Pakistan Afghanistan War Live Updates: Pak jet shot down in Jalalabad and pilot captured, claims Taliban; Islamabad denies
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Kuwait grants pardon to 539 inmates under Amiri decree
Kuwait pardoned 539 inmates under Amiri Decree No. 21 of 2026/Representative Image In a move aimed at giving hundreds a second chance, Kuwait has pardoned 539 individuals following directives from His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The decision was issued under Amiri Decree No. (21) of 2026 and allows some inmates to be released immediately, while others will see their sentences reduced. The pardon reflects an effort to support rehabilitation and reintegration into society. Authorities said the objective goes beyond shortening prison terms. It is designed to help those affected rebuild their lives, reconnect with their families and commit to lawful conduct. The process was overseen by the Special Security Affairs and Correctional Institutions Sector, which coordinated with relevant government bodies to complete the necessary legal and administrative procedures. Officials ensured that those eligible for immediate release were freed without delay and that se..
Oman announces Eid Al Fitr 2026 holiday schedule: 5-day break expected for workers and students
Discover Eid Al Fitr 2026 dates across the Gulf — Oman’s likely 5-day break / Image: file As Ramadan 2026 progresses across the Gulf, attention is now turning to the expected dates for Eid Al Fitr. In Oman, early astronomical calculations indicate a strong likelihood that residents could enjoy a five-day public holiday in March. However, as always, the final confirmation will depend on the official crescent moon sighting.Eid Al-Fitr 2026 in Oman
Eid Al Fitr marks the beginning of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic Hijri calendar. Because the Islamic calendar follows lunar cycles, the exact date of Eid changes each year and can only be confirmed after the crescent moon is sighted.Astronomers in Oman have projected that the Shawwal crescent is likely to be visible on the evening of March 19, 2026. If confirmed, the first day of Eid Al Fitr in Oman will fall on Friday, March 20, 2026.If the crescent moon is not sighted on March 19, Ramadan will complete 30 days, and Eid would begin o..
SHKP, Hong Kong’s bellwether developer, posts 36% jump in first-half net profit
AdvertisementHong Kong propertyBusinessSHKP, Hong Kong’s bellwether developer, posts 36% jump in first-half net profitThe company plans to launch many new residential projects over the next 10 months, including the second phase of Cullinan Harbour in Kai Tak
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPCheryl ArcibalPublished: 6:23pm, 26 Feb 2026Sun Hung Kai Properties’ (SHKP), Hong Kong’s largest developer by market capitalisation, reported a 36.2 per cent year-on-year jump in first-half net profit to HK$10.25 billion (US$1.3 billion).
Revenue rose 32 per cent to HK$52.7 billion for the six months ended December from a year earlier, while operating income increased 10.7 per cent to HK$13.4 billion, the developer said in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange on Thursday. Underlying profit, which discounts property revaluations, gained 17 per cent to HK$12.2 billion.
The revenue, however, missed analysts’ estimates of HK$53.4 billion, while operating income beat forecasts of HK$12.82 ..
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Four US residents killed, six captured after attempted ‘armed infiltration’ of Cuba, interior ministry says
Four people were killed and six wounded when their Florida-registered speedboat entered Cuban waters on Wednesday, prompting a deadly exchange of gunfire with a patrol boat, the country’s government said, accusing the men of plotting an “armed infiltration.”
The vessel came within one nautical mile of the El Pino channel on Falcones Cay in Villa Clara province on the north coast of Cuba, about 120 miles east of Havana, when it was approached by a vessel carrying five Border Guard Troops, according to the official account.
When the patrol unit asked the occupants to identify themselves, they allegedly opened fire, wounding the commander of the Cuban vessel, prompting the troops to retaliate in kind.
The wounded were evacuated and received medical attention and were subsequently found to be “Cuban residents of the United States” with criminal records.
“Assault rifles, handguns, improvised explosive devices (Molotov cocktails), bulletproof vests, telescopic sights, and camouflage uniforms..
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Ukraine says Russia launched a major aerial attack ahead of Geneva talks with US
Russia launched a barrage of 420 drones and 39 missiles at Ukraine overnight, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday, as U.S. and Ukrainian envoys prepared to hold more talks in Geneva on ending the war that is now in its fifth year.
The nighttime bombardment, which included 11 ballistic missiles, targeted critical infrastructure and residential areas across eight regions of Ukraine, Zelenskyy said. Dozens of people, including children, were injured, officials said, though authorities did not immediately publish a confirmed total.
Zelenskyy said late Wednesday he had spoken by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump and thanked him for his “efforts and engagement” in pursuing peace negotiations.
The U.S.-brokered talks between Moscow and Kyiv are continuing but are deadlocked on the issue of the future of Ukrainian territory that Russia claims as its own.
Trump representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who were also discussing nuclear negotiations with Iran in Geneva before..
‘Digital public shaming’: Chinese AI tools under fire for pornographic deepfakes
AdvertisementWomen and genderChinaPolitics‘Digital public shaming’: Chinese AI tools under fire for pornographic deepfakesGrass-roots group warns AI platforms have ‘sacrificed women’s right to safety’ as non-consensual sexualised images proliferate
Reading Time:4 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPMeredith ChenPublished: 6:00pm, 26 Feb 2026Chinese AI tools have come under fire for allowing deepfake images that critics say are a form of “digital public shaming” targeting women.Free Nora, a grass-roots feminist media collective in China, reported last week that many internet users had been exploiting the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Doubao to generate non-consensual pornographic images of real women.“In the shadowy corners of social media, a large-scale ‘digital public shaming’ campaign targeting ordinary women has quietly unfolded, fuelled by Doubao,” said a social media article published by the group, which focuses on women’s rights and policy advocacy.AdvertisementDoubao, owned by t..
Shot in school uniform: BBC reveals police order led to Gen Z protest killings in Nepal
Shot in school uniform: BBC reveals police order led to Gen Z protest killings10 hours agoShareSaveSubina Shrestha,BBC Eye InvestigationsandDeepak Kharel,BBC Eye InvestigationsShareSaveBBCAn order allowing the use of lethal fire against thousands of young, unarmed protesters in Nepal was issued by the country's former police chief, a BBC investigation reveals.
Among the 19 people killed in the capital, Kathmandu, on 8 September last year was a teenager in school uniform, who had been walking away from the crowd when he was shot in the back of the head. Dozens more were injured.
The events at the so-called Gen Z demonstrations – which had followed weeks of simmering anger about political corruption – sparked further protests leading to the resignation of Nepal's prime minister and the collapse of its government a day later.
The BBC World Service team has seen an internal police document detailing events on 8 September. It reveals someone using the call sign “Peter 1” told his ..
‘Fear is everywhere’: BBC reports from Mexican city turned into war zone by drug cartel feud
'Fear is everywhere': BBC reports from Mexican city turned into war zone by drug cartel feud17 hours agoShareSaveQuentin SommervilleInternational correspondent, in Culiacán, MexicoShareSaveDarren Conway/BBCMembers of the Sinaloa cartel have split into rival factions engaged in a deadly warMexico's president has praised the special forces for “bringing down” the country's most wanted man, drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes.
Oseguera, better known as “El Mencho”, died in custody on Sunday, shortly after being captured amid a bloody firefight in Jalisco.
But as the BBC's Quentin Sommerville found in another Mexican cartel hotspot – Culiacán in northern Sinaloa state – the vacuum left by the removal of a powerful cartel leader can trigger a surge in violence as warring factions battle for control.
Darren Conway/BBCAs part of their work, paramedics Julio César Vega and Héctor Torres witness some of the bloody fallout from the violenceWarning: This article contains..
‘Huge mistake’: Bill Gates apologises to foundation staff over Epstein ties
Bill Gates apologises to foundation staff over Jeffrey Epstein ties
American tech entrepreneur Bill Gates has apologised to staff at the Gates Foundation over his past ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, while maintaining that he did “nothing illicit,” according to media reports.The Microsoft co-founder acknowledged in a town hall meeting that his association with Epstein was a “huge mistake” and said it had cast a cloud over the philanthropic organisation’s reputation.“I did nothing illicit,” Gates tells staffAccording to an exclusive report by The Wall Street Journal, Gates told employees during the town hall: “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit.”“To be clear, I never spent any time with victims, the women around him,” he added, as per the Journal report.Gates said that images in the recently released “Epstein files” showing him with women whose faces are redacted were photographs that Epstein had asked him to take with his assistants after meetings.“I apolo..