International from Wednesday, February 25th, 2026

Britain on Wednesday rowed back from saying it had paused ratification of a deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago, which is home to a strategically important US-UK air base.

Switzerland said on Wednesday it would make a one-off payment of 50,000 Swiss francs ($56,000) to severely injured survivors and bereaved families of the New Year bar fire in the ski resort of Crans-Montana that killed 41 people and injured over 100 more.

US President Donald Trump boasted in his State of the Union address on Tuesday that he had ushered in "the golden age of America," seeking to project an aura of success despite sagging approval ratings and deepening voter frustration ahead of November's midterm election.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed Israel's Knesset, or parliament, at the start of his two-day visit to the country that is set to deepen relations.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said on Wednesday that he did not take his security for granted, after he was evacuated from his residence for several hours following an alleged bomb threat.

After Nepal's historic youth-led uprising last September killed 77 people and forced then Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to resign, a 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician has posted a typically terse message to millions of followers on social media.

The Arab League has strongly condemned the burning of the Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Mosque in the West Bank by a group of Israeli settlers on Monday, stating that the crime constitutes a deliberate attack on places of worship.