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02-02-2026 HAVANA: Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel has denounced what he called an attempt by his United States counterpart, Donald Trump, to “suffocate” the sanctions-hit country’s economy. Trump signed an executive order on Thursday threatening additional tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba, the latest move in Washington’s campaign of …

01-02-2026 NAYPYIDAW: Myanmar’s military-backed party has completed a sweeping victory in the country’s three-phase general election, state media said, cementing an outcome long expected after a tightly controlled political process held during civil war and widespread repression. The Union and Solidarity Party (USDP) dominated all phases of the vote, winning …

01-02-2026 WASHINGTON/ SHANGHAI: US President Donald Trump said it was dangerous for Britain to be getting into business with Beijing, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer lauded the economic benefits of resetting relations with China during a visit there on Friday. As Western leaders reel from Trump’s unpredictability, Starmer is the …

01-02-2026 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI/ HYDERABAD: There is a low risk of the deadly Nipah virus spreading from India, the World Health Organization said on Friday, adding that it did not recommend travel or trade curbs after two infections reported by the South Asian nation. Hong Kong, Malaysia, …

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 …