Iran and the United States are weighing holding a second round of talks over Tehran's nuclear program after Israel launched a 12-day war on the country in June and the Islamic Republic carried out a bloody crackdown on nationwide protests. U.S. President Donald Trump has kept up pressure on Iran, moving an aircraft carrier and other military assets to the Persian Gulf and suggesting the U.S. could attack Iran over the killing of peaceful demonstrators or if Tehran launches mass executions over the protests. Trump has pushed Iran's nuclear program back into the frame as well after the June war disrupted five rounds of talks held in Rome and Muscat, Oman, last year. Trump also has suggested sending a second carrier to the region. A top Iranian security official, Ali Larijani, visited Oman this week and traveled onto Qatar, just after Trump called its ruling emir. It remains unclear how — or if more talks will happen, though Mideast nations fear a collapse in diplomacy could spark a new regional war. US concerns also have gone beyond Iran's nuclear program to its ballistic missiles, support for proxy networks across the region and other issues. Iran has said it wants talks to focus solely on the nuclear program. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has insisted that his nation was “not seeking nuclear weapons and are ready for any kind of verification.” However, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog — the International Atomic Energy Agency — has been unable for months to inspect and verify Iran's nuclear stockpile. Trump began the diplomacy initially by writing a letter last year to Iran's 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to jump start these talks. Khamenei has warned Iran would respond to any attack with an attack of its own, particularly as the theocracy he commands reels following the protests. Here's what to know about Iran's nuclear program and the tensions that have stalked relations between Tehran and Washington since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Trump writes letter to Khamenei Trump dispatched the letter to Khamenei on March 5, 2025, then gave a television interview the next day in which he acknowledged sending it. He said: “I've written them a letter saying, I hope you're going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, it's going to be a terrible thing.'” Since returning to the White House, the president has been pushing for talks while ratcheting up sanctions and suggesting a military strike by Israel or the U.S. could target Iranian nuclear sites. A previous letter from Trump during his first term drew an angry retort from the supreme leader. But Trump's letters to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in his first term led to face-to-face meetings, though no deals to limit Pyongyang's atomic bombs and a missile program capable of reaching the continental US. Oman mediated previous talks Oman, a sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, has mediated talks between Araghchi and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. The two men have met face to face after indirect talks, a rare occurrence due to the decades of tensions between the countries. It hasn't been all smooth, however. Witkoff at one point made a television appearance in which he suggested 3.67 percent enrichment for Iran could be something the countries could agree on. But that's exactly the terms set by the 2015 nuclear deal struck under former U.S. President Barack Obama, from which Trump unilaterally withdrew America. Witkoff, Trump and other American officials in the time since have maintained Iran can have no enrichment under any deal, something to which Tehran insists it won't agree. Those negotiations ended, however, with Israel launching the war in June on Iran. It hosted a new first round of talks on Feb. 6. The 12-day war and nationwide protests Israel launched what became a 12-day war on Iran in June that included the U.S. bombing Iranian nuclear sites. Iran later acknowledged in November that the attacks saw it halt all uranium enrichment in the country, though inspectors from the IAEA, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, have been unable to visit the bombed sites. Half a year later, Iran saw protests that began in late December over the collapse of the country's rial currency. Those demonstrations soon became nationwide, sparking Tehran to launch a bloody crackdown that killed thousands and saw tens of thousands detained by authorities. Iran's nuclear program worries the West Iran has insisted for decades that its nuclear program is peaceful. However, its officials increasingly threaten to pursue a nuclear weapon. Iran now enriches uranium to near weapons-grade levels of 60 percent, the only country in the world without a nuclear weapons program to do so. Under the original 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was allowed to enrich uranium up to 3.67 percent purity and to maintain a uranium stockpile of 300 kilograms (661 pounds). The last report by the IAEA on Iran's program put its stockpile at some 9,870 kilograms (21,760 pounds), with a fraction of it enriched to 60 percent. The agency for months has been unable to assess Iran's program, raising nonproliferation concerns. U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Iran has yet to begin a weapons program, but has “undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so.” Iranian officials have threatened to pursue the bomb. Israel, a close American ally, believes Iran is pursuing a weapon. It wants to see the nuclear program scrapped, as well as a halt in its ballistic missile program and support for anti-Israel militant groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas. Decades of tense relations between Iran and the US Iran was once one of the U.S.'s top allies in the Mideast under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who purchased American military weapons and allowed CIA technicians to run secret listening posts monitoring the neighboring Soviet Union. The CIA had fomented a 1953 coup that cemented the shah's rule. But in January 1979, the shah, fatally ill with cancer, fled Iran as mass demonstrations swelled against his rule. The Islamic Revolution followed, led by Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and created Iran's theocratic government. Later that year, university students overran the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, seeking the shah's extradition and sparking the 444-day hostage crisis that saw diplomatic relations between Iran and the U.S. severed. The Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s saw the U.S. back Saddam Hussein. The “Tanker War” during that conflict saw the U.S. launch a one-day assault that crippled Iran at sea, while the U.S. later shot down an Iranian commercial airliner that the U.S. military said it mistook for a warplane. Iran and the U.S. have seesawed between enmity and grudging diplomacy in the years since, with relations peaking when Tehran made the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. But Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the accord in 2018, sparking tensions in the Mideast that persist today. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
11 February,2026 11:05 PM IST | Dubai | APA Russian drone smashed into a home in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region overnight, killing a father and his three small children and seriously wounding their mother who is 35 weeks pregnant, officials said Wednesday. The strike completely destroyed the house and set it on fire, with the family trapped under the rubble, according to the Kharkiv regional prosecutor's office. The 34-year-old father and his three children - twin boys aged 2 and their 1-year-old sister - were killed, while rescue workers pulled the mother alive from the rubble, prosecutors said. She sustained blast injuries, a traumatic brain injury, burns and hearing loss, they said. During the almost four years since Russia invaded its neighbor, and despite a new push over the past year in U.S.-led peace efforts, Ukrainian civilians have endured constant aerial attacks. Last year was the deadliest for civilians in Ukraine since 2022 as Russia intensified its aerial barrages behind the front line, according to the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in the country. The war killed 2,514 civilians and injured 12,142 in Ukraine in 2025 - 31% higher than in 2024, it said. The drone that struck the Kharkiv town of Bohodukhiv was identified as a Geran-2, a Russian-made version of an Iranian Shahed drone."We lost what is most precious - our future," Bohodukhiv mayor Volodymyr Bielyi wrote on his Facebook page. "There are no words to console the family; there is no prayer that could heal the heart of a mother who has lost her children." Bielyi said the mother is fighting for her life in hospital and announced three days of mourning, when national flags will be lowered and all entertainment and organized public events will be cancelled. "We will endure. We will remember. We will never forgive this horror on our land," Bielyi wrote. Bohodukhiv has a pre-war population of 15,000. It is located some 22 kilometers (13 miles) from the Russian border. "Each such Russian strike undermines trust in everything being done through diplomacy to end this war, and again and again proves that only strong pressure on Russia and clear security guarantees for Ukraine are the real key to stopping the killings," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media. Ukraine's Air Force says Russia launched 129 long-range drones at Ukraine last night. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire at an industrial plant in the city of Volgograd, authorities said. Volgograd region's Gov. Andrei Bocharov said that drone fragments also damaged an apartment building. Eight Russian airports briefly suspended flights overnight because of drone attacks, officials said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
11 February,2026 06:33 PM IST | Kyiv | APAir Canada suspended its services to Cuba, citing an aviation fuel shortage. The airline will operate empty flights to Cuba to pick up and return customers. Air Canada said that it is suspending its service to Cuba due to an ongoing shortage of aviation fuel on the island. Over the following days, the airline will operate empty flights southbound to pick up approximately 3000 customers already at their destination and return them home. Cuba has been facing an energy crisis amid a US blockade of oil to the Caribbean nation. Canadian tourism is vital to Cuba’s economy. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 February,2026 05:31 PM IST | Ottawa | AgenciesAn active incident was reported at Thomas S Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland, on Monday afternoon, with a 16-year-old student being taken into custody. Officers responded to the school at 2.15 pm, where they found a 16-year-old male student suffering from a single gunshot wound in a hallway. He was moved to a hospital and is in stable condition. Investigators determined that there was no threat to public safety. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 February,2026 05:29 PM IST | New york | AgenciesNine people were killed in a mass shooting allegedly by a person, possibly a woman, who committed suicide in a mining town in British Columbia, according to officials. The area’s federal police Chief Superintendent Ken Floyd said on Tuesday night (local time) that seven people were found dead in a local high school in Tumbler Ridge and two others in a home. The alleged shooter was discovered dead in the school, he said during a virtual news conference. Floyd, who commands the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) northern district in the province, said that about 100 staff and students at the school were safe and were evacuated. Prime Minister Mark Carney said on X that he was “devastated” by the “horrific acts of violence”. There were indications that the shooter was a woman or someone in female attire. Citing privacy reasons and the ongoing investigation, Floyd did not disclose if the shooter was a student or an adult, but confirmed that it was the same person mentioned in an active shooter alert sent to phones in the area. That message described the suspected shooter as a brown-haired female wearing a dress. Two people with serious injuries were airlifted to a hospital, while 25 were checked for injuries at a local medical centre, according to police. British Columbia’s Premier David Eby called the incident an “unimaginable tragedy” and said the “government will ensure every possible support for community members in the coming days”. Floyd said that they have not yet been able to ascertain the motives for the attack. “I think we will struggle to determine the ‘why’, but we will try our best to determine what transpired”, he said. The house was near the school, and the shootings were connected, Floyd said. Tumble Ridge is a small coal mining town of about 2,400 people in an area famed for dinosaur footprints and fossils. Mass shootings are rare in Canada, and the last major incident involving a school was in Montreal in 1989, when 14 died. The worst massacre in recent times was in Nova Scotia in 2020 when, over two days, a man shot dead 13 people and killed nine others by setting fire. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
11 February,2026 01:15 PM IST | Ottawa | IANSThe White House says President Donald Trump has the right to amend a permit for a new bridge between Canada and Michigan, prolonging the latest dispute between the US and its northern neighbour hours after its prime minister signalled there could be a detente. The Gordie Howe International Bridge, which would connect Ontario and Michigan and would be a vital economic artery between the two countries, is scheduled to open in early 2026. But Trump has now threatened to block the bridge from being opened, calling for Canada to agree to a litany of unspecified demands as the two nations prepare to renegotiate a sprawling trade pact later this year. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said earlier Tuesday that he spoke with Trump and expressed confidence that the spat would be resolved. But a White House official later Tuesday said the ownership structure of the bridge remains unacceptable for the US president. Canada paid for the bridge, named after a Canadian-born Detroit Red Wings hockey star. Construction has been underway since 2018. The official said that all international infrastructure projects require a presidential permit, and that Trump would be within his right to amend that permit. The person was granted anonymity because they did not have permission to speak publicly. "The fact that Canada will control what crosses the Gordie Howe Bridge and owns the land on both sides is unacceptable to the president," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday. "It's also unacceptable that more of this bridge isn't being built with more American-made materials." The new fight over the bridge is the latest volley in an increasingly sour relationship between the United States and Canada, particularly over trade policy. Trump has also mused publicly about acquiring Canada as the 51st US state, much to the dismay of Canadians. Following his conversation with Trump, Carney said "this is going to be resolved" and noted that he told the US president that the Canadian and Michigan governments shared ownership of the bridge. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer's office has also emphasised that the bridge will be operated under a joint ownership agreement between the state and Canada, even though the Canadian government paid for it. Carney also added that US steel was used in the project, which also employed US workers. According to Carney, Trump told him he'll ask the US ambassador to Canada, former Michigan Rep. Pete Hoekstra, to "play a role in smoothing the conversation in and around the bridge." Hoekstra did not return an immediate request for comment. "I look forward to it opening and what is particularly important is the commerce and the tourism of Canadians and Americans that go across that bridge," Carney said. The project was negotiated by former Michigan Republican Governor Rick Snyder and paid for by the Canadian government to help ease congestion over the existing Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor tunnel. Snyder wrote in an op-ed in The Detroit News on Tuesday that Trump was wrong in asserting that Canada owns both the U.S.- and Canadian sides of the Gordie Howe bridge. "Canada and the state of Michigan are 50/50 owners of the new bridge," Snyder wrote. "Canada was wonderful and financed the entire bridge. They will get repaid with interest from the tolls. Michigan and the United States got their half-ownership with no investment." The former governor also emphasized that parts of the bridge construction were exempt from "Buy America" requirements for its steel because half of the project was outside the US and subsequently, US law should not apply to them. "President Trump, I would encourage you to challenge your advisers and the sources for your post to correct the information they have provided," Snyder wrote in the op-ed. He acknowledged some trade issues with Canada, but "picking this bridge as the leverage point doesn't seem to make the most sense given your other tools." This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 February,2026 11:32 AM IST | Washington | APThe General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran has warned adversaries of a “more forceful and wider” response to any threats against the country’s territory, according to Iranian state broadcaster Press TV. In a statement issued on Tuesday, on the eve of the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution’s victory, the General Staff praised the Iranian nation’s endurance and pledged a firm defence against external dangers. The declaration comes against the backdrop of a heightened US military presence in the region and Washington’s threats of military action. The General Staff called on citizens to generate a lasting display of strength through widespread participation in the February 11 nationwide rallies, which it said would demonstrate unity and solidarity. US warns its ships in region The US has rolled instructions for US-flagged commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, urging ships to steer clear of Iran’s territorial waters. It also cautioned against allowing Iranian forces to board US-flagged vessels in the area. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 February,2026 08:39 AM IST | Tehran | AgenciesPakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party lawyer to meet incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan in prison and submit a report about his “living conditions”. Khan, 73, has been in jail since August 5, 2023, after his conviction in a corruption case. Currently, he has been kept at Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi. The court appointed PTI counsel Salman Safdar as amicus curiae with orders to visit the jail. “Salman Safdar should go to Adiala and be given full access so he may be able to file a written response,” it said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 February,2026 08:39 AM IST | Islamabad | AgenciesIn the coming weeks, the US and India will work toward finalising the interim agreement on trade with a view to concluding a mutually beneficial Bilateral Trade Agreement, the White House has said. The two countries will also continue negotiations to address remaining issues, including services and investment, labour and government procurement, it said. Days after India and the US announced in a joint statement the framework for an Interim Agreement regarding reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade, the White House issued a fact sheet on 'The United States and India Announce Historic Trade Deal (Interim Agreement).' The fact sheet highlights key terms of the agreement, including that India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products. This includes dried distillers' grains, red sorghum, tree nuts,and fresh and processed fruit. certain pulses, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products and India has committed to buy more American products and purchase over USD 500 billion of US energy, information and communication technology, agricultural, coal, and other products. On the 'Prosperous Path Forward', the fact sheet said that US President Donald Trump continues to advance the interests of the American people, enhancing market access for American exporters and lowering tariff and non-tariff barriers to protect our economic and national security. "India has maintained some of the highest tariffs on the United States of any major world economy, with tariffs as high as an average of 37 per cent for agricultural goods and more than 100 per cent on certain autos. India also has a history of imposing highly protectionist non-tariff barriers that have banned and prohibited many US exports to India," the fact sheet said. "In the coming weeks, the United States and India will promptly implement this framework and work toward finalising the Interim Agreement with a view to concluding a mutually beneficial BTA to lock in benefits for American workers and businesses," it said. The announcement provides a "tangible path forward" with India that underscores the President's dedication to realising balanced, reciprocal trade with an important trading partner. Further, it added that in line with the roadmap set out in the terms of reference for the BTA, the United States and India will "continue negotiations to address the remaining tariff barriers, additional non-tariff barriers, technical barriers to trade, customs and trade facilitation, good regulatory practices, trade remedies, services and investment, intellectual property, labour, environment, government procurement, and trade-distorting or unfair practices of state-owned enterprises." It said India will address non-tariff barriers that affect bilateral trade in priority areas. The United States and India will negotiate rules of origin that ensure that the agreed benefits accrue predominantly to the United States and India. India will remove its digital services taxes and committed to negotiate a robust set of bilateral digital trade rules that address discriminatory or burdensome practices and other barriers to digital trade, including rules that prohibit the imposition of customs duties on electronic transmissions. The United States and India committed to strengthening economic security alignment to enhance supply chain resilience and innovation through complementary actions to address non-market policies of third parties as well as cooperating on inbound and outbound investment reviews and export controls, it said adding that the two countries will significantly increase bilateral trade in technology products and expand joint technology cooperation. It noted that last Friday, Trump announced the trade deal with India that will open up the country's market of over 1.4 billion people to American products. The joint statement follows a call between Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, "in which the leaders reached a framework for an Interim Agreement on reciprocal trade and reaffirmed their commitment to broader US-India Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) negotiations." It noted that Trump agreed to remove the additional 25% tariff on imports from India in "recognition of India's commitment to stop purchasing" Russian oil. Accordingly, the President signed an Executive Order last Friday removing that additional 25 per cent tariff. "Given India's willingness to align with the United States to confront systemic imbalances in the bilateral trade relationship and shared national security challenges, the United States will lower the Reciprocal Tariff on India from 25 per cent to 18 per cent. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
10 February,2026 06:21 PM IST | New York | PTIPresident Donald Trump on Monday threatened to prevent the opening of a new bridge between the United States (US) and Canada, escalating tensions with a country he has previously suggested should become the 51st state of the country, news agency AFP reported. Trump said the US should control “at least half” of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which is still under construction and will connect Ontario with the US state of Michigan. Construction on the US 4.7-billion bridge—named after the late Canadian-born National Hockey League legend Gordie Howe—began in 2018 and is scheduled to open later this year. “I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve. We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The 79-year-old Republican argued that Canada owns both sides of the bridge and used “virtually” no US-made products in its construction, AFP reported. However, a factsheet from the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority states that the bridge was fully financed by Canada and will be jointly owned by the Canadian government and the state of Michigan. Trade tensions deepen as Trump attacks Carney over China ties Trump also criticised Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, saying, “And now, on top of everything else, Prime Minister (Mark) Carney wants to make a deal with China — which will eat Canada alive. We’ll just get the leftovers! I don’t think so.” Washington has threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on Canada following Carney’s visit to Beijing last month, where he finalised a preliminary trade agreement with China. Trump meanwhile repeated the outlandish claim that Beijing would “terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada”, AFP reported. Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has repeatedly clashed with Canada over trade. He previously called for the US to annex Canada, though he has largely stopped making that claim in recent months. Carney, for his part, warned at last month’s Davos forum that the US-led global system of governance is experiencing “a rupture,” a thinly veiled reference to Trump’s disruptive approach, and urged mid-level powers to work more closely together.
10 February,2026 04:20 PM IST | Washington | mid-day online correspondentScientists from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have developed a new spray that can instantly stop severe bleeding. The spray reacts with blood to turn it into a soft, rubbery gel in less than a second. This not only physically seals the wound but also helps accelerate the natural clotting process. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
10 February,2026 03:47 PM IST | Seoul | AgenciesADVERTISEMENT
-1770822074375_d.png?tr=w-436,h-271 "Iranian citizens wave national flags near a ballistic missile launch vehicle. Pic/AFP")
-1770813902606_d.png "Firefighters working to extinguish a fire at a private house following a Russian drone attack in Bogodukhiv Kharkiv region. Pics/AFP")
