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Kremlin Says It ‘Noted’ Trump’s Statement on Shorter Deadline for a Ceasefire in Ukraine 

Ukrainian servicemen of the 59th brigade mobile air defense unit fire a Soviet made ZU-23 anti-aircraft twin autocannon towards a Russian drone during an air attack near Pavlograd, Dnipropetrovsk region on July 19, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
Ukrainian servicemen of the 59th brigade mobile air defense unit fire a Soviet made ZU-23 anti-aircraft twin autocannon towards a Russian drone during an air attack near Pavlograd, Dnipropetrovsk region on July 19, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
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Kremlin Says It ‘Noted’ Trump’s Statement on Shorter Deadline for a Ceasefire in Ukraine 

Ukrainian servicemen of the 59th brigade mobile air defense unit fire a Soviet made ZU-23 anti-aircraft twin autocannon towards a Russian drone during an air attack near Pavlograd, Dnipropetrovsk region on July 19, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
Ukrainian servicemen of the 59th brigade mobile air defense unit fire a Soviet made ZU-23 anti-aircraft twin autocannon towards a Russian drone during an air attack near Pavlograd, Dnipropetrovsk region on July 19, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that it had "taken note" of a statement by US President Donald Trump that he was shortening his deadline for Moscow to sign up to a ceasefire in Ukraine or face sanctions.

Trump set a new deadline on Monday of 10 or 12 days for Russia to make progress toward ending the war in Ukraine or face consequences, underscoring frustration with President Vladimir Putin over the 3-1/2-year-old conflict.

Asked about Trump's statement on Tuesday during a conference call with reporters, the Kremlin kept its remarks short.

"We have taken note of President Trump's statement yesterday. The special military operation continues," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, employing the term that Moscow uses for its war effort in Ukraine.

"We remain committed to a peace process to resolve the conflict around Ukraine and to ensure our interests in the course of this settlement."

Trump threatened on July 14 to impose new sanctions on Russia and buyers of its exports within 50 days, a deadline which would have expired in early September.

But on Monday, during a visit to Britain, he shortened that deadline and said: "There's no reason in waiting... We just don't see any progress being made."

Trump, who has held half a dozen calls with the Kremlin leader since returning to the White House in January, also said he was "not so interested in talking any more".

Peskov declined to comment on that remark.

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World

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.

World

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.

World

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.