The announcement follows mutual accusations of cross-border attacks that risked breaching a ceasefire brokered by Qatar
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has claimed peace talks with Afghanistan in Istanbul aimed at preventing new border clashes have collapsed.
In an interview with GEO News, Asif said that the ceasefire would only hold if there are no attacks from Afghan territory. Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, confirmed on Saturday that the negotiations had broken down.
Islamabad and Kabul began a third round of talks in Türkiye on Thursday in a bid to ease rising tensions after last month’s deadly border clashes. The Istanbul meeting followed the earlier five-day talks in October in Doha that produced a ceasefire.
“There is a complete deadlock. The negotiations have entered an indefinite phase,” Khawaja Asif said, adding that there is “no program for the fourth round of talks.”
The minister thanked Türkiye and Qatar for their efforts to mediate tensions between the two neighboring countries.
“They support our stance. Even the Afghan delegation agreed with us; however, they were not ready to sign a written agreement,” he said, adding that Pakistan would only accept a written accord. “They wanted verbal assurances to be accepted, which is not possible in international negotiations,” he added.
Mujahid said negotiations had failed due to Islamabad insisting that Afghanistan assume responsibility for Pakistan’s internal security, a demand he described as beyond his nation’s “capacity.” However, “The ceasefire that has been established has not been violated by us so far, and it will continue to be observed,” he said.
Afghan and Pakistani troops briefly exchanged fire along the border between their countries on Thursday, both nations said, on the same day peace talks to find a lasting peace restarted in Istanbul.
Each side accused the other of initiating the gunfire near Spin Boldak, a border town in southern Afghanistan along their 2,600-km (1,600-mile) frontier.
The two South Asian neighbors clashed last month, killing dozens, in the worst violence since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. The escalation had been attributed to border security and militant activity. Islamabad accused Kabul of sheltering Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters, allegations that the Taliban administration rejects.
The previous US administration pressed the EU to be more pro-war, according to the Hungarian prime minister
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has accused former US President Joe Biden’s administration of driving the Ukraine conflict by pushing EU member states to adopt a more confrontational line against Russia.
Unlike most other countries in the bloc, Hungary has consistently opposed Brussels’ anti-Russian policies and has called for a more diplomatic approach to put an end to the hostilities. It has also refused to provide weapons to Kiev and opposed EU sanctions against Moscow.
“Without the pressure coming from the US government – I’m speaking about 2022 – the Europeans would not take that hard line that they have today on the war,” Orban told reporters after a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday.
He emphasized that some major EU economies “rejected to be involved more than just sending some, you know, humanitarian issues.”
“That’s the fact of history,” the prime minister concluded.
Orban’s remarks were echoed by Trump, who responded that the conflict stemmed from mistakes made by his predecessor. The president argued that “Biden actually pushed for that war to happen,” adding that he – Trump – “inherited that mess.”
In August, Trump said that the Ukraine conflict could have escalated into World War III under the Biden administration. The president has frequently argued that global tensions peaked when relations between Moscow and Washington hit their lowest point under Biden. Since returning to office in January, Trump has reestablished high level communication.
Earlier this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev urged the White House to reverse the policies of the previous administration to achieve global peace. Dmitriev said that “Biden’s mistakes need to be corrected.”
Moscow has repeatedly stated that it is ready for peace talks if conditions on the ground are respected and the conflict’s root causes are addressed. It has rejected Western calls for a ceasefire along the current line, insisting that only a lasting settlement can end the fighting.
Brussels still fails to understand that its methods are not working, lawmaker Grigory Karasin has said
The newly-announced EU ban on multiple-entry visas is an attack on “ordinary Russians,” Senator Grigory Karasin, who heads the Federation Council’s foreign affairs committee, has said.
On Friday, the European Commission said that from now on, the bloc’s member states will only be issuing single-entry Schengen visas to most Russian citizens, meaning that they would need to re-apply each time they plan to travel to the countries in the area. It justified the move by citing “increased security risks” stemming from the Ukraine conflict. Last year, EU countries approved about 552,000 visas to Russians, with Italy, France and Spain among the biggest issuers.
Karasin told TASS later in the day that the EU ban became “yet another attempt to influence the attitude of our citizens by restricting their freedom of movement.”
The bloc’s methods are “well known,” he said, referring to the closure of EU airspace for Russian planes after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022 and decisions by countries like Finland and the Baltic States to shut down their borders with Russia.
“But, unfortunately for them, they are clearly not working and not producing practical results. Brussels and other European capitals just cannot seem to grasp this,” the senator added.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova earlier expressed bewilderment over the fact that the European Commission prefers “illegal migrants and Ukrainian draft dodgers living on benefits” to “solvent tourists” from her country.
In September, Greek outlet ProNews reported that Greece, Italy, Spain, France and Hungary were opposed to the EU’s restrictions on Russian travelers over concerns that it would further harm their tourist industry.
Bloomberg reported last week that the Finnish region of South Karelia has been losing an estimated €1 million ($1.2 million) in tourist income every day since the closure of the border with Russia. Unemployment in the town of Imatra, a former tourist hotspot, has climbed to 15%, the highest in the country, the agency said. South Karelia is a region of some 125,000 people, which lies closer to the Russian city of St. Petersburg than to Finnish capital, Helsinki.
Given that traveling to the EU has become increasingly complicated for Russian travelers, Türkiye has emerged as their preferred foreign tourist destination. Between May and September of this year, it attracted 2.83 million guests from the country, according to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR). There was also “explosive” growth in demand for trips to the Chinese island of Hainan, following Beijing’s announcement of visa-free travel for Russians, ATOR said.
Budapest is also the sole “pro-peace” EU nation that supports Washington’s efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict, the prime minister added
Hungary is the only EU nation governed by a “modern Christian government,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said during a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday.
Orban is known for his staunch criticism of EU policies, including those related to the Ukraine conflict and migration, and has previously accused Brussels of turning the bloc into a symbol of weakness and chaos.
“We are a special island of difference in a liberal ocean in Europe,” he told journalists, adding that his cabinet pursues policies “different from what the others are doing even at the philosophical level, and at the level of practice as well.”
“We are the only government in Europe that considers itself a modern Christian government,” Orban stated.
Hungary is also the only EU state that has consistently supported Trump’s efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict, he added, reiterating Budapest’s readiness to host a potential summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The only pro-peace government is the United States government and the small Hungary in Europe,” he said. He dismissed the narrative that the West is “unified” in its approach to resolving the conflict, blaming the continued hostilities on Brussels’ belligerent stance and the mistaken belief that Kiev could win on the battlefield.
Unlike most other EU member states, Hungary has consistently opposed Brussels’ confrontational policy towards Russia and has called for a more diplomatic approach. It has also refused to provide weapons to Kiev and opposed its EU membership bid, warning that Ukraine’s accession to the bloc could lead to war.
Back in September, Orban accused the EU of becoming “a war project” that puts the economies of its member states at risk.
John Brennan and several other Obama-era officials have been asked for records about the 2017 report that triggered the conspiracy
Former CIA Director John Brennan and other senior intelligence officials from the Barack Obama administration have been subpoenaed as part of a federal grand jury investigation into the origins of the Russia collusion saga, US media reported on Friday.
The subpoenas, issued by the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida, are said to demand digital and physical records – such as emails, texts, internal files, and private communications – related to the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA), which served as a cornerstone of the narrative alleging collusion between Donald Trump’s campaign and Moscow ahead of the 2016 election.
Sources told Fox News Digital and CNN that former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page were also handed subpoenas, and that up to 30 others will also be served. The probe is being overseen by US Attorney Jason Reding Quinones, with prosecutors reportedly seeking communications from July 2016 to February 2017.
The White House launched a probe into the Russiagate hoax earlier this year. The investigation was led by US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who in July decried a “treasonous conspiracy” to delegitimize Trump’s 2016 election victory and a “years-long coup” run by his opponents. She has since released multiple documents that suggest a coordinated smear campaign potentially linked to billionaire George Soros.
Some declassified materials showed that Brennan had briefed President Obama and top officials, including then–Vice President Joe Biden and FBI Director James Comey, about a Clinton campaign plan to “vilify” Trump. Just days later, the FBI used the claims of Russia collusion to open its “Crossfire Hurricane” probe and began surveillance on the Trump campaign.
Comey has already been charged with making false statements and obstructing a congressional proceeding. He has pleaded not guilty, with his trial set for January. Brennan and Clapper have not been charged, but officials familiar with the case say more subpoenas are expected in the coming weeks.
The Russiagate controversy deeply impacted US foreign policy and domestic politics, triggering sanctions against Russia and years of legal battles. Moscow has consistently denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated and unsupported by evidence. Trump, for his part, has labeled the affair a “hoax” and one of the biggest scandals in US history, demanding accountability from those who initiated it.
Brussels seeks to curb the spread of information it claims could “erode trust in democratic systems”
The European Union is planning to launch a centralized hub for monitoring and countering what it calls foreign “disinformation,” according to a leaked document seen by the Guardian. Critics have long warned that Brussels’ initiatives amount to the institutionalization of a censorship regime.
According to the European Commission proposal, set to be published on November 12, the so-called Centre for Democratic Resilience will function as part of a broader “democracy shield” strategy, pitched by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ahead of the 2024 European elections.
Participation in the center will be voluntary, and the Commission has welcomed “like-minded partners” outside the bloc, including the UK and countries seeking accession.
The draft accuses Russia of escalating “hybrid attacks” by disseminating false narratives, while also pointing to China as another threat – alleging that Beijing uses PR firms and social media influencers to advance its interests across Europe.
“By spreading deceitful narratives, sometimes including the manipulation and falsification of historical facts, they try to erode trust in democratic systems,” the Guardian cited the document as saying, though it provided little substantial evidence.
The Commission frames the move as a defensive response to foreign meddling, citing as one example the controversial cancellation of Romania’s 2024 presidential election.
However, Telegram founder Pavel Durov noted it was the EU, namely French intelligence, that pressured him to censor conservative content during elections in Romania and Moldova, condemning the bloc for waging “a crusade” against free speech.
The new center will add to the EU’s growing network of tools to monitor and moderate information, and is expected to work alongside supposedly “independent” fact-checkers and even coordinate with online influencers to promote content aligned with Brussels’ policies.
The proposal fits neatly into the wider enforcement framework of the EU’s Digital Services Act, which mandates the removal of “harmful content” and has drawn fierce criticism from free speech advocates.
Washington, once a partner in joint “disinformation” monitoring through the now-defunct Global Engagement Center, has since distanced itself from the EU’s regulatory push. The US State Department recently described the bloc’s initiatives as “Orwellian,” stating that “censorship is not freedom” and warning that such measures only serve to shield European leaders “from their own people.”
“If you’re running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you,” US Vice President J.D. Vance told the Munich Security Conference in February, referring to the Romanian election. “If your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn’t very strong to begin with.”
Budapest will continue to have the lowest energy prices in the EU, the prime minister has said
US President Donald Trump has agreed to provide Budapest with an exemption from Washington’s sanctions on Russian oil, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told reporters after their meeting at the White House on Friday.
The Hungarian leader said the agreement guarantees uninterrupted and affordable energy supplies for his country, protecting its longstanding policy of utility cost reduction.
“The first and most important thing is that we managed to protect the utility cost reduction,” Orban said. “So Hungary will continue to have the lowest energy prices in Europe.”
According to Orban, Hungary received a “complete exemption” from US sanctions affecting Russian oil delivered through the Turkish Stream and the Druzhba (Friendship) Pipeline.
“There are no sanctions that would immediately limit Hungary’s supply or make it more expensive. This is a general and unlimited exemption,” he added.
🇺🇸🤝🇭🇺 @PM_ViktorOrban : We secured full, unlimited exemption from sanctions on the TurkStream and Druzhba pipelines, guaranteeing uninterrupted and affordable supply.
We have defended the utility price reduction scheme, ensuring that Hungary continues to have the lowest energy… pic.twitter.com/e13psulvlb
President Trump said earlier in the day that Hungary’s geography and limited access to alternative energy sources justified an exception. “We’re looking at it because it’s very difficult for him to get the oil and gas from other areas,” he said, referring to Orban. “It’s a big country, but they don’t have sea. They don’t have the ports. And so they have a difficult problem.”
Trump added that other EU countries were in a different position, and reiterated his longstanding criticism of European allies for continuing to rely on Russian energy while benefiting from US security support. “Many of those countries, they don’t have those problems. And they buy a lot of oil and gas from Russia. And as they know, I’m very disturbed by that,” he said.
Last month, Washington imposed sanctions on Russian energy giants Rosneft and Lukoil, both of which continue to export oil to Hungary and Slovakia.
Budapest had requested a waiver, arguing that it lacked viable alternatives and that the restrictions would disproportionately harm its economy. Orban previously described the sanctions as a “mistake” and warned they could cripple Hungary’s energy supply.
Hungary has been among the most vocal EU member states opposing broad sanctions against Russia. Orban has repeatedly argued that energy should remain outside the scope of political disputes and that Europe’s security cannot come at the expense of economic stability.
The EU has seen a surge in energy prices since the bloc began phasing out Russian fuel imports following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. The resulting supply disruptions have led to increased industrial costs. Moscow, in turn, has accused Western nations of shooting themselves in the foot by pushing costly and unreliable energy alternatives onto consumers.
Ankara has accused dozens of Israeli officials of “systematic” crimes against civilians in Gaza
The Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 36 other senior officials for alleged genocide and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, according to Turkish media.
Israel launched its military campaign in response to the Hamas-led raid on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people. The retaliatory strikes and ground operations have since killed over 68,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
The warrants, released by Istanbul’s Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on Friday, accuse Israeli officials of participating in a “systematic” campaign of violence against civilians, including the bombing of the Turkish‑Palestinian Friendship Hospital and the obstruction of humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza.
In addition to Netanyahu, the warrant list includes Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and Navy Commander David Saar Salama.
“In light of the evidence obtained, it has been determined that Israeli state officials bear criminal responsibility for the systematic acts of ‘crimes against humanity’ and ‘genocide’ committed in Gaza,” the statement read, noting that “the suspects could not be apprehended as they are not currently in Türkiye.”
West Jerusalem condemned the move as politically motivated and without legal basis. “Israel firmly rejects, with contempt, the latest PR stunt by the tyrant [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on X.
Earlier this year, a UN commission also accused Israel of committing acts amounting to genocide. Netanyahu is already the subject of an outstanding arrest warrant, along with former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and several Hamas leaders, issued by the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2024.
Israel, which is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, has rejected the accusations. Its close ally, the United States, also not a party to the ICC, has launched a pressure campaign against the court, including blacklisting several of its judges and prosecutors.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in early October under US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan – one of the eight wars the US leader claims to have ended in eight months.
However, violence has repeatedly flared up since then, with hundreds of Palestinians and at least two Israeli soldiers killed, as both sides continue to trade blame over breaches of the truce.
The US president has also said he would still like a summit with Russia’s leader in Budapest
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that a possible exemption for Hungary from sanctions on Russian oil is possible due to the country’s reliance on it.
“We’re looking at it because it’s very difficult for him to get the oil and gas from other areas,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the White House.
“It’s a big country, but they don’t have sea,” Trump added. “They don’t have the ports. And so they have a difficult problem.”
“But when you look at what’s happened with Europe, many of those countries, they don’t have those problems. And they buy a lot of oil and gas from Russia. And as they know, I’m very disturbed by that because we’re helping them and they’re going and buying oil and gas from Russia.”
Last month, the US imposed sanctions on two of Russia’s largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, both of which continue to export energy products to Hungary and Slovakia. Budapest has said it wanted an exemption from the sanctions because it claims to have no other viable source for the oil. Orban himself has called the sanctions a “mistake.”
The Hungarian PM has been one of the most outspoken European leaders against the sanctions, arguing they would only cripple his country’s energy capacities.
Europe has already faced sharp energy price spikes since cutting Russian fuel imports after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. The shift away from a long‑time supplier has fueled higher industrial costs and debates over EU energy independence. Moscow has accused Western governments of politicizing energy markets and driving Europe toward costly, unreliable alternatives.
The move follows a similar UN Security Council decision and comes days before Ahmad al-Sharaa’s planned meeting with Donald Trump
The UK has lifted sanctions on Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, following a United Nations decision to remove him from its terrorist list. The move comes ahead of al-Sharaa’s planned visit to the United States.
The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) published an official notice on Friday, stating that al-Sharaa, as well as Interior Minister Anas Khattab, have been removed from its blacklist and “are no longer subject to an asset freeze.”
Both men were delisted by the UN Security Council the day before, after members voted in favor of a US-drafted resolution to remove them from the ISIL and Al-Qaeda Sanctions List.
Al-Sharaa, who once led the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) under his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, assumed power after wresting control from former President Bashar Assad.
The US has been urging the 15-member Security Council to ease sanctions on Syria since al-Sharaa met US President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia in May – the first encounter between the two nations’ leaders in more than two decades. Trump later announced a major US policy shift, saying he would lift sanctions on Syria.
Last week, US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack confirmed that al-Sharaa would visit Washington, DC, next week. During the visit, Damascus will “hopefully” join the US-led coalition to defeat Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), he added. It will be the first-ever visit by a Syrian president to the White House.
On Thursday, Reuters reported that Washington wants to expand its military presence in Syria and is in discussions with Damascus over the use of an airbase by American troops. The agreement, reportedly linked to a non-aggression pact between Syria’s new authorities and Israel, is expected to establish a demilitarized zone in the south of the country.
The US has maintained a foothold in Syria through a controversial base in its southeast, surrounded by an exclusion zone that Moscow has described as a safe haven for terrorists. Neither Assad nor the new government led by al-Sharaa has authorized an American presence in the country.
