10-02-2026 PARIS: Financial crime prosecutors in France say they have opened a preliminary inquiry into former Culture Minister Jack Lang over his links to Jeffrey Epstein. Lang, a major figure in French socialist governments between the 1980s and 2000s, is being investigated for suspected “laundering of tax fraud proceeds”. It …

10-02-2026 TOKYO: People across Japan are braving snow to vote in a snap election called by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, whose coalition is expected clinch a decisive win, according to polls. This is first mid-winter election in 36 years in Japan, which usually holds polls during milder weather but Takaichi …

10-02-2026 MOGADISHU: Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has slammed Israel’s “interference” in his country, saying its recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland has further increased instability and weakened international order. In an exclusive interview, Mohamud said Somalia “will never allow” the establishment of an Israeli base in Somaliland and …

10-02-2026 MUSCAT: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says he hopes talks with the United States will resume soon, while US President Donald Trump pledged another round of negotiations next week following mediated discussions in Oman. Araghchi told media on Sundaythat Iran’s missile program was “never negotiable” in Friday’s talks, and …

09-02-2026 WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order threatening to impose additional tariffs on countries that continue to trade with Iran. The order, issued on Friday, does not specify the rate that could be imposed but uses 25% as an example. It says the tariff could apply …

09-02-2026 KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the US wants the war with Russia to end by June, adding that both sides had been invited to the US for talks next week. “America proposed for the first time that the two negotiating teams, Ukraine and Russia, meet in the United …

09-02-2026 KHARTOUM: A drone attack carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has hit a vehicle transporting displaced families in central Sudan, killing at least 24 people, including eight children, the Sudan Doctors Network said. The attack on Saturday occurred near the city of Rahad in North Kordofan province, …

09-02-2026 TEHRAN/ GAZA STRIP: Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and its geopolitical fallout reverberating across the Middle East and beyond have dominated the 17th Al Jazeera Forum in Doha. Senior political figures and officials warned on Saturday that the conflict is accelerating the collapse of international norms, reshaping regional …

09-02-2026 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report ISLAMABAD/ KARACHI: As funerals were held on Saturday for more than 30 people martyred in a suicide bombing at a mosque in Islamabad, analysts warned the attack could be part of a broader attempt to inflame sectarian tensions in the country. A suicide …

09-02-2026 WASHINGTON: The US military is in the process of transferring nearly 7,000 ISIS suspects from prisons and jails in northeast Syria to detention facilities across the border into Iraq. The operation comes amid concerns over security, following a mass escape from at least one prison in Syria, but it …