2nd U.S. aircraft carrier sent to Mideast

The United States has ordered the second aircraft carrier to sail from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East, local media reported on Thursday.

The move was taken as U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing whether to take military action against Iran over its nuclear program or not.

Trump said on Tuesday that he is considering sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East to prepare for a possible military action against Iran if negotiations fail.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, is to join the USS Abraham Lincoln and three guided-missile destroyers, which had arrived in the Middle East earlier.

New round of talks on Ukraine to be held in Geneva on Feb. 17-18

A new round of trilateral talks among Russia, the United States and Ukraine will be held in Geneva on Feb. 17-18, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

According to TASS, Peskov said the Russian delegation will be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.

The first round of trilateral security consultations among the three countries was held on Jan. 23-24 in Abu Dhabi, where the Russian delegation was led by the country's military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov.

The second round of talks was held in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 4-5. Following the meeting, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said that Russia and Ukraine had agreed on an exchange of 314 prisoners of war.

DR Congo accepts Angola-proposed ceasefire plan, M23 says it was not informed

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) said Friday it has accepted the principle of a ceasefire proposed by Angola, while the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group said it had not been informed, underscoring continuing divisions as regional mediators push to halt fighting in the country's east.

In a statement, the Congolese presidency said President Felix Tshisekedi agreed to the proposal "in a spirit of responsibility and de-escalation" to pursue a peaceful resolution to the conflict, reaffirming Kinshasa's commitment to regional stability and a return to lasting peace.

Angola, which has served as a key mediator in the DRC crisis since 2022, proposed late Wednesday that a ceasefire between the Congolese government and the M23 rebel group take effect on Feb. 18. The proposed date remains contingent on a public declaration of acceptance by the parties, according to Angolan authorities.

Munich Security Conference kicks off with transatlantic rifts in focus

The 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC) kicked off on Friday against the backdrop of deepening transatlantic tensions and an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape.

Policymakers from around the world gathered at the MSC to discuss regional and global security and international order as the U.S. punitive tariffs on major trading partners remain in force, disputes over European defense arrangements persist, and renewed frictions over Greenland are increasing strains within the transatlantic alliance.

In his opening address, MSC Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger said the conference is taking place at a time of "growing insecurity," with more simultaneous conflicts and crises than at any point in the event's more than 60-year history.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party wins 209 seats in national parliament election

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Tarique Rahman, secured 209 out of 299 seats in the parliament following Thursday's general election, a senior official said Friday.

Akhtar Ahmed, senior secretary of the Election Commission (EC), told journalists that the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islam party was second with 68 seats, while 20 seats were bagged by independent candidates and other small parties.

In Bangladesh, the party that gets the majority of seats can form the government, he added.

Junya Ogawa elected Japan's main opposition Centrist Reform Alliance leader

Junya Ogawa was elected new leader of Japan's main opposition force, the Centrist Reform Alliance (CRA), on Friday.

Ogawa, former secretary general of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), won a simple majority vote by the party's 49 lower house lawmakers against Takeshi Shina, the CDPJ's former acting policy chief.

The new leader's term will run until the end of March next year.

Ogawa told media before the leadership election in Tokyo that he would strive to achieve unity within the party and gain more external support, as the newly created party suffered a heavy loss in the recent general election.

Ecuadorian gov't to be temporarily moved to Guayaquil: president

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced Friday that the federal government will be moved to the southwestern city of Guayaquil for several weeks to address local issues.

According to the president, the central government will stay at Guayaquil "working every day, delivering solutions, solving problems," without confirming the date of the movement.

Noboa also accused some politicians of doing whatever they want, stealing money, dreams and opportunities from Ecuadorians, adding that the movement would change this situation and provide the security that the local people need.

4 states sue Trump administration over health funding cuts

California and three other U.S. states filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the Trump administration, challenging the federal plan to cut over 600 million U.S. dollars in public health grants exclusively from Democratic-controlled states.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with his counterparts from Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota, filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The complaint alleged the cuts are politically motivated and violate federal law, the California Department of Justice announced.

As the cuts were designed to target funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), California actually faced the largest reduction -- some 180 million dollars in total, including 130 million dollars from the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) alone.

Israeli military says detained over 30 militants in West Bank raids

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Friday that its troops have detained more than 30 militants and seized a large quantity of weapons, ammunition, explosive device components and cash during dozens of operations across the West Bank over the past week.

An IDF statement said that those arrested included individuals linked to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The operations, conducted jointly with Israeli police, targeted multiple areas throughout the territory.

All detained suspects and seized materials have been transferred to the Israeli security agency and police for further investigation, according to the statement.