Pakistan security forces have killed 22 more terrorists, raising the death toll of militants to 177 in the last two days in Balochistan after coordinated terror attacks at multiple places in the restive southwestern province, security officials said on Monday. The counter terror operation was launched after militants belonging to ethnic Baloch groups carried out multiple attacks at several locations on Saturday. "Since Sunday night, security forces have killed 22 more terrorists," Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the provincial government, said on Monday. He said that 167 bodies have been sent to hospitals so far for future processing and identification. He added that 177 militants have been killed in the last two days.Rind said most of the terrorists killed belonged to the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and had support from other insurgent groups. "These terrorists have been killed over a period of over two days during the attacks or when security forces chased them and started clean-up operations," he added. On Sunday, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti had said that 145 terrorists had been killed. On Friday, the military said that security forces killed 41 terrorists on Thursday in the Panggur and Shaban areas of the province. The military and the state have designated these terrorists belonging to insurgent groups or the Tehreek-e-Taliban as "Fitna-al-Hindustan", a term the government uses claiming that the militants allegedly receive support from Indian intelligence agencies. Due to the clean-up operations underway at different locations, mobile or internet services since were suspended in Quetta, Mastung, Kalat, Khuzdar, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan and other cities on Saturday. Balochistan's Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Hamza Shafqaat told the media that the services would resume on Tuesday. The terrorists, including two female suicide bombers, attacked multiple security and government installations at 12 different towns and cities in the province last week. So far, authorities have confirmed the death of at least 17 personnel of police, frontier corps and security forces. Eighteen civilians, including three women and two children, were killed in Gwadar. Security forces engaged the terrorists in gun battles across the province. Sarfraz Bugti on Sunday expressed firm resolve to eliminate the insurgent groups unless they surrendered and laid down their weapons. Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is home to a long-running violent insurgency. Baloch insurgent groups have previously carried out several attacks targeting the USD 60 billion CPEC projects. In 2025, the BLA claimed responsibility for the March hijacking of the Jaffar Express train travelling from Quetta to Peshawar, killing 31 civilians and security personnel and holding hostage over 300 passengers. 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.
02 February,2026 06:59 PM IST | Karachi | PTIBritish Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday confirmed the appointment of veteran Labour politician Peter Mandelson, a former minister and EU trade commissioner, as the next ambassador to the United States. Mandelson, 71, will take up the post "early next year", Downing Street said, just as US president-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House for a second term. "The United States is one of our most important allies and as we move into a new chapter in our friendship, Peter will bring unrivalled experience to the role and take our partnership from strength to strength," Starmer said in a statement. Mandelson's appointment comes amid reported unease within the UK government about the prospects for London's so-called "special relationship" with Washington during Trump's second presidency. The US president-elect's threat to impose blanket tariffs on all imports is a particular concern for Starmer's new Labour government, which has vowed to boost Britain's sluggish economic growth rates of recent years. The UK leader has been criticised heavily this year by Trump confidant Elon Musk. Mandelson will replace Karen Pierce, the current ambassador in Washington, who has been credited with forging strong links with the many staffers and advisors in Trump's team. Trump aide Chris LaCivita attacks Peter Mandelson's US Ambassador role, says 'he should stay at home' But in a sign of the likely fraught nature of transatlantic ties under Trump, the choice drew an immediate rebuke from a senior figure within his presidential election team. Campaign co-manager Chris LaCivita took to X to note Mandelson's previous description of the Republican leader as "little short of a white nationalist and racist". "This UK govt is special -replace a professional universally respected Ambo with an absolute moron, he should stay home! SAD!" he posted. The stinging criticism follows Trump's campaign team accusing Starmer's Labour party of interference during the recent US election over claims party staffers were helping his Democratic rival Kamala Harris. Meanwhile, Mandelson's critique of Trump is reminiscent of disparaging remarks made by Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who previously called the incoming US president a "tyrant" and "xenophobic". Lammy on Friday praised Mandelson's "wealth of experience in trade, economic and foreign policy from his years in government and the private sector". "He will arrive in Washington DC as we deepen our enduring alliance with the incoming United States administration, particularly on growth and security," he added. Mandelson, an EU trade commissioner from 2004 to 2008 who also co-founded the international public policy advisory firm Global Counsel, called his appointment "a great honour". "We face challenges in Britain but also big opportunities," he added. "It will be a privilege to work with the government to land those opportunities, both for our economy and our nation's security, and to advance our historic alliance with the United States." Predecessor praised Mandelson is the first political appointment for the US envoy role in decades. Britain typically picks seasoned diplomats to be ambassadors. In his statement, Starmer thanked Pierce "for her invaluable service for the last four years, and in particular the wisdom and steadfast support she has given me personally since July". "She made history as the first woman to serve as UK ambassador to the US," he noted, adding that she had been "an outstanding representative of our country abroad". Mandelson's return to a prominent government role represents a remarkable comeback for a politician who was last in the UK government when Gordon Brown was prime minister in the late 2000s. A key architect in rebranding the Labour party in the 1990s after it had spent nearly two decades out of power, he went on to become one of the country's most divisive political figures. A close ally of ex-prime minister Tony Blair, Mandelson headed several UK government departments between 1998 and 2001, but twice resigned after becoming embroiled in scandals. He then made a surprise 18-month return to government in 2008. More recently, he has served as a member of Britain's unelected House of Lords, the upper chamber of parliament. 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.
02 February,2026 05:19 PM IST | London | AFPSediment containing rare earth was retrieved from ocean depths of 6,000 metres (about 20,000 feet) on a Japanese test mission, the government said Monday, as it seeks to curb dependence on China for the valuable minerals. Japan says the mission was the world's first bid to tap deep sea rare earths at such a depth. "Details will be analysed, including exactly how much rare earth is contained" in the sample, government spokesman Kei Sato said, calling it "a meaningful achievement both in terms of economic security and comprehensive maritime development". The sample was collected by a deep-sea scientific drilling boat called the Chikyu that set sail last month for the remote island of Minami Torishima in the Pacific, where surrounding waters are believed to contain a rich trove of valuable minerals. It comes as China -- by far the world's biggest supplier of rare earths -- ramps up pressure on its neighbour after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November that Tokyo may react militarily to an attack on Taiwan, which Beijing has vowed to seize control of by force if necessary. Beijing has blocked exports to Japan of "dual-use" items with potential military uses, fuelling worries in Japan that it could choke supplies of rare earths, some of which are included in China's list of such goods. Rare earths -- 17 metals difficult to extract from the Earth's crust -- are used in everything from electric vehicles to hard drives, wind turbines and missiles. The area around Minami Torishima, which is in Japan's economic waters, is estimated to contain more than 16 million tons of rare earths, which the Nikkei business daily says is the third-largest reserve globally. These rich deposits contain an estimated 730 years' worth of dysprosium, used in high-strength magnets in phones and electric cars, and 780 years' worth of yttrium, used in lasers, the Nikkei said. Environmental concerns Environmental campaigners warn deep-sea mining threatens marine ecosystems and will disrupt the sea floor. The issue has become a geopolitical flashpoint, with anxiety growing over a push by US President Donald Trump to fast-track the practice in international waters. The International Seabed Authority (ISA), which has jurisdiction over the ocean floor outside national waters, is pushing for the adoption of a global code to regulate mining in the ocean depths. But the Japanese test mission was carried out within its own territorial waters. "If Japan could successfully extract rare earths around Minami Torishima constantly, it will secure domestic supply chain for key industries," Takahiro Kamisuna, research associate at The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), told AFP. "Likewise, it will be a key strategic asset for Takaichi's government to significantly reduce the supply chain dependence on China." Beijing has long used its dominance in rare earths for geopolitical leverage, including in its trade war with US President Donald Trump's administration. China accounts for almost two-thirds of rare earth mining production and 92 percent of global refined output, according to the International Energy Agency. 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.
02 February,2026 05:03 PM IST | Tokyo | AFPThe IDF (Israel Defense Forces) confirmed that earlier today (Sunday) it attacked and killed Hezbollah terrorist Ali Dawood Amich, who served as head of a branch in the Hezbollah engineering department. The terrorist was attempting to restore military infrastructure for Hezbollah in the al-Dweir region in southern Lebanon and was promoting terrorist plots against IDF forces. "The terrorist's actions constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon," said the IDF. 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
02 February,2026 09:11 AM IST | Tel Aviv | ANIAt least 15 people were killed and seven others injured when a Russian drone struck a service bus carrying miners in the Pavlohrad district of Ukraine on Saturday (local time), according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. According to a statement issued on X by the emergency service, a fire broke out following the strike but was promptly extinguished by firefighters. "A Russian drone attacked a company service bus in the Pavlohrad district! Preliminary reports indicate that 12 people were killed. Seven others were injured and hospitalised. A fire broke out, which was extinguished by firefighters," the emergency service said in its post. "The number of victims from the Russian attack has increased to 15 people," it added. The attack targeted a company bus near the DTEK coal facility, following which Maxim Timchenko, CEO of DTEK, described the incident as "an unprovoked terrorist attack on a purely civilian target". In a statement on X, Timchenko called the attack the "single largest loss of life of DTEK employees since Russia's full-scale invasion" and "one of the darkest days in our history." He added that DTEK teams are working closely with emergency services to ensure that the injured and the families of the deceased receive care and support. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also expressed his condolences on X, saying, "In the Dnipro region, in Ternivka of the Pavlohrad district, Russian drones struck an ordinary bus carrying miners. Sadly, many people were killed. My condolences to all the families and loved ones." He added that he had held a coordination call regarding the situation across all regions. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy provided an update on ongoing diplomatic efforts for a peaceful resolution in the ongoing war with Russia, announcing that the next trilateral meeting between the two sides, along with the US as the mediator, has been scheduled for February 4 and February 5 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. "Our negotiating team has just delivered a report. The dates for the next trilateral meetings have been set - February 4 and 5 in Abu Dhabi. Ukraine is ready for a substantive discussion, and we are interested in ensuring that the outcome brings us closer to a real and dignified end to the war. Thank you to everyone who is helping!" Zelenskyy said in a post on X. 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
02 February,2026 09:05 AM IST | Kyiv | ANIWorld Bank President Ajay Banga visited Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal and an archeological site in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in northwest Pakistan, according to an official statement. Muzzamil Aslam, adviser to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM, also held discussions with Banga on the province's economic affairs. The World Bank president, accompanied by his spouse and senior officials, visited the Jaulian Buddhist archaeological site at Khanpur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday, a handout said. "On this occasion, Adviser to the KP Chief Minister on Finance Muzzammil Aslam and MNA Faisal Amin Gandapur accorded a warm welcome to World Bank President Ajay Banga. Federal Minister for Finance Aurangzeb also participated in the visit along with his spouse," it further stated. During the visit, Aslam presented a shield to the World Bank president and held discussions on the province's economic affairs, it added. KP Archaeology Director General Abdul Samad gave a detailed briefing to Banga on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's archaeological heritage, with special emphasis on the Jaulian Buddha site. Appreciating the management and services of the archaeological sites, Banga praised Samad's efforts and assured all possible support for the preservation of the province's cultural heritage. He was also invited to visit other archaeological sites and historical landmarks across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it added. Earlier, Banga visited Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal, where he offered prayers and had food at the langar khana (community kitchen), according to a press note. He was accompanied by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Punjab Minister for Minority Affairs Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, it added. Arora, according to the press note, said the arrival of the World Bank president at gurdwara will send a "positive message". He said that followers of "all religions enjoy complete religious freedom in Pakistan". Arora further stated that on the directives of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, work on the beautification and renovation of historical religious places of worship was underway. The Punjab government was also taking practical steps to promote religious tourism, he added. 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
02 February,2026 09:02 AM IST | Peshawar | PTIJeffrey Epstein is suspected of running the world’s biggest “honeytrap” racket on behalf of Russia intelligence agency, the KGB. He even met Russian President Vladimir Putin after being convicted in 2008 for procuring a child for prostitution, The Daily Mail reported. More than three million new documents linked to Epstein were released, and there are 1056 documents carrying Putin’s name. There are also 9629 referring to Moscow. The Daily Mail quoted sources as saying that US security services were aware of Epstein’s Russian connections and monitored him for years. However, the UK intelligence officials were reportedly hesitant due to Epstein’s connection to former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. The documents show that Epstein was possibly doing the dirty job of getting girls for some of the world’s most powerful men as a honeytrap. Jeffrey Epstein; (right) Russian President Vladimir Putin Epstein is believed to have entered the world of espionage with support from Robert Maxwell, his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell’s father. He was a British media magnate who lived a flamboyant life, and mostly travelled in his chopper or the yacht Lady Ghislaine, named after his daughter. Robert was found floating dead in the Atlantic Ocean, after allegedly falling overboard from his yacht in 2019. Security sources say that an oil tycoon working for Russian intelligence put Epstein in touch with Maxwell and the KGB. Investigations into Maxwell and his business had revealed that he had links to the KGB, Israeli intelligence service Mossad and MI6, the United Kingdom’s foreign intelligence agency. Maxwell allegedly laundered Russian money into the West, with help from Epstein. 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
02 February,2026 07:46 AM IST | London | AgenciesIran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, warned on Sunday that any attack by the US would spark a “regional war” in the Middle East and further escalate tensions, as President Donald Trump threatened militarily strikes against the Islamic Republic. Khamenei’s comments are the most-direct threat he’s made so far as aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln along with associated American warships arrived in the Arabian Sea after Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests. While it remains unclear if Trump would use force, the US President has repeatedly said that Iran wants to negotiate and has brought up Tehran’s nuclear program as another issue he wants to see resolved. Khamenei also referred to the nationwide protests as “a coup”, hardening the government’s position after thousands of people were reportedly detained since the start of demonstrations. Seditious charges in Iran can carry the death penalty, which again renews concerns about Tehran carrying out mass executions for those arrested. Iran had planned a live-fire military drill for Sunday and today in the Strait of Hormuz. ‘India to buy oil from Venezuela, not Iran’ US President Donald Trump has claimed that India will be purchasing oil from Venezuela instead of Iran. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while flying to Palm Beach in Florida on Saturday, Trump made the remarks while responding to a question on whether China would recover money it had lent to Venezuela in exchange for oil supplies. “China is welcome to come in and would make a great deal on oil. We welcome China. We’ve already made a deal. India is coming in, and they’re going to be buying Venezuelan oil as opposed to buying it from Iran. So we’ve already made that deal, the concept of the deal,” he said. However, there was no immediate reaction from New Delhi on the US President’s comments. 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
02 February,2026 07:42 AM IST | Dubai | AgenciesA new study has reconstructed a three-dimensional picture of the Sun’s internal magnetic field using decades of satellite data, allowing researchers, for the first time, to follow how solar magnetism evolves beneath the surface. “Observationally, none of the techniques used are able to provide an estimation of the interior magnetic field. We reconstruct, for the first time, the dynamics of the interior large-scale magnetic fields,” the study authors note. The sun’s magnetic field is created by the motion of hot, electrically charged gas inside it. This process, called the solar dynamo, operates deep below the surface. The problem is that no instrument can directly measure magnetic fields in those layers and satellites only record what happens on the surface. 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
02 February,2026 07:38 AM IST | Dubai | AgenciesA new study found dark-brown flakes inside a Roman glass medicinal vial, providing the first direct evidence that excrement was used for illness. Between the 2nd and 3rd centuries, Pergamon, Turkey, became a major center for Roman medicine because of the presence of a famous physician named Galen of Pergamon. Galen concocted medicines for treating ailments like inflammation with feces sprinkled with thyme to mask the odor. 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
02 February,2026 07:34 AM IST | Paris | AgenciesIsraeli air strikes killed 32 people including children in Gaza on Saturday, according to the Palestinian territory's civil defence agency, as the military said it had attacked in response to a Hamas ceasefire violation. Despite a US-brokered truce entering its second phase earlier this month, violence in the Palestinian territory has continued, with both Israel and Hamas accusing each other of violating the agreement. The latest bloodshed comes after Israel announced it would reopen the crucial Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Sunday for the "limited movement of people". "The death toll since dawn today has risen to 32, most of them children and women," said the civil defence agency, a rescue force operating under the Hamas authority, updating an earlier toll of 28. "Residential apartments, tents, shelters and a police station were targeted," agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said in the statement. A unit in an apartment building of Gaza City's Rimal neighbourhood was left entirely destroyed, and blood spatters were visible on the street below, an AFP journalist reported. "Three girls died while they were sleeping. We found their bodies in the street", Samer al-Atbash, a relative of the family, told AFP. "What truce are you talking about? Everyone is deceiving everyone else," added Nael al-Atbash, another relative. One strike hit the police station in the Sheikh Radwan district of Gaza City, the territory's largest urban centre. Gaza's general police directorate said seven people were killed in that attack, while Bassal said the dead included four female police officers. Ceasefire violations About a dozen first responders rushed to the devastated building and pulled bodies from the rubble, an AFP journalist reported. Another Israeli attack hit a shelter in Al-Mawasi, an area of south Gaza where tens of thousands of displaced Gazans live in tents and makeshift shelters, an AFP journalist reported. Large plumes of smoke rose above the thousands of densely pitched tents. The number of casualties from this strike was still not known. Although people have been killed almost daily in Gaza since the start of the ceasefire on October 10, Saturday's toll was particularly high. Israel's military said that the air strikes were retaliation for an incident on Friday in which eight Palestinian fighters exited a tunnel in the city of Rafah, in southern Gaza, which it said violated the fragile ceasefire. It said forces "struck four commanders and additional terrorists from the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organisations across the Gaza Strip". Hamas political bureau member Suhail al-Hindi rejected the military's claims. "What happened today is a fully fledged crime committed by a criminal enemy that does not abide by agreements or respect any commitments," he told AFP. The health ministry, which operates under the Hamas authority, has said Israeli attacks have killed at least 509 people in Gaza since the ceasefire came into effect. Israel's military says four soldiers have been killed in the same period in Gaza in suspected militant attacks. Rafah reopening Media restrictions and limited access in Gaza have meant that AFP has been unable to independently verify casualty figures or freely cover the violence. Key mediators Egypt and Qatar condemned what they said were Israeli violations of the ceasefire. Egypt demanded that all parties "exercise the utmost restraint" ahead of Sunday's reopening of Rafah crossing, while Qatar said it denounced the "repeated Israeli violations of the ceasefire". The violence was a "dangerous escalation that will inflame the situation and undermine regional and international efforts aimed at consolidating the truce," the Qatari foreign ministry said. Israel has said reopening of the Rafah crossing will only allow the "limited movement of people". The reopening is a key element in the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Israel had previously expressed its unwillingness to reopen the gateway until it received the remains of Ran Gvili, the last hostage to be held in Gaza, who was recovered earlier this week and laid to rest in Israel on Wednesday. The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Israel's retaliation flattened much of Gaza, which was already suffering from previous rounds of fighting and from an Israeli blockade imposed since 2007. The two-year war has left at least 71,769 people dead in Gaza, according to the health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations. 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.
01 February,2026 02:48 PM IST | Gaza City, Palestinian Territories | AFPADVERTISEMENT
-1770038517640_d.png?tr=w-436,h-271 "Pakistani forces strike back against Baloch militants across 12 towns. Representational Image")
-1770031339385_d.png "British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. File Pic")
-1770030435184_d.png "Japan's deep-sea drilling vessel Chikyu retrieved sediment containing rare earth from ocean depths on a Japanese test mission. Pic/AFP")
