22-02-2026 CAIRO: Hamas is holding an election for a new interim leader, a senior Palestinian official familiar with the armed group’s affairs has told the BBC. Voting is taking place across Gaza, the occupied West Bank and among Hamas’s members elsewhere. The outcome may signal which direction the movement intends …

22-02-2026 TEHRAN/ WASHINGTON: Iran held annual military drills with Russia on Thursday as a second American aircraft carrier drew closer to the Middle East, with both the United States and Iran signaling they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran’s nuclear program fizzle out. President Donald Trump said Thursday …

22-02-2026 LONDON/ WASHINGTON: The arrest of former British royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has sparked renewed calls for accountability for Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and proper investigations into the late sex offender’s networks in the United States and across the world. Police in the United Kingdom detained the ex-prince, brother of King Charles, …

22-02-2026 NEW YORK: Bill Gates will not deliver his keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit in Delhi, his philanthropic organization said hours before the Microsoft co-founder was due to speak. The Gates Foundation said the decision was made after “careful consideration” and “to ensure the focus remains on …

22-02-2026 CAIRO/ JERUSALEM: Hamas is cementing its hold over Gaza by placing loyalists in key government roles, collecting taxes and paying salaries, according to an Israeli military assessment seen by media and sources in the Palestinian enclave. Hamas’ continuing influence over key Gaza power structures has fueled widespread scepticism about …

21-02-2026 SEOUL: South Korea’s former President Yoon Suk-yeol has been found guilty of masterminding an insurrection and sentenced to life in prison over his imposition of short-lived martial law in 2024. “The declaration of martial law resulted in enormous social costs, and it is difficult to find any indication that …

21-02-2026 GAZA STRIP: The true human cost of Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip has far exceeded previous official estimates, with independent research published in the world’s leading medical journals verifying more than 75,000 “violent deaths” by early 2025. The findings, emerging from a landmark series of scientific papers, …

21-02-2026 YAMOUSSOUKRO: Ivory Coast is considering cutting the price it pays farmers for cocoa beans to align with Ghana, two government sources told media, as the world’s biggest producers of the chocolate ingredient face a major crisis. The senior Ivory Coast officials said all options were on the table as …

21-02-2026 Bureau Report NEW DELHI: An Indian university has been asked to vacate its stall at the country’s flagship AI summit after a staff member was caught presenting a commercially available robotic dog made in China as its own creation, two government sources said. “You need to meet Orion. This …

21-02-2026 TEHRAN: Families across Iran have commemorated loved ones killed during nationwide protests last month, while teachers said school strikes were taking place to protest the killings. Many attended ceremonies at Behesht-e Zahra, Tehran’s grand cemetery, on Tuesday and Wednesday, which marked 40 days, a traditional period of mourning since …