NEW DELHI — Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi faced an unusual challenge during his visit to India as women journalists publicly questioned him about the exclusion and oppression of Afghan women. Three days after being barred from an initial press conference, female reporters were allowed to attend a second event at the Afghan

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BEIJING — Chinese rare earth magnet companies have faced increased scrutiny on export license applications since September, even before Beijing’s recent expansion of controls on critical minerals, according to sources familiar with the matter. The longer review process raises questions about whether China, the world’s top supplier of rare earths, is intentionally limiting shipments—despite a

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LONDON — The UK government expects to have full, unredacted access to China’s plans for a new embassy in London before deciding whether to approve the project, Housing Minister Steve Reed said on Tuesday. Concerns that the embassy could be used for espionage have led some British and U.S. politicians to call for blocking the

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TAIPEI — Chinese cyberattacks on Taiwanese government agencies have risen 17% this year compared to 2024, reaching an average of 2.8 million attacks per day, according to the National Security Bureau (NSB). The bureau warned that Beijing’s so-called “online troll army” is actively spreading disinformation to sow discord among Taiwanese citizens. Taiwan has repeatedly criticized

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BEIJING — Chinese authorities detained dozens of pastors from one of the country’s largest underground churches over the weekend, marking the most significant crackdown on Christians since 2018, church officials and relatives said. Pastor Jin Mingri, founder of the unofficial Zion Church, was taken from his home in Beihai on Friday evening, according to his

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Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been ordered to report to La Santé prison in Paris on October 21 to begin a five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy linked to alleged election campaign funding from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Sarkozy, who led France from 2007 to 2012, becomes the first postwar French president—and the

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Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is set to begin a prison sentence on October 21, following his conviction for criminal conspiracy related to allegedly financing his 2007 presidential campaign with Libyan funds in exchange for diplomatic favors. He was sentenced to five years in prison, though he may be eligible for early release on parole.

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Israel’s military reported that it opened fire on Tuesday to neutralize a perceived threat from suspects who approached its forces in northern Gaza. Gaza’s health authorities confirmed that at least six Palestinians were killed in the incidents. The military stated that the suspects had crossed a boundary established during Israel’s initial pullback under the U.S.-brokered

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US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi will co-chair an international summit on Monday in Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss a US-brokered plan to end the war in Gaza. The meeting will include leaders from more than 20 countries, the Egyptian presidency said. The summit aims “to end the war in the Gaza

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