Australia has barred a citizen linked to the Islamic State (IS) group from the country for up to two years.

The person is among the group of 34 Australian women and children who tried to head home after being released from a Syrian camp earlier this week, only to be turned back by Syrian authorities for “technical reasons”.

The ban was issued “on advice from security agencies”, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Wednesday, adding that the other 33 people do not meet “required legal thresholds” to be banned.

Canberra has refused to repatriate the group, believed to be made up of the wives, widows and children of IS fighters. There are 23 children among them.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stressed that these families will not receive government support to come back to the country.

“You make your bed, you lie in it,” he told a press conference on Wednesday.

“These are people who chose to go overseas to align themselves with... a brutal, reactionary ideology that seeks to undermine and destroy our way of life.”

However legal experts have warned the government has an obligation to allow citizens the right of return, and, responding to reports the group had valid Australian passports, Albanese said his government would not “breach Australian law”.

This group in the al-Roj camp in northern Syria is among dozens of Australians who have been held in camps and prisons across the country since 2019, when IS was driven from its final foothold in Syria.

Opposition politicians have raised security concerns about the possibility of these Australians’ return.

“How can only one member of this group be deemed a risk and the rest somehow okay?” Liberal Party Senator Jonno Duniam said on Tuesday, offering to help amend laws to bar more of the group.

The al-Roj camp is home to more than 2,000 others from 40 different nationalities, mainly women and children.

Among them is thought to be Shamima Begum, who was stripped of her British citizenship in 2019 on national security grounds.

Speaking to ABC, the camp’s director Hakmiyeh Ibrahim made an appeal to all countries that have citizens held in limbo there: “Take your citizens, take these children and women”.

The children especially are growing up surrounded by “dangerous ideas and ideologies” in the camp, she said. “The more time passes, the more complicated the situation becomes.”

Several of these camps have made headlines as the women and children living in them are severely malnourished and lack access to basic resources.

Several other foreign governments - including France, the Netherlands, and the UK - have also refused to repatriate most of their citizens still held in Syria.

Source:adaderana.lk

US President Donald Trump has announced he is raising tariffs on South Korean imports to 25% after accusing Seoul of “not living up” to a trade deal reached last year.

In a post on social media, Trump said he would increase levies on South Korea from 15% across a range of products including automobiles, lumber, pharmaceuticals and “all other Reciprocal TARIFFS”.

Trump said South Korean lawmakers have been slow to approve the deal while “we have acted swiftly to reduce our TARIFFS in line with the Transaction agreed to”.

South Korea says it had not been given official notice of the decision to raise tariffs on some of its goods, and wanted urgent talks with Washington over the issue.

It added that South Korea’s Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan, who is currently in Canada, will visit Washington as soon as possible to meet US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Shares in some South Korean exporters fell on Tuesday morning, with car maker Hyundai down about 2.5%. Stocks related to pharmaceuticals and timber were also lower.

Seoul and Washington reached a deal last October, which included a pledge from South Korea to invest $350bn (£256bn) in the US, some of which would go to shipbuilding.

The following month, the two countries agreed that the US would reduce tariffs on some products once South Korea started the process to approve the deal.

The agreement was submitted to South Korea’s National Assembly on 26 November and is currently being reviewed. It is likely to be passed in February, according to local media.

Tariffs are paid by companies who import products. In this case, US firms will pay a 25% tax on goods they buy from South Korea.

Trump has frequently used tariffs as leverage to enact foreign policy during his second term in the White House.

On Saturday, he threatened Canada with a 100% tariff if it struck a trade deal with China.

On Monday, Chinese officials said its “strategic partnership” agreement with Canada is not meant to undercut other countries.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said his country was not pursuing a free trade deal with China and has “never” considered it.

He added that Canadian officials have made their position clear to their American counterparts.

Before that, Trump said he would impose import taxes on eight countries - including the UK - who opposed US plans to seize Greenland, an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark which is a member of Nato.

He later backed down from the tariff threat over Greenland citing progress towards a “future deal” over the island, but the episode strained US relations with Denmark and other Nato allies.

Source: adaderana.lk

Ukrainian officials will boycott the Paralympic Winter Games, Kyiv said on Wednesday (Feb 18), after the International Paralympic Committee allowed Russian athletes to compete under their national flag.

Ukraine also urged other countries to shun the opening ceremony in Verona on Mar 6, in part of a growing standoff between Kyiv and international sporting federations four years since Russia’s invasion.

Six Russians and four Belarusians will be allowed to take part under their own flags at the Milan-Cortina Paralympics rather than as neutral athletes, the Games’ governing body confirmed to AFP on Tuesday.

Russia has been mostly banned from international sport since Moscow invaded Ukraine. The IPC’s decision triggered fury in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s sports minister Matviy Bidny called the decision “outrageous”, and accused Russia and Belarus of turning “sport into a tool of war, lies, and contempt”.

“Ukrainian public officials will not attend the Paralympic Games. We will not be present at the opening ceremony,” he said on social media.

“We will not take part in any other official Paralympic events,” he added.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said he had instructed Kyiv’s ambassadors to urge other countries to also shun the opening ceremony.

“Allowing the flags of aggressor states to be raised at the Paralympic Games while Russia’s war against Ukraine rages on is wrong - morally and politically,” Sybiga said on social media.

The EU’s sports commissioner Glenn Micallef said he would also skip the opening ceremony.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani of Italy, which is hosting the Games, joined the criticism and called on the IPC to reconsider its decision.

KYIV DEMANDS APOLOGY

The IPC’s decision came amid already heightened tensions between Ukraine and the International Olympic Committee, which is overseeing the Winter Olympics currently underway.

The IOC banned Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych for refusing to ditch a helmet depicting victims of the war with Russia.

Ukraine was further angered that the woman chosen to carry the “Ukraine” name card and lead its team out during the opening ceremony of the Games was revealed to be Russian.

Media reports called the woman an anti-Kremlin Russian woman living in Milan for years.

“Picking a Russian person to carry the nameplate is despicable,” Kyiv’s foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy said at a briefing in response to a question by AFP.

He called it a “severe violation of the Olympic Charter” and demanded an apology.

And Kyiv was also riled earlier this month by FIFA boss Gianni Infantino saying he believed it was time to reinstate Russia into international football.

“WAR, LIES AND CONTEMPT”
Valeriy Sushkevych, president of the Ukrainian Paralympic Committee, told AFP on Tuesday that Kyiv’s athletes would not boycott the Paralympics.

Ukraine traditionally performs strongly at the Winter Paralympics, coming second in the medals table four years ago in Beijing.

“If we do not go, it would mean allowing Putin to claim a victory over Ukrainian Paralympians and over Ukraine by excluding us from the Games,” said the 71-year-old in an interview.

“That will not happen!”

Russia was awarded two slots in alpine skiing, two in cross-country skiing and two in snowboarding. The four Belarusian slots are all in cross-country skiing.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said earlier that those athletes would be “treated like (those from) any other country”.

The IPC unexpectedly lifted its suspension on Russian and Belarusian athletes at the organisation’s general assembly in September.

Source: adaderana.lk

The Vatican will not participate in U.S. President Donald Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace” initiative, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s top diplomatic official, said on Tuesday while adding that efforts to handle crisis situations should be managed by the United Nations.

Pope Leo, the first U.S. pope and a critic of some of Trump’s policies, was invited to join the board in January.

Under Trump’s Gaza plan that led to a fragile ceasefire in October, the board was meant to supervise Gaza’s temporary governance. Trump thereafter said the board, with him as chair, would be expanded to tackle global conflicts. The board will hold its first meeting in Washington on Thursday to discuss Gaza’s reconstruction.

Italy and the European Union have said their representatives plan to attend as observers as they have not joined the board.

The Holy See “will not participate in the Board of Peace because of its particular nature, which is evidently not that of other States,” Parolin said.

“One concern,” he said, “is that at the international level it should above all be the UN that manages these crisis situations. This is one of the points on which we have insisted.”

Many rights experts say that Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory’s affairs resembled a colonial structure. The board launched last month has also faced criticism for not including a Palestinian.

Countries have reacted cautiously to Trump’s invitation, with experts concerned that the board could undermine the U.N. Some of Washington’s Middle Eastern allies have joined but its Western allies have stayed away so far.

The Gaza truce has been repeatedly violated with hundreds of Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers reported killed since it began in October.

Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed over 72,000, caused a hunger crisis and internally displaced Gaza’s entire population.

Multiple rights experts, scholars and a U.N. inquiry say it amounts to genocide. Israel calls its actions self-defense after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages in a late 2023 attack.

Leo has repeatedly decried conditions in Gaza. The pope, leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, rarely joins international boards. The Vatican has an extensive diplomatic service and is a permanent observer at the United Nations.

Source:adaderana.lk

Australian authorities have issued heatwave warnings for most of the country as millions celebrate Australia Day.

Temperatures are expected to peak on Tuesday, reaching the “high forties” Celsius in the southern states of Victoria and South Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

On Sunday, South Australia recorded temperatures as high as 48.5C, according to the bureau, which is warning of fire danger in parts of the country.

Some national day celebrations on Monday have been cancelled out of safety concerns. 

Australia Day - 26 January - is the anniversary of the 1788 landing of Britain’s First Fleet, which began the era of colonisation.

In Adelaide, an Australia Day parade and light show have been cancelled due to the extreme heat forecast.

“While this is deeply disappointing for the community, performers and partners, community safety and wellbeing must come first,” organisers said.

Aside from Victoria and South Australia, heatwave warnings have also been issued in New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.

Many of these warnings will remain in place until Wednesday.

“We haven’t seen heatwave conditions like this in Victoria for almost 20 years,” Tim Wiebusch, Victoria’s emergency management commissioner, told ABC.

“It was 2009 ahead of the bushfires where we saw those prevailing conditions and so we are indicating to all Victorians that this is a very serious set of weather conditions.”

On Monday, the Bureau of Meteorology warned of “extreme fire dangers” across parts of South Australia and much of south-western Victoria “due to very hot and dry weather combined with moderate to gusty winds”.

Firefighters in Victoria are working to combat several fires across the state, which have prompted evacuations and threatened properties.

The heat has also affected the Australian Open at Melbourne Park. Tennis player Jannik Sinner was seen suffering from cramps on the court on Saturday, before play was temporarily suspended in the rising heat. Nearly 80,000 fans were warned to take care under the scorching sun.

Meanwhile, parts of Western Australia were pummelled by Tropical Cyclone Luana over the weekend. The storm damaged homes and a popular beach resort before weakening as it moved inland.

The meteorological bureau has advised people to find places to keep cool, like their homes, libraries, community centres or shopping centres. It also told people to close their windows and draw the curtains to keep heat out of their homes.

Source:

India ushered in its 77th Republic Day on Monday (January 26, 2026) with a grand display of its military prowess that included missiles, warplanes, newly-raised units and lethal weapon systems used during Operation Sindoor.

President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, graced the celebrations as chief guests.

The overarching theme of the event at the Kartavya Path, the centrepiece boulevard of the national capital, was 150 years of ‘Vande Mataram’.

The parade commenced with the President Droupadi Murmu taking the salute shortly after she, Mr. Costa and Ms. von der Leyen, flanked by the Indian President’s bodyguards, arrived at the Kartavya Path in a traditional buggy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, several other Union ministers, the country’s top military brass, foreign diplomats, and senior officials were among the spectators.

The major weapon systems displayed included BrahMos and Akash weapon systems, rocket launcher ‘Suryastra’, Main Battle Tank Arjun and an array of indigenously-built military platforms and hardware.

Around 100 artistes heralded the parade on the theme ‘Vividata Mein Ekta (Unity in Diversity) that featured a grand presentation of musical instruments, demonstrating the nation’s unity and rich cultural diversity.

Source: adaderana.lk

The United States has deployed the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and supporting warships to Middle Eastern waters amid tensions with Iran following its crackdown on anti-government demonstrations. Tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high following Iran's crackdown on protestors. 

USS Abraham Lincoln has crossed into the Middle East, along with several guided-missile destroyers. The warships come under the Central Command of the US military, officials told Reuters.

US President Donald Trump threatened last week to step in in favour of the protestors, saying that the US had “an armada” moving towards Iran, but hoped he would not have to use it, as per Reuters.

What Is USS Abraham?

The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) is the fifth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier of the United States. Built by Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, it was named in honour of the 16th US president and is the second ship in the US Navy to carry his name, Airpac Navy reported.

Homeported in San Diego, California, the USS Abraham has around 2,300 compartments, 600 tanks, catapults, combat systems, and various other systems. Weapons on board the USS Abraham Lincoln include two RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile short-range surface-to-air missile launchers,  two Mk 57 Mod3 SeaSparrow surface-to-air missile launchers and three Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWS).

The carrier is fitted with SLQ-25A Nixie torpedo countermeasures systems and an SLQ-32A(V)4 countermeasures suite. Two Westinghouse A4W class nuclear reactors power the four steam turbines that propel the Nimitz-class vessel. The USS Abraham can achieve a maximum speed of 30k.

At 1,092ft (332.8m) long, the vessel has a flight deck measuring 4.5 acres. The USS Abraham Lincoln can accommodate up to 5,680 people and carry 90 aircraft.

The vessel carries nine squadrons, consisting of an E-2 Hawkeye early-warning fixed wing, one EA-6B Prowler, two Super Hornet fighter bombers, two Hornet fighter bombers, one Greyhound logistical support aircraft, and two SH-60 Seahawk attack helicopters, as per Naval Technology.

What's Reason Behind US Deployment?

The United States has sent forces into the Middle East during times of heightened tensions in moves that were often defensive. However, the US military staged a major buildup ahead of strikes against Iran's nuclear program in June last year. In addition to the USS Abraham and warships, the Pentagon is also moving air-defence systems and fighter jets to the Middle East.

What Iran Said

Esmaeil Baghaei, a spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry, warned of a "comprehensive and regret-inducing response to any aggression" on Monday. In an apparent reference to the USS Abraham, he stated, "The arrival of such a battleship is not going to affect Iran's determination and seriousness to defend the Iranian nation."

The anti-government protests in Iran, which started in late December, were driven by economic grievances, but turned into a mass movement against the sitting government. A US-based rights group said on Monday that almost 6,000 people had died in the protests suppressed by Iran's security forces, adding that the actual toll could be several times higher.

( Source: NDTV)

donald Trump arrived at the World Economic Forum this year not as a cautious participant in global dialogue, but as a man delivering a victory lap.

Marking one year since his return to the White House, the U.S. President used the Davos podium to proclaim what he called the “fastest and most dramatic economic turnaround in American history,” casting the United States as the undisputed engine of global growth and warning allies that the era of one-sided dependence on Washington is over.

“Growth is exploding. Productivity is surging. Investment is soaring. Incomes are rising. Inflation has been defeated,” Trump told the packed hall. “We were a dead country. Now we are the hottest country anywhere in the world.”

An Economic Boast, Delivered Without Apology

Trump’s core message was unmistakable: his economic model works, and the world should pay attention.

He pointed to 5.4 per cent projected fourth-quarter growth, core inflation at 1.6 per cent, and 52 stock market record highs since his election victory. According to Trump, those gains added $9 trillion in household wealth, while 1.2 million Americans moved off food assistance.

“Virtually no inflation and extraordinarily high economic growth,” he said. “Growth like our country has never seen before.”

The President repeatedly contrasted his record with that of the Biden administration, which he blamed for “stagflation, open borders and economic decline,” framing his return as a national rescue mission completed in record time.

Deregulation, Tariffs and a Smaller Government

At the heart of Trump’s argument was a rejection of what he called Western economic orthodoxy large government, green energy mandates and mass migration.

He highlighted the removal of 270,000 federal bureaucrats, a 27 per cent reduction in the budget deficit, and a regulatory rollback that he claimed eliminated 129 old rules for every new one introduced.

“Instead of empowering bureaucrats, we’re firing them,” Trump said. “They hated me at first. Now they love me they’re making more money in the private sector.”

Tariffs, often criticised by economists, were recast as a strategic weapon that Trump said cut the U.S. trade deficit by 77 per cent in one year, boosted steel production and triggered a surge in factory construction.

“Everyone said tariffs would cause inflation,” he told the audience. “We proved them wrong.”

Energy Nationalism and the Rejection of Green Orthodoxy

One of the speech’s sharpest departures from Davos consensus came on energy. Trump dismissed renewable-focused policies as economically destructive, arguing they hollowed out Western industry while enriching rivals.

“Instead of building ineffective, money-losing windmills, we’re opening power plants,” he said.

He cited record oil and gas output, falling fuel prices and a renewed embrace of nuclear energy as proof that cheap, reliable power not climate idealism drives prosperity.

“You’re supposed to make money with energy,” Trump said. “Not lose money.”

A Warning to Europe

While declaring affection for Europe, Trump issued an unmistakable warning: the continent is weakening itself through energy restrictions, high costs and what he called socially destabilising migration.

“Friends come back and say, ‘I don’t recognise it anymore,’” he said. “And not in a good way.”

He urged European leaders to prioritise growth, security and self-reliance, arguing that America could not indefinitely shoulder the burden of Western stability.

Greenland, NATO and American Power

The most controversial section of Trump’s address centred on Greenland, which he declared a “core national security interest” of the United States.

“No nation or group of nations is in any position to secure Greenland other than the United States,” he said, calling for immediate negotiations with Denmark over acquisition.

Trump framed the proposal as a defensive necessity, not expansionism, insisting it would strengthen NATO rather than weaken it.

“We want strong allies,” he said. “Not seriously weakened ones.”

Peace Through Strength

On global security, Trump presented himself as both a deal-maker and a deterrent, claiming progress in ending multiple international conflicts while rebuilding American military dominance.

“I don’t want to use force,” he said. “I don’t have to.”

His message to allies was blunt: American protection comes with expectations and patience is not unlimited.

A Speech That Redefined the Room

Trump’s Davos address was not an attempt to blend in. It was a challenge to economists, environmentalists, allies and adversaries alike.

In a forum built on consensus, Trump delivered confrontation. In a space devoted to multilateralism, he argued for national power first.

Whether embraced or resisted, his message was clear:

“When America booms, the entire world booms.”

(Source:lankanews.lk)

The Department of Homeland Security denied a report Monday that US Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino had been removed from his post, despite President Donald Trump reassessing harsh immigration crackdown tactics that led to the deaths of two Americans in Minneapolis.

"Chief Gregory Bovino has NOT been relieved of his duties," DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin posted on X, reiterating the White House messaging that Bovino "is a key part of the President's team and a great American."

The comments follow an article by The Atlantic magazine which reported that Bovino had been removed from his role as Border Patrol commander at large and will return to his previous department job in California.

The publication sourced the reporting to a DHS official and two people with knowledge of the demotion. 

Bovino's removal, if confirmed, would signify a dramatic shift in Trump's approach to the aggressive tactics being used in Minneapolis, where Border Patrol agents on Saturday shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive-care nurse.

For much of January, Bovino has been in Minnesota's largest city, where he has been seen wearing military gear and a helmet, acting aggressively with locals and even throwing a smoke canister at protesters.

Trump on Monday appeared to soften his own tone, saying in a series of Truth Social posts that he had had productive phone conversations with elected officials in the state.

After his call with Trump, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey posted on X that "some federal agents" will begin leaving the city on Tuesday, without providing specifics or mentioning Bovino.

Minneapolis residents have seethed with anger since January 7 when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents fatally shot protester Renee Good, a 37-year-old American citizen and mother of three. 

After Pretti was killed on Saturday, more rallies erupted on the weekend in Minneapolis, New York and other major cities.

Trump said he was sending his "border czar" Tom Homan to Minnesota, and that he would report directly to the president.

Frey posted that he would meet with Homan on Tuesday "to further discuss next steps."

(Source:NDTV)

A Japanese court is set to deliver its verdict this week in a case that has continued to reverberate far beyond the killing itself, exposing long-standing political and religious entanglements in Japan.

The defendant, 45-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, has admitted to assassinating former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022. Abe, one of the most powerful and enduring figures in modern Japanese politics, was no longer prime minister at the time but remained an influential lawmaker. He was attacked while campaigning in the city of Nara, an event that stunned a country known for some of the world’s strictest gun laws.

Yamagami’s trial began in October, and Wednesday’s sentencing will decide whether he spends the rest of his life in prison. Prosecutors are seeking life imprisonment, while the defense has argued for a sentence of no more than 20 years, citing the deep personal and financial hardship Yamagami says he experienced growing up as the child of a follower of the Unification Church.

According to his testimony, Yamagami did not act out of personal hatred toward Abe alone. He said his real target was the Unification Church, a South Korea-based religious group he blamed for his family’s suffering. Abe, he claimed, became a symbolic stand-in after the former leader appeared in a video message supporting an organization linked to the church. Yamagami said killing Abe was meant to draw attention to what he saw as the church’s political influence.

That goal, grim as it was, succeeded in sparking a national reckoning. In the months after the killing, revelations of close ties between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the church led the party to publicly distance itself. Government investigations followed, culminating in Japan’s decision to strip the church’s local branch of its tax-exempt status and order its dissolution.

The case has also driven policy changes. It intensified scrutiny of aggressive fundraising practices by religious groups and helped push through new laws aimed at protecting families and children from coercive donation demands. At the same time, security around politicians and public figures has been tightened nationwide.

Public reaction to Yamagami himself has been unusually divided. While many condemn the act as an unforgivable crime, thousands have signed petitions calling for leniency, and supporters have sent letters and care packages to his family and detention facility, framing him as a product of systemic failures rather than a lone villain.

More than two years after Abe’s death, the court’s ruling will close the legal chapter of the case. But its political, social, and cultural aftershocks are likely to shape Japan’s public life for years to come.

(Source - France 24)