MOSCOW, Feb 27 (Reuters) - In sub-zero temperatures outside Moscow, teams of husky dogs pull tourists from Oman and the United Arab Emirates across picturesque snow-covered fields in sleds, delighting their passengers who have never experienced a Russian winter before.
Nearby, a couple from Qatar feed a small herd of deer and other tourists from the Middle East drive a hovercraft at high speed across a snowy lake.
By Jonathan Landay, Humeyra Pamuk and Gram Slattery
WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that Iran will soon have a missile that can hit the United States is not backed by U.S. intelligence reports, and appears to be exaggerated, according to three sources familiar with the reports, casting doubt on part of his case for a possible attack on the Islamic Republic.
Feb 27 (Reuters) - Cross-border fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan intensified overnight, with both sides claiming heavy losses and the Pakistani defence minister saying his country was in an "open war" with its neighbour.
As tensions persist, here is a look at how Pakistan dwarfs Afghanistan's military forces and arsenals, according to data from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.
OVERVIEW
ISLAMABAD, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Friday that the country was in an "open war" with neighbouring Afghanistan, declaring that Islamabad's patience had run out as tensions escalated overnight, with both sides reporting heavy losses.
"Our cup of patience has overflowed. Now it is open war between us and you (Afghanistan)," he said.
(Reporting by Asif Shahzad, writing by Sakshi Dayal; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that Iran will soon have a missile that can hit the United States is not backed by U.S. intelligence reports and appears to be exaggerated, according to three sources familiar with intelligence reports, casting doubt on part of his case for a possible attack on the Islamic Republic.
Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed at least seven people on Friday, with the military confirming strikes throughout the territory in response to a "ceasefire violation" in the south.
It is the latest violence in the Palestinian territory to come despite a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas which came into effect in October.
The civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authorities, told AFP that a drone strike in the southern city of Khan Yunis shortly after midnight killed three people.
KABUL, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Pakistan struck targets inside Afghanistan's major cities overnight, Pakistani and Taliban officials said on Friday, as cross-border fighting intensified following months of tensions and skirmishes between the two countries.
Security sources in Pakistan said the strikes involved air and ground strikes against Taliban posts, headquarters and ammunition depots in multiple sectors along the border.
Both sides reported heavy losses, issuing sharply differing figures that Reuters could not independently verify.
KABUL, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Pakistani and Afghan border forces clashed on Thursday night after the Taliban launched what it called retaliatory strikes on Pakistani installations, sharply escalating tensions after days of cross-border hostilities.
Afghan forces opened fire on posts in Pakistan's mountainous northwest, sparking more than two hours of fighting before Pakistani troops retaliated, Pakistani officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media.
US President Donald Trump appears to be leaning toward strikes on Iran, but his administration is sending contradictory signals, alternating between threats and a willingness to talk -- and muddying its justification for intervention.
Opposition Democrats are meanwhile questioning the Republican president's objectives, demanding that Congress be consulted before Trump takes the country to war.
KYIV, Feb 26 (Reuters) - The next round of U.S.-brokered trilateral peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will likely take place in Abu Dhabi in early March, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday.
He made the remark in an evening address after talks in Geneva between U.S. and Ukrainian officials on post-war reconstruction.
(Reporting by Dan Peleschuk; Editing by Chris Reese)
