Two arrested after fire at Folkestone’s Grand Burstin Hotel

Trump decries Democrats as 'communists,' even as he looks to impress China's communist leader

WASHINGTON — Communism, President Donald Trump says, is the greatest threat the U.S. has ever faced. This summer, citing similarly grave concerns, he took the rare step of delivering a primetime address to the nation , accusing China of “sinister election meddling” in 2020 and reviving his yearslong push to dispute his loss in that year's election. Even as Trump seeks to decry Democrats as communists ahead of November's midterm elections, he is rolling out the red carpet this week for Chinese President Xi Jinping , the leader of the world’s most powerful communist country. The state visit comes as the president himself has increasingly directed his administration to take large stakes in private companies to try to stimulate the economy — something even some Republicans decry as corporate socialism. The contradictions between Trump's words and actions risk muddying Republican attack lines on Democrats. “I do think that we’re not offering a clear contrast," said Marc Short, who was chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence and worked in Trump's White House in his firs

US refuses visas for Iran UN delegation members: state media

TEHRAN — The United States has refused to issue visas for members of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's delegation, including his communications team, for this week's trip to the U.N. General Assembly, Iranian state media reported Monday. Pezeshkian will be the highest-ranking Iranian official to enter the United States since the war began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in February. "In an unprecedented hostile move by the U.S. government, (U.S. President Donald) Trump has denied U.S. visas to certain members of the president's high-level delegation, including members of his communications team," state news agency IRNA reported. The Mehr news agency also carried the story, citing a spokesperson for the Iranian presidency, and added that Pezeshkian will address the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday. The U.S. has authorized the Iranian delegation to travel for the U.N. General Assembly but will, like last year, put restrictions in place. Iran's delegation will not, for instance, be allowed to purchase luxury goods or other items, the State Department said on Thursday. Iranian Foreig

Pakistan launches deadly strikes on Afghanistan

PATAN, KUNAR, Afghanistan — Pakistani bombardment has killed three civilians in eastern Afghanistan, the Taliban authorities said on Monday, with Islamabad saying its forces had targeted "terrorist hubs" along the border. AFP journalists saw a house in rubble in the village of Patan, where dozens of men gathered for the funerals of the victims of Pakistan's first deadly cross-border strikes since June. Mubin Khan, a farmer who was injured in the latest bombardment, told AFP: "During the night we were targeted... the house got destroyed." Khan said three members of his family died. The Taliban government's deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said in a post on X that Nurgal district, where Patan is located, came under attack at around 3:00 am (2230 GMT on Sunday). The strike "completely destroyed" a house, killing three and wounding four members of the same family, the spokesman said. Two locations in Paktika province were also bombarded, Fitrat said, reporting no casualties. Pakistan's Information and Broadcasting Ministry confirmed that forces had struck three locations, saying "terrorist h

China expels 2 top generals from party and military, alleging disloyalty, corruption

BEIJING — China has expelled two top military officers, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, from the Communist Party and the military over "serious violations of discipline and law," the state-run Xinhua news agency said on Monday. Zhang Youxia was second-in-command under President Xi Jinping as vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission — the supreme command body — and has long been seen as Xi's closest military ally. Liu was a CMC member and the chief of staff of its Joint Staff Department. The military has been one of the main targets of a broader corruption crackdown ordered by Xi in 2012. Probes into Zhang and Liu were announced in January, with the pair removed from the state Central Military Commission in late August. The Chinese leadership accused Zhang and Liu of disloyalty, corruption, dereliction of duty and other serious disciplinary violations. The pair "seriously violated political discipline and political rules, formed cliques and factions, and were disloyal and dishonest to the party," Xinhua cited official documents as saying. Zhang and Liu "crossed red lines and basi

PTI Claims Provincial Minister Abducted at Gunpoint Near Peshawar Motorway Toll Plaza | Exclusive

Armed, masked men allegedly intercepted the vehicle of KP Minister Fazal Shakoor Khan near the Peshawar Motorway Toll Plaza

Projectile hits tanker as it enters the Strait of Hormuz

At least two people were injured when an “unknown projectile” struck a tanker as it entered the Strait of Hormuz, the British military said Monday. The vessel will reportedly continue to its next port of call, and there are no indications of any environmental impact at this time.

Trump has name-dropped Biden almost 900 times this year and counting

Trump has made Biden his political target on average three times a day, blaming him for problems ranging from inflation and immigration to munitions shortages

Turkey launches AI initiative ahead of COP31 climate summit

'We must openly discuss AI’s growing energy consumption, and it is time for governments to start setting the terms,' says COP31 president-designate Murat Kurum

Bessent: US suggesting AI alert system with China ahead of Trump-Xi talks

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday the U.S. is proposing a notification system between Washington and Beijing on AI amid growing concerns about the technology’s risks to humanity. The system, called the “U.S.-China AI dialogue,” would create a mechanism for the two superpowers to communicate when there are incidents that rise to “a national security...

Ex-Birmingham star Jordan Graham in hospital after ‘serious road accident’

Mariah Carey to bring festive Christmastime tour to UK this winter

The American pop legend is playing four nights in Birmingham, London, Manchester and Malta