International news and analysis, with a focus on the developments that matter most to readers in Pakistan and South Asia.
Key takeaways: Spain held its first general strike in 14 years on November 11, as hundreds of thousands marched in Madrid, Barcelona and other cities over soaring rents and house prices. The strike, called by the main unions after months of housing protests, puts the …
Key takeaways: A 41-year-old US Army officer assigned to NATO’s rapid-reaction headquarters was arrested near Gloucester on suspicion of spying for Russia. British counterterrorism police, working with the FBI and US military, are searching two sites. Moscow denies any link. British counterterrorism police have arrested …
Key takeaways: US prosecutors have charged three Iran-backed operatives over nearly 20 attacks in Europe and the United States, including a foiled bomb plot at RAF Fairford. They say the alleged ringleader directed the plot from a New York jail cell using coded family phone …
Key takeaways: France has blamed Iran’s Revolutionary Guard for hacking refrigeration systems in about 700 supermarkets in October, spoiling food and starting fires. Paris has summoned Tehran’s ambassador, opened a criminal investigation and will seek EU sanctions. France has formally accused Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard …
Key takeaways: Russia and Ukraine resume US-mediated peace talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10, the first trilateral round since February. Washington says both sides have shown private flexibility on territory, while security guarantees for Ukraine, including a possible NATO-style Article 5 arrangement, top the …
Key takeaways: COP31 opens in Antalya on 9 November under a joint Turkish-Australian presidency. The talks focus on turning climate pledges into funded projects, with finance for developing countries the central dispute. The world’s largest climate meeting opens in Antalya, Türkiye, on Monday, with nearly …
A temporary ceasefire has taken effect around the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine, opening the way for a humanitarian mission to reach residents trapped there for years. The pause in fighting began at 3 a.m. Kyiv time on Tuesday, October 27, and was …
Serbia’s student-backed opposition has won a landslide parliamentary election, ending Aleksandar Vucic’s 12-year grip on power. Vucic conceded defeat late on Sunday, after a snap election that turned nearly two years of street protests into a governing majority. KEY TAKEAWAYS: Serbia’s student-backed list won 139 …
India’s east coast is bracing for a powerful cyclone. A weather system over the Bay of Bengal — already being referred to as Cyclone Arnab — is forecast to strengthen into a very severe cyclonic storm and reach the Andhra Pradesh coast on the morning …
Two powerful earthquakes struck the sea off Vanuatu on Saturday, triggering a tsunami warning for the South Pacific island nation before monitors declared the threat over within the hour. The larger tremor, revised to magnitude 6.9, hit at 1:31 p.m. local time, followed about four …