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Afghanistan's Taliban government vowed Tuesday to "respond appropriately" to deadly overnight air strikes it blamed on Pakistan, a claim Islamabad denied, as tensions spiked a day after a suicide bombing in a Pakistani city.An air raid on Khost province "martyred" nine children and a woman, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid posted on X, blaming Pakistani forces and saying the target was "the house of a local civilian resident".Residents of the targeted area near the Pakistan frontier searched through the rubble of a collapsed house and prepared graves for victims, an AFP correspondent saw."Our request from the government of Pakistan is this: do not bomb ordinary people," said Sajidulrahman, a resident of the Jige Mughalgai area."Civilians have done nothing wrong."Mustaghfir Gurbuz, a spokesman for the governor of Khost, said the strikes were carried out by aircraft that included drones.The nearby border regions of Kunar and Paktika were also hit, wounding at least four people, government spokesman Mujahid said."The Islamic Emirate strongly condemns this violation and reiterates that defending its airspace, territory, and people is its legitimate right, and it will respond appropriately at the right time," Mujahid said in a separate statement.Pakistan denied carrying out any attack. According to state broadcaster PTV, military spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said: "Pakistan has not attacked Afghanistan.""Whenever we conduct a strike, it is announced openly and properly," he said. "Pakistan never attacks civilian populations. The allegations of the interim Afghan government are baseless."The bombardment came after a suicide attack on Monday killed three officers and wounded 11 others at the headquarters of Pakistan's paramilitary Federal Constabulary force in Peshawar.No group has claimed responsibility, but state broadcaster PTV reported the attackers were Afghan nationals.President Asif Zardari blamed the "foreign-backed Fitna al-Khawarij" — Islamabad's term for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group it accuses of operating from Afghan soil.Another suicide blast this month killed 12 people outside a court in the Pakistani capital. It was claimed by a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, which shares the same ideology as the Afghan Taliban.Islamabad has said the militant cell behind the capital attack was "guided at every step by the... high command based in Afghanistan".Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told reporters Tuesday there was "clear-cut evidence" linking the Afghan Taliban to the Islamabad bombing.He aired an alleged video confession from one of four suspects in custody and said: "Afghanistan is fully involved... and their soil is also involved. The people being sheltered there are also involved."Relations between Islamabad and Kabul have been fraught since the Taliban swept back to power in Kabul in 2021, and worsened after border clashes in October killed around 70 people on both sides.That fighting ended with a ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkiye, but several rounds of talks failed to produce a lasting deal.Security issues have proved a sticking point, especially Pakistan's demand that Kabul curb TTP fighters.Islamabad accuses the Taliban of sheltering militants behind a surge in attacks, particularly the TTP, which has waged a bloody campaign against Pakistan for years.Kabul denies the charge and counters that Pakistan harbours groups hostile to Afghanistan and does not respect its sovereignty.The border between the neighbours has remained closed for more than six weeks since the October clashes, freezing bilateral trade.The Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry has warned that thousands of containers remain stuck at the border, each incurring $150-$200 in daily charges, calling the economic burden "unbearable".

Gaza's civil defence agency said 21 people were killed and dozens more wounded in multiple Israeli air strikes Saturday, as Hamas and Israel again traded allegations of violating the fragile ceasefire. Saturday was one of the deadliest days since the US-brokered truce between Israel and Hamas came into effect on October 10, after two years of war.Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for the civil defence agency which operates under Hamas authority, said there were "21 martyrs this evening in five separate Israeli air strikes, in a clear violation of the ceasefire in Gaza".They included seven killed and more than 16 injured in a strike on a house in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, and four killed and several injured in an air strike on a residential apartment in the Al-Nasr district, west of Gaza City, he said.The first reported strike targeted a vehicle in the Al-Rimal neighbourhood in western Gaza City. Five people were killed and several injured, said Bassal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office accused Hamas of breaching the truce agreement. "We again call on the mediators to insist that Hamas fulfil its side of the ceasefire." In a statement, Hamas said the "escalation" of Israeli violations were "attempts to undermine the ceasefire".

The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah weapons storage facilities in several south Lebanon towns Wednesday, and accused the group of rebuilding its capabilities close to the border. The Israeli military has kept up frequent air strikes in Lebanon in spite of a ceasefire sealed last November that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah.The latest raids came a day after 13 people were killed in a strike that Israel said had targeted Hamas members in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon — the deadliest attack since the truce came into effect. Israel's military said Wednesday that it had struck "several weapons storage facilities belonging to Hezbollah's rocket unit in southern Lebanon", calling such sites "a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon". It had previously warned residents to evacuate the area around sites in the southern Lebanese towns of Deir Kifa, Shehur, Ainata and Tayr Felsay.Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) later said raids hit all four locations. In Deir Kifa, Lebanese soldiers deployed near the targeted building, which collapsed after the strike, an AFP correspondent saw. An AFP journalist in Tayr Felsay saw fireballs and smoke erupt after the raid there. In its evacuation warnings on X, the Israeli military had said it would strike Hezbollah "military infrastructure... in response to Hezbollah's prohibited attempts to rebuild its activities in the area".In a subsequent statement, the military singled out the town of Beit Lif, just a few kilometres from the Israeli border. It accused Hezbollah of rebuilding "dozens of fighter infrastructure sites in the area of the village, including headquarters and weapons storage facilities", some inside civilian homes.Lebanon says Israel is violating the truce with its strikes, and by maintaining troops in five areas of the country's south. Under heavy US pressure and fears of expanded Israeli attacks, Lebanon has committed to disarming Hezbollah, but the fighter group has rejected the idea of handing over its weapons.Earlier Wednesday, Lebanon's health ministry said one person was killed and 11 others wounded in an Israeli strike on a vehicle in south Lebanon's Tiri that Israel said killed a Hezbollah fighters. The NNA reported that the man killed worked for the local municipality, and said the strike took place as a university bus carrying students passed by, wounding some on board. On Tuesday, Israel said it struck a Hamas training compound in south Lebanon's Ain al-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp. The Palestinian fighter group denied it had military installations in Lebanon's refugee camps and called Israel's claims "lies".

Greece signed a deal with Ukraine Sunday to supply US-origin liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the war-battered country whose energy infrastructure has been crippled by Russian strikes.The agreement came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Athens at the start of a European tour aimed at shoring up his country's defences and energy supply, as it enters another gruelling winter nearly four years into Russia's invasion.Exhausted and outnumbered Ukrainian troops are struggling to fend off Russian forces, and both sides have been attacking each other's energy infrastructure power stations and oil refineries as the war drags on with no sign of peace talks.Greece's national gas company DEPA Commercial and its Ukrainian counterpart Naftogaz announced the deal, which will run from December 2025 until March 2026, following a meeting between Zelensky and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.The agreement "marks an essential step in strengthening regional energy cooperation and European energy security", according to a joint statement.The deal, signed at a ceremony attended by US ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle, will make it possible to "support Ukraine in the midst of a difficult winter", Mitsotakis and Zelensky said.Guilfoyle visited Zelensky at the Ukrainian embassy in Athens Sunday, the state-run ERTNEWS tv channel reported."Relations between our countries are taking on a crucial new dimension: that of a new secure energy artery, stretching from south to north, from Greece to Ukraine," Mitsotakis said.He called the deal a "decisive step toward definitive energy independence from Russian gas" — a key goal for Europe, which has struggled to wean itself off imports.Most European Union countries recently approved a ban on imports of Russian natural gas by the end of 2027, a decision aimed at hitting Russia's funding for the war.Mitsotakis also pledged Greek support for Ukraine's postwar reconstruction and to deepening defence cooperation, according to a joint declaration.They plan on "enhancing security in the maritime domain, including cooperation on the development and deployment of maritime (sea) UAVs, joint exercises and training related to unmanned maritime systems, and enhanced information-sharing on maritime threats."The Ukrainian president expressed gratitude to US President Donald Trump "for the fact that we will be able to receive natural gas not only from Greece, but also (US gas) via Greece".Zelensky, who is to visit France and Spain on his tour, called the agreement a "significant part of the comprehensive energy package we have prepared for this winter".The approaching winter poses "a huge challenge... for the Ukrainian people", he said."Practically every night now, the Russians are striking our infrastructure, especially our energy infrastructure," he said."Most of Ukraine's power plants, our gas production facilities and our thermal power plants have become targets."Zelensky's first visit to Greece since 2023 follows the recent announcement of major energy projects in Greece, supported by the United States.Greek authorities plan to cooperate with US companies to increase the flow of American liquefied natural gas to Greek terminals.Greece is "the natural gateway for American liquefied natural gas to replace Russian gas in the region," Mitsotakis said at a conference this month in Athens hosted by the United States.The recent launch of a Trans-Adriatic pipeline connecting Greece and Bulgaria has enabled the country to contribute to a "vertical" corridor delivering gas towards Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary and Slovakia.The opening of storage infrastructure at the port of Alexandroupolis, near the Greek-Turkish border and where American LNG arrives, has also helped undermine Russia's market in the region.

Russia's Defense Ministry said Sunday that its forces had killed 1,165 Ukrainian soldiers and shot down 116 drones. In a statement, the ministry reported strikes on Ukrainian positions across 147 locations along the front lines, claiming damage to armored vehicles, artillery systems, ammunition depots, and electronic warfare stations.It also said Russian forces targeted energy infrastructure and railway cars used to transport Ukrainian troops to the Donbas region, as well as facilities involved in the production and launch of long-range drones and storage sites for unmanned boats.Since the start of the war on Feb. 24, 2022, both Russia and Ukraine have issued near-daily battlefield updates, often asserting gains or repelling attacks. These claims are difficult to independently verify due to the ongoing conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday he discussed his country's air defence needs with his Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb after recent Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Zelenskiy, who is due to meet Donald Trump in Washington on Friday, also said it was important that the U.S. president had managed to stop the war in Gaza. "Of course, the right steps by America could also work to end Russia's war against Ukraine. We have a vision for this," Zelenskiy said, adding that he and Stubb were "coordinating" their positions.

Two Palestinians were martyred, and three others were injured Thursday in an Israeli drone strike on Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Palestinian news agency (WAFA), citing medical sources, reported that a man and his wife were martyred, and three others were injured in the Israeli shelling of Al-Bureij refugee camp. Since Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation has committed genocidal crimes in the Gaza Strip, leaving 66,148 martyrs and around 168,716 wounded, most of whom are children and women. Meanwhile, famine has claimed the lives of 455 Palestinians, including 151 children.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, aiming to break the Israeli siege on Gaza, announced Sunday that it is now approximately 825 kilometers from the Gaza Strip. The flotilla, comprising over 50 boats carrying more than 500 activists from around 45 countries — including 54 French and 15 Belgian participants, along with prominent activists and medical personnel such as Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, has faced drone attacks believed to be carried out by Israel. The strikes caused explosions and communication disruptions but resulted in no casualties. A short video posted on the flotilla's account by an activist aboard the Alma boat showed two drones flying at low altitude over the vessels overnight without carrying out any attacks. Activists reaffirmed that they are continuing toward Gaza despite Israeli threats. The flotilla includes the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the Global Gaza Movement, the Sumud Convoy, and Malaysia's Sumud Nusantara. European governments have stepped in to provide protection: Italy and Spain announced the deployment of naval vessels to escort the flotilla. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto condemned the drone attacks and confirmed a second naval ship would assist the flotilla, while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a naval vessel would accompany the ships to anticipate potential attacks. The convoy first departed from Barcelona in late August, carrying humanitarian aid including medical supplies, followed by additional boats from Genoa, Italy, in early September, and vessels from Morocco and Tunisia. This marks the first time that dozens of ships have sailed together in a collective effort to break the Israeli siege on Gaza, after previous flotillas were intercepted and their activists deported by Israeli forces.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden Maria Malmer Stenergard said that the Israeli strikes targeting residential premises of several Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital, Doha, on Tuesday constitute a violation of Qatar's territorial integrity and international law.In a post on the X, she said: "Any escalation of violence in the region must now be avoided. Sweden will continue to support all efforts to ensure the release of hostages, unhindered humanitarian access and a ceasefire in Gaza."

Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia’s oil export pipelines and a doubling of US tariffs on goods imported from India appear to be hitting Moscow’s crude flows.Weekly crude shipments from Russian ports fell by 320,000 barrels a day in the week to August 24, tanker-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg show.Flows dropped to a four-week low of 2.72mn barrels a day, pushed down by reduced loadings at the Baltic port of Ust-Luga. The drop left four-week average crude shipments little changed, with seaborne cargoes averaging 3.06mn barrels a day.Ukraine has intensified attacks targeting Russia’s oil infrastructure, hitting a major pumping station on the nation’s export pipeline network and several refineries.The Unecha pump station, on the Druzhba pipeline system close to Russia’s border with Belarus, was targeted by Ukrainian drones twice in the past two weeks.The attacks have halted piped crude deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia and appear to have hampered shipments from the port of Ust-Luga on Russia’s Baltic coast. The Baltic Pipeline System 2, which carries Russian and Kazakh crude to the port, begins at Unecha.Storage tanks at the port mean that any halt in deliveries may not result in an immediate drop in shipments, but only two tankers loaded Russian crude at Ust-Luga last week, down from four during the previous seven days and six in the week to August 10, the tracking data and shipping reports show.Recent strikes on the Volgograd and Novoshakhtinsk refineries helped to push Russia’s crude processing down by about 700,000 barrels a day in the third week of August from the average during the last week of July. That ought to free up more crude for export, if processing is halted for long periods.Separately, President Donald Trump’s doubling of US import tariffs on goods from India to 50%, imposed because of New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil, appears to hitting the flow of Moscow’s crude to the south Asian nation, though it’s unclear how long the trend will persist.Shipments heading to India have fallen by more than 500,000 barrels a day over the past two months and even if all the tankers with no confirmed destination end up discharging at Indian ports, flows would still be down by 300,000 barrels a day, or 17%, since late June.The tariff increase could yet be reversed or paused, but refiners are planning to trim purchases of Russian crude in the coming weeks, a modest concession to Washington’s pressure, but also a signal that New Delhi doesn’t plan to cut ties with Moscow. Nevertheless, Russia sees the discounts it offers Indian refiners as big enough to keep them buying its oil.The US president has repeatedly said he would increase sanctions against Moscow if it failed to agree a ceasefire in Ukraine, most recently on Friday, but the threats have so far come to nothing.Trump’s recent meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Alaska saw the Russian leader conceding little, but getting another stay of execution on threatened US secondary tariffs on China. Chinese refiners have stepped up purchases of discounted cargoes relinquished by India.A total of 25 tankers loaded 19.07mn barrels of Russian crude in the week to August 24, vessel-tracking data and port-agent reports show. The volume was down from 21.3mn barrels on 28 ships the previous week.Crude flows in the period to August 24 stood at about 3.06mn barrels a day on a four-week average basis, up by 20,000 barrels a day from the period to August 17.The four-week average smooths out big swings in weekly numbers, giving a clearer picture of underlying trends in crude flows. Using more volatile weekly figures, shipments fell by about 320,000 barrels to a four-week low of 2.72mn barrels a day. The drop in weekly flows was driven by fewer cargoes being loaded at Ust-Luga.The gross value of Moscow’s exports fell by about $110mn, or 9%, to $1.11bn in the week to August 24 from $1.22bn the previous week. The drop in flows was compounded by slightly lower average prices for Russia’s crudes.