The Shia-Sunni divide has torn apart West Asia for decades. What is the root cause of this conflict? Is it driven by religion or politics? On Gravitas Plus, Palki Sharma decodes the underlying tensions behind the great Islamic schism.

Gravitas Plus: The Shia-Sunni Divide: Understanding the split

Since the onset of Covid-19, some countries have turned to traditional ways of healing rituals to ward off the pandemic, watch this bulletin for more.

Venezuelans fight Covid pandemic; seek strength, healing from mythical goddess

In a sign of respite, the coronavirus pandemic has slowed for the seventh week in a row. Since August the number of covid cases has seen a drop.

Coronavirus pandemic slowed for 7th week in a row

Since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, the bitter rival of the Islamic State has staged deadly attacks in the country. Amid the rising terror attacks, China has now taken over a soviet base in Tajikistan amid the growing footprint of ISI terror activities.

What is China's new strategy to safeguard from ISI?

Pakistan international airlines have decided to resume flights to and from Afghanistan. This comes after airlines had suspended operations in Kabul citing heavy interference from the Taliban.

Pakistan airlines to resume operations in Afghanistan

India has proposed to host an in-person meet of the National Security Advisors (NSA) on Afghanistan in Delhi in November. Many countries in the region and key stakeholders like Russia and Pakistan have been invited.

India proposes to host a meet on Afghanistan, invites Pakistan for conference

The United States has offered to pay unspecified condolence payments to the family of 10 civilians who were killed in a U.S. drone attack in Afghanistan in August during the final days before American troops withdrew from the country.

Afghanistan: US Offers compensation to families of civilians who were killed in a U.S. drone attack

Forty-seven-year-old Sztojka, by his own account, is Hungary's last Roma fortune-teller. In his home in the village of Soltvadkert in Budapest, he lays 36 weathered paper cards upon a table and peers at them from beneath the brim of his large felt hat and then reveals to his clients' details of their past, present and future. Watch this report for more!

Here's Hungary's "last" Roma fortune-teller

There was a tense faceoff between warships from the United States and Russia. The incident occurred during Russian-Chinese wargames in the Sea of Japan.

Russia warned US Navy destroyer amid standoff in the Sea of Japan

Dutch and European startups are showcasing their latest gadgets at Consumer Electronics Show (CES), CES Unveiled Amsterdam runs from 14th-15th October. A relaxation VR app, an electric scooter, and a medical backpack are just a few of the gadgets on display at CES Unveiled Amsterdam.

Dutch and European startups showcase their gadgets at Consumer Electronics Show

India is all set to participate in the 'Moscow Format' meeting on Afghanistan. The meet is scheduled to take place on the 20th of October in the Russian capital.

Russia calls for 'Moscow Format' meeting on Afghanistan

Sixty days after the Taliban took over the reigns of power in Afghanistan, terror has struck Taliban's birthplace and its control centre Kandahar, a blast has been reported during Friday prayers. At least 37 people have lost their lives and more than 70 have been injured. Watch this report by Anas Mallick for more details.

Afghanistan: Suicide attack at a mosque in Kandahar; 37 killed, 70 injured

In another display of South Africa's weak state security, the African police has now rescued three government ministers held hostage by former military veterans demanding compensation for their roles in the struggle 30 years ago.

South African ministers held hostage by war veterans

A day after parts of Beirut turned into a war zone due to heavy fighting that claimed six lives and wounded dozens of citizens, the army has now deployed tanks and security personnel. Lebanese president Michel Aoun has pledged to punish those who were involved in the deadly clashes.

Beirut Incident: Worst Civil violence in Lebanese capital since 2008

Sixty days after the Taliban took over the reigns of power in Afghanistan, terror has struck Taliban's birthplace and its control centre Kandahar, a blast has been reported during Friday prayers. At least 37 people have lost their lives and more than 70 have been injured, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. WION's Anas Mallick brings you all latest developments.

Terror attack at Shi'ite mosque in Afghanistan, no terror group has claimed responsibility

Rumeysa Gelgi, a 24-year-old woman from Turkey has been named as the tallest woman in the world in Guinness World Records.

Meet Rumeysa Gelgi, the world's tallest woman alive

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed that he will be attending the crucial COP26 summit in the UK, the confirmation comes after world leaders face mounting pressure over increase in Carbon mission.

Australian PM Scott Morrison to attend COP26 Summit

China has launched a multi-million dollar biodiversity fund for developing countries. The announcement came as president XI Jinping virtually addressed the COP15 biodiversity summit.

China launches its own biodiversity fund; XI Jinping won't attend COP26 summit

Sixty days after the Taliban took over the reigns of power in Afghanistan, terror has struck Taliban's birthplace and its control centre Kandahar, a blast has been reported during Friday prayers. At least 32 people have lost their lives and 50 have been injured, WION's Anas Mallick brings you all latest developments.

Afghanistan: Another Shi'ite mosque targeted in Kandahar

Pakistan’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Fawad Chaudhry, has claimed that WION built a narrative to prove that Pakistan is unsafe for women.<o:p></o:p>

The Pakistan minister claims that WION produced 175 videos in a single day on the Minar-e-Pakistan incident. However, his claims are unjustified and have been made without any evidence.<o:p></o:p>

Through his statement, Chaudhry has tried to shift the blame on WION but completely forgot to address the main problem. Are women really safe in Pakistan?

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
To build a narrative that <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pakistan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pakistan</a> is unsafe for women, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Indian?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Indian</a> channel <a href="https://twitter.com/WIONews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WIONews</a> in single day created 175 videos on the basis of Minar-e-Pakistan incident, said <a href="https://twitter.com/fawadchaudhry?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@fawadchaudhry</a>, federal minister information speaking about “journalism and politics in the misinformation age.” <a href="https://t.co/tgDKdAARXV">pic.twitter.com/tgDKdAARXV</a>
— Naimat Khan (@NKMalazai) <a href="https://twitter.com/NKMalazai/status/1448954525558136832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

His comments are directed about the incident in which a TikTok star Ayesha Akram claimed to have been assaulted by more than 100 people in the premises of Minar-e-Pakistan. Whether or not the allegations were true can be left on the Pakistan officials to figure out. <o:p></o:p>

However, what WION can refute is that Ayesha Akram is not the only girl who has been assaulted in this country. <o:p></o:p>

Noor Mukadam, a girl in her late 20s, was kidnapped, raped, tortured and killed in July 2021. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan have reported at least 360 honour killing of women in 2020. Pakistan’s Ministry of Human Rights had also reported recently in a study that nearly 28 per cent of Pakistan women, between the ages of 15 and 49, have suffered assault at least once in their lifetime.

<o:p>On July 19, a man tortured and killed his wife in Pakistan's Sindh province. On July 24, a 30-year-old woman was raped and then stabbed in front of her son. She died due to the injuries in the Pindi hospital. Another man burned his wife to death in the same month.&nbsp;</o:p>A woman, along with her minor girls and their aunt&nbsp;were also shot dead by her husband.&nbsp;

A man who stabbed his girlfriend 23 times was acquitted by the Lahore High Court and was released from prison. Similarly, 15 men who were accused of burning a 16-year-old girl were allowed to walk free in 2019.

These incidents are just from the last few months in Pakistan. Many other incidents go unreported and many other criminals are allowed to roam freely in Pakistan's streets.

The toxic misogyny in Pakistan is nothing new. While the country's record in poor treatment of women keeps baffling the world, Fawad Chaudhry wants to blame WION for fighting the rights of women?<o:p></o:p>

Fawad Chaudhry failed to mention the real issue of women safety but goes on to blame WION for allegedly spreading lies. Can Fawad Chaudhry assure the world that all women in Pakistan are safe and there is absolutely no problem of sexual assault, torture and violence against women in Pakistan?<o:p></o:p>

The minister accuses WION of spreading lies but states that he saw WION produce 175 videos on the Minar-e-Pakistan incident in a day? WION can assure its viewers that this is fake. However, the&nbsp;minister is welcome to show the 175 videos that he is talking about in his comments.<o:p></o:p>

Instead of blaming WION for spreading awareness about violence against women in Pakistan, perhaps the Pakistan government should check their actions and instead divert their energy in working to protect and help women who are suffering in their country.<o:p></o:p>

Pakistan’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Fawad Chaudhry, has claimed that WION built a narrative to prove that Pakistan is unsafe for women. The Pakistan minister claims that WION produced 175 videos in a single day on the Minar-e-Pakistan incident.

Pakistan’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Fawad Chaudhry, has claimed that WION built a narrative to prove that Pakistan is unsafe for women. The Pakistan minister claims that WION produced 175 videos in a single day on the Minar-e-Pakistan incident. However, his claims are unjustified and have been made without any evidence. Through his statement, Chaudhry has tried to shift the blame on WION but completely forgot to address the main problem. Are women really safe in Pakistan? To build a narrative that #Pakistan is unsafe for women, #Indian channel @WIONews in single day created 175 videos on the basis of Minar-e-Pakistan incident, said @fawadchaudhry, federal minister information speaking about “journalism and politics in the misinformation age.” pic.twitter.com/tgDKdAARXV — Naimat Khan (@NKMalazai) October 15, 2021 × His comments are directed about the incident in which a TikTok star Ayesha Akram claimed to have been assaulted by more than 100 people in the premises of Minar-e-Pakistan. Whether or not the allegations were true can be left on the Pakistan officials to figure out. However, what WION can refute is that Ayesha Akram is not the only girl who has been assaulted in this country. Noor Mukadam, a girl in her late 20s, was kidnapped, raped, tortured and killed in July 2021. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan have reported at least 360 honour killing of women in 2020. Pakistan’s Ministry of Human Rights had also reported recently in a study that nearly 28 per cent of Pakistan women, between the ages of 15 and 49, have suffered assault at least once in their lifetime. On July 19, a man tortured and killed his wife in Pakistan's Sindh province. On July 24, a 30-year-old woman was raped and then stabbed in front of her son. She died due to the injuries in the Pindi hospital. Another man burned his wife to death in the same month. A woman, along with her minor girls and their aunt were also shot dead by her husband. A man who stabbed his girlfriend 23 times was acquitted by the Lahore High Court and was released from prison. Similarly, 15 men who were accused of burning a 16-year-old girl were allowed to walk free in 2019. These incidents are just from the last few months in Pakistan. Many other incidents go unreported and many other criminals are allowed to roam freely in Pakistan's streets. The toxic misogyny in Pakistan is nothing new. While the country's record in poor treatment of women keeps baffling the world, Fawad Chaudhry wants to blame WION for fighting the rights of women? Fawad Chaudhry failed to mention the real issue of women safety but goes on to blame WION for allegedly spreading lies. Can Fawad Chaudhry assure the world that all women in Pakistan are safe and there is absolutely no problem of sexual assault, torture and violence against women in Pakistan? The minister accuses WION of spreading lies but states that he saw WION produce 175 videos on the Minar-e-Pakistan incident in a day? WION can assure its viewers that this is fake. However, the minister is welcome to show the 175 videos that he is talking about in his comments. Instead of blaming WION for spreading awareness about violence against women in Pakistan, perhaps the Pakistan government should check their actions and instead divert their energy in working to protect and help women who are suffering in their country.

Instead of fixing problem of women's safety, Pak minister falsely accuses WION of spreading lies

A day after parts of Beirut turned into a war zone due to heavy fighting that claimed six lives and wounded dozens of citizens, the army has now deployed tanks and security personnel.

Nine people arrested after Beirut violence, tanks and troops deployed in Lebanon

Sixty days after the Taliban took over the reigns of power in Afghanistan, terror has struck Taliban's birthplace and its control centre Kandahar, a blast has been reported during Friday prayers. Anas Mallick brings you more.

Afghanistan: Explosion in Kandahar mosque; 16 killed, 32 injured

Sydney is all set to end its quarantine for fully vaccinated international travellers from November 1, the country had closed its international borders in March 2020 due to pandemic. Here's more on Covid-19 latest updates.

Covid-19 Latest News Updates: Sydney to end quarantine; FDA Advisers back Moderna booster shot

Scientists at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stated that Moderna did not meet all of the criteria to support use of booster doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, here's why.

Covid Vaccine Update | FDA: Moderna didn't meet all criteria

The IMF has presented its global outlook but has omitted two countries as there is no clarity about road ahead for these two countries. Leaders of the G20 group of nations have agreed to work together to try and head off the humanitarian crisis looming in Afghanistan.

No IMF forecast for Afghanistan and Lebanon

United States is working to expand relations between Israel and other Arab nations and they wish to do it via Abraham Accords, and hope to restoring ties that can be leveraged to advance progress on the Israeli and Palestinian conflict. Susan Tehrani brings you more details on the common objectives of the trilateral meet.

Antony Blinken hosts trilateral meeting with Israel and Arab nations, Iran tops the agenda

Amid calls for his resignation, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has defended the Biden administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan. Watch this report to know more.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies before congress

The second phase of the Malabar Exercise has now begun in the Bay of Bengal. This time the maritime exercise features all four of the Quad Countries i.e India, US, Australia, Japan.

Malabar Naval Exercise: U.S navy chief hosts Indian counterpart

Afghanistan is inching closer to famine the winters are fast approaching and aid agencies have now ramped up food deliveries amid fears that the nation's already fragile economy would collapse.

Afghanistan, braces for harsh winter, mountainous regions will remain cut of due to snowfall

Following a meeting in Washington with his Israeli and United Arab Emirates counterparts, Secretary of State Antony Blinken laid out a tougher U.S. Stance toward Tehran's new government. Washington has said that it is ready to consider "all options" if Iran is unwilling to return to the 2015 nuclear deal.

Israeli foreign minister warn Iran against nuclear weapons

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