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Foreign cars flow to Russia through China, skirting Ukraine war sanctions

Tens of thousands of cars are being exported from China to Russia under gray-market schemes that often circumvent Western and Asian government sanctions and automakers' commitments to exit the Russian market, according to registration data reviewed by Reuters and interviews with five people involved in the trade. The sanctions and company pledges came in reaction to Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. But a thriving trade in these vehicles – from Toyotas 7203.T and Mazdas 7261.T to German luxury models – continues partly through informal networks enabling Russian dealers to order them through Chinese intermediaries, the interviews and data from Russian research firm Autostat show. Most are made in China - where many international brands build vehicles with local partners - or are shipped through there after being manufactured elsewhere, according to the data and sources. A growing number are zero-mileage "used" vehicles – new cars registered as sold in China by dealers...
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Risk of Nipah virus spread low after cases in India, Bangladesh: WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the risk of the deadly Nipah virus spreading was low after three cases of infection were recently confirmed in India and Bangladesh. Nipah, which spreads from animals to humans, has no vaccine and a fatality rate ranging from 40 to 75 per cent, according to the UN health body. "In the past few weeks, three cases of Nipah -- two in India and one in Bangladesh -- made headlines and caused concern about a wider outbreak," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference in Geneva on Wednesday. WHO assessed the risk of spread of the Nipah virus regionally and globally and found it low, he added. Two cases of Nipah were confirmed last month in India's West Bengal state, while one patient died in Bangladesh last week after contracting the virus. "The two outbreaks were not related, although both occurred along the India-Bangladesh border, and share some of the same ecological and cultural conditions, as well as popul...

Pakistan dispatches additional 100 tonnes of aid to Palestine

Under the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has dispatched another consignment of humanitarian aid to Palestine. The latest shipment, comprising 100 tonnes of food items including dates, flour, rice, and cooking oil, was sent via chartered flight from Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore to Egypt, for onward delivery to Gaza. With the dispatch of this consignment, the total volume of humanitarian assistance sent to Palestine through 29 consignments now stands at 2,827 tonnes, according to Radio Pakistan. The @ndmapk has dispatched another consignment of relief goods for #Palestine@ForeignOfficePk @Palestine_UN @UN @UNHumanRights #RadioPakistan #News https://t.co/hVVrZbmKyo pic.twitter.com/kTNNb8NYjm — Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) February 12, 2026 The send-off ceremony was attended by senior officials from the NDMA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and representatives from other relevant government departments. Thi...

Iran will not yield to ‘excessive demands’ on nuclear programme: Pezeshkian

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday that his country would "not yield to excessive demands" on its nuclear programme, after Tehran resumed talks with the United States. Speaking at Azadi Square in the capital Tehran, to mark the 47th anniversary of Iran's Islamic revolution, he said, "Our country, Iran, will not yield to their excessive demands." "Our Iran will not yield in the face of aggression, but we are continuing dialogue with all our strength with neighbouring countries in order to establish peace and tranquillity in the region," President Pezeshkian said, also adding that the state was ready for "any verification" of its nuclear programme and insisted it was not seeking an atomic weapon. Iran and the United States resumed negotiations last week for the first time since the war with Israel last June, which saw the US conduct strikes on nuclear sites in Iran. Iran wants the talks to remain centred purely on its nuclear pr...

Russia will take measures, 'including military ones', if Greenland militarised, says FM

Russia threatened to take military "countermeasures" if the West boosts its own military footprint on Greenland, Moscow's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday. Several European countries have sent small contingents of troops to Greenland in recent weeks after US President Donald Trump repeatedly said he wanted to annex the Arctic island. "Of course, in the event of the militarisation of Greenland and the creation of military capabilities aimed at Russia, we will take adequate counter-measures, including military-technical ones," Lavrov said in a speech to Russian lawmakers. Greenland -- home to some 57,000 people -- has been an autonomous Danish territory for decades. Trump last month backed off threats to seize Greenland after saying he had struck a "framework" deal with NATO chief Mark Rutte to ensure greater US influence. He had previously been warning that if the United States did not seize Greenland, Russia or China could. "The US, D...

President Zardari congratulates Iran on Islamic Revolution anniversary

President Asif Ali Zardari congratulated Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and the Iranian people on the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. President Asif Ali Zardari conveys felicitations to Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and the people of Iran on the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, reaffirming the deep-rooted brotherly ties between 🇵🇰 & 🇮🇷 and extending prayers for peace and prosperity. @khamenei_ir — The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) February 11, 2026 According to Radio Pakistan, President Zardari said Pakistan and Iran share ties rooted in common history, language, culture and geography. He said he hoped the “spirit of brotherhood” would continue to support prosperity and stability in both countries and the wider region. He also extended wishes for the supreme leader's good health and offered prayers for peace, progress and prosperity for the people of Iran. The Iranian Revolution Iran’s Islamic Revolution refers to the ...

India skips IWT case proceedings at The Hague

The Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitrationhas said that India did not respond to an invitation to participate in a hearing and did not appear in proceedings over a case related to the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) dispute with Pakistan. The IWT of 1960 stands as one of the most carefully negotiated and legally robust transboundary water agreements in modern international law. Concluded between Pakistan and India with the good offices of the World Bank, the treaty was designed to remove water from the volatility of politics and conflict and to anchor it firmly in law, engineering discipline and neutral dispute resolution. It is a binding international instrument governed by the foundational principle of pacta sunt servanda — that treaties must be honoured in good faith. In a press release issued a day ago, the court said it concluded its hearing for the Second Phase on the Merits on February 3 in an arbitration initiated by Pakistan against I...