26-02-2026 By SJA Jafri + Agencies ISLAMABAD/ KARACHI: Tensions have heated up again between Islamabad and Kabul this week after Pakistan launched airstrikes on militant targets in Afghanistan. Pakistani security sources said the strike killed at least 70 terrorists, while the United Nations said at least 13 civilians were killed. …

26-02-2026 SYDNEY: Australia opened a government-backed inquiry into antisemitism, after a mass shooting at a Jewish event at Bondi Beach killed 15 people in December 2025. The attack at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration shocked a country with strict gun laws and fueled calls for tougher controls and stronger action against …

26-02-2026 TEHRAN/ BEIJING: Iran is close to a deal with China to purchase anti‑ship cruise missiles, according to six people with knowledge of the negotiations, just as the United States deploys a vast naval force near the Iranian coast ahead of possible strikes on the Islamic Republic. The deal for …

26-02-2026 MEXICO CITY: Mexico remains on high alert after a wave of reprisal attacks triggered by the killing of its most wanted drug cartel leader, even as President Claudia Sheinbaum claimed the country is at peace and life is returning to normal. Some 10,000 soldiers have been deployed across 20 …

26-02-2026 PARIS: France has banned United States Ambassador Charles Kushner from meeting French government ministers, after he failed to attend a meeting at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs in Paris to explain comments made by the Trump administration following the recent killing of a French far-right activist. The …

26-02-2026 KYIV: On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has failed to achieve his “war goals”. A number of European leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Antonio Costa, have arrived in Kyiv …

26-02-2026 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI PARIS: France and India are entering a new era of defence cooperation with plans to jointly produce Rafale fighter jets as well as helicopters, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, adding France also hopes to sell more submarines to India. India’s expected …

25-02-2026 BANGKOK: Resorts are near capacity in Pattaya, Bangkok restaurants are doing a roaring trade and the strict time slots to visit the Louis Vuitton pop-up “hotel” in the Thai capital are fully booked. As this year’s Lunar New Year holiday draws to a close, Thailand’s tourist businesses are totting …

25-02-2026 SYDNEY/ BEIJING: An Australian warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait, a government source said on Sunday, in the latest transit of the sensitive waterway by a US ally that Chinese state-backed media said was tracked and monitored by the nation’s military. In addition to claiming sovereignty over democratically governed …

25-02-2026 TEHRAN: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that his country would not bow its head to pressure from world powers amid nuclear talks with the United States. “World powers are lining up to force us to bow our heads … but we will not bow our heads despite …