Russia becomes first nation to formally recognize Taliban rule in Afghanistan
The Taliban flag was raised over Afghanistan's embassy in Moscow, replacing the former government's banner, cementing the new relationship. This ends nearly four years of global isolation for the Taliban, who seized power in 2021 when U.S. troops withdrew after 20 years of war.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
21 minutes ago
- NDTV
Trump "Very Unhappy" With Putin Call, Says He Wants To "Keep Killing People"
US President Donald Trump said Friday he was "very unhappy" about his telephone call with Vladimir Putin on the war in Ukraine, saying the Russian leader just wanted to "keep killing people." "It's a very tough situation. I told you I was very unhappy with my call with President Putin. He wants to go all the way, just keep killing people, it's no good," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. Trump also hinted that he may finally be ready to toughen sanctions against Russia, having held off for the past six months while he tried to persuade Putin to end the war. "We talk about sanctions a lot," Trump said. "He understands that it may be coming." Trump added that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meanwhile had a "very strategic call" on Friday, as concerns mounted in Kyiv over US military aid deliveries. Zelensky said earlier that the two leaders had agreed to work to "strengthen" Ukraine's air defenses, following Russia's largest drone and missile barrage of the invasion so far. Trump said he had also discussed sending Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine in a separate call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday, although he had not yet agreed to do so. Merz "feels they have to be protected," Trump said.
The Hindu
33 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Ukraine says it struck Russian airbase as Russia sent hundreds of drones into Ukraine
Ukraine said it struck a Russian airbase on Saturday (July 5, 2025), while Russia continued to pound Ukraine with hundreds of drones overnight as part of a stepped-up bombing campaign that has further dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the more than 3-year-old war. Ukraine's military General Staff said on Saturday (July 5, 2025) that Ukrainian forces had struck the Borisoglebsk airbase in Russia's Voronezh region, describing it as the 'home base' of Russia's Su-34, Su-35S and Su-30SM fighter jets. Writing on Facebook, the General Staff said it hit a depot containing glide bombs, a training aircraft and 'possibly other aircraft." Russian officials did not immediately comment on the attack. Such attacks on Russian airbases aim to dent Russia's military capability and demonstrate Ukraine's capability to hit high-value targets in Russia. Last month, Ukraine said it destroyed more than 40 Russian planes stationed at several airfields deep in Russia's territory in a surprise drone attack. Russia fired 322 drones and decoys into Ukraine overnight into Saturday (July 5, 2025), Ukraine's air force said. Of these, 157 were shot down and 135 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed. According to the air force, Ukraine's western Khmelnytskyi region was the main target of the attack. Regional Gov Serhii Tyurin said Saturday that no damage, injuries or deaths had been reported. Russia has been stepping up its long-range attacks on Ukraine. Waves of drones and missiles targeted Kyiv overnight into Friday in the largest aerial assault since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, killing one person and wounding at least 26 others. The fresh wave of attacks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that he had a 'very important and productive' phone call with US President Donald Trump. The two leaders discussed how Ukrainian air defences might be strengthened, possible joint weapons production between the US and Ukraine, and broader US-led efforts to end the war with Russia, according to a statement by Zelenksyy. Asked on Friday (July 4, 2025) night by reporters about the call, Mr. Trump said, 'We had a very good call, I think.' When asked about finding a way to end the fighting, Mr. Trump said: 'I don't know. I can't tell you whether or not that's going to happen.' The U.S. has paused some shipments of military aid to Ukraine, including crucial air defence missiles. Ukraine's main European backers are considering how they can help pick up the slack. Mr. Zelenskyy says plans are afoot to build up Ukraine's domestic arms industry, but scaling up will take time. Russia's Defence Ministry said it shot down 94 Ukrainian drones overnight into Saturday (July 5, 2025), along with 12 further drones on Saturday morning. No casualties were reported.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
'Win-Win': US ambassador optimistic about trade deal with Canada
The US ambassador to Canada gave an optimistic assessment of trade talks between the countries, playing up the odds that a fair deal will emerge soon from negotiations between Donald Trump and Mark Carney. The US ambassador to Canada gave an optimistic assessment of trade talks between the countries(AFP) 'We've got two guys that are negotiating for each of our countries,' Pete Hoekstra told an audience during an Independence Day party in Ottawa. 'When they get done, I'm confident that they can both go back to their people and their citizens and say, 'I got a great deal for Canada' — and I think we'll have a president who will say, 'I have a great deal for the USA.'' 'That means we have a great win-win.' The US, Canada and Mexico have an existing trade pact that Trump signed during his first term. But the president has sidestepped it and placed import taxes of 50% on foreign steel and aluminum, along with levies on cars and trucks. Canada is a significant exporter of all of those products. The Canadian government has put counter-tariffs on tens of billions of dollars of US-manufactured items, including vehicles and other consumer products. But Carney, who became Canada's prime minister in March, opted not to retaliate when Trump increased the tariffs on steel and aluminum weeks ago. The two leaders have agreed on a July 21 deadline to reach an agreement. 'We're going to get through this,' said Hoekstra, a former member of the US House of Representatives from Michigan, a state that's highly dependent on trade with Canada. 'When we are done, we are going to be stronger and better than what we were when we began.'
