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Russia Complains to Turkey over Drones Sales to Ukraine

A drone Bayraktar is seen during a rehearsal for the Independence Day military parade in central Kyiv, Ukraine August 18, 2021. (Reuters)
A drone Bayraktar is seen during a rehearsal for the Independence Day military parade in central Kyiv, Ukraine August 18, 2021. (Reuters)
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Russia Complains to Turkey over Drones Sales to Ukraine

A drone Bayraktar is seen during a rehearsal for the Independence Day military parade in central Kyiv, Ukraine August 18, 2021. (Reuters)
A drone Bayraktar is seen during a rehearsal for the Independence Day military parade in central Kyiv, Ukraine August 18, 2021. (Reuters)

Russia has complained to Turkey over its sale of Bayraktar TB2 armed drones to Ukraine, a high level Turkish bureaucrat said on Friday, but added the sales were by a private Turkish company and not state-to-state deals.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 on what he called a "special military operation" to demilitarize and "denazify" Ukraine. Kyiv and the West say Putin launched an unprovoked war of aggression.

"Russians are upset and from time to time they are complaining about the drone sales. They used to complain and they are complaining right now," the bureaucrat said at a meeting with foreign media.

"But we have already given the answer ... that these are private companies and these drone purchases had been done before the war as well."

Turkey has forged close ties with Russia in energy, defense and trade, and relies heavily on Russian tourists. The Turkish defense firm Baykar had sold the drones to Kyiv despite Russian objections and signed a deal to co-produce more before the invasion, angering Moscow.

NATO member Turkey shares a maritime border with Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea, has good ties with both and has taken a mediating role in the conflict. It has hosted peace talks and is working to bring together the Ukrainian and Russian presidents.

While supporting Ukraine and criticizing Russia's invasion, Turkey has also opposed widespread Western sanctions on Moscow, saying communication channels need to remain open and casting doubt on the effectiveness of the measures.

Ankara also opposes Russian policies in Syria and Libya, as well as its annexation of Crimea in 2014.

After peace talks between negotiators in Istanbul last week, Ukraine listed several nations, including Turkey and members of the UN Security Council, as possible guarantors for Kyiv's security. The bureaucrat said some countries listed would face "legal issues" as security guarantors, without elaborating.

Turkey has said it is ready, in principle, to be Ukraine's guarantor, but the details of the format need to be finalized.

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Iran's Top Negotiator Threatens 'Faster, More Intense' Response to US Attacks

People walk past a large anti-US banner with reference to the dropping of the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, in Tehran on September 2, 2026. (Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP) /
People walk past a large anti-US banner with reference to the dropping of the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, in Tehran on September 2, 2026. (Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP) /
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Iran's Top Negotiator Threatens 'Faster, More Intense' Response to US Attacks

People walk past a large anti-US banner with reference to the dropping of the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, in Tehran on September 2, 2026. (Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP) /
People walk past a large anti-US banner with reference to the dropping of the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, in Tehran on September 2, 2026. (Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP) /

Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf threatened on Sunday to launch swifter and more forceful responses to US attacks, after Tehran targeted American warships in retaliation for US attacks on tankers.

"The Americans must have understood that the era of proportionate responses has come to an end," said Ghalibaf in a speech carried by state media, adding that "any aggression against Iran's interests and security will receive a faster, more intense and more painful response.”

Iran said Sunday that it struck an unmanned US military boat in the Strait of Hormuz.

US Central Command, which oversees the US military operations in the Middle East, did not confirm the claim or respond to request for comment. It comes one day after the US said it struck Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for Iran launching ballistic missiles at Navy warships.

World

A Fuel Tanker Explosion in West Iran Kills 11 and Injures 7

A fuel tanker exploded in western Iran, killing 11 people and injuring seven others, according to the state media.(AP)
A fuel tanker exploded in western Iran, killing 11 people and injuring seven others, according to the state media.(AP)
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A Fuel Tanker Explosion in West Iran Kills 11 and Injures 7

A fuel tanker exploded in western Iran, killing 11 people and injuring seven others, according to the state media.(AP)
A fuel tanker exploded in western Iran, killing 11 people and injuring seven others, according to the state media.(AP)

A fuel tanker exploded in western Iran, killing 11 people and injuring seven others, state media said.

IRNA reported late Saturday that the tanker hit other cars before bursting into flames near a traffic police station close to the Kurdish city of Sanandaj, some 400 kilometers (248 miles) west of the capital, Tehran. The report cited a faulty brake system, The Associated Press said.

The injured were transferred to hospitals.

In 2018, a similar road accident between a fuel tanker and an intercity passenger bus near Sanandaj killed 15 people and injured four.

Road and traffic accidents annually leave more than 17,000 dead in Iran. Experts blame the high fatality rate on unsafe vehicles, disregard for traffic rules, and inadequate emergency services.

World

Nepali Rescuers Buoyed by Miracle Finds but Tough Conditions Persist

Nepal Army personnel work to build an iron bridge across Tadi Khola river following the deadly flash floods and mudslide, in Devighat, Nuwakot district, Nepal, September 4, 2026. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Nepal Army personnel work to build an iron bridge across Tadi Khola river following the deadly flash floods and mudslide, in Devighat, Nuwakot district, Nepal, September 4, 2026. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
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Nepali Rescuers Buoyed by Miracle Finds but Tough Conditions Persist

Nepal Army personnel work to build an iron bridge across Tadi Khola river following the deadly flash floods and mudslide, in Devighat, Nuwakot district, Nepal, September 4, 2026. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Nepal Army personnel work to build an iron bridge across Tadi Khola river following the deadly flash floods and mudslide, in Devighat, Nuwakot district, Nepal, September 4, 2026. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Nepali rescuers faced challenging conditions on Sunday as search operations after catastrophic floods entered their 12th day, buoyed by the extraordinary rescues of four survivors.

The glacial and mountain collapse on the China-Nepal border has killed at least 1,372 people and left more than 5,500 missing across the two countries, AFP said.

Rescuers found two more people alive on Saturday, joining two saved the day before in what have been described as miraculous tales of survival.

Three of those have been found in hydropower tunnels where the government initially said it believed more than 100 workers could be alive.

"Search and rescue is going on at the tunnels despite geography, adverse weather and lack of connectivity," Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha told AFP.

Rescue workers were experiencing "multiple challenges", he said.

The wall of icy water and debris tore through mountain districts on August 26, destroying roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

On Saturday, rescuers pulled a Chinese man alive from deep inside a hydropower tunnel, and a 64-year-old Nepali woman, Chandrika Shrestha, from her mud-covered home.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah said the latter rescue had "given hope to the entire nation".

A day earlier, two Nepali hydropower workers were rescued at the Trishuli 3A tunnel, where searches continue alongside multiple other sites, with at least 12 hydropower projects affected.

Biraj Bhakta Shrestha said work was continuing to restore electricity in several areas.

"Places that have unreachable, we've tried to restore power with solar," he told AFP.

Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has called the disaster a "Himalayan tsunami" and has warned reconstruction costs could run into the billions of dollars.

The United Nations has said the magnitude of the destruction makes delivering aid an immense challenge, and has launched a $50 million appeal to help more than 84,000 people.

With mortuaries overflowing, Nepal has buried hundreds of bodies in mass graves, after taking DNA samples for future identification, according to the police.

Only around 100 bodies have been identified and handed over to families.

Nepal will hold a national day of mourning on Monday, the 13th day since the disaster, in line with a traditional period of mourning in Hindu rituals.

While the exact cause of the glacial collapse is unclear, climate change is accelerating glacial melting worldwide, increasing the risk of such disasters.

In Nepal, rescuers have retrieved 1,341 bodies, while around 4,996 people remain missing, according to the disaster agency.

Chinese state media report that 31 people have been killed and 531 are missing in Tibet.

The combined toll is 1,372 dead and more than 5,500 missing, including around 800 foreigners, among them tourists and pilgrims.