Tensions between the US and Iran saw new developments as diplomatic engagement has existed alongside reports of growing military preparations, with expert saying US administration continuing to apply maximum pressure.

US forces have begun withdrawing from the Qasrak military base in Syria's Hasakah governorate and are redeploying toward Iraq, Syria TV reported on Monday.

An elevator at Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo's famous tourist attraction, stopped about 30 meters above ground, trapping 20 people inside for more than 5 hours on Sunday evening. No injuries have been reported.

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Sunday that the autonomous territory of Denmark is not interested in receiving a U.S. hospital ship that U.S. President Donald Trump wants to send to the island.

The United States and Iran have decided to continue negotiations, even as their starkly different visions of a nuclear deal and a significant U.S. military buildup highlight the fragility of the process and the ongoing risk of confrontation.

The Arab League, Egypt and Saudi Arabia on Saturday condemned remarks by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee that Israel has the right to claim control over the entire Middle East.

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to impose 10 percent tariffs on imported goods from all countries, according to a social media post on Friday.

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that Tehran will prepare the draft of a possible nuclear deal with the United States within two to three days, while U.S. President Donald Trump said he is contemplating a limited military strike on Iran.

US President Donald Trump said Friday he will sign an order imposing a 10 percent global tariff to replace some of the emergency duties the US Supreme Court ruled illegal.

The US Supreme Court ruled on Friday that US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs under a law meant for use in national emergencies are illegal.

The Chinese Consulate General in Irkutsk, Russia, confirmed on Friday that seven Chinese tourists drowned after their vehicle fell through the ice on Lake Baikal in Russia.

A vehicle carrying eight Chinese tourists sank in Lake Baikal in Russia on Friday due to a cracked ice surface. One Chinese tourist has been confirmed to have escaped.

US President Donald Trump said his predecessor Barack Obama "made a big mistake" in giving "classified information" following Obama's recent remarks on aliens, according to Fox News.

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol apologized to the public on Friday for his shortcomings following a lower court's decision to sentence him to life in prison for insurrection charges stemming from his martial law declaration.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iran has 10 to 15 days to reach a deal over its nuclear program, otherwise "really bad things" will happen.

The ruling represents the harshest punishment South Korea's judicial system can realistically enforce, aiming to establish a firm judicial precedent that unconstitutional martial law constitutes insurrection, thereby preventing any future abuse of executive power.

The death toll from a gas explosion at a residential building in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi has risen to 16, rescue officials said on Thursday.

South Korea's former President Yoon Suk-yeol was sentenced to life in prison on charges of insurrection stemming from his declaration of emergency martial law, live footage showed Thursday.

The United States is "trying to push us out of global energy markets," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Wednesday declared the month-long Potomac River sewage spill a local public emergency to request federal support.

At a time when the world is filled with uncertainty and instability, coupled with mistrust and rising polarization, the international community must safeguard the UN Charter and uphold the international rule of law, the Group of Friends of Global Governance said Wednesday.

Moscow and Tehran are stepping up cooperation on multiple fronts, particularly in nuclear energy and military operations, as Iran seeks a nuclear deal with Washington amid heightened regional tensions.

Days before the fourth anniversary of the start of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the two-day talks among Ukraine, the United States and Russia, marking the third round of trilateral talks this year, concluded on Wednesday with no breakthrough on key issues.

Sanae Takaichi, president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), secured appointment in the powerful lower house as Japanese prime minister without a runoff vote on Wednesday, Xinhua News Agency reported. Following the attestation ceremony for the prime minister and the certification of cabinet minister at the Imperial Palace, the second Takaichi cabinet, a coalition with Japan Innovation Party (JIP), is expected to be formed on Wednesday evening, according to Japanese media reports.

Sanae Takaichi, president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, secured appointment in the powerful lower house as prime minister without a runoff vote on Wednesday.

Japan plans to invest $36 billion in US oil, gas and critical mineral projects, the first tranche of its $550 billion commitment under the trade agreement it struck with Washington, Bloomberg reported Wednesday. However, a Japanese industry leading think-tank has labeled the investment “unequal,” and business and state-backed finance circles are concerned that the projects may be “less than bankable,” according to media reports.

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte announced on Wednesday that she will bid for the presidency in 2028.

New round of talks on Ukraine begins in Geneva: media

The second round of indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the United States ended in Geneva, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

The second round of indirect Iran-U.S. nuclear talks mediated by Oman began in Geneva, Switzerland, Saudi media reported on Tuesday.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim extended Chinese New Year greetings in both Malay and Chinese on X on February 16, accompanied by a video featuring Andy Lau's classic festive song "Gong Xi Fa Cai” as the background music.

India is hosting an artificial intelligence summit this week, bringing together heads of state and tech executives to deliberate on key issues. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the five-day AI Impact Summit on Monday, which aims to declare a "shared roadmap for global AI governance and collaboration," NDTV reported.

Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong posted on social media on Sunday that the day marked Singapore's Total Defence Day, which also commemorates the fall of Singapore to Japanese forces in 1942, beginning a dark chapter in the nation's history.

The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs said on Monday evening that the upcoming new round of talks among Russia, the United States and Ukraine, scheduled to begin on Feb. 17 in Geneva, will be held behind closed doors.

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi left Tehran on Sunday for Geneva for a second round of indirect nuclear talks with the United States, the Foreign Ministry said.

The 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC) kicked off on Friday against the backdrop of deepening transatlantic tensions and an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape.

Editor's Note: To celebrate the 2026 Chinese New Year, the Year of the Horse, the Global Times has invited a group of foreign ambassadors to China to share the symbolic meaning of the horse in their respective cultures. They also highlighted people-to-people exchanges between China and their homelands, and extended warm wishes to our readers.

The UAE's industrial exports reached a record of AED262 billion in 2025 for the first time, recording 25 percent growth compared to 2024 and more than doubling since the establishment of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology in 2020.

Second US aircraft carrier being sent to the Middle East -- media

​The US government said Thursday it is ending the deployment of immigration agents to Minnesota, bringing to a close a months-long aggressive operation that sparked fierce opposition from residents and local officials, led to the deaths of two US citizens, and ignited widespread outrage, according to some US media reports.

Thai police have brought under control a gunman who stormed a school in southern Thailand, according to the Songkhla provincial public relations office.

In another attempted move to meddle in the Taiwan question, the US and Japan are scheduled to launch their annual joint military exercise "Iron Fist" on Wednesday local time, with drills scheduled to run through March 9, according to US military newspaper Stars and Stripes and Japanese official releases. A Chinese military affairs expert said on Wednesday that the US-Japan military calculation will find it difficult to realize their intended purposes.

Multiple people died on Tuesday in a shooting at a residence in Sarasota County, Florida, local authorities said.

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.