Australia: Bushfire warning downgraded for blaze in Darlington, Helena Valley in Perth’s eastern suburbs<\/a><\/span> Cambodia: Police arrest more than 400 in major human trafficking crackdown<\/a><\/span> China: 2 Chinese in France suspected of spying from Airbnb are under investigation<\/a><\/span> Japan: Japan\u2019s Takaichi Wins Snap Election by Landslide: What You Need to Know\u00a0<\/a><\/span> Laos: Vientiane Capital Surpasses 2025 Revenue Target by 31 Percent<\/a><\/span> Malaysia: Bukit Aman: Three drug rings busted in Klang Valley, RM208m haul; suspects remanded<\/a><\/span> Myanmar: Junta airstrikes cause casualties across four states, regions over two days<\/a><\/span> Niue: Germany recognises Niue as a sovereign state by formalising diplomatic relations<\/a><\/span> North Korea: Ukraine says North Korean troops are still carrying out strikes from Russia<\/a><\/span> Philippines: Sotto: Not enough votes to make Legarda Senate president<\/a><\/span> Taiwan: CSBC aims to deliver first submarine prototype before end of June<\/a><\/span> Taiwan: Cabinet to seek cross-party support for U.S. trade pact, MOU: Source<\/a><\/span> Thailand: Thailand and Hungary strengthen relations<\/a><\/span> Vietnam: The Party \u2018only discusses, does not backwards\u2019 the Resolution of the 14th Congress \u2013 what is noteworthy?<\/a><\/span> Armenia\/Azerbaijan: Vance heads to Armenia, Azerbaijan as US Pushes Peace, Trade, And Minerals Strategy<\/a><\/span> France: Former French minister Lang quits plum job over Epstein ties<\/a><\/span> Germany: German FA official wants World Cup boycott talks<\/a><\/span> Greece: Collision between migrant speedboat, Greek coast guard vessel leaves at least 15 dead<\/a><\/span> Italy: Italian police arrest protestors after clash in Olympic host city Milan<\/a><\/span> Italy: Suspected saboteurs hit Italian rail network near Bologna, police say<\/a><\/span> Poland\/United States: US cuts ties with Polish speaker of parliament over \u2018insults\u2019 against Trump<\/a><\/span> Serbia: Serbia seeks EU gas deals as it reduces Russian supplies, says President Vucic<\/a><\/span> Spain\/Portugal: Thousands forced to evacuate as Storm Marta batters Spain and Portugal<\/a><\/span> Egypt: Turkey signs $350 million arms deal with Egypt<\/a><\/span> Iran: Iran says talks with US in Oman \u2018a good start\u2019, more discussions expected<\/a><\/span> Iraq: US transfers ISIL detainees to Iraq as northeast Syria base draws down<\/a><\/span> Israel: Netanyahu said to warn Egypt\u2019s military is \u2018getting stronger,\u2019 Israel must keep an eye on it<\/a><\/span> Lebanon: Israeli air attacks on Lebanon reach highest level since ceasefire<\/a><\/span> Libya:\u00a0Thousands gather in Libya for funeral of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi\u00a0<\/a><\/span> Syria\/Saudi Arabia: Syria and Saudi Arabia sign multibillion-dollar investment deals to boost economy<\/a><\/span> Yemen: New Yemen government formed with Shaya Mohsin al-Zindani as prime minister<\/a><\/span> Africa: Aid cuts could lead to \u2018catastrophic consequences\u2019 in Africa, study warns<\/a><\/span> Africa: Russian Recruiters Target Africans as Fodder for War<\/a><\/span> Kenya: Kenyan court lifts ban on lesbian love story<\/a><\/span> Nigeria: Court Holds British Govt Liable for 1949 Nigerian Mine Killings<\/a><\/span> Nigeria: Dozens Killed as Armed Attackers Raid Nigerian Villages<\/a><\/span> Rwanda: Kagame Says Rwanda Not to Blame for DR Congo Instability<\/a><\/span> South Africa: Historic Africa-Led HIV Vaccine Trial Begins in South Africa<\/a><\/span> Sudan: Investigation Reveals RSF Atrocities Against Civilians in El Fasher<\/a><\/span> Afghanistan: ISIS Claims Deadly Mosque Bombing in Pakistan\u2019s Islamabad<\/a><\/span> Afghanistan: 14 Afghan Citizens Freed from Azerbaijan Prisons<\/a><\/span> Bangladesh: Law and order is the key issue in Bangladesh election<\/a><\/span> Bangladesh: Trade advisor says\u00a0deal with US before election<\/a><\/span> Kazakhstan: Week in Kazakhstan: Discuss the Constitution, but in silence<\/a><\/span> Kyrgyzstan: A new ban on\u00a0fuel exports from Russia: what consequences await the Kyrgyz market<\/a><\/span> Pakistan: Deadly Islamabad bombing sharpens focus on cross-border attacks in Pakistan<\/a><\/span> Tajikistan: CSTO to supply\u00a0advanced\u00a0weapons to Tajik\u00a0border\u00a0troops\u00a0amid\u00a0rising\u00a0clashes<\/a><\/span> Uzbekistan: Uzbek Senators Approve Law Introducing Islamic Banking in the Country<\/a><\/span> Costa Rica: Presidential Conserative-Populist Candidate, Laura Fernand\u00e9dez, Wins National Presidential Election<\/a><\/span> Cuba: Nation-Wide Blackouts Amid U.S. Blockade Leads President Miguel Diaz-Canel to Come Up with a New Plan<\/a><\/span> Cuba: U.S. announces additional $6 million in Aid as the Island Faces a Deepening Energy Crisis<\/a><\/span> Mexico: Mexican Authorities Discover the Remains of One of 10 Kidnapped Miners<\/a><\/span> Panama: President Jose Raul Mulino Stands Ground Against a Chinese Threat After Evicting Two Hong Kong Based Companies from the Panama Canal<\/a><\/span> The SHU World Review is produced by the Student Research Assistants of the\u00a0DiploLab<\/a><\/span>\u00a0at the School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University. Some summaries may be copied from article text. Back issues are available in\u00a0Seton Hall\u2019s repository.\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" East Asia & the Pacific Australia: Bushfire warning downgraded for blaze in Darlington, Helena Valley in Perth’s eastern suburbs ABC (Australia)\u00a0 Authorities have downgraded a bushfire in Perth’s hills from emergency level to watch and act, with firefighters saying the blaze was stationary. Multiple aerial water bombers were sent to battle the bushfire on Friday afternoon after it had put lives and homes under threat. Cambodia: Police arrest more than 400 in major human trafficking… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5878,"featured_media":149,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,5],"tags":[31,152,6,153,127,54,8,154,100,64,73,14,78,120,148,91,107,9,32,24,33,10,63,125,103,36,58,113,151,11,34,42,137,16,75,139,135,77,29,85,25,121,60,93,61,136,35,116,108],"class_list":["post-143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-53","category-issues","tag-afghanistan","tag-armenia","tag-australia","tag-azerbaijan","tag-bangladesh","tag-cambodia","tag-china","tag-costa-rica","tag-cuba","tag-egypt","tag-france","tag-germany","tag-greece","tag-iran","tag-iraq","tag-israel","tag-italy","tag-japan","tag-kazakhstan","tag-kenya","tag-kyrgyzstan","tag-laos","tag-lebanon","tag-libya","tag-malaysia","tag-mexico","tag-myanmar","tag-nigeria","tag-niue","tag-north-korea","tag-pakistan","tag-panama","tag-philippines","tag-poland","tag-portugal","tag-rwanda","tag-saudi-arabia","tag-serbia","tag-south-africa","tag-spain","tag-sudan","tag-syria","tag-taiwan","tag-tajikistan","tag-thailand","tag-united-states","tag-uzbekistan","tag-vietnam","tag-yemen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/diplolab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/diplolab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/diplolab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/diplolab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5878"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/diplolab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/diplolab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":151,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/diplolab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143\/revisions\/151"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/diplolab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/diplolab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/diplolab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/diplolab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nABC (Australia)\u00a0<\/em>
\nAuthorities have downgraded a bushfire in Perth’s hills from emergency level to watch and act, with firefighters saying the blaze was stationary. Multiple aerial water bombers were sent to battle the bushfire on Friday afternoon after it had put lives and homes under threat.<\/p>\n
\nKhmer Times (Cambodia)\u00a0<\/em>
\nNational and Military Police dismantled hundreds of human trafficking and sex exploitation rings throughout 2025, leading to the arrest of 410 suspects, the Ministry of Interior announced.\u00a0Ministry\u00a0spokesman\u00a0Touch\u00a0Sokhak\u00a0said at a news conference on Wednesday that authorities intervened in 272 separate cases.<\/p>\n
\nSouth China Morning Post (Hong Kong)\u00a0<\/em>
\nTwo Chinese nationals suspected of trying to intercept satellite communications from \u200ca base in an Airbnb rental property in southwestern France have been placed \u200dunder formal investigation, the Paris public prosecutor\u2019s office said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\nTime Magazine (United States)<\/em>
\nJapan\u2019s\u00a0Prime Minister Sanae\u00a0Takaichi\u00a0and the Liberal Democratic Party won a landslide victory in the nation\u2019s snap election. The LDP won 316 of the 465 seats in the parliament\u2019s lower\u00a0house,\u00a0the largest win margin in the party\u2019s history. She campaigned on a platform of a stronger stance toward China, expanding the Japanese military, tightening immigration, and major economic reform.<\/p>\n
\nThe Laotian Times (Laos)\u00a0<\/em>
\nVientiane Capital collected more than LAK 14 trillion (approximately USD 650 million) in 2025, surpassing its annual target by 31 percent, according to the Department of Finance of Vientiane Capital. Speaking at the 2025 Annual Financial Review Meeting and the 2026 Planning Conference,\u00a0Viengsaly\u00a0Inthaphom, Head of the Department of Finance of Vientiane Capital, said total revenue collection reached 130 percent of the approved plan, marking a year-on-year increase of 31 percent, or approximately LAK 3.3 trillion (approximately USD 153 million).<\/p>\n
\nMalaymail\u00a0(Malaysia)\u00a0<\/em>
\nThe Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) dismantled three drug distribution syndicates and seized various drugs, worth RM208.25 million, in several raids conducted from January 30 to February 3 in the Klang Valley. Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said they also managed to arrest the leaders of all three syndicates, together with nine members.<\/p>\n
\nMyanmar Now (Myanmar)\u00a0<\/em>
\nAir raids hit regions and states where the military is continuing to battle anti-junta\u00a0forces, but\u00a0appeared to target areas inhabited by civilians where there had been little recent fighting.<\/p>\n
\nPacific Media Network News (New Zealand)\u00a0<\/em>
\nGermany has formally\u00a0recognised\u00a0Niue as a sovereign state, signing a declaration to\u00a0establish\u00a0diplomatic relations between the two countries. Niue\u2019s Prime Minister Dalton\u00a0Tagelagi\u00a0and Germany\u2019s Foreign Minister Dr Johann David\u00a0Wadephul\u00a0met in Auckland to\u00a0formalise\u00a0the arrangement. The recognition is part of Germany\u2019s wider policy to strengthen relations with Pacific Island countries, particularly members of the Pacific Islands Forum.<\/p>\n
\nNK News (South Korea)\u00a0<\/em>
\nNorth Korean troops continue to\u00a0participate\u00a0in combat operations against Ukraine despite the return of several thousand soldiers to the DPRK, carrying out artillery strikes from Russia\u2019s Kursk region, according to Kyiv\u2019s military intelligence.<\/p>\n
\nABS-CBN (Philippines)\u00a0<\/em>
\nSenate President Vicente Sotto III on Friday said the majority did not plan to give the Senate presidency to Senator Loren Legarda to prevent a “coup”.\u202fAccording to Sotto, there would not be enough votes to make it happen. Sotto said the “coup plotters” never had enough numbers as he explained how leadership changes in the Senate are usually done.<\/p>\n
\nFocus Taiwan (Taiwan)\u00a0<\/em>
\nTaiwan announces their goal to \u201cdeliver the first domestically built submarine prototype, Hai Kun, before the end of June\u201d.<\/p>\n
\nFocus Taiwan (Taiwan)\u00a0<\/em>
\nTaiwan\u00a0is required to\u00a0send the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) to the \u201copposition-controlled legislature\u201d,\u00a0as well as the memorandum of understanding, pledging \u201c$250 billion\u00a0USD in investment in the United States by Taiwanese semiconductor, electronics manufacturing service\u201d.<\/p>\n
\nBangkok Post (Thailand)\u00a0<\/em>
\nThe Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister of Hungary, P\u00e9ter Szijj\u00e1rt\u00f3, visited Thailand to strengthen foreign relations between the two countries. During the visit, Mr. Szijj\u00e1rt\u00f3 signed two memorandums of understanding\u00a0on\u00a0the field of scholarship and economic cooperation.<\/p>\n
\nBBC News (United Kingdom)\u00a0<\/em>
\nGeneral Secretary\u00a0To\u00a0Lam signed a directive to\u00a0immediately\u00a0implement the \u201cResolution of the 14th National Congress\u201d, consisting of 18 laws and 272 topics to be prioritized between 2026 through 2030.<\/p>\nEurope & Eurasia<\/h3>\n
\nRadio Free Europe (Czech Republic)\u00a0<\/em>
\nUS Vice President JD Vance will visit Armenia and Azerbaijan to reinforce a US-brokered peace deal and advance a strategic transit corridor Washington sees as central to reshaping trade, energy, and influence across the South Caucasus.<\/p>\n
\nPolitico Europe (Belgium)<\/em>
\nJack Lang, a former French culture and education minister, tendered his resignation from his position as the president of the Paris-based Arab World Institute after the latest revelations about his and his family\u2019s financial ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, which included an offshore fund jointly held by Epstein and Lang\u2019s daughter.<\/p>\n
\nBBC (United Kingdom)<\/em>
\nAhead of this summer\u2019s World Cup, during which 78 games will be hosted by the US, Oke Gottlich, president of Bundesliga club St Pauli, urges other officials to consider a boycott of the games in response perceived American hostility towards European countries.<\/p>\n
\nAP News (United States)<\/em>
\nA collision between a speedboat carrying migrants and a Greek coast guard patrol vessel off the eastern Aegean island of Chios has killed at least 15 people, while a search and rescue operation involving patrol boats, a helicopter and divers was underway for potentially missing people.<\/p>\n
\nBBC (United Kingdom)<\/em>
\nThousands of protests took to the streets in Milan on Saturday to\u00a0protest against\u00a0the Olympics\u2019 environmental and social consequences, including concerns over excessive public spending and ecological damage.<\/p>\n
\nReuters (United Kingdom)<\/em>
\nSaboteurs damaged rail infrastructure near the northern Italian city of Bologna on, disrupting train journeys on the first full day of the Winter Olympic Games. Officials suspected purposeful sabotage and even terrorism.<\/p>\n
\nNBC News (United States)<\/em>
\nThe American ambassador to Poland announced that the US will have no further communication with the speaker of the lower house of Poland\u2019s parliament after he criticized President Trump\u2019s foreign policy and claimed that he does not deserve the Nobel Peace Prize.<\/p>\n
\nReuters (United Kingdom)<\/em>
\nSerbia, one of Europe’s few remaining buyers of Russian natural gas, is diversifying its energy supply away from Russia and is already in talks to buy natural gas via a European Union\u00a0purchasing\u00a0mechanism.<\/p>\n
\nSky News (United Kingdom)<\/em>
\nAs a \u201cstorm train\u201d of consecutive winds and rains has led to thousands being forced to evacuate amid fears of more flooding, while\u00a0nearly 170\u00a0roads have been closed across Spain and Portuguese rail services have been disrupted.<\/p>\nNear East<\/h3>\n
\nBusiness Insider Africa (Nigeria)<\/em>
\nTurkey\u00a0has signed a $350 million defense agreement with Egypt, Africa\u2019s top-ranked\u00a0military\u00a0and the world\u2019s 19th strongest, highlighting Cairo\u2019s expanding defense ambitions and Ankara\u2019s deepening strategic push into African security markets.<\/p>\n
\nAl Jazeera (Qatar)<\/em>
\nIranian authorities described the latest talks with the United States in Oman as \u201cpositive\u201d,\u00a0while US President Donald Trump said the indirect discussions were \u201cvery good\u201d,\u00a0but the mediated negotiations in Oman have yet to offer a roadmap to alleviate growing fears of a US attack. Iran\u2019s team at the indirect talks in Muscat was led by Araghchi, while Washington sent special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump\u2019s son-in-law Jared Kushner.<\/p>\n
\nAl Jazeera (Qatar)<\/em>
\nUS forces transported a third group of ISIL (ISIS) detainees from\u00a0Ghwayran\u00a0prison in Syria\u2019s Hasakah province to Iraq by land, as activity around a US military base in the region points to possible operational changes, an Al Jazeera correspondent reports.\u00a0Iraq so far has received 2,250 ISIL prisoners.<\/p>\n
\nThe Times of Israel (Israel)<\/em>
\nIn a closed-door meeting with the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u00a0reportedly warned\u00a0that the Egyptian military has been \u201cgetting stronger\u201d and said Israel needed to keep an eye on it to ensure it\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0go too far.<\/p>\n
\nAl Jazeera (Qatar)<\/em>
\nIsrael is carrying out a \u201cclear and dangerous\u201d surge in air attacks on Lebanon, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has said, with its warplanes conducting more attacks on its neighbor in January than in any previous month since the ceasefire. The humanitarian organization said on Thursday that Israeli warplanes had carried out at least 50 air raids on Lebanon last month \u2013 about double the number of the previous month.<\/p>\n
\nAl Jazeera (Qatar)<\/em>
\nThousands of people have attended the funeral of\u202fSaif al-Islam Gaddafi, the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi\u2019s most prominent son, who was shot dead this week.\u00a0Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was killed on Tuesday in his home in the northwestern city of Zintan. His office said in a statement that he had been killed during a \u201cdirect confrontation\u201d with four unknown\u00a0gunmen\u00a0who broke into his home.<\/p>\n
\nAP News (United States)<\/em>
\nSyria and Saudi Arabia signed multibillion-dollar investment agreements on Saturday, including a major telecommunications project, a low-cost joint\u00a0airline\u00a0and an international airport in northern Syria.\u00a0Most of the Western sanctions on Syria were lifted after a new leadership took power following the ouster of former President Bashar Assad in December 2024, opening the way for investments to flow into the country.<\/p>\n
\nAl Jazeera (Qatar)<\/em>
\nYemen\u2019s Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council has issued a decree to form a new government, with Shaya Mohsen al-Zindani confirmed as the country\u2019s prime minister. Al-Zindani will also continue to serve as foreign minister, the state-run news agency Saba reported on Friday.<\/p>\nSub-Saharan Africa<\/h3>\n
\nSemafor (United States)<\/em>
\nCuts to global foreign aid are\u00a0impacting\u00a0sub-Saharan\u00a0Africa\u00a0the hardest, with a new\u00a0Lancet Global Health\u00a0report warning they could cause an\u00a0additional\u00a022.6 million deaths by 2030. The study found that 38 African countries face especially severe risk, potentially driving sharp rises in preventable child and adult mortality. Following the Trump administration USAID cut, the situation has worsened, contributing to cuts already made by other Western donors, including the UK, France, and Germany.<\/p>\n
\nAfrica Defense Forum (United States)<\/em>
\nAfrican men continue to be recruited and deceived into fighting for the Russian army. Polina\u00a0Azarnykh, formerly a teacher helping foreign\u00a0students\u00a0study in Moscow, is accused of handling such recruitment following Russia\u2019s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. By allegedly promising compensation, citizenship, and non-combatant roles, recruiters send recruits to the front line with minimal training and misleading contracts. A BBC investigation has linked her to hundreds of foreign recruits, many of whom have either ended up dead or missing, as Russia continues to target vulnerable and unemployed youth in Africa.<\/p>\n
\nSemafor (United States)<\/em>
\nA ban on\u00a0Rafiki, a Kenyan film portraying lesbian love in 2018, has been declared unconstitutional and removed. This film was the first from Kenya to be selected for the Cannes Film Festival and to have a worldwide screening, yet it was prohibited in\u00a0Kenya.The\u00a0decision is seen as a meaningful shift that could make it harder to censor African films depicting same-sex relationships, especially as their international recognition continues to grow.<\/p>\n
\nallAfrica (South Africa, Kenya, Senegal, Nigeria, Liberia, United States)<\/em>
\nAn incident that led to 21 killed and 51 injured during a protest by miners seeking better working conditions and against wage discrimination in Nigeria in 1949 has led the Enugu High Court to rule that the British government must pay U.S. $27 million to each of the 21 coal miners’ families. In a landmark step towards accountability for abuses committed during the colonial period, the court seeks a formal apology and diplomatic action against the colonial administration.<\/p>\n
\nallAfrica (South Africa, Kenya, Senegal, Nigeria, Liberia, United States)<\/em>
\nNigerian officials are blaming extremist groups like Boko Haram and an Islamic State-linked faction for the attack that rights groups have claimed to have resulted in over 170 people killed. Initial reports estimated at least 35 deaths in the villages of Nuku and Woro in Kwara State, following the armed attacks.<\/p>\n
\nallAfrica (South Africa, Kenya, Senegal, Nigeria, Liberia, United States)<\/em>
\nAt the National\u00a0Umushyikirano\u00a0Council in Kigali, President Paul Kagame\u00a0stated\u00a0that Rwanda cannot be held responsible for the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s internal problems, asserting that each nation must address its own issues. He rejects claims that Rwanda is fueling conflict in Eastern\u00a0DRC, but\u00a0instead is\u00a0taking action to thwart\u00a0the threat that the FDLR poses to Rwanda. Kagame believes that the international community’s blame of Rwanda evades responsibility from President F\u00e9lix Tshisekedi and encourages further instability.<\/p>\n
\nallAfrica (South Africa, Kenya, Senegal, Nigeria, Liberia, United States)<\/em>
\nThe South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) is conducting a trial following the launch of the BRILLIANT 101 HIV vaccine development in 2025. This initiative to develop an HIV vaccine is a significant milestone for African-led HIV vaccine research and increases the possibility of its development for African populations.<\/p>\n
\nAfrica Defense Forum (United States)<\/em>
\nFollowing the RSF seizure of El Fasher in October 2025, investigations have revealed widespread abuses, which INL used mass detentions and graves, kidnappings for ransom, and sexual violence. Survivor accounts reveal the detention of most adult men in makeshift prisons, women giving birth without care, and men escaping while hiding among the women. The takeover has triggered a humanitarian catastrophe while tens of thousands of people, mostly women and children, flee to escape the daily shelling.<\/p>\nSouth & Central Asia<\/h3>\n
\nThe Khaama Press News Agency (Afghanistan)<\/em>
\nIslamic State group ISIS in Afghanistan officially too responsibility for the suicide bombing at a\u00a0Shia mosque\u00a0in Islamabad killing 31 people and injuring 169 others.<\/p>\n
\nThe Khaama Press News Agency (Afghanistan)<\/em>
\n14 Afghan citizens were released from Azerbaijan\u2019s prisons despite being unaware of their\u00a0initial\u00a0crimes.<\/p>\n
\nAl Jazeera (Qatar)
\nAs Bangladesh begins voting for the 2026 election, national police are becoming a major source of worry for the country due to ineffective activity since the 2024 revolution.<\/p>\n
\nJugantor\u00a0(Bangladesh)
\nBangladesh travel advisor\u00a0Sheikh\u00a0Bashiruddin\u00a0suggests the government confirm US\u00a0aircraft\u00a0trade deal before election in hopes to reduce tariffs on Bangladesh exports.<\/p>\n
\nVlast (Kazakhstan)
\nThe government has plans to implement stricter measures of censorship among foreign and local entertainment leading critics to label the acts as repressive.<\/p>\n
\nKaktus Media (Kyrgyzstan)
\nRussia has extended their temporary ban on gasoline exports, indirectly raising prices the country has been working to reduce.<\/p>\n
\nAl Jazeera (Qatar)<\/em>
\nA suicide bombing took place in the Khadija Tul Kubra Mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan, leading analysts to imply this event as a \u201cbroader attempt to inflame sectarian tensions in the country\u201d.<\/p>\n
\nAsia Plus TJ (Tajikistan)<\/em>
\nThe \u201cRussia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization\u201d has publicly confirmed they will be sending advanced weaponry to Tajikistan\u2019s borders after a firefight between border guards and suspected drug traffickers from Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
\nFergana News (Russia)<\/em>
\n\u201cThe Senate of\u202fthe\u00a0Oliy\u00a0Majlis (the upper house of\u202fUzbekistan\u2019s parliament) has approved a\u202flaw amending existing legislation to\u202fintroduce Islamic banking in\u202fthe country.\u201d<\/p>\nWestern Hemisphere<\/h3>\n
\nNPR (United States)<\/em>
\nOn February 2nd, on the promise of being tough on crime, far-right conservative and populist, Laura Fernandez, won the national presidential election with 48.3% of the total 96.8% polling vote against her challenger, economist Alvaro Ramos of the National Liberation Party with 33.4%.<\/p>\n
\nAl Jazeera (Qatar)\u00a0<\/em>
\nAs of February 5th, as the U.S. tightens its grip on the Cuban economy as tensions escalate with the Trump administration, Havana is pursuing a new plan to ramp solar generation and use renewable resources to stabilize electrical grids across the country. Especially for vital services, including hospitals, elderly care\u00a0centers\u00a0and isolated regions.<\/p>\n
\nLos Angeles Times (United States)\u00a0<\/em>
\nAs of February 5, the Cuban President accused the U.S. of an \u201cenergy blockade\u201d as the U.S. has decided to send aid mostly meant to support those living in the Eastern region who were slammed late last year by hurricane Melissa. Other supplies include rice, beans, pasta, cans of tuna and solar lamps that will be delivered by the Catholic Church and Carida according to senior State Department Official, Jeremy Lewin.<\/p>\n
\nReuters (United Kingdom)\u00a0<\/em>
\nOn February 6, the Mexican authorities said on Friday they found one of 10 bodies in a Clandestine grave that were kidnapped from a mine in northern Sinaloa state late last month after receiving threats from organized crime groups. The Attorney General\u2019s office affirmed they are following\u00a0standard\u00a0procedure to confirm the victim\u2019s identity and collect evidence in Concordia, where the remains were found. Police\u00a0are\u00a0yet to\u00a0identify\u00a0any of the other bodies.<\/p>\n
\nAl Jazeera (Qatar)\u00a0<\/em>
\nAs of February 5th, after two Chinese based companies were evicted in Panama following a Panamanian Supreme Court decision from the Panama Canal\u2019s ports, Beijing responded with saying Panama would pay a \u201cheavy price.\u201d In response, Panama City said they strongly reject the Chinese government\u2019s threat to the country. Panama City insists it follows the rule of law and has an independent court system unlike Beijing.<\/p>\n
\n