LOS ANGELES (AP) — After thousands of Iranian demonstrators were killed in a January crackdown, Shima Razavi Gacek wanted to keep alive her fa…
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Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, center, poses with foreign ministers before a consultative meeting of foreign ministers from a group of Arab and Islamic countries in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Baraa Anwer)
Pakistan and Afghanistan have declared a temporary pause in escalating fighting. Wednesday's announcements came two days after Afghanistan blamed Pakistan for a deadly airstrike in Kabul that it said killed hundreds of people at a drug rehabilitation hospital. Both say they are suspending fighting ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, and at the request of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar. The three countries have been trying to mediate a cessation of hostilities since Afghanistan and Pakistan renewed cross-border fighting in February, and had also been involved in helping broker a ceasefire between the two last October.
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan is drawing to an end and Muslims around the world will soon start celebrating the holiday of Eid al-Fitr. Eid is a joyous time marked with congregational prayers and festivities that typically include family visits, gatherings and new clothes. But this year, Eid al-Fitr is approaching amid the Iran war, which has been roiling many countries in the Middle East and leading to far-reaching consequences beyond. Some common Eid greetings are: Eid Mubarak, or Blessed Eid, and Happy Eid.
People wait for passenger trains to return home to celebrate the upcoming Eid al-Fitr holidays, marking the end of the Islamic holy fasting month of Ramadan at a railway station, in Karachi, Pakistan, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ali Raza)
People wait to board passenger train to return home to celebrate the upcoming Eid al-Fitr holidays, marking the end of the Islamic holy fasting month of Ramadan, at a railway station in Karachi, Pakistan, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ali Raza)
A family browses footwear at a local market for the upcoming Eid al-Fitr celebrations, which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)
A woman displays a poster of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as she waves her country's flag during a campaign in support of the government at the Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution, square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Members of the Al-Najar family break their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan amid the rubble of destroyed buildings in Gaza City Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is awaiting White House approval for a major drone production agreement proposed by Kyiv last year. He said Thursday that the deal would cover various types of drones and air defenses to protect against swarms of Iranian-designed Shahed drones. Countries are scrambling to modernize their air defenses after the Iran war exposed shortcomings. Russia has fired tens of thousands of Shaheds at Ukraine since it invaded its neighbor just over four years ago. Iran has responded to joint U.S.-Israeli strikes by firing the same type of drones at targets in the Middle East.