Turkey's Erdogan says Israel's recognition of Somaliland benefits nobody

ANKARA, Feb 17 - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Israel's recognition of the breakaway Republic of Somaliland would not benefit Somaliland or the region.

Halved tariffs should benefit Scotch whisky exports to China

For more than a decade, China has been one of the most important growth engines for western luxury brands. From fashion and watches to fine wines and spirits, rising incomes and global exposure have fueled an extraordinary appetite for premium products. Scotch whisky has been a

Witkoff may have gone out on a limb with a new Iran agreement

The US-Iran “indirect” talks in Geneva on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, lasted between three and four hours. Omani diplomats acted as intermediaries. The US delegation did not meet directly with the Iranians. Thus suggestions were carried from one side to the other, and vice

Four islanders land on remote Chagos atoll, hope to block UK–Mauritius deal

Feb 17 - Four Chagos islanders have landed on one of the Indian Ocean archipelago's atolls to establish what they say will be a permanent settlement, a move they hope will complicate a British plan to transfer the territory to Mauritius.

PM Wong congratulates Bangladesh's new PM Tarique Rahman on election victory

Tarique Rahman's Bangladesh Nationalist Party won the country's Feb 12 general election in a landslide, securing a two-thirds majority in parliament.

Taliban frees three Pakistani soldiers in Saudi-mediated move

KABUL, Feb 17 - Afghanistan's Taliban government said on Tuesday it had released three Pakistani soldiers captured during border clashes in October, in a move mediated by Saudi Arabia amid strained ties and a prolonged frontier closure between the two neighbours.

Ukraine hits oil terminal in Russia's Krasnodar, chemicals plant in Perm, SBU says

KYIV, Feb 17 - Ukrainian drones hit the Taman oil terminal in Russia's southern Krasnodar region and a chemicals plant in the Perm region near the Ural mountains overnight, Ukraine's SBU domestic security service said on Tuesday.

Marco Rubio’s Munich speech criticized as promoting imperialism

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s defense of Western colonialism and imperial power at the Munich Security Conference and the applause his remarks received from attendees were seen as deeply unsettling in the context of the Trump administration’s brazen trampling of

Indonesia to acquire first aircraft carrier from Italy in 2026: Report

The carrier, the Giuseppe Garibaldi, will be transferred to Indonesia by the Italian government as a grant.

Tarique Rahman sworn in as Bangladesh's PM after landslide election victory

Tarique Rahman sworn in as Bangladesh’s prime minister after landslide election victory

He faces urgent challenges, such as rebuilding investor confidence and reviving key industries.

Two killed in blast at military facility in Russia's Leningrad region, Mash reports

MOSCOW, Feb 17 - Two people were killed in a blast at a military facility in the town of Sertolovo in Russia's Leningrad region, the Mash Telegram channel reported on Tuesday.

UKMTO says it received a report of exchange of fire off Yemen's Aden port

Feb 17 - A UK maritime agency said on Tuesday that it received a report of an exchange of fire involving a vessel and a small boat around 70 nautical miles southwest of Yemen's port of Aden.

US to deploy more cutting-edge missile systems to the Philippines

The move is certain to ruffle feathers in Beijing, which has called it “destabilising”.

Cyprus court clears ex-officials in cash-for-passport scheme

Feb 17 - A Cypriot court acquitted former parliamentary speaker Demetris Syllouris on Tuesday of corruption charges linked to a scrapped citizenship-for-investment scheme that triggered public outrage and intense European Union scrutiny.

Suspected Russian shadow fleet tanker GRINCH allowed to leave France after paying fine

MARSEILLE, France, Feb 17 - French authorities have let the seized oil tanker GRINCH leave territorial waters after the company owning the vessel had to pay a penalty worth \"several million euros,\" French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Tuesday.

AI will pressure India to upskill workers, top official says

According to government data, 4.4 per cent of India’s over 1.4 billion people are formally skilled.

Russia pummels Ukraine's power grid before talks

KYIV, Feb 17 - Russian forces pounded Ukrainian power infrastructure before a new round of peace talks, killing three energy workers and leaving tens of thousands of people without power and heat, officials said on Tuesday.

Indian cricket grandees Gavaskar and Kapil join humanitarian appeal for jailed Imran Khan in Pakistan

NEW DELHI, Feb 17 - Indian cricket greats Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev joined a dozen other former international captains on Tuesday in demanding better prison treatment for \"one of the finest all-rounders\" of the game Imran Khan, Pakistan's former prime minister.

Ex-winger Utai in serious condition after shooting

Former NRL star Matt Utai is in a "critical condition" after being shot multiple times outside his home in Sydney, Australia.

Indian govt discussing age restrictions with social media platforms

This follows Australia’s move to ban users under 16 from popular platforms.

Make Japan strong again: Takaichi’s plan to revive the military

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) got a historic landslide victory in last week’s parliamentary elections. This marks the first time since its founding in 1955 that the conservative LDP controls a two-thirds supermajority in

3 men in India get death sentences for rape of Israeli tourist, murder

The case highlights chronic violence against women in the world’s most populous country.

Militants kill 11 Pakistani security personnel, one child near Afghan border, army says

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Feb 17 - Militants rammed a vehicle filled with explosives into an army checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan, killing 11 security personnel and a child, the military said on Tuesday, as the South Asian nation battles a surge in violence.

What’s behind UK-China border security deal?

The UK’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, recently visited China to announce what was described as a reset in relations between London and Beijing. Among the economic and diplomatic announcements was a surprising element: a new agreement on border security. Under the deal, the UK

Trump’s Diego Garcia fears miss the strategic point

On February 5, US President Donald Trump announced that he had “productive” talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer regarding the UK’s transfer of the Chagos Archipelago, which hosts the British-American base of Diego Garcia, to Mauritius. However, Trump warned that if

China’s 09V sub signals shift in Pacific’s undersea power

China’s first Type 09V nuclear attack submarine (SSN) surfacing at Bohai isn’t just a new hull in the water—it may be its boldest bid yet to break out of the First Island Chain and rewrite the undersea balance in the Western Pacific. This month, Naval News reported that China

Former Karabakh official Vardanyan gets 20 years in Azerbaijani prison, state media says

BAKU, Feb 17 - Ruben Vardanyan, an Armenian-born billionaire banker who served as a senior official in the breakaway Armenian administration of Nagorno-Karabakh, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by an Azerbaijani court on Tuesday, state media reported.

Malaysia drops defamation case against Australian writer in Thailand

The charge of criminal defamation carried a maximum prison sentence of two years and a fine.

Lunar New Year 2026: Celebrations around the world

Millions of people around the world are celebrating the start of the Lunar New Year, with festivities taking place from Hong Kong to Buenos Aires.

Indonesia’s Prabowo should think twice on a Trump trade pact

On February 19, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is expected to travel to Washington to attend the inaugural Board of Peace meeting and sign an Indonesia-United States Agreement on Reciprocal Tariffs, or ART. If he does, Indonesia will not be signing a routine trade deal.

Sydney man jailed for mailing reptiles in popcorn bags

The man's eight-year jail term was a record for wildlife smuggling, federal environment officials said.

Macron pushes for Rafale fighter jet deal on high-profile India trip

The visit comes at a pivotal moment as France and India reassess their US ties.

India's Adani to invest US$100 billion in AI-ready data centres by 2035

Foreign cars flow to Russia through China, skirting Ukraine war sanctions

Feb 12 - Tens of thousands of cars are being exported from China to Russia under gray-market schemes that often circumvent Western and Asian government sanctions and automakers' commitments to exit the Russian market, according to registration data reviewed by Reuters and

Long queues and confusion mar first day of India's landmark AI summit

The India-AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi is expected to be attended by top tech leaders from the world.

Human trafficking rings raking in crypto gains: report

The intersection of cryptocurrency and suspected human trafficking intensified in 2025, with total transaction volume reaching hundreds of millions of dollars across identified services, an 85% year-over-year increase. The dollar amounts significantly understate the human toll

North Korea's Kim marks completion of Pyongyang housing project as key party congress nears

SEOUL, Feb 17 - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marked the completion of 10,000 new houses built in Pyongyang, state media KCNA said on Tuesday, as the country prepares to hold a key party congress.

Family of five, including two young children, killed in suspected murder in Kuantan

The father is believed to have injured the others with a sharp weapon before turning it on himself.

Sabah body parts murder: Daughters of main murder suspect arrested

The suspect's 19-year-old son was arrested on Feb 12 and is currently under remand.

Russia sentences US citizen to 4 years in jail for trying to take Kalashnikov stocks

MOSCOW, Feb 17 - A Russian court has sentenced a U.S. citizen to four years in jail for trying to take the stocks of Kalashnikov assault rifles out of a Moscow airport, the RIA state news agency reported on Tuesday.

AI is the future of warfare and US is in the lead

While many experts have focused on the significance of drones in the new reality of warfare, the AI revolution is a much bigger deal. AI now enables drones to be far more impactful, helps select and prioritize battle targets, designs tactical operations and assesses results

Once a national obsession, traditional Korean wrestling fights for survival

Ssireum – pronounced like “see room” – had its heyday in the 1980s and early 1990s.

China unfazed as US rallies global critical minerals bloc

The Trump administration is pushing to build a 55-country critical minerals alliance to coordinate supply and pricing for niche metals vital to technology and defense. The initiative aims to reduce reliance on China, but Beijing remains confident that it will still dominate the

China has slashed air pollution, but the ‘war’ isn’t over

Particulate pollution fell 41 per cent nationwide in the decade from 2014.

Woman killed, two injured in Chinese New Year crash in Malaysia

The crash involved two cars and a trailer lorry carrying limestone powder.

Australia rules out helping families of IS militants leave Syrian camp

SYDNEY, Feb 17 - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday his government would not help Australians in a Syrian camp holding families of suspected Islamic State militants return home, with the government open to prosecutions if they make it back.

Philippines takes ‘strong exception’ to China embassy comment on job losses

The Chinese embassy warned that any serious damage to bilateral ties would “cost millions of jobs”.

Land in focus at Geneva peace talks between Russia and Ukraine

GENEVA, Feb 17 - Representatives of Ukraine and Russia will meet in Geneva on Tuesday and Wednesday for a fresh round of U.S.-mediated peace talks that the Kremlin says are likely to focus on land, the main sticking point.