06/02/2026

FRIDAY | FEB 6, 2026

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WASHINGTON: The last nuclear treaty between Russia and the United States expired yesterday, ending decades of restrictions on how many warheads the two top powers can deploy and triggering fears of a global arms race. New START, signed during a warmer period of relations, ended yesterday, with US President Donald Trump not following up on Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin’s proposal to extend the treaty’s limits for one year. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called it a “grave moment for international peace and security” and urged Washington and Moscow to head quickly to the negotiating table. “For the first time in more than half a century, we face a world without any binding limits on the strategic nuclear arsenals of Russian and the United States. “This dissolution of decades of achievement could not come at a worse time. The risk of a nuclear weapon being used is the highest in decades,“ he said after Russian suggestions of using tactical nuclear weapons early in the Ukraine war. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it considers both countries “no longer bound by any obligations or symmetrical declarations within the context of the treaty”. “The Russian Federation intends to act responsibly and prudently,“ it said, adding that it is ready to take “decisive” countermeasures if its national security is threatened. Meanwhile, Germany’s Foreign minister urged China yesterday to show “restraint” in weapons development after the expiry of the last US-Russian nuclear treaty. Campaigners say the end of New START could unleash a new arms race between the world’s top nuclear powers and encourage China to expand its arsenal. “Any armaments control treaty that expires must be cause for concern for us,“ said German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. “It shows how large the task is when it comes to building new trust in the world that can be a basis for new agreements.” China should be part of future arms control efforts, he said. “China keeps emphasising that they stand with multilateralism. They also have to show in the field of arms control that they are ready to show restraint and that they invest trust in international relations.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday called for a new agreement that includes China. “Trump has been clear in the past that in order to have true arms control in the 21st century, it is impossible to do something that does not include China because of their vast and rapidly growing stockpile.“ China’s nuclear arsenal is growing quickly, with about 550 strategic nuclear launchers, which is still well below the 800 each that Russia and the United States were capped at under New START. France and Britain, treaty-bound US allies, have another 100 altogether. – AFP Last nuclear treaty ends in ‘grave moment’ for world

Ukraine, Russia and US hold second day of war talks

pressure on Putin”, he said, adding that Kyiv would not compromise on sovereignty. Russia occupies around 20% of Ukraine, claiming the Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as its own, and holding pockets of territory in at least three other Ukrainian regions in the east. Kyiv controls around one-fifth of the Donetsk region, saying that ceding ground would embolden Moscow and that it would not sign a deal that fails to deter Russia from invading again. – AFP

been sent to try to corral the sides into an agreement. In Ukraine, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Georgiy Tykhy said of the second round of talks that Kyiv is “interested in finding out what the Russians and Americans really want”. Zelensky said Trump’s role would be crucial, telling French television in an interview broadcast on Wednesday that “(Russian leader Vladimir) Putin is scared of Trump”. Trump could use economic sanctions against Russia or transfer weapons to Ukraine to “maintain this

o Kyiv describes negotiations as ‘substantive and productive,’ but no apparent breakthrough

ABUDHABI: Russia and the United States started a second day of talks in Abu Dhabi yesterday, seeking to end the nearly four-year war. The US-mediated talks are the latest chapter in the so far unsuccessful diplomatic effort to halt the war. A first day of trilateral talks in the Emirati capital on Wednesday concluded with Kyiv describing the negotiations as “substantive and productive”, although there was no apparent breakthrough. The conflict is Europe’s deadliest since World War II, with hundreds of thousands killed, millions forced to flee their homes and much of Ukraine left decimated. Underscoring the human toll in a rare assessment of battlefield losses by either side, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 55,000 of his country’s troops have been killed. Russia has stepped up strikes on Ukraine’s power infrastructure, leaving many people, including residents of the capital Kyiv, without power and shivering through temperatures as low as -20°C in recent days. Ukraine’s top negotiator Rustem Umerov said “concrete steps and practical solutions” were discussed during the first day of the talks. However, the Kremlin repeated its hardline demand that Kyiv must give in, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov telling reporters that the fighting would persist “until the Kyiv regime makes the appropriate decisions”. The main sticking point in the negotiations is the long-term fate of territory in eastern Ukraine. Moscow is demanding that Kyiv pull its troops out of swathes of the Donbas, including heavily fortified cities atop vast natural resources, as a precondition of any deal. It also wants international recognition that land seized in the invasion belongs to Russia. Kyiv has said the conflict should be frozen along the current front line Ukraine, SYDNEY: Australia’s government sidestepped a call yesterday for Israeli President Isaac Herzog to be arrested when he visits the country to pay respect to victims of an antisemitic mass shooting at Bondi Beach. Herzog has been invited on a four-day visit from Monday to meet the Jewish community after the Dec 14 attack on a Hanukkah festival in Sydney killed 15 individuals. A United Nations (UN)-established inquiry found in 2025 that Herzog “incited the commission of genocide” by saying all Palestinians, “an entire nation”, were responsible for the

and has rejected a pullback of forces. Trilateral negotiations, which were first held on Jan 23 and 24 in Abu Dhabi, are the most public sign of progress in US President Donald Trump’s push to negotiate an end to the war. His envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner have

A girl walking past destroyed shelters following a reported Israeli strike on a camp housing displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis, Gaza. – AFPPIC Gaza receives Palestinian bodies, remains

GAZA: The Health Ministry here said on Wednesday 54 Palestinian bodies and 66 boxes containing human remains were transferred to the Gaza Strip after they were released by Israel, with delivery carried out through the International Committee of the Red Cross, Anadolu Ajansi reported. It said the bodies and remains arrived at the Al-Shifa Medical Complex aboard Red Cross vehicles, Oct 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Israel has “categorically” rejected the inquiry’s report, describing it as “distorted and false” and calling for the body’s abolition. “He should be arrested if he comes,“ said human rights lawyer Chris Sidoti, who is a member of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry looking into rights abuses in Israel and the Palestinian territories. Sidoti has publicly called for Herzog’s invitation to be withdrawn, or for his arrest on arrival. Australian Prime Minister

The Israeli army has continued to violate a phased ceasefire agreement that took effect on Oct 10, despite the United States’s announcement in January that the second phase has begun. That phase includes additional Israeli withdrawals from Gaza and the launch of reconstruction efforts, which the United Nations estimates will cost about US$70 billion (RM276 billion). – Bernama-Anadolu antisemitic attack that we have seen.“ Pro-Palestinian activists have called for protests around the country against Herzog’s visit, including in Sydney, where police have refused to authorise demonstrations under new powers granted after the Bondi attack. Australia’s federal police said yesterday a 19-year-old Sydney man has been charged with making an online “threat to kill” against a foreign head of state. Police declined to confirm local media reports that Herzog was the target. – AFP

where medical teams immediately began forensic handling in accordance with approved medical procedures. It added that work is being done to complete examination and documentation processes in coordination with relevant authorities and specialised committees, ahead of allowing families to identify the bodies under established protocols. Anthony Albanese made a “silly mistake” by inviting the Israeli head of state, he said. “It needs to be cancelled before it is too late.” Asked about the call for Herzog’s arrest, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said he had been invited by the government in line with the wishes of the Jewish community. “Herzog is being invited to Australia to honour the victims of Bondi and to be with and provide support to the Australian Jewish community in the wake of the worst on-soil terrorist attack and

Sydney dodges call to arrest visiting Israeli president