Report: Russia Says It Is Tightening Its Encirclement of Ukrainian Forces in Pokrovsk 

Pilots from the Predator Brigade's unmanned vehicle unit of the Ukrainian Patrol Police in Donetsk assemble a GARA bomber drone on a nighttime strike mission against Russian forces on the Pokrovsk front line, Ukraine, 02 November 2025. (EPA)
Pilots from the Predator Brigade's unmanned vehicle unit of the Ukrainian Patrol Police in Donetsk assemble a GARA bomber drone on a nighttime strike mission against Russian forces on the Pokrovsk front line, Ukraine, 02 November 2025. (EPA)
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Report: Russia Says It Is Tightening Its Encirclement of Ukrainian Forces in Pokrovsk 

Pilots from the Predator Brigade's unmanned vehicle unit of the Ukrainian Patrol Police in Donetsk assemble a GARA bomber drone on a nighttime strike mission against Russian forces on the Pokrovsk front line, Ukraine, 02 November 2025. (EPA)
Pilots from the Predator Brigade's unmanned vehicle unit of the Ukrainian Patrol Police in Donetsk assemble a GARA bomber drone on a nighttime strike mission against Russian forces on the Pokrovsk front line, Ukraine, 02 November 2025. (EPA)

Russia's Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that its forces were tightening their encirclement of Ukrainian troops in the city of Pokrovsk, a transport and logistics hub they have been trying to capture for over a year.

In a statement carried by the state TASS news agency, the ministry said its forces had cleared 35 buildings in Pokrovsk of Ukrainian troops.

It said Russian forces were also tightening their encirclement of Ukrainian troops near the Kharkiv region town of Kupiansk.

Reuters was unavailable to verify the battlefield reports.

Ukraine has denied that its troops are surrounded in either location.



Taliban Govt Says Pakistan Ceasefire to Hold, Despite Talks Failing

A person stands by a house allegedly damaged by cross-border fire from Pakistan at the Pak-Afghan border in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan, 07 November 2025. EPA/QUDRATULLAH RAZWAN
A person stands by a house allegedly damaged by cross-border fire from Pakistan at the Pak-Afghan border in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan, 07 November 2025. EPA/QUDRATULLAH RAZWAN
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Taliban Govt Says Pakistan Ceasefire to Hold, Despite Talks Failing

A person stands by a house allegedly damaged by cross-border fire from Pakistan at the Pak-Afghan border in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan, 07 November 2025. EPA/QUDRATULLAH RAZWAN
A person stands by a house allegedly damaged by cross-border fire from Pakistan at the Pak-Afghan border in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan, 07 November 2025. EPA/QUDRATULLAH RAZWAN

Afghanistan's Taliban government said Saturday its ceasefire with Pakistan would remain even though their latest talks failed, blaming Islamabad's "irresponsible and uncooperative" approach.

The two sides met on Thursday in Türkiye to finalize a truce agreed on October 19 in Qatar, following deadly clashes between the South Asian neighbors.

Both have remained tight-lipped on the content of the discussions, which are known only to have addressed long-standing security issues.

"During the discussions, the Pakistani side attempted to shift all responsibility for its security to the Afghan government, while showing no willingness to take responsibility for either Afghanistan's security or its own," Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on social media.

"The irresponsible and uncooperative attitude of the Pakistani delegation has not yielded any results," he said.

At a news conference later on, Mujahid stressed that the ceasefire "will hold”
"There is no issue with the ceasefire previously agreed upon with Pakistan, it will hold," he said.

Neither Islamabad nor mediators immediately commented on the announcement that the talks had failed, AFP reported.

Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had previously hinted that negotiations in Türkiye were falling through, saying that the onus lay on Afghanistan to fulfil pledges to clamp down on terrorism, "which so far they have failed.”

"Pakistan shall continue to exercise all options necessary to safeguard the security of its people and its sovereignty," he wrote.


Fire at Perfume Depot in Northwestern Türkiye Kills 6 People

A woman smells samples of famous perfumes during the exhibition "The Secret Power of Scents", showing the history of scent from antiquity to the present as a sensory experience at the Kunstpalast art museum in Duesseldorf, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
A woman smells samples of famous perfumes during the exhibition "The Secret Power of Scents", showing the history of scent from antiquity to the present as a sensory experience at the Kunstpalast art museum in Duesseldorf, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
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Fire at Perfume Depot in Northwestern Türkiye Kills 6 People

A woman smells samples of famous perfumes during the exhibition "The Secret Power of Scents", showing the history of scent from antiquity to the present as a sensory experience at the Kunstpalast art museum in Duesseldorf, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
A woman smells samples of famous perfumes during the exhibition "The Secret Power of Scents", showing the history of scent from antiquity to the present as a sensory experience at the Kunstpalast art museum in Duesseldorf, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

A fire at a perfume depot in northwestern Türkiye on Saturday morning killed six people and left one person injured, officials said.

The cause of the blaze in Kocaeli province was not immediately known.

The fire broke out around 9 a.m. local time, with local media reporting it was preceded by several explosions. Emergency teams and firefighters were immediately dispatched to the site, and the fire was brought under control within an hour.

Speaking with reporters, the province's governor, Ilhami Aktas, said that six had died and one was injured and was receiving treatment. He added that the cause of the fire was yet unknown and was under investigation.


Indonesia Police Find Possible Explosive Powder in Jakarta Mosque Blasts

Members of Indonesian Police bomb squad inspect the mosque where explosions went off at a high school compound in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Members of Indonesian Police bomb squad inspect the mosque where explosions went off at a high school compound in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
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Indonesia Police Find Possible Explosive Powder in Jakarta Mosque Blasts

Members of Indonesian Police bomb squad inspect the mosque where explosions went off at a high school compound in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Members of Indonesian Police bomb squad inspect the mosque where explosions went off at a high school compound in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Indonesian police found possible explosive powder as they investigated explosions at a mosque in the capital Jakarta, and the suspected perpetrator is recovering, the police chief said on Saturday.

Explosions that injured dozens of people during Friday prayers could have been an attack, officials said, with a 17-year-old student the suspected perpetrator.

"Several pieces of supporting evidence were found," police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo told a press conference after visiting the victims at a hospital.

"There were written materials and some powder that could have potentially caused an explosion," he said. "We are gathering other records, including examining social media and family members to gather all the information."

The suspected perpetrator, a student at a school next to the mosque, was recovering after undergoing surgery on Friday, Listyo said, according to Reuters.

"The suspect's condition is improving, and hopefully this will make things easier for us when needed," he said.