World

Taiwan detects 12 Chinese sorties, 7 Naval vessels near its waters

05 Feb 2026 | 3:22 PM

Taipei, Feb. 5 (UNI) Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) reported detecting 12 sorties of Chinese military aircraft and seven naval vessels operating near its territorial waters as of 6 am local time on Thursday.

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NEW START expires: No limits on US, Russia nuclear warheads

05 Feb 2026 | 1:01 PM

Arti Bali
New Delhi, Feb 5 (UNI) The expiration of the New START Treaty as of midnight on February 5 marks a grave moment for international peace and security, raising the prospect of an unconstrained nuclear arms race between the United States and Russia for the first time since the Cold War.

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US, partners sign 11 critical minerals agreements to secure supply chains

05 Feb 2026 | 10:12 AM

Washington, Feb 5 (UNI) The United States and its partners announced a sweeping set of actions to advance secure critical mineral supply chains as Washington signed 11 new bilateral critical minerals frameworks and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with countries including Argentina, the Cook Islands, Ecuador, Guinea, Morocco, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan.

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Ahead of polls, survey reveals 48 pc of Awami League's voters will back BNP

05 Feb 2026 | 12:54 AM

Dhaka, Feb 4 (UNI) More than nine in ten Bangladesh voters surveyed say they intend to cast a ballot in the upcoming national election, while a small but significant minority currently remains undecided or plans to stay away, according to a new nationwide opinion poll released on Wednesday.

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Bangladesh human rights situation deteriorated rapidly within two months of election announcement: HRSS

04 Feb 2026 | 11:46 PM

Dhaka, Feb 4 (UNI) Amid a dramatically deteriorating law and order situation in Bangladesh, over five have been killed in mob violence and 970 injured within just two months of the announcement of election schedule for the 13th parliamentary elections since December last year, Human Rights Support Society (HRSS) said on Wednesday.

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Myanmar junta's proxy party USDP claims landslide victory in election, results receive international rejection

04 Feb 2026 | 11:04 PM

Naypyidaw, Feb 4 (UNI) Myanmar's military-backed union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has claimed an overwhelming victory in the junta-organised national election, securing more than 72% of the contested seats, according to official results released by the union Election Commission (UEC).

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Iran seeks last minute venue and format changes ahead of discussions with US

04 Feb 2026 | 9:51 PM

Tehran, Feb 4 (UNI) Iran has sought last-minute venue changes from the US, as well as change in the format of the scheduled talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff scheduled for Friday, even as its forces carried out two confrontational actions against US vessels in the Gulf, in a potential risk to the already fragile diplomatic proceedings days before the negotiations kickstart.

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CCP fires three senior Chinese defence officials amid ongoing corruption swoop

04 Feb 2026 | 8:44 PM

Beijing, Feb 4 (UNI) Amid its ongoing crackdown against entrenched corruption, the Chinese Communist Party has removed three senior defence industry executives, including a nuclear weapons expert, from the national legislature.

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Russia warns against NATO troops in Ukraine, calls them legitimate enemy targets

04 Feb 2026 | 8:27 PM

Moscow, Feb 4 (UNI) Russia has warned against the deployment of any NATO troops in Ukraine, calling it both an unacceptable and confrontational action, and further stressing that any troops on ground will be treated as legitimate enemy targets.

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Police detain Bangabhaban official over hacking of Jamaat Ameer's X account

04 Feb 2026 | 4:11 PM

Dhaka, Feb 4 (UNI) The Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police has detained a Bangabhaban official for the alleged hacking of the X account of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman, which led to a controversy in the run-up to nationwide polls.

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India to halt Russian oil purchases under new US trade deal: White House

04 Feb 2026 | 1:10 PM

Washington, Feb 4 (UNI) The White House on Wednesday claimed that India has agreed to stop purchasing crude oil from Russia and will instead increase oil imports from the United States, and potentially Venezuela, as part of a newly announced India-US trade agreement.

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Arctic Security in focus: Canadian Foreign Minister Anita to visit Greenland to open consulate

04 Feb 2026 | 12:22 PM

Ottawa, Feb 4 (UNI) Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand on Wednesday said she will be traveling to Greenland this week to inaugurate Canada’s new consulate in Nuuk, providing impetus to Ottawa’s focus on Arctic cooperation and security.

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U.S.-Iran drone encounter clouds prospects for talks

04 Feb 2026 | 7:59 AM

Cairo, Feb 4 (UNI) A drone belonging to Iran's armed forces completed a "surveillance mission" in international waters Tuesday, Iranian media reported, shortly after the U.S. military said it had shot down an Iranian aircraft that "aggressively approached" an aircraft carrier.

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6 Lesotho nationals killed in S. Africa shooting

04 Feb 2026 | 7:36 AM

Johannesburg, Feb 4 (UNI) Six Lesotho nationals were killed and several others injured in a shooting near the town of Meyerton in South Africa's Gauteng Province on Tuesday, local police said.

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Bangladesh interim govt to rebrand controversial paramilitary unit RAB into Special Intervention Force

04 Feb 2026 | 1:21 AM

Dhaka, Feb 3 (UNI) The Bangladesh interim government has decided to rename its controversial paramilitary force, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), as the Special Intervention Force (SIF), amid a bid to structurally overhaul and revamp the elite unit, following a barrage of sustained domestic and international calls demanding its immediate disbandment.

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