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On a cool night in June, some 15 Palestinians from the town of Sinjil in the occupied West Bank gathered on a hilltop to watch the shadowed valleys below for any sign of movement ​that might signal an impending Israeli settler attack. They are part of a grassroots volunteer group — similar to others in the West Bank — that has stepped in to defend the town ‌from rising settler violence that Palestinians say the Israeli military and their own government have proved unable or unwilling to prevent. “We have been left on our own. You are facing settlers supported…

Iran buries its slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday at the country’s holiest shrine, with ​his son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei still hidden from public view after being disfigured in the strike that killed his father. The burial ‌in Mashhad in northeast Iran follows a week of mass funeral processions, rallies and mourning ceremonies that has coincided with a renewed burst of conflict with the United States following weeks of truce. Crowds marched through Mashhad on Thursday morning, the golden onion dome and minarets of the Shrine of Imam Reza glinting in the morning sun, as they waved…

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered an immediate halt to all trade with NATO ally Spain, escalating tensions over ‌defence spending and the Iran war, despite European Union rules requiring trade negotiations to be conducted as a single bloc. During a NATO summit in Ankara, which European leaders had hoped would cap rifts within the military alliance, Trump reignited the dispute with Spain, calling it a “terrible partner”, and made renewed claims on Greenland, although he later changed tack and said there had been love and “a lot of unity” at the gathering. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez played…

The death toll from Venezuela’s twin earthquakes has risen to 3,811, according to figures released by National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez on ‌Wednesday. The latest tally puts the number of injured in the June 24 quakes at 16,740, and the number of homeless at 17,907. Interim President Delcy Rodriguez renewed calls for international sanctions on Venezuela to be lifted to assist the earthquake recovery, saying the country had enough overseas assets to ⁠help finance reconstruction if blocked accounts were released. “Venezuela has resources blocked around the world that could address this process of reconstruction,” the president said on state television…

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation during a meeting held at the Prime Minister’s House on Thursday. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch also attended the meeting. Welcoming the Croatian delegation, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan and Croatia enjoy friendly relations founded on mutual respect, goodwill, and shared interests. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening ties between the two countries. The prime minister expressed Pakistan’s desire to expand bilateral cooperation in key sectors, including trade and investment,…

This year marks the 15th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and South Sudan. On July 9, 2011, the day South Sudan declared independence, China was among the first countries to establish diplomatic ties with it. Today, cooperation between the two countries spans infrastructure, trade, healthcare and education, building on close bilateral ties. In 2024, the two countries elevated bilateral relations to a strategic partnership during the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing. “South Sudan is a land full of hope,” Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan Ma Qiang said in an interview last year, adding that…

The Party Building Books Publishing House has released a book featuring major remarks by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on approaches to grassroots work. A statement issued upon the book’s release said on Wednesday that whether working at local levels or after assuming duties in the central leadership, Xi has always attached great importance to grassroots work and frequently visited communities and villages, gaining a deep understanding of the work. Xi has consistently regarded strengthening the grassroots and consolidating the foundation as a long-term strategy and a fundamental measure, and to this end,…

Global institutions are growing more optimistic about China’s economic outlook, even as geopolitical tensions, trade frictions, and energy price volatility weigh on the global economy. The World Bank, in its July China Economic Update, maintained its 2026 GDP growth forecast at 4.4%, citing steady gains in high-tech sectors. Investment in high-tech industries rose 4.5% year on year in the first five months, while exports of AI-related equipment, new energy products, and electronic hardware continued to support growth, offsetting weakness in property and softer domestic demand. Fitch Ratings has taken a more upbeat stance, raising its 2026 growth forecast for China to…

Typhoon Maysak, the 10th typhoon of the year and the first to make landfall in China in 2026, struck the southern island province of Hainan on July 3 before moving inland and unleashing torrential rains across south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Record-breaking rainfall triggered severe flooding in multiple cities. More than 375,000 people in Guangxi have been affected, and at least 130,000 residents have been evacuated from flooded areas. Drones save stranded residents In the hardest-hit Yunbiao Town, Hengzhou County, Guangxi, a massive flood left more than 15,000 residents stranded and the entire town submerged, making roads impassable for…

Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on Wednesday that security forces have killed 54 terrorists so far in ongoing operations, adding that law enforcement agencies were engaging the militant and they would all be brought to justice. Addressing a press conference on the deteriorating security situation in Balochistan, the DG ISPR said altogether 42 civilians and policemen were also martyred during the ongoing operation. “India is orchestrating them. They are being carried out with the support of hostile forces aligned with India that cannot tolerate Pakistan’s dignity, prosperity, and stability,” Chaudhry said, noting that there…