Separatist militants hijacked a passenger train in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, taking hostages and engaging in gunfire with security forces, officials said Tuesday.
The Jaffer Express, carrying approximately 450 passengers, was intercepted by armed militants as it entered a tunnel in the Bolan region while en route from Quetta to Peshawar, according to railway and government officials.
“Armed individuals stopped Jaffer Express inside Tunnel No. 8 (in Bolan),” said Muhammad Kashif, Quetta Railways’ controller. Communication with passengers and crew has been lost, leaving the situation unclear, he added.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack, warning in a statement that hostages would be executed if security forces launched an operation.
Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind confirmed that intense gunfire was reported on the train and that security forces were en route to secure the area. The hijacked train remains in the mountainous Sibi region, making access difficult. Emergency response efforts, including a relief train, have been dispatched, Rind said.
Authorities are investigating the incident as a possible terrorist attack. A recent intelligence alert from Balochistan’s Counter-Terrorism Department had warned of a planned attack by the BLA and advised heightened security measures.
Balochistan has faced a decades-long insurgency, which has intensified since Pakistan leased the Gwadar port to China under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative. Militants claim the government exploits the province’s mineral wealth without benefiting local communities. The BLA has carried out some of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan over the past year, frequently targeting Chinese workers in the region.
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to deport Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and permanent U.S. resident, who was arrested over the weekend by immigration authorities.
Khalil, a key organizer of last year’s Gaza war protests at Columbia University in New York City, was detained on Saturday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. His arrest aligns with President Donald Trump’s recent pledge to crack down on pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses, which he referred to as “the first arrest of many to come.”
On Monday, hundreds of protesters gathered in Lower Manhattan’s Foley Square, waving Palestinian flags and demanding Khalil’s release while condemning the Trump administration’s actions. The demonstration later moved south toward City Hall, with at least one protester reportedly detained.
Columbia University Professor Michael Thaddeus called Khalil’s detention “a horrifying reality,” stating, “Our own student, a member of the Columbia community, has become a political prisoner in the United States.”
Khalil is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday for a hearing, according to legal filings.
ICE officials informed Khalil during his arrest that his student visa and green card were being revoked. His lawyer, Amy Greer, denounced the action as “an egregious violation of civil liberties” and part of a broader suppression of student activism.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused Khalil of “leading activities aligned with Hamas” but did not provide specific evidence. Requests for further details from DHS remain unanswered.
Trump previously announced that foreign students found to be “terrorist sympathizers” would face deportation, and Khalil’s arrest marks the first known implementation of this policy.
Khalil, a Palestinian refugee born in Syria, has not been charged with any crime. ICE initially detained him at his university-owned apartment in Manhattan before transferring him to a detention facility in Jena, Louisiana. His attorney also alleges that ICE agents threatened to arrest Khalil’s wife, a U.S. citizen who is eight months pregnant, when she attempted to visit him.
Columbia University denied inviting ICE onto campus but acknowledged that law enforcement agencies can enter school property with a warrant.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed the administration’s position, posting on X (formerly Twitter), “We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.”
Last week, the Trump administration announced it was rescinding $400 million in federal grants to Columbia, accusing the university of failing to address antisemitism on campus.
Columbia was the focal point of last year’s nationwide student-led protests against the war in Gaza and U.S. military support for Israel. Khalil served as a lead negotiator for Columbia University Apartheid Divest, the student group that organized a large tent encampment on the university lawn in protest.
Following his involvement, Khalil was temporarily suspended from Columbia, where he was pursuing a graduate degree at the School of International and Public Affairs.
The New York Civil Liberties Union condemned Khalil’s deportation efforts as “targeted retaliation and an extreme attack on the First Amendment.” New York Attorney General Letitia James expressed “deep concern” and confirmed that her office was monitoring the case.
Reactions to Khalil’s arrest have been divided. Some Jewish students at Columbia argued that protest rhetoric occasionally veered into antisemitism, while others actively participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Carly, a Jewish-American graduate student and friend of Khalil, described him as “a very, very caring soul” and criticized the misrepresentation of his activism.
Meanwhile, Trump’s border enforcement adviser, Tom Homan, claimed on Fox News that Khalil violated his visa terms by “locking down buildings and destroying property” during protests.
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas escalated after Hamas launched an attack into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has resulted in over 48,000 Palestinian deaths, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The case against Khalil is expected to set a legal precedent for how the Trump administration enforces its immigration policies against foreign nationals engaged in political activism on U.S. campuses.
European stock markets showed resilience on Tuesday following a significant sell-off in U.S. equities, as investors reacted to growing concerns over the economic impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs and trade policies.
The S&P 500 fell nearly 3% on Monday, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 2%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq suffered a steeper decline of 4%, with Tesla losing 15.4% and artificial intelligence chipmaker Nvidia falling over 5%. Other major technology stocks, including Meta, Amazon, and Alphabet, also saw sharp declines.
In contrast, European markets remained relatively stable. Germany’s DAX index rose 0.4%, France’s CAC 40 edged up 0.2%, and the UK’s FTSE 100 dipped slightly by 0.1%. Asian markets initially declined but showed signs of recovery, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 closing down 0.6% and South Korea’s Kospi dropping 1.3%.
Trump, in a Fox News interview broadcast over the weekend, acknowledged concerns about economic uncertainty, stating the U.S. was in a “period of transition.” His comments came as analysts reassessed the perception of Trump as a “stock market president.”
Charu Chanana, an investment strategist at Saxo Bank, told the BBC, “The previous notion of Trump being a stock market president is being re-evaluated.”
Investor anxiety has been fueled by fears that U.S. tariffs on China, Mexico, and Canada could lead to higher prices and slower economic growth. While the White House defended the measures, some analysts warned that uncertainty was prompting businesses and consumers to cut back on spending.
Ruth Foxe-Blader of Foxe Capital told BBC’s Today program that Monday was a “very difficult and chaotic day” for U.S. markets, as investors grappled with uncertainty. Meanwhile, Lindsay James, an investment strategist at Quilter Investors, attributed Tesla’s stock drop to declining demand in Europe and China, competition from Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers, and broader concerns over an economic slowdown.
Despite the turbulence, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told CNBC that there were still reasons to be optimistic about the U.S. economy, emphasizing that tariffs were bringing jobs and manufacturing back to the country.
“The economy remains strong, and we are seeing industry leaders respond with significant investment commitments,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement.
Markets will continue to react to ongoing economic policies and trade tensions as investors weigh the broader implications for global growth.
A school bus carrying 31 people crashed and overturned on the Garden State Parkway on Monday night, leaving 13 injured, including one child in critical condition, officials said.
The crash occurred in Montvale, a borough in Bergen County, as the bus was traveling from New Jersey to New York, Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali confirmed.
Emergency responders transported 13 people to local hospitals, with one child suffering life-threatening injuries.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured and their families during this difficult time,” Ghassali said in a statement.
Gov. Phil Murphy acknowledged the incident on X, noting that the crash took place near the James Gandolfini Service Area. He confirmed that an investigation into the cause of the accident is ongoing.
U.S. and Ukrainian officials are set to meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday in an effort to repair strained relations and assess Ukraine’s stance on potential concessions amid President Donald Trump’s push for a swift resolution to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Since Trump’s inauguration in January, Washington has shifted its approach to the conflict, prioritizing a rapid end to hostilities. The administration has engaged directly with Moscow, halted military aid to Kyiv, and paused intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, which has been fighting a full-scale Russian invasion since 2022.
Last month’s contentious White House meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy further strained relations, leaving uncertain a minerals deal that Trump framed as pivotal to continued U.S. support and as partial compensation for the $65 billion in military aid provided to Ukraine since the war began.
Under mounting U.S. pressure, Zelenskiy has sought to demonstrate Kyiv’s commitment to ending the war. However, Ukraine remains without U.S. security guarantees in the proposed minerals agreement, which it sees as crucial to any peace settlement.
“We need to understand Ukraine’s position and determine what concessions they might consider because a ceasefire and an end to the war require both sides to make compromises,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Monday while en route to Jeddah.
Rubio will be joined by U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz for talks with a Ukrainian delegation led by Andriy Yermak, a top aide to Zelenskiy. Zelenskiy, who was in Saudi Arabia on Monday for discussions with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is not expected to attend the negotiations.
While Rubio expressed caution, Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, who has been drawn into Ukraine-related diplomacy, voiced optimism about finalizing the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal. Witkoff is also planning a visit to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, following a previous meeting with the Kremlin leader last month.
Ukraine’s European allies maintain that Kyiv should negotiate from a position of strength and not be pressured into talks with an aggressor. Zelenskiy has repeatedly warned that Putin has no genuine interest in peace and that Russia could threaten other European nations if its invasion of Ukraine does not end in a clear defeat.
Rubio declined to specify potential concessions but acknowledged Ukraine faces challenges in reclaiming all its lost territory.
“The Russians cannot conquer all of Ukraine, but it will be very difficult for Ukraine to force Russia back to its 2014 borders in any reasonable timeframe,” Rubio said.
Russia currently controls about 20% of Ukraine, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, and continues to advance in the eastern Donetsk region.
U.S. and Russian officials previously met in Riyadh in February, marking a rare diplomatic engagement between the former Cold War rivals. Those discussions largely focused on reestablishing ties following a near-total diplomatic freeze during former U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration.
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested Tuesday at Manila’s international airport on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for crimes against humanity linked to his deadly war on drugs, the government announced.
Authorities took Duterte into custody upon his arrival from Hong Kong, acting on the ICC’s order. The arrest follows the court’s ongoing investigation into thousands of extrajudicial killings during Duterte’s anti-narcotics crackdown. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s office confirmed the development in a statement.
“Upon arrival, the prosecutor general served the ICC’s arrest warrant to the former president for crimes against humanity,” the statement said. “He is now in police custody.”
The arrest triggered a tense scene at the airport as Duterte’s legal team and close aides protested, claiming they were blocked from approaching him. Senator Bong Go, a longtime Duterte ally, decried the move. “This is a violation of his constitutional rights,” Go told reporters.
Officials did not immediately disclose Duterte’s detention location but assured that the 79-year-old was in good health after a medical checkup by government doctors.
The ICC’s probe covers drug-related killings from Nov. 1, 2011, when Duterte was mayor of Davao City, through March 16, 2019. In 2019, Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the Rome Statute, a move human rights groups say was intended to avoid accountability.
In 2021, Duterte’s administration sought to suspend the ICC’s investigation, arguing Philippine authorities were already examining the allegations. However, in 2023, ICC appeals judges allowed the probe to resume, dismissing the Philippines’ objections. The Hague-based court intervenes in cases of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity when national governments are unwilling or unable to prosecute suspects.
President Marcos Jr., who took office in 2022, has chosen not to rejoin the ICC amid political friction with Duterte. However, his administration previously stated it would cooperate if the ICC requested international police assistance via a Red Notice, a mechanism used to locate and provisionally arrest suspects for extradition.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has issued a stark warning amid rising trade tensions with the United States, threatening to impose a 25% surcharge on electricity exports to three U.S. states and potentially cut off power altogether if President Donald Trump escalates tariffs on Canadian goods.
“If the United States escalates, I will not hesitate to shut the electricity off completely,” Ford said Monday at a press conference. “Believe me when I say I do not want to do this. I feel terrible for the American people, because it’s not the American people who started this trade war. It’s one person who’s responsible. That’s President Trump.”
The surcharge, set to take effect Monday, will impact electricity exports to New York, Minnesota, and Michigan, raising costs for families and businesses. Ford estimated that the added charge would increase household energy bills by approximately $100 per month.
Canada, which relies heavily on U.S. exports, faces economic risks if the trade war escalates. While Trump delayed some tariffs on Canada and Mexico, uncertainty remains over future levies. The U.S. president has threatened to impose tariffs on Canadian dairy and lumber, pledging to match duties imposed on American goods. Additionally, Trump has warned that tariffs could exceed 25% if Canada and Mexico fail to curb fentanyl trafficking into the U.S.
Along with the surcharge, Ford said he would consider increasing penalties further if trade restrictions worsen. “No one wins in a trade war,” Ford acknowledged, but he insisted that Ontario would not hesitate to retaliate against U.S. tariffs.
Ford, a member of a prominent Ontario political family, has been vocal in his opposition to Trump’s trade policies, making frequent appearances on U.S. cable news to defend Canada’s position. Last week, he claimed he would “shut off power to the U.S. with a smile on [his] face” if Trump continued to target Canadian exports.
The ongoing trade dispute underscores broader tensions between the two nations, with potential economic repercussions for both sides as tariff threats and retaliatory measures continue to escalate.
The White House pushed back against growing recession fears on Monday, as a top economic adviser defended President Donald Trump’s tariff policies despite plunging U.S. stocks and rising household concerns.
Kevin Hassett, head of the National Economic Council, told CNBC that the U.S. economy remains strong despite predictions of a first-quarter contraction and mounting inflation concerns. “There are a lot of reasons to be extremely bullish about the economy going forward. But for sure, this quarter, there are some blips in the data,” Hassett said, attributing fluctuations to the rapid implementation of tariffs and what he called the “Biden inheritance.”
A survey released Monday by the New York Federal Reserve found that U.S. households are increasingly pessimistic about their financial future, with expectations for higher unemployment reaching their highest level since September 2023. The Atlanta Federal Reserve’s GDPNow tracker projects economic contraction in the first quarter, largely due to a trade-driven drag.
Trump declined to predict whether his trade-focused policies—centered on a flurry of tariff announcements—would tip the economy into recession. U.S. stock markets reflected investor anxiety, with the S&P 500 plummeting 2.7% and the Nasdaq dropping 4% to their lowest levels since September.
“Trump was seen as the market’s savior, promising lower taxes and deregulation. Now, his actions represent the harbinger of doom,” said Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell. “The ‘R’ word is back on everyone’s lips as people question whether tariffs will backfire and lead to recession instead of prosperity.”
The S&P 1500 Supercomposite Index, a broad measure of the U.S. stock market, has shed nearly $4.9 trillion in value since its mid-February peak.
Recent Reuters polls indicate rising recession risks across North America, with 70 of 74 economists surveyed in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico reporting increased economic uncertainty. Goldman Sachs has downgraded its 2025 U.S. growth forecast and raised its inflation projection, citing “more adverse tariff assumptions.”
Trump’s tariff policy has included a 20% levy on Chinese imports and a 25% tariff on Canadian and Mexican goods, though most duties on U.S. neighbors are suspended until April 2, when a broader reciprocal tariff regime is expected.
Hassett maintained an optimistic stance, arguing that tax cuts would boost investment and real wages, offsetting any tariff-related downturns. “Just be very wary of conversations about recession,” he said. “I believe the first quarter will barely stay in positive territory, and the second quarter will take off as the benefits of tax cuts materialize.”
While Trump’s tax and regulatory policies have received support from some business leaders, concerns over tariffs persist. Austin Ramirez, CEO of hydraulic equipment maker Husco, noted that while tax cuts and deregulation have been beneficial, trade policies pose a significant threat.
“Now the worry is that it’s all the bad stuff happening, and none of the good stuff,” Ramirez said.
North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles into the West Sea on Monday, coinciding with the start of the annual joint military drills between South Korea and the United States, known as Freedom Shield.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported that the missiles were launched at approximately 1:50 p.m. local time from Hwanghae province. The JCS assured that the South Korean military, in coordination with the United States, has reinforced surveillance and remains in a state of heightened readiness.
The Freedom Shield 2025 exercise, which began Monday, includes live, virtual, and field-based training exercises and will continue until March 20. The U.S. maintains tens of thousands of troops in South Korea, and the two allies emphasize that these drills are defensive in nature.
North Korea, however, has condemned the exercises, calling them a “provocative act” and warning that they could trigger a physical conflict. Pyongyang’s foreign ministry, through the Korean Central News Agency, stated that the situation on the Korean Peninsula remains highly volatile and that the drills increase the risk of war.
Tensions in the region have escalated following a series of North Korean ballistic missile launches in violation of UN sanctions. The two Koreas remain technically at war, as the Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
North Korea has also criticized the recent visit of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier to South Korea, labeling it a political and military provocation.
New Delhi police detained at least 24 members of the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) on Sunday after they staged a demonstration outside the Chinese Embassy to mark the 66th anniversary of Tibetan National Uprising Day.
Holding placards and chanting slogans, protesters gathered near the embassy to commemorate the 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule. Some demonstrators attempted to storm the embassy premises but were quickly restrained by security personnel. Police overpowered the protesters, including several women, and escorted them onto a waiting bus.
TYC General Secretary Sonam Tsering described the day as a painful and tragic chapter in Tibetan history. “It is the 66th anniversary of the Chinese Communist government’s illegal and violent invasion of Tibet. Since then, both the Tibetan government and its people have endured decades of systematic oppression, terror, and repression under Beijing’s rule,” Tsering said.
He accused China of escalating efforts to erase Tibet’s cultural and linguistic identity by pushing the use of “Xizang” instead of the internationally recognized term “Tibet.”
Tsering further stated that human rights conditions in Tibet have deteriorated significantly, with Beijing imposing severe restrictions on fundamental freedoms.
