Name: Zelensky criticizes Russia for escalating attacks, citing impunity
Uploaded: 2025-05-26T17:40:30.435+05:30
Duration: T00M31S
Channel: AFP
Description: Ukrainian President Zelensky criticizes Russia for escalating attacks, citing impunity. He calls for tougher sanctions to counter aggression.

The White House has removed “pulses” from the list of American products facing tariff reductions by India in a revised fact sheet on the interim trade deal, also changing India’s commitment to an intention to buy US goods.

White House drops reference to 'certain pulses' in revised fact sheet on trade deal with India

The White House has removed &ldquo;pulses&rdquo; from the list of American products facing tariff reductions by India in a revised fact sheet on the interim trade deal, also changing India&rsquo;s commitment to an intention to buy US goods.

The White House has removed &ldquo;pulses&rdquo; from a list of American products on which it said India will eliminate or reduce tariffs, in a revised fact sheet issued on the interim trade deal.
On Monday, the White House had issued a fact sheet on &lsquo;The United States and India Announce Historic Trade Deal (Interim Agreement),&rsquo; days after India and the US announced in a joint statement the framework for an Interim Agreement regarding reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade.
An initial version of the fact sheet had highlighted key terms of the agreement, including that India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products, including dried distillers&rsquo; grains, red sorghum, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, &ldquo;certain pulses&rdquo;, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products.
The fact sheet had also said that India committed to buy more American products and purchase over USD 500 billion of US energy, information and communication technology, agricultural, coal, and other products.
The revised fact sheet issued on Tuesday removed the reference regarding pulses and changed the word &ldquo;committed&rdquo; used for India to &ldquo;intends.&rdquo;
&ldquo;India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products, including dried distillers&rsquo; grains (DDGs), red sorghum, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products.
&ldquo;India intends to buy more American products and purchase over $500 billion of US energy, information and communication technology, coal, and other products,&rdquo; the revised fact sheet said.
The joint statement issued last week on the trade deal had made no mention of &ldquo;pulses&rdquo; in items on which India will eliminate or reduce tariffs for American products.
The joint statement had also maintained that &ldquo;India intends to purchase $500 billion of US energy products, aircraft and aircraft parts, precious metals, technology products, and coking coal over the next five years.&rdquo;

An Iranian man from Bushehr reportedly died by suicide after releasing a video urging US President Donald Trump and Western nations to end diplomatic engagement with Iran, citing violent suppression of protests and widespread human rights abuses.

Iranian man dies by suicide after urging Trump to halt talks with Tehran

An Iranian man from Bushehr reportedly died by suicide after releasing a video urging US President Donald Trump and Western nations to end diplomatic engagement with Iran, citing violent suppression of protests and widespread human rights abuses.

An Iranian man from the southern port city of Bushehr has reportedly died by suicide after publishing a video message in which he urged US President Donald Trump and Western governments to halt diplomatic engagement with Iran&rsquo;s ruling establishment, according to opposition-linked media outlets and regional publications, including Iran International.
The man, identified by Iranian media and activists as Pouria Hamidi, recorded an approximately 10-minute video in English that gained widespread attention over the weekend. In the video, he appealed directly to US leaders, accusing Iranian authorities of violently suppressing recent protests and calling for foreign intervention against the country&rsquo;s leadership.
At the beginning of the recording, Hamidi said, &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re watching this, then I&rsquo;m not around any more,&rdquo; explaining that he was speaking to highlight what he described as a massacre during recent unrest. &ldquo;More than 40,000 people died, killed, massacred. More than Russia and Ukraine and more than Israel and Palestine,&rdquo; he said.
The protests, which took place in January, were reportedly met with heavy force by the clerical regime of Ayatollah Khamenei. Reports suggest that thousands of people, including women and children, were killed during the crackdown.
In his message, Hamidi called on Washington to abandon negotiations with Tehran, arguing that any diplomatic agreement would undermine the victims of the protests. &ldquo;So please,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I beg you, do whatever you can to stop this deal.&rdquo; He added that any agreement would &ldquo;betray all those people who died.&rdquo;
Referring to past statements by the US President, Hamidi said that Trump had encouraged Iranians to protest. &ldquo;Keep protesting, and we did, we trusted him,&rdquo; he said. He also stated that ordinary citizens were unable to confront armed forces and could not defeat the Islamic regime on their own.
&ldquo;America attacking Iran is the only hope we have right now. We can't fight this regime alone. Our people need foreign intervention,&rdquo; he said.
The video included strong criticism of Iran&rsquo;s religious leadership and expressions of support for exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi, whom Hamidi called &ldquo;the best choice to make a transitional government.&rdquo; He also urged opposition groups outside Iran to &ldquo;come together and stop fighting each other.&rdquo;
Describing the emotional toll of the situation, Hamidi said Iranians were living without hope. &ldquo;You don't know how hopeless our people are right now. I mean, I myself, I can't eat. I can't sleep,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I can't even cry about it because it's so laughable to be born in a place like this, to have no future. But I hoped the people of my country would finally have a future after all this.&rdquo;
He said the recording was meant to give meaning to his life and appealed for unity among Iranians. In the final moments of the video, he switched to Persian and said, &ldquo;We people of Iran are lonely people and have nobody, so please support each other. Long live Iran.&rdquo;
According to Iran International, Hamidi took his own life shortly after releasing the video, though the claim has not been independently verified.
The incident comes at a time when Iranian authorities appear to have brought widespread protests under control following a violent crackdown. A Reuters report has estimated that at least 5,000 people were killed during the unrest.

Bangladesh has secured a reduced 19% tariff under a new trade agreement with the US, granting zero duty on select garments using American materials and boosting exporters.

US trims tariffs on Bangladesh to 19 per cent

Bangladesh has secured a reduced 19% tariff under a new trade agreement with the US, granting zero duty on select garments using American materials and boosting exporters.

Bangladesh has secured a reduced 19 per cent tariff under a trade agreement with the United States that would exempt some textiles and garments manufactured with US materials, interim government chief Muhammad Yunus said.
In an X post on Monday, he said Washington had "committed to establishing a mechanism for certain textile and apparel goods from Bangladesh using US-produced cotton and man-made fibre to receive zero reciprocal tariff in (the) US market".
Yunus, known for his pro-US stance, said the deal was reached after nine months of negotiations since April last year.
Meanwhile, the US Treasury Department or any office of the Trump administration made no immediate comment on the development.
According to Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman, Bangladesh&rsquo;s key export-earning ready-made garments (RMG) made from cotton and synthetic fibres imported from the US would enjoy zero reciprocal duty under the deal.
He said the agreement was signed in Washington by Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin and US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer.
Commerce ministry officials said apart from cotton, the deal includes provisions for importing US wheat, soybean, and LNG, refraining from imposing tariffs on e-commerce, complying with US-mandated intellectual property rights standards, and supporting US proposals for reforming the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Bangladesh recently agreed to purchase 25 aircraft from US aerospace giant Boeing, with an estimated cost of Tk 30,000-35,000 crore as part of broader efforts to ease the US tariffs.
According to Bangladesh&rsquo;s Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), the US remains Bangladesh's largest export market.
The South Asian nation in August last year secured a reduction in US tariffs on its exports to 20 per cent, down from 37 per cent initially proposed by Washington.
Bangladeshi policymakers earlier said they expected the tariff could be brought down to 15 per cent.
Business analysts, however, said the deal offered much-needed relief to Bangladesh&rsquo;s apparel exporters as the RMG sector accounts for more than 80 per cent of its export earnings and employs some 4 million workers, mostly women, and contributes about 10 per cent to gross domestic product (GDP).
The US earlier this month announced to lower tariffs to 18 per cent from 50 per cent for India, seeking New Delhi to halt Russian oil purchases and lower trade barriers.
The commerce secretary said the recently concluded US-India trade deal might have influenced Washington's decision to cut the tariff &ldquo;possibly due to geopolitical considerations&rdquo;.
Bangladesh's closest competitor, Vietnam, received a 20 per cent reciprocal tariff, while Pakistan, Cambodia and Indonesia have also been subjected to a 19 per cent tariff.
The development comes as Bangladesh heads for the February 12 general election to choose new leadership and bring an end to the 18-month Yunus-led interim regime, which took charge after the fall of Sheikh Hasina&rsquo;s Awami League government following a violent student-led street campaign dubbed the July Uprising.

Japan restarts Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, the world’s largest nuclear plant, to boost energy supply and cut fossil fuel reliance amid public safety concerns.

Japan restarts world's biggest nuclear plant again

Japan restarts Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, the world&rsquo;s largest nuclear plant, to boost energy supply and cut fossil fuel reliance amid public safety concerns.

Japan switched on the world's biggest nuclear power plant again on Monday, its operator said, after an earlier attempt was quickly suspended due to a minor glitch.
A problem with a monitoring alarm in January forced the suspension of its first restart since the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in the Niigata region restarted at 2:00 pm (0500 GMT), the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said in a statement.
The facility had been offline since Japan pulled the plug on nuclear power after a colossal earthquake and tsunami sent three reactors at the Fukushima atomic plant into meltdown.
But now Japan is turning to atomic energy to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and meet growing energy needs from artificial intelligence.
Conservative Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who pulled off a thumping election victory on Sunday, has promoted nuclear power to energise the Asian economic giant.
TEPCO initially moved to start one of seven reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant on January 21 but shut it off the following day after a monitoring system alarm sounded.
The alarm had picked up slight changes to the electrical current in one cable even though these were still within a range considered safe, TEPCO officials told a news conference last week.
The firm has changed the alarm's settings as the reactor is safe to operate.
Commercial operations will commence on or after March 18 after another comprehensive inspection, according to TEPCO officials.
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is the world's biggest nuclear power plant by potential capacity, although just one reactor of seven was restarted.
Fourteen reactors, mostly in western and southern Japan, have resumed operation since the post-Fukushima shutdown under strict safety rules, with 13 running as of mid January.
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is the first TEPCO-run unit to restart since 2011. The company also operates the stricken Fukushima Daiichi plant, now being decommissioned.
The vast Kashiwazaki-Kariwa complex has been fitted with a 15-metre-high (50-foot) tsunami wall, elevated emergency power systems and other safety upgrades.
But public opinion in the area around the plant is deeply divided: Around 60 percent of residents oppose the restart, while 37 percent support it, according to a survey conducted by Niigata prefecture in September.
Residents have raised concerns about the risk of a serious accident, citing frequent cover-up scandals, minor accidents and evacuation plans they say are inadequate.
On January 8, seven groups opposing the restart submitted a petition signed by nearly 40,000 people to TEPCO and Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority.
"We will continue to demonstrate our commitment to safety as our priority at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station through our actions and results," TEPCO said in a statement Monday.

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi secured a historic two-thirds majority in the lower house, strengthening her mandate to pursue conservative reforms, economic policies, and defence expansion.

Japan PM Takaichi basks in historic election triumph

Japan&rsquo;s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi secured a historic two-thirds majority in the lower house, strengthening her mandate to pursue conservative reforms, economic policies, and defence expansion.

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi savoured an election landslide Monday, with her ruling party projected to have won a two-thirds majority in the powerful lower house for the first time in its history.
If confirmed by official results, the outcome gives Japan's first female premier a strong mandate to implement her conservative agenda and stamp her mark on the country of 123 million people over the next four years.
The Asia-Pacific region will be watching closely, however, to see if the 64-year-old ups the ante or lowers the temperature with China after enraging Beijing in November with comments about Taiwan.
Financial markets may also be nervous about Japan's public finances and its gargantuan debt pile if Takaichi decides to cut taxes and boost spending in Asia's number-two economy.
"We have consistently stressed the importance of responsible and proactive fiscal policy," Takaichi insisted late Sunday.
"We will prioritise the sustainability of fiscal policy. We will ensure necessary investments. Public and private sectors must invest. We will build a strong and resilient economy," she said.
On Monday, the Nikkei jumped around five percent to hit a new high, with equities "poised to benefit from higher fiscal spending but interest rates that remain accommodative and negative in real terms", according to analyst Kyle Rodda of Capital.com.
With a stronger mandate, Takaichi is also expected to push through her ambitious policy agenda, which includes boosting the defence budget, tougher immigration measures and potentially changing the constitution.
Capitalising on her honeymoon start after becoming Japan's fifth premier in as many years in October, Takaichi called the snap election last month.
The gamble paid off handsomely, with local media reporting that her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won around 316 of the 465 seats contested, citing partial results.
That takes the party past the 310-seat threshold needed for a two-thirds majority.
Together with its junior coalition partner, they're expected to secure 352 seats.
US President Donald Trump congratulated Takaichi after an earlier endorsement.
"I wish you Great Success in passing your Conservative, Peace Through Strength Agenda," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
 - Drummer -
Takaichi has injected new life into the LDP, which has governed Japan almost non-stop for decades but shed support in recent elections because of unhappiness about rising prices and corruption.
A heavy metal drummer in her youth, Takaichi was an admirer of Britain's "Iron Lady" Margaret Thatcher, and on the ultra-conservative fringe of the LDP when she became party chief.
She has been a hit with voters, especially young ones, with fans lapping up everything from her handbag to her jamming to a K-pop song with South Korea's president.
But she will have to deliver on the economy to remain popular.
"With prices rising like this, what matters most to me is what policies they'll adopt to deal with inflation," voter Chika Sakamoto, 50, told AFP at a voting station in snowy Tokyo on Sunday.
 - Socially conservative -
Despite being her country's first woman premier, Takaichi has shown little appetite for framing her leadership around gender in male-dominated Japanese politics.
She is socially conservative, opposing any revision to a law requiring married couples to share the same surname, a rule that overwhelmingly results in women taking their husband's name.
Before becoming prime minister, Takaichi was seen as a China hawk.
She was a regular visitor to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honours convicted war criminals along with 2.5 million war dead and is seen as a symbol of Japan's militarist past.
Barely two weeks in office, Takaichi suggested that Japan could intervene militarily if Beijing sought to take self-ruled Taiwan by force.
China regards the democratic island as part of its territory and has not ruled out force to annex it.
With Takaichi having days earlier pulled out all the stops to welcome Trump, Beijing was furious with her unscripted remarks.
It summoned Tokyo's ambassador, warned its citizens against visiting Japan and conducted joint air drills with Russia. Japan's last two pandas were even returned to China last month.
Margarita Estevez-Abe, associate professor of political science at Syracuse University, said that Takaichi can afford to dial down tensions now.
"Now she doesn't have to worry about any elections until 2028, when the next upper house elections will take place," Estevez-Abe told AFP before the vote.
"So the best scenario for Japan is that Takaichi kind of takes a deep breath and focuses on amending the relationship with China."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi ruled out abandoning uranium enrichment as US-Iran talks resumed in Oman, amid rising military tensions, sanctions, and a renewed crackdown on protesters.

Iran defies US threats to insist on right to enrich uranium

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi ruled out abandoning uranium enrichment as US-Iran talks resumed in Oman, amid rising military tensions, sanctions, and a renewed crackdown on protesters.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday ruled out Tehran ever giving up uranium enrichment in its negotiations with Washington, insisting it will not be intimidated by the threat of war with the United States.
Washington first threatened to intervene over Tehran's deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters, with authorities on Sunday arresting three prominent reformists accused of anti-government rhetoric.
They also imposed another hefty prison sentence on Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi, who was arrested before the protests, on charges of harming national security.
Araghchi told a forum in Tehran attended by AFP that Iran had little trust in Washington and doubted that the US side was taking renewed negotiations seriously.
He later said Iran was consulting with its "strategic partners" China and Russia about the talks.
"Why do we insist so much on enrichment and refuse to give it up, even if a war is imposed on us? Because no one has the right to dictate our behaviour," Araghchi said at the forum.
"Their military deployment in the region does not scare us," he added, referring to the arrival of an aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, in the Arabian Sea.
The United States and Iran reopened negotiations on Friday in Oman for the first time since Israel's 12-day war with the Islamic republic in June of last year, which the US briefly joined.
Iran is seeking to have US economic sanctions on the country lifted, in exchange for what Araghchi said at the forum could be "a series of confidence-building measures concerning the nuclear programme".
Western countries and Israel, thought to be the Middle East's only country with nuclear weapons, say Iran is seeking to acquire an atomic bomb, which the Islamic republic denies.
"They fear our atomic bomb, while we are not looking for one. Our atomic bomb is the power to say 'no' to the great powers," Araghchi said.
The US and Israel want the negotiations to go beyond the nuclear question and include Iran's ballistic missiles and support for armed groups in the region, issues Iran refuses to include in the talks.
 - 'Peace through strength' -
Washington's lead negotiators, envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner, visited the nuclear-powered USS Abraham Lincoln on Saturday, the US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
The ship was dispatched to the Middle East several weeks ago as part of military build up in the region, following US President Donald Trump's threats against Iran.
In a social media post, Witkoff said the carrier and its strike group were "keeping us safe and upholding President Trump's message of peace through strength".
The threat of war continues to hover over the negotiations, even as Trump called the talks "very good" and Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said they "constitute a step forward".
Following Friday's first round in Oman, Trump signed an executive order calling for fresh tariffs on countries still doing business with Iran.
The United States also announced new sanctions against numerous shipping entities and vessels, aimed at curbing Iran's oil exports.
At the Tehran forum on Sunday, Araghchi said ongoing "sanctions and military actions raise doubts about the seriousness and readiness of the other side to conduct genuine negotiations". 
- Arrests, sentencing -
The talks between the two foes and the US military buildup in the region follow Iran's crackdown on anti-government protests that began in late December, sparked by economic grievances.
Iranian authorities on Sunday arrested three reformist figures including the head of Iran's Reform Front coalition, Azar Mansouri, the Fars news agency reported, listing charges that included "targeting national unity" and "coordination with enemy propaganda", among others.
After the demonstrations began, Mansouri posted on Instagram that "when all avenues to be heard are closed, protest takes to the streets", later calling the death toll a "great disaster".
Meanwhile, jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi was sentenced on Saturday to six years in prison on charges of harming national security and one-and-a-half years for "propaganda" against Iran's Islamic system, her foundation said in a statement.
She was arrested after speaking out against the government at a funeral ceremony in December.
The authorities in Iran have acknowledged that 3,117 people were killed in the protests, publishing on Sunday a list of 2,986 names, most of whom they say were members of the security forces and innocent bystanders.
International organisations have put the toll far higher.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) says it has verified 6,961 deaths, mostly protesters, and has another 11,630 cases under investigation.
It has also counted more than 51,000 arrests.

A suicide bomber targets Khadijatul Kubra Shia mosque in Islamabad, killing 31 and injuring nearly 170. Attacker linked to TTP; security forces and hospitals respond to the emergency.

31 killed, 169 injured in suicide attack at Shia mosque in Pakistan's capital Islamabad

A suicide bomber targets Khadijatul Kubra Shia mosque in Islamabad, killing 31 and injuring nearly 170. Attacker linked to TTP; security forces and hospitals respond to the emergency.

A suicide bomber blew himself up at a Shia mosque during Friday prayers in Pakistan's capital Islamabad, killing at least 31 people and injuring nearly 170 others, officials said.
The powerful explosion took place at Khadijatul Kubra mosque-cum-imambargah in the Tarlai area of Islamabad, the police said in a statement. The suicide bomber was stopped at the gate of the imambargah, but he detonated himself, police and eyewitnesses said.
At least 31 people were killed and 169 others injured in the explosion, a district administration spokesperson said in a post on X. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast. However, police sources said that the attacker was a foreign national and had links with Fitna al Khwaraji, a term used for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
In a post on X, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon earlier said that more than 80 people were injured in the blast, while 15 bodies were shifted to different hospitals.
Police and Rescue 1122 personnel reached the site of the incident and initiated rescue operations. The army troops and Rangers have cordoned off the area, and security operations are underway in and around the site of the blast.
An emergency was declared in the hospitals of the capital to deal with the situation, as the injured were being shifted to hospitals. The attack came less than three months after a suicide bomber killed 12 people in a blast outside a district and sessions court building in Islamabad.
Today's attack came when Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was visiting Pakistan. He arrived on a two-day state visit on Thursday.
President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas condemned the attack. &ldquo;Targeting innocent civilians is a crime against humanity,&rdquo; Zardari said.
Strongly condemning the attack, Abbas said that targeting places of worship is a direct attack on humanity, religion and social values, which cannot be tolerated under any circumstances.
According to police officials, the nature of the explosion was being probed, but the explosion seems to be a suicide attack.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry visited the Pakistan Institute of Medical Science (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad and met the injured.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry strongly condemned the attack in a post on social media platform X, expressing grief over the loss of lives in the &ldquo;cowardly act&rdquo;.
&ldquo;Such acts of terrorism cannot dampen the morale of the nation. The need of the hour is that we all stand united for peace, tolerance, and stability, and express solidarity with law enforcement agencies,&rdquo; the minister stressed.
Chaudhry is a native of Islamabad and belongs to the area where the blast occurred.

US President Donald Trump urged a modernized nuclear treaty after New START expired, while experts warn it could spark a global arms race and China rejects participation.

Trump urges new nuclear treaty after Russia agreement ends

US President Donald Trump urged a modernized nuclear treaty after New START expired, while experts warn it could spark a global arms race and China rejects participation.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday called for a brand new nuclear treaty after the last agreement with Russia expired, prompting fears of a new global arms race.
The Trump administration has repeatedly pressed for a new treaty to include China, whose arsenal is growing but still significantly smaller than those of Russia and the United States, but Beijing has publicly rejected the pressure.
Trump had been mostly mum on Russian calls to extend New START, the 2010 treaty that imposed the last restrictions on the two largest nuclear powers after decades of agreements dating from the Cold War.
But hours after it expired, Trump said that the treaty, signed by predecessor Barack Obama and extended by Joe Biden, was "badly negotiated" and "is being grossly violated."
"We should have our Nuclear Experts work on a new, improved, and modernized Treaty that can last long into the future," he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Asked if Washington and Moscow had agreed to stick to the terms of the expired START treaty while negotiations on a new accord are ongoing, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said: "Not to my knowledge."
Russia had refused inspections under New START as relations deteriorated with the Biden administration.
It said Wednesday that it no longer considered itself bound on the number of nuclear warheads due to the expiration of New START.
Despite the stalemate on New START, Trump has enthusiastically restarted diplomacy with Russia and invited President Vladimir Putin to Alaska last August.
The United States announced Thursday that it was resuming military dialogue with Russia after three-way talks in Abu Dhabi on the Ukraine war.
 - 'Unconstrained nuclear competition' -
Campaigners have warned that the end of the New START treaty could trigger a global arms race, and urged nuclear powers to enter negotiations.
A group of former senior arms control officials from around the world, in a joint statement Thursday, called on the United States and Russia to agree to keep observing New START's limits as a first step.
The end of New START "will reduce nuclear stability and predictability, threaten global security, and increase the risk of a new era of unconstrained nuclear competition," they wrote.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the nuclear treaties between the United States and Russia after more than half a century were at a "grave moment."
"This dissolution of decades of achievement could not come at a worse time -- the risk of a nuclear weapon being used is the highest in decades," Guterres said, after Russian suggestions of using tactical nuclear weapons early in the Ukraine war.
A NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity, called for "restraint and responsibility" and said that the US-led military alliance "will continue to take steps necessary" to ensure its defense.
The official condemned "Russia's irresponsible nuclear rhetoric."
 - China rejects pressure -
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that arms control was "impossible" without including China.
China's foreign ministry expressed regret Thursday over New START's demise but said Beijing "will not participate in nuclear disarmament negotiations at this stage."
"China's nuclear capabilities are of a totally different scale as those of the United States and Russia," foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news conference.
Russia and the United States together control more than 80 percent of the world's nuclear warheads.
China's nuclear arsenal is growing faster than any country's, by about 100 new warheads a year since 2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
China is estimated to have at least 600 nuclear warheads, the institute says -- well below the 1,500 each at which Russia and the United States were capped under New START.
France and Britain, treaty-bound US allies, together have another 100.
Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, which warns of nuclear risks, agreed that China should engage.
But "there is no indication that Trump or his team have taken the time to propose risk reduction or arms control talks with China since returning to office in 2025," Kimball said.

US President Donald Trump repeated claims that he prevented a war and nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan, despite India denying any third-party intervention.

Trump claims again that he stopped war between India, Pakistan

US President Donald Trump repeated claims that he prevented a war and nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan, despite India denying any third-party intervention.

US President Donald Trump repeated twice in a single day the claim that he stopped the war between India and Pakistan last year.
"In one year, I've ended eight raging wars, such as (the war between) Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, Pakistan and India, Israel and Iran, Armenia and Azerbaijan," Trump said at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday.
Later, in a post on Truth Social, Trump reiterated the claim that he stopped a nuclear war from breaking out between India and Pakistan.
"The United States is the most powerful Country in the World. I completely rebuilt its Military in my First Term, including new and many refurbished nuclear weapons. I also added Space Force and now, continue to rebuild our Military at levels never seen before. We are even adding Battleships, which are 100 times more powerful than the ones that roamed the Seas during World War II -- The Iowa, Missouri, Alabama, and others. I have stopped Nuclear Wars from breaking out across the World between Pakistan and India, Iran and Israel, and Russia and Ukraine," Trump posted.
The US President has claimed over 90 times that he stopped the conflict between India and Pakistan.&nbsp;
He has been making the assertion repeatedly, on various platforms in the US and around the world, since May 10 last year when he announced on social media that India and Pakistan agreed to a "full and immediate" ceasefire after a "long night" of talks mediated by Washington.&nbsp;
India has consistently denied any third-party intervention.&nbsp;

Ukraine and Russia resume US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi to end the war, while Russia continues missile and drone strikes on Kyiv.

Ukraine, Russia, US start second day of war talks

Ukraine and Russia resume US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi to end the war, while Russia continues missile and drone strikes on Kyiv.

Ukraine and Russia on Thursday began a second day of US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi aimed at &nbsp;ending a war sparked by &nbsp;Moscow's 2022 invasion of its pro-Western neighbour.
The negotiations are the latest bid in diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting -- Europe's deadliest since World War II, with hundreds of thousands killed, millions forced to flee their homes and much of eastern and southern Ukraine left decimated.
"The second day of talks in Abu Dhabi has begun. We're working in the same formats as yesterday: trilateral consultations, group work, and subsequent alignment of positions," Ukraine's lead negotiator Rustem Umerov said.
The first day of talks in the Emirati capital concluded with Kyiv describing the negotiations as "substantive and productive", though there was no apparent breakthrough.
"There is definitely progress, things are moving forward in a good, positive direction," Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev told state media.
Dmitriev slammed what he called attempts from European nations to "disrupt the progress".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that 55,000 of his country's troops had been killed, a rare assessment of battlefield losses by either side.
 - 'Concrete steps' -
Russia has also stepped up strikes on Ukraine's power infrastructure, leaving many people, including residents of the capital Kyiv, without power and shivering through temperatures as low as minus 20C in recent days.
Overnight Russia attacked with two missiles and 183 drones, the air force said. The attacks injured two people in Kyiv.
Ukraine's chief negotiator Umerov said "concrete steps and practical solutions" had been discussed in the first day of the talks.
But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters fighting would persist "until the Kyiv regime makes the appropriate decisions".
The main sticking point in the negotiations is the long-term fate of territory in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow is demanding that Kyiv pull its troops out of swathes of the Donbas, including heavily fortified cities atop vast natural resources, before any deal.
It also wants international recognition that land seized in the invasion belongs to Russia.
 - 'Maintain pressure' -
Kyiv has said the conflict should be frozen along the current front line and has rejected a pull-back of forces.
Trilateral negotiations, which were first held January 23 and 24 in Abu Dhabi, are the most public sign of progress so far in US President Donald Trump's push to negotiate an end to the war.
His envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner have been sent to try to corral the sides into an agreement.
In Ukraine, foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy Kyiv was "interested in finding out what the Russians and Americans really want".
Zelensky said the US president's role would be crucial, telling French television in an interview broadcast Wednesday that "Putin is only scared of Trump".
Trump could use economic sanctions against Russia or transfer weapons to Ukraine to "maintain this pressure on Putin", Zelensky said, but added that Kyiv would not compromise on sovereignty.
Russia occupies around 20 percent of Ukraine. It claims the Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as its own, and holds pockets of territory in at least three other Ukrainian regions in the east.
Kyiv still controls around one-fifth of the Donetsk region. It has warned that ceding ground will embolden Moscow, and that it will not sign a deal that fails to deter Russia from invading again.

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Ukrainian President Zelensky criticizes Russia for escalating attacks, citing impunity. He calls for tougher sanctions to counter aggression.

Zelensky Calls for Sanctions Amid Russian Attacks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemns Russia's escalation of attacks, urging international allies to impose stronger sanctions in response to their perceived impunity, aiming to deter Moscow's aggression.

Ukrainian President Zelensky condemns Russia's increased attacks, urging stronger sanctions to deter their impunity.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday said that Russia was acting out of a "sense of total impunity" after three days of huge strikes on Ukraine, calling on Kyiv's allies to increase sanctions on Moscow.
"Only a sense of total impunity can allow Russia to carry out such strikes and continue increasing their scale," Zelensky said on social media, adding, "The increase in Russian strikes should be met with increased sanctions."

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 &ldquo;clear mindset&rdquo; on sectors that are &ldquo;very&rdquo; 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 said 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.
&ldquo;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,&rdquo; he told reporters.
&ldquo;If you look at all the agreements that we have done in the last year, five trade agreements that we did &mdash; 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,&rdquo; he added.
Under the interim trade pact, 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.
These goods are considered sensitive as they involve the livelihood of small and marginal farmers.
In other Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), India has not extended any import duty concessions on sensitive agriculture 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&rsquo;s rural economy, employing over 500 million people. Unlike developed economies, where agriculture is highly mechanised and corporatised, in India it remains a livelihood issue.
India&rsquo;s agriculture sector is currently protected by moderate to high tariffs and regulations to shield domestic farmers from unfair competition.
The US agricultural exports to India were valued at USD 1.6 billion in 2024. Key exports included almonds (in shell) worth USD 868 million, pistachios worth USD 121 million, apples worth USD 21 million and ethanol (ethyl alcohol) worth USD 266 million.
Agrawal is currently in Nuremberg for the Biofach 2026 show, where over 100 Indian exhibitors and about 20 states are showcasing their organic products. The European Union is a major market for these goods.
&ldquo;The teams are working on it, and by March, we are hopeful to make it official,&rdquo; he said, referring to the interim trade pact with the US.
Talking about labour-intensive sectors, he said the agreement will give India an edge over competitor nations facing higher tariffs in the American market.
The reciprocal tariffs on India will be reduced to 18 per cent, compared to 35 per cent for China and 20 per cent for Vietnam.
&ldquo;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,&rdquo; he said.
&ldquo;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,&rdquo; he added.
Labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, apparel, marine, and gems and jewellery were impacted due to steep tariffs imposed by the US.
The Trump administration has removed the 25 per cent punitive tariffs and will reduce the reciprocal tariffs to 18 per cent from 25 per cent.

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."

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif criticised the United States in Parliament, saying Washington exploited Islamabad for strategic gains and left lasting social, political and economic damage.

Khawaja Asif says US used Pakistan 'worse than toilet paper,' admits long-term damage

Pakistan&rsquo;s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif criticised the United States in Parliament, saying Washington exploited Islamabad for strategic gains and left lasting social, political and economic damage.

Pakistan&rsquo;s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has strongly criticised the United States for what he described as exploiting Islamabad for strategic gains and abandoning it once its objectives were achieved, telling Parliament that Pakistan was treated &ldquo;worse than toilet paper.&rdquo;
Addressing lawmakers, Asif reflected on Pakistan&rsquo;s repeated alignment with Washington, particularly after 1999 in connection with Afghanistan, and said those decisions had caused long-term damage that the country continues to face.
He described the pursuit of US backing as a serious miscalculation whose consequences have stretched across decades. &ldquo;Pakistan was treated worse than a toilet paper and was used for a purpose and then thrown away,&rdquo; he said in Parliament.
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Khwaja Asif admits in Parliament that Pakistan rented itself out to the U.S. for war and was later discarded &ldquo;like toilet paper&rdquo;. Afghanistan was destroyed by policies now openly acknowledged in parliament. Millions suffered. Generations were lost. The world cannot look away now&hellip; <a href="https://t.co/aEQjrm16ME">pic.twitter.com/aEQjrm16ME</a>
&mdash; Mariam Solaimankhil (@Mariamistan) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mariamistan/status/2021264302884388928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Challenging long-standing official narratives, the defence minister rejected claims that Pakistan&rsquo;s involvement in the Afghanistan conflict was driven by religious duty. He admitted that Pakistanis were mobilised and sent to fight under the banner of jihad, calling the framing misleading and destructive.
Asif said the country&rsquo;s education system was also reshaped to legitimise these wars, adding that several ideological changes introduced at the time remain embedded to this day.
Referring to the anti-Soviet war in Afghanistan during the 1980s, he argued that the conflict was dictated by American geopolitical interests rather than any genuine religious imperative, insisting that the circumstances never warranted a declaration of jihad.
The defence minister noted that Pakistan&rsquo;s participation in conflicts that were not its own had produced long-term instability and caused severe social damage that has yet to be fully undone.
He also spoke about the impact of Pakistan&rsquo;s realignment with the US after the September 11, 2001 attacks, describing the costs as devastating. Asif accused former military rulers Zia-ul-Haq and Pervez Musharraf of entangling Pakistan in external wars, leaving the country to absorb the fallout long after its allies moved on.
Referring to the post-2001 period, he said Pakistan turned against the Taliban to support the US-led war on terror, only for Washington to eventually withdraw while Pakistan remained mired in violence, radicalisation and economic strain.
The defence minister blamed the United States for much of the instability the country continues to face as a result of siding with Washington during that period.
&ldquo;The losses we suffered can never be compensated,&rdquo; Asif said, describing those decisions as irreversible mistakes that reduced Pakistan to a pawn in conflicts driven by others.

US President Donald Trump has again claimed that he prevented a potential nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan last year by using tariffs, a claim consistently denied by India.

India and Pakistan war could have been nuclear, 10 planes were shot down: Trump

US President Donald Trump has again claimed that he prevented a potential nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan last year by using tariffs, a claim consistently denied by India.

US President Donald Trump repeated the claim that he stopped the war between India and Pakistan last year, which he said could have turned nuclear, through tariffs.
"I settled eight wars. Of the eight wars, at least six were settled because of tariffs. In other words, I said, &lsquo;if you don't settle this war, I'm going to charge you tariffs, because I don't want to see people getting killed,&rdquo; Trump said in an interview to Fox Business Tuesday.
"And they said, &lsquo;Well, what does this have to do?&rsquo; I said, &lsquo;you're going to be charged&rsquo;. Like India and Pakistan. It would have been a nuclear war, in my opinion. They were really going at it, 10 planes were shot down. They were going at it,&rdquo; Trump said.
He added that the Prime Minister of Pakistan said, &lsquo;President Trump saved at least 10 million lives when he got us to stop fighting&rsquo;. Because they were going to go nuclear, (in) my opinion. Without tariffs, that wouldn't happen,&rdquo; Trump said.
Trump has claimed credit for stopping the India-Pakistan conflict for more that 80 times since May 10 last year, when he announced on social media that the two neighbours had agreed to a &ldquo;full and immediate&rdquo; ceasefire after talks mediated by Washington.
India has consistently denied any third-party intervention.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 last year, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians.&nbsp;

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