Saudi Arabia has imposed a ban on the import of poultry and eggs from Bangladesh and 39 other countries to protect public health and ensure food safety in its domestic market. The Saudi Food and Drug Authority confirmed that the restriction also includes partial bans on specific regions in 16 additional countries. The decision was announced on February 25, 2026.

According to reports, the list of restricted and partially restricted countries will be reviewed regularly based on global health updates and epidemiological data. Some of the bans have been in place since 2004, while others were added gradually following risk assessments and international reports. The authority identified the widespread outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza as the main reason for the restrictions.

The Saudi authority clarified that the temporary ban does not apply to heat-treated poultry and related products that meet approved health and safety standards. Such products must be accompanied by official certificates confirming that avian influenza and Newcastle disease viruses have been fully destroyed during processing and that they originate from approved facilities in the exporting countries.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has entered its fifth year, with the conflict causing massive destruction and loss of life but little territorial change. Recent data indicate Moscow’s military advances have slowed significantly, averaging about 70 meters per day near Pokrovsk and 23 meters near Kupiansk. In 2025, Russia captured roughly 1,865 square miles, only 0.8 percent of Ukraine’s total territory.

Observers argue that Russian claims of Ukraine’s imminent defeat do not align with the situation on the ground. Ukraine has reorganized its strategy and achieved limited counter-successes, reclaiming about 40 square miles in Zaporizhzhia and retaking the city of Kupiansk in Kharkiv region. However, the humanitarian situation remains dire, with over one million people suffering from power, heat, and water shortages amid subzero temperatures following Russian missile and drone strikes.

Despite continued Western support, Ukraine faces air defense shortages, making it difficult to repel Russian attacks. Analysts describe the war as largely stalemated, with Russia’s ambitions in Donetsk uncertain and Ukrainians showing no sign of surrender.

At least 16 people, including eight women and children, were killed in a collision between a bus and a truck in southern Yemen. The accident occurred on Tuesday in the Lahmar area of Al-Mahfad district. The impact caused a fire that engulfed the small bus, leaving no survivors among the passengers.

According to a statement cited by Reuters from security officials, the crash took place on a dangerous curve of the road. Following the collision, a gas cylinder in the bus exploded, igniting a fire that spread rapidly and prevented passengers from escaping. The report also recalled that last year, 17 people died in a similar accident on a mountainous road in Abyan province.

Yemen’s road network has deteriorated severely after more than a decade of conflict between government forces and Houthi rebels, contributing to frequent and deadly traffic accidents across the country.

After being suspended for more than one and a half years, the Agartala-Dhaka bus service has officially resumed. On Tuesday afternoon, a Tripura Road Transport Corporation (TRTC) bus carrying five passengers entered Bangladesh through the Akhaura land port in Brahmanbaria. Earlier that morning, a bus from Dhaka reached Agartala through the same route, where Tripura’s Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury and TRTC’s acting chairman Samar Roy welcomed it, marking the formal reopening of passenger transport on the route.

According to the Akhaura International Immigration Checkpost, the service had been halted following the 2024 student and public uprising, during which India also restricted visa services for Bangladeshis. TRTC began trial operations on the route in late January before the official launch. Police sub-inspector Sharif Rahman confirmed that the bus will initially operate twice a week.

On the first day of resumed service, nine people, including staff and passengers, traveled from Dhaka to Agartala, while five passengers returned from Agartala to Dhaka.

A military helicopter belonging to Iran’s army crashed into a fruit market in the central province of Isfahan on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of four people, according to state media reports. The incident occurred in the city of Dorche, where the aircraft caught fire after impact. Among the victims were the pilot, co-pilot, and two local businessmen. Emergency services arrived promptly at the scene and managed to bring the fire under control.

The report added that this accident follows another aviation incident last week, when an American-made F-4 Phantom fighter jet of Iran’s regular air force crashed in the western province of Hamadan, killing one pilot. The two consecutive crashes have drawn attention to recent safety issues involving Iran’s military aircraft fleet.

Authorities have not yet released further details about the cause of the helicopter crash or the condition of the crash site beyond the initial response.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to achieve his goal of capturing Ukraine. Speaking in a video address marking the fourth anniversary of Russia’s aggression, Zelensky stated that Putin could not break the Ukrainian people or win the war, emphasizing that Ukraine had defended its country.

According to AFP, Zelensky reaffirmed Ukraine’s readiness to do everything possible to ensure a strong and lasting peace. He said the country would continue efforts to establish justice and achieve peace.

The remarks came as Ukraine marked four years since the start of Russia’s invasion, underscoring Kyiv’s continued resistance and determination to secure a just and stable peace.

Israeli Finance Minister and far-right politician Bezalel Smotrich has warned that Israel will take full control of Gaza if Hamas does not surrender its weapons. The warning came Monday after Hamas rejected an Israeli ultimatum demanding disarmament. Last week, Israel had given Hamas 60 days to hand over all weapons, including AK-47 rifles, a timeline reportedly requested by the U.S. administration. Failure to comply would trigger a renewed military operation by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Hamas dismissed the ultimatum as political propaganda, claiming it had no real basis in ongoing negotiations. Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardabi said the group would not accept the threat. Smotrich stated that a final deadline for Gaza’s complete disarmament could soon be announced, and if ignored, Israeli forces would act with international and U.S. support. He added that the IDF has two or three operational plans under consideration for a possible Gaza incursion.

The report also mentioned a U.S. peace plan proposed by President Donald Trump, which includes forming a 20,000-member international peacekeeping force. However, Smotrich asserted that Israel could remove foreign troops if necessary, though immediate deployment of such forces appears unlikely.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to visit India this week, aiming to double bilateral trade and normalize long-strained relations between the two countries. According to AFP, Carney will arrive in New Delhi on February 26, where he will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The talks are expected to focus on strengthening trade, investment, and strategic partnerships across the Indo-Pacific region.

This marks Carney’s first visit to the Asia-Pacific region as prime minister. Following his India trip, he will also visit Australia and Japan. His broader diplomatic agenda seeks to reduce Canada’s dependence on the United States by expanding alternative trade and diplomatic partnerships. Carney recently visited Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping as part of this outreach.

Carney stated that the U.S.-led global order is weakening and that returning to the pre-Trump structure is unrealistic. He emphasized that Canada must focus on controllable priorities and build new international partnerships to secure stability, security, and prosperity, particularly in light of U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods.

Syria’s Kurdish armed group, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), has agreed to disband and integrate into the Syrian army under a new deal with President Ahmed al-Shara’s government. The agreement follows the withdrawal of U.S. support and the earlier dissolution of Turkey’s Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The accord marks the end of the Kurds’ long-running armed struggle in northeastern Syria and signals a consolidation of central authority in Damascus.

The development has raised security concerns in neighboring Iraq, which shares a 600-kilometer border with Syria. As Syria reasserts control over its Kurdish regions, Iraq faces growing security, political, and legal challenges along its western frontier. The transfer of thousands of Islamic State (IS) detainees from Syria to Iraq has further complicated Baghdad’s internal security landscape. Iraqi officials have strengthened border defenses and called for international cooperation to manage the influx of foreign detainees.

Analysts view the YPG-Damascus deal as a turning point in regional geopolitics, compelling Iraq to reassess its counterterrorism and border strategies while deepening coordination with Syria to maintain stability.

An air ambulance carrying seven people crashed near Simaria in Jharkhand’s Chatra district on Monday, February 23, killing everyone on board. The aircraft, operated by Redbird Airways Private Limited, had departed from Ranchi at 7:11 p.m. for Delhi but lost contact with radar about half an hour later. It was later found wrecked in a forested area under Bariatu Panchayat. Officials confirmed that all seven passengers, including the patient being transferred, died in the crash.

According to Ranchi airport director Vinod Kumar, the plane had communicated with Kolkata Air Traffic Control shortly after takeoff before disappearing from radar. Local residents reported heavy rain, lightning, and strong winds at the time of the incident, and authorities suspect adverse weather conditions as the likely cause. The patient’s relatives said the air transfer was chosen on medical advice due to risks associated with road travel.

India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has launched a full investigation into the crash to determine the exact cause and contributing factors.

A Peruvian military helicopter crashed during a flood rescue operation in the Arequipa region, killing at least 15 people, the country's air force confirmed on Monday, February 24, 2026. According to the air force statement, the victims included four crew members and eleven passengers. Rescue teams recovered the bodies at the crash site near the city of Chala, about 300 kilometers from Arequipa.

The Russian-made MI-17 helicopter lost radio contact while participating in the rescue mission. It had taken off from Pisco city in the Ica region before the crash. The Arequipa region has recently suffered severe flooding, prompting the military to conduct relief and rescue operations to assist affected residents.

Authorities have not yet provided details on the cause of the crash, but the incident underscores the risks faced by rescue teams operating in disaster-hit areas.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans to further strengthen the country’s military and technological capabilities, emphasizing that the development of the nuclear triad will remain a top priority. He made the remarks on February 23 in a video message marking Defender of the Fatherland Day, praising the professionalism and courage of Russian service members defending national sovereignty.

Putin said the Russian army and navy would be reinforced based on lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, with science and high technology supporting improved combat readiness across all branches of the armed forces. He described the nuclear triad—comprising land-based missiles, submarine-launched missiles, and strategic bombers—as essential to Russia’s security and global strategic balance.

His comments came as the last nuclear arms control treaty between Russia and the United States nears expiration. Moscow stated it would not take the first step to escalate tensions or increase warhead numbers, provided Washington maintains the same stance. Earlier, the renewal process stalled after the Trump administration sought to include China, which Beijing rejected as unfair given its smaller nuclear arsenal.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned that human rights are under full-scale attack worldwide, often led by the most powerful figures. Speaking on Monday at the opening session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, he said the rule of law is being replaced by the rule of force and that these assaults are happening openly, not from the shadows.

Guterres criticized Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, noting that more than 15,000 civilians have been killed in four years of violence, and called for an immediate end to the bloodshed. He also highlighted blatant violations of human rights, human dignity, and international law in the occupied Palestinian territories, warning that the situation is undermining prospects for a two-state solution. He urged the international community not to allow such trends to continue.

He emphasized that human rights are being deliberately and strategically sidelined worldwide and called for urgent collective action to protect the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and international human rights law without compromise.

India and Israel have built a strong strategic partnership based on shared interests in defense, technology, agriculture, and counterterrorism since normalizing relations in 1992. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have described the relationship as a powerful alliance, with Modi scheduled to visit Israel on February 27–28, 2026, during his third term. Israel has become India’s top defense supplier, while India serves as a major market for Israeli technology.

Critics argue that this growing partnership marks a departure from India’s historic anti-colonial and pro-Palestinian stance, aligning it with Israel’s militarized and occupation-based policies. Concerns have been raised about the use of Israeli surveillance and drone technologies in India and their implications for human rights. The collaboration has also been linked to rising Islamophobia and the marginalization of minorities.

Despite strengthening military ties with Israel, India continues to maintain diplomatic and humanitarian relations with the Palestinian Authority. Recent statements suggest India is attempting to rebalance its Middle East policy by reaffirming support for a two-state solution and criticizing Israeli actions in the West Bank.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has called for a diplomatic solution to the Iran issue. She made the appeal on Monday, February 23, ahead of possible talks between Tehran and Washington, and following U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of an attack on Iran. Speaking before a meeting of EU foreign ministers, Kallas emphasized that the region does not need another war and already faces many conflicts.

Kallas noted that Iran is currently in a weakened position and urged that this moment be used to find a diplomatic resolution. Her remarks come as Iran and the United States prepare to meet in Geneva, Switzerland, amid escalating tensions between the two countries.

The EU’s call for diplomacy reflects its continued preference for negotiation over confrontation in addressing Middle East crises, particularly as global concern grows over potential military escalation.