At least 8 killed in British Columbia school shooting -- Canadian police

As Israeli President Isaac Herzog started a four-day visit to Australia, intended to express solidarity with Australia's Jewish communities following a deadly mass shooting last year, thousands of protesters took to the streets across the country on Monday to protest against his arrival. According to media reports, nine individuals were charged following violent confrontations between demonstrators and police during a protest in Sydney. Meanwhile, Sky News has reported that pro-Palestinian activists are preparing to hold another protest on Tuesday.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi claimed on Monday that Japan's policy of promoting a "strategic relationship of mutual benefit" with China remains unchanged, adding that the government will "respond calmly and appropriately from the perspective of national interests."

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to block the opening of a new bridge linking the United States and Canada amid rising tensions between the two North American neighbors.

The U.S. forces pursued a Venezuela-linked oil tanker from the Caribbean and boarded it in the Indian Ocean overnight, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) landslide victory in Japan's House of Representatives election does not amount to a "blank check" for the government to act without restraint, stressing that electoral success should not be interpreted as permission to "do whatever it wants," according to a report by Fuji News on Monday local time.

Controversy has been sparked around several US athletes on social media during the ongoing Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, as some US freestyle skiers and figure skaters made remarks questioning what it means to represent the US at the Games against the backdrop of recent violent immigration enforcement operations in the US. Chinese expert said it shows how the deep divisions within the US on the issue are increasingly spilling over to international stage.

Voting in Japan's general election began on Sunday morning, with over 1,200 candidates competing for 465 seats in the House of Representatives, the powerful lower chamber of parliament.

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that the country's missile program was "never negotiable" in talks with the United States.

The US appears to be using what a Chinese expert called a "parallel strategy of pressure and talks" on Iran as US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday that could impose a 25 percent tariff on countries that do business with Iran, while saying on Saturday that Washington had held "very good talks" with Tehran.

U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that the talks on Iran had been "very good" and will continue early next week.

Indirect talks between Iran and the US in Oman's Muscat ended "for now," and the two delegations may return home, Iran's state-run IRIB TV reported Friday, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

At least 31 people were killed and around 170 others were injured after an explosion ripped through a mosque during Friday prayers in Pakistan's federal capital city of Islamabad, police and government officials said.

The second stage of indirect nuclear talks between Iranian and US delegations started a while ago in the Omani capital of Muscat, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported Friday.

At least ten people were killed and over 80 others injured in a blast which hit a mosque in Pakistan's capital of Islamabad on Friday, police officials said.

Delegations from the United States and Iran on Friday began talks in the Omani capital of Muscat, marking a renewed diplomatic effort amid heightened regional tensions.

Iran and the United States are set to hold talks on Friday in Oman's capital, Muscat, officials from both sides confirmed.

The second round of U.S.-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine concluded here on Thursday, with both sides agreeing to a large-scale prisoner exchange but failing to achieve substantive breakthroughs on core issues such as territorial arrangements and a ceasefire.

US Vice President JD Vance said the newly released US Justice Department files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case showed that “there's an incestuous nature to America's elites,” which is “pretty gross” in an exclusive interview with the UK's Daily Mail on February 4, local time, while specifically criticizing US billionaire Bill Gates and former US president Bill Clinton by name.

The United States and Russia agreed on Thursday to reestablish high-level military-to-military dialogue in Abu Dhabi, according to a statement released by the US European Command.

The US President, in a rare move, personally stepped in a missing-people case and publicly mobilized federal resources to aid in search, and what's more, he is helping someone who once openly clashed with him in an interview, making the case attract more attention.

Iran's IRGC seizes 2 vessels allegedly carrying smuggled fuel -- report

US presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff said Thursday that the United States, Ukraine and Russia have agreed to exchange 314 prisoners.

A 40mm grenade was fired by the Cambodian side at around 10:18 a.m. local time on Thursday, which landed at a military base in Thailand's Sisaket Province on the Thai-Cambodia border, leaving no casualties, according to Thai media reports, citing a report from Thailand's Second Army Region.

Iran and the United States are set to hold talks in Oman's capital Muscat on Friday, officials confirmed on Wednesday, capping days of public disagreement over the venue and agenda that laid bare the profound discord between the two sides.

The upcoming expiration of the New START treaty between the US and Russia on Thursday is stoking fears over a new arms race, as it would remove the last remaining mutual limits on the world's two largest nuclear arsenals. The Kremlin warned that the world is heading into a "dangerous" moment, yet US President Donald Trump has expressed little interest in the potential implications of the end of the treaty.

After Singapore announced on Monday that it will form a national space agency on April 1 to grow its space economy capabilities, a spokesperson for the country's Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) told the Global Times that the new agency will play a constructive role in facilitating cooperation with regional partners on satellite data applications and that Singapore and China have regular exchanges and engagements in the space domain on the sidelines of multilateral platforms.

The second round of US-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine started in Abu Dhabi, a member of the Ukrainian delegation said on Wednesday.

Scientists have identified a genetic factor that causes mood deterioration in the winter. The factor, which "regulates" a person's mood depending on sleep patterns, daylight hours, and other factors, was discovered by researchers at Tyumen State Medical University as part of an international scientific team.

Russian scientists at Perm National Research Polytechnic University and Volgograd State Agrarian University have developed a universal robot that can move inside pipes of various diameters: from 500 to 1,400 millimetres. The device is described on the Perm university's website.

Economic, investment and services activity within the GCC expanded by the end of 2024, according to the Gulf Common Market - Facts and Figures publication issued by the GCC Statistical Centre (GCC-Stat).

Tetsuya Yamagami, the man who fatally shot former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022, filed an appeal on Wednesday against his life sentence.

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.

At least 15 people were killed when a bus carrying about 60 people overturned early Tuesday on a curve in western Alagoas state in northeastern Brazil, according to the state government.

US President Donald Trump is set to launch a strategic critical-minerals stockpile with $12 billion in seed money, a move described in some foreign media reports as US' attempt to slash its reliance on Chinese rare earths and other metals. A Chinese expert said that the US move is unlikely to achieve its goals in the short term, as the real challenges—acquiring advanced technology and scaling up production capacity—cannot be resolved through simple or straightforward actions.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said Monday that it had withdrawn certain documents related to late financier Jeffrey Epstein, after victims complained that sensitive information had been released due to redaction failures.

After a phone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that the US had reached a trade arrangement with India to roll back the punishing tariffs he had imposed on Indian products from 25 percent to 18 percent, in return for India's dropping its tariffs on some American goods, buying more US products, and ceasing its purchases of Russian oil.

Plans for potential US-Iran nuclear negotiations remain uncertain as reports of an upcoming meeting in Istanbul were questioned by Iranian officials, while both sides continue to exchange warnings and bolster military deployments amid rising regional tensions.

Iranian president has ordered start of talks with US on nuke profile -- Iran's semi-official Fars

More Western leaders are sending out stern warnings about past approach of overly depending on the US. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever warned at a “Future of Europe” high-level forum hosted by a major Belgian media outlet that Europe has long relied on the US “big stick” for protection — only to find that the same stick is now being wielded against its own allies. His remark that Europe could slide from a “happy vassal” into a “miserable slave” if it fails to draw red lines quickly went viral on social media Monday.

US President Donald Trump has reportedly responded to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after the latter warned a US strike on Iran would spark a regional war. While claiming the US has the biggest, most powerful ships in the world over there, Trump on Sunday local time expressed hope to make a deal and in case of no-deal, and he also threated to find out whether or not Khamenei was right over the remarks, NBC News reported.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that if Iran does not reach a deal over its nuclear program, "we'll find out" whether Iran's supreme leader was correct in predicting that a U.S. attack on the country would spark a regional war.

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that if Tehran fails to strike a nuclear deal with Washington, "we will find out" whether Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was right to warn that a U.S. attack could ignite a regional war.

Newly disclosed US government files on Jeffrey Epstein case are offering more details about his interactions with the rich and famous, including politicians and billionaires such as Bill Gates and Elon Musk, according to PBS News.

US President Donald Trump claimed Iran is “talking to” the US and hinted at a deal to avoid the use of military strikes on Saturday, according to The Guardian. Iran's top national security official has said the “formation of a structure for negotiations is progressing” as tensions rise in the Gulf amid a military buildup by Washington in the region.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Iran is negotiating with the United States.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said Saturday that U.S. diplomat Laura Dogu, a special envoy of the U.S. government, has arrived in Venezuela as part of the working agenda between the two countries.

Five people were injured Saturday after a shooting broke out during the "Mardi Gras in the Country" parade in Clinton, the U.S. state of Louisiana, police said.

Protesters gathered across the United States on Friday for a nationwide general strike against federal immigration enforcement operations and the recent fatal shootings by immigration agents.

Iran's IRGC denies rumors of navy chief being assassinated -- media

In an article published by Asahi Shimbun on Friday, the Japanese newspaper noted a growing dissatisfaction within Japan's business community over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's policy on China-Japan relations. The report said her remarks on the Taiwan question have intensified bilateral tensions, prompting criticism from the industrial sector, quoting one industry insider as saying that Takaichi should just act normally as a national leader and stop doing unnecessary things.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that India has notified the agency of two laboratory-confirmed Nipah virus cases in the eastern state of West Bengal, adding that no other infections have been identified to date.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday suggested that the White House has privately communicated a deadline to Iran to reach a deal, while declining to disclose the timing publicly.

The U.S. Senate on Friday evening approved a funding package hours before government funding is set to expire, though a short funding lapse is still likely as the House is still in recess and won't return until Monday.

US President Donald Trump said on social media platform Truth Social on January 28 local time that a carrier strike group led by the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is heading toward Iran, warning that any further US military action against Iran would be “far worse” than last summer's US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. On the same day, Ali Shamkhani, senior political adviser and representative of Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei, wrote on social media that “any military action by America, from any source and at any level, will be considered the beginning of a war, and the response will be immediate, comprehensive, and unprecedented, and will target the aggressor, the heart of Tel Aviv, and all its supporters”

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Friday in Istanbul that, "Iran has no problem with negotiating and wants to negotiate. However, negotiations cannot begin under threat."

In a speech to the German parliament on Thursday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said "As democracies, we are partners and allies, not subordinates." The remark, along with his calls for greater EU unity and for pushing back against Washington on multiple fronts, was singled out in some media reports.

The Chinese Embassy in Japan on Friday issued a new security advisory following media reports that a Chinese national was attacked with tear gas near Tokyo's Ueno area on Thursday night, with suitcases belonging to the victim and four companions, containing 420 million yen ($2.73 million) in cash, were robbed. The suspects remain at large, prompting the embassy to again urge Chinese citizens to avoid traveling to Japan in the near term.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he has had conversations with Iranian leaders and plans to continue discussions.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Thursday that while Europe remains a close partner to the United States, it is not a subordinate power.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order threatening to impose tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba.

U.S. Senate Democrats have reached a deal with Republicans and the White House to pass five spending bills to fund part of the government for the remainder of the fiscal year, as well as a stopgap measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), multiple U.S. media outlets reported on Thursday.

Trump says he plans to talk to Iran, hopes no need to use military action

U.S. Senate Democrats have reached a deal with Republicans and the White House to advance five spending bills to fund parts of the federal government for the remainder of the fiscal year, just one day before a partial shutdown is set to begin, The New York Times reported Thursday.

In the past 24 hours, the risk of military conflict erupting in the Middle East, particularly around Iran, has spiked dramatically. Media reports on Thursday indicate that US President Donald Trump is weighing military options against Iran, including targeted strikes on Iranian security forces and leaders, while simultaneously deploying additional military forces to the Middle East.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's initiation of a snap election campaign for the House of Representatives on Tuesday — described by Japanese media as "an unusually early election at an unusual time" — has continuously drawn domestic criticism. In an exclusive interview with the Global Times on Thursday, Takakage Fujita, secretary-general of the Association for Inheriting and Propagating the Murayama Statement, described the dissolution of the lower house and the election as “against public opinion.” He believes that the move aims to consolidate the ruling foundation of the "anti-China, ultra-right " Takaichi administration and advance its path toward becoming a military power.

An AT-6 aircraft went down in Chiang Mai's Chom Thong district in Thailand on Thursday, leaving two dead, local media reported. An urgent investigation is underway as emergency services secure the crash site.

Russia plans to launch Luna-30 station with two lunar rovers in 2036, head of the Lavochkin Research and Production Association Vasily Marfin said on Tuesday.

Venezuela's armed forces on Wednesday pledged loyalty to and formally recognized acting president Delcy Rodriguez as commander-in-chief during a military ceremony held in Caracas with the participation of the country's high military command.

UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ramiz Alakbarov said Wednesday that there might be a turning point for Gaza, with both profound opportunity and considerable risk.

Colombian authorities have located a missing passenger plane carrying 15 people on Wednesday, with no survivors reported, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Canadian Governor General Mary Simon will travel to Greenland in early February and attend the opening of Canada's first consulate in Nuuk, the Office of the Governor General said Wednesday.

Community organizers and labor groups in the United States are preparing for a second National Day of Action on Saturday to demand the withdrawal of federal immigration agents from the state of Minnesota.

Trump says hopefully Iran will quickly "Come to the Table" and negotiate a fair, equitable deal

A massive armada, headed by the Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln and larger than that sent to Venezuela, is heading to Iran, US President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on Wednesday.

The latest cover of Germany's Der Spiegel magazine, headlined "Donald, Enough!", features five European leaders dressed in hunting attire against the backdrop of Greenland's glaciers. The cover design reflects growing frustration in Europe over mounting pressure from Washington, a Chinese expert said. The expert noted that transatlantic relations have entered a critical period marked by increasing friction and uncertainty, and that while the EU is aware of the importance of strategic autonomy, achieving it will require time and greater unity.

Kim Keon-hee, wife of the impeached former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, was sentenced to 20 months in prison for corruption charges, live footage showed Wednesday.

Five people, including the deputy chief minister of India's western state of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar, and two pilots, on board an aircraft were killed Wednesday in a crash, officials said.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that an additional "armada" of U.S. military vessels is sailing towards Iran, expressing hope that Iran will agree to a deal.

A U.S. federal judge has ordered Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to appear in court on Friday to explain why he should not be held in contempt for failing to comply with multiple judicial orders.

Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud on Tuesday assured Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that the kingdom will not allow its territory or airspace to be used for attacks on Iran, according to Saudi Press Agency.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem will not step down, even as Democrats threatened to begin impeachment proceedings against her.

The French government led by Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Tuesday survived two no-confidence votes over a budget issue after deputies in the National Assembly rejected the motions.

U.S. Central Command said Tuesday that U.S. air forces will conduct a multi-day readiness exercise across its area of responsibility, one day after USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group was deployed to the Middle East.

Family members of two Trinidadian men killed in a U.S. strike on a boat allegedly carrying drugs filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Tuesday, accusing it of wrongful death and extrajudicial killings.

One person is in critical condition after being shot in an incident involving the U.S. Border Patrol in the state of Arizona on Tuesday morning, according to authorities.

Scientists in Krasnoyarsk have developed a protective coating that significantly slows wood degradation caused by water, air exposure and ultraviolet radiation, as well as bacteria and fungi. The technology combines traditional linseed oil with aluminium oxide nanofibres and has already been introduced into industrial production, according to the website of the Federal Research Center "Krasnoyarsk Science Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences."

International tourism revenues in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states rose to $120.2 billion in 2024, up 39.6 percent from 2019 and 8.9 percent from 2023, the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (Gulf-Stat) said.

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter publicly endorsed suggestions that fans avoid traveling to the US for World Cup matches, he said on X on Monday.

France's National Assembly passes bill banning social media for under-15s

South Korea's presidential office said Tuesday that it has received no official notification from Washington after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a plan to raise tariffs on certain South Korean goods from 15 percent to 25 percent.

The European Parliament has delayed until next week a decision on whether to restart work on the EU-U.S. trade deal, after pausing its approval process last week, in protest over U.S. President Donald Trump's push to acquire Greenland and his tariff threats against European allies, according to a senior lawmaker on Monday.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva held a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump and agreed to pay an official visit to Washington, Brazil's presidency said Monday.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that he is sending White House border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota, two days after a second fatal shooting by federal law enforcement in the northern U.S. state this month.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Monday that Hungary would take diplomatic steps after what he called offensive and threatening remarks by Ukrainian political leaders toward Hungary and its government.

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said Monday a Royal Canadian Navy patrol vessel will be on the scene when the federal government opens a new consulate in Greenland next week, local media reported.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday he will raise tariffs on certain South Korean goods from 15 percent to 25 percent, accusing South Korea's legislature of not having enacted a bilateral trade agreement with the United States.

U.S. Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino and some of his agents are expected to leave the city of Minneapolis on Tuesday in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of U.S. citizen Alex Pretti, local media reported Monday.

A US carrier strike group has reportedly arrived in the Middle East region by Monday amid speculation over potential operations against Iran, while the Iranian side said the US warships would not weaken Iran's defense resolve.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday Iran will give a "comprehensive and regret-inducing" response to any aggression.