Asfandyar Yahya

In this episode of Tell Me Why, we explain how the Khewra Salt Mine has been mined for more than 2,000 years and is still far from empty.&nbsp; Discovered when Alexander the Great&rsquo;s horses began licking salty rocks, this mine has survived empires, colonisation, and modern industry.&nbsp; Formed over 500 million years ago from an ancient sea, this underground salt range exists on a scale beyond human history. Only a small fraction of its reserves has been extracted so far.

Tell Me Why

Tell Me Why: Khewra's salt is limitless

PARIS: Iranian officials held out hope for progress towards a deal to forestall fresh conflict when talks with US negotiators resume on Thursday, despite a huge build-up of American military might in the Middle East. Speaking to CBS News on Sunday, Iran&#39;s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said details of a possible deal were being drawn up ahead of the renewed talks on Tehran&#39;s nuclear program, after Washington&#39;s envoy Steve Witkoff had publicly wondered why Tehran had not yet &quot;capitulated.&quot; Badr Albusaidi, foreign minister of regional mediator Oman, said talks would resume on Thursday in Geneva &quot;with a positive push to go the extra mile towards finalizing the deal.&quot; US threats of military action have multiplied since a nationwide protest movement in Iran sparked a crackdown that rights groups say killed thousands. On Sunday, Iranian students held competing pro- and anti-government protests, with critics of the clerical leadership risking arrest or worse if they are caught. &quot;If the US attacks us, then we have every right to defend ourselves,&quot; Araghchi said, alluding to American interests in the region as potential targets. Still, he said, &quot;there is a good chance to have a diplomatic solution.&quot; In a social media post, Iran&#39;s President Masoud Pezeshkian likewise said previous talks &quot;yielded encouraging signals.&quot; After a recent round of discussions in Geneva, Iran said it was preparing a draft proposal for an agreement that would avert military action. &quot;I believe that when we meet, probably this Thursday in Geneva again, we can work on those elements and prepare a good text and come to a fast deal,&quot; Araghchi told CBS. Axios had earlier reported, citing an unnamed senior US official, that if Iran submitted its proposal in the next 48 hours, Washington was ready to meet again later in the week &quot;to start detailed negotiations.&quot; The US has sent two aircraft carriers to the Middle East in recent weeks, along with other jets and ships, and has also shored up its air defenses in the region to back up its threats of military intervention. US President Donald Trump&#39;s chief Middle East negotiator Witkoff, said in a Fox News interview broadcast Saturday that the president was questioning why Iran had not yet given in to the pressure. &quot;He&#39;s curious as to why they haven&#39;t... I don&#39;t want to use the word &#39;capitulated,&#39; but why they haven&#39;t capitulated,&quot; he said. &quot;Why haven&#39;t they come to us and said, &#39;We profess we don&#39;t want a weapon, so here&#39;s what we&#39;re prepared to do&#39;?&quot; Western governments fear Iran&#39;s nuclear program is aimed at developing a bomb, which Tehran has long denied, though it insists on its right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes. On the subject of uranium enrichment, Araghchi said Sunday that Iran had &quot;every right to decide for ourselves.&quot; Fears of war A previous round of diplomacy last year was interrupted by Israel&#39;s bombing campaign against the Islamic Republic. That sparked a 12-day conflict in June that the US briefly joined with strikes on Iran&#39;s nuclear facilities. Despite the recent Oman-mediated talks, Iranians&#39; fears of a new conflict have grown. &quot;I don&#39;t sleep well at night even while taking pills,&quot; Tehran resident Hamid told AFP. IT technician Mina Ahmadvand, 46, believes that &quot;at this stage, war between Iran and the US as well as Israel is inevitable.&quot; &quot;I don&#39;t want war to happen, but one should not fool around with the realities on the ground.&quot; The concerns have prompted several foreign countries to urge their citizens to leave Iran, including Sweden, Serbia, Poland and Australia. Protests Iran has previously said that quickly striking a deal is in its interests if it means relief from sanctions that have hamstrung its economy, which contributed to protests late last year over the high cost of living. Those demonstrations quickly expanded into mass anti-government protests that marked one of the largest challenges to the Islamic Republic&#39;s leadership in years, prompting a crackdown by authorities that saw several people die, according to rights groups. On Sunday, Iranian students gathered for fresh pro- and anti-government rallies commemorating those killed following similar gatherings the day before. Local and diaspora media outlets reported demonstrations at multiple Tehran universities, with some participants waving the flag of Iran&#39;s deposed monarchy, and others chanting &quot;death to the shah,&rdquo; who was toppled by the 1979 Islamic revolution. Trump had initially cheered on the protesters, threatening to intervene on their behalf amid the crackdown, but his threats soon shifted to Iran&#39;s nuclear program. Voicing their support for the protests, several Iraq-based Kurdish-Iranian groups announced on Sunday that they were forming a political coalition to unite against Iran&#39;s Islamic system. The main goals of the alliance, a joint statement said, are &quot;the struggle to overthrow the Islamic republic of Iran, and to achieve self-determination for the Kurds.&quot;

Americas

The US has sent two aircraft carriers to the Middle East in recent weeks, along with other jets and ships, and has also shored up its air defenses in the region to back up its threats of military intervention.

Iran-US talks expected Thursday despite fears of strikes

AHMEDABAD:&nbsp;South Africa ended India&#39;s 12-match winning streak at the T20 World Cup with a crushing 76-run win in Ahmedabad on Sunday in the opening Group 1 Super Eights match. After a counter-attacking 63 by David Miller and some late hitting from Tristan Stubbs took South Africa to 187-7, the defending champions were all out for 111 in 18.5 overs, failing badly in their first chase of the tournament. Left-arm quick Marco Jansen finished with 4-22, while left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj took 3-24 as the South African bowlers exposed India&#39;s fragile batting lineup. &quot;Great performance. Very different type of wicket to what we&#39;ve had here, so great to see the boys assess that pretty early and adapt their skills to execute their plans,&quot; said South Africa captain Aiden Markram. &quot;We&#39;re really pumped for the bowling group. They&rsquo;ve been working hard, started the comp a bit tough, but the way they rocked up tonight was a great effort.&quot; The magnitude of the defeat means India will take a poor net run rate forward and that could prove pivotal if their Super Eights group is tight. Hot favourites to defend their crown on home soil, India will likely need to win their two remaining Super Eight games against Zimbabwe and the West Indies to have a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals. &quot;We bowled really well, but we could have batted a little better,&quot; said India captain Suryakumar Yadav. Fans silenced&nbsp;&quot;Sometimes you&#39;ve got to think, if you&#39;re chasing 180-185, you can&#39;t win the game in the power play, but you might lose it. &quot;We lost too many wickets in the power play.&quot; Both teams were unbeaten in the group phase and the game was a rematch of the 2024 T20 World Cup final in Barbados, which India won. India&#39;s unbeaten run in the tournament had stretched back to their defeat in the semi-final against eventual winners England in 2022. South Africa struck immediately in India&#39;s chase when Markram opened the bowling and dismissed Ishan Kishan with his off-spin. Abhishek Sharma got his first runs of the tournament, after three ducks, with a four off Markram to get the 82,000 crowd on their feet in the cavernous stadium which has a reported capacity of 130,000. The joy of Indian fans was short-lived and they were silenced as Jansen had Tilak Varma caught behind for one in the next over and removed Abhishek for 15. India needed a partnership but Corbin Bosch dismissed Washington Sundar and Suryakumar, who toe-ended to midwicket, as the hosts slumped to 51-5. Maharaj took three wickets in one over to dismiss Hardik Pandya (18), Rinku Singh (0) and Arshdeep Singh (one) to shut the door on India. Shivam Dube made 42 at the end, but it was too little too late, and when he fell off Jansen, last man Jasprit Bumrah followed next ball. Batting first after winning the toss, South Africa slipped to 20-3 before Miller and Dewald Brevis, who hit 45, put on 97, to guide South Africa to 187-7. Stubbs had a late cameo that saw him crash an unbeaten 44 off 24 balls and launch the final two balls of the innings both for six off Pandya.India&#39;s pace spearhead Bumrah took 3-15.

Cricket

South Africa ended India's 12-match winning streak at the T20 World Cup with a crushing 76-run win in Ahmedabad on Sunday in the opening Group 1 Super Eights match

South Africa thrash India to end 12-match T20 World Cup win streak

In this episode of &ldquo;Tell Me Why,&rdquo; we examine the lingering questions surrounding Jeffrey Epstein beyond his well-documented crimes as a convicted sex offender and accused trafficker of minors.&nbsp; From the discovery of a mysterious Austrian passport in his Manhattan safe to his documented associations with figures linked to Israeli political and intelligence circles, we explore the claims that have fueled speculation about possible intelligence ties.&nbsp; The episode reviews public records, financial connections, and statements made by individuals such as former CIA officer John Kiriakou regarding allegations of links to Mossad. We separate verified facts from unproven assertions, connect the documented dots, and leave viewers to decide what the evidence suggests.

In this episode of “Tell Me Why,” we examine the lingering questions surrounding Jeffrey Epstein beyond his well-documented crimes as a convicted sex offender and accused trafficker of minors

Tell Me Why: Jeffrey Epstein, Mossad & the missing answers

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Bangladesh signaled a coordinated push to reset bilateral relations on Sunday, as senior leaders from both sides underscored trade, connectivity, youth exchanges, and regional cooperation following Bangladesh&rsquo;s democratic transition.&nbsp;Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a phone conversation with his Bangladeshi counterpart, newly-appointed Khalil ur Rahman, with both sides expressing a desire to strengthen ties &ldquo;with a shared vision of peace, stability, and prosperity,&rdquo; according to Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Office.&nbsp;&ldquo;Both leaders agreed to expand cooperation across multiple sectors and build a forward-looking partnership for the people of Pakistan and Bangladesh,&rdquo; the official statement said.&nbsp;The diplomatic engagement follows Bangladesh&rsquo;s first competitive election since the 2024 uprising, which brought Tarique Rahman to office at the head of a Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led government with a commanding parliamentary majority, marking a decisive shift after years of political unrest and strained regional ties.&nbsp;Momentum was reinforced in Dhaka, where Pakistan&rsquo;s Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal attended the oath-taking ceremony and held meetings with Bangladesh&rsquo;s new leadership and opposition figures, representing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.&nbsp;&ldquo;I am here to represent the Prime Minister of Pakistan and the people of Pakistan at a very historic moment when Bangladesh is making a democratic transition and a new government is being sworn in,&rdquo; Iqbal said, adding that PM Sharif &ldquo;would very much like to visit Bangladesh as early as possible.&rdquo;&nbsp;In his meeting with Bangladeshi prime minister, Iqbal conveyed formal congratulations and extended an invitation for an official visit to Pakistan, describing Bangladesh&rsquo;s peaceful transfer of power as &ldquo;an important milestone for democratic stability.&rdquo;&nbsp;Rahman, in turn, welcomed Pakistan&rsquo;s goodwill and committed to &ldquo;constructive and future-oriented relations.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;We emphasized that Pakistan and Bangladesh are emerging economies with youthful populations,&rdquo; Iqbal said. &ldquo;By investing in skills, entrepreneurship and the digital economy, youth can become a driving force for development.&rdquo;&nbsp;Iqbal said bilateral trade remains &ldquo;far below potential,&rdquo; calling for urgent efforts to expand commerce, integrate supply chains and enhance maritime connectivity through coastal ports. He said both sides discussed creating synergy in industrial capacity, small and medium enterprises, and export strategies to improve access to global value chains.&nbsp;Alongside high-level political outreach, Pakistan&rsquo;s diplomatic mission in Dhaka has stepped up engagement with Bangladesh&rsquo;s new foreign policy leadership. Pakistan&rsquo;s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Imran Haider paid a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Khalil ur Rahman, congratulating him on assuming office and briefing him on recent developments in bilateral relations.&nbsp;According to the Pakistan High Commission, Haider highlighted positive momentum across education, connectivity, trade, agriculture and health, as well as the activation of bilateral institutional mechanisms. Rahman welcomed the briefing, expressed satisfaction at the progress achieved, and emphasized the importance of exploring new avenues to further expand and deepen cooperation. Both sides also exchanged views on collaboration at multilateral forums.&nbsp;The high commissioner separately met Bangladesh&rsquo;s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam, congratulating her on assuming office and noting that Pakistan-Bangladesh relations are rooted in shared history, cultural affinities and people-to-people ties.&nbsp;Islam welcomed the engagement and stressed the need to enhance cooperation across all domains to realize the full potential of bilateral relations. Both sides agreed to strengthen ties guided by a forward-looking approach, mutual respect and sovereign equality.&nbsp;At the conclusion of talks with PM Rahman during Iqbal&#39;s Dhaka tour, both sides reaffirmed their resolve to translate goodwill into tangible outcomes, agreeing on the need to revitalize the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and to advance South Asia through geo-economics rather than geopolitics.&nbsp;&ldquo;South Asia remains among the least integrated regions in the world,&rdquo; Iqbal said. &ldquo;Through improved connectivity and trade facilitation, Pakistan and Bangladesh can open new avenues of shared prosperity for the region.&rdquo;

Bangladesh

Bangladeshi foreign minister engages Pakistan through a phone call and a Dhaka meeting with the high commissioner, reaffirming momentum for expanded cooperation, connectivity and forward-looking bilateral relations.

Pakistan, Bangladesh move to reset ties after Dhaka transition

TEHRAN: Iran&#39;s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Sunday that his country would respond to any US attack but held out hope for a diplomatic solution, saying he expected another round of talks in Geneva later in the week. Speaking in an interview on the US network CBS, the minister said there was a &quot;good chance&quot; that talks with US negotiators would head off renewed military strikes. He insisted, however, that Iran had a right to continued uranium enrichment for civilian purposes&mdash;and to strike US interests in the Middle East in response to any aggression. &quot;If the US attacks us, then we have every right to defend ourselves. If the US attacks us, that is the act of aggression. What we do in response is an act of self-defence,&quot; Araghchi said. &quot;It is justified, legitimate. So our missiles cannot hit the American soil. So obviously we have to do something else. We have to hit, you know, the American base in the region.&quot; Last year, in response to US strikes on its nuclear facilities, Iran fired missiles at the US airbase at Al-Udeid in Qatar. Iranian officials sometimes also refer to Israel as a US base. Araghchi, nevertheless, also said, &quot;I believe that still there is a good chance to have a diplomatic solution which is based on a win-win game.&quot; After a recent round of talks in Geneva, Iran said it was preparing a draft proposal for an agreement, which would be ready in a matter of days. Araghchi said negotiations were continuing, and &quot;we are working on the elements of a deal and draft of the text&quot;. &quot;I believe that when we meet, probably this Thursday in Geneva again, we can work on those elements and prepare a good text and come to a fast deal,&quot; he told CBS. But, as for Iran&#39;s uranium enrichment, which the US opposes, Araghchi said, &quot;As a sovereign country, we have every right to decide for ourselves, by ourselves.&quot;&nbsp;

Middle East

Abbas Araghchi warned Iran would strike US regional bases in self-defence if Washington launches any renewed military attack against the country

Iranian FM says Tehran has right to self-defense if US attacks

ISLAMABAD: A recent incident involving India&rsquo;s indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft has renewed scrutiny of the program&rsquo;s safety record and long-term reliability, marking the third serious mishap since the aircraft entered operational service.&nbsp;According to Indian media reports citing defense officials, a Tejas fighter jet overshot a runway earlier this month and veered into a ditch during landing after a suspected brake failure. The single-seat aircraft was operating on a routine training sortie. The pilot survived but sustained injuries. The incident was not publicly disclosed at the time.&nbsp;Officials told local outlet, The Print, the accident occurred on February 7 at a major Indian Air Force base during the landing phase. India&rsquo;s defense ministry has so far issued no official statement regarding the episode.&nbsp;The runway incident adds to a growing list of setbacks for the Tejas program. In March 2024, a Tejas jet crashed near Jaisalmer while returning from a firepower demonstration. The pilot ejected safely, but the aircraft was destroyed. In November 2025, another Tejas was lost during an aerobatic display at the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/indian-fighter-jet-crashes-at-dubai-airshow" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dubai Airshow</a> after reportedly losing control, killing Wing Commander Namannsh Syal.&nbsp;The Tejas, developed by India&rsquo;s Aeronautical Development Agency and produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the Indian Air Force and Navy, is a single-engine, 4.5-generation multirole fighter. It first flew in 2001 and was inducted into service in 2015, after years of delays.&nbsp;While Indian officials continue to describe Tejas as a cornerstone of the country&rsquo;s self-reliance drive in defense manufacturing, aviation analysts say the pattern of incidents is drawing attention within the global pilot and aerospace community.&nbsp;&ldquo;Repeated non-combat losses inevitably raise questions about systems maturity,&rdquo; a former Western test pilot familiar with light fighter programs said. &ldquo;Brake reliability, flight control software, and maintenance integration are all areas that tend to surface when an aircraft is pushed into regular operations.&rdquo;&nbsp;Defense observers further point out that single-engine fighter aircraft inherently operate with narrower safety margins. Without propulsion redundancy, they say, any system malfunction, especially during critical phases like landing, can quickly escalate into a serious incident.&nbsp;Analysts stress that while this does not automatically indicate a flawed design, it places significantly higher demands on reliability, maintenance standards, and pilot workload management.&nbsp;Observers say the lack of transparency surrounding recent incidents may further complicate confidence in the program, particularly as India seeks to market the Tejas internationally.&nbsp;Once promoted as a symbol of India&rsquo;s technological leap in combat aviation, the Tejas program is now confronting renewed debate over sustainability, operational efficiency, and safety. Questions that are likely to intensify unless addressed openly by authorities.

India

Aviation analysts flag recurring Tejas incidents, citing system maturity challenges, single-engine operational risks, and rising concerns over maintenance standards, transparency and long-term fleet reliability

Third Tejas mishap reignites concerns over India’s homegrown fighter jet

CAIRO:&nbsp;A senior Hamas official told AFP on Sunday that the Palestinian movement was in the final phase of selecting a new leader, with two prominent figures competing for the position. Hamas recently completed the formation of a new Shura Council, a consultative body largely composed of religious scholars, as well as a new political bureau, the official said. Since the war in Gaza began, Israeli forces have killed several of the movement&#39;s leaders, including two former chiefs. &quot;The movement has completed its internal elections in the three regions and has reached the final stage of selecting the head of the political bureau,&quot; the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly. He added that the race for the group&#39;s leadership is now between Khaled Meshaal and Khalil al-Hayya. A second Hamas source confirmed the development. Despite a US-brokered ceasefire that entered its second phase last month, violence has continued in Gaza, with Israel and Hamas blaming each other for violating the agreement. Members of the council are elected every four years by representatives from Hamas&#39;s three branches: the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank and the movement&#39;s external leadership. Hamas prisoners in Israeli jails are also eligible to vote. The council subsequently elects the political bureau, which in turn selects the head of the movement. &#39;Renew internal legitimacy&#39;A third Hamas source said the new leader will serve for only &quot;one year... a transitional period.&quot; Thousands of Hamas members voted to choose the council and the political bureau, the source added, without specifying how the vote was conducted. &quot;The primary goal of the process was to renew internal legitimacy and fill leadership vacancies,&quot; the source added. The new leader will need to navigate between international calls, led by the United States and Israel, for the group to disarm, and resistance to that demand from its armed wing, which fought Israeli forces in Gaza. Hamas, however, said it would surrender its weapons to the Palestinian Authority in Gaza under certain conditions. Both Meshaal and Hayya have years of experience within the movement. Hayya, 65, a Gaza native and Hamas&#39;s chief negotiator in ceasefire talks, has held senior roles since at least 2006, according to the US-based NGO the Counter Extremism Project (CEP). Meshaal, who led the political bureau from 2004 to 2017, has never lived in Gaza. He was born in the West Bank in 1956. He joined Hamas in Kuwait and later lived in Jordan, Syria and Qatar. The CEP says he oversaw Hamas&#39;s evolution into a political-military hybrid. He currently heads the movement&#39;s diaspora office. Last month, a Hamas source told AFP that Hayya enjoys backing from the group&#39;s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassem Brigades. After Israel killed former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July 2024, the group chose its then-Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar as his successor. Israel accused Sinwar of masterminding the October 7 attack. He, too, was killed by Israeli forces in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, three months after Haniyeh&#39;s assassination. Hamas then opted for an interim five-member leadership committee based in Qatar, postponing the appointment of a single leader until elections, given the risk of the new chief being targeted by Israel.&nbsp;

Hamas says it is finalizing selection of a new political chief, with Khaled Meshaal and Khalil al-Hayya competing after internal elections amid ongoing Gaza conflict and mounting regional political pressures

Hamas official says group in final stage of choosing new chief

JERUSALEM: India&#39;s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Israel on Wednesday, his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu said.&nbsp;&quot;The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, will arrive here; he will deliver a speech in the Knesset, and I&#39;m sure you will all be there,&quot; Netanyahu said Sunday at the opening of a cabinet meeting, referring to Israel&#39;s parliament.&nbsp;Netanyahu hailed growing ties between the two countries.&nbsp;&quot;The fabric of relations has grown tighter, and (Modi) is coming here so that we can tighten it even more,&quot; he said, mentioning cooperation in the economic, diplomatic and security spheres.&nbsp;Modi previously visited Israel as prime minister in 2017, before Netanyahu made a reciprocal visit to India the following year.

Asia

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Israel on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced, saying Modi will address the Knesset. Netanyahu hinted at strengthening bilateral ties, highlighting deeper economic, diplomatic, and security cooperation between the two countries.

Netanyahu says India's Modi to visit Israel Wednesday

KYIV:&nbsp;Russia fired scores of missiles and drones at targets across Ukraine on Sunday, crashing into energy and rail infrastructure and residential buildings, just two days before the fourth anniversary of Russia&#39;s invasion. AFP journalists in <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/kremlin-confirms-ukraine-war-talks-this-week-in-abu-dhabi" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kyiv</a> heard a series of blasts starting at around 4:00 am (0200 GMT), shortly after an air raid alert was issued, with the air force later widening the alert nationwide citing the threat of missiles. Energy sector&nbsp;&quot;Moscow continues to invest in strikes more than in diplomacy,&quot; <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-envoy-witkoff-says-meaningful-progress-made-in-ukraine-war-talks" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ukrainian</a>&nbsp;President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the attack on social media, saying that <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/ukraine-war-talks-to-resume-in-geneva-with-no-sign-of-progress" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Russia </a>launched about 50 missiles and 300 drones overnight.<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" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" 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=2025485107826483440&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=5b164ab87910bb4f5fc8d41b93805f9ff7d5a429&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 873px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2025485107826483440"></iframe></div></div>&quot;The main target of the attack was the energy sector. Ordinary residential buildings were also damaged, and there is damage to the railway.&quot; One killed, dozens wounded&nbsp;One man was killed and a dozen more people were wounded, among them four children, in and around Kyiv, Ukraine&#39;s national police said. AFP saw rescuers sifting through debris of a largely destroyed two-storey house in Sofiivska Borshchagivka in the Kyiv region. Temperatures had plunged to nearly -10C when the capital was struck, with emergency services deployed across the city. The Ukrainian capital, regularly targeted by Russian missile and drone attacks since the start of the invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, has faced waves of overnight strikes in recent weeks as Moscow has intensified its winter assaults. The Russian army said it had carried out a mass strike targeting facilities used by Ukraine&#39;s military, saying all targets were hit, in a standard comment for such attacks. Authorities in Russia&#39;s western Belgorod region said one man died after a Ukrainian drone strike. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;Act of terrorism&#39;&nbsp;</h2>The bombardment, which included ballistic and cruise missiles, prompted heightened vigilance across Ukraine, all the way to the western border. Ukraine&#39;s energy ministry said consumers in six eastern and southeastern regions were without power after the strikes. Poland&#39;s Operational Command said early Sunday it was scrambling jets after detecting &quot;long‑range aviation of the Russian Federation conducting strikes on the territory of Ukraine&quot;. In a separate attack, an explosion rocked a store in central Lviv, a western city near the Polish border far from the front line that is largely spared the worst of the conflict. Explosions ripped through a central shopping street at around midnight, killing a policewoman and wounding 25 people after officers responded to a reported break‑in. Hours later, law enforcement said it had detained a Ukrainian woman suspected in carrying out the bomb attack, without providing any further details and saying that an investigation was ongoing. &quot;This is clearly an act of terrorism,&quot; mayor Andriy Sadovyi said of the night-time assault. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&lsquo;Definitely not losing&rsquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>Ukraine will mark four years since Russia&#39;s assault on Feb. 24, 2022, a war that has shattered towns, uprooted millions and killed large numbers on both sides. Moscow occupies close to a fifth of Ukrainian territory and continues to grind forward, especially in the eastern Donbas region, despite heavy losses and repeated Ukrainian strikes on logistics. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told AFP on Friday that Ukraine was &quot;definitely not losing&quot; the war and that victory remained the goal. US push to end the warHe said Ukrainian forces had clawed back about 300 square kilometers (116 square miles) of territory in recent counter‑attacks, gains AFP could not immediately verify. If confirmed, they would be Kyiv&#39;s most significant advances since 2023. The United States is pushing both sides to end the war, brokering several rounds of talks in recent weeks without a clear breakthrough.

Europe

One man killed and a dozen more people wounded, among them four children, in and around Kyiv, Ukraine's national police say.

Russian missile barrage hits energy, railways across Ukraine

WASHINGTON: US envoy Steve Witkoff said on Saturday that President Donald Trump is questioning why Iran has not &quot;capitulated&quot; in the face of Washington&#39;s military build-up aimed at pressuring them into a nuclear deal. The United States and Iran this week resumed Oman-mediated talks in Geneva aimed at averting the possibility of military action, after Washington dispatched two <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-aircraft-carrier-enters-mediterranean-as-trump-mulls-iran-strikes" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">aircraft carriers</a>, jets and weaponry to the region to back its warnings. In a Fox News interview with Trump&#39;s daughter-in-law Lara, Witkoff said the president was &quot;curious&quot; about Iran&#39;s position after he had warned them of severe consequences in the event they failed to strike a deal. &lsquo;He&rsquo;s curious&rsquo;&nbsp;&quot;I don&#39;t want to use the word &#39;frustrated,&#39; because he understands he has plenty of alternatives, but he&#39;s curious as to why they haven&#39;t... I don&#39;t want to use the word &#39;capitulated,&#39; but why they haven&#39;t capitulated,&quot; he said. &quot;Why, under this pressure, with the amount of seapower and naval power over there, why haven&#39;t they come to us and said, &#39;We profess we don&#39;t want a weapon, so here&#39;s what we&#39;re prepared to do&#39;? And yet it&#39;s sort of hard to get them to that place.&quot; Meeting with Reza Pahlavi&nbsp;The US envoy also confirmed in the interview that he had met with Reza Pahlavi, who has not returned to Iran since before the 1979 Islamic Revolution that ousted the monarchy. &quot;I met him at the direction of the president,&quot; he said, without providing further details. US-based Pahlavi last week told a crowd in Munich that he was ready to lead the country to a &quot;secular democratic future&quot; after Trump said regime change would be best for the country. Draft proposal for agreement&nbsp; Witkoff&#39;s comments come after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/iran-to-submit-draft-nuclear-proposal-as-us-military-presence-grows" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">draft proposal</a> for an agreement with Washington would be ready in a matter of days. Trump said on Thursday that Iran had at most 15 days to make a deal on concerns starting with its nuclear program. As talks between the two nations continued in Geneva, Iran&#39;s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday said that Trump would not succeed in destroying the Islamic republic. Sanctions &nbsp;Western countries accuse the Islamic Republic of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies, though it insists on its right to enrichment for civilian purposes. Iran, for its part, is seeking to negotiate an end to sanctions that have proven to be a massive drag on its economy, which played a role in sparking anti-government protests in December.

The US and Iran this week resumed Oman-mediated talks in Geneva aimed at averting the possibility of military action, after Washington dispatched two aircraft carriers, jets and weaponry to the region to back its warnings.