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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 …

25-02-2026 By SAJ Jafri + Bureau Report KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military early on Sunday carried out air raids in Afghanistan, targeting what it called “camps and hideouts” belonging to armed groups behind a spate of recent attacks, including a deadly suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in Islamabad. Pakistan’s Ministry …

25-02-2026 TEHRAN/ WASHINGTON: Iran and the United States have differing views over sanctions relief in talks to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Sunday, adding that new talks were planned in early March as fears of a military confrontation grow. Iran and the US renewed …