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The World section brings together news from across the globe, covering conflicts, politics, diplomacy and daily life in countries far and near. Expect reporting on wars and ceasefires, elections and government decisions, migration and humanitarian crises, natural disasters and accidents, plus the diplomatic exchanges that shape international relations.

Coverage spans every region, from long-running crises to sudden breaking events, offering context on how global developments affect communities, governments and ordinary people trying to navigate them.

World· Verified

Steve Witkoff visits Russia for Putin talks after meeting Ukraine leader

Washington’s envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Saint Petersburg early Wednesday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin following what US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described as “positive” talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. The trip by President Donald Trump’s special envoy is part of efforts to draw a line under a bitter feud between him and Zelensky over the war with Russia. After talks with Witkoff in Oslo, Zelensky thanked Washington on Tuesday for the resumption of US intelligence sharing on Russian strikes. The positive tone followed days of friction between Kyiv and Washington after Trump struck a diesel-supply deal with Putin and called for Zelensky to be replaced after Ukraine refused to stop hitting Russian oil refineries. “We are thankful that intelligence works,” Zelensky told reporters in Oslo, describing the early warnings as “very, very important for our people, for children, adults, civilians” when ballistic missiles were about to strike. Rubio said during a visit to India that Witkoff would next head to Russia after the “positive” talks with Zelensky. “He’ll now, armed with those ideas, be able to go to Saint Petersburg and share them with the Russian side — and let’s see if we can make some progress,” Rubio said. Witkoff’s planned meeting with Putin on Wednesday would include Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner participating virtually, a US official told AFP. Trump’s envoy was met at Pulkovo Airport in Saint Petersburg by the Kremlin’s adviser for international economic cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, according to news agencies. ‘Make a deal’ Trump said Tuesday that he had asked Putin to release Stephen Hubbard, an American taken captive by Russian forces years earlier in Ukraine, though it was not clear if the request would be raised in Wednesday’s talks. “I’ve been talking to him at length. I’ve asked him to release him. Let’s see what happens,” Trump told journalists in Washington. Trump has also been keeping up the pressure on Ukraine, saying at the White House that he wanted Zelensky to “make a deal” with Russia, which is ramping up its strikes as a bitter winter looms. Trump, who called on Zelensky to resign last week, also criticised the Ukrainian president for not accepting terms he said he had offered during an infamous televised row in the Oval Office in February 2025. Ukraine reacted with dismay after Trump also waived sanctions against Russia’s war machine. The feud spiralled as Zelensky accused Trump of weakness, and then alleged that the United States was deliberately withholding vital intelligence and delaying the delivery of interceptor missiles. Ukraine has also reported a reduction in speeds on Starshield, the US military satellite system it uses for battlefield communications and strikes on Russian-occupied territory. Trump has denied ordering a reduction in speeds on Starshield after Elon Musk — whose company SpaceX developed it — said the order could only have come from the White House. Rubio said Wednesday that Washington had no prior knowledge of the slowdown of the SpaceX satellite communications. “The president has nothing to do with the decisions that are made by Starlink and Starshield and by Mr Musk,” Rubio said in Mumbai. The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that it was indeed Musk who ordered the slowdown in the military-grade version of Starlink. ‘Our future’ Witkoff’s meetings follow furious diplomatic efforts in Washington, Kyiv and Western capitals to calm the row. Zelensky told US senators on Monday that “the Pentagon is delaying the delivery of missiles” already paid for by European countries, while the shipment was waiting for US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s signature. Several European countries were ready to transfer Patriot interceptor missiles from their own stockpiles but were awaiting US approval, he said. Trump, whose Republican Party faces tough midterm elections as fuel prices soar, has accused Zelensky of a lack of effort to resolve the conflict. He said he was ready to meet Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in China next month to discuss denuclearisation, adding that talks could also cover the Ukraine war — sparking fears in Kyiv that it was being sidelined. Zelensky insisted Tuesday that Kyiv needed to be represented at any meeting regarding Ukraine’s future. “If there are issues about Ukraine, our future, it can be acceptable only when we are at the table of negotiations,” he said.

World· Verified

Iran urges US to take first steps in talks as Pakistan mediates

ISLAMABAD: Iranian leaders have told Pakistan that the United States must take the first steps to rebuild trust, and that the acceptance of Tehran’s seven-point proposal could provide a starting point for renewed negotiations. The message was conveyed during Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir’s visit on Tuesday, where he met with President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Mohsen Rezaei, a representative of Iran’s supreme leader and secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also accompanied the army chief. As diplomatic efforts intensified to prevent a resumption of hostilities, Field Marshal Munir’s visit is being viewed as a move to quell escalating regional tensions. Tehran says acceptance of its 7-point proposal can be starting point for renewed talks with US The visit came a day after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks with Iranian leaders on the conflict and efforts to restore regional stability. The visit was aimed at conveying messages and exploring whether the Islamabad understanding could still provide a basis for negotiations, but no breakthrough or formal agreement was announced after Tuesday’s meetings. The discussions also touched on bilateral relations, including a recent disruption in commercial trade across the Pakistan-Iran border. Iranian officials also raised concerns over the closure, while Field Marshal Munir told them that the border closure was temporary and due to technical reasons and that the crossings had reopened on Tuesday. Importantly, Iranian officials reportedly shared with the field marshal their response to a US proposal, reiterating that Tehran would not make concessions under pressure and that Washington must meet its conditions before trust could be restored. While there was no official word from Pakistan’s Foreign Office or Inter-Services Public Relations, Iranian media described the response as “clear, serious, and explicit”. An Iranian source said the visiting Pakistani army chief was told that “Iran has nothing new to say to the Americans” and it was for them to return to Islamabad Memorandum. Although not many details about President Pezeshkian’s meeting were released to media, in a post that was unrelated to his meeting with Field Marshal Munir, the president said that Iranians may endure hardship, but they will not surrender their land. Speaker Ghalibaf told Field Marshal Munir that the US could not regain Iran’s trust without fulfilling the seven conditions Tehran had presented during meetings in New York. He said Washington’s past actions, including what Iran considers a violation of the Islamabad understanding, had only deepened its distrust of the US administration. “Threats and military manoeuvres cannot influence the strategic decisions of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Mr Ghalibaf said, according to an Iranian account of the meeting, adding that it was now up to Washington to take the necessary steps to extricate itself from the conflict. Mr Rezaei, meanwhile, said Iran would not surrender its enriched nuclear material, describing it as a national asset intended for domestic use. He said Iranian officials were united in their view that negotiations could not proceed without steps by Washington to meet Tehran’s conditions. The inflexible Iranian response has thrown a challenge for Pakistan, which has sought to revive negotiations between Washington and Tehran after an earlier diplomatic breakthrough failed to produce a lasting settlement. Islamabad brokered a ceasefire in April and hosted direct talks that led to the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding in June. The agreement outlined steps towards easing the conflict, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and addressing economic and nuclear issues, but the process subsequently stalled after disagreements. Despite the breakdown of the peace process, Pakistan has continued to offer its good offices to both sides for preventing another round of fighting. Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2026

World· Verified

Ukraine receives US missile warnings again following Oslo talks

Advance warnings of missile attacks were seemingly suspended last week by the White House, but Ukraine’s president says: ‘Now it works’ The US has resumed sharing intelligence with Kyiv about Russian missile strikes, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday after a meeting with the US envoy Steve Witkoff in Norway. Zelenskyy said Ukraine was again receiving advance warnings of ballistic missile attacks, which were seemingly suspended last week by the White House. “Now it works. It’s great,” he said, saying the US move would save lives. Continue reading...

World· Verified

France plans military deployment alongside police following nationwide urban unrest

France will reinforce police with troops and mount a huge security operation for more protests planned on Saturday, the government said on Tuesday, acknowledging failures in its response to last weekend’s violence. “The deployment next Saturday will be massive,” Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said, adding that the immediate priority was to restore order after rioting and looting swept Paris, Marseille, Lyon and other cities on October 17. In a sometimes rowdy debate, Interior Minister Laurent...

World· Verified

Abyei market drone strike leaves over 150 dead after fuel depot ignites

At least 153 people have been killed in a drone strike on a market in the disputed Abyei region, where a fire at a nearby fuel depot continued to burn on Tuesday. Local officials blamed Sudan’s military for Monday’s attack, which also left dozens injured.

World· Developing

Gaza truce fails to protect youth as child death toll exceeds 340, UN reports

UNITED NATIONS: More than 340 children have been reportedly killed and hundreds more injured in Gaza since a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was announced, the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) said on Friday, warning that children continue to face grave risks despite the truce. “For families mourning the loss of their children, those terrible statistics do not equate with a ceasefire,” Unicef spokesperson Ricardo Pires told reporters in Geneva. The Unicef noted that five boys and two girls had been reported killed in Gaza over the preceding two weeks, while at least 33 children were seriously injured in air strikes, drone strikes and gunfire across the territory. Two other boys died from injuries sustained earlier, Pires said. Around 800,000 children remain displaced, most living in tents or damaged buildings, while an estimated 60,000 have lost one or both parents during the war or since the ceasefire, according to the Unicef. Nearly every child needs some form of mental health support to recover from the effects of the conflict. The agency called on the parties to the conflict to uphold the ceasefire, comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2803 and meet their obligations under international humanitarian law. “Above all, we need to listen to the voices of children in Gaza,” the Unicef said, stressing that recovery meant more than survival. Children needed to return to school, spend time with friends and family, have dignified shelter, play safely and receive healthcare, the agency said. “Gaza’s children have suffered far too much, for far too long,” it added. The agency stressed the need to maintain an uninterrupted flow of humanitarian and commercial supplies into Gaza, following reports that private traders had halted cooperation with Israeli authorities over the entry of commercial trucks carrying food. Pires recalled that supplies had been unable to enter Gaza before the ceasefire, when famine was declared by UN-backed food security experts. “We can’t go back to a situation where children and families are not getting all the supplies, goods and services that they require,” he said. Despite the continuing hardship, Unicef has helped more than 560,000 children return to learning since the ceasefire, including through more than 200 learning centres it supports. The agency has also provided digital cash assistance to more than 380,000 people and safe water to 1.2 million people.

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