The Media Line

Final US report on Afghanistan reveals $30 billion in funds wasted, stolen, or mismanaged

In its final report, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) documented 1,327 instances of waste, fraud, and abuse from 2002 to 2021.

US soldier is walks past destroyed Russian planes in Bagram on March 6, 2003.
Flags from Egypt and Ethiopia.

Ethiopia accuses Egypt of driving up tensions in Nile dam standoff after int'l law accusations

Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman waves as he departs following a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, DC, US, November 18, 2025.

New Saudi F-35s can be first step to normalization, but Israel must be cautious - opinion

ALI AKBAR VELAYATI (2nd L), top Iranian adviser on international affairs, attends a World Federation of Resistance Scholars conference on ‘resistance to liberate, terrorism to destroy,’ in Beirut, 2016.

Voices from the Arab press: Trump's Muslim Brotherhood designation


Pakistani minister says 90% of social media content is false, urges crackdown

Fizza Abbas, a Karachi-based digital rights activist: “In Pakistan, the line between countering misinformation and constraining dissent has always been a delicate one.”

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party supporters protest to demand release of their jailed leader and Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, in Peshawar on December 2, 2025.

New ‘Woman, Life, Freedom' mural unveiled in Ibim, near Gaza border

The installation features six women whose lives and stories represent different facets of courage. Among them is Shirel Haim Pour, a 22-year-old Persian Jew murdered in the October 7 assault.

Hooman Khalili's 19th Woman, Life, Freedom mural in Israel unveiled on December 3, 2025, in Ibim.

Saudi Arabia sends $90 million to rescue Palestinian Authority from financial collapse

The PA’s financial collapse has become a broader diplomatic issue. France, Norway, Spain, and Saudi Arabia have launched efforts to rally outside donors.

Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman waves as he departs following a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, DC, US, November 18, 2025.

Netanyahu presses on with reforms as Likud turmoil intensifies

Senior lawmakers clash over procedure and politics, raising doubts about the governing bloc’s direction and its ability to advance key reforms.

 Netanyahu in the Likud faction meeting

Dell family pledges $6.25 billion to jump-start 'Trump Accounts' for 25 million US children

“Trump Accounts will be the first, real trust funds for every American child, allowing family members, employers, corporations, and generous donors to contribute money that will grow," Trump said.

US President Donald Trump thanks tech billionaire Michael Dell while making an announcement about "Trump accounts" in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on December 02, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Decades of mismanagement, corruption pushed Iran toward water collapse - analysis

“What you see in Khuzestan, Isfahan, Sistan-Baluchestan, and many other places is the result of bad governance, chronic mismanagement," said water policy analyst Nik Kowsar.

Iranian women perform a prayer for rainfall at the Saleh Shrine in Tehran on November 14, 2025, as the country suffers from severe water shortages. Authorities in Tehran warned last week of possible rolling cuts to water supplies in the capital amid what officials call the worst drought in decades.

Netanyahu's pardon request a 'direct attempt to bypass courts,' scholars warn

Legal experts argue that using presidential clemency before a verdict would overturn long-standing norms that reserve pardons for those who have accepted responsibility.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives to the courtroom at the Distrcit court in Tel Aviv, before the start of his testimony in the trial against him, October 28, 2025.

UAE rulers order release of thousands of inmates ahead of union day 

UAE leaders have ordered the release of thousands of inmates ahead of Union Day, with multiple emirates issuing coordinated pardons for prisoners who met conduct and time-served criteria.

A policeman enters Dubai's Al-Awir central prison in the United Arab Emirates, on May 21, 2020

Greece declares water emergency as nationwide supply measures accelerate 

Greece is widening emergency measures as water reserves drop, prompting new wells, faster desalination reviews, and major upgrades to Athens’s supply network under a €500 million plan.

 Acropolis is reflecting in puddles of water following a rainfall on November 28, 2025 in Athens, Greece.

Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood networks ties fractured as millions of dollars earmarked for Gaza missing

Reham Owda, an Istanbul-based Palestinian political analyst, says the scandals “erode public trust in genuine charitable work and in the civil society groups that actually deliver relief.”

An illustration of armed terrorists above a backdrop of Hamas's flag.

‘Where is Imran Khan?’: Supporters, family seek health updates amid social media rumors

While many users speculated that Khan had been moved from Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail to another location, others claimed that he had died while in custody. 

 Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan during an interview, in Lahore, Pakistan. March 17, 2023.