US President Donald Trump’s chief Iran negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, visited the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln deployed in the Arabian Sea amid heightened Middle East tensions. The US military confirmed the visit on Saturday, noting that the officials toured the nuclear-powered carrier and its strike group. The visit came as prospects grew for renewed talks between Washington and Tehran.

According to AFP, the inspection coincided with expectations of new discussions between the two countries. Following the visit, Witkoff stated on social media that the carrier and its strike group were ensuring US security and upholding President Trump’s message of peace. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed optimism that talks with the United States would resume soon but warned against any potential US military action.

The visit followed indirect talks held in Oman’s capital the previous Friday, described by both sides as a positive start. The USS Abraham Lincoln had arrived in the region in January after tensions rose over the suppression of anti-government protests in Iran.

Will Lewis, the chief executive and publisher of The Washington Post, has resigned following widespread criticism over his management and recent large-scale staff cuts. The U.S.-based newspaper, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, had laid off more than 300 employees just days before Lewis announced his departure. He informed staff of his resignation through a brief note, thanking Bezos and acknowledging the need for difficult decisions to secure the paper’s future.

During his two-year tenure, Lewis faced scrutiny over his leadership, which intensified after the layoffs. In his message, he suggested that the job cuts were part of efforts to ensure the newspaper’s sustainability and its ability to continue serving millions of readers.

Jeff D’Onofrio has been appointed as the acting publisher, taking over leadership responsibilities as the organization navigates the aftermath of the layoffs and leadership change.

A small aircraft crashed into the sea off the coast of South Australia on Friday afternoon, killing all three people on board, including the pilot, according to police. The crash occurred near Long Bay, close to the port town of Goolwa South, about 63 kilometers south of Adelaide. Police confirmed that all three male occupants were found dead and that the wreckage had been recovered from the water.

Authorities said investigators from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau arrived at the crash site on Saturday to begin an investigation into the incident. Local media outlet Seven News shared a video on social media platform X showing the aircraft descending nose-first into the sea at high speed.

Police have not yet released further details about the cause of the crash or the identities of the victims, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to discuss the situation surrounding Iran, according to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office on Sunday, February 8, 2026. The meeting follows renewed diplomatic activity between the United States and Iran, including indirect talks held last Friday in Muscat, Oman, where both sides agreed to continue such discussions in the future.

Israeli media outlet Maariv reported that President Trump has presented Iran with five conditions: removal of 400 kilograms of enriched uranium, destruction of its nuclear infrastructure, elimination of ballistic missile capabilities, cessation of missile production, and an end to support for allied armed groups in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Lebanon. Bronwen Maddox, director and chief executive of Chatham House, said the demand to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile capability is the most sensitive and difficult for Tehran to accept.

Maddox warned that losing missile capability would leave Iran defenseless against potential attacks and suggested that the conditions may have been designed to provoke rejection, which could heighten the risk of new U.S. military action against Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed concern over Egypt’s increasing military capabilities, calling for close monitoring to prevent excessive buildup. According to Israeli media reports on Thursday, Netanyahu made the remarks during a closed-door session of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Citing a source present at the meeting, the report said Netanyahu emphasized that while Israel maintains relations with Egypt, its expanding military strength should be carefully observed and restrained if necessary.

The report added that this warning comes amid heightened sensitivities in bilateral relations, following a major $35 billion gas deal signed between Israel and Egypt in December. Netanyahu had described the agreement, valued at 112 billion shekels, as the largest in Israel’s history. The two nations have maintained peace since signing the Camp David Accords and a formal peace treaty in 1979, which ended their state of war and normalized relations.

The renewed caution from Netanyahu highlights ongoing strategic vigilance in Israel’s approach to Egypt despite their longstanding peace framework.

The Trump administration deported several Palestinians from the United States to Israel using private aircraft, according to reports published this week by The Guardian in collaboration with +972 Magazine. The flights, which cost about $26,000 per hour, refueled in New Jersey, Ireland, and Bulgaria before landing at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport. From there, the deportees were reportedly left by the roadside in the occupied West Bank. The first flight on January 21 carried eight Palestinians from Arizona to Tel Aviv, while a second flight took place the following Monday, though the number of passengers remains unclear.

The flights were operated by Dezer Development, a Florida-based real estate company founded by Israeli-American Michael Dezer and currently run by his son Gil Dezer. The Trump administration chartered the aircraft through Journey Aviation. Michael Dezer, known for his close ties to the Trump family, had donated over one million dollars to Trump’s presidential campaign. The US State Department stated that it does not discuss interagency or diplomatic matters and confirmed that it works closely with the Department of Homeland Security on deportations of undocumented foreigners.

Homeland Security did not provide any comment on the issue, leaving questions about the scope and rationale of these private deportation flights unanswered.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has announced that a second round of talks with the United States will take place soon. Speaking to Al Jazeera, he reaffirmed that uranium enrichment is Tehran’s legitimate right and said that building mutual trust will take time. Araghchi emphasized that Iran’s nuclear enrichment program would continue and could not be destroyed even by bombings.

Following the first round of talks held in Oman on Friday, Araghchi described the discussions as a good start but warned that if Washington targets Iranian territory, Tehran would retaliate against U.S. bases in the region. The renewed dialogue comes after last year’s collapse of nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington following Israeli airstrikes on Iran.

The United States has deployed an aircraft carrier toward Iran after suppressing anti-government protests in the country. Araghchi stated that Iran is ready to reach an agreement on uranium enrichment and that the nuclear issue can only be resolved through dialogue.

Tensions between the United States and Iran have escalated sharply, with Washington deploying major military assets to the Middle East following President Donald Trump’s call for the removal of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The U.S. has demanded that Tehran dismantle its nuclear enrichment and ballistic missile programs and curb its regional influence, warning of a more severe attack if Iran refuses to negotiate. Iran’s parliament has declared its nuclear and missile capabilities as a national red line, viewing U.S. pressure as a threat of regime change.

Analysts cited in the report warn that any U.S. military strike could destabilize not only Iran but the entire region. Such action might consolidate Iran’s ruling power, empower the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or trigger internal conflict. Tehran has vowed retaliation through regional allies, potentially drawing Israel and Gulf states into a wider confrontation.

The article concludes that a U.S. attack could ignite regional war, disrupt global energy markets, drive up inflation, and increase refugee flows toward Europe, amplifying global instability.

At least seven people were killed in an explosion at a biotech factory in northern China, according to state media reports. The incident occurred on Saturday at the Jiapeng Biotech Company facility in Shanxi province’s Shanyin County, about 400 kilometers west of Beijing. Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday morning that one person remains missing following the blast, citing local authorities. Search and rescue operations are continuing at the site.

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation. Industrial accidents are relatively common in China, often attributed to lax safety standards. In late January, a similar explosion at a steel plant in neighboring Inner Mongolia province killed at least nine people.

Authorities have not yet released further details about the victims or the extent of the damage, and investigations into the cause are ongoing.

At least 30 people were killed in two separate armed attacks in Nigeria’s central Benue state within a few days, according to AFP. Local official Ibi Andrew said that on Friday afternoon, armed bandits attacked a market in Anwase village in the Kwande area, killing at least 13 traders. Witnesses reported that the attackers opened fire indiscriminately, causing panic as people fled. Several shops and homes were damaged, and families searched for missing relatives.

A few days earlier, on Tuesday, a similar attack took place at a market in the nearby town of Mbaikyor, where at least 17 people, including a police officer, were killed, according to local residents and media reports. Violence in Benue state has intensified in recent months, largely driven by disputes between Muslim Fulani herders and predominantly Christian farmers over land and natural resources.

Analysts cited in the report said that climate change-induced land scarcity, the easy availability of illegal weapons, and the Nigerian government’s lack of effective long-term measures have further complicated the situation.

At least 12 people were killed and three others seriously injured when a minibus plunged into a ravine in northeastern Afghanistan, local officials said on Saturday. The accident occurred as the vehicle was traveling toward the provincial capital, Faizabad, along a road in Badakhshan province. According to a provincial police spokesperson, the bus lost control before falling into the ravine. The victims included men, women, and children, and the injured were reported to be in critical condition.

Fatal road accidents are common in Afghanistan, where decades of conflict have left road infrastructure weak and safety regulations poorly enforced. Reckless driving and the lack of traffic discipline further contribute to frequent tragedies on the country’s highways.

Previous major accidents include an August crash in Herat province that killed 78 people, many of them children, and another near Kabul later that month that left 25 dead after a bus overturned due to driver negligence.

The 17th Al Jazeera Forum in Doha was dominated by warnings that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza is destabilising the global order and reshaping regional power dynamics. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the Palestinian issue as the defining strategic question for the Middle East, calling Israel’s actions genocide and urging comprehensive sanctions, an arms embargo, and legal accountability. He said the violence in Gaza represents a deliberate destruction of civilian life and a collapse of international law, while also confirming that Iran and the United States plan a second round of indirect talks.

Al Jazeera Media Network chairman Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani said the assault on Gaza marks a turning point for the Palestinian cause, accusing Israel of seeking to reoccupy and resettle parts of Gaza and the West Bank. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud warned that the conflict and Red Sea tensions reflect a wider breakdown of global governance, while Turkiye’s communications chief Burhanettin Duran said the Gaza war exposes the failure of international institutions to prevent atrocities.

Speakers collectively urged renewed commitment to justice, sovereignty, and multilateral cooperation to restore stability and prevent further erosion of international norms.

Saudi Arabia has started issuing visas for the 2026 Hajj season (1447 Hijri) from Sunday, according to the country’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. The ministry said the decision aims to enhance service readiness and simplify procedures ahead of pilgrims’ arrival. All necessary service agreements for foreign pilgrims have been finalized, and accommodation contracts in Makkah have been completed through the 'Nusuk' platform. So far, about 750,000 pilgrims have registered, including 30,000 who booked Hajj packages directly from their home countries.

For international pilgrims, around 485 camps have been allocated across the holy sites, and 73 Hajj offices have completed initial preparations. In Bangladesh, both government and private pilgrims must undergo health checks at government hospitals and receive vaccinations before obtaining a fitness certificate. As per Saudi guidelines, visa applications must be submitted between February 8 and March 20 with the certificate. The Ministry of Religious Affairs stated that no one will be allowed to perform Hajj without it.

Based on moon sighting, the Hajj is expected to take place on May 26, with flights beginning on April 18.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the United States wants the ongoing war with Russia to end by mid-June. He stated that both Ukraine and Russia have been invited to the United States next week for discussions aimed at achieving that goal. According to Zelensky, the US has proposed that negotiating teams from both countries meet in the US, possibly in Miami, and Ukraine has confirmed its participation.

No immediate comments were available from Washington or Moscow regarding the proposal. The report noted that US President Donald Trump has long been pressing for an end to the conflict since taking office. Meanwhile, Russia continues to target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing widespread power outages during the harsh winter.

Zelensky also mentioned that a possible trilateral meeting among leaders was discussed for the first time, though he cautioned that preparatory steps are needed before such a meeting. He added that the US aims to complete everything by June, influenced by its internal affairs, but did not provide further details.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) project coordinator Craig Kenji warned that Israel’s threat to ban the organization from operating in Gaza could remove a critical lifeline for residents. Speaking to Al Jazeera from Gaza’s Al-Mawasi area, Kenji said Israel issued the warning after MSF refused to provide a list and personal details of its staff. He noted that MSF supports about 20 percent of hospital beds in Gaza, handles one-third of all deliveries, and has provided over 800,000 medical consultations annually.

Kenji cautioned that if MSF and other NGOs are forced to leave, Gaza’s clean water crisis would worsen severely. The organization currently distributes more than 4.5 million liters of water daily, equivalent to 65 kilometers of jerry cans lined up each day. He added that without registration, MSF cannot bring in supplies, deploy international staff, or pay local partners for their services.

Kenji emphasized that if MSF’s registration is revoked, continuing operations in Gaza would become nearly impossible.