TEHRAN: Iran has offered to help mediate between Afghanistan and Pakistan after a sharp conflict that saw Islamabad declare what it described as an &ldquo;open war&rdquo; against the Taliban-led government in Kabul and carry out air strikes following deadly border clashes.&nbsp; In a post on X, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said ,&quot;The Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready to provide any assistance necessary to facilitate dialogue and to enhance understanding and cooperation between the two countries&quot;.&nbsp;

Abbas Araghchi (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Middle East

In a post on X, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said ,"The Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready to provide any assistance necessary to facilitate dialogue and to enhance understanding and cooperation between the two countries". 

Iran offers to help facilitate dialogue between Afghanistan, Pakistan

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Marking the seventh anniversary of Operation Swift Retort, Pakistan&rsquo;s armed forces on Friday reaffirmed their readiness to counter any threats and pledged unwavering commitment to national security and regional peace, according to a press release issued by the military&rsquo;s media wing. &nbsp;&ldquo;On the 7th anniversary of Operation Swift Retort, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, COAS and CDF; Admiral Naveed Ashraf, Chief of the Naval Staff; and Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of Air Staff, on behalf of Pakistan&rsquo;s Armed Forces, pay tribute to the courage, professionalism, and sacrifices of their personnel,&rdquo; the press release issued on Friday by the Pakistan military&rsquo;s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-responds-afghan-border-fire" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">(ISPR)</a>, said. It said, &ldquo;Launched on 27 Feb. 2019, Operation Swift Retort was a decisive response to India&#39;s unprovoked aggression, reaffirming Pakistan&#39;s commitment to safeguarding its sovereignty.&rdquo;The statement said, &ldquo;The operation showcased the operational excellence and readiness of the Armed Forces, effectively deterring further aggression and restoring <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/nine-indiabacked-terrorists-killed-in-pakistans-kp-province-military" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">strategic balance</a>.&rdquo; &ldquo;The Field Marshal and Service Chiefs reiterated their unwavering commitment to Pakistan&#39;s national security and regional peace, emphasizing the readiness of the Armed Forces to counter any threats,&rdquo; the ISPR&rsquo;s statement said.&nbsp; &ldquo;They reaffirmed that Pakistan&#39;s military remains vigilant, ensuring the protection of the nation while actively contributing to global stability and peace,&rdquo; it added.

Security

ISPR says, ‘launched on 27 Feb. 2019, Operation Swift Retort was a decisive response to India's unprovoked aggression, reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to safeguarding its sovereignty.’

Pakistan armed forces reaffirm readiness to counter threats

ISLAMABAD: Bangladesh on Thursday approved a waiver of agricultural loans of up to Tk 10,000, including accrued interest, for an estimated 1.2 million farmers nationwide, the state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) reported. According to BSS, the decision was taken at a cabinet meeting at the Bangladesh Secretariat, chaired by Prime Minister&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bangladeshi-pm-vows-to-establish-rule-of-law-equal-rights" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tarique Rahman</a>, following his directive to provide relief to small and marginal farmers. Under the measure, both the principal amount and the full accrued interest on such loans will be written off.&nbsp; Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani, briefing reporters after the meeting, said the waiver covers loans taken in the grain, crop, fisheries, and livestock sectors and fulfills a pledge made in the government&#39;s election manifesto. &quot;The main objective of this initiative is to ensure social security for poor and marginal farmers and strengthen the backbone of the country&#39;s agricultural sector,&quot; Ghani said. He added that funds previously allocated for loan repayments could now be used to purchase quality seeds or adopt modern irrigation technologies, enabling&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bangladesh-to-distribute-05m-farmer-cards-in-180-days" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">farmers</a>&nbsp;to begin the next cultivation season with renewed confidence. The Cabinet Secretary said that the waiver could ease rural inflationary pressures and help curb rural-to-urban migration in the near term, BSS reported. It is also expected to improve beneficiary farmers&#39; credit records, enhancing their ability to access fresh agricultural loans from banks at lower interest rates and reducing their dependence on high-interest informal moneylenders. According to Bangladesh Bank data cited by BSS, farmers owed approximately Tk 15,500 million in outstanding loans and interest to public, specialized, and private commercial banks as of Feb 25.&nbsp;

Bangladesh

At the prime minister’s directive, authorities will write off up to Tk 10,000 in outstanding agricultural debt and accrued interest, aiming to ease rural hardship, improve credit access, and support production nationwide, BSS reported.

Bangladesh approves farm loan relief for 1.2 million farmers

BERLIN:&nbsp;Germany on Thursday deported 20 convicted criminals to Afghanistan under a new agreement reached with the Taliban government to allow direct expulsions, the interior ministry said. Berlin had already resumed deporting criminals to Afghanistan in 2024, using Qatar as an intermediary. But the agreement reached to enable Thursday&#39;s flight &quot;creates a reliable basis for direct and permanent deportations to Afghanistan&quot;, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said. Drug offences&nbsp;Those deported were men who had committed crimes in Germany, including sexual offences, bodily harm and drug offences, according to the interior ministry. &quot;Our society has an interest in ensuring that criminals leave our country. That is why we are acting consistently and expanding deportations step by step,&quot; Dobrindt said. Germany stopped deportations to Afghanistan and closed its embassy in Kabul following the Taliban&#39;s return to power in 2021. But it resumed them as part of efforts to take a tougher line on migration to counter the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Two flights&nbsp;Two deportation flights of convicted Afghans have left Germany since 2021: 28 were returned in autumn 2024 and 81 in July last year. Germany&#39;s interior ministry had announced last year that direct discussions were taking place with the Taliban authorities. No recognition&nbsp;But the talks are controversial because Berlin does not recognize the Taliban administration in Kabul. The interior ministry said it had been &quot;working intensively in recent months to enable direct repatriations to Afghanistan without the support of third countries&quot;. A ministry spokesman told AFP the deal was reached &quot;during technical talks held by the government with the de facto government of Afghanistan in autumn 2025&quot;. The EU has also initiated contacts with the Taliban government in Kabul to assess the feasibility of returns as it seeks to counter right-wing electoral gains across the bloc.

Afghanistan

Germany stopped deportations to Afghanistan and closed its embassy in Kabul following the Taliban's return to power in 2021; but it resumed them as part of efforts to take a tougher line on migration.

Germany deports 20 Afghans after deal with Taliban

CHAPPAQUA: Former US president Bill Clinton will be grilled by a Congressional panel on Friday on his well-documented links to Jeffrey Epstein. Clinton features prominently throughout the latest <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bill-gates-admits-affairs-but-denies-involvement-in-epstein-crimes" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Epstein</a>&nbsp;files disclosures, with the former president insisting that he <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/uk-police-arrest-exenvoy-peter-mandelson-in-epstein-case" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">broke ties</a> with him well before the disgraced billionaire&#39;s 2008 conviction for sex offenses. Mere mention in the files released by the US Department of Justice does not imply wrongdoing, and Clinton has not been accused of a crime or formally investigated. He follows his wife, former secretary of state <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/tell-me-why-jeffrey-epstein-mossad-the-missing-answers" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hillary Clinton</a>, who testified Thursday. &#39;Kangaroo court&#39;The depositions are being held behind closed doors even though the Clintons called for them to be open and televised, a move <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/epstein-estate-agrees-to-settle-victim-claims-for-up-to-35-mn" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bill Clinton</a> denounced as akin to a &quot;kangaroo court.&quot; The grilling comes with greater peril for the former president than for his wife, as he has acknowledged extensive interactions with Epstein, but said he never visited the shady financier&#39;s private Caribbean island. Epstein associated with the world&#39;s rich, famous and powerful, and was convicted in 2008 for soliciting sex from girls as young as 14. He died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while facing trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide. The Republican-led House Oversight Committee is probing those who were linked to Epstein, particularly in light of the Justice Department&#39;s disclosures of millions of new documents related to its investigation of him. Hillary insisted that she had neither flown on Epstein&#39;s plane nor visited his island. The Clintons had initially rejected subpoenas ordering them to testify in the panel&#39;s probe, but the Democratic power couple agreed to do so after House Republicans threatened to hold them in contempt of Congress. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Newly released pictures&nbsp;</h2>Hillary Clinton said in her opening statement to the panel that it &quot;justified its subpoena to me based on its assumption that I have information regarding the investigations into the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.&quot; &quot;Let me be as clear as I can. I do not.&quot; Democrats say the investigation is being weaponized to attack Trump&#39;s political opponents rather than to conduct legitimate oversight. Bill Clinton features prominently in the trove of investigative files related to Epstein released by the Justice Department, but has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Previously unseen photographs from the files include one showing the former president reclining in a hot tub, part of the image obscured by a stark black rectangle. In another, Clinton is pictured swimming alongside a dark-haired woman who appears to be Epstein&#39;s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. &#39;Innocent of any wrongdoing&#39;Clinton has acknowledged flying on Epstein&#39;s private plane several times in the early 2000s for Clinton Foundation-related humanitarian work. David Markus, an attorney for Maxwell, said recently that Clinton and Trump are &quot;innocent of any wrongdoing.&quot; The depositions are being held in Chappaqua, New York, where the Clintons reside. Dozens of journalists have converged on the wealthy hamlet, and the Secret Service erected metal barricades around the arts center where the depositions are happening. Republican committee chair James Comer said at the conclusion of Hillary&#39;s appearance that lawmakers had &quot;a lot of questions for her husband tomorrow.&quot;

Americas

The Clintons had initially rejected subpoenas ordering them to testify in the panel's probe, but the Democratic power couple agreed to do so after House Republicans threatened to hold them in contempt of Congress.

Former US president Bill Clinton to face grilling on significant Epstein ties

<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="isPasted">GAZA CITY: Gaza&#39;s civil defence ministry said Israeli strikes killed at least five people on Friday.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"> <p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Violence has continued in the Palestinian territory despite a US-brokered truce that entered its second phase last month, with Israel and Hamas trading accusations of violating the agreement.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"> <p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">The civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authorities, told AFP that an air strike in the early hours of Friday morning killed at least two people and seriously injured one in central Gaza.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"> <p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">A drone strike in the south of the strip shortly after midnight killed three and injured several more people, the agency added.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"> <p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Under the terms of the ceasefire, which took effect on October 10, Israeli troops withdrew to positions behind a so-called &quot;Yellow Line&quot;, though they remain in control of more than half of the territory.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"> <p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Gaza&#39;s health ministry, which operates under Hamas authorities, has previously said at least 601 people had been killed since the truce began.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"> <p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">The Israeli military says at least four of its soldiers have been killed in the same period.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"> <p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Media restrictions and limited access in Gaza have prevented AFP from independently verifying casualty figures or freely covering the fighting.

A minimum of 5 Palestinians were killed by the IDF according to Gaza's civil defence

Gaza civil defence says Israeli strikes kill at least 5

GENEVA: Killings of civilians in Sudan&#39;s war more than doubled in 2025 compared with the previous year, the United Nations rights chief said Thursday, warning that thousands more dead are unidentified or remain missing. Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that has killed tens of thousands, displaced 11 million people and triggered one of the world&#39;s worst humanitarian crises. &quot;This war is ugly. It&#39;s bloody, and it&#39;s senseless,&quot; Volker Turk told the UN Human Rights Council, blaming both sides, which have so far rejected any humanitarian truce. He also blamed foreign sponsors funding what he called a &quot;high-tech&quot; conflict. &quot;In 2025, my office&#39;s documentation points to an over two-and-a-half times increase in killings of civilians compared with the previous year. Many thousands are still missing or unidentified,&quot; Turk said. There have been no official figures on the conflict&#39;s overall death toll. Turk condemned what he called the &quot;heinous and ruthless&quot; brutalities committed, including sexual violence, summary executions and arbitrary detentions. He highlighted the &quot;carnage&quot; inflicted by the RSF in an April attack on the Zamzam displacement camp and again in October in El‑Fasher, then the regular army&#39;s last foothold in western Darfur. Rape, gang rape, sexual torture, and slavery have also surged, Turk said, with more than 500 victims documented in 2025. &quot;The bodies of Sudanese women and girls have been weaponized to terrorize communities.&quot; In a statement, the foreign ministers of the Sudan core group at the UN Human Rights Council said the RSF-led violence in El-Fasher &quot;constitutes war crimes and crimes against humanity and bears the hallmarks of genocide.&quot; Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Britain said they would form a coalition &quot;to prevent further atrocities in Sudan and support the Sudanese people in laying the foundations for future justice.&quot; &#39;Madness&#39; Since the fall of El-Fasher, the fighting has moved deeper into neighboring Kordofan, where drone strikes have killed dozens at a time. Since January, drone attacks in the southern Kordofan region and beyond have &quot;killed or injured nearly 600 civilians,&quot; Turk said, including in attacks on humanitarian aid convoys. The UN&#39;s resident and humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, Denise Brown, said that access to the cities of Kadugli and Dilling in South Kordofan &mdash; long cut off by an RSF siege until the army recently lifted it &mdash; had been effectively impossible. &quot;We were not able to get supplies in. We had to remove our staff for their own safety,&quot; she said Thursday, after stepping off the first UN flight to Khartoum since the war began. Famine was declared last November in the North Darfur capital El-Fasher and in Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan, according to a UN-backed assessment. The same assessment said Dilling in South Kordofan is likely facing famine conditions. Turk said the army and the RSF continued to use &quot;explosive weapons in densely populated areas, often without warning &mdash; showing utter disregard for human life.&quot; He highlighted the &quot;increased use of advanced long-range drones,&quot; which has &quot;expanded harm to civilians in areas far from the front lines that were previously peaceful.&quot; Turk also voiced concern over &quot;the growing militarization of society&quot;, including the recruitment of children into the fighting. Several countries have been accused of involvement in the conflict. The United Arab Emirates has been accused of arming the RSF &mdash; allegations it denies. Egypt, Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia have backed army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Turk urged &quot;diplomatic and political pressure&quot; for a humanitarian truce that leads to a permanent ceasefire. Efforts to secure a ceasefire have repeatedly collapsed. Burhan vowed this week to fight &quot;until the end&quot; and said he plans to build a &quot;smart army&quot; investing in technology and research. In January, the army was studying a new ceasefire proposal from the United States and Saudi Arabia. Talks mediated by the United States, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt have stalled for months, with Burhan accusing mediators of favoring the UAE.

Africa

Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that has killed tens of thousands, displaced 11 million people and triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

Civilian death toll in Sudan war more than doubled in 2025, UN says

NEW YORK: Paramount Skydance, run by pro-Trump technology heir David Ellison, was poised to take control of Warner Bros. Discovery on Thursday after Netflix said it would not raise its takeover offer, ending one of the biggest media bidding wars in a generation. The deal puts a constellation of media properties &mdash; from CNN to Nickelodeon to HBO &mdash; under the control of the family led by Oracle tycoon and White House ally Larry Ellison. Netflix said it was &quot;declining to match&quot; Paramount&#39;s latest offer after the Warner Bros. board declared it a &quot;Superior Proposal&quot; under the terms of its existing merger agreement with Netflix. &quot;The transaction we negotiated would have created shareholder value with a clear path to regulatory approval,&quot; Netflix said in a statement. &quot;However, we&#39;ve always been disciplined, and at the price required to match Paramount Skydance&#39;s latest offer, the deal is no longer financially attractive, so we are declining to match the Paramount Skydance bid,&quot; it added. The company insisted it &quot;would have been strong stewards of Warner Bros.&#39; iconic brands, and that our deal would have strengthened the entertainment industry and preserved and created more production jobs in the US. &quot;But this transaction was always a &#39;nice to have&#39; at the right price, not a &#39;must have&#39; at any price,&quot; it concluded. Without a Netflix counteroffer, the Warner Bros. Discovery board is now free to terminate its agreement with the streaming giant and proceed with Paramount. Warner Bros. shareholders were previously scheduled to vote on the Netflix agreement on March 20. That vote is now essentially moot, and attention shifts to securing shareholder approval for the Paramount deal instead. White House attention Paramount&#39;s sweetened offer, made Monday, was the latest installment of a bidding war that drew White House attention, with President Donald Trump insisting he had a say in the outcome. Crucially, the proposal included a commitment from Oracle founder Larry Ellison to contribute additional funding if needed to support solvency requirements from Paramount&#39;s lending banks. Ellison is the father of Paramount CEO David Ellison, a Hollywood producer, and largely financed his son&#39;s takeover of Paramount and his subsequent bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. Larry Ellison is also a longtime ally of Trump, and both Paramount and Netflix sought to curry favor with the White House. Creating headwinds for Netflix, Republican lawmakers came out against the company during the deal process, accusing it of promoting pro-trans content on its platform, something co-CEO Ted Sarandos strenuously denied. Just hours before withdrawing from the bidding war, Sarandos was filmed entering the White House on Thursday for talks with officials &mdash; though not the president, according to CNBC. The Paramount offer also includes financing from the sovereign wealth funds of three Middle Eastern countries &mdash; Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi &mdash; which could attract an additional layer of regulatory scrutiny. The revised Paramount offer included a purchase price of $31.00 per share in cash, a one-dollar increase from its earlier bid, which valued the company at around $108 billion. Paramount has also offered a $7 billion regulatory termination fee should the deal fail to close on regulatory grounds, and agreed to cover the $2.8 billion breakup fee Warner Bros. Discovery would owe Netflix if it walked away from their agreement. A combined Paramount-Warner Bros. would bring together streaming services HBO Max and Paramount+, and merge two of Hollywood&#39;s largest movie studios. It would also place CNN and CBS News under one ownership structure.

Business

The deal puts a constellation of media properties — from CNN to Nickelodeon to HBO — under the control of the family led by Oracle tycoon and White House ally Larry Ellison.

Paramount poised to acquire Warner Bros. after Netflix walks away

Pakistan TV Satellite

ISLAMABAD: &nbsp;Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ataullah Tarar has said that the Afghan Taliban carried out an unprovoked act of aggression, which Pakistan responded to with utmost readiness and strength. Speaking exclusively to Pakistan TV, the minister said Pakistan&rsquo;s armed forces demonstrated the highest level of professionalism and expertise in defending the motherland under challenging circumstances. He stated that the response by Pakistan&rsquo;s armed forces overwhelmed the Afghan Taliban, leaving them in a state of uncertainty. According to the minister, the coordinated and forceful retaliation compelled the Afghan Taliban to resort to spreading fake news on social media.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 648px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2027162195524534431&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=d2db63fee3b7c2a37f07e9faf1d7f0e5cf55f319&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div>Tarar added that an international news channel also disseminated what he described as fake news from the Afghan Taliban, but later had to delete its tweet. Providing details of the counter-operation, the minister said 133 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed, more than 200 were injured, 27 posts were destroyed, and nine posts were taken over by Pakistani forces. The Pakistan Air Force targeted Afghan Taliban defensive installations in Kandahar, Kabul, and Paktia, the minister said. He further stated that two Corps Headquarters, three Brigade Headquarters, two ammunition depots, one logistics base, three battalion headquarters, two sector headquarters and 80+ tanks, artillery, APCs were destroyed. Tarar said Pakistan&rsquo;s armed forces have once again demonstrated that any aggression or malicious intent against the country will be dealt with firmly. He said the Pakistani nation stands shoulder to shoulder with its armed forces and that the forces have made the nation proud. The minister also said Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif praised the timely and courageous response of the armed forces under the leadership of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir. Reiterating Pakistan&rsquo;s position, Tarar said it is unacceptable for Afghan territory to be used for attacks against Pakistan. He added that terrorists trained on Afghan soil carry out attacks inside Pakistan. Pakistan has once again made it clear that any such actions or unprovoked aggression will be met with a strong response, the minister said.

SAT News Desk

Ataullah Tarar says 133 khwarij killed, key installations destroyed as armed forces respond with “coordinated and robust” action.


Pakistan retaliates befittingly after unprovoked Afghan aggression: information minister

GENEVA: Iran and the United States made &quot;significant progress&quot; in talks in Switzerland on Thursday, mediators said, after the latest round of negotiations to avert a war between the longtime foes, and agreed to further discussions next week in Austria. The Oman-mediated negotiations follow repeated threats from Donald Trump to strike Iran, with the US president last Thursday giving Tehran 15 days to reach a deal. While Iran has insisted the discussions focus solely on its nuclear program, the US wants Tehran&#39;s missile program and its support for militant groups in the region curtailed. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state TV that the talks &quot;made very good progress and entered into the elements of an agreement very seriously, both in the nuclear field and in the sanctions field.&quot; He said the next round would take place in &quot;perhaps less than a week,&quot; with technical talks at the UN&#39;s nuclear agency to begin in Vienna on Monday. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi also announced technical discussions were to be held &quot;next week in Vienna.&quot; &quot;We have finished the day after significant progress in the negotiation between the United States and Iran,&quot; he said in a post on X. The negotiations took place as the US continued its largest military buildup in the Middle East in decades. The US and Iranian delegations held a morning session at the Omani ambassador&#39;s residence amid tight security, before pausing to hold consultations with their respective capitals. A second session began around 1700 GMT. Albusaidi said after the morning session that the two sides expressed &quot;unprecedented openness to new and creative ideas and solutions.&quot; UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi joined the negotiations, a source close to the talks told AFP, with an Iranian state TV journalist also reporting he was attending. Dramatic buildup The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Trump&#39;s negotiating team would demand that Iran dismantle its three main nuclear sites and hand over all its remaining enriched uranium to the United States. Iran&#39;s President Masoud Pezeshkian insisted ahead of the talks that the Islamic republic was not &quot;at all&quot; seeking a nuclear weapon. As part of the dramatic US buildup, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world&#39;s largest aircraft carrier, sent to the Mediterranean this week, left a naval base in Crete on Thursday, an AFP photographer said. Washington currently has more than a dozen warships in the Middle East: one aircraft carrier &mdash; the USS Abraham Lincoln &mdash; nine destroyers and three other combat ships. It is rare for there to be two US aircraft carriers, which carry dozens of warplanes and are crewed by thousands of sailors, in the region. The developments follow massive protests in Iran during which, rights groups say, thousands of demonstrators were killed. &#39;Sinister nuclear ambitions&#39; In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump accused Iran of &quot;pursuing sinister nuclear ambitions&quot;, though Tehran has always insisted its program is for civilian purposes. Trump also claimed Tehran had &quot;already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they&#39;re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.&quot; The Iranian foreign ministry called these claims &quot;big lies.&quot; The maximum range of Iran&#39;s missiles is 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles), according to what Tehran has publicly disclosed. However, the US Congressional Research Service estimates they top out at about 3,000 kilometers &mdash; less than a third of the distance to the continental United States. Trump&#39;s State of the Union accusations in Congress were delivered in the same forum in which then-president George W. Bush laid out the case for the invasion of Iraq in 2003. &#39;People would suffer&#39; Araghchi, who led the Iranian delegation at the talks, had called them &quot;a historic opportunity,&quot; adding that a deal was &quot;within reach.&quot; The US was represented by envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who is married to Trump&#39;s daughter Ivanka. The two countries held talks earlier this month in Oman, then gathered for a second round in Geneva last week. A previous attempt at negotiations collapsed when Israel launched surprise strikes on Iran last June, beginning a 12-day war that Washington briefly joined to bomb Iranian nuclear sites. In January, Tehran launched a mass crackdown on nationwide protests that posed one of the greatest challenges to the Islamic republic since its inception. Protests have since resumed around Iranian universities. Tehran residents who spoke to AFP were divided on what renewed conflict would mean for them. &quot;There would be famine and people would suffer a lot. People are suffering now, but at least with war, our fate might be clear,&quot; 60-year-old homemaker Tayebeh said.

The Oman-mediated negotiations follow repeated threats from Donald Trump to strike Iran, with the US president last Thursday giving Tehran 15 days to reach a deal.

Iran offers to help facilitate dialogue between Afghanistan, Pakistan

Related Articles

US presses missile issue as new Iran talks to open in Geneva

Iran-US talks begin in push to avert war

Latest News

Pakistan armed forces reaffirm readiness to counter threats

Bangladesh approves farm loan relief for 1.2 million farmers

Germany deports 20 Afghans after deal with Taliban

Former US president Bill Clinton to face grilling on significant Epstein ties

Iran offers to help facilitate dialogue between Afghanistan, Pakistan