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VIENNA:&nbsp;A drone hit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine, the UN nuclear agency has said, citing local officials. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) posted on social media that the Russian-run plant&#39;s operator informed it that a drone had hit the turbine building on Saturday, &quot;reportedly causing a hole in its wall&quot;. Russian media carried a statement from state-owned nuclear power firm Rosatom accusing <a href="https://pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-calls-for-ceasefire-renewed-commitment-to-diplomacy-in-ukraine" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ukraine</a> of a deliberate attack -- a claim strongly denied by Kyiv.&nbsp;Biggest nuclear power plantClose to the front line in southern Ukraine, <a href="https://pakistantv.com/article/un-condemns-dangerous-escalation-in-ukraine-war" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Zaporizhzhia</a> is the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe. Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of risking a nuclear catastrophe with attacks since it was captured by Russia&#39;s forces in 2022. &quot;There should be no attack of any kind from or against the plant&quot;, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi was quoted as saying in the agency&#39;s X post late on Saturday. &quot;Attacking nuclear sites is like playing with fire.&quot;<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-3" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-3&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2060821295944876185&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=4e68d0b7af64f6eb568e09f259275a67fd0586c5&theme=light&widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 702px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>Rosatom alleged the drone was controlled via a fiber-optic cable, which ruled out &quot;the possibility of an accidental strike&quot;. &quot;Today, we have come one step closer to an incident that is highly likely to affect even those who live far beyond the borders of Russia and Ukraine,&quot; Rosatom CEO Alexei Likachev told Russian media.&nbsp;Lacking &lsquo;logic&rsquo;Rejecting the accusations, Ukraine&#39;s foreign ministry said in a statement that they lacked &quot;logic&quot;. &quot;It is unclear why Ukraine would strike its own nuclear power plant located on its own territory, which it itself seeks to regain under its sovereign control,&quot; the ministry said. &quot;We consider these statements as yet another information operation by the occupying state.&quot; The strike blew a hole in the wall of the machine room but did not damage core equipment, Rosatom said. Authorities in Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia in April accused Ukraine of carrying out a strike which they said killed a transport worker.

Europe

Russian media carried a statement from state-owned nuclear power firm Rosatom accusing Ukraine of a deliberate attack -- a claim strongly denied by Kyiv; Zaporizhzhia is the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe.

Drone hits captured nuclear plant in Ukraine: IAEA

BRUSSELS: At a plant near Frankfurt, Germany, hydrogen and CO2 sourced from a nearby chlorine factory and a biogas facility are piped into a reactor and -- after a few more steps -- converted into jet fuel. Interest in such synthetic propellants is growing as the Iran war pushes Europe to reassess its dependencies, raising hopes of a turnaround for the struggling sector, according to industry experts. The conflict &quot;made the business case for e-SAF much stronger,&quot; Mariano Berkenwald, head of strategy at Ineratec, the firm operating the Frankfurt facility, told AFP. Before the war squeezed Europe&#39;s jet fuel supplies, electro-Sustainable Aviation Fuel (e-SAF), was largely touted for its climate friendly credentials. Doing away with oil can reduce planet-warming emissions from aviation by 90%, proponents say, with aviation itself responsible for up to 4% of all greenhouse gases released in the European Union. Brussels has made it a key component of a push to green up transport, mandating that fuel suppliers blend at least 1.2% of the stuff into the kerosene available at EU airports by 2030 and 35% by 2050. But the sector has struggled to take off, bogged down by high costs and low investments. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;Zero&#39; to hero?&nbsp;</h2>Founded 10 years ago, Ineratec launched production last year -- and its small German facility is currently the only one in Europe making the propellant. About 40 more projects under development are stuck in a rut, unable to secure the funding needed to start production plants, said Camille Mutrelle of advocacy group Transport &amp; Environment. Europe needs roughly nine more factories to meet the 2030 target, but &quot;we still have zero,&quot; she said. Ineratec&#39;s plant churns out some 2,500 tons of fuel a year, enough to power only about 50 transatlantic flights. With the clock ticking, Brussels, which recently scaled down the ambition of other climate goals, notably for cars, has been under pressure to scrap the target, or at least the hefty fines suppliers would face for failing to meet it. The industry was braced for a review of the mandate due next year. It now believes&nbsp;the Iran war and the resulting closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane for global gas and oil, might have changed the momentum. Since its key ingredients can be sourced entirely in Europe, e-SAF has drawn attention from military forces, which worry about the ready availability of fuel to power fighter jets, helicopters and other vehicles -- and could pay a premium for it, according to Matteo Mirolo, an aviation consultant specializing in sustainable fuels. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Defense interest&nbsp;</h2>E-SAF costs about 10 times as much as kerosene, and even supporters concede it is unlikely to ever match the price of its fossil-fuel-based rival. Germany&#39;s armed forces recently tested Ineratec&#39;s fuel.&nbsp; And other governments have expressed interest in building capacity, said Mutrelle. &quot;The current crisis is a wake-up call regarding Europe&#39;s energy independence,&quot; said Ourania Georgoutsakou, managing director of Airlines for Europe, a civil aviation lobby group. Making sustainable fuels cheaper and more readily available should be &quot;an urgent strategic priority&quot;, she added. Supporters hope that securing government backing for the technology could finally persuade investors to bet on it. Doubts over the sector and low prospective returns meant that energy majors have so far largely stayed away, preferring to invest in biofuels, said Mutrelle. Derived from waste, these propellants are also part of the EU&#39;s climate plans. But production often relies on the import of waste oil and fat from China, which makes them less palatable from a security of supply perspective. Fuel manufacturing group FuelsEurope did not reply to a request for comment. The European Commission said it was considering establishing an EU financing mechanism for e-SAF to support its development. &quot;We need home-grown energy, including fuels and aviation fuels,&quot; a commission spokesperson said. Berkenwald of Ineratec said the company has been getting more calls of late, but they have yet to translate them into contracts. &quot;We are hopeful that that&#39;s where this is heading,&quot; he said.

Business

Interest in synthetic propellants is growing as the Iran war pushes Europe to reassess its dependencies, raising hopes of a turnaround for the struggling sector, according to industry experts.

Europe's green jet fuels see upside in Iran war

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: EU Foreign Policy chief Kaja Kallas is set to visit Pakistan on June 1, when she will co-chair the 8th Session of the Pakistan-EU Strategic Dialogue. &ldquo;At the invitation of the Deputy Prime Minister/Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission (HR/VP), Kaja Kallas, will undertake an official visit to Pakistan on 1 June 2026,&rdquo; said a press release issued by Pakistan&rsquo;s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday.<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" 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=2060944333017342111&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=4e68d0b7af64f6eb568e09f259275a67fd0586c5&theme=light&widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 925px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>Pakistan-EU Strategic DialogueDuring the visit, Dar and Kallas will co-chair the 8th Session of the Pakistan-EU Strategic Dialogue. The dialogue is the highest-level platform for structured discussions between the two sides. During the visit, the EU HR/VP is also scheduled to call on the senior leadership, including the prime minister and the president. Pakistan deeply values its long-standing, multidimensional partnership with the European Union, which is anchored in shared values, robust economic cooperation, and a mutual commitment to multilateralism, the press release said. This upcoming visit underscores the sustained momentum of high-level political exchanges between Pakistan and the EU and reflects a shared commitment to further strengthening the Pakistan-EU partnership, it concluded.

Foreign Affairs

During the visit, Dar and Kallas will co-chair the 8th Session of the Pakistan-EU Strategic Dialogue; the dialogue is the highest-level platform for structured discussions between the two sides.

EU foreign policy chief to visit Pakistan on June 1

NEEM Ka THANA, INDIA: Dizzyingly deep pits from large-scale mining scar India&#39;s ancient Aravalli mountains, threatening the future of a forested buffer that New Delhi relies on for protection from furnace-hot desert winds. Residents have long protested that the hills of the 700-kilometer (435-mile) range are being torn apart by unchecked mining, to feed an insatiable hunger for concrete in some of the world&#39;s fastest-growing cities. Late last year, India&#39;s top court ordered a ban on new mining licenses in the region, but some fear the move comes too late. &lsquo;Mining has destroyed our region&rsquo;Loss of the hills is boosting already dangerously hot city temperatures, raising the risk of desertification, and worsening health problems, experts warn. For those living in the Aravallis, which stretch from western Gujarat state through Rajasthan to the heart of New Delhi, the consequences are already existential. &quot;Mining has destroyed our region,&quot; said Salle Kumar, a 34-year-old farmer who lives in a village sandwiched between two massive mines in Rajasthan. &quot;Our rivers are dead, our farms barren.&quot; &#39;Violently shakes&#39;&nbsp;Lung disease is also common, residents say. &quot;There is a blanket of dust all day from all the mining and stone crushing,&quot; said Subhash Saini, whose brother died from what private doctors said was silicosis, an illness caused by breathing in dust. A government hospital insisted it was tuberculosis, although silicosis can also make people more susceptible to TB. Most of the Aravallis lie in Rajasthan, and a 2018 Supreme Court-constituted committee found that a quarter of the state&#39;s hills have been quarried. Mines extract gneiss and granite for construction from the gigantic pits that now ring the village of Chatru Ki Dhani, home to fewer than 200 people. When AFP visited, explosions rang out repeatedly through the burning-hot air, as blasts split stone for mining. At villager Om Prakash Verma&#39;s home, the constant activity has left cracks in the walls. Other homes have simply collapsed, residents said. &quot;The earth violently shakes every time there is a blast, which is all day, all night,&quot; said Verma, who described quarry workers beating his aunt when she joined protests against the mines. &#39;Alarmist claims&#39;&nbsp;India&#39;s environment ministry says just 0.19% or 277 square kilometers (106 square miles) of the Aravalli landscape is open to mining. &quot;Contrary to alarmist claims, there is no imminent threat to the Aravallis&#39; ecology,&quot; it said in a December statement. But independent audits suggest a much wider mining footprint. A 2020 report by India&#39;s Comptroller and Auditor General, using satellite imagery and field verification, found around 34% of surveyed licensed mines extended beyond their legal boundaries. A 2025 judicial committee found 2,339 square kilometers of mines in the Rajasthan portion of the Aravallis alone. The scale of illegal activity means the Supreme Court&#39;s December decision to ban new mining licenses is too little, too late, activists say. &quot;Most existing mining leases are flawed and given without proper verification,&quot; said veteran anti-mining campaigner Kailash Meena. &quot;On top of that, there is widespread illegal extraction -- as audit after audit has confirmed.&quot; &#39;Physical barrier&#39;&nbsp;The degradation of the Aravallis will affect all of northern India, experts say. The range is a &quot;physical barrier for dust storms and heat waves&quot; from the western Thar desert, said ecologist CR Babu. The desert is already advancing eastwards, threatening the river floodplains of the Ganges, he warned. &quot;If we don&#39;t protect the Aravalli, the northern Gangetic plains -- which is a food basket for the rest of the country -- would become a desert,&quot; he said. &lsquo;Dust bowl&rsquo; DelhiDelhi, where temperatures in May hit 45C for several days in a row, is at particular risk of becoming &quot;a dust bowl with extreme heat load,&quot; he said. Activists like Meena, whose brother died of lung disease two decades ago, say they have repeatedly warned of these consequences. &quot;For years we have called for a crackdown on mining,&quot; he said. &quot;But now that urban dwellers realize their cities are getting hotter, everyone now wants to save the Aravallis.&quot; Parts of the hills, which peak at 1,722 meters (5,813 feet), still house dwindling populations of leopards, sloth bears, hyena and antelope. They offer a glimpse of what has been lost, with resilient shrubs painting the rolling hills dark green. In Rajasthan&#39;s Bhagwanpura village, 18-year-old Nikita Meena and fellow residents have camped on a hilltop since January to stop miners from entering one of the last untouched stretches. &quot;Come what may, we will not let the miners come here,&quot; she said. &nbsp;&quot;All mining brings is destruction.&quot;

India

A 2020 report by India's Comptroller and Auditor General found around 34% of surveyed licensed mines extended beyond their legal boundaries; a 2025 judicial committee found 2,339 square kilometers of mines in Rajasthan portion of Aravallis alone.

Mining turns India's heat-shield hills to dust

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s President Asif Ali Zardari has called for stronger legislation and enforcement measures to protect the country&#39;s population from the harms of tobacco and nicotine products in a message issued on May 31, World No Tobacco Day. President Zardari said tobacco continues to pose &quot;a serious threat to public health and economic well-being across the world, including Pakistan.&quot; President Zardari stated: &quot;The time has come that, besides other issues, our national parliament and provincial legislatures make laws and create effective enforcement mechanisms to protect our people and future generations and effectively resist the merchants of death.&quot; Citing World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, he noted that tobacco causes &quot;more than 7 million deaths every year worldwide, including about 1.6 million deaths from second-hand smoke exposure.&quot; &quot;These figures should compel us to reflect on the scale of a public health challenge that continues to affect millions of people and families,&quot; he said. The president said that &quot;children and young people remain particularly vulnerable&quot; and that the tobacco and nicotine industry &quot;continues to target younger generations through evolving products and marketing approaches designed to create and sustain addiction.&quot; He added that &quot;early exposure to nicotine heightens the risk of lifelong dependence and adverse health outcomes.&quot;&nbsp;Vaping and e-cigarettesReferring to recent research, President Zardari said that &quot;the use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vaping devices, nicotine pouches and other nicotine products presents growing public health concerns.&quot; He also cited &quot;concerning patterns of poly-substance use, where tobacco and nicotine products may coexist with other harmful substances, creating serious risks for young people and communities.&quot; &quot;Stronger awareness, regulation and prevention efforts are essential,&quot; he said. The president said widespread second-hand smoke exposure increases children&#39;s vulnerability to &quot;asthma, pneumonia, ear infections, low birth weight and sudden infant death,&quot; while tobacco products are &quot;closely linked with a growing burden of non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer and chronic respiratory conditions.&quot; He said, &quot;As your elder and as your head of state, I must tell you that this day is a reminder of our shared responsibility to protect current and future generations from the harms of tobacco products.&quot; Call for shaping awareness&nbsp;The president&nbsp;also said that &quot;parents, teachers, artists, poets, singers, musicians, actors, playwrights, healthcare professionals and community leaders all have a role in shaping awareness, discouraging the use of tobacco products and creating an ecosystem to protect our people.&quot; &quot;Change at the household and community level can contribute meaningfully to national progress in public health,&quot; he said.

Health

Says, ‘The time has come that besides other issues, our national parliament and provincial legislatures make laws and create effective enforcement mechanisms to protect our people and future generations and effectively resist the merchants of death.’

Pakistan president calls for stronger laws on World No Tobacco Day

WASHINGTON: A meteor crashing toward Earth exploded over the northeastern United States on Saturday, NASA said, setting off booms that echoed over the region with a blast equivalent to 300 tons of TNT. The fireball broke up over northeastern Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire at 2:06 p.m. (1806 GMT), the US space agency&#39;s deputy news chief Jennifer Dooren told AFP in a statement. &quot;This fireball was not associated with any currently active meteor shower, but it was a natural object and not a re-entry of space debris or a satellite,&quot; she said. &quot;The energy released at breakup is estimated to be equivalent to about 300 tons of TNT, which accounts for the loud booms.&quot; The meteor was traveling at 75,000 mph (more than 120,000 kph) at an altitude of 40 miles (64 km) when it broke apart, Dooren said. Area residents were alarmed by the unexpected loud booms, with social media users reporting that they were so powerful they shook houses.

Natural Disaster

 A meteor crashing toward Earth exploded over the northeastern United States, setting off booms that echoed over the region with a blast equivalent to 300 tons of TNT.

Meteor explodes over US with blast equivalent to 300 tons of TNT

PARIS: French police arrested 416 people during violent clashes that erupted when thousands poured onto the streets to celebrate Paris Saint-Germain&#39;s Champions League final victory on Saturday night, the country&#39;s interior minister said. Just over 280 of the arrests took place in Paris, Minister of Interior Laurent Nunez announced, calling the unrest in which seven police officers were wounded &quot;absolutely unacceptable.&quot;

Football

Arrests follow violent clashes that erupted when thousands poured onto the streets during Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League final victory on Saturday night.

French police arrest 416 people in clashes after Champions League final

Faraz Saeed

The first impression of Somon Palace in Dushanbe does not come from the building itself, but from what surrounds it. Approaching the presidential complex in the heart of Tajikistan&rsquo;s capital, the architecture is initially hidden behind expansive greenery. Tall trees line the approach, forming a shaded corridor that feels unexpectedly calm for a site of national importance. Beneath them, carefully maintained lawns stretch outward in wide, uninterrupted sheets of green. The landscape is not accidental; it is curated, controlled, and designed to soften the transition into one of the country&rsquo;s most secure and symbolic spaces. Walking through this natural corridor, the palace remains out of view. Instead, the experience builds gradually: rustling leaves, open space, and the sense of entering a reserved state environment rather than a public landmark. And then, it appears. Emerging from behind the trees and lawns, Somon Palace reveals itself as a circular, monumental structure, symmetrical, polished, and unmistakably ceremonial in design. The shift is abrupt yet intentional: from organic greenery to architectural precision, from openness to authority. Somon Palace, also known as the Palace of the Samanids, is located in central Dushanbe and forms part of the presidential reserve. It is one of the most important government buildings in Tajikistan, serving as a venue for presidential inaugurations, international summits, high-level diplomatic meetings, and official state ceremonies such as Navruz celebrations. It is also closely associated with the working and ceremonial functions of the President of Tajikistan. The entrance continues this transition in design language. A grand circular form leads visitors inward, acting less like a doorway and more like a threshold into a controlled institutional environment. From the moment you pass through it, the atmosphere changes, becoming quieter, more formal, and carefully structured. Inside, the architecture is dominated by scale and symmetry. A vast central staircase rises through the building like a ceremonial axis, designed not only for movement but for protocol and official processions. It anchors the interior visually and symbolically, reinforcing the building&rsquo;s role as a state venue. Somon Palace spans approximately 22,000 square meters across five floors and contains multiple halls designed for diplomatic and governmental functions. These include a banquet hall for official receptions, a congress hall for international meetings, negotiation rooms for closed-door discussions, and a contract signing room where formal agreements are concluded between states. Each space is shaped by purpose, balancing openness for ceremony with control for diplomacy. Outside, the grounds extend the same architectural philosophy. Manicured lawns surround the palace, broken by carefully arranged trees and ornamental plantings. Some vegetation appears to be imported species, integrated into the landscape design to enhance the sense of formality and global representation. The gardens are not merely decorative &mdash; they function as part of the palace&rsquo;s visual identity, reinforcing order and prestige. Somon Palace has hosted major national and international events, including the 2008 Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit and sessions of the Commonwealth of Independent States. It remains a central site for presidential inaugurations and high-level diplomatic receptions, making it one of the most politically significant buildings in Tajikistan. The experience of moving through the Somon Palace is defined by a sequence of trees, lawns, a circular entrance, a monumental interior, and ceremonial halls. Each layer transitions into the next with intention. Somon Palace is not experienced as a single structure, but as a journey from nature into state architecture, from openness into authority, and from public space into the formal world of governance.

Shorts

 The palace, also known as the Palace of the Samanids, is located in central Dushanbe and forms part of the presidential reserve.

Walking thorugh Dushanbe's Somon Palace and presidential grounds

US president says haste on Iran deal will waste a good deal; predicts securing US interests slowly but surely; warns of consequences if demands not met.

'We're close to a very good deal,' says Trump on Iran

DUSHANBE: Tajikistan&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin has said the Dushanbe Water Process has emerged as a key mechanism supporting the United Nations&rsquo; global water agenda, reflecting the country&rsquo;s growing role in international water diplomacy and long-term policy coordination. In an exclusive interview with Pakistan TV Digital on the sidelines of the Fourth High-Level International Conference on Water for Sustainable Development, Muhriddin said the initiative had helped mobilize political support, generate policy recommendations and facilitate major global water events, including the 2023 UN Water Conference. He said the process was now serving as an important preparatory platform for the upcoming UN Water Conferences scheduled for 2026 and 2028. The remarks come as water security, climate change and sustainable development are increasingly intertwined on the international agenda, prompting governments and multilateral institutions to seek stronger cooperation on managing global water challenges. Muhriddin said Tajikistan, under the leadership of President Emomali Rahmon, had worked closely with the United Nations over the past two decades to elevate water issues within the international system. He pointed to a series of UN General Assembly resolutions championed by Tajikistan, including the International Year of Freshwater, the International Decade for Action &ldquo;Water for Sustainable Development,&rdquo; as well as initiatives focused on glacier preservation and cryospheric sciences. The foreign minister also highlighted the Group of Friends of Water in New York, launched by Tajikistan and now comprising more than 60 countries. &ldquo;The platform has helped maintain international momentum on water issues between major conferences,&rdquo; he said, adding that it had strengthened awareness and engagement on water-related challenges across the UN system. Muhriddin described the Dushanbe Water Process as an &ldquo;inclusive mechanism&rdquo; designed to support implementation of international commitments and enhance cooperation among governments, international organizations and other stakeholders working to address global water challenges. He also pointed to a new proposal unveiled during the fourth Dushanbe Water Conference, the &ldquo;Dushanbe Water Framework,&rdquo; aimed at strengthening international coordination and extending discussions on global water governance beyond 2030. According to the foreign minister, the initiative builds on the outcomes of the 2023 UN Water Conference and the International Decade for Action on Water, reflecting Tajikistan&rsquo;s commitment to advancing international cooperation and sustainable water management in the years ahead. <div class="fr-embed youtube-embed"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n_8T23CU1EA?si=f05x6D0twLsYCMX2" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; max-width: 100%; display: block;"></iframe>&nbsp;</div>

Central Asia

Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin says the Dushanbe Water Process has become a key driver of the UN water agenda, helping shape global policy, mobilize cooperation and prepare for upcoming UN water conferences in 2026 and 2028.

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Latest News

Drone hits captured nuclear plant in Ukraine: IAEA

Europe's green jet fuels see upside in Iran war

EU foreign policy chief to visit Pakistan on June 1

Mining turns India's heat-shield hills to dust

Pakistan president calls for stronger laws on World No Tobacco Day