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Malaysian PM Joins Thousands to Condemn Israel, Western Allies for ‘Barbarism’ in Gaza

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks during a rally to show support for Palestinian people in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. (AP)
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks during a rally to show support for Palestinian people in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. (AP)
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Malaysian PM Joins Thousands to Condemn Israel, Western Allies for ‘Barbarism’ in Gaza

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks during a rally to show support for Palestinian people in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. (AP)
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks during a rally to show support for Palestinian people in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. (AP)

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim joined 16,000 pro-Palestinian supporters to condemn Israel's "barbaric" acts in the Gaza Strip, where thousands are estimated to have been killed in Israeli attacks, and denounce its Western supporters.

The gathering in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, was the largest in a series of demonstrations held in Muslim-majority Malaysia in recent weeks.

More than 700 Palestinians were killed in overnight Israeli air strikes, Gaza's health ministry said on Tuesday, the highest 24-hour death toll since Israel began a bombing campaign to crush Hamas militants who stunned the country with a deadly Oct. 7 attack.

The health ministry has said at least 5,791 Palestinians have been killed in strikes since Oct. 7.

Malaysia has long been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause and has called for a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. It does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

"It's a level of insanity to allow people to be butchered, babies to be killed, hospitals to be bombed, and schools to be destroyed... it's the height of barbarism in this world," Anwar told the crowd gathered at an indoor stadium in Kuala Lumpur.

"We are with the Palestinian people yesterday, today and tomorrow," he said, adding that support from the United States and Europe was bolstering Israel's position.

Anwar last week said he rejected Western pressure to condemn Hamas. He spoke to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh earlier this month and called for an immediate end to bombardment in Gaza and the establishment of a humanitarian corridor.

UN agencies called "on our knees" on Tuesday for aid to be allowed unimpeded into Gaza, saying more than 20 times current deliveries were needed after two weeks of Israeli air strikes.

Carrying Palestinian flags and banners, the demonstrators in Kuala Lumpur chanted "long live Palestine" and "down with Israel."

Nurul Anis Syafiqah Muhammad, a 20-year-old student, said she was at the gathering to protest against Israeli actions.

"This is not just about religion, it is about humanity... as humans we must be compassionate towards each other," she said.

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Australia Rejects Report it is Repatriating Families of ISIS Militants from Syrian Camp

FILE PHOTO: Members of Australian families believed to be linked to ISIS militants leave Roj camp near Derik, Syria February 16, 2026. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Members of Australian families believed to be linked to ISIS militants leave Roj camp near Derik, Syria February 16, 2026. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman/File Photo
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Australia Rejects Report it is Repatriating Families of ISIS Militants from Syrian Camp

FILE PHOTO: Members of Australian families believed to be linked to ISIS militants leave Roj camp near Derik, Syria February 16, 2026. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Members of Australian families believed to be linked to ISIS militants leave Roj camp near Derik, Syria February 16, 2026. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman/File Photo

Australia's center-left government ‌on Sunday rejected a local media report that said it was working to repatriate Australians in a Syrian camp holding families of suspected ISIS militants.

The 34 women and children were released on Monday from the camp in northern Syria, but returned to the detention center due to technical reasons. The group is expected to travel to ‌Damascus before eventually returning ‌to Australia, despite objections from ‌ruling ⁠and opposition lawmakers.

On ⁠Sunday, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke rejected claims made in a report in the Sunday Telegraph, asserting that official preparations were under way for the cohort’s return.

"In that report, it makes a claim that ⁠we are conducting a repatriation. We are ‌not," Burke told ‌Australian Broadcasting Corp television.

"It claims we have been ‌meeting with the states for the purposes of ‌a repatriation. We have not," Burke added.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who leads Australia's Labor Party, said this week his government would not help ‌the group return to Australia.

The return of relatives of suspected ISIS ⁠militants ⁠is a political issue in Australia, which has seen a surge in popularity of the right-wing, anti-immigration One Nation party led by Pauline Hanson.

World

US, Iran to Meet in Geneva Thursday for Crucial Talks

US fighter jets prepare to take off from the aircraft carrier "USS Abraham Lincoln" in the Arabian Sea last week (US Navy)
US fighter jets prepare to take off from the aircraft carrier "USS Abraham Lincoln" in the Arabian Sea last week (US Navy)
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US, Iran to Meet in Geneva Thursday for Crucial Talks

US fighter jets prepare to take off from the aircraft carrier "USS Abraham Lincoln" in the Arabian Sea last week (US Navy)
US fighter jets prepare to take off from the aircraft carrier "USS Abraham Lincoln" in the Arabian Sea last week (US Navy)

Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said talks between the United States and Iran would resume on Thursday in Geneva "with a positive push to go the extra mile towards finalizing” a deal on Tehran's nuclear program.

Speaking to CBS News on Sunday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said details of a possible deal were being drawn up ahead of the renewed talks, after Washington's envoy Steve Witkoff had publicly wondered why Tehran had not yet "capitulated.”

Witkoff said in a Fox News interview broadcast Saturday that US President Donald Trump was questioning why Iran had not yet given in to the pressure.

"He's curious as to why they haven't... I don't want to use the word 'capitulated', but why they haven't capitulated," he said.

"Why haven't they come to us and said, 'We profess we don't want a weapon, so here's what we're prepared to do'?"

Meanwhile, US threats of military action have multiplied.

"If the US attacks us, then we have every right to defend ourselves," Araghchi said, alluding to American interests in the region as potential targets.

Still, he said, "there is a good chance to have a diplomatic solution.”

Their comments came after a senior US official told Axios that the Trump administration is prepared to consider a proposal that allows Iran “token” nuclear enrichment if it leaves no possible path to a bomb.

This suggests there could be an opening, if only a small one, between the red lines set by the US and Iran for a deal to constrain Iran's nuclear capabilities and prevent war, according to Axios.

A senior Iranian official also told Reuters that Tehran could seriously ⁠consider a combination of ⁠exporting part of its highly enriched uranium (HEU) stockpile, diluting the purity of its HEU and a regional consortium for enriching uranium, but in return Iran's ⁠right to "peaceful nuclear enrichment" must be recognized.

"The negotiations continue and the possibility of reaching an interim agreement exists," the official said.

The senior official said Tehran will not hand over control of its oil and mineral resources but US companies can always participate as contractors in Iran’s oil and gas fields.

World

Mexican Army Kills Leader of Jalisco New Generation Cartel

A vehicle sits charred after being set on fire, on a road in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, after the death of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, "El Mencho." (AP Photo/Alejandra Leyva)
A vehicle sits charred after being set on fire, on a road in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, after the death of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, "El Mencho." (AP Photo/Alejandra Leyva)
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Mexican Army Kills Leader of Jalisco New Generation Cartel

A vehicle sits charred after being set on fire, on a road in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, after the death of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, "El Mencho." (AP Photo/Alejandra Leyva)
A vehicle sits charred after being set on fire, on a road in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, after the death of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, "El Mencho." (AP Photo/Alejandra Leyva)

The Mexican army killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” in an operation Sunday, a federal official said.

The official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said it happened during a military operation in the western state of Jalisco.

It followed several hours of roadblocks with burning vehicles in Jalisco and other states, The Associated Press reported. Such tactics are commonly used by the cartels to block military operations.

Videos circulating social media showed plumes of smoke billowing over the city of Puerto Vallarta, a major city in Jalisco, and sprinting through the airport of the state's capital in panic.

The US State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is one of the most powerful and fasted growing criminal organizations in Mexico.

In February, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.

It has been one of the most aggressive cartels in its attacks on the military—including helicopters—and a pioneer in launching explosives from drones and installing mines. In 2020, it carried out a spectacular assassination attempt with grenades and high-powered rifles in the heart of Mexico City against the then head of the capital’s police force and now head of federal security.

The DEA considers this cartel to be as powerful as the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico's most infamous criminal groups, with a presence in all 50 US states where it distributes tons of drugs. It is one of the main suppliers of cocaine to the US market and, like the Sinaloa cartel, earns billions from the production of fentanyl and methamphetamines.