuters Climate Monitor, which offers several ways to understand major weather events and measure how the planet is warming.]]>
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			<title>Trump says military execution of Fort Hood shooter will not be livestreamed</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2635045/trump-says-military-execution-of-fort-hood-shooterwill-not-be-livestreamed</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2635045/trump-says-military-execution-of-fort-hood-shooterwill-not-be-livestreamed#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 26 14:56:17 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2635045</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Though the immediate families of the victims will be able to view it in person]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the ​execution of the Fort Hood gunman would not &zwnj;be livestreamed, but that immediate families of the victims would be able to view it in person.

&quot;I think streaming the ​execution for all to see might have been ​a strong deterrent for the world to ⁠witness how America deals with terrorists and scum ​like Hasan but, many very good and well-meaning ​people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device,&quot; Trump wrote.

&quot;He will die, ​as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event ​will not be streamed. That said, the execution may be viewed &zwnj;in ⁠person by the immediate families of the victims, if they so choose. They deserve to witness justice!&quot;



pic.twitter.com/9J8IA5wPL1
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 15, 2026


Some of Trump&#39;s fellow Republicans, including Vice President JD ​Vance, as ​well as ⁠religious leaders and international observers, had expressed doubts about the Pentagon&#39;s plan to ​livestream the December 3 execution of ​Nidal Hasan. ⁠

Recent polls have also shown a majority of Americans opposed livestreaming it.

Hasan, a former US Army psychiatrist, ⁠was ​found guilty in a military ​trial of fatally shooting 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas ​in 2009.]]>
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			<title>Pope Leo back on his feet after shock cancer diagnosis</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2634851/pope-leo-back-on-his-feet-after-shock-cancer-diagnosis</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2634851/pope-leo-back-on-his-feet-after-shock-cancer-diagnosis#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 14 Oct 26 15:27:27 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2634851</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Blood tests, chest X-ray show normal post-operative results after part of Pope Leo's right lung removed in operation]]>
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				<![CDATA[Pope Leo&#39;s recovery from surgery is progressing as expected, and ​he has begun walking in his hospital room and eating normally, the Vatican said on Wednesday, after doctors announced the 71-year-old pontiff was being &zwnj;treated for lung cancer.

World leaders, Catholics across the globe and senior cardinals at the Vatican have offered prayers for Leo after he had part of his right lung removed in an operation on Tuesday.

Blood tests and a chest X-ray carried out on Wednesday showed normal post-operative results, the Vatican said, adding that the pontiff had undergone respiratory physiotherapy.



JUST IN: Pope Leo is back on his feet after surgery as doctors confirm his recovery is progressing as expected.

The Holy Father has begun walking around his room, resumed eating regular meals, and undergone respiratory physiotherapy following his lung procedure.

Dr. Luigi&hellip; pic.twitter.com/a94O8Gvlo3
&mdash; Fox News (@FoxNews) October 14, 2026


Read: Pope Leo admitted to Rome hospital for lung surgery

The cancer diagnosis for a pope known to be relatively young and energetic ​and who was elected only in May 2025 caused shock and raised questions about the future shape of his papacy as he deals with the illness.

Leo normally ​follows a very busy schedule. He is due to make a tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6 to 17 ⁠, and the Vatican press office said on Wednesday that &quot;nothing has changed&quot; regarding the planned trip.

However, Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori said on Wednesday that the dates could change because of the ​amount of time his recovery would take.

The pope is the ultimate earthly authority for the world&#39;s 1.4 billion Catholics and does not have a deputy who steps in when ​he is sick. When a pope is incapacitated, the business of the Vatican&#39;s vast bureaucracy carries on as usual, holding off on any decisions that require papal approval.

Prayers for Leo

A prayer was recited for Leo to have a good convalescence and complete healing during an open-air Mass in St Peter&#39;s Square on Wednesday following the surgery.

The pope has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of ​lung cancer, and doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung during Tuesday&#39;s operation in an effort to eliminate all cancerous tissue.

Human lungs have five lobes &mdash; three ​in the right lung and two in the left.

The operation lasted about 90 minutes and was completed without complications, the pope&#39;s lead surgeon, Professor Stefano Margaritora, and his personal physician, Dr Luigi Carbone, said &zwnj;late on ⁠Tuesday.



Pope Leo XIV underwent thoracic surgery at Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday afternoon, as planned, according to a statement from Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora released by the Holy See Press Office.

The surgeons removed the lower lobe of the Pope&rsquo;s right lung,&hellip; pic.twitter.com/QAShHu1eG6
&mdash; Vatican News (@VaticanNews) October 13, 2026


The Vatican has not disclosed the size of the tumour or whether the disease had spread to nearby lymph nodes, key factors in determining prognosis.

Read More: Pope Leo diagnosed with cancer

Dr Serena Ricciardi, a lung cancer specialist at Rome&#39;s San Camillo Forlanini Hospital, said that if the cancer had not spread to Leo&#39;s lymph nodes, the surgery may have been sufficient for treatment.

&quot;If there are no further issues or lymph node involvement, we could consider the surgery curative,&quot; she told Reuters. &quot;The disease has been completely removed.&quot;

Leo is relatively young for a Church leader. He enjoys ​sports, including tennis, and is not known ​to be a smoker or to have ⁠had recent health issues.

Engagements cancelled until next week

The Vatican said this week that the pope was expected to remain in hospital for about a week and that all his public engagements had been cancelled until October 20.

The Mass on Wednesday was the closing act ​of an assembly of bishops called by Leo to discuss the Church&#39;s family life teachings, the largest gathering of Church leaders ​so far during this ⁠papacy.

Filipino Cardinal Luis Tagle led the service in place of Leo. The pope last week approved Tagle as the dean of the Church&#39;s College of Cardinals, in the first selection of an Asian cleric to the elite role.



Pope Leo calls on us to take to heart the riches of &lsquo;Amoris laetitia&rsquo;

In a homily read by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pope Leo XIV called on the Church to put the Apostolic Exhortation&#39;s pastoral guidance into practice in the heart of families.

The homily was delivered at the&hellip; pic.twitter.com/XCa1Gsl97l
&mdash; Vatican News (@VaticanNews) October 14, 2026


Political leaders offered messages of support.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he and his wife Jeanette were praying for the pope, an American who was born ⁠in Chicago.

&quot;May the ​Lord give him strength and the Holy Spirit guide the medical professionals taking care of the Holy ​Father,&quot; he said on X. Rubio met Leo at the Vatican in May.



Jeanette and I are united in prayer for @PONTIFEX&rsquo;s health following his recent diagnosis.

May the Lord give him strength and the Holy Spirit guide the medical professionals taking care of the Holy Father. https://t.co/KPVoGrnKUW
&mdash; Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) October 13, 2026


There was no immediate response on social media from US President Donald Trump, who has criticised the pope, or from Vice President JD Vance, who ​is a Catholic.]]>
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			<title>Greta Thunberg joins French teens on new day of school protests</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2634653/greta-thunberg-joins-french-teens-on-new-day-of-school-protests</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2634653/greta-thunberg-joins-french-teens-on-new-day-of-school-protests#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 13 Oct 26 15:10:54 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2634653</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Protest movement over teacher shortages, classroom overcrowding, crumbling school buildings enters its fourth week]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Swedish activist Greta Thunberg joined protesters outside a high school in a working-class &zwnj;suburb of Paris on Tuesday as French pupils took to the streets for another day of demonstrations over poor learning conditions.

Now in its fourth week, the nationwide protest movement over teacher shortages, classroom overcrowding and crumbling school buildings has involved marches, blockades of hundreds of schools and, in some cases, clashes with police.

Pupils clustered outside several schools in Paris and other cities on Tuesday morning, ​brandishing placards and megaphones.

Read: France&#39;s high school students plan fresh protests

&quot;We are inspired by the young people who are demanding their basic rights,&quot; Greta told reporters outside Lycee Paul Eluard in ​Saint-Denis, north of Paris, one of the schools where the protest movement first gained traction.



Climate and social justice activist Greta Thunberg joined students at a high school in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, as France faced a new day of nationwide marches and strikes on top of the blockades at schools. pic.twitter.com/gC3Zx4x3Cn
&mdash; The Associated Press (@AP) October 13, 2026


&quot;Whether it&#39;s not funding schools enough, or ⁠the climate crisis, or social injustice crises ... it&#39;s about time that young people are stepping up and reclaiming that future,&quot; she said.

Mostly peaceful protests, with outbreaks of ​violence

Large crowds marched peacefully through Nantes in the west, Strasbourg in the east and Marseille in the south, holding hand-made signs with slogans such as &quot;Tear gas doesn&#39;t make ​us cry as much as the state of the national education system&quot;. Marchers were also mustering in Paris.

Footage from BFM TV showed clashes between people dressed in black and riot police in Strasbourg and Nantes, with clouds of tear gas in some streets.

In Lyon, the local authorities asked organisers to call off a march after a group of &quot;hostile individuals&quot; preceding the main procession ​vandalised shops and a petrol station and clashed with police.

While there was no immediate information on who was involved, it is not uncommon in France for street ​protests to attract so-called &quot;casseurs&quot;, a fringe of rioters who seek to confront police and destroy property.

Read More: French policing under scrutiny as student protest injuries mount

The scene was calmer in front of Paris city hall, where a youth orchestra played Antonin &zwnj;Dvorak&#39;s &quot;New World ⁠Symphony&quot;. Some musicians had protest stickers on their cellos and violins.

The education ministry said 214 schools were closed, down from 800 on a similar protest day a week ago. It said 94.2% of high schools were open.

The cash-strapped government has promised to act to address the pupils&#39; concerns, but has little room for manoeuvre at a time when concerns over the national debt and the budget deficit are pushing up borrowing costs to the highest level in years.

It has expressed sympathy with the students&#39; grievances, but has ​deployed riot police to quell the protests, ​leading to confrontations in which hundreds ⁠of people have been injured and thousands arrested.

Political polarisation ahead of election

The government suspended the use of stun grenades last week after one teenager lost a hand.

Six months ahead of a presidential election, the protest movement and the police response have elicited polarised ​responses from leading contenders to replace Emmanuel Macron.

&quot;The police are losing their breath running after young people to beat ​them up and injure ⁠them,&quot; said hard-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, who has a chance of making the runoff according to opinion polls, in a post on X on Tuesday.



La hargne m&eacute;diatique s&#39;essouffle dans son invisibilisation des violences polici&egrave;res. Le ministre s&#39;essouffle &agrave; fermer les lyc&eacute;es. Les policiers s&#39;essoufflent &agrave; courir derri&egrave;re les jeunes pour les tabasser et les blesser. Seuls les jeunes ne s&#39;essoufflent pas &agrave; protester&hellip;
&mdash; Jean-Luc M&eacute;lenchon (@JLMelenchon) October 13, 2026


&quot;The only ones not losing their breath are the young people bravely protesting,&quot; he added, accusing the media of failing to show the extent of police brutality and renewing his call for adults to stand ⁠with the ​students to protect them.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, the frontrunner in the presidential race according to polls, ​has denounced violence by protesters and called for those who have damaged schools &mdash;&nbsp;or their parents if they are minors &mdash;&nbsp;to pay for repairs.

The government has already introduced a bill that would allow precisely ​that. It is going through parliament.]]>
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			<title>Trump says ‘it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president’ who can ‘make a deal’ with Russia</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2634127/trump-says-its-time-for-ukraine-to-get-a-new-president-who-can-make-a-deal-with-russia</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2634127/trump-says-its-time-for-ukraine-to-get-a-new-president-who-can-make-a-deal-with-russia#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 10 Oct 26 19:53:55 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Anadolu Agency]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2634127</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Criticises Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, warning they could worsen fuel shortages and hurt US farmers]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[US President Donald Trump on Saturday called for Ukraine to &ldquo;get a new president,&rdquo; accusing Volodymyr Zelenskyy of repeatedly failing to reach a deal to end the war with Russia.

&ldquo;I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal, because he could have made many deals that, for some reason, he never does,&rdquo; Trump said, criticising the Ukrainian leader.

&ldquo;I think it&#39;s time for Ukraine to get a new president,&rdquo; he added.

Trump argued that the Russia-Ukraine war could have been avoided.

Read More: 11 killed, including three children, in overnight Russia-Ukraine strikes

&ldquo;If I were president, you wouldn&#39;t have ever had that war. That war would have never started,&rdquo; he said.

The US president also accused Zelenskyy of missing multiple opportunities to end the conflict.

&ldquo;Zelenskyy could have settled this war many times, many, many times, and he chooses not to,&rdquo; Trump said, describing the situation as &ldquo;very difficult&rdquo;.

Trump also criticised Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, arguing that attacks on refineries could worsen global fuel shortages and affect American farmers and ranchers.

&ldquo;We told them, do whatever you want, but don&#39;t hit the diesel fuel because there&#39;s a big problem. Big shortage,&rdquo; he said.]]>
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			<title>UAE says Omani flydubai co-pilot planned suicide attack on Tel Aviv flight</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2633950/uae-says-omani-flydubai-co-pilot-planned-suicide-attack-on-tel-aviv-flight</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2633950/uae-says-omani-flydubai-co-pilot-planned-suicide-attack-on-tel-aviv-flight#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 26 17:40:27 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2633950</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[UAE prosecutors says flydubai co-pilot drew inspiration from 9/11 and studied the Tel Aviv route]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[An Omani flydubai co-pilot had intended to seize a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight and crash it into a terminal at Israel&#39;s Ben Gurion airport on September 30 in a suicide attack before he was thwarted by his fellow pilot, the UAE attorney general said on Friday, according to the state news agency.

The statement by Attorney General Hamad Saif al Shamsi did not appear to implicate flydubai in any wrongdoing, and contained the most detailed account yet from prosecutors about what happened. Flydubai was not immediately available for comment.



The UAE attorney general said the Omani co-pilot of the Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv planned to hijack the aircraft and carry out a suicide attack on a terminal at Ben Gurion Airport.

The suspect confessed to acting alone, but authorities are investigating possible&hellip; pic.twitter.com/llMwjKMPGH
&mdash; Clash Report (@clashreport) October 9, 2026


The suspect &quot;had begun carrying out a premeditated terrorist plot to seize control of the aircraft and use it to launch a suicide attack targeting the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, with the aim of causing the greatest possible loss of life&quot;, Al Shamsi said.

Read More: Flydubai co-pilot attacked pilot with axe, attempted &#39;terrorist attack&#39;, UAE says

The plan was inspired by the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US, UAE public prosecutors think, as a result of their criminal investigation launched on October 1. It found the suspect had used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to &quot;familiarise himself with the flight route and the airport&quot;, the state news agency WAM reported. It is the first public confirmation of the co-pilot&#39;s 9/11 inspiration.

The incident caused the jet to plunge 4,900 metres&nbsp;in 30 seconds.

Al Shamsi said the suspect had previously worked for several airlines in different countries, including Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc, before joining flydubai in January 2026.

Saudi Arabia has launched a separate safety investigation into flight FZ1073&#39;s incident, sources told Reuters. The aircraft was in Saudi airspace when the Omani co-pilot attacked the aircraft&#39;s captain with a crash axe, typically kept in the cockpit for use during emergencies.]]>
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			<title>Navi Pillay: Nobel laureate who led UN inquiry that found genocide in Gaza</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2633925/navi-pillay-nobel-laureate-who-led-un-inquiry-that-found-genocide-in-gaza</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2633925/navi-pillay-nobel-laureate-who-led-un-inquiry-that-found-genocide-in-gaza#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 26 14:43:53 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Anadolu Agency]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2633925</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[She chaired a UN commission probing violations by all sides in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Navanethem &quot;Navi&quot; Pillay, the South African jurist who led a UN inquiry that concluded Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, was awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee honoured the 85-year-old &ldquo;for her efforts to promote peace and international law&rdquo;, placing particular emphasis on her career holding states and political leaders accountable.

Pillay&rsquo;s work on Gaza became one of the most consequential and controversial chapters of that career.

From 2021 until November 2025, she chaired the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. Established by the UN Human Rights Council, the commission investigated violations committed by all sides and collected evidence that could be used in future legal proceedings.

Its first major report following October 7, 2023, found in June 2024 that Israeli authorities were responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity during military operations in Gaza. It also concluded that Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups committed war crimes during their attacks in Israel, including deliberately killing civilians and taking hostages.

Read More: South Africa&#39;s Navanethem &#39;Navi&#39; Pillay wins 2026 Nobel Peace Prize

&ldquo;It is imperative that all those who have committed crimes be held accountable,&rdquo; Pillay said at the time, arguing that adherence to international law was the only way to end recurring cycles of violence and retaliation.

The commission&rsquo;s investigation later focused on Israel&rsquo;s attacks on hospitals and the broader destruction of Gaza&rsquo;s healthcare system. In October 2024, it accused Israeli forces of deliberately attacking medical facilities and personnel, as well as mistreating Palestinian detainees.

&ldquo;By targeting healthcare facilities, Israel is targeting the right to health itself,&rdquo; Pillay said, warning that the destruction would have lasting consequences for Gaza&rsquo;s civilian population.

&ldquo;Children in particular have borne the brunt of these attacks, suffering both directly and indirectly from the collapse of the health system,&rdquo; she added.

&lsquo;Absence of action amounts to complicity&rsquo;

In September 2025, the commission issued its most far-reaching conclusion: that Israeli authorities and security forces had committed four of the five acts defined as genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention.

These included killing members of a protected group, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately imposing conditions calculated to bring about the group&rsquo;s physical destruction and taking measures intended to prevent births.

The commission also concluded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog and former defence minister Yoav Gallant had incited genocide and that Israeli authorities had failed to punish them for it.

Pillay said the evidence showed &ldquo;an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza&rdquo; and placed responsibility with Israeli authorities at the highest levels.

She also directed criticism at governments continuing to arm or politically support Israel.

&ldquo;When clear signs and evidence of genocide emerge, the absence of action to stop it amounts to complicity,&rdquo; she said.

The commission called on states to halt transfers of weapons and equipment that could be used to commit genocidal acts, prevent companies and individuals under their jurisdiction from contributing to them and support accountability proceedings.

Israel rejected the findings, accused the commission of bias and maintained that its military campaign targeted Hamas rather than the Palestinian population.

The commission&rsquo;s determination was not a binding judicial ruling and it did not speak for the UN as a whole. The International Court of Justice is separately considering South Africa&rsquo;s genocide case against Israel.

Pillay stepped down from the commission in November 2025, citing her age, medical issues and other commitments.

From apartheid to international justice

Born in Durban in 1941 into a South African family of Indian origin, Pillay began her legal career under apartheid, when racial and gender discrimination restricted both her professional opportunities and the rights of her clients.

In 1967, she became the first woman to establish a law practice in the province of Natal. She represented anti-apartheid activists and trade unionists, exposed allegations of torture and helped secure rights for political prisoners held on Robben Island.

Her work attracted the attention of apartheid-era security authorities, and she was denied a passport for years.

After apartheid ended, President Nelson Mandela appointed Pillay as an acting judge on the South African High Court in 1995, making her its first non-white woman judge.

That same year, she joined the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, later serving as its president. Pillay sat on the panel that decided the landmark case against Jean-Paul Akayesu, the first conviction for genocide by an international tribunal.

The judgment also established that rape and sexual violence could constitute acts of genocide when committed with the intention of destroying a protected group, an enduring contribution to international criminal law.

Pillay subsequently served as a judge at the International Criminal Court from 2003 to 2008 and as UN high commissioner for human rights from 2008 to 2014. She currently serves as an ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice in The Gambia&rsquo;s genocide case against Myanmar.

Announcing the award, the Nobel Committee said Pillay&rsquo;s career demonstrated how international law could provide accountability for victims and offer an alternative to violence at a time when courts and legal institutions were facing growing political attacks.

The Nobel Peace Prize, carrying an award of 12 million Swedish kronor ($1.2 million), will be presented in Oslo on December 10.]]>
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			<title>US F-16 crashes at Spangdahlem air base in Germany</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2630827/us-f-16-crashes-at-spangdahlem-air-base-in-germany</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2630827/us-f-16-crashes-at-spangdahlem-air-base-in-germany#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 26 16:50:15 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Anadolu Agency]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2630827</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Fire and disaster units sent to the scene, one person injured]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[A US F-16 fighter jet crashed on Tuesday near Spangdahlem Air Base in western Germany, military authorities said in a statement.

The jet, assigned to the 52nd Fighter Wing, went down at about 2:30pm local time (1230GMT), according to the military base&#39;s press office.

&ldquo;The pilot ejected safely and is receiving medical care,&rdquo; it said. &ldquo;The cause of the incident is under investigation. Additional information will be released as it becomes available.&rdquo;

Earlier today, the Eifelkreis Bitburg-Pruem district said fire and disaster protection units had been sent to the scene. &ldquo;According to current knowledge, one person was injured,&rdquo; the district administration said, adding that it could not provide additional details.

Several residents told reporters they saw a large black column of smoke after the jet went down. Regional outlets also published pictures of the plume.

Read More: All Iranian airlines to shut down worldwide by Sept 23, US Treasury chief says

A spokesperson for Germany&rsquo;s air traffic control agency told public broadcaster SWR that the crash happened after a training exercise involving four aircraft. Two were returning

Spangdahlem when the first crashed. The other three diverted to Ramstein Air Base.

Spangdahlem Air Base lies about 30 kilometres north of Trier in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in West Germany. It is home to an F-16 squadron of the US 52nd Fighter Wing.

The base has seen previous F-16 crashes. In October 2019, an F-16 crashed during a training flight after a power failure shortly after takeoff; the pilot ejected and was lightly injured. In September 2006, another F-16 crashed in the Bitburg-Pruem district. No one was injured.]]>
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