International

01-02-2026 GAZA STRIP: After 18 years as a teacher with an UNRWA-run school, Maryam Shaaban (name changed for safety reasons) fainted upon learning she was among 600 employees dismissed from their posts, the latest in a barrage of devastating blows borne out of Israel’s genocidal war on the besieged enclave. …

01-02-2026 DAMASCUS: Syria’s Kurdish-led forces have reached a comprehensive agreement with the government to integrate with the Syrian army. The interim government in Damascus has been fighting an offensive in the north of the country against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) over recent weeks as it seeks to consolidate …

01-02-2026 OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has hailed several new trade agreements, pledging to further diversify Ottawa’s partners while saying he “expects” the United States to respect his country’s sovereignty. Carney discussed the trade deals during a meeting on Thursday with provincial and territorial leaders. “Our country is more …

01-02-2026 JERUSALEM/Israel has handed over the bodies of 15 Palestinians to the International Committee of the Red Cross in exchange for the final Israeli captive, whose remains were recovered by Israeli forces earlier this week, closing the chapter on this part of its more than two-year genocidal war on Gaza. …

Pakistan attacks kill 15; dozens of militants dead 31-01-2026 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report QUETTA/ ISLAMABAD/ KARACHI: Separatists launched “coordinated” attacks across Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Saturday, killing at least 10 security personnel and five civilians, an official told PMI, the latest violence in the insurgency-hit southwestern region. Officials …

31-01-2026 BEIJING: China has executed 11 members of a notorious mafia family that ran scam centres in Myanmar along its north-eastern border, state media report. The Ming family members were sentenced in September for various crimes including homicide, illegal detention; fraud and operating gambling dens by a court in China’s …

31-01-2026 WASHINGTON: ICE officers in Minnesota were directed on Wednesday to avoid engaging with “agitators” as they carry out President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, according to internal guidance reviewed by media. The new guidance, offering the most detailed look so far at how operations would change after two fatal shootings …

31-01-2026 Bureau Report NEW DELHI: India’s chief economic adviser proposed age-based limits on access to social media platforms he said were “predatory” in their approach to keeping users online, signaling a potential blow to Meta and YouTube in their largest user market. Such a shift would pull India in line …

31-01-2026 TEHRAN: The chief of the Iranian army has vowed a “crushing response” to any attack after the United States moved a strike force into regional waters as tensions continue to escalate. A batch of 1000 drones have been added to Iran’s combat regiments, according to state television, with the …

31-01-2026 WEST BANK/ GAZA STRIP: Israeli forces have detained dozens of people after storming several areas across the occupied West Bank, including the home of a Palestinian man who was shot and killed by Israeli forces in Bethlehem. The latest raids early on Thursday come as Israeli settlers stormed Joseph’s …