USD 1.5bn announced for African Sahel by EU, France

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova condemned a drone strike on the commercial vessel Arctic Metagaz in the Mediterranean. Calling it "a terrorist attack & a war crime," she detailed the crew's rescue after a gas explosion, criticised Malta's refusal to assist the injured, and denounced the European silence.

Pakistan's fruit and vegetable supply remains dominated by traditional middlemen and the "mandi" system, with digital platforms handling only 2-3% of trade. Restrictive provincial laws and lack of infrastructure force farmers into dependency on commission agents, stalling modern technological transformation in the agricultural sector.

"Over the past 11 days, our military has virtually destroyed Iran. Tough country," Trump said. Describing the Persian Gulf country as "tough", he asserted that its core military systems had been "virtually destroyed".

Jaishankar said in a post on X, "Appreciate the exchange of assessments today with FM Jean-Noël Barrot of France on the West Asia conflict. Look forward to continuing it in person."

The European Union on Wednesday moved to intensify pressure on Tehran amid the conflict in West Asia by approving new sanctions targeting 19 Iranian regime officials and entities accused of serious human rights violations.