Israel and the United States launch assault Iran. Tehran pledges a ‘decisive’ response
Today's news: Second night of Pakistani raids on Afghanistan, with Islamabad reporting 331 Taliban fighters killed. The Israeli Supreme Court temporarily lifts the ban on international NGOs in Gaza. An exiled activist will continue to fight for democracy in Hong Kong even after her father is sentenced to eight months in prison. South Korean President Lee will sell his private home to encourage the fight against real estate speculation.
IRAN – UNITED STATES – ISRAEL
The United States and Israel launched an attack against Iran this morning. President Trump said that “major combat operations" were underway with the goal of overthrowing the regime. Anticipating retaliatory attacks, Israeli Defence Minister Katz announced a state of emergency in Israel in the wake of the “preemptive” attack against Iran. On television, footage shows smoke rising in Tehran, while explosions were reportedly heard in five cities across Iran. Yesterday, Trump declared he was not satisfied with Iran's negotiating position in the nuclear talks. Following the attack, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard command stated that Iran’s response would be “strong and decisive”: missiles and drones were launched against Israel.
GAZA – ISRAEL
Israel's High Court of Justice has temporarily blocked the ban on aid groups operating in Gaza. The latter had appealed to the court after the government imposed new rules. The temporary interim order was issued pending a ruling by the court on the rules. Israel had announced it would ban the activities of 37 humanitarian organisations as of 1 March for failing to comply with rules introduced last year, which require them to register the names and contact information of their employees and provide details of their funding and operations.
PAKISTAN – AFGHANISTAN
Overnight Pakistan continued ground and air operations against the Afghan Taliban. The Pakistani air force struck Taliban headquarters in Nangarhar and positions in other areas, while the army conducted additional operations, targeting border posts. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that since the operation began, 331 fighters have been killed and more than 500 wounded, with 104 positions destroyed and 22 captured. The Afghan Taliban have said they are ready to negotiate.
HONG KONG
Anna Kwok, a Hong Kong activist living in exile in the United States following China’s 2019 crackdown on pro-democracy groups, told the Associated Press that she will continue to fight for the cause of democracy even after a Hong Kong court sentenced her father to eight months in prison. “I think obviously the (Hong Kong) government wants to use guilt, wants to use a lot of emotions to weigh me down, but I've found my way to really find my calling in activism for Hong Kong,” she said. Her father, Kwok Yin-sang, 69, was convicted of trying to withdraw approximately US$ 11,000 from his daughter's insurance policy, an act classified as aiding and abetting.
JAPAN
Japan is moving forward with plans to develop rare earth mining in Africa to counter its dependence on China. The Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) has confirmed sufficient reserves of dysprosium and terbium in Namibia, two elements used, among other things, in high-performance electric vehicle engines. Although China dominates global production, the Japanese government aims to eliminate dependence on the country by the end of 2028.
SOUTH KOREA
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has put his private home in the city of Seongnam, south of Seoul, up for sale at below-market price, in a move aimed at stabilising the real estate market. The move comes as Lee urges homeowners to sell their properties ahead of the government's plan to end the temporary suspension of high capital gains taxes in May. Lee also indicated that the government intends to take measures to reduce incentives for speculative real estate transactions, even among single-homeowners holding properties for investment purposes.
RUSSIA
According to Transparency International, one of Russia's ways of circumventing sanctions is through companies registered in UK Overseas Territories. About US$ 8 billion were allegedly laundered between 2022 and 2025 in approximately 29,000 trade transactions, 90 per cent of in Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, and Gibraltar, including petroleum products.
KYRGYZSTAN
In January 2026, casino gambling brought 53,242,000 som (US$ 610,000) into the government coffers, according to data released by the Kyrgyz Ministry of Finance. This represents an increase of 23.8 million som or 81 per cent over January 2025. Another 1.8 million som came from slot machines and computer simulators, along with other revenues from various types of electronic gaming and taxes on online and virtual casinos.
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