The Trump administration has announced the end of its aggressive immigration operation in Minnesota following widespread protests, political backlash, and the killing of two US citizens.

Trump ends immigration crackdown in Minnesota

The Trump administration has announced the end of its aggressive immigration operation in Minnesota following widespread protests, political backlash, and the killing of two US citizens.

President Donald Trump's pointman on Thursday announced the end of an aggressive immigration operation in Minnesota that triggered large protests and nationwide outrage following the killing of two US citizens.
Thousands of federal agents including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers conducted weeks of sweeping raids and arrests in what the administration claims were targeted missions against criminals.
"I have proposed and President Trump has concurred that this surge operation conclude," Trump official Tom Homan told a briefing outside Minneapolis. "A significant drawdown has already been underway this week and will continue through the next week."
The operation sparked tense demonstrations in the Minneapolis area, and the fatal separate shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti last month led to a wave of criticism.
Homan raised the prospect that the officers would move to another location but gave no details, and speculation is rife about which city might be targeted next.
"In the next week, we're going to deploy the officers here on detail, back to their home stations or other areas of the country where they are needed. But we're going to continue to enforce immigration law," he said.
Campaigning against illegal immigration helped Trump get elected in 2024, but daily videos from Minnesota of violent masked agents, and multiple reports of people being targeted on flimsy evidence, helped send the president's approval ratings plummeting.
The case of Liam Conejo Ramos, five, who was detained on January 20, also stoked anger.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the ICE operation in his city "had been catastrophic for our neighbors and businesses, and now it's time for a great comeback.
"We will show the same commitment to our immigrant residents," he added.
 - 'Unprecedented federal invasion' -
After killings of Good and Pretti, the Republican president withdrew combative Customs and Border Protection commander Gregory Bovino and replaced him with Homan who sought to engage local Democratic leaders.
Minneapolis is a Democratic-run "sanctuary" city where local police do not cooperate with federal immigration officials.
Resident and banking product manager Molly, 42, told AFP "I don't buy it."
"They pulled the same public relations (stunt) in Los Angeles," she said referring to an immigration crackdown to the Californian city last summer.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called the ICE deployment in his state an "unprecedented federal invasion in all aspects of life."
"This is something I don't think any state has ever experienced," he said Thursday, adding that he was "cautiously optimistic" about the withdrawal.
Democrats have called for major reforms to ICE, including ending mobile patrols, prohibiting agents from concealing their faces and requiring warrants.
If political negotiations over ICE fail in Washington, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) could face a funding shortfall starting Saturday.
On Thursday Democrats in the Senate blocked a push to fund DHS following an acrimonious four-hour hearing on the immigration crackdown.
Customs and Border Protection and ICE operations could continue using funds approved by Congress last year, but other sub-agencies such as federal disaster organization FEMA could be affected.
Homan said that some officers would stay behind in Minnesota but did not give a figure.
"The Twin Cities, Minnesota in general, are and will continue to be, much safer for the communities here because of what we have accomplished under President Trump's leadership," Homan said at the briefing on the outskirts of Minneapolis and neighboring St. Paul.
He said more than 200 people had been arrested during the operation for interfering with federal officers, but gave no estimate for the number of immigration-linked arrests and deportations.
"The lasting impact of these traumas will reverberate for years, but our communities have shown how connected and resilient we are," Liz Digitale Anderson, a community organizer, told AFP.

Bangladesh holds its 13th parliamentary elections with nearly 1 million security personnel deployed. Voting also coincides with a referendum on an 84-point reform package.

Voting underway in Bangladesh’s crucial general election amid tight security

Bangladesh holds its 13th parliamentary elections with nearly 1 million security personnel deployed. Voting also coincides with a referendum on an 84-point reform package.

Voting began on Thursday morning in Bangladesh's crucial general election -- the first since the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina in massive nationwide protests in August 2024.
The voting started in 299 out of 300 parliamentary constituencies across the country from 7:30 am (local time) and will continue until 4:30 pm.
The counting of votes is expected to begin shortly after the voting concludes.
Voting in one constituency has been cancelled due to the death of a candidate.
The 13th parliamentary elections are being held simultaneously along with a referendum on a complex 84-point reform package.
The Election Commission has made elaborate security arrangements, deploying nearly 1 million security personnel -- the largest-ever in the country's electoral history.
The contest is mainly between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its once ally Jamaat-e-Islami, in the absence of Hasina's now-disbanded Awami League.
Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus' interim government last year disbanded the Awami League and barred it from contesting the polls.
A total of 1,755 candidates from 50 political parties and 273 independents are contesting the election.
The BNP has fielded the highest number of 291 candidates.
There are 83 female candidates.
Yunus, who has promised to quickly transfer power to the elected government, has urged the political parties, candidates and other concerned parties to maintain restraint, tolerance and democratic behaviour on the polling day.
In a televised address to the nation on the eve of the polling, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin called upon the voters to cast their votes freely.
He urged political parties, candidates, and voters to maintain a peaceful and cordial environment.
He said that representatives from 45 countries and organisations, including election management bodies and international institutions, are observing the polls.
Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Machud said nearly 9,00,000 law enforcement personnel have been deployed to ensure security during the election, state-run BSS news agency reported.
Authorities have deployed Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and Rapid Action Teams (RATs) across key areas of the capital.
Police said they have provided a list of risk-prone polling centres to the EC, which showed that out of 2,131 polling centres in Dhaka, 1,614 were risk-prone.
However, the army said they have identified two centres in Dhaka city to be "risky".
For the first time, drones and body-worn cameras are being used for election security.
EC data showed that first-time voters made up some 3.58 per cent of the nearly 127 million voters.
For the first time, nearly 8,00,000 expatriate Bangladeshis, who have registered with the poll body, will be able to vote through an IT-based postal ballot system.
BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman has called upon all citizens to exercise their franchise by going to their respective polling stations and casting their votes for candidates of their choice.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Rahman said, "Dear pro-democracy brothers and sisters, I request everyone to exercise their voting rights in a festive and peaceful environment. Vote for whomever you deem fit. Vote according to your own choice, and ensure your state rights and ownership."
"Insha'Allah, from tomorrow, your Members of Parliament will take on the responsibility of serving you. I will take on the duty of ensuring that every victorious candidate of the sheaf of paddy (Dhaner Shis) properly fulfills their responsibilities," he added.
Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser to the interim government, speaking to reporters after voting, described the day as one of &ldquo;great joy,&rdquo; calling it &ldquo;the birthday of the new Bangladesh.&rdquo;
He said the nation had &ldquo;completely renounced the nightmarish past&rdquo; and urged citizens to participate in both the parliamentary election and the referendum.
He concluded his remarks by extending greetings to the nation, saying &ldquo;Eid Mubarak.&rdquo;
Meanwhile, there have been reports of overnight clashes in Bangladesh.
Three persons have been arrested by police on allegations of distributing ballot paper photocopies among activists of a party at Kalai area of northwestern Joypurhat, Ittefaq newspaper reported.
The Daily Star reported &ldquo;ballot stuffing allegations spark clash between Jamaat and BNP activists&rdquo; in northeastern Sylhet&rsquo;s Balaganj sub-district where a local Jamaat leader and several others entered a polling centre at around midnight when BNP activists rushed resulting in scuffles requiring security interventions.
The BNP nominee there alleged ballot stamping had begun at 11:00pm with the presiding officer's help.
In capital Dhaka, police arrested a Jamaat leader over buying votes while crude bombs were exploded near seven polling centres in southwestern Gopalganj hours before voting.
In a midnight Faceboook statement, Jamaat Ameer or chief Shafiqur Rahman called the incidents as &ldquo;rumours&rdquo; urging people to ignore them saying &ldquo;dear countrymen, a &lsquo;laylatul gujob&rsquo; (night of rumours) is underway, don&rsquo;t pay a heed to them&rdquo;.

The US House voted 219-211 to reject President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods, with six Republicans joining Democrats in a largely symbolic rebuke of his trade policy.

US House rejects Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods in rare rebuke

The US House voted 219-211 to reject President Donald Trump&rsquo;s tariffs on Canadian goods, with six Republicans joining Democrats in a largely symbolic rebuke of his trade policy.

US House lawmakers voted Wednesday to reject Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods, sweeping aside the president's last-gasp threat of election consequences for Republicans to deliver a rare rebuke on his signature economic policy.
The measure brought by Democrats was approved 219-211, with six Republicans joining the effort.
It remains largely a symbolic move.
The House can consider measures to end the national emergencies Trump declared last year to impose sweeping tariffs on imports from various countries.
But any actions aimed at undoing Trump's tariffs on Canada and other trading partners will still need US Senate passage and the president's signature.
Even if it clears the Senate, it would face a certain veto by Trump, and Congress would unlikely muster the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto.
Trump sought to inject himself into the action at the last minute, issuing a direct political threat to lawmakers from his own Republican Party as the vote was taking place on the House floor.
"Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
"TARIFFS have given us Economic and National Security, and no Republican should be responsible for destroying this privilege," he added.
Wednesday's rebuke comes after the expiration of a measure barring any vote on the issue of tariffs in the chamber -- a move that has stifled opposition to Trump's trade policy.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Trump ally in Congress, sought to renew this prohibition on Tuesday but was unsuccessful, as three House Republicans voted alongside Democrats to block the move.
Earlier Wednesday, House Republican Don Bacon posted on social media that lawmakers "cannot &amp; should not outsource our responsibilities."
"As an old fashioned Conservative I know tariffs are a tax on American consumers," he added, noting that debates and votes on the issue should occur in the House.
Canada -- like other US trading partners -- has been hit by various waves of Trump's tariffs since he returned to office early last year, tapping emergency economic powers to justify the duties.
Broad exemptions for Canadian goods however have softened the blow.
Trump may have imposed a 35-percent tariff on many Canadian products last year, but he provided lower rates for energy imports and created sweeping exclusions for goods entering under the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA).
Trump's separate sector-specific tariffs -- especially on autos, steel and aluminum -- have hit Canada hard.
But overall, more than 85 percent of all bilateral trade has remained tariff-free under USMCA terms.
Trump's country-specific tariffs, justified by emergency economic powers, have faced legal challenges too and the Supreme Court is due to rule on their legality in the near future.
While Trump has repeatedly touted tariffs as a positive development for the country, a Pew Research Center survey released this month indicated that 60 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump's higher tariffs.

US President Trump met Israeli PM Netanyahu to continue Iran negotiations. Netanyahu stressed Israel's security, while Iran rejected extra demands beyond its nuclear program.

Trump tells Israel's Netanyahu Iran talks must continue

US President Trump met Israeli PM Netanyahu to continue Iran negotiations. Netanyahu stressed Israel's security, while Iran rejected extra demands beyond its nuclear program.

US President Donald Trump told Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House Wednesday that talks with Iran must continue, rebuffing the Israeli prime minister's push for a tougher stance against Tehran.
"There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated," Trump said on social media after their three-hour meeting.
"If it can, I let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference. If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be," said Trump, adding a reminder of last year's US strikes against Iran's nuclear program.
Seeking to push for the Islamic republic's ballistic missile program to be included in any deal, Netanyahu had rushed to Washington for his seventh meeting with Trump since the US leader returned to power.
Netanyahu's office said that during the talks with Trump the Israeli premier had "insisted on the security needs of the state of Israel in relation to the negotiations" on Iran.
Trump has hinted at US military action against Iran following Tehran's deadly crackdown on protesters, but at the same time Washington and Tehran restarted talks last week with a meeting in Oman.
Talks had been suspended after the US strikes on Iran's atomic sites during Israel's 12-day war with Iran last July.
 - What does Netanyahu want? -
The White House meeting was held behind closed doors, with Netanyahu slipping in via a side entrance without receiving the traditional honor guard. Trump and Netanyahu were seen shaking hands in a photograph released by the Israeli premier's office.
Netanyahu said as he left for Washington his talks would "first and foremost" be about the Iran negotiations, while adding they would also discuss Gaza and other regional issues.
"I will present to the president our views regarding the principles for the negotiations," he said in a video statement. Netanyahu's office said he would highlight Iran's missile arsenal.
Israel's concerns came to a head during their unprecedented war last year, during which Iran launched waves of ballistic missiles and other projectiles at Israeli territory, striking both military and civilian areas.
 - What does Trump think? -
While boosting hopes of a nuclear deal, Trump has also been dialing up the threat of possible US military action against Iran.
He warned in an interview with Axios news outlet Tuesday that he was "thinking" of sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region.
"Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time," Trump said. "We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going."
 - What does Iran say? -
So far, Iran has rejected expanding its talks with the United States beyond the issue of its nuclear program, though Washington also wants Tehran's ballistic missile program and its support for regional militant groups on the table.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday that Tehran would "not yield to excessive demands" on its nuclear program.
But he insisted his country was not "not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons."
 - 'Board of Peace' and West Bank -
Netanyahu's visit will also include other issues, from Gaza to the West Bank.
He officially signed on as a member of Trump's "Board of Peace" during a meeting earlier Wednesday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Israeli PM's office said.
The group was originally meant to oversee the Gaza ceasefire but Trump is now positioning it as a possible rival to the United Nations.
The meeting also came amid growing international outrage over Israeli measures to tighten control of the occupied West Bank by allowing settlers to buy land directly from Palestinian owners.

US President Trump calls the US-India trade deal historic, promising increased coal exports and a $500 billion trade framework covering energy, industrial goods, and technology over five years.

US President Trump hails trade deal with India as 'historic'

US President Trump calls the US-India trade deal historic, promising increased coal exports and a $500 billion trade framework covering energy, industrial goods, and technology over five years.

US President Donald Trump has hailed the trade deal with India as &ldquo;historic&rdquo; and said America will increase its coal exports dramatically to the country and to others with which it has trade agreements.
&ldquo;And under our leadership, we're becoming a massive energy exporter. In just the past few months, we've made historic trade deals with Japan, Korea, India and others to increase our coal exports dramatically,&rdquo; Trump said Wednesday during an event titled &lsquo;Champion of Coal&rsquo;.
"We're now exporting coal all over the world, and the quality of our coal is supposed to be...the finest anywhere in the world,&rdquo; he said.
Last week, the US and India announced they have reached a framework for an interim agreement on trade, under which New Delhi will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all American industrial goods, a wide range of food and agricultural products, as well as purchase USD 500 billion of US products over the next five years.
A joint statement issued by the two countries on Friday said they have reached a framework "regarding reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade.&rdquo;
It said that India &ldquo;intends to purchase USD 500 billion of US energy products, aircraft and aircraft parts, precious metals, technology products, and coking coal over the next five years.&rdquo;
It added that the framework reaffirms the countries&rsquo; commitment to the broader US-India Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) negotiations, launched by President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 13, 2025, which will include additional market access commitments and support more resilient supply chains.

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri testified in California trial, rejecting claims that social media causes clinical addiction in children, while defending Meta’s safety measures and engagement policies.

Instagram CEO denies addiction claims in landmark US trial

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri testified in California trial, rejecting claims that social media causes clinical addiction in children, while defending Meta&rsquo;s safety measures and engagement policies.

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri on Wednesday rejected the notion that users could be clinically addicted to social media, as he testified in a landmark California trial over whether his company knowingly hooked children on its platform for profit.
Meta -- the parent company of Instagram and Facebook -- and Google-owned YouTube are defendants in the blockbuster trial, which could set a legal precedent regarding whether social media giants deliberately designed their platforms to be addictive to children.
"I think it's important to differentiate between clinical addiction and problematic use," Mosseri said as he was grilled by plaintiff attorney Mark Lanier.
"I'm sure I said that I've been addicted to a Netflix show when I binged it really late one night, but I don't think it's the same thing as clinical addiction," he added.
Lanier immediately challenged this point, emphasizing that the witness did not have a degree in medicine or psychology.
"I've never claimed being able to diagnose addiction clinically," Mosseri responded during the exchange.
"I'm sure I was using the word too casually."
Facing him, mothers of teenagers who had taken their own lives held back their anger in the public gallery.
These representatives of families who have filed complaints against major platforms in the United States had camped out in the rain outside the courthouse to secure seats.
 - Dopamine dispensers? -
Addiction is at the heart of the civil trial, which centers on allegations that a 20-year-old woman, identified as Kaley G.M., suffered severe mental harm after becoming addicted to social media as a young child.
She started using YouTube at six and joined Instagram at 11, before moving on to Snapchat and TikTok two or three years later.
"The Instagram that Kaley signed up for was very different and presented a much smaller set of risks back then," Mosseri said, noting that the service was "a much smaller, more focused app" before it had to adapt to the changing world.
Mosseri described safety features added to Instagram since it was bought by Facebook in 2012, some of which had "negative effects" on engagement and revenue.
Mosseri was the first major Silicon Valley figure to appear before the jury to defend himself against accusations that Instagram functions as little more than a dopamine "slot machine" for vulnerable young people.
Meta's attorney reasoned in opening remarks that the suffering encountered by the plaintiff was due to troubles in her home life and could not be attributed to use of Instagram or other social media.
An attorney for YouTube insisted that the video platform was neither intentionally addictive nor technically social media, but more a viewing venue like Netflix.
In front of the jury of six men and six women, Mosseri pushed back against the idea that Meta was motivated by a "move fast and break things" ethos that valued profit over safety.
"Protecting minors over the long run is even good for the business and for profit," he said.
Mosseri's testimony precedes the highly anticipated appearance of his boss, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, currently scheduled for February 18, with YouTube CEO Neil Mohan the following day.
 - Apps or traps? -
In opening remarks this week, plaintiffs' attorney Lanier told the jury that YouTube and Meta both engineer addiction in young people's brains to gain users and profits.
Meta and Google "don't only build apps; they build traps," Lanier said.
Under questioning, Mosseri said that while teens tended to be trendsetters when it comes to technology, Instagram makes less money from them than from older users because they tend not to click on ads.
"They don't have a lot of expendable income to then buy things if they do click on ads," Mosseri added.
Social media firms face more than a thousand lawsuits accusing them of leading young users to become addicted to content and suffer from depression, eating disorders, psychiatric hospitalization, and even suicide.
Kaley G.M.'s case is being treated as a bellwether proceeding with an outcome that could set the tone for a wave of similar litigation across the United States.

Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said India has safeguarded sensitive agricultural and dairy sectors in the interim trade agreement with the US, with the pact expected to be finalised by March.

All key sensitive sectors protected under India-US Interim trade pact: Commerce Secretary

Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said India has safeguarded sensitive agricultural and dairy sectors in the interim trade agreement with the US, with the pact expected to be finalised by March.

India has always negotiated with a "clear mindset" on sectors that are "very" sensitive for the country in trade pacts and has protected all those key segments under the interim trade agreement with the US, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said.
He also said that both teams are working to convert the joint statement into a legal agreement, which is expected to be finalised and signed before the end of March.
"India has always negotiated all agreements with a clear mindset, anything that is very sensitive to India, anything where we feel our farmers, fishermen, dairy, they are going to be impacted, we have been very clear to our partner countries that India can not open up or provide access," he told reporters here.
"If you look at all the agreements that we have done in the last year, five trade agreements that we did -- all the sensitive sectors have been protected. In the US, all the key sensitive sectors have been protected. Wherever there is a little sensitivity, we have used tariff rate quota mechanisms to ensure that any market access is limited in nature and it doesn't impact our farmers," he added.
Under the interim trade pact, which was announced earlier this month, India has fully protected sensitive agricultural and dairy products such as maize, wheat, rice, soya, poultry, milk, cheese, ethanol (fuel), tobacco, certain vegetables and meat, as no duty concessions have been granted to the US on these goods under the pact.
These goods are sensitive because they involve the livelihoods of small and marginal farmers in the country.
In other Free Trade Agreements (FTA), India has not extended any import duty concessions on sensitive agri and dairy products. It has recently finalised FTAs with the European Union, the UK and Australia.
Agriculture and allied activities such as animal husbandry form the backbone of India's rural economy, employing over 500 million people. Unlike in developed economies, where agriculture is highly mechanised and corporatised, in India, it is a livelihood issue.
India's agriculture sector is currently protected by moderate to high tariffs or import duties and regulations to shield domestic farmers from unfair competition.
The US agri exports to India were USD 1.6 billion in 2024. Key exports include Almonds (in shell, USD 868 million); Pistachios (USD 121 million), Apples (USD 21 million), Ethanol (ethyl alcohol, USD 266 million).
The secretary is here for the Biofach 2026 show, where over 100 Indian exhibitors from about 20 states are showcasing their organic products. The European Union (EU) is a big market for these goods.
"The teams are working on it, and by March, we are hopeful to make it (interim trade pact with the US) official," Agrawal said.
Talking about the labour-intensive sectors, he said the pact with the US will give them an edge as compared to the competitor nations, which are facing higher tariffs than India in the American market.
The reciprocal tariffs on India will be reduced to 18 per cent, while it is 35 per cent for China and 20 per cent for Vietnam.
"Since the US has been a strong market for the labour-intensive sector, with this interim agreement, there will be an advantage to our labour-intensive sectors. They will be able to grow unhindered.
"So my sense is that Indian exporters will be able to compete with their competitors, revive and rejuvenate the supply chains that they might have missed out during the Christmas time and see that Indian exports not only grow but do well as they were doing last year, and also grow in the coming years," the secretary said.
Labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, apparel, marine, gems and jewellery were impacted due to the steep 50 per cent tariffs imposed by the US.
The Trump-administration has removed the 25 per cent punitive tariffs and will cut down the reciprocal tariffs to 18 per cent from 25 per cent.
Agrawal also said that stakeholders and exporters are happy with the outcome, and they have given a "thumbs up" to the overall agreement.
"What we have been able to achieve in the interim agreement is good for India and our exports. I don't see any major red line in this," he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to urge US President Donald Trump to adopt a harder line on Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes during talks in Washington.

Netanyahu to Discuss Expansion of U.S.-Iran Talks with Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to urge US President Donald Trump to adopt a harder line on Iran&rsquo;s nuclear and missile programmes during talks in Washington.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will push Donald Trump on Wednesday to take a tougher stance in nuclear talks with Iran, after rushing to Washington to stiffen the US president's resolve.
Trump said on the eve of the hastily arranged White House meeting -- set to begin at 11:00 am local time (1600 GMT)-- that he was weighing sending a second US "armada" to the Middle East to pressure Tehran to reach a nuclear deal.
But Netanyahu, making his sixth visit to the United States since Trump took office, will also be urging the US leader to take a harder line on arch-foe Iran's ballistic missile program.
Tehran, which resumed talks with Washington last week in Oman, warned Monday of "destructive influences" on diplomacy ahead of the Israeli premier's visit.
Netanyahu had been expected to come to Washington for a February 19 meeting of Trump's "Board of Peace" for Gaza, but reportedly brought forward his visit as the US-Iran talks proceeded.
 - What does Trump think? -
Already in town Tuesday night, Netanyahu met with Trump's Middle East envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
They "discussed regional issues, and they provided an update on the first round of negotiations they held with Iran last Friday," according to a statement on the X account for the Israeli prime minister.
While talking up hopes of a nuclear deal, Trump warned in an interview with the Axios news outlet earlier Tuesday that he was "thinking" of sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region.
"Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time," Trump said. "We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going."
Trump, who ordered US strikes on Tehran's nuclear sites during Israel's 12-day war with Iran last June, separately told Fox Business that any deal would have to involve "no nuclear weapons, no missiles."
He added that Iran's leaders "want to make a deal" but "it's got to be a good deal," saying Tehran had been "very dishonest with us over the years."
 - What are Netanyahu's goals? -
Netanyahu said as he left for Washington his talks would "first and foremost" be about the Iran negotiations, while adding that they would also discuss Gaza and other regional issues.
"I will present to the president our views regarding the principles for the negotiations," he said in a video statement. Netanyahu's office said he would highlight Iran's missile arsenal.
Israel's concerns came to a head during their unprecedented war last year, during which Iran launched waves of ballistic missiles and other projectiles at Israeli territory, striking both military and civilian areas.
So far, Iran has rejected expanding the scope of its talks with the United States beyond the issue of its nuclear program, though Washington also wants Tehran's ballistic missile program and its support for regional militant groups on the table.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog, speaking during a visit to Australia, said he hoped the talks would help fight Iran's "empire of evil."
 - What about the West Bank? -
The meeting will also come amid growing international outrage over Israeli measures to tighten control of the occupied West Bank by allowing settlers to buy land directly from Palestinian owners.
Israel's security cabinet approved the move ahead of Netanyahu's Washington visit. It's unclear whether Trump will address it.
A US official said on Monday that Trump "does not support Israel annexing the West Bank" and wants stability, while holding off from directly criticizing the Israeli government's moves.
 - How many meetings? -
Wednesday's meeting will be the sixth between the two leaders on US soil since Trump returned to office in January 2025 -- five times at the White House and once at the Republican's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
A seventh meeting took place in Jerusalem in October when Trump announced a ceasefire in Gaza.

Bangladesh’s Election Commission has identified more than half of polling centres as risk-prone for the general elections, with 90% under CCTV surveillance and nearly one million security personnel deployed nationwide.

Bangladesh elections: Over 50% polling centres considered 'risky', CCTV installed at most stations

Bangladesh&rsquo;s Election Commission has identified more than half of polling centres as risk-prone for the general elections, with 90% under CCTV surveillance and nearly one million security personnel deployed nationwide.

More than half the polling centres have been identified as "risk-prone" for the general elections in Bangladesh, as officials said 90 per cent of them will be under CCTV surveillance, with many policemen deployed in the capital, Dhaka, wearing body cameras.
Officials said the Election Commission's security system is based on risk assessment. &ldquo;Security deployment is being made based on local sensitivity assessments,&rdquo; Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Mohammad Sanaullah told a media briefing late Tuesday.
EC officials said the elections would witness the largest-ever deployment of law enforcement personnel and the most extensive use of technology in the country's electoral history.
Sanaullah said the poll body expected law enforcement agencies to ensure a peaceful atmosphere for voters during polling and after elections. He said the EC was largely satisfied with the current law-and-order situation and &ldquo;compared to any time in the past, we are in a better position now&rdquo;.
His comments came hours after the police Inspector General Baharul Alam said they found 24,000 out of nearly 43,000 polling centres across the country were &ldquo;high&rdquo; or &ldquo;moderate&rdquo; risk-prone election stations.
Police said they provided a list of risk-prone polling centres to the EC, which showed that out of 2,131 polling centres in Dhaka, 1,614 were risk-prone. However, the army, in a media briefing earlier, said they have identified two centres in Dhaka city to be "risky".
Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd.) Abul Fazal Md. Sanaullah on Tuesday said nearly 958,000 law enforcement personnel have been deployed across the country to ensure a free, fair and impartial national election and referendum on Thursday.
"Additionally, for the first time, UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), drones, and body-worn cameras are being used for election security," he told a press briefing on overall election preparations at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital's Agargaon.
He said voting will be held in 299 constituencies on Thursday. Voting in Sherpur-3 has been postponed due to the death of a candidate there.
A total of 2,098 executive magistrates and 657 judicial magistrates will discharge duties in the election filed.
The Election Commissioner said, "For the first time, UAVs, drones, and body-worn cameras are being used for law enforcement. Around 25,000 body-worn cameras will be deployed on the field. Some of these are IP-based for live feed, while others will record locally. Moreover, for continuous monitoring, CCTV cameras have already been installed in over 90% of centres."
He said voting will continue from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm. However, voters present within the polling center by 4:30 pm will still be allowed to vote.
He said voting will be held in a total of 42,659 centres.
EC data showed that first-time voters made up some 3.58 per cent of the total 1,27,700,597 voters. The polls are being held simultaneously along with a referendum on a complex 84-point reform package.
The contest is mainly between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its once ally, Jamaat-e-Islami. Chief adviser Muhammad Yunus&rsquo; interim government last year disbanded deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina&rsquo;s Awami League and barred it from contesting the polls.
A series of pre-poll surveys conducted in the past two months by consulting firms, research organisations and think tanks suggest that the BNP was the frontrunner and that its new chairman, Tarique Rahman, is in pole position to be the next prime minister.
Hasina&rsquo;s Awami League government was ousted in a student-led violent street protest, dubbed the July Uprising, on August 5, 2024.

Nine people were killed and 27 injured in a shooting incident at a secondary school and residence in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. The suspect was found dead, police said.

9 killed in Canada shooting that targeted school, residence: police

Nine people were killed and 27 injured in a shooting incident at a secondary school and residence in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. The suspect was found dead, police said.

A mass shooting in a remote part of western Canada killed nine people on Tuesday, including seven who were shot at a secondary school, before the suspect took their own life.
The killings occurred in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, a picturesque mountain valley town in the foothills of the Rockies.
A total of 27 people were wounded, including two with serious injuries and 25 others who suffered non-life-threatening injuries, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement.
Canadian media have reported that the shooter was female, but the RCMP declined to provide any details on the suspect's identity in a press conference on Tuesday.
Police said an alert was issued about an active shooter at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Tuesday afternoon.
As police searched the school, they found six people shot dead. A seventh person with a gunshot wound died while en route to hospital.
Separately, police found two more dead bodies at a residence in Tumbler Ridge.
This residence is "believed to be connected to the incident," police said.
At the school, "an individual believed to be the shooter was also found deceased with what appears to be a self‑inflicted injury," police said.
In a statement, the municipality of Tumbler Ridge said: "There are no words sufficient for the heartbreak our community is experiencing tonight."
Tumbler Ridge student Darian Quist told the public broadcaster CBC that he was in his mechanics class when there was an announcement that the school was in lockdown.
He said that initially he "didn't think anything was going on," but started receiving "disturbing" photos about the carnage at the school.
Then "it set in what was happening," Quist said.
He said he stayed in lockdown for more than two hours when police stormed in, ordering everyone to put their hands up before escorting them out of the school.
Darian's mother Shelley Quist, also interviewed, said she embraced her son when they finally connected after the site was declared safe.
"He's not going to be out of my sight for a while now," she told the CBC.
 - 'Horrific violence' -
Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was "devastated" by the "horrific" shooting.
"My prayers and deepest condolences are with the families and friends who have lost loved ones to these horrific acts of violence," Carney said in a social media post.
British Columbia Premier David Eby called the violence "unimaginable."
Mass shootings are extremely rare in Canada, but 11 people were killed in Vancouver in April during a vehicle attack that targeted a Filipino cultural festival.
RCMP's northern district commander Ken Floyd described the incident as "a rapidly evolving and dynamic situation."
"This has been an incredibly difficult and emotional day for our community, and we are grateful for the cooperation shown as officers continue their work to advance the investigation," he added.
The RCMP said officers were searching other homes and properties in the community to see if there were additional sites connected to the incident.
Tumbler Ridge, a quiet town with roughly 2,400 residents, is more than 1,100 kilometers (680 miles) north of Vancouver, British Columbia's largest city.
"We are devastated by the loss of life and the profound impact this tragedy has had on families, students, staff, and our entire town," the municipality said.
Federal opposition leader Pierre Poilievre called it a "senseless act of violence."

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A shooting incident in Little River, SC, resulted in 11 hospitalizations. The Horry County Police are investigating with no suspect details yet revealed. More injured individuals reportedly arrived at hospitals via private vehicles. The story is developing.

At least 11 hurt in South Carolina beach town shooting

In Little River, SC, a shooting late Sunday resulted in 11 hospitalizations. Police continue to investigate as more injured reportedly reached hospitals via private cars. Details on the perpetrator and incident are yet unavailable. Updates will follow soon.

A shooting in Little River, South Carolina, has led to 11 hospitalizations. The police are investigating, with no suspect details available yet.&nbsp;

LITTLE RIVER, S.C. (AP) &mdash; At least 11 people were taken to hospitals after a shooting Sunday night in a South Carolina beach town, authorities said.
Horry County Police did not give the conditions of anyone hurt in the shooting that happened about 9:30 p.m. in Little River.
Investigators were getting reports of more people arriving at the hospital in private vehicles, Horry County Police said on social media.
Authorities didn&rsquo;t release any information on possible suspects or what led to the shooting. Little River is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Myrtle Beach.

Newly elected BNP MPs took oath in Bangladesh’s Parliament following their sweeping win in the 13th general elections, paving the way for Tarique Rahman to lead the next government.

BNP lawmakers sworn in after landslide victory in Bangladesh elections

Newly elected BNP MPs took oath in Bangladesh&rsquo;s Parliament following their sweeping win in the 13th general elections, paving the way for Tarique Rahman to lead the next government.

The newly elected Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) lawmakers were sworn in on Tuesday, six days after the crucial general elections in the country.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has bagged 209 out of 297 seats, while right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami secured 68 seats in the 13th Parliamentary elections. Deposed premier Sheikh Hasina's Awami League was barred from contesting polls.
Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasirudin administered the oath of office of the lawmakers inside the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban as a constitutional alternative in the absence of outgoing parliamentary Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury, who resigned earlier.
In the changed political scenario, Deputy Speaker Shamsul Haque, who was supposed to conduct the oath in speaker&rsquo;s absence, was sent to jail, after a student-led violent street protest dubbed 'July Uprising' toppled deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina&rsquo;s Awami League government.
Awami League was disqualified for the February 12 polls when BNP&rsquo;s once longtime ally and now hardened rival, Jamaat-e-Islami, emerged as the main opposition.
According to the official schedule, President Mohammad Shahabuddin would administer the oath of office of the cabinet, installing BNP to power in the afternoon after the majority party members are set to elect their leader.
Bangladesh Constitution dictates that the President invite the majority party leader to form the government and administer the cabinet&rsquo;s oath, while BNP said the cabinet would be led by party Chairman Tarique Rahman as the next Bangladesh Prime Minister.
BNP earlier said the party chairman would be the new prime minister of the country.
The party, however, unlike Jamaat, declined to take a second oath as members of the &ldquo;Constitution Reform Council&rdquo; to endorse the referendum staged simultaneously with the general election.
The second oath is aimed at obligating MPs to implement the much drummed up &ldquo;July Charter&rdquo; demanding the Constitution be massively rewritten, while the 84-point complex proposal was laid out in the referendum in a cognised but nearly esoteric form for voting.
The election commission reported that over 60 percent voters cast a &ldquo;yes&rdquo; vote in the referendum.
&ldquo;We have not been elected as members of the Constitution Reform Council; no provision of the council is yet to be incorporated in the Constitution,&rdquo; BNP&rsquo;s policy-making standing committee member and newly elected member Salahuddin Ahmed told the BNP MPs shortly before the event as the party members gathered for taking the oath.
In the presence of BNP chairperson Tarique Rahman, he added, &ldquo;None of us (BNP) members will take the second oath&rdquo;.

Outgoing interim chief Muhammad Yunus said his 18-month tenure restored Bangladesh’s sovereignty, national interests and dignity, asserting the country is no longer “submissive” in foreign policy.

Yunus says Bangladesh no longer ‘submissive’, mentions India’s northeast in farewell speech

Outgoing interim chief Muhammad Yunus said his 18-month tenure restored Bangladesh&rsquo;s sovereignty, national interests and dignity, asserting the country is no longer &ldquo;submissive&rdquo; in foreign policy.

Outgoing interim government chief Muhammad Yunus on Monday said his 18-month rule restored three core pillars of Bangladesh&rsquo;s external engagement - "sovereignty, national interests, and dignity", and it is no longer a "submissive" nation.
In his farewell address to the nation, Yunus said that at the end of his regime&rsquo;s rule, &ldquo;Today's Bangladesh is confident, active, and responsible in protecting its independent interests".
&ldquo;Bangladesh is no longer a country with a submissive foreign policy or dependent on the instructions and advice of other countries,&rdquo; he said in the televised address a day ahead of quitting power.
He emphasised that his 18-month tenure had rebuilt the three "fundamental foundations" of the country&rsquo;s foreign engagement: "sovereignty, national interests, and dignity".
Yunus&rsquo; interim regime began in August 2024 and is set to conclude its unscheduled term with the swearing-in of a new government led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Tuesday, which won a two-thirds majority in general elections four days ago.
BNP, led by its chairman Tarique Rahman, bagged a whopping 209 out of 297 seats in the crucial 13th Parliamentary elections held on February 12.
"I call upon everyone, regardless of party, creed, religion, caste and gender, to continue the struggle to build a just, humane, and democratic Bangladesh. With this appeal, I bid farewell with great optimism," Yunus said.
Yunus, who ran the country as the outgoing regime&rsquo;s chief adviser, effectively the prime minister, said Bangladesh&rsquo;s open sea was its great &ldquo;strategic asset&rdquo;, creating huge economic opportunities in the region for the South Asian nation.
He emphasised the vast growth potential of broader regional cooperation encompassing Nepal, Bhutan, and &ldquo;northeastern India&rdquo;.
"Our open sea is not merely a geographical boundary; it is a gateway to the global economy," he said, adding that connectivity was central to the country's next phase of development.
Yunus said that his administration exhausted its efforts to &ldquo;ensure democratic rights and values&rdquo; and formulated some 130 new laws, amended other laws, and issued 600 executive orders, about 84 per cent of which have been implemented.
He said that international port management companies, against which workers waged massive protests, and which critics said were against Bangladeshi interests, would raise the efficiency of the facilities to global standards.
"We have come a long way in signing agreements with leading international port management companies to bring our ports' efficiency up to international standards. If we cannot increase efficiency, we will lag behind in economic achievements," he said.
Earlier in the day, Yunus met with senior bureaucrats and participated in a photo session with all those serving at his office.
Bangladesh's Chief of Army Staff Gen Waker-Uz-Zaman also paid a farewell visit to him.
Yunus thanked the Army chief for the cooperation of the armed forces during the general election.
On Sunday, Yunus held the last meeting of his advisory council or cabinet.
Under Yunus's tenure, Dhaka's relations with New Delhi witnessed a significant downturn.
India has been expressing concerns over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh. The community has faced a series of attacks, some fatal, after the killing of radical youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi in December.
Several foreign experts said Bangladesh earned little in foreign relations under Yunus' leadership, while ties with its immediate neighbour, India, saw their lowest ebb.
Executive director of thinktank Centre for Policy Dialogue Fahmida Khatun said political strains with India under Yunus spilled into economic ties, &ldquo;preventing the easing of tariff and non-tariff barriers that could boost bilateral trade&rdquo;.
Foreign relations analyst Mustafizur Rahman said under Yunus, relations with India became strained, while ties with Pakistan marked a sudden positive development without building a domestic political consensus on these shifts.
&ldquo;Whatever he (Yunus) said or called in his farewell address, his regime, apparently with a deliberate effort, divided further an already polarised Bangladesh, leaving behind a fragile political scenario, promoting far right elements,&rdquo; security and political analyst Nasir Uddin said.

French President Emmanuel Macron landed in Mumbai for a three-day India visit, where he will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, review the India-France strategic partnership, and participate in the AI Impact Summit.

French President Emmanuel Macron arrives in Mumbai

French President Emmanuel Macron landed in Mumbai for a three-day India visit, where he will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, review the India-France strategic partnership, and participate in the AI Impact Summit.

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday, ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where the two leaders will review the progress made in the India-France strategic partnership.
Maharashtra Governor Acharya Devvrat and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis were present at the Mumbai airport to receive the French leader.
&ldquo;Bienvenue &agrave; Mumbai! A very warm welcome to the President of France, H.E. Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron as they arrive in Mumbai! Maharashtra welcomes you! Wishing Hon President Macron and the entire French delegation a pleasant stay and a successful visit,&rdquo; Fadnavis posted on X around 2 am, shortly after Macron landed in Mumbai.
Deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar were also present to greet Macron.
As he boarded the flight for India, Macron had posted on X: "En route to India! Three days from Mumbai to New Delhi to take our strategic partnership even further. On board with me: business leaders and the economic, industrial, cultural and digital players who give real, tangible life to the ties between India and France. Together, we will go even further in our cooperation. See you tomorrow, my dear friend @NarendraModi!"
Modi and Macron's discussions will focus on cementing the strategic ties and further diversifying them into new and emerging areas.
Both the leaders will also exchange views on issues of regional and global importance. They will review the progress made in the India-France strategic partnership.
President Macron is on an official visit to India from February 17 to 19 at the invitation of PM Modi to participate in the AI Impact Summit hosted by India, as well as hold a bilateral summit with the latter in Mumbai.
This is President Macron's fourth visit to India and his first visit to Mumbai.
On Tuesday afternoon, the two leaders will hold bilateral engagements at Lok Bhavan in South Mumbai. Later, they will inaugurate the India-France Year of Innovation 2026 and address a gathering of business leaders, start-ups, researchers and other innovators from both countries.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has claimed victory in the 13th parliamentary elections, with early tallies showing it crossing the majority mark in the 300-seat House. The Election Commission is yet to formally announce the final results.

BNP heading for victory in Bangladesh's parliamentary election

Bangladesh Nationalist Party appeared set for a decisive majority in the 300-seat parliament as vote counting progressed, potentially replacing the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has claimed victory in the 13th parliamentary elections, with early tallies showing it crossing the majority mark in the 300-seat House. The Election Commission is yet to formally announce the final results.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Friday claimed victory in the crucial general elections, marred by sporadic incidents of violence, to elect a new government to replace the interim administration, which took charge after the fall of the Awami League regime in August 2024.
"The Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP is set to form the government after victory in the majority of seats," BNP's media cell posted on x.
The Election Commission (EC) is yet to make a formal announcement.
According to multiple media reports, EC is expected to declare BNP the winner in the general elections with tallies in predawn hours on Friday, suggesting it got majority seats in parliament.
Different media tallies suggested BNP received more than 151 seats in the 300-seat parliament on Thursday&rsquo;s daylong voting, fair enough to form the next government, ending the 18-month rule of Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.
According to an EC spokesperson, the results in several seats are still being processed and are likely to be announced in a few hours.
The congratulatory messages have already started pouring in for the BNP, while the EC is yet to announce the official results.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Tarique Rahman on his &ldquo;decisive victory&rdquo; in Bangladesh's parliamentary elections and said he looked forward to working with him to advance common development goals.
&ldquo;I convey my warm congratulations to Mr. Tarique Rahman on leading BNP to a decisive victory in the Parliamentary elections in Bangladesh,&rdquo; Modi said in a post on X.
Modi said Rahman&rsquo;s victory showed the trust of the people of Bangladesh in his leadership.
The US Embassy in Dhaka has congratulated the people of Bangladesh in advance on what it described as a successful national election, extending special recognition to BNP and Rahman for their "historic victory."
&ldquo;Congratulations to the people of Bangladesh on a successful election and to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Tarique Rahman on your historic victory. The United States looks forward to working with you to realise shared goals of prosperity and security for both our countries,&rdquo; the post read.
The election was seen as a direct contest between the BNP and its former ally Jamaat-e-Islami, in the absence of ousted premier Sheikh Hasina's now debarred Awami League.
The voting for the 13th parliamentary elections was held along with a referendum on the implementation of a complex 84-point reform package, known as the July National Charter.
BNP was in power last time between 2001 and 2006 when Jamaat was its crucial partner, with two of its leaders serving as ministers.
Jamaat has raised allegations of "abnormal delays" and "result tampering," warning that it would launch a tough movement if the public mandate were "snatched away".
Speaking to reporters at the Election Commission building early morning, Jamaat&rsquo;s assistant secretary general Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair alleged that returning officers were intentionally delaying results to favour a "particular party."
"In the seats contested by our top leaders, results should have been declared by 8 pm or 9 pm according to the signed sheets given to polling agents," Zubair said.
Jamaat&rsquo;s major ally in an 11-party right-wing alliance, the National Citizen Party (NCP), floated with interim government chief Muhammad Yunus last year, also brought allegations of &ldquo;result tampering and planned fraud&rdquo; in multiple Dhaka seats in particular.
"Psychological pressure and administrative manipulation were being used to overturn results, particularly in constituencies contested by top leaders of the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance," NCP spokesman and party&rsquo;s election committee chairman Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan said in a predawn briefing.
Bhuiiyan, who until recently served as an adviser or minister in Yunus&rsquo; interim cabinet, particularly alleged discrepancies in a Dhaka constituency, claiming that although NCP candidate Nahid Islam was leading by nearly 6,000 votes, the returning officer showed a margin of only 1,500 votes in the seat.
The BNP had earlier announced that if it wins the election, then its chairman and former premier Khaleda Zia's son, Tarique Rahman, would be the next prime minister of Bangladesh.
If the party wins, Rahman will be Bangladesh's first male prime minister in 35 years.
"We are confident of forming the government by winning more than two-thirds of seats," BNP's central election steering committee spokesman Mahdi Amin told a media briefing in the early hours of Friday.
Rahman, who returned to Bangladesh in December last year after over 17 years in self-exile, asked party leaders and activists to offer special prayers across the country after mid-day 'Juma' prayers instead of holding victory rallies.
The EC was yet to announce the voter turnout figure. It dismissed allegations of manipulation regarding voters' appearances in polling centres.
"There were debates over turnout percentages in past elections as well. Please don't question it now," Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasur Uddin told a reporter on Thursday evening.
He said variations were natural as results from several thousand polling centres arrived at different times.
EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed on Thursday said 47.91 per cent of voters had cast ballots by 2 pm on polling day at 36,031 of the 42,651 polling centres.
More than 2,000 candidates, including a number of independents, were in the fray for 299 of the 300 parliamentary constituencies that went to the polls.
Polling for one seat was postponed due to the death of a candidate.
The Election Commission made elaborate security arrangements for the elections, deploying nearly 1 million security personnel -- the largest-ever in the country's electoral history.

A UN Security Council sanctions monitoring report has linked Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed to the Red Fort terror attack that killed 15 people. India said its concerns on cross-border terrorism were reflected in the findings.

UN Report Links JeM to Deadly Red Fort Attack in Delhi

A UN Security Council sanctions monitoring report has linked Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed to the Red Fort terror attack that killed 15 people. India said its concerns on cross-border terrorism were reflected in the findings.

A report by the UN Security Council sanctions monitoring team has noted that Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed was reported to be linked to a terror attack on the Red Fort in New Delhi last November that killed 15 people.
&ldquo;One Member State noted that Jaish-i-Mohammed had claimed responsibility for a series of attacks. It was also reported to be linked to an attack on the Red Fort in New Delhi on November 9 that killed 15 people,&rdquo; the 37th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted to the Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee concerning ISIL and Al-Qaida said.
The report, issued at the UN, added that on October 8, JeM leader Mohammed Masood Azhar Alvi &ldquo;formally announced the establishment of a women-only wing, Jamaat ul-Muminat, which was aimed at supporting terrorist attacks.&rdquo;
Even as another member state reported that Jaish-e-Mohammed was defunct, the report added that &ldquo;Separately, it was reported that on July 28, three individuals allegedly involved in the attack perpetrated in Pahalgam, in Jammu and Kashmir, were killed.&rdquo;
A deadly and high-intensity explosion had rocked the Red Fort area in New Delhi, killing about 15 people and injuring many more.
The explosion had ripped through a slow-moving car at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station.
At his weekly briefing in New Delhi on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked for a comment on the UNSC report.
"This particular report that you refer to, it is available in the public domain. It is online. This was the 37th Report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team. This was published on February 4, 2026," he said.
"And, we have seen that they have taken on board our inputs, India's inputs in regard to our concern on cross-border terrorism, and also as to how we can strengthen the global fight against terrorism," the MEA spokesperson said.
The UNSC report further said that Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) remained active in south-eastern Afghanistan, where the Haqqani Network exerts considerable influence.
Osama Mahmoud, the &ldquo;emir&rdquo; of AQIS, and Yahya Ghauri, his deputy, were reported to be in Kabul, with the media cell of AQIS based in Herat.
&ldquo;There were concerns that AQIS was increasingly focused on external operations. Such operations would likely be unclaimed or deniable operations, perhaps as part of the umbrella group Ittihad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan&hellip;so as not to create difficulties for the Taliban as hosts of AQIS,&rdquo; it said.
The report added that ISIL-K was active mainly in northern Afghanistan, particularly Badakhshan, and areas close to the Pakistani border.
It continued to develop its network of cells to project a threat regionally and beyond.
&ldquo;Aggressive propaganda by ISIL-K in Central Asian languages expanded its target audience. It sought to exploit issues such as the Gaza and Israel conflict to promote recruitment and financing,&rdquo; it added.

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