Web Desk

Europe

Asia

In total, 141,173 migrants have arrived in Europe in 2025, with 131,099 arriving by sea and 10,074 by land, representing a 41% decrease compared to the same period last year. 



Afghan migrants rank third among 2025 arrivals in Europe

ISTANBUL: Pope Leo XIV wraps up a four-day trip to Turkey Sunday after a warm welcome by its tiny Christian community, before heading to Lebanon with a message of peace for the crisis-mired nation.&nbsp;On his first overseas trip since being elected leader of the world&#39;s 1.4 billion Catholics, Leo met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before travelling to Iznik for a celebration marking 1,700 years since the First Council of Nicaea, one of the early Church&#39;s most important gatherings.&nbsp;On Saturday, the American pope hosted thousands of worshippers who battled the rain to attend a public mass in Istanbul, with many travelling from across Turkey to join the multilingual service, which left many moved by its beautiful and haunting choral interludes.&nbsp;On his final morning, Leo was expected to attend a prayer service at the Armenian cathedral then lead a divine liturgy, the Orthodox equivalent of mass, at the Patriarchal Church of St. George before a final blessing. He will have lunch with Patriarch Bartholomew I, the leader of the world&#39;s Orthodox Christians, a day after they signed a joint declaration in which they pledged to take &quot;new and courageous steps on the path towards unity.&quot; Next stop LebanonDespite doctrinal differences that led to the Great Schism of 1054, resulting in a split between the Roman Catholic Church in the West and the Eastern Orthodox Church, the two sides maintain dialogue and hold joint celebrations.&nbsp;They also agreed to continue their efforts to establish a common date for Easter, which is currently celebrated by Catholics and Orthodox Christians on different days.&nbsp;The pope&#39;s trip comes as the Orthodox world appears more fragmented than ever, with Russia&#39;s invasion of Ukraine accelerating the split between the Moscow and Constantinople patriarchates.&nbsp;Pope Leo is the fifth pontiff to visit Turkey, after Paul VI in 1967, John Paul II in 1979, Benedict XVI in 2006 and Francis in 2014.&nbsp;He is expected to leave Istanbul 1145 GMT and fly to Beirut for a visit lasting until Tuesday.&nbsp;The six-day two-nation trip is the first major international test for the first pope from the United States, who was elected head of the Catholic Church in May and whose understated style contrasts with that of his charismatic and impulsive predecessor, Francis.&nbsp;Although Leo&#39;s visit drew little attention in Turkey, a Muslim-majority nation of 86 million whose Christian community numbers only around 100,000, it is eagerly awaited in Lebanon, a religiously diverse country of 5.8 million inhabitants.&nbsp;Since 2019, Lebanon has been ravaged by crises, including an economic collapse, a devastating port blast in Beirut in 2020 and the recent war with Israel.

Pope to wrap up Turkiye trip before heading to Lebanon

&nbsp;KYIV: Ukrainian negotiators are due to hold talks in the United States on Sunday to discuss Washington&#39;s plan to end the war with Russia, with Kyiv facing pressure on both the military and political fronts. As Russia advances on the front line, its forces targeted Ukraine&#39;s capital and the region for two nights in a row ahead of the talks in the United States. A drone attack in the outskirts of Kyiv killed one person and wounded 11 on Saturday night, the regional governor said. Hours earlier, a Ukrainian security source said Kyiv was responsible for attacks on two oil tankers in the Black Sea that it believed were covertly transporting sanctioned Russian oil. The US talks come amid turbulence for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his government <span style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;" id="isPasted">&mdash; a blockbuster corruption probe forced him to sack his chief of staff and top negotiator Andriy Yermak on Friday. The Ukraine team <span style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;" id="isPasted">&mdash;&nbsp;now led by Rustem Umerov <span style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;" id="isPasted">&mdash; is due to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff in Florida on Sunday, a US official said. Washington has put forward a plan to end the more than three-year conflict that it is seeking to finalise with Moscow and Kyiv&#39;s approval. An initial 28-point proposal <span style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;" id="isPasted">&mdash; drafted without input from Ukraine&#39;s European allies <span style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;" id="isPasted">&mdash; would have seen Kyiv withdraw from its eastern Donetsk region and the United States de facto recognize the Donetsk, Crimea and Lugansk regions as Russian. The United States pared back the original draft following criticism from Kyiv and Europe, but the current contents remain unclear. On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron hosts Zelensky for talks in Paris, the French presidency announced. Russian oil terminal hit&nbsp;Hours before Ukraine&#39;s delegation was to depart, one of Russia&#39;s largest oil terminals halted operations on Saturday following an attack by sea drones. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), a group that includes US oil majors Chevron and ExxonMobil and which owns the terminal, called the strike a &quot;terrorist attack&quot;. Ukraine, which did not comment on the incident, regularly targets Russian energy facilities in a bid to sap the country&#39;s war chest as the conflict grinds through its fourth year. The CPC pipeline, which begins in Kazakhstan and ends at the terminal, is a major conduit for Kazakh oil and one of the world&#39;s largest by volume, handling around one percent of global supplies. However, a Ukrainian source claimed responsibility for attacks on two ships in the Black Sea allegedly covertly transporting sanctioned Russian oil. The Virat and the Kairos, which were empty, were rocked by explosions off Turkey&#39;s coast late Friday, according to the Turkish transport ministry. One of the two was struck again early Saturday, the ministry said. &quot;Modernised Sea Baby naval drones successfully targeted the vessels,&quot; a source in Ukraine&#39;s SBU security service told AFP. The source shared a video that purported to show sea drones gliding towards the two ships, before sparking explosions. Drone attacksRussia has kept up its night-time attacks on its neighbour. Mykola Kalashnyk, the Kyiv regional governor, reported in the early hours of Sunday &quot;another enemy drone attack&quot;. &quot;Unfortunately, as a result of the enemy attack on Vyshgorod, one person was killed and 11 were wounded. Among them is one child,&quot; Kalashnyk wrote on Telegram. The latest attack followed a Russian drone and missile attack on Friday night that killed three people and left hundreds of thousands across Ukraine without power. Russia, which denies targeting civilians, says it struck energy infrastructure powering Ukraine&#39;s military-industrial complex. Ukraine says Russia&#39;s attacks are a cynical ploy to wear down its civilian population. After Saturday night&#39;s intense explosions that kept many in the capital awake, Galyna Bondarenko, a Ukrainian media worker, told AFP in Kyiv that the blast had sent debris flying into her home. &quot;There was a piece of debris next to the bed, which hit the bed and got stuck,&quot; she said.

FILE: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump participate in a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 18, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images/File)

Kyiv’s delegation travels to the US for talks on Washington’s revised war-ending plan as Russia intensifies strikes. Kyiv faces political turmoil, drone attacks, and mounting pressure after targeting Russian oil infrastructure and tankers in the Black Sea.

Ukraine negotiators to hold talks in US on plan to end war

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday dismissed criticism from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights over the country&rsquo;s newly passed 27th constitutional amendment, calling the concerns &ldquo;ungrounded&rdquo; and &ldquo;misplaced.&rdquo; In a statement, the Foreign Office said the amendment was approved by a two-third majority in parliament and reflected the workings of a democratic system. It said constitutional changes and all legislation were the responsibility of Pakistan&rsquo;s elected representatives. The ministry said democratic norms underpin civil and political rights in the country, adding that the amendment followed procedures set out in the Constitution. It reiterated Pakistan&rsquo;s commitment to human dignity, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law. However, the Foreign Office said it was &ldquo;regrettable&rdquo; that Pakistan&rsquo;s perspective and on-ground context were not reflected in the UN rights body&rsquo;s statement. It called on the High Commissioner to respect parliament&rsquo;s sovereign decisions and avoid comments that, in its view, show political bias. BackgroundThe rebuttal comes days after UN human rights chief Volker T&uuml;rk on Friday voiced concern that Pakistan&rsquo;s latest constitutional changes could erode judicial independence and weaken accountability. He said the amendment, adopted on November 13, was passed without broad consultation, mirroring the process behind last year&rsquo;s 26th Amendment. T&uuml;rk warned that the creation of a new Federal Constitutional Court, which takes over constitutional cases from the Supreme Court, could centralise power within the executive. He also pointed to changes in the appointment and promotion of judges, saying the new system may leave the judiciary vulnerable to political influence. President Asif Ali Zardari signed the amendment earlier this month after it cleared both houses of parliament amid opposition protests, making it part of the Constitution.

Politics

 FO says the amendment was approved by a two-third majority in parliament and reflected the workings of a democratic system.

Pakistan rejects UN rights chief’s concerns over new constitutional amendments

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has launched a major humanitarian relief operation for the flood-affected people of Sri Lanka at the prime minister&#39;s special directives.&nbsp;The National Disaster Management Authority, working closely with the Pakistan Armed Forces, has completed arrangements for an immediate aid mission. The effort follows the devastating floods that have caused widespread destruction across Sri Lanka.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 394px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1994845947176861880&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=e523e4423abc97e2499e28c4f66e0e17a7c2d13a&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>The first relief consignment will leave for Colombo on Nov. 30 aboard a Pakistan Air Force C-130 aircraft. It contains 100 tons of essential supplies and will be accompanied by a 45-member Urban Search and Rescue team from the Pakistan Army.&nbsp;Chairman NDMA Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik will supervise the dispatch of the mission. A departure ceremony will be held at Nur Khan Airbase, attended by officials from the Prime Minister&rsquo;s Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NDMA, and representatives of the diplomatic community.&nbsp;The relief package includes rescue boats, dewatering pumps, life jackets, tents, blankets, quilts, bubble mats, mosquito nets, infant formula, dry rations, and essential medicines. A mobile field hospital is also being sent to support emergency medical needs in the affected areas.&nbsp;Pakistan has reaffirmed its solidarity with Sri Lanka and said it will continue to extend humanitarian support in the days ahead.

Foreign Affairs

The authority says with the help of Pakistan Armed Forces, it has completed arrangements for an immediate aid mission.

Pakistan prepares 100-ton aid shipment for Sri Lanka flood victims

ISLAMABAD: An Afghan national living in the United States under the Biden-era &ldquo;Operation Allies Welcome&rdquo; program has been arrested in Fort Worth, Texas, after posting a video online appearing to assemble an explosive device, according to a senior US homeland security official, it emerged on Saturday.&nbsp;Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin of the Department of Homeland Security said on X that the suspect, identified as Mohammad Dawood Alokozay, uploaded a TikTok video showing himself putting together what he implied was an explosive. She said the footage suggested he intended to target the Fort Worth area.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 897px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1994815818635288752&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=e523e4423abc97e2499e28c4f66e0e17a7c2d13a&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> Alokozay was taken into custody on Tuesday by the Texas Department of Public Safety and the FBI&rsquo;s Joint Terrorism Task Force. He has been charged with making terroristic threats.&nbsp;The arrest was made a day before another Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, carried out a shooting in Washington. Lakanwal opened fire on members of the US National Guard during a routine patrol near a residential neighborhood close to the Capitol. Two soldiers were critically wounded before he was arrested.&nbsp;Authorities in Washington have described the attack as a deliberate act of terror. Lakanwal had been in the United States for more than a year.&nbsp;The two incidents, reported within 24 hours of each other, have intensified political focus on President Donald Trump&rsquo;s new immigration measures. The president has launched a &ldquo;reverse migration&rdquo; initiative aimed at removing individuals who, in his words, &ldquo;do not belong here or do not add benefit&rdquo;.&nbsp;He has ordered a detailed reassessment of Afghans who entered the country under Operation Allies Welcome, directing agencies to conduct fresh security reviews on a case-by-case basis.&nbsp;The White House has also instructed officials to reexamine all refugee, parole, and humanitarian programs established during the previous administration. Additional directives are expected as scrutiny of recent arrivals expands.

Americas

Department of Homeland Security says the arrested individual uploaded a TikTok video showing himself putting together what he implied was an explosive.

Second Afghan national arrested in US on terrorism charges

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan risks losing 40% of its farmland due to the country&#39;s worst drought in decades, a new monitoring report warned. According to the latest Afghanistan Seasonal Monitor from the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, the country is experiencing below-average rainfall and above-average temperatures that have triggered soil moisture deficits across the nation, The crisis marks the sixth consecutive year of poor weather conditions. Farmers are abandoning fields as irrigated crops struggle to survive and rain-fed wheat production continues to fall. Northern and central Afghanistan face precipitation deficits of up to 100 millimeters through December 2025, according to the monitor. Water shortages are exacerbating the crisis in these regions, which are seeing widespread crop failures, particularly in wheat farming, with soil moisture at critically low levels. In the northeast and central parts of the country, where rain-fed crops are vital, many farmers are unable to plant or maintain crops. Even irrigated areas are struggling with declining groundwater levels. A survey released in November by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime found that traditional irrigation systems, such as &quot;qanats&quot;, are failing, forcing farmers to dig deeper wells. Climate change has made droughts more frequent and severe, with above-average temperatures intensifying the situation. Snow water volumes, essential for irrigation, are at their lowest levels in years, the monitor said. Many farmers are seeing their income collapse as 40% of farmland remains unused. Even in irrigated areas, people face difficulties due to water scarcity and climate change. More than 75% of rural households depend on agriculture, and many are struggling with food insecurity, according to the report. The report warned that unless conditions improve, food shortages could worsen, causing higher food prices and economic instability. It predicted that if the situation persists, farmland abandonment and declining crop yields will continue, worsening the crisis for the country&#39;s farmers. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network was established by the US Agency for International Development in 1985 and provides early warning and analysis of acute food insecurity worldwide.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s worst drought in decades has led to widespread crop failures, with severe water shortages exacerbating food insecurity and economic instability, a new report warns.

Afghanistan at risk of losing 40% of farmland in worst drought in decades

ISLAMABAD: Oscar Piastri grabbed pole position for the penultimate race of the Formula One season when he edged team-mate and title rival Lando Norris as time expired in Saturday&#39;s qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix. Piastri had cut Norris&#39;s lead in the championship to 22 points by winning the sprint race earlier in the day. Red Bull&#39;s Max Verstappen, the only other driver who could win the title, qualified third. The defending champion is 25 points behind Norris. George Russell was fourth in a Mercedes. Norris took an early grip on the final qualifying session, which was then interrupted after Carlos Sainz came out of the pits with plastic wrapping around one of the tyres on his Williams and it peeled off on a corner. At the re-start, the drivers had enough time for a flying lap, but Norris abandoned after starting badly. &quot;I just had a bit of understeer and was going to go off so I had to abort,&quot; said Norris. &quot;Which was a shame, but it&#39;s the way that it is.&quot; Piastri made the most of his opening. &quot;That was mega,&quot; the Australian shouted into his radio. The fastest qualifier has won all three previous Qatar Grand Prix, although in 2024, Max Verstappen incurred a penalty in Q3, was demoted to second on the grid but won anyway. Norris said he believed he had a chance. &quot;You never know. The first couple of laps are always opportunities for everyone but after there I think it&#39;s probably going to be pretty straightforward for everyone too,&quot; he said. Piastri, who needs to finish ahead of Norris to take the title race to the wire, said he was looking forward to it. &quot;It will be a tough race. Hard work but incredibly fun,&quot; he said. Earlier, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton continued to struggle, posting the 18th fastest time in his Ferrari in the 20-car first qualifying session and failing to advance. It was his fifth straight early exit in qualifying.

Racing

Oscar Piastri claimed pole for the Qatar Grand Prix, edging Lando Norris. Max Verstappen qualified third, while Lewis Hamilton failed to advance, finishing 18th.

Title-chasing Piastri takes pole for Qatar Grand Prix

ISLAMABAD: Egypt is training hundreds of Palestinian police officers with an eye towards integrating them into a post-war security force in Gaza, a Palestinian official told AFP. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty announced the plan to train 5,000 officers for Gaza during talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in August.&nbsp;A first group of more than 500 officers were trained in Cairo in March and since September the two-month courses have resumed to welcome hundreds more people, the Palestinian official told AFP on condition of anonymity. He said all members of the force will be from the Gaza Strip and paid by the Palestinian Authority, which is based in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. &quot;I&#39;m very happy with the training. We want a permanent end to war and aggression, and we&#39;re eager to serve our country and fellow citizens,&quot; said a 26-year-old Palestinian police officer. He told AFP he hoped the security force would be &quot;independent, loyal only to Palestine and not subject to external alliances or objectives&quot;. &quot;We received outstanding operational training, with modern equipment for border surveillance,&quot; said a Palestinian lieutenant who also requested anonymity for security reasons, as did everyone interviewed by AFP. Israel&#39;s war on Gaza has killed at least 70,100 people, according to figures from the territory&#39;s health ministry that the UN considers reliable. &#39;Protecting the dream&#39; The training also highlighted the role of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and stressed the importance of &quot;protecting the dream of creating&quot; a fully sovereign and independent Palestinian state. A senior security official from the Palestinian Authority confirmed that its president Mahmud Abbas had instructed Interior Minister Ziad Hab al-Reeh to coordinate with Egypt on the training. During talks sponsored by Egypt late last year, the Palestinian movements &mdash; including the two main ones, Hamas and Abbas&#39;s Fatah &mdash; agreed to a force of around 10,000 police officers. Egypt would train half of them while the other 5,000 would come from the police force in Gaza, which has been under Hamas control since 2007. Under the agreement, the security force would be supervised by a committee of technocrats approved by the Palestinian movements. A senior Hamas official confirmed to AFP that the movement supported &quot;the details regarding security and management of the Gaza Strip&quot; agreed during the talks. The subject was also addressed in US President Donald Trump&#39;s peace plan, which led to last month&#39;s fragile Gaza ceasefire, and was later endorsed by a UN Security Council resolution. Europe plays a part The plan notably authorises the creation of an international force that would be responsible for securing border areas and demilitarizing Gaza. The European Union also wants to train up to 3,000 Palestinian police officers in the Gaza Strip under a scheme similar to one it already runs in the West Bank, an EU official told AFP. The EU has financed a police training mission in the West Bank since 2006, with a budget of around $15 million. But many details remain up in the air. A Hamas official questioned to AFP the possibility of an agreement with Israel on the precise details of a police force in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s government opposes any role for Hamas or the Palestinian Authority in Gaza after the war ends. AFP journalists have regularly observed that Hamas maintains armed men in Gaza to ensure traffic flows and to mediate disputes between residents, effectively providing a form of law enforcement. Hamas has said it no longer wants to govern Gaza but added that it does not intend to disappear and remains a central part of Palestinian political life. On the thorny issue of disarmament, Hamas has said it is not opposed to handing over part of its arsenal, but only as part of a Palestinian political process.

Middle East

Egypt is training Palestinian police officers for a post-war Gaza security force, supported by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, with EU involvement in training plans.

Egypt trains hundreds of Palestinians for future Gaza police force

ISLAMABAD: Lionel Messi and Inter Miami reached the MLS Cup final for the first time on Saturday after a 5-1 thrashing of New York City FC in the Eastern Conference playoffs. A Tadeo Allende hat-trick and goals from Mateo Silvetti and Telasco Segovia ensured Miami advanced to Major League Soccer&#39;s championship game next Saturday. Miami will host the winner of the Western Conference final, which is being played between San Diego FC and Vancouver Whitecaps later on Saturday. &nbsp;

Football

A Tadeo Allende hat-trick and goals from Mateo Silvetti and Telasco Segovia ensured Miami advanced to Major League Soccer's championship game next Saturday.

Inter Miami, Messi beat New York 5-1 to reach first MLS Cup

ISLAMABAD: The gang that abducted a group of young women in Nigeria&#39;s northeast state of Borno a week ago released the remaining 12 late Saturday, a local official told AFP. Their release comes as the country has experienced a surge in abductions of young people over the past two weeks. &quot;All the 12 were released,&quot; Abubakar Mazhinyi, president of the local Askira-Uba council, told AFP, adding that they had been taken to hospital. &quot;They [militants] spoke to the parents,&quot; he said. &quot;It was the parents that went to the bush.&quot; Last Saturday, 13 Muslim women and girls, aged between 16 and 23 were kidnapped near their farms in land near a nature reserve that has become a hideout for the militants. The gang freed one of them after she told them she was nursing a baby. No ransom was paid, with the militants releasing the women because the army was in pursuit, said Mazhinyi. Borno state is at the heart of Nigeria&#39;s conflict with the militants, which started 16 years ago with Boko Haram. It was the scene of the 2014 kidnapping of nearly 300 girls in Chibok. While the militant threat has diminished, both Boko Haram and rival breakaway Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) are still dangerous. The conflict there has claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people and forced more than two million people to flee their homes, according to UN figures. The violence is not confined to the northeast of the country. Last week armed gangs seized more than 300 children from a Catholic school in the central-western Niger delta state. Although some managed to escape, more than 265 children and teachers are still being held. These abductions have been claimed by bandits rather than militants. Nigeria has a history of mass kidnappings, mostly carried out by criminal gangs looking for ransom payments and targeting vulnerable populations in poorly policed rural areas.

Africa

Their release comes as the country has experienced a surge in abductions of young people over the past two weeks.

Country of Origin	Number of Arrivals
Bangladesh	17,409
Egypt	13,476
Afghanistan	10,999
Sudan	9,660
Algeria	8,920
Eritrea	7,618
Mali	6,688
Somalia	4,970
Morocco	4,741
Syria	4,063

Statistic	Value
Afghan Migrants (Total)	10,999
Afghan Migrants as Percentage of Total	7.8%
Afghan Migrants in North Macedonia	35%
Afghan Migrants in Albania	11%
Afghan Migrants in Bosnia and Herzegovina	17%

Afghan migrants rank third among 2025 arrivals in Europe

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan ranked third among the top nationalities arriving in Europe in 2025, latest data released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday.

Top Nationalities of Migrants in 2025

Afghan Migrants in 2025

Migration routes
Afghan migrants have continued to be among the top nationalities arriving at several European entry points.

According to the IOM's Mixed Migration Flows report for July-September 2025, these flows have been particularly prominent in countries including Greece, Italy, and Malta, as well as south-eastern European nations such as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia.

Latest News

Pope to wrap up Turkiye trip before heading to Lebanon

Ukraine negotiators to hold talks in US on plan to end war

Pakistan rejects UN rights chief’s concerns over new constitutional amendments

Pakistan prepares 100-ton aid shipment for Sri Lanka flood victims

Second Afghan national arrested in US on terrorism charges

Afghan migrants rank third among 2025 arrivals in Europe

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan ranked third among the top nationalities arriving in Europe in 2025, latest data released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday.

Top Nationalities of Migrants in 2025

Afghan Migrants in 2025

Migration routesAfghan migrants have continued to be among the top nationalities arriving at several European entry points.

According to the IOM's Mixed Migration Flows report for July-September 2025, these flows have been particularly prominent in countries including Greece, Italy, and Malta, as well as south-eastern European nations such as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia.

Latest News

Pope to wrap up Turkiye trip before heading to Lebanon

Ukraine negotiators to hold talks in US on plan to end war

Pakistan rejects UN rights chief’s concerns over new constitutional amendments

Pakistan prepares 100-ton aid shipment for Sri Lanka flood victims

Second Afghan national arrested in US on terrorism charges

Migration routes
Afghan migrants have continued to be among the top nationalities arriving at several European entry points.