Trump says US has received 80m barrels of Venezuelan oil; 3rd tanker seized
US forces have 'captured' a third oil tanker in the Indian Ocean weeks after it reportedly left Venezuelan waters.
India’s Modi visits Israel as US-Iran tensions mount – Reuters
- India's Modi visits Israel as US-Iran tensions mount Reuters
- Modi's Israel visit to test India's priorities in the Middle East BBC
- Why Indian PM Modi’s Israel visit matters for Pakistan’s security Al Jazeera
- What to expect from Indian PM Narendra Modi's Israel visit The Jerusalem Post
- Modi Seeks to Deepen India-Israel Bond With Defense, Trade Deals Bloomberg.com
Japan to deploy missiles on island near Taiwan by 2031
The remote Yonaguni island lies on the frontlines of self-governing Taiwan's growing tensions with China.
BBC sees damage in Puerto Vallarta after Mexican cartel violence
BBC's Will Grant visits Puerto Vallarta, a popular coastal resort town, to see the damage.
German chancellor lands in Beijing for inaugural China trip
Friedrich Merz said it would be a mistake to "decouple" Germany from China shortly before boarding a plane to Beijing.
Japan to deploy missiles to island near Taiwan by 2031, says defence minister
Surface-to-air missiles, which are capable of shooting down aircraft and ballistic missiles, will be located on Yonaguni, Japan’s westernmost island
Japan will deploy missiles to a tiny island near Taiwan within five years, its defence minister has said, in a move that is likely to inflame tensions with China.
The surface-to-air missiles, which are capable of shooting down aircraft and ballistic missiles, will be located on Yonaguni – Japan’s westernmost island – by March 2031, Shinjiro Koizumi said.
Continue reading...Senegal PM proposes tougher anti-LGBT law, doubling prison terms
The bill seeks prison terms of five to ten years for what it describes as "acts against nature".
Asia’s soft power has been growing for years. But ‘Chinamaxxing’is different – CNN
Modi in Israel live: India’s PM to meet Netanyahu, address Knesset
Modi will mark his second visit to Israel with the two countries having deepened ties under the Hindu nationalist PM.
India’s Modi visits Israel: What’s on the agenda, and why it matters
India's prime minister is expected to discuss upgrading security and economic agreements amid rising regional tensions.
Rubio flies into the Caribbean for talks with leaders unsettled by Trump policies – AP News
- Rubio flies into the Caribbean for talks with leaders unsettled by Trump policies AP News
- Rubio heads to Caribbean as Trump’s Iran gambit nears tipping point The Washington Post
- Secretary Rubio’s Travel to Saint Kitts and Nevis U.S. Department of State (.gov)
- Rubio travels to meet Caribbean leaders as US squeezes Cuba, Venezuela Reuters
- Rubio heads to Caribbean to discuss migration, security as Haiti signs governing pact Miami Herald
Australia police make arrests over alleged murder of grandfather mistakenly kidnapped
Police have said 85-year-old Chris Baghsarian was not the intended target of the alleged crime.
America Needs an Alliance Audit – Foreign Affairs
- America Needs an Alliance Audit Foreign Affairs
- Letter: Once U.S. loses alliances, they will be hard to rebuild NOLA.com
Trump contradicts Witkoff over Iran nuclear bomb claims
In his State of the Union address, US President Trump reiterated claims the US “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear programme.
Columbus Zoo expert assures Punch, the viral baby monkey with a plush, is in safe, caring hands – 10TV
- Columbus Zoo expert assures Punch, the viral baby monkey with a plush, is in safe, caring hands 10TV
- Why Punch the monkey updates, rejection hit us so hard | Opinion USA Today
- Punch the monkey needs more than your love vox.com
- ‘What’s up with all these monkeys’: Djungelskog the orangutan comforted Punch – but can the Ikea toy help me? The Guardian
- Baby Monkey The New York Times
Tokyo protests as China blocks ‘dual-use’ exports to 20 Japanese companies
China's Commerce Ministry says the move against Japanese firms will prevent the remilitarisation of Japan.
Prominent Russian scholar of North Korea says he was expelled from Latvia following detention – AP News
Donald Trump heckled during State of the Union
Donald Trump has sparked uproar during his State of the Union address after asking lawmakers to prove loyalty to the US.
South Korea’s birthrate rises for second year with experts saying ‘echo boomers’ behind boost
Rebound in the country – which has been having demographic crisis – said to be partly because of 3.6 million born between 1991 and 1995 having children
South Korea recorded 254,500 births in 2025, the largest annual increase in 15 years, driven largely by a temporarily enlarged generation – known as “echo boomers” – now in their early thirties, alongside marriage rates recovering from Covid-era delays.
The country’s fertility rate – the average number of babies a woman is expected to have in her lifetime – rose to 0.80 from 0.75 last year, returning to the 0.8 range for the first time since 2021, according to provisional figures released by South Korea’s ministry of data and statistics on Wednesday.
Continue reading...Iran’s FM says deal with US ‘within reach’; Trump says he prefers diplomacy
Foreign Minister Araghchi's remarks ahead of Geneva talks come as second US aircraft carrier heads towards Middle East.