Mali’s defence minister died after an attack on his house, his family said Sunday, as the army fought a second day of battles with jihadist fighters and separatist rebels near the capital Bamako and other cities, putting the Sahel nation’s ruling junta under severe pressure.

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A civilian was killed and dozens more wounded in overnight Russian attacks across Ukraine, local officials said Saturday.

One person was killed in a strike on Mykolaivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, local leader Vadym Filashkin said in a post on social media. Other officials reported at least 26 people had been hurt in attacks across northern and eastern Ukraine, including a strike on port infrastructure in the city of Odesa.

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The United States and Iran began face-to-face negotiations Saturday in Pakistan, days after a fragile, two-week ceasefire was announced, as the war that has killed thousands of people and shaken global markets entered its seventh week.

The White House confirmed the direct nature of the talks, a rare instance of high-level U.S. government engagement with the Iranian government.

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The U.S. has agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran proposed by Pakistan, President Trump said Tuesday night.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed Tehran’s acceptance and said Iran would allow “safe passage” of the Strait of Hormuz during those two weeks “via coordination with Iran’s armed forces.”

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L’U
Ukraine has devastated Russia’s oil export capacity over the past week as its ground forces have stopped Russian advances in their tracks and reclaimed occupied territory.

According to one estimate, Ukraine has halved the Russian rate of advance in the past three months.

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