After the Syrian army pushed the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces out of the Aleppo Governorate’s eastern regions, Deir Hafer residents have been celebrating. Zein Basravi from Al Jazeera spoke with the locals.
Published On 18 Jan 2026
Russian drone attacks have left two people dead and dozens injured in Ukraine, where power outages have been caused by freezing temperatures due to strikes on energy infrastructure, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy claimed that more than 200 drones were used in an attack on the Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhia, Khmelnytskyi, and Odesa regions in a social media post on Sunday.
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According to Zelenskyy, “We are doing everything we can to restore all services as quickly as possible” despite the fact that the energy system’s situation is still challenging. “This week alone saw more than 1, 300 attack drones, around 1,050 guided aerial bombs, and 29 missiles of various types in total.”
Zelenskyy also emailed world leaders in a new way.
“That’s why Ukraine still needs more missiles for air defense systems, and more protection,” he said. The world must decide whether to support Ukraine or put pressure on the aggressor if Russia is purposefully dragging the diplomatic process.
The strikes come a day after Ukrainian negotiators arrive in the country to discuss ending the nearly four-year conflict with Russia with President Donald Trump. They were supposed to concentrate on post-war recovery and security guarantees.
Russia has yet to comment on the 20-point peace proposal that was created by Ukraine and the US, as a result of Washington’s efforts to end the fighting so far.
Over the past few months, the Russian government has pressed for assurances that Ukraine won’t join NATO and made several demands.
Russian bombardment this winter has caused an acute energy crisis in Ukraine.
According to Zelenskyy, electricity imports and additional power supplies must be made more quickly because the Kharkiv and Zaporizhia regions, which have experienced particularly severe power outages, are the country’s capital, Kyiv.
Because the country’s power grid is only able to supply 60% of its electricity needs, the Ukrainian government has declared an energy emergency.
Families all over Ukraine are struggling to stay warm because of the extreme cold that has also been contributing to the situation.
Russia has regularly targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during the winter since it invaded its neighbor in February 2022 as a means of gaining Russian support for its demands.
The Russian attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure this year has been condemned by the UN and other observers, highlighting the vulnerability of children and the elderly.
More than 200, 000 people in the Russian-occupied region of Zaporizhia were without electricity on Sunday as a result of a drone strike by Ukraine on Saturday, according to Moscow-installed Governor Yevgeny Balitsky.
Balitsky claimed that while work was being done, almost 400 villages still lacked electricity, according to a statement posted on Telegram.
According to Pakistani officials, a fire that tore through a shopping mall in Karachi caused at least six fatalities and about 20 injuries as firefighters tried to control it.
The Gul Plaza shopping mall, a crowded commercial complex, caught fire on Saturday, and it stayed on fire for hours. Authorities claimed that about 30% of the fire was under control by early on Sunday.
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Syed Asad Raza, a South Deputy Inspector General, reported to the Dawn newspaper that the death toll had increased from three to five. A statement from the medical complex The Edhi Foundation later confirmed a sixth death.
People are feared that they could still be trapped inside the mall, which is estimated to have around 1,200 shops. The intensity of the fire, according to the Edhi Foundation, hampered rescue efforts and caused a portion of the structure to collapse.
Initial investigations suggested the fire started as a result of a short circuit in one of the stores, according to Garden District police officer Mohsin Raza, who said the fire spread quickly throughout the complex.
He claimed that a thorough investigation would be required to establish the exact cause of the damage and that the structure must be secured to stop further damage.
Both Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari expressed condolences for the deceased’s death.
Sharif directed authorities to take “all possible measures” to safeguard lives and property, assist affected traders, and provide medical care for the injured, according to a statement released by PTV.
Zardari urged the Sindh province’s government to offer “immediate and every possible assistance,” stating that “no stone should be left unturned in providing the best medical facilities to the injured.”
Zeynep Sonmez’s heroics in the second round of the Australian Open earned him a place in the hearts of both the Turkish qualifier and the Melbourne champion.
When the girl, who was positioned atop the chair umpire, suddenly wobbled and fell on her back during day one of the main round, the world number 112 and Ekaterina Alexandrova, the 11th-seeded player, were fighting on Sunday and waiting to receive serve in the second set.
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The girl picked herself up, but she stumbled once more, causing Sonmez, 23, to halt the game and run toward her.
Sonmez directed the girl to a seat so that medical staff could take her to a spot while the crowd cheered.
Sonmez lost the next set, but she was able to win 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, making her debut as Turkiye’s first woman to advance to the second round of the competition’s first Grand Slam.
Sonmez waved to her supporters in disbelief as Russia’s Alexandrova found the net to seal the match for the Turkish player.
Fans in the 1573 Arena at Melbourne Park waved the crowd favorite’s red-and-white flags of her home country as she left the court, wrapping herself in the Turkish flag, and continued on the court.
Sonmez claimed in an interview from 2024 that she would have been working to improve the world if she hadn’t played tennis.
She told Turkiye Today, “I would be someone who is trying to help people, both children and women.”
“I would probably be there [helping people] because there are many bad things going on in today’s world, including wars and other things like that.”
Sonmez’s victory is the best Grand Slam victory for a Turkish woman in the history of tennis, coming off of a 2025 season in which she advanced to the third round at Wimbledon.
In September, she also advanced to the US Open’s second round.
