* Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the five-day "India AI Impact Expo 2026" at an exhibition center in New Delhi, attended by 20 heads of state, 60 ministers, and 500 global AI leaders. The expo features pavilions from 13 countries, including Australia, Japan, Russia, Britain, France, Germany, and Italy, among others.
* The second round of indirect Iran-U.S. nuclear talks mediated by Oman began in Geneva, Switzerland, Saudi media reported on Tuesday. U.S. presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner represent Washington in the negotiations. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi leads a "diplomatic and specialized" delegation to the talks.
* 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.
* British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to go faster on defense spending on Monday when asked about a report saying Downing Street was considering raising its defense spending target to 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2029.
* Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday announced the appointment of veteran diplomat Janice Charette as the country's next chief trade negotiator to the United States.
* Turkish police detained 13 people on Tuesday for allegedly promoting the Islamic State (IS) on social media and providing financial support to its members, authorities said.
* Seven security personnel and eight terrorists were killed in a checkpost attack in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said on Monday. The terrorists targeted the security forces checkpost in Bajaur district of the province, police officials in the area told the media.
* Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has resumed power generation and transmission to the grid from its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata Prefecture, central Japan.
* Singapore's non-oil domestic exports (NODX) rose 9.3 percent year-on-year in January, accelerating from the 6.1 percent growth in December, data released on Monday by Enterprise Singapore showed.
* Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday said his government will not help to repatriate Australian families with links to Islamic State (IS) who are trying to return to the country from Syria.
* Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa on Monday called for intensified international efforts to pressure Israel to implement the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
* Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has launched the main stage of a "combined, intense and targeted" military exercise in the Strait of Hormuz.
* Omani and Iranian top diplomats met in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday to finalize preparations for a second round of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington, amid high tension in the Gulf and the Middle East.
* German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Monday during his Lebanon visit that Germany will continue to stand by Lebanon even after the end of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mission.
* Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Nigerien leader Abdourahamane Tiani pledged Monday to deepen strategic ties, signaling a detente to 10 months of diplomatic friction with the relaunch of the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline.
* Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council announced Monday that preliminary interrogations have been completed for more than 500 Islamic State detainees recently transferred from Syrian prisons.
* Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on Monday warned that Israel would face a "painful" response if tensions escalate, accusing the United States of directly supporting Israeli military operations and regional expansion.
* Thailand's economy expanded 2.4 percent year on year in 2025, official data showed on Monday. The GDP growth slowed from a 2.9-percent increase in 2024 but extended its expansion for the fifth straight year, according to the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC).
* Britain's unemployment rate rose to 5.2 percent in the three months to December 2025, the highest level in nearly five years, official data showed on Tuesday. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the unemployment rate increased by 0.2 percentage points from the previous quarter. The number of unemployed people reached 1.883 million during the period.
* Kyrgyzstan's GDP reached about 1.44 billion USD in January, marking a 9 percent increase year on year, the country's National Statistical Committee said Monday.
* Slovenia's economy grew by 1.1 percent in 2025, marking the slowest expansion since 2020, the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia said on Monday. The country's gross domestic product (GDP) growth stood at 1.7 percent in 2024.
* Israel's economy grew 3.1 percent in 2025, up from 1 percent in 2024, the Central Bureau of Statistics reported Monday. The figure exceeded forecasts by the Bank of Israel and the Finance Ministry, which had projected 2.8 percent growth.
* The death toll from Cyclone Gezani in Madagascar has risen to 59, with 804 people injured, according to an update released Monday by the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management (BNGRC).
