Afghanistan

Middle East economy to shrink 2.1% in 2026, Gulf economies by 4.3%, World Bank forecasts

Despite grim forecasts, the World Bank projects regional economies could rebound by 7.8% in 2027 if the conflict ends this year, though the Hormuz blockade and inflation remain major threats.

Now, when Israel looks out at the map, it has an alliance with two countries that face Iran directly across the Gulf
A US F-14 fighter takes off from the main deck of the USS Enterprise early 09 October 2001 as a second wave US-led air attacks on Afghanistan was launched with residents of Kabul reporting bombs hitting targets on the outskirts of the city.

On this day: US, Britain strike Afghanistan over September 11 attacks, kickstart War on Terror

A poster of Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada is seen along a road in Kabul on August 14, 2023. (

ICC provides more details on arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders

A migrant woman from Afghanistan sits at the Macedonian-Serbian border near the village of Tabanovce, Macedonia February 24, 2016.

Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, UAE back railway linking Central Asia to Pakistan’s seaports


Taliban confirms it is holding Americans, ex-intel officer calls detainee Coyle 'valuable asset'

Americans are being held in near-solitary confinement by a Taliban counterintelligence unit whose personnel include former detainees from Guantanamo Bay and the US-run Bagram prison.

A Taliban security personnel stands guard along a road near the Ghulam Khan zero-point border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan in Gurbuz district in the southeast of Khost province on October 20, 2025.

Follow the flow: Inside Iranian narco-trafficking in Iraqi Kurdistan - explainer

In recent years, the Sulaymaniyah governorate in eastern Iraqi Kurdistan has become a hub for Iranian narco trafficking.

Kurdish internal security forces stand guard after seizing a quantity of captagon pills in Qamishli, Syria, March 25, 2025.

Starmer, Prince Harry condemn Trump's 'little off the front lines' NATO comments

President Trump said of NATO, “They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan, or this or that, and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”

 US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announce an agreement between the two countries as they hold a press conference at Chequers at the conclusion of a state visit on September 18, 2025 in Aylesbury, Britain.

Will Donald Trump's Hamas disarmament endgame make Israel safer? - analysis

The great game has begun for Israel, Hamas, the US, Qatar, Turkey, and others to try to reframe the future of Gaza conflict and the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump speaks during a reception with business leaders, at the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF), in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2026.

Blast kills seven at Chinese-run restaurant in Afghan capital, Islamic State claims responsibility

The noodle restaurant was jointly run by a Chinese Muslim, Abdul Majid, his wife, and an Afghan partner, Abdul Jabbar Mahmood, and served the Chinese Muslim community, a police spokesperson said.

Ambulances rush along a road towards the site of an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, on October 15, 2025; illustrative.

Seven Pakistani police officers killed in targeted bomb attack, no group claims responsibility

Police in the northwestern Tank district said that five police personnel were killed on the spot after the remote-controlled bomb went off, while two others had died in the hospital.

Pakistani soldiers in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in Pakistan September 2, 2025.

Iranians 'have fallen in love with Netanyahu,' Tehran resident tells KAN - report

An Iranian protester told KAN Reshet Bet that many Iranians admire Netanyahu and Israeli strikes, while blaming economic collapse, repression, and inflation for the unrest.

An illustration of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in front of a backdrop of Iranian flags flying amid fire from an Israeli strike on Sharan Oil depot, Tehran.

Candace Owens, influencers claim 'Zionist' plot behind Maduro capture

"The CIA has staged another hostile takeover of a country at the behest of a [sic] globalist psychopaths," wrote Owens. "That’s what is happening, everywhere. Zionists cheer every regime change."

Candace Owens speaks during a right-wing gathering known as America Fest, an event organised by Turning Point USA, in Phoenix, Arizona, December 2022; illustrative.

Afghanistan floods leave 17 dead, thousands affected - AP

The National Disaster Management Authority said the severe weather has disrupted daily life across central, northern, southern, and western regions.

FILE PHOTO: Workers load supplies onto a truck for earthquake victims in Nurgal district, Kunar province in Afghanistan September 6, 2025.

IED, shooting attack on police van kills five in northwest Pakistan

Five Pakistani police officers were killed when a van was struck by explosives and gunfire in Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The scene of a combined improvised explosive device and shooting attack in northwestern Pakistan, December 23, 2025.