At Least 14 Injured in Russia’s Overnight Attack on Ukraine’s Odesa 

A firefighter works at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine in this handout picture released June 20, 2025. (Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Odesa region/Handout via Reuters)
A firefighter works at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine in this handout picture released June 20, 2025. (Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Odesa region/Handout via Reuters)
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At Least 14 Injured in Russia’s Overnight Attack on Ukraine’s Odesa 

A firefighter works at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine in this handout picture released June 20, 2025. (Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Odesa region/Handout via Reuters)
A firefighter works at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine in this handout picture released June 20, 2025. (Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Odesa region/Handout via Reuters)

At least 14 people were injured when Russian drones attacked the Ukrainian Black Sea city of Odesa overnight, damaging high-rise buildings and railway infrastructure, local authorities said on Friday.

Odesa is Ukraine's largest Black Sea port, key for imports and exports, and has been under constant missile and drone attacks by Russia since the war began.

"Despite the active work of air defense forces, there is damage to civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings, a higher education institution, a gas pipeline and private cars," local governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram messenger.

Kiper released photos of burning houses and charred high-rise buildings.

Local emergencies service said that during the attack there were at least 10 drone strikes on residential buildings, causing massive fires.

Ukraine's air force said on Friday that Russia had launched 86 drones on Ukraine overnight.

The military noted its air defense units shot down 34 drones while another 36 drones were lost - in reference to the Ukrainian military using electronic warfare to redirect them - or they were drone simulators that did not carry warheads.

However, the military reported that drones hit 8 locations.

Ukrainian state railways Ukrzaliznytsia reported that Odesa railway station was damaged during the attack, with power wires and rails damaged.

Russian drones also attacked Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine overnight, damaging several private and multi-storey houses, Kharkiv officials said.



N. Korea Flexes Nuclear-capable Rocket Launcher Ahead of Key Congress

A photo released by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C), accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju Ae (R), overseeing a test-fire of a large-caliber multiple-rocket launcher system at an unknown location in North Korea, 27 January 2026 (issued 28 January 2026). EPA/KCNA  EDITORIAL USE ONLY
A photo released by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C), accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju Ae (R), overseeing a test-fire of a large-caliber multiple-rocket launcher system at an unknown location in North Korea, 27 January 2026 (issued 28 January 2026). EPA/KCNA EDITORIAL USE ONLY
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N. Korea Flexes Nuclear-capable Rocket Launcher Ahead of Key Congress

A photo released by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C), accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju Ae (R), overseeing a test-fire of a large-caliber multiple-rocket launcher system at an unknown location in North Korea, 27 January 2026 (issued 28 January 2026). EPA/KCNA  EDITORIAL USE ONLY
A photo released by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C), accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju Ae (R), overseeing a test-fire of a large-caliber multiple-rocket launcher system at an unknown location in North Korea, 27 January 2026 (issued 28 January 2026). EPA/KCNA EDITORIAL USE ONLY

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has unveiled a battery of huge nuclear-capable rocket launchers ahead of a key congress of the nation's ruling party, state media said Thursday.

Kim is expected to detail the next phase in North Korea's nuclear weapons program when he opens a rare congress of the ruling Workers' Party in coming days.

The 600-mm multiple launch rocket system was front and center as preparations ramped up for the once-in-five-years gathering, widely viewed as North Korea's most important political event.

"When this weapon is used actually, no force would be able to expect God's protection," Kim said, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

"It is really a wonderful and attractive weapon."

Photos released by state media showed dozens of launch vehicles parked in neat rows on the plaza of Pyongyang's House of Culture, which will host the congress.

The weapon was "appropriate for a special attack, that is, for accomplishing a strategic mission", Kim told a ceremony on Wednesday, using a common euphemism for nuclear weapons.

He said the weapons system -- which was presented to the congress as a gift from munitions workers -- would deter unnamed enemies.

"There is no need to further explain about its destructive power and military value," AFP quoted Kim as saying.

"This is because it can reduce the aimed target to ashes through surprise and simultaneous attack by focusing its destructive energy."

The launch system could fire rockets with an estimated range of 400 kilometers (250 miles), covering all of South Korea, said analyst Hong Min from the Korea Institute for National Unification.

"Its primary purpose is to neutralize the combined air power of South Korea and the United States," he told AFP.

"If equipped with tactical nuclear warheads, a single battery firing four to five rounds could devastate an entire airbase."

South Korea's capital Seoul is less than 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the border at its nearest point.

Analysts believe North Korea would use its vast artillery arsenal to launch saturation strikes on the South should fighting break out.

Kim ordered the expansion and modernization of missile production in the months leading up to the Workers' Party congress.

Pyongyang has also significantly stepped up missile testing.


Iran Says No Country Can Deprive it of Enrichment Rights

A handout photo made available by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)'s official website Sepahnews on 17 February 2026 shows IRGC conducting a military drill in the Strait of Hormuz, in the Arabian gulf, southern Iran. EPA/SEPAHNEWS HANDOUT
A handout photo made available by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)'s official website Sepahnews on 17 February 2026 shows IRGC conducting a military drill in the Strait of Hormuz, in the Arabian gulf, southern Iran. EPA/SEPAHNEWS HANDOUT
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Iran Says No Country Can Deprive it of Enrichment Rights

A handout photo made available by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)'s official website Sepahnews on 17 February 2026 shows IRGC conducting a military drill in the Strait of Hormuz, in the Arabian gulf, southern Iran. EPA/SEPAHNEWS HANDOUT
A handout photo made available by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)'s official website Sepahnews on 17 February 2026 shows IRGC conducting a military drill in the Strait of Hormuz, in the Arabian gulf, southern Iran. EPA/SEPAHNEWS HANDOUT

Iran's atomic energy chief Mohammad Eslami said no country can deprive the Iranian republic of its right to nuclear enrichment, after US President Donald Trump again hinted at military action following talks in Geneva.

"The basis of the nuclear industry is enrichment. Whatever you want to do in the nuclear process, you need nuclear fuel," said Eslami, according to a video published by Etemad daily on Thursday.

"Iran's nuclear program is proceeding according to the rules of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and no country can deprive Iran of the right to peacefully benefit from this technology."

The comments follow the second round of Oman-mediated talks between Tehran and Washington in Geneva on Tuesday.

The two foes had held an initial round of discussions on February 6 in Oman, the first since previous talks collapsed during the 12-day Iran-Israel war in June.

The United States briefly joined the war alongside Israel, striking Iranian nuclear facilities.

On Wednesday, Trump again suggested the United States might strike Iran in a post on his Truth Social site.

He warned Britain against giving up sovereignty over the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean, saying that the archipelago's Diego Garcia airbase might be needed were Iran not to agree a deal, "in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous regime".

Washington has repeatedly called for zero enrichment, but has also sought to address Iran's ballistic missile program and its support for militant groups in the region -- issues which Israel has pushed to include in the talks.

Western countries accuse the Iranian republic of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.

Tehran denies having such military ambitions but insists on its right to this technology for civilian purposes.

Trump, who has ratcheted up pressure on Iran to reach an agreement, has deployed a significant naval force to the region, which he has described as an "armada".

After sending the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and escort battleships to the Gulf in January, he recently indicated that a second aircraft carrier, the Gerald Ford, would depart "very soon" for the Middle East.

Separately, the Iranian and Russian navies were conducting joint drills in the Sea of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean on Thursday.


Karachi Building Collapse after Blast Kills 16

Rescue workers and people gather at the site of a residential compound following a suspected gas leakage blast in Karachi, Pakistan, 19 February 2026. EPA/REHAN KHAN
Rescue workers and people gather at the site of a residential compound following a suspected gas leakage blast in Karachi, Pakistan, 19 February 2026. EPA/REHAN KHAN
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Karachi Building Collapse after Blast Kills 16

Rescue workers and people gather at the site of a residential compound following a suspected gas leakage blast in Karachi, Pakistan, 19 February 2026. EPA/REHAN KHAN
Rescue workers and people gather at the site of a residential compound following a suspected gas leakage blast in Karachi, Pakistan, 19 February 2026. EPA/REHAN KHAN

A building collapse caused by an explosion in Pakistan's southern megacity of Karachi killed at least 16 people on Thursday, including children, officials said.

More than a dozen people were injured in the incident in the Soldier Bazaar neighborhood of Karachi at around 4:00 am, when Muslim families start preparing Sehri, the pre-sunrise meal eaten during Ramadan.