Pakistan

Middle East economy to shrink 2.1% in 2026, Gulf economies by 4.3%, World Bank forecasts

Despite grim forecasts, the World Bank projects regional economies could rebound by 7.8% in 2027 if the conflict ends this year, though the Hormuz blockade and inflation remain major threats.

Now, when Israel looks out at the map, it has an alliance with two countries that face Iran directly across the Gulf
Pro-Saudi-backed Yemeni government fighters fire their weapons during what government forces say was an advance against the Iran-backed Houthis, near Dhubab, Taiz Governorate, Yemen, October 5, 2026.

Houthis ramp up missile attacks on Riyadh as Saudi-backed war in Yemen widens

US President Donald Trump speaks with media before boarding Marine One as he travels to Grand Island, Nebraska, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, US, October 5, 2026.

Trump says he deserves Nobel Peace Prize but has doubts he will get it

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a meeting at his ruling AK Party (AKP) in Ankara, Turkey, October 7, 2026.

Mecca defense pact puts Turkey’s commitment to Saudi under domestic scrutiny - analysis


King Abdullah’s UN attack on Israel overlooks Jordan’s own troubled history - opinion

Standing at the UN podium vilifying Israel, King Abdullah might have borne in mind the adage: “People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”

Jordan's King Abdullah II addresses the 81st United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2026.

Afghanistan says it killed 28 fighters, wounded 32 after group crosses over from Pakistan

The ministry alleged Pakistani militias had supported the fighters and that most of them were former Afghan government security personnel.

A Taliban security personnel stands guard near a damaged house, after Pakistani airstrike struck Gurbuz district in Afghanistan's Khost province on September 24, 2026.

Pakistani teenager suspected to have used AI system for guidance in attempted poisoning of father

The NCCIA said in a statement that the suspect was influenced by the popular US television series Breaking Bad and had asked various AI chatbots for information on how to produce methanol. 

 A poison warning on a bottle; illustrative

Blast in Pakistan's Dera Ismail Khan kills 11, injures 30

Eleven people were killed and 30 injured after an explosion in northwestern Pakistan. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claims responsibility for the attack.

People gather at a damaged mosque following a suicide attack at a police facility in Kohat Friday, 18th September 2026

Chinese national among 212 arrested in Pakistan as authorities crack down on call center fraud

Authorities recovered a large amount of equipment from the raided sites, including almost 400 computers and more than 300 phones.

Pakistani police officers keeping security in a public area. Ilustrative.

Pakistani, Saudi, Turkish chiefs discuss closer military ties

The meeting follows a Washington Post report earlier on Friday that Saudi Arabia has not ruled out developing a nuclear weapons program, according to US intelligence assessments.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, and other officials pose before the first committee meeting for the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, in Istanbul, Turkey, August 31, 2026.

Several Afghan Taliban killed as Pakistan thwarts border attack, sources say

The incident comes as tensions have resurfaced between the allies-turned-foes after three months of relative calm, following a deadly attack on a police facility in northwestern Pakistan last week.

A member of Taliban security forces uses a metal detector amid the rubble of a house that was damaged in what the Taliban said was a Pakistani airstrike in Gurbuz district of Khost province, Afghanistan, September 24, 2026.

Pakistani girl, 3, sold into marriage for $9,000 under 'walwar' custom, sparking int'l outrage

Police arrested the girl’s father and are searching for the 60-year-old man identified as her alleged husband as investigators examine links to the killing of her older sister.

Pakistani girl helps make bricks at a kiln during World Day Against Child Labour on the outskirts of Islamabad on June 12, 2014.

Pakistan launches precision airstrikes on Afghanistan following thwarted drone attack from border

Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring militants who stage cross-border attacks, but Afghanistan's Taliban government denies harboring anti-Pakistani insurgents.

A Pakistan Air Force fighter jet drops flares during a rehearsal in Islamabad on May 8, 2026 marking one year since the IndiaPakistan clashes that followed an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Saudi Arabia turns to Israel as Houthi attacks expose limits of the Mecca Pact - opinion

Houthi strikes are pushing Saudi Arabia and Israel toward unprecedented military and intelligence cooperation.

(From L) TURKISH PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chat after signing a joint defense agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 7.