The World Bank says nearly half of the people in the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan region (MENAAP) who live on less than $3 a day are in Pakistan.

In its latest economic report, released on Tuesday, the bank said that 48% of the region’s population living on less than $3 a day is in Pakistan.

According to the report, Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen together account for another 47% of the region’s population living below the same poverty line.

The World Bank said the rise in poverty across the region has been driven largely by the situation in Pakistan. MENAAP is now the only region in the world where poverty remains above pre-COVID-19 levels and continues to rise.

Pakistan’s poverty rate increased by 6.4 percentage points between 2018-19 and 2024-25, based on the $3-a-day poverty line. Under the $4.20-a-day poverty line, poverty increased by 3.2 percentage points, pushing the rate above 20%.

The World Bank attributed the worsening situation to the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread floods in 2022, high inflation, the depreciation of Pakistan’s currency and prolonged economic reforms, which it said have reduced household incomes and job opportunities.

The report said that poverty rates based on the $3-a-day threshold have approached or exceeded 20% in Djibouti, Pakistan, Syria and Yemen.

The World Bank said the MENAAP region now accounts for 14% of the world’s poor population, making it the second-largest region in terms of poverty after Sub-Saharan Africa.

A 32-year-old Afghan national living in Fort Worth, Texas, has pleaded guilty to transmitting a threatening communication after making an online threat to carry out a suicide attack.

Mohammad Dawood Alokozay was charged in November 2025 after a portion of a social media livestream in which he made the threat was recorded and circulated on TikTok and other platforms.

According to U.S. court documents, Alokozay made the threat during a livestream on November 23, 2025, following an exchange involving several people, including another Afghan national. Authorities said the discussion included offensive remarks linked to longstanding tribal tensions.

Members of the public reported the video to authorities, after which federal agents and local law enforcement identified and located Alokozay, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.

No explosives found

Authorities searched Alokozay’s home and cellphone but found no explosives or bomb-making materials. Prosecutors said investigators determined that he did not intend to carry out an actual attack.

Alokozay nevertheless admitted in court documents that he knowingly transmitted a threat to injure another person through interstate and foreign commerce.

He pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey L. Cureton.

Alokozay faces up to five years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release.

The FBI said the case demonstrates the seriousness with which authorities treat online threats of violence. FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock also thanked members of the public who reported the video.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI offices in Dallas and Fort Worth, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Fort Worth Police Department.

A sentencing date has not yet been announced.

Moscow will host a regional security meeting focused on Afghanistan and Central Asia on October 15 and 16, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has announced.

The meeting will bring together representatives of the CSTO, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

According to the CSTO, participants will discuss security developments in Central Asia and Afghanistan, with a focus on regional stability and emerging security challenges.

Meanwhile, the CSTO Collective Security Council is scheduled to meet in Moscow on November 10 and 11.

The council will discuss measures to strengthen the collective security system and expand security cooperation among member states.

Officials are expected to consider and adopt measures aimed at improving coordination and enhancing regional security cooperation.