Asia

• Middle East: Trump and Netanyahu meet as Iran talks continue 13 February 2026
  Rising tensions in the Middle East frame a significant meeting between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington. Israel is seeking a comprehensive agreement restricting Iran’s nuclear programme, missile development, and support for regional proxy groups, while Iran has signalled willingness to limit nuclear activity in exchange for sanctions relief…
• Japan: prime minister’s social media led to her party’s landslide victory 13 February 2026
  Growing social media interest in prime minister Sanae Takaichi appears to have significantly influenced Japan’s lower house election on 8 February, contributing to a decisive victory for her Liberal Democratic Party. Many voters reported seeing daily clips of her speeches and travel despite chronic illness, creating familiarity and sympathy. Her…
• Imprisoned Chinese pastor's daughter: ‘repression cannot extinguish faith' 5 February 2026
  At a recent meeting in Washington, Grace Jin Drexel shared the moving story of her father, Pastor Ezra Jin, imprisoned in China for his Christian faith. He was arrested in October alongside 27 other leaders from Zion Church, in what has been described as one of the largest crackdowns on…
• Gaza: humiliation and trauma after Rafah crossing reopens 5 February 2026
  When the Rafah border crossing was reopened on 2 February, Palestinian women returning to Gaza have described a journey marked by fear, humiliation and deep emotional trauma. Of around fifty people expecting to cross from Egypt on one day, only twelve - three women and nine children - were ultimately…
• Pakistan: more than 175 terrorists killed in Balochistan 5 February 2026
  A wave of coordinated terrorist attacks struck multiple towns and cities across Balochistan in the early hours of 31 January, targeting security forces and government installations. The assaults, which were carried out by a group which the state has named Fitna-al-Hindustan (to highlight alleged links with India), prompted large-scale security…