Maryam Nawaz, Xinjiang leader discuss stronger Pun…

The United Nations has appealed directly to international donors not to reduce financial support for women’s programmes in Afghanistan, warning that aid cuts will worsen an already severe humanitarian and human rights crisis. Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Susan Ferguson, the UN Women special representative in Afghanistan, revealed that more than 50% of 74 surveyed women’s organisations expect to suspend operations or close within the next year due to extreme funding shortfalls. She highlighted that the UN’s $1.7 billion humanitarian appeal for the country remains only 25% funded, while nearly three-quarters of local women’s groups saw their budgets slashed in 2025. The UN reports that the Taliban has issued over 100 discriminatory decrees restricting education, employment, healthcare access, and freedom of movement. Surveys indicate that over half of Afghan women now leave their homes only once or twice a month, with 70% rating their mental health as bad or very bad. While a coalition of 56 nations, including Britain, France, the US, Japan, and the UAE, issued a joint statement calling on the Taliban to lift these restrictions, key regional neighbours and global powers including Pakistan, Iran, Russia, China, and India did not sign, underlining continued international division over how to engage with Kabul.

Former Israeli ambassador to the United States Mike Herzog has said Israel’s ability to influence decisions in Washington has declined significantly during President Donald Trump’s current administration. He also warned that support for Israel among the American public has been steadily weakening, creating long term challenges for the country’s relationship with its closest ally. Speaking in an interview with Israeli radio station 103FM, Herzog said the close personal bond that once existed between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump no longer appears as strong as before. While Netanyahu recently described his latest meeting with Trump at the White House as one of their best meetings, Herzog argued that the event should be viewed more carefully. In his opinion, the meeting lacked the warmth and personal interaction that previously defined the relationship between the two leaders. Herzog said one positive outcome for Netanyahu was that Trump avoided publicly criticising Israel or placing any visible demands on the Israeli government during the meeting. He suggested that this helped Netanyahu present the visit as a diplomatic success, particularly as Israel moves closer to national elections. According to Herzog, the prime minister had a political interest in showing that his ties with Trump remain strong despite growing speculation that relations between the two leaders have cooled. The former ambassador also pointed to several details surrounding the visit that, in his view, reflected a more distant relationship. Netanyahu entered the White House through a side entrance instead of receiving a more prominent arrival. There was no private one on one meeting between the leaders and media attention surrounding the visit remained limited. Herzog said these diplomatic signals suggested the White House wanted to avoid creating the impression that Trump was closely aligned with Netanyahu. He linked this cautious approach to political concerns in the United States following the conflict with Iran. Herzog said many Americans believe Israel played a major role in drawing the United States into the confrontation. Since the conflict has been unpopular with parts of the American public, he believes Trump is careful not to appear as though he acted under pressure from the Israeli leadership. Even so, Herzog said there are currently no major disagreements between Washington and Tel Aviv over Iran, although the relationship is no longer as close as it once was. Beyond the immediate political situation, Herzog warned that Israel’s overall standing in the United States has suffered lasting damage. He said changes in American society, political shifts, economic developments, international campaigns against Israel and policy decisions made by successive Israeli governments have all contributed to a steady decline in public support. He also acknowledged that the actions of Israel’s current government and the ongoing military campaign in Gaza have negatively affected how many Americans view the country. Netanyahu himself recently admitted that support for Israel has weakened in the United States, arguing that social media has played a major role in shaping public opinion. His comments came as recent polling showed a noticeable increase in negative attitudes toward both the Israeli government and the Israeli people. A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center found that public opinion has shifted over the past several years. The percentage of Americans holding unfavourable views of the Israeli people rose from 28 percent in 2019 to 42 percent in 2026. During the same period, favourable views of the Israeli government fell from 41 percent to 32 percent. International criticism of Israel has also intensified since the war in Gaza began in October 2023. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to Israel’s military operations in Gaza. According to reported figures, more than 73,000 people have been killed during the conflict, which has continued despite a truce agreement reached in October 2025.

The man who stabbed renowned author Salman Rushdie during a public event in 2022 has been found guilty on multiple federal terrorism charges in the United States. The verdict marks another major legal milestone in a case that drew worldwide attention because of the long standing threats against the celebrated novelist. A federal jury in Buffalo, New York, convicted 28 year old Hadi Matar after only a few hours of deliberation. Prosecutors argued that the attack was motivated by decades old calls for Rushdie’s death following the publication of his controversial novel The Satanic Verses. Matar was found guilty of attempting to provide material support to Hezbollah, engaging in terrorism across national borders, and providing support to terrorists. Matar is already serving a 25 year prison sentence after being convicted in a New York state court for attempted murder. Following the federal conviction, he now faces the possibility of life imprisonment when he is sentenced in November. The federal trial began last week and included testimony from Rushdie himself. The 79 year old author described the attack that left him with life changing injuries. The defence did not call Matar or any other witnesses to testify during the proceedings. Rushdie has lived under threat since the publication of The Satanic Verses in 1988. The novel sparked widespread controversy in parts of the Muslim world, leading Iran’s then Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to issue a religious decree in 1989 calling for the author’s death. The fatwa also targeted people involved in publishing the book and led to violent attacks over the following years, including the killing of Japanese translator Hitoshi Igarashi in 1991. Although the Iranian government later distanced itself from the fatwa, US prosecutors said it continued to receive support from Hezbollah leaders and was reaffirmed by Iran’s current Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence showing that Matar spent more than a year studying the fatwa before carrying out the attack. They argued that he deliberately planned the assault to carry out the religious decree against Rushdie. The attack took place on August 12, 2022, while Rushdie was preparing to speak at the Chautauqua Institution, an educational and cultural centre in New York state. Matar rushed onto the stage and repeatedly stabbed the author before audience members intervened and restrained him until police arrived. Rushdie suffered multiple stab wounds to his head, neck, chest, and hand. The injuries permanently blinded him in one eye and caused severe damage to several internal organs. Another man on stage was also injured during the incident. Born in the United States and holding Lebanese citizenship, Matar had been living in New Jersey before the attack. His conviction in state court earlier resulted in a 25 year prison sentence, but the federal terrorism charges carry significantly harsher penalties. Rushdie, who was born in India and later became a British and American citizen, spent many years under police protection after the fatwa was issued. He lived largely in hiding throughout the 1990s before gradually returning to public life and eventually settling in New York City. The latest verdict closes another chapter in one of the most widely followed literary and terrorism related cases in recent history. It also reinforces the long lasting impact of threats that began nearly four decades ago over a work of fiction and continued to influence events many years later.