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UAE adamant it won’t allow attacks on Iran from its soil

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates will not allow attacks on Iran to be launched from its territory, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday. Last week, President Donald Trump said a US “armada” was heading toward the Gulf and that Washington was watching Iran closely after a crackdown on protesters. The foreign ministry said in a statement it “has reaffirmed the United Arab Emirates’ commitment to not allowing its airspace, territory or waters to be used in any hostile military actions against Iran”. The UAE hosts thousands of US personnel at Al Dhafra airbase near the capital Abu Dhabi, one of several American military bases in the Gulf. US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln arrives in Middle East; Hezbollah chief warns any war against Iran will ignite the region The UAE also refuses to provide logistical support for attacks, the statement said, adding that “dialogue, de-escalation, adherence to international law, and respect for state sovereignty” were the best wa...
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No casualties reported as blast derails 4 Jaffar Express bogies

QUETTA: Four bogies of the Quetta-bound Jaffar Express train coming from Peshawar were derailed in a blast on the railway track linking Sindh to Balochistan on Monday night. Railway officials in Sultankot confirmed that the blast occurred on the railway track between Sultankot and Jacobabad in Sindh. “Four bogies have derailed after a blast that damaged the track,” a senior official of the Pakistan Railway told Dawn , adding no deaths or injuries were reported in the blast. The railway officials added that repair on the track had begun after the area was cleared. They said a relief train had also reached the site to resume railway traffic on the main line. The Jaffar Express has come under attack several times over the past year. Last November, it had escaped an ar­­m­­ed attack in the Bolan Pass area of Kachhi distr­i­­ct, Balochistan. The same month it also escaped a bomb attack in Balochistan’s Nasirabad district. In October 2025, at least seven people were injured after ...
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US deploys aircraft carrier to Middle Eastern waters as Iran warns against attack

A US naval strike group led by an aircraft carrier has deployed to Middle Eastern waters, the United States said on Monday, as Tehran warned it was ready to hit back at any American attack launched in response to a crackdown on anti-government protests. The protests started in late December, driven by economic grievances, but turned into a mass movement against the Islamic Republic, with huge street demonstrations for several days from January 8. But rights groups have accused authorities of quelling the movement with unprecedented violence, shooting into crowds of protesters under the cover of an internet shutdown that has now lasted 18 days — the longest Iran has ever imposed. US President Donald Trump has previously threatened to step in, saying last week that Washington was sending a “massive fleet” to the region “just in case”. The deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group dramatically boosts American firepower in the region. The United States backed and b...
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Indonesia resumes search for 80 after landslide kills 10 in West Java

Indonesian authorities resumed search-and-rescue efforts for 80 people missing after a landslide killed 10 in a residential area of West Java province. The landslide early on Saturday was triggered by heavy rains starting the day before, which the weather agency warned could continue for a week in the province and several other regions. Resident Dedi Kurniawan, 36, said it was the first big landslide he had witnessed in Pasir Langu village in a hilly area of the province about 100 km (60 miles) southeast of Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta. “Sometimes we have only small floods from the nearest river, but this time (the landslide) came from the forest,” he told Reuters. Rescuers were hampered on Saturday as unstable terrain and rain hindered them from deploying heavy machinery, Kompas TV reported, citing authorities. There were multiple reports of floods in West Java, including Jakarta. The floods have caused residents in heavily impacted areas to evacuate to higher ground or unaffect...
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US storm leaves 850,000 without power, forces 10,000 flight cancellations

More than 850,000 customers in the US, as far west as New Mexico, were without electricity and over 10,000 flights were cancelled on Sunday during a monster winter storm that paralysed eastern and southern states with heavy snow and ice. As snow, freezing rain and dangerously frigid temperatures swept into the eastern two-thirds of the nation on Sunday, the number of power outages continued to rise. As of 10:47am EST (8:47pm PKT) on Sunday, more than 850,000 US customers were without electricity, according to PowerOutage.us, with at least 290,000 in Tennessee and over 100,000 each in Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana. Other states affected included Kentucky, Georgia, Virginia and Alabama. More than 10,200 US flights scheduled for Sunday were cancelled, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. Over 4,000 flights were cancelled on Saturday. Washington, DC’s Ronald Reagan National Airport said airlines had cancelled all flights at the airport on Sunday. Delta Air Lines on Sund...
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Eight dead, more than 80 missing in Indonesia landslide

CISARUA: A predawn landslide killed at least eight people and left more than 80 missing on Indonesia’s main island of Java on Saturday, a disaster official said. Triggered by heavy rainfall, it struck villages in Java’s West Bandung region in the early hours — at around 2.30am (1930 GMT Friday) — and buried residential areas. Floods and landslides are common across the vast archipelago during the rainy season, which typically runs from October to March. “There was a rumbling noise, like thunder,” Oyoh, a resident of Pasirlangu village who, like many Indonesians, only has one name, told AFP. “It had been raining non-stop since the morning, and then it [the landslide] happened. I immediately felt scared.” Triggered by heavy rainfall, it struck villages in Java’s West Bandung region The 52-year-old had been evacuated to the village’s government office along with dozens of others, mainly women and children. She said her house survived the landslide, but her niece, her niece’s husb...
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Airports outsourcing shifted to open bidding

• Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi facilities up for grabs; Privatisation Commission assures domestic, foreign firms of level-playing field; abandons G2G mode amid investors’ high interest • Seeks proposals to appoint financial adviser for Roosevelt Hotel; plans joint venture for mixed-use development; aims to finalise transaction in a year ISLAMABAD: The Privatisation Commission announced on Saturday that the outsourcing operation for the country’s three major airports — Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi — will move to an open bidding mode following a high level of interest from various investors. The commission said the shift from a government-to-government (G2G) mode to open bidding aims to generate a competitive process wherein all domestic and foreign investors will have a level playing field to participate in the bidding process. According to a commission statement, the envisaged competitive process priorities inclusivity by welcoming participation from all eligible entities, including...
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