German foundations halt Georgia work as grants law deepens EU rift
Four major German political foundations have halted their work in Georgia as tighter rules on foreign grants put pressure on a decades-old partners...
At least 42 people have been killed and 104 wounded in fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Tuesday. The latest death toll figures come as fighting between the two neighbours enters its sixth day.
The UN agency said the casualties included those caused by “indirect fire in cross-border clashes,” as well as those from air strikes, adding that the numbers were “preliminary.”
Meanwhile, Kabul said it had captured a Pakistani post in the Kandahar region. Pakistani security sources said air strikes had destroyed a military base in Nangarhar province in Afghanistan.
The military confrontation between the neighbours was set in motion last week after Kabul launched retaliatory strikes on Pakistan in response to Islamabad targeting militants in Afghanistan.
Kabul said the Pakistani army targeted civilians, a charge Islamabad rejects.
UNAMA has called for both sides to stop fighting and warned that the conflict has hindered aid agencies’ ability to provide assistance to civilians.
"Restrictions on movements in the border area due to the active conflict have reduced the capacity of humanitarian agencies and partners to deliver life-saving and other assistance in the most-affected areas," it said.
Approximately 16,400 households have been displaced by the fighting, at a time when many Afghanistanis are still recovering from successive earthquakes in August and September last year that killed more than 1,400.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari told parliament on Monday that Islamabad would not allow neighbouring territory to be used for attacks against it.
"The soil of Pakistan is sacred. We will not allow any entity, domestic or foreign, to use neighbouring territory to destabilise our peace," he said.
Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad has resigned, with Hamid Bovard, chief executive of the state-owned National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), appointed as acting oil minister, according to Iranian state media.
Right-wing Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro will face leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a runoff of the presidential election later this month, after he exceeded expectations in Sunday's first-round vote with a slight lead over the incumbent.
Candidates elected to Bosnia and Herzegovina's three-member presidency declared victory after preliminary unofficial results showed Denis Becirovic leading the Bosniak seat, Darijana Filipovic ahead in the Croat seat and Zeljka Cvijanovic likely retaining the Serb seat.
Uzbekistan’s grape exports have grown rapidly. In January-August 2025, the country exported 86,200 tonnes of fresh grapes worth $78.3 million to 19 countries but can it turn these crops into a recognisable international product?
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States meets seven conditions agreed under a June memorandum, as President Donald Trump signals he may soon decide whether to resume military operations against Tehran.
Four major German political foundations have halted their work in Georgia as tighter rules on foreign grants put pressure on a decades-old partnership and add to tensions between Tbilisi and its European partners.
The U.S. has deployed two additional Patriot missile batteries to the Gulf, protecting key energy facilities in Saudi Arabia and Qatar as Washington expands its military presence in the Middle East amid heightened tensions with Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan held talks in Tehran on Monday on bilateral ties and efforts to strengthen peace and security in the South Caucasus.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry says it has conveyed its initial position to the United States through Qatar over Washington’s response to Tehran’s seven-day plan aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
More than 1.2 million Afghans have returned to Afghanistan from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan so far in 2026, with more than 500,000 deported, according to data from the United Nations and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
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