Category: 2. World

Srinagar, Aug 16: The Meteorological department today predicted heavy rains and thundershower at few places of Jammu and Kashmir divisions, which may trigger cloudburst, flashfloods at few vulnerable places with landslides, mudslides and shooting stones during August 17-19.

The officials said that there is a possibility of light to moderate rain/thunder at many places with heavy rain at few places of Jammu division which includes Jammu, Reasi, Udhampur, Rajouri, Poonch, Samba and Kathua, with moderate intense showers over Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban and few places of Kashmir division with brief intense showers and gusty winds from August 17-19.

“This weather transition may likely cause cloudbursts and flashfloods at few vulnerable places with landslides, mudslides and shooting stones,” the officials said.

They advised people to stay away from water bodies, streams, nallas, river embankments, loose structures etc in the meanwhile. Also travelers, transporters, tourists and trekkers have been asked to plan their travel accordingly.

From August 20-22 the weather will likely be generally hot and humid with brief spell of thundershower at few places, the officials said.

They added that from August 23-25 a fresh spell of light to moderate rain/thundershower may occur at many places of Jammu and Kashmir.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he would travel to Washington on Monday for talks with Donald Trump, after the US president’s summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin failed to bring an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine or a plan to achieve one.

He said Trump had invited him on Saturday in a phone call that lasted more than an hour and a half. They were joined after an hour by European and NATO officials, he added. On X, he said he and Trump would “discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war”, adding: “I am grateful for the invitation.”

Zelenskiy has repeatedly said a trilateral meeting with the Russian and US leaders is crucial to finding a way to end the full-scale war launched by Russia in February 2022.

Trump this week voiced the idea of such a meeting, saying it could happen if his bilateral talks in Alaska with Putin were successful. “Ukraine emphasizes that key issues can be discussed at the level of leaders, and a trilateral format is suitable for this,” Zelenskiy added in his post.

It was not clear, though, what Trump would be asking of Zelenskiy.

Read More: Trump-Putin talks yield no breakthrough on Ukraine

Trump said on Saturday that it had been decided at the summit that the best way to end the war was to proceed directly to a peace deal and not press for an immediate ceasefire. Kyiv and its European allies, unlike Moscow, have until now insisted that negotiations must be preceded by a ceasefire.

In his statement after the summit, Putin did not signal any movement in Russia’s maximalist position, saying it was necessary to eliminate the “root causes” of the war and address Moscow’s “legitimate concerns”.

Oleksandr Merezhko, head of the Ukrainian parliament’s foreign affairs committee, told Reuters by phone that, on the face of it, little had changed after the summit:

“As we expected, nothing happened. No results, and everyone stands their ground. Putin did not back down from his ultimatum, Trump wanted to show that he is a great dealmaker, but he failed.”

But the lawmaker said he was worried Putin had effectively emerged from his years-long isolation from the West, though Ukraine had seemingly avoided the “worst-case scenario” as it was not being coerced into a deal involving crushing concessions.

Trump had publicly hardened his stance towards Moscow in recent weeks, following months of verbally attacking Ukraine and its leadership. He threatened to sanction Russia heavily if Putin failed to make a deal.

But as his sanctions deadline for Moscow neared last week, the US president instead invited Putin to a summit in Alaska at which he rolled out the red carpet.

With no deal reached at Friday’s summit, Trump said he did not need to think about the question of sanctions “right now”.

Zelenskiy has repeatedly underlined the importance of security guarantees for Kyiv as part of any deal, to deter Russia from launching a new invasion at some point in the future. “We also discussed positive signals from the American side regarding participation in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security,” he said after his call with Trump.

WASHINGTON/MOSCOW: US President Donald Trump said on Saturday Ukraine should agree a deal to end the war with Russia because “Russia is a very big power, and they’re not,” after holding a summit with President Vladimir Putin that failed to yield a ceasefire.

In a major shift, Trump also said he had agreed with Putin that the best way to end the war was to go straight to a peace settlement – not via a ceasefire, as Ukraine and its European allies, until now with US support, have been demanding.

Trump’s comments came after he met Putin for nearly three hours in Alaska on Friday at the first US-Russia summit since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up,” Trump posted on Truth social.

The war – the deadliest in Europe for 80 years – has killed or wounded well over a million people from both sides, including thousands of mostly Ukrainian civilians, according to analysts.

Trump said he would hold talks at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, adding: “If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin. Potentially, millions of people’s lives will be saved.”

Zelensky said after a lengthy conversation with Trump following the Alaska summit that Ukraine was ready for constructive cooperation, and he supported the idea of a trilateral meeting.

“Ukraine reaffirms its readiness to work with maximum effort to achieve peace,” he wrote on social media.

But Putin made no mention of meeting Zelensky when speaking to reporters earlier. Russian state news agency TASS quoted Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov as saying the possibility of a three-way summit including Zelensky had not been discussed.

Security guarantees

In a post-summit interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Trump signaled that he and Putin had discussed potential land swaps and security guarantees for Ukraine.

“I think those are points that we negotiated, and those are points that we largely have agreed on,” Trump said.

“I think we’re pretty close to a deal,” he said, adding: “Ukraine has to agree to it. Maybe they’ll say no.”

When asked by Hannity what he would advise Zelensky, Trump said: “Gotta make a deal.”

“Look, Russia is a very big power, and they’re not. They’re great soldiers,” he added.

Zelensky has repeatedly underlined the importance of security guarantees for Kyiv as part of any deal, to deter Russia from launching a new invasion at some point in the future.

“We also discussed positive signals from the American side regarding participation in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security,” he said after his call with Trump.

Before the summit, Trump had set the goal of agreeing on a ceasefire in the war and said he would not be happy without it.

Putin signaled no movement in Russia’s long-held positions on the war, but said he agreed with Trump that Ukraine’s security must be “ensured.”

“We are ready to work on this. I would like to hope that the understanding we have reached will allow us to get closer to that goal and open the way to peace in Ukraine,” Putin said at a brief media appearance after the summit where neither leader took questions.

He added: “We expect that Kyiv and the European capitals will perceive all of this in a constructive manner and will not create any obstacles. That they will not attempt to disrupt the emerging progress through provocation or behind-the-scenes intrigue.”

For Putin, the very fact of sitting down face-to-face with the US president represented a diplomatic victory. The Kremlin leader had been ostracized by Western leaders since the start of the war, and just a week earlier had been facing a threat of new sanctions from Trump.

‘1-0 for Putin’

Some commentators, especially in Europe, were scathing in their reaction.

“Putin got his red carpet treatment with Trump, while Trump got nothing. As feared: no ceasefire, no peace,” Wolfgang Ischinger, an ex-German ambassador to the United States, posted on X.

“No real progress – a clear 1-0 for Putin – no new sanctions. For the Ukrainians: nothing. For Europe: deeply disappointing.”

Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said: “Now Trump seems to be shifting most of the responsibility to Kyiv and Europe, but reserving some role for himself.”

She said, however, that Putin had apparently not succeeded as far as he had hoped in getting Trump to publicly side with him and put pressure on Kyiv.

Cold War historian Sergey Radchenko wrote: “Putin is a determined opponent, and, yes, he basically won this round because he got something for nothing. Still, Trump did not sell out Ukraine.”

After Trump returned to Washington, the White House said he spoke to NATO leaders following the lengthy conversation with Zelensky.

Espen Barth Eide, foreign minister of NATO member Norway, told reporters in Oslo: “We must continue to put pressure on Russia, and even increase it.”

Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova said the summit had not yielded significant progress toward ending the war but “confirmed that Putin is not seeking peace, but rather an opportunity to weaken Western unity and spread his propaganda.”

‘Next time in Moscow’

Both Russia and Ukraine carried out overnight air attacks, a daily occurrence in the 3-1/2-year war.

Russia launched 85 attack drones and a ballistic missile targeting Ukraine’s territory, Ukraine’s Air Force said on Saturday. It said its air defense units destroyed 61 of them.

The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said 139 clashes had taken place on the front line over the past day. Russia said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed 29 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Trump told Fox that he would hold off on imposing tariffs on China for buying Russian oil after making progress with Putin. He did not mention India, another major buyer of Russian crude, which has been slapped with a total 50 percent tariff on US imports that includes a 25 percent penalty for the imports from Russia.

“Because of what happened today, I think I don’t have to think about that now,” Trump said of Chinese tariffs. “I may have to think about it in two weeks or three weeks or something, but we don’t have to think about that right now.”

Trump ended his remarks on Friday by telling Putin, “I’d like to thank you very much, and we’ll speak to you very soon and probably see you again very soon.”

“Next time in Moscow,” a smiling Putin responded in English. Trump said he might “get a little heat on that one” but that he could “possibly see it happening.”

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Erin became a Category 3 hurricane in the Caribbean early Saturday and is expected to strengthen further during the day, the National Hurricane Center reported.

The storm is currently 170 miles (275 kilometers) northeast of Anguilla with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 kph). It is moving west-northwest at 20 mph (31 kph).

It is currently not forecast to hit land, but strong winds are affecting nearby islands, prompting forecasters to warn of possible flooding and landslides.. The NHC said it currently expected Erin to become a Category 4 storm later Saturday but to eventually swerve away from the continental United States.

Tropical storm watches are in place for St. Martin and St. Barthelemy and Sint Maarten. Up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) are expected, with isolated totals of up to 6 inches (15 centimeters), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

“Locally, considerable flash and urban flooding, along with landslides or mudslides, are possible,” the NHC said.

Hurricane specialist and storm surge expert Michael Lowry said Erin is forecast to eventually take a sharp turn northeast that would put it on a path between the U.S. and Bermuda.

“All of our best consensus aids show Erin turning safely east of the United States next week, but it’ll be a much closer call for Bermuda, which could land on the stronger eastern side of Erin,” he said.

Erin is the fifth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, but the first to reach hurricane status.

“Erin is forecast to explode into a powerful Category 4 hurricane as it moves across very warm waters in the open Atlantic. Water temperatures at the surface and hundreds of feet deep are several degrees higher than the historical average,” said Alex DaSilva, Accuweather’s lead hurricane expert.

This year’s season is once again expected to be unusually busy. The forecast calls for six to 10 hurricanes, with three to five reaching major status with winds of more than 110 mph (177 kph).

The U.S. government has deployed more than 200 employees from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies to Puerto Rico as a precaution as forecasters issued a flood watch for the entire U.S. territory from late Friday into Monday.

Puerto Rico Housing Secretary Ciary Pérez Peña said 367 shelters have been inspected and could be opened if needed.

The U.S. Coast Guard said Friday that it closed six seaports in Puerto Rico and two in the U.S. Virgin Islands to all incoming vessels unless they had received prior authorization.

Meanwhile, officials in the Bahamas said they prepared some public shelters as a precaution as they urged people to track the hurricane.

“These storms are very volatile and can make sudden shifts in movement,” said Aarone Sargent, managing director for the Bahamas’ disaster risk management authority.

RIYADH: Officials on Wednesday announced the launch of a new scholarship program designed to prepare Saudi students for a first class-career in the media industry.

Speaking at a press conference, Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary said the Media Scholarship Project, developed in partnership with the Ministry of Education, would combine “knowledge with empowerment.”

The initiative, he said, was “aimed at preparing male and female students for the job market by training them and sending them to the world’s best universities and companies specializing in the media field.”

Minister of Education Yousef Al-Benyan said the growth in the number of Saudi students at top universities was evidence of the Kingdom’s drive to develop its human capital and expand international education opportunities.

The ministers also discussed the country’s decision to return to a two-semester academic year and the introduction of an artificial intelligence curriculum.

Starting in the 2025-26 academic year, AI studies will be introduced at all stages of education alongside a cybersecurity course for high school students.

Responding to a question from Arab News, Al-Benyan said the 180-day semester “meets the needs of the educational process” in Saudi Arabia.

The decision was made following a “comprehensive study that included input from all parties, starting with the students themselves, parents and teachers, as well as experts from within the ministry and other parties,” he said.

The change comes four years after the introduction of a three-term system that aimed to extend study days, expand the curricula and make fuller use of educational resources.

Al-Benyan said the National Center for Curriculum Development had produced 27 digital courses, reformulated 19 as interactive books and reviewed 50 others to support an advanced digital learning environment.

He also highlighted the center’s role in aligning curricula with national values and identity, and praised the National Institute for Professional Development for its work with teachers.

“There is a program that will detail the number of values, as well as their quality, and link them to the curriculum and classroom activities. And there will be, God willing, a clear plan from the National Center for Curriculum Development,” he said.

Al-Dossary also shared a number of national economic achievements.

“Saudi Arabia’s program to attract regional headquarters for global companies attracted more than 616 global companies in the first quarter of 2021, up from 120 in the previous quarter, exceeding the 2030 target of 500 companies,” he said.

In the industrial sector, he said the number of factories had risen from “about 7,200 to about 250,500,” while investment had increased from SR955 billion to SR1 trillion and non-oil exports had grown from SR150 billion to SR677 billion.

The ministers were speaking at the latest in a series of quarterly ministerial press conferences designed to shed light on important issues and encourage transparency between officials and journalists, values that align with Vision 2030.

The foreign ministers of 31 Arab and Islamic countries, along with the secretaries-general of the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), have strongly condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s so-called “Greater Israel” vision.

“These statements represent a grave disregard for, and a blatant and dangerous violation of the rules of international law and the foundations of stable international relations,” they said in a joint statement.

“They also constitute a direct threat to Arab national security, to the sovereignty of states, and to regional and international peace and security.”

Qatar said it joined 31 Arab and Islamic countries, the Arab League, the OIC and the GCC in condemning Netanyahu’s statements.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, in a statement posted on X, said the Israeli PM’s comments “represent a gross disregard and a blatant and dangerous violation of the rules of international law and the foundations of stable international relations.”

At least ten Palestinians, including four children, were killed by Israeli strikes early Friday, Al Jazeera reported citing Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat reported.

The UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OHCHR) said it has recorded 11 incidents since the beginning of August involving attacks on Palestinians guarding aid convoys or attempting to obtain assistance, resulting in at least 46 deaths.

A Palestinian man reacts to the destruction after an Israeli strike on the Sheikh Radwan Health Centre run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the north of Gaza City on August 6, 2025. Photo: AFP

Between May 27 and August 13, OHCHR said at least 1,760 people were killed while trying to obtain aid, including 994 near distribution sites run by the controversial GHF.

Palestinians carry a wounded man on a bicycle after Israeli forces attack a crowd gathered to receive aid in northern Gaza. Photo: Anadolu

A woman cries as the bodies of slain Palestinians are brought to al-Shifa Hospital on August 15, 2025. Photo: Anadolu

Israel’s war in Gaza

The war, now in its 21st month, has killed more than 61,776 Palestinians and wounded 154,906, according to Gazan health authorities. Most of the victims are reported to be women and children.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its conduct in Gaza.

Ukraine’s president said he would fly to Washington on Monday to meet with Donald Trump after a telephone call with the US president in which he was briefed on the key points of the Alaska summit. The meeting will mark the first return to the White House for Volodymyr Zelenskyy since his infamous row with Trump in late February.

Zelenskyy said that his hour-long one-on-one conversation with Trump was “long and substantive”.

“President Trump informed [me] about his meeting with the Russian leader and the main points of their discussion,” Zelenskyy wrote, adding that Ukraine supported Trump’s proposal for a trilateral meeting between the two men and Vladimir Putin.

Zelenskyy did not spell out what the key points of discussion between Trump and Putin were, while the president’s chief communications adviser said that they “haven’t heard anything” about a possible air ceasefire before a leaders summit in response to a social media post from a journalist.

European leaders joined the call for a further half an hour, Zelenskyy added, emphasising that “it is important that Europeans are involved at every stage to ensure reliable security guarantees together with America”.

There were also “positive signals” from the US, Zelenskyy said, “regarding participation in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security”, echoing diplomatic language from last week in the run-up to the summit.

Previously, the US has declined to spell out how it might help prevent a future outbreak of fighting as part of a peace agreement, leading to speculation that Washington was looking to leave the safeguarding of Ukraine almost entirely to Europe.

A contractor linked to the UK Ministry of Defence has been hit by a cyber-attack, exposing personal data linked to Afghan resettlement efforts. It is the latest in a series of breaches involving the private information of Afghan refugees.

The breach at Inflite The Jet Centre Ltd, a company that provides ground services for flights linked to the UK’s defence ministry and the Cabinet Office, has exposed the personal data of up to 3,700 people, including Afghans seeking refuge as part of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.

All the individuals affected by the breach flew into London Stansted airport between January and March 2024.

The leak may have also released the information of civil servants, soldiers on routine exercises and journalists.

In a statement on its website, Inflite The Jet Centre Ltd confirmed that a data breach had occurred involving “access to a limited number of company emails”.

The company said the incident had been reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office, and that it was working with the National Crime Agency and the National Cyber Security Centre on its investigation.

“We believe the scope of the incident was limited to email accounts only, however, as a precautionary measure, we have contacted our key stakeholders whose data may have been affected during the period of January to March 2024”, the statement said.

It isn’t yet clear who carried out the cyber-attack on the company’s databases but a message was sent to the affected people warning them of the breach.

A government spokesperson said: “We were recently notified that a third-party sub-contractor to a supplier experienced a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorised access to a small number of its emails that contained basic personal information.

“We take data security extremely seriously and are going above and beyond our legal duties in informing all potentially affected individuals.

“The incident has not posed any threat to individuals’ safety, nor compromised any government systems.”

The data is not believed to have been leaked to the dark web or made public.

In February 2022, a separate breach by a defence official disclosed the personal data of 18,714 Afghans who had worked with British forces. The UK high court granted a superinjunction to the Conservative government in 2023 to suppress information related to the breach, for which the Labour defence secretary, John Healey, later issued an apology.