Latest news for 25 February 2026

JAPAN

Jailed journalist.

Tokyo has demanded Tehran release a Japanese national detained last month — it’s reportedly the Tehran bureau chief for a Japanese public broadcaster. (Japan Times)

Comment: The details are still emerging, but Iran has a history of arresting journalists on espionage charges, including if they’ve engaged in a bit of unfavourable reporting. Still, Japan and Iran have relatively functional ties, so a negotiated release seems more likely than a prolonged detention at this stage.

UKRAINE

US abstains.

Marking yesterday’s four years since Putin attempted his full-scale invasion, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution reiterating its commitment to Ukraine’s unity and calling for an immediate ceasefire. 107 countries approved, 12 opposed, and 51 abstained. The US abstention came after DC’s failed effort to shift ‘territorial integrity’ references to a separate vote, arguing otherwise the resolution could jeopardise peace talks. (F24)

CHINA

Friend or foe.

According to a Reuters report, Tehran is finalising a deal to buy supersonic anti-ship missiles from China. Any sale would breach the UN embargo re-imposed on Iran last September. (Reuters)

Comment: These are China’s famed ‘carrier killer’ missiles, built to travel low and fast to evade US shipborne defences. The fact these talks have reportedly lasted two years, even as pressure on Iran has skyrocketed, is a reminder of China’s transactional approach even with supposed partners (the two signed a big pact in 2021).

DENMARK

Good for business.

Copenhagen is looking to entice Ukrainian drone maker Skyfall to start production in Denmark, and boost supplies for both countries. (The Straits Times)

Comment: It’s a win-win-win: Ukraine gets to boost its export revenue and diversify its production base away from Russian strikes, while the Danes get to embed the world’s best military drone tech into Europe’s longer-term supply chains.

CAMBODIA

Home sick.

More than 600 Kenyans trafficked to work in Cambodia’s local scam centres just asked Kenya’s top court to compel their home government to repatriate them after Cambodian authorities freed everyone via a raid. (Capital FM)

Comment: Capitals always wrestle with the right balance in helping citizens abroad, but this case stands out for its sheer scale (600 saying they can’t afford flights home), and methods (a lawsuit). The legalities seem like a Hail Mary (citing constitutional protections against torture), but might still get the job done via media attention.

NIGERIA

Just good negotiators here.

Nigeria is denying reports it paid a massive ransom (delivered via chopper!) to free hundreds of Catholic schoolkids abducted by Boko Haram jihadis in November. (BBC)

Comment: These reports are so detailed, and the facts so surprising (rescuing all kids without a casualty?), the government’s denials are likely just a way to a) skirt Nigeria’s ban on ransom payments, b) preserve the military’s image, and c) curb the scandal of Nigeria seemingly funding and incentivising its own Islamist insurgency. But Nigeria is hardly alone: Western capitals infamously paid Sahel jihadis ~$125M from 2008 to 2014, and the Emiratis alone paid $25M to free a royal last year!

UNITED STATES

Third time’s the charm.

The US military has boarded a third sanctioned oil tanker somewhere in the Indian Ocean. The vessel’s ownership is murky, but it has a history of receiving Iranian crude from other ships for on-delivery to China. It’s the last of the dozen or so that fled Venezuela’s coast after the US took Maduro, with most others seized in the Caribbean or North Atlantic. (AP)