Portal:Current events/February 2026

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Insurgency in Balochistan, India–Pakistan relations
  • 2026 Balochistan attacks
    • Pakistani military and Balochistan Police forces announce the end to a 40-hour counterterrorism operation which resulted in the deaths of 145 Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) insurgents, 18 civilians, and 18 security personnel. The Pakistani government accuses India of backing the BLA. (AP)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Dnipro strikes
    • A Russian drone strike hits a minibus transporting mineworkers in Dnipro, Ukraine, killing at least 15 people and injuring seven others. (BBC News)
• Boko Haram insurgency
  • Nigeria reports that its forces have killed a senior Boko Haram commander known as Abu Khalid, describing him as the group's deputy leader in the Sambisa Forest, and ten other fighters during a raid in Borno State. (Reuters)
• Sudanese civil war
  • A Sudan Airways passenger flight lands at Khartoum International Airport, Sudan's main international airport, for the first time since the war began in 2023, resuming limited operations after renovations and earlier drone attacks. (AFP via Al-Ahram)

Arts and culture

• 68th Annual Grammy Awards
  • At the 2026 Grammy Awards, Kendrick Lamar wins five awards and surpasses Jay-Z as the most awarded hip-hop artist in Grammy history, while Bad Bunny's Debí Tirar Más Fotos becomes the first Spanish-language album to win Album of the Year. (AP) (The Hollywood Reporter)
  • "Golden" from the film KPop Demon Hunters becomes the first K-pop song to win a Grammy after winning Best Song Written for Visual Media. (AP via ABC News)
  • Steven Spielberg becomes the 22nd competitive EGOT awardee after winning a Grammy for Best Music Film for producing Music by John Williams. (AA)

Disasters and accidents

• Storm Kristin
  • Portugal launches a €1 billion (US$1.2 billion) loan program to rebuild uninsured storm-damaged factories and a €500 million ($593 million) facility for short-term liquidity, while the government extends the state of calamity in about 60 municipalities amid forecasts of further heavy rain and flooding. (Reuters)
• Nine people are killed and 21 others are injured, including seven critically, after a bus rolls off a road and crashes in Antalya province, Turkey. (AP)
• Four people are killed and 28 others are injured after a bus carrying wedding guests collides with a truck and overturns in Lodhran District, Pakistan. (Dawn)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Costa Rican general election
  • Costa Ricans vote to elect the president and all 57 members of the Legislative Assembly. From a field of 20 candidates, Laura Fernández of the Sovereign People's Party (PPSO) wins the presidency with 48% of the vote. (BBC News)
• Epstein Files, Relationship of Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein
  • Peter Mandelson resigns from Labour Party (UK) after the United States Department of Justice releases files showing that convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein made £55,000 ($75,000) in payments to Lord Mandelson in three separate transactions in 2003 and 2004. (BBC)
• Tens of thousands of people gather in Prague, Czech Republic, in support of President Petr Pavel in his dispute with foreign minister Petr Macinka and his party Motorists for Themselves. (AP)

Sports

• 2026 Australian Open
  • In tennis, Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz defeats Serbian player Novak Djokovic in the men's singles final 2–6, 6–2, 6–3, 7–5, to win his first Australian Open title, becoming the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam in singles. (AFP via ABS-CBN) (ESPN)
• 2026 European Men's Handball Championship
  • In handball, Denmark defeats Germany 34–27 and becomes European Champions in addition to being the reigning World and Olympic Champions. (DW)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian conflict
  • SDF–Syrian transitional government clashes
    • 2026 northeastern Syria offensive
      • As part of a ceasefire agreement with the Syrian government, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces formally hands over control of Al-Hasakah to government forces. (Reuters)
• Gaza war
  • Blockade of the Gaza Strip
    • Israel partially reopens the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which has been closed since May 2024, allowing 150 people to leave Gaza and 50 to enter per day. (The Guardian)
  • At least five people, including a 3-year-old boy, are killed in Israeli attacks according to the Gaza Health Ministry, including two at the Nuseirat refugee camp and one each in Al-Mawasi, Khan Yunis, and Jabalia. The Israeli military says it targeted "militants operating near the demarcation line". (Haaretz)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Darfur campaign
    • Clashes erupt between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and a tribe formerly allied to it in East Darfur. Prior to the fighting, local sources claim that the tribe abducted relatives of a senior RSF commander over allegations of them allegedly collaborating with the Sudanese Armed Forces. At least five fighters have been reportedly killed on both sides, including the said RSF commander and the tribe's leader. (Sudan Tribune)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • A Ukrainian drone strike kills two people in Stary Oskol, Belgorod Oblast, Russia. The Russian Defense Ministry says 22 Ukrainian drones were shot down during the overnight attack, which also caused several regional airports to suspend flights. (The Moscow Times)

Business and economy

• China–Japan relations
  • 2025–2026 China–Japan diplomatic crisis
    • Japan announces it has begun successfully drilling and retrieving deep-sea sediment containing rare earth minerals near the remote island of Minamitorishima in the Pacific Ocean, as the country seeks to reduce its reliance on China for critical minerals for use in its defense industry and automotive industry. (Asahi)

Disasters and accidents

• Five workers are killed when an under construction bridge collapses in Xiangshui County, Jiangsu, China. (SCMP)
• Five children are killed and six are injured when a bus collides with a truck in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. (APA)
• Three people are killed when a DA40 Diamond Star light aircraft crashes in Orsk, Orenburg Oblast, Russia. (Qatar News Agency) (Aviation Safety Network)
• More than 50,000 people in Ksar el-Kebir, Larache Province, Morocco, are evacuated as flooding from heavy rain and controlled dam releases caused the Loukkos River to overflow, prompting school suspensions, power cuts, and military rescue operations across nearby areas. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Epstein Files, Relationship of Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein
  • Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor leaves Royal Lodge to move to the Sandringham Estate as a result of the controversy about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. (BBC)
• Kidnapping in Nigeria
  • Nigerian police state that at least 80 people abducted from Christian churches in Kaduna State on January 18 return to their homes after fleeing during the abduction, but the Christian Association of Nigeria disputes the figure and says most of the 177 worshippers seized remain missing. (Reuters)
• A ban on using mobile phones in classrooms enters into force in Bolivia in an effort to "increase the attention span of students" and "reduce distractions". The ban applies to all public and private schools. (AP)

Politics and elections

• A South African separatist group, Boervolk of the Orange Free State, files a formal claim in a government gazette seeking land in KwaZulu-Natal, citing historical transactions with Zulu rulers and invoking a United Nations decolonization resolution. (Reuters)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Kyiv strikes, Kharkiv strikes
    • Following a brief moratorium on strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, Russian forces launch strikes involving drones and cruise missiles, including Zircon missiles across Ukraine. The strikes target Kyiv, Kharkiv, among other regions. (The Independent) (Militarnyi)
  • Zaporizhzhia strikes
    • Two civilians are killed and eight others are wounded in a Russian drone strike in Zaporizhzhia. (Reuters)
• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 United States military buildup in the Middle East
    • The U.S. military shoots down an Iranian Shahed 139 drone on approach to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln with an F-35 fighter jet. (Reuters)
    • Several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy gunboats attempt to stop and seize a U.S. tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. The tanker ignored the demands to stop and continued on its journey towards the Arabian Sea under escort of a United States Navy warship. (CBS News)
• Libyan crisis
  • Assassination of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi
    • Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of Libya's former leader Muammar Gaddafi and presidential candidate, is assassinated outside his home in Zintan, Libya. Four gunmen reportedly fled the scene after the shooting. (Al Arabiya)
• Nigerian bandit conflict
  • 2026 Kwara State attacks
    • Armed bandits kill at least 170 people in the village of Woro in Kwara State, Nigeria, forcing residents to flee into surrounding areas with several missing. (Reuters)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Eight civilians are killed, including five children, and 11 others are injured in a drone strike by the Rapid Support Forces on a health center in Kadugli, South Kordofan, Sudan. (AA)
• Somali Civil War, Somalia–Turkey relations
  • Satellite images show Turkey has recently deployed at least three F-16 fighter jets to Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, to support Somali military operations against al-Shabaab and other militant groups. (Forbes)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 16 people are killed, including four children, and multiple others are injured when a bus returning from a religious festival veers off the road and overturns on a highway in São José da Tapera, Alagoas, Brazil. (Al Jazeera)
• Fourteen migrants are killed after their boat collides with a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel and capsizes off the coast of Chios, Greece. (Reuters)
• Three people are killed and dozens are injured after a bus plunges into a gorge in Sirmaur district, Himachal Pradesh, India. (The Indian Express)
• More than 1,000 houses are destroyed when a massive fire sweeps through an inlet in Tawi-Tawi, Bangsamoro, Philippines. (AA)

International relations

• Greenland crisis
  • Denmark–United States relations
    • Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey announces that Massachusetts has signed a economic deal with Denmark amidst ongoing tensions between the United States and Greenland. (Taunton Daily Gazette)
• Myanmar–Russia relations
  • Myanmar and Russia sign a five-year military cooperation pact, which will last until 2030. (CNA)

Law and crime

• Criticism of Twitter
  • Europol, the public prosecutor office in Paris, France, and a cybercrime investigation unit search the Paris office of Twitter in relation to allegations about biased algorithms distorting the operation of a data processing system, denial of crimes against humanity, sexually explicit deepfakes and child sexual abuse material. (France 24)
  • The United Kingdom's Ofcom announces that it is continuing its investigation of Twitter-owned chatbot Grok, and that the Information Commissioner's Office has opened its own investigation. (BBC News)
• Epstein files, Relationship of Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein
  • The Metropolitan Police of Greater London, UK, launches an investigation into House of Lords peer Peter Mandelson following allegations of misconduct in public office. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• Hungary under the Orbán regime
  • Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán issues a decree ordering courts to terminate the Budapest city court's lawsuit over the disputed state "solidarity tax". (Reuters)
• Myanmar civil war
  • Myanmar's military junta announces the creation of a five-member Union Consultative Council with authority over security and legislative matters, allowing Min Aung Hlaing to assume the presidency while retaining control of the armed forces. (Reuters)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Insurgency in Balochistan
  • 2026 Balochistan attacks
    • The Pakistan Armed Forces use drones and helicopters in an attempt to regain control of Nushki from Balochistan Liberation Army insurgents in Balochistan, Pakistan, after attacks across the province killed over 200 people. (Reuters via MSN)
• Gaza war
  • Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
    • At least 23 Palestinians, including seven women, five children, and a paramedic are killed by Israeli military, airstrikes, and drone strikes in the Gaza Strip after a Palestinian militant attack injures an Israeli soldier. (AP) (Al Jazeera)
    • The Palestinian Islamic Jihad's Northern Gaza Brigade commander Ali al-Razayneh is killed in an airstrike on the Gaza Strip. (The Times of Israel)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Russian attacks on civilians in the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • Russian forces strike a market in Druzhkivka, Donetsk Oblast, with cluster munitions, killing at least seven civilians and injuring 15 others. (Kyiv Post)

Business and economy

• Decline of newspapers
  • American newspaper The Washington Post announces that it will lay off about 300 journalists, roughly one-third of its employees, particularly those who cover sports, local news, and world news sections as part of a major restructuring effort. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025–26 Asian winter
  • The death toll from severe weather in Japan, including heavy snowfall, rises to 35 with at least 400 others injured, according to the Japanese government. (Sky News)
• 2025–26 European windstorm season
  • One person is killed, another is injured, a girl is reported missing and thousands are evacuated during floods caused by Storm Leonardo in Portugal and Spain. (RTÉ) (CTV News)
• Nine city government employees are killed when a dump truck, also carrying crude oil, falls into a river in Bayawan, Negros Oriental, Philippines. (ABS-CBN News)

International relations

• Eswatini–United States relations, Deportation in the second Trump administration
  • Eswatini's high court upholds an agreement with the United States that accepts third-country deportees in exchange for $5.1 million and at least 15 transfers initiated during the presidency of Donald Trump, rejecting claims that the deal requires parliamentary approval or greater disclosure. (Reuters)
• United States–Venezuela relations
  • Venezuelan businessmen Raúl Gorrín and Alex Saab, both allied with de jure president Nicolás Maduro, are arrested in Caracas during a joint operation with U.S. law enforcement agencies on bribery and money laundering charges, with Saab expected to be extradited to the U.S. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• 2024 Elbit Systems burglary
  • The Woolwich Crown Court finds three out of six members of Palestine Action not guilty of aggravated robbery relating to a raid on a building owned by Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems in Bristol, England, United Kingdom, while charges on criminal damage and violent disorder received partial or no verdicts. Five are released on bail. (BBC News)
• 2025 North Sea ship collision
  • A cargo ship captain is sentenced to six years in prison for gross negligence after his ship collided with an oil tanker in the North Sea off the coast of East Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK, in 2025, killing one person. (BBC News)
• Attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Florida
  • Ryan Wesley Routh, the man who attempted to assassinate United States president Donald Trump while he was golfing at his club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 2024, is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. (The New York Times)
• Budapest Complex
  • A Hungarian court sentences German activist Maja T. to eight years in prison for participating in assaults on attendees of a far-right rally in Budapest in 2023, following her extradition from Germany despite later objections by Germany's constitutional court. (AP via ABC News)

Politics and elections

• Epstein files
  • Relationship of Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein
    • Peter Mandelson steps down from the UK House of Lords amid allegations he passed market-sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein. (RTÉ)
  • Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison's longtime chairman Brad S. Karp resigns after emails between him and Jeffrey Epstein are published. (The New York Times)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Sudanese civil war
  • Kordofan Campaign
    • At least 22 people are killed and eight others are injured in a bombing by the Rapid Support Forces at a military hospital in South Kordofan, Sudan. (AA)
• Middle Eastern crisis
  • Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy seizes two foreign oil tankers allegedly smuggling fuel in the Persian Gulf. Fifteen crew members onboard both tankers are taken into custody. (The Canadian Press via MSN)
• United States strikes on alleged drug traffickers during Operation Southern Spear
  • The United States Navy strikes a boat suspected of transporting illegal narcotics in the Eastern Pacific, killing two people. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2026 Pacific typhoon season
  • At least eight people are killed and more than 28,000 are displaced after Tropical Storm Penha makes landfall in the southern Philippines. (AP)
• An explosion at an illegal coal mine in East Jaintia Hills district, Meghalaya, India, kills at least 25 people. (Hindustan Times) (AP)
• Thirteen people are killed and 34 others are injured after a bus carrying wedding guests falls down a 200-meter slope near Kathmandu, Nepal. (AP)
• Ten people are killed and several others injured after a bus falls down a 100-meter ravine in Eliodoro Camacho Province, Bolivia. (Reuters)
• At least three people are killed and seven others are injured when a car crashes into a 99 Ranch Market in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United States. (KGO-TV)
• One person is killed and three others are injured when a double-decker bus strikes pedestrians in Dublin, Ireland. (Sky News)

International relations

• English Channel illegal migrant crossings
  • Angola, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo agree to take back foreign offenders and illegal migrants from the United Kingdom after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood threatened them with visa penalties. Around 3,000 people are expected to be returned following the deal. (BBC News)
• International sanctions against North Korea, United Nations and North Korea
  • The UN Security Council Sanctions Committee on North Korea approves exemptions for 17 humanitarian projects in North Korea, allowing international organizations and non-governmental groups to deliver humanitarian aid despite existing restrictions linked to the country's nuclear program. (Reuters)
• Russia–United States relations
  • New START, the last treaty on limiting strategic nuclear weapons between Russia and the United States, expires. (BBC News) (swissinfo)
  • Russia and the United States agree to re-establish high-level military communication for the first time since it was suspended in 2021 under the Biden administration. (AP)
• The Moldovan parliament ratifies the United Nations Law of the Sea Treaty. (Parliament of Moldova)

Law and crime

• Kidnapping in Nigeria
  • The remaining 89 people kidnapped from three churches in Kaduna State, Nigeria, by criminal gangs on January 18, are released. (Africanews via MSN)
• Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • An Azerbaijani military court sentences 13 former Nagorno-Karabakh officials, including ex-leader Arayik Harutyunyan, to penalties ranging from 15 years to life imprisonment after convicting them of offences such as war crimes, crimes against humanity, terrorism, genocide, and attempting to seize power by force. (Reuters)
• Mexican drug war
  • The mayor of Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico, is arrested on charges of alleged extortion and organized crime. (Reuters)

Science and technology

• SpaceX deactivates Starlink terminals in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, preventing their use by Russian forces following pressure from Ukraine. (Reuters) (CNN)

Sports

• 2026 Winter Olympics
  • The match between Finland and Canada in the women's ice hockey tournament at the Winter Olympics is postponed to February 12 after a norovirus outbreak affected 13 members of the Finnish team. (NBC)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • Gaza war
    • Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
      • An Israeli airstrike hits a building in Gaza City, Palestine. (Al Arabiya English)
  • Iraqi insurgency
    • The Iraqi Air Force carries out airstrikes on Islamic State hideouts near Hatra in northern Nineveh Governorate, Iraq, using F-16 fighter jets, killing four militants and destroying logistical facilities. (Shafaqna)
    • An Islamic State suicide bomber detonates explosives at a hideout in Al-Qa'im District, Iraq, during an attempted arrest, killing himself and injuring two security officers. (AP)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • The deputy head of Russian military intelligence, lieutenant general Vladimir Alekseyev, is shot and critically injured in Moscow, Russia. (BBC News)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Kordofan Campaign
    • One person is killed and three others are injured in drone strikes by the Rapid Support Forces on a humanitarian convoy of the World Food Programme in Allah Karim near El-Obeid, North Kordofan, Sudan. (AA)
• 2026 Islamabad mosque bombing
  • Thirty-two people are killed and 170 others are wounded in a suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan. The Islamic State – Pakistan Province claims responsibility. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

• The wreckage of an Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante operating a cargo flight for Agape Flights that went missing yesterday is found in Jérémie, Grand'Anse, Haiti. Both pilots were killed. (BAAA-ACRO) (Miami Herald)
• At least 53 people are killed or missing, including two babies, and two others are rescued when a rubber boat capsizes north of Zuwarah, Tripolitania, Libya. (Al Jazeera)
• Three men, including the pilot, are killed when a light aircraft crashes into the ocean off Goolwa South, South Australia. (Reuters)

International relations

• Greenland crisis
  • Canada–Denmark relations, Denmark–France relations, Foreign relations of Greenland
    • Canada and France open consulates in Nuuk, Greenland, to reinforce support for the Danish Realm against United States president Donald Trump's threats to unilaterally annex the territory. (DW)
• Iran–United States relations, International sanctions against Iran
  • The United States Department of State issues sanctions on 14 oil tankers that are used to transport oil to Iran. (The New Arab)

Law and crime

• 2012 Benghazi attack
  • One of the "key participants" behind the 2012 attack on two United States government facilities in Benghazi, Libya, that killed ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, is arrested, charged with murder, arson and terrorism and brought to the United States. (Al Jazeera)
• Cannabis in North Macedonia
  • North Macedonian police seize 28 tonnes of cannabis, the largest such haul in the country, from former industrial sites in Skopje and Strumica, link the operation to a recent five-tonne seizure in Serbia, and state that the material originated from licensed medicinal-growing facilities but was diverted for unauthorized use. (Reuters)
• Capital punishment in North Korea, Mass media in North Korea
  • Amnesty International reports that North Koreans are being executed for watching the South Korean series Squid Game and listening to K-pop. (Sky News)
• Deaths and misconduct in Mother and Baby homes in the Republic of Ireland
  • A further 22 sets of infant remains are recovered from the former site of the Tuam Mother and Baby home in County Galway, Ireland, bringing the total to 33 sets of remains. (RTÉ)
• Ipswich serial murders
  • English serial killer Steven Wright, who killed five women in 2006, receives another life sentence after he admitted to murdering a 17-year-old girl in 1999. (Reuters via CTV News)
• Organized crime in France
  • At least six people, including a child, are injured in a grenade attack at a beauty salon in Grenoble, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. (Xinhua News Agency) (Le Parisien in French)
• Schellenberg smuggling incident
  • China overturns the death sentence of Canadian citizen Robert Lloyd Schellenberg after he was detained on drug trafficking charges in 2014. (AFP via CTV News)
• TikTok controversies
  • The European Commission, in a preliminary statement regarding their ongoing investigation into TikTok, finds evidence of "addictive design" in its app, which could affect children and vulnerable adults, in possible violation of the European Union's Digital Services Act. (RTÉ)
• Bodies and remains are found in an area where search and rescue operations are ongoing for 10 missing workers kidnapped from a Canadian gold and silver mine in Sinaloa, Mexico, on January 28. Four people are arrested. (CP24)
• A funeral home owner is sentenced to 40 years in prison for abusing 189 corpses and giving their families fake ashes in Penrose, Colorado, United States. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

• Corruption in China
  • Former vice president of the Bank of China Lin Jingzhen is expelled from the Chinese Communist Party following an investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection that found "serious violations of discipline and laws". (Reuters)

Sports

• 2026 Winter Olympics
  • The opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, is held. (NBC News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • Gaza war
    • An Israeli airstrike destroys a residential building outside the areas controlled by Israel in Zaytun Quarter, Gaza Strip, Palestine. (Al Jazeera)
  • Israeli settler violence
    • Three Palestinians are injured when Israeli settlers attack residents in the northern Jordan Valley. (Al Jazeera)
• Kivu conflict
  • Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
    • The Allied Democratic Forces attack a village in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing at least 20 people. (AP)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure, Ukrainian energy crisis
    • Ukraine schedules emergency power outages across the country citing Russian attacks on thermal power stations. (The Kyiv Independent)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Kordofan Campaign
    • At least 24 people are killed, including eight children, in a drone strike by the Rapid Support Forces on a vehicle carrying displaced families near Er Rahad, North Kordofan, Sudan. (CTV News)
• 2026 Islamabad mosque bombing
  • Pakistani security forces arrest four people allegedly associated with the Khorasan Islamic State, accusing them of bombing the Shia mosque in Islamabad yesterday. (AP)
• Nigerian bandit conflict
  • Armed men kill three people and kidnap eleven others, including a Catholic priest, in Kaduna State, Nigeria. (AP)

Business and economy

• Saudi Arabia–Syria relations
  • Saudi Arabia and Syria sign agreements covering a joint low-cost carrier, a new international airport in Aleppo, and a US$1 billion telecommunications project as part of broader investment efforts following the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria. (AFP via The Straits Times)

Disasters and accidents

• Fifteen people are killed after a minibus veers off a road and crashes into a valley near Badakhshan province, Afghanistan. (The Express Tribune)
• Eight people are killed in an explosion at a biotechnology factory in Shanyin County, Shanxi, China. (Xinhua)
• Seven people are killed in a mining accident at a gold mine in Zhaoyuan, Shandong, China. (Xinhua)
• Six people are killed and three are injured after a truck rams into a bus on the Yamuna Expressway, Uttar Pradesh, India. (The Hindu)
• Two people are killed, nine others are injured, and several are trapped, including students, when a three-story restaurant collapses in Kota, Rajasthan, India. (The Times of India) (CNN-News18)
• Three skiers are killed in avalanches in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and Lombardy, Italy. (Reuters)
• The bodies of six men killed in a coal mine explosion in Colombia are recovered. (ABC News)

International relations

• Algeria–United Arab Emirates relations
  • Algeria begins formal procedures to terminate its 2013 air transport agreement with the United Arab Emirates. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• 2026 Winter Olympics
  • Suspected saboteurs damage rail infrastructure in different locations near Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, disrupting journeys on the first full day of the Winter Olympics. (CBC News)
  • Anti-Olympics protestors and police clash in Milan, Italy, with officers and their vans being targeted with fireworks and firecrackers. (CNN)
• Bashkir State Medical University attack, Neo-Nazism in Russia
  • Seven people are injured, including the perpetrator and four Indian nationals, in a mass stabbing at the Bashkir State Medical University in Ufa, Bashkortostan, Russia. (The Hindu)
• Police arrest a woman and seize over 10,500 blasting gelatin sticks, wires, and detonators from a lorry carrying onions parked at a bricks manufacturing unit in Chemmad, Kerala, India. (PTI)
• Police detain 313 people involved in a raid on the Aristotle University campus in Thessaloniki, Greece, after they attacked a group of riot police. (AP)

Politics and elections

• Haitian crisis
  • The mandate for the Transitional Presidential Council in Haiti expires, with the powers of the presidency transferred to Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, who survived a removal attempt by the council two weeks ago. (AFP via RFI) (The New York Times)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • A 65-year-old man accused of shooting and critically injuring lieutenant general Vladimir Alekseyev on February 6 is detained in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is deported to Moscow, Russia. (Sky News)
• Nigerian bandit conflict
  • One person is killed in a shooting attack by heavily armed bandits in a community in Kwara State, Nigeria. (The Punch)

Business and economy

• United States embargo against Cuba
  • Cuba suspends refueling for airliners at its airports, including José Martí International Airport, saying it has exhausted the country's fuel supply due to the U.S. blockade of the island and the end of fuel supplies from Venezuela. (First Post)

Disasters and accidents

• More than 30 people are killed and many others are seriously injured in a traffic accident in Gezawa, Kano State, Nigeria. (The Punch)
• Fifteen people are killed and eight others are injured when two adjoining five-story residential buildings collapse in Tripoli, Lebanon. (Reuters)
• Five people are killed and three others are injured when their truck crashes into a fence in Valencia, Bukidnon, Northern Mindanao, Philippines. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

International relations

• Cuba–Nicaragua relations
  • Nicaragua terminates visa-free entry for Cubans, revoking a policy that previously allowed thousands to transit through the country on their way to the United States. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• 2026 political prisoner release in Venezuela
  • Venezuelan opposition politician Juan Pablo Guanipa is released from prison after more than eight months of incarceration in Caracas. (AP) Several hours later he is kidnapped by heavily armed men in civilian clothing.
• Censorship in Iran
  • An Iranian court sentences 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi to seven years and six months in prison and two years of internal exile in South Khorasan for collusion and propaganda-related charges, with the penalties running concurrently. (AFP via GMA News)
• Human trafficking in Senegal
  • Senegalese gendarmerie arrest 14 people in Dakar and Kaolack who are allegedly involved in a human trafficking network run by a French national. (AP)

Politics and elections

• Connections of Jeffrey Epstein
  • Relationship of Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein
    • Morgan McSweeney, the chief of staff to British prime minister Keir Starmer, resigns over his role in Peter Mandelson's appointment as ambassador to the U.S. (The Guardian)
  • Mona Juul, Norway's ambassador to Iraq and Jordan, resigns after the foreign ministry opened an inquiry into her past contacts with Jeffrey Epstein, amid media reports that Epstein left money to her children. (AFP via Daily Tribune)
• 2026 Spanish regional elections
  • 2026 Aragonese regional election
    • In Aragon, Spain, the ruling People's Party wins the election, albeit without a majority and losing two seats, while the Socialists' Party comes second matching its worst result ever and the far-right Vox party doubles its votes and seats. (elDiario.es)
• 2025–26 Republika Srpska presidential election
  • Independent Social Democrat candidate Siniša Karan wins a partial rerun of the Republika Srpska presidential election held after irregularities in the November vote, defeating Serb Democratic Party candidate Branko Blanuša in balloting limited to 136 polling stations. (Reuters)
• 2026 Japanese general election
  • Japanese citizens vote to elect all 465 seats in the House of Representatives, with the conservative ruling Liberal Democratic Party winning an overwhelming majority. (AP)
• 2026 Portuguese presidential election
  • Socialist Party candidate António José Seguro is elected President of Portugal, defeating CHEGA leader André Ventura in the second round. (Reuters)
  • The postponement of elections in some municipalities is expected due to recent windstorms, including impacts from Storm Kristin. (AFP via RFI) (Politico)
• 2026 Thai general election, 2026 Thai constitutional referendum
  • Thai citizens vote to elect all 500 seats in the House of Representatives, with the conservative Bhumjaithai Party winning the most seats. Voters also approved the beginning of a multi-stage drafting process to replace the current constitution. (AP) (DW)
• Politics of Australia
  • The Liberal–National Coalition of Australia reforms in Opposition following its second split in the span of a year. (The Guardian)

Sports

• Super Bowl LX
  • In American football, the Seattle Seahawks defeat the New England Patriots, 29–13, to win their second Super Bowl, and their first in 12 years. Seahawks running back (RB) Kenneth Walker III is awarded MVP, the first RB to receive the award in 28 years. (ABC News) (NFL)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Arab–Israeli conflict
  • Gaza war
    • An Israeli airstrike destroys a residential building in Gaza City, Palestine, killing four people and injuring dozens of others. (Al Jazeera)
  • Israeli–Lebanese conflict
    • An Israeli drone strikes a car in Yanouh, South Governorate, Lebanon, killing three people, including a 3-year-old child. (AP)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Kupiansk offensive
    • Russian troops launch a mechanised assault east of the city of Kupiansk, capturing the towns of Petropavlivka and Stepova Novoselivka. (ISW)
  • Russian attacks on civilians in the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • Russian forces launch a large-scale attack on Ukraine using drones and ballistic missiles, killing at least six people, including a 10-year-old boy and his mother in Kharkiv, and injuring dozens of others. (The Independent)

Business and economy

• United States embargo against Cuba
  • Air Canada suspends all flights to Cuba and deploys empty aircraft to repatriate stranded passengers after the country's fuel supply was exhausted due to the U.S. blockade and the end of fuel supplies from Venezuela. (Reuters)
  • Mexico deploys two navy vessels, including the ARM Papaloapan, carrying more than 800 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Cuba amid critical shortages on the island. (Mexico News Daily)
  • Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla condemns the ongoing U.S. blockade as "cruel", accusing U.S. president Donald Trump of trying to "break the political will" of the Cuban people. Russia also calls for an immediate end to the blockade to avoid a humanitarian crisis, and says it will explore ways to help the country. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

• Five people are killed when an air ambulance helicopter crashes at Maaten al-Sarra Air Base near Kufra in Cyrenaica, Libya. (TRT World)

International relations

• Armenia–United States relations
  • Armenia–Azerbaijan peace agreement
    • United States vice president JD Vance visits Armenia, becoming the highest ranking U.S. official to have visited Armenia in its history. Vance meets with prime minister Nikol Pashinyan to discuss implementing a peace agreement to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. (AP)
  • Armenia and the United States reach a nuclear deal, outlining a Section 123 Agreement and up to US$9 billion in total exports to Armenia related to nuclear energy. (Reuters)
• Allied Command Transformation
  • The United States Armed Forces announces the transfer of two major NATO command and control centres over to European military forces in Naples, Italy, and Norfolk, Virginia, as part of a gradual shift to European countries taking a leading role in the military alliance. (Reuters)
• Australia–Israel relations, Gaza war protests in Australia
  • Protests against Israeli president Isaac Herzog's state visit, following the 2025 Bondi Beach shooting, are held in cities across Australia. In Sydney, protests occurred amid a ban by the state government on hate speech grounds, resulting in police making 27 arrests and deploying pepper spray. (ABC News Australia)

Law and crime

• 2025–2026 Iranian protests
  • Iranian police arrest several senior figures from the Reformists Front, including Mohsen Aminzadeh, Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, and Azar Mansouri, while additional members receive summonses to appear before prosecutors, with no formal charges publicly disclosed. (Reuters)
• 2026 political prisoner release in Venezuela
  • The Public Ministry of Venezuela says Juan Pablo Guanipa, who was released and later abducted on Sunday, broke his parole's terms and that a request has been made to place Guanipa under house arrest, while not specifying if the government has him in custody. (Reuters)
• HKSAR v Lai Chee Ying & Others
  • Hong Kong opposition figure Jimmy Lai is sentenced to 20 years in prison for violating a national security law following a two-year trial. Eight others, including six former Apple Daily executives and two pro-democracy activists, are also sentenced to more than 10 years in prison. (HKFP) (Reuters)
• Missing persons in Mexico
  • The bodies of three employees abducted from a mining facility in Sinaloa, Mexico, are recovered after being taken on January 23, while authorities continue searching for the remaining seven missing workers. (AFP via France 24)

Politics and elections

• Immigration to Sweden
  • Swedish migration minister Johan Forssell announces the implementation of stricter naturalization requirements from June 6, extending the residency period from five years to eight, imposing a minimum income threshold of 20,000 kr (US$2,225), requiring language and civic knowledge tests, and lengthening waiting times for applicants with criminal records. (Reuters)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • Gaza war
    • Five Palestinians are killed by Israeli strikes and gunfire on the Gaza Strip. (RTÉ News)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Russian attacks on civilians in the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • Two people are killed in a Russian airstrike on Sloviansk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. (The Kyiv Independent)
• Boko Haram insurgency, Nigeria–United States relations
  • A United States military official confirms that the U.S. will deploy 200 soldiers to Nigeria to help train the Nigerian military and provide logistical support against Boko Haram and other Islamic terrorist groups. (AA)
• Syrian conflict
  • Four people are killed and eight others are wounded after their vehicle strikes a land mine in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Syria. In a separate incident, a tractor triggers a land mine in the village of Taanah, Aleppo Governorate, killing one person. (MENA via The New Arab)

Arts and culture

• Ireland launches a permanent basic-income programme for the arts that pays 2,000 creative workers €325 (US$387) per week for three years, following a government trial that began in 2022, and which culture minister Patrick O'Donovan describes as the first permanent scheme of its kind worldwide. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Connections of Jeffrey Epstein
  • Canadian pensions funder La Caisse suspends all future ventures with multinational logistics company DP World following the disclosure by the U.S. Department of Justice that its CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem had maintained close ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. (The Gazette)
• United States embargo against Cuba, Cuba–Mexico relations, Canada–Mexico relations, United States trade war with Canada and Mexico
  • Mexico confirms it has suspended all shipments of fuel to Cuba to avoid punitive tariffs by the United States which is enforcing an oil blockade of the island, while vowing to continue shipments of humanitarian aid. (AA)
  • Canadian airlines Air Transat and WestJet suspend all flights to Cuba amid a shortage of fuel for commercial aviation, and say efforts are underway to return Canadians stranded on the island. (Bloomberg)

Disasters and accidents

• Six people are killed after a car collided with a truck in Dausa district, India. (PTI via The Hindu)
• A Pemex-owned pipeline explodes in Oaxaca, Mexico, killing three people and injuring six others. (Reuters)
• A Starsky Aviation Fokker 50 aircraft veers off a runway at Aden Adde International Airport to a nearby beach in Mogadishu, Somalia, due to a technical error. All 55 people on board survive. (AP) (BBC News)

International relations

• Azerbaijan–United States relations
  • Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev and United States vice president JD Vance sign a strategic partnership agreement in Baku covering economic and security cooperation. (AFP via France 24)
• Palau–United States relations
  • The United States Department of State bans Palauan senate president Hokkons Baules and his family from entering the country due to alleged corruption. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• 2026 Tumbler Ridge shooting
  • Nine people are killed, including the suspect, in a school shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada. (CBC News) (The Jerusalem Post)
• Corruption in Malaysia
  • The Malaysian federal court reinstates the bribery conviction and six-year prison sentence of former Federal Land Development Authority chairperson Mohd Isa Abdul Samad after overturning a 2024 acquittal on nine corruption counts linked to a hotel purchase. (Reuters)
• Kidnappings in Colombia
  • Colombian senator Aida Quilcué and her two bodyguards are abducted from their car by unidentified assailants while traveling in Cauca Department. Security forces later locate the empty car, and Quilcué and her escorts are released unharmed following government warnings. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)
• Recognition of same-sex unions in the Philippines
  • The Philippine supreme court rules that same-sex partners may qualify as co-owners of property under the Family Code when both contribute to its acquisition, reversing lower-court decisions in a dispute between two former partners in Metro Manila. (BBC News)
• War on drugs
  • Europol says it has dismantled a drug trafficking network that was smuggling cocaine into Iceland, resulting in the arrests of 24 people. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Corruption in Albania
  • Protesters clash with riot police in Tirana, Albania, amid protests over corruption allegations involving deputy prime minister Belinda Balluku. At least sixteen people are injured while police say thirteen people have been arrested. (AP)
• Elections in Zimbabwe
  • Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa's cabinet approves draft constitutional amendments that extend presidential term limits from five to seven years and replace direct presidential elections with parliamentary selection, which would allow Mnangagwa to remain in office until 2030 if adopted by parliament. (Reuters)
• Portuguese home minister Maria Lúcia Amaral resigns after criticism over the government's response to Storm Kristin and other storms. (Reuters)

Science and technology

• Internet censorship in Russia, Censorship of Telegram
  • The Russian Roskomnadzor restricts access to the instant messaging service Telegram, citing alleged failures to remove prohibited material and protect personal data, and triggers nationwide service disruptions reported by users. (CNN)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • The Volgograd refinery in Volgograd Oblast, Russia, is ablaze with multiple explosions reported after being attacked overnight by Ukrainian drones. Volgograd International Airport is closed in response to the attack. (The Kyiv Indpendent) (RBC-Ukraine)
  • Kharkiv strikes
    • Four people are killed and two others are injured in a Russian airstrike on Bohodukhiv, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. (AFP via The Hindu)
• Yemeni civil war
  • Southern Transitional Council conflict
    • A crowd linked to the Southern Transitional Council attempts to storm a local government building in Ataq, Yemen. Security forces open fire, killing five people and wounding 39 more. (Al Jazeera)
• Papua conflict
  • Two pilots are killed after assailants shoot at a landing Smart Air flight in Boven Digoel Regency, South Papua, Indonesia, carrying 15 people. Another person is killed after a convoy is attacked. (Reuters)
• Syrian conflict, US intervention in Syria
  • The United States Armed Forces withdraws from the al-Tanf military base, handing it over to the Syrian Armed Forces. (AFP via Al Arabiya)

Business and economy

• Connections of Jeffrey Epstein
  • British International Investment suspends all future investments with DP World after their CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem was revealed to have maintained close ties with convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including an exchange in 2009 in which he was revealed as the recipient of an email saying "I loved the torture video" from Epstein. (Arab News)
• Economy of El Salvador
  • The Inter-American Development Bank announces that it will provide US$1.3 billion in financing to El Salvador in 2026, targeting housing and tourism. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 15 people are killed, six others are rescued and six are reported missing when a ferry capsizes on the Nile River in Shendi District, River Nile State, Sudan. (AP)

International relations

• The United States Federal Aviation Administration briefly issues a halt to all flights to and from El Paso International Airport in Texas, due to a balloon that was mistaken for a drone. (The Guardian)

Law and crime

• 2026 Anapa college shooting
  • A security guard is killed and three others are injured in a shooting at a technical college in Anapa, Krasnodar Krai, Russia. (AA)
• 2026 Hat Yai school shooting
  • One person is killed and three others are injured, including the perpetrator, in a school shooting in Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)
• The Constitutional Court of Slovakia suspends a criminal code amendment that would bar courts from accepting testimony from cooperating witnesses who previously provided false statements. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Barbadian general election
  • Barbadians vote to elect the 30 members of the House of Assembly. (The Guardian)

Business and economy

• German economic crisis
  • Lufthansa staff conduct a one-day strike to protest the airline's cost-cutting measures, grounding at least 460 flights and affecting nearly 70,000 passengers. (DW) (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025–26 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season
  • At least 31 people are killed, 36 others are injured, and several are missing as Cyclone Gezani makes landfall in Madagascar. (DW)
• 2026 Sarajevo tram derailment
  • A tram derails in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, killing one person and injuring four. (Sarajevo Times)

Health and environment

• Environmental policy of the second Trump administration
  • United States president Donald Trump revokes the Environmental Protection Agency's 2009 endangerment finding, which classified greenhouse gases as a threat to public health and formed the legal basis for federal climate regulations, and concurrently rescinds vehicle emission standards. (AFP via ABS-CBN)
• Greenhouse gas emissions by China
  • The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air reports that China's carbon dioxide emissions remained flat or declined slightly in 2025 by about 0.3%, marking the first full calendar year in which emissions in China did not rise despite increasing energy demand, largely due to expanded renewable energy capacity. (AFP via France 24)

International relations

• China–Japan relations
  • 2025–2026 China–Japan diplomatic crisis
    • The Japanese fisheries agency seize a Chinese fishing vessel and arrest its captain who failed to stop for inspection within Japan's exclusive economic zone off Nagasaki Prefecture, marking the first such seizure since 2022. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)
• Dominican Republic–United States relations
  • The United States announces the closure of its Drug Enforcement Administration office in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, citing unspecified corruption concerns within the mission. (AFP via Jamaica Observer)
• Kenya–Somalia relations, Somali Civil War
  • Kenyan president William Ruto announces the reopening of the country's Mandera border post with Somalia in April, ending a 15-year closure imposed in 2011 following attacks attributed to al-Shabaab, after earlier reopening plans were delayed due to renewed violence near the border. (AFP via Daily Sabah)

Law and crime

• Connections of Jeffrey Epstein
  • Former Norwegian prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland is charged with gross corruption over connections with American sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. (BBC News)
• Two people are killed and another is injured in a shooting at a South Carolina State University dormitory building in Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States. (NBC News)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Bangladeshi general election
  • Bangladeshis vote to elect members of the Jatiya Sangsad. (BBC News)
• 2026 Barbadian general election
  • Projections of early morning results indicate that incumbent Barbadian prime minister Mia Mottley will win a third term in office, with the Barbados Labour Party securing all 30 seats in the House of Assembly for the third election in a row. (Reuters)
• Internet in Portugal
  • Portugal's parliament approves, on first reading, a bill requiring explicit parental consent for children aged 13 to 16 to access social media, mandating age verification through the state's electronic identification system and imposing fines of up to 2 percent of global revenue on companies that fail to comply. (Reuters)

Sports

• 2026 Winter Olympics
  • The International Olympic Committee disqualifies Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych from competing due to his helmet, which has images of Ukrainian athletes killed by Russian Armed Forces. (NPR)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Operation Southern Spear
  • United States strikes on alleged drug traffickers during Operation Southern Spear
    • The United States Armed Forces says it has conducted an airstrike on a boat suspected of transporting illegal narcotics in the Caribbean Sea, killing three people. (Reuters)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • Two electricians are killed and five other people are injured in a Ukrainian missile strike on energy infrastructure and a residential area in Belgorod, Russia. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Epstein files
  • UAE-based DP World CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem resigns and leaves the company with immediate effect amid controversy over his connection to convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, whom he exchanged hundreds of emails with over a decade. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• Seven people are killed in a multiple-vehicle collision in Hoskote, Karnataka, India. (The Hindu)
• Six people are trampled to death by wild elephants near Hazaribagh district, Jharkand, India. (The Hindu)
• Five people are killed after a police vehicle, carrying provincial police and government personnel that was securing the organizers of a national pageant, falls off a cliff in Don Victoriano, Misamis Occidental, Philippines. (GMA News)
• Four people are killed after an Epic E1000 aircraft crashes at Steamboat Springs Airport in Colorado, United States. (Aviation Safety Network)
• Three people are killed and 22 others are injured in a fire at a residential building in Budakeszi, Hungary. (AP)
• Three people, including two British tourists, are killed in an avalanche near Val-d'Isère, France. (BBC News)

Law and crime

• 2022 Raleigh shootings
  • Eighteen-year-old Austin Thompson, the perpetrator of a mass shooting that killed five people in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S., in 2022, is sentenced to life imprisonment without parole after pleading guilty to five counts of first-degree murder last month. (WRAL-TV)
• 2025–2026 Iranian protests
  • Iran releases on bail three reformist political figures, including former legislator Ebrahim Asgharzadeh and Union of Islamic Iran People Party secretary-general Azar Mansouri, who were arrested during a recent crackdown on dissent. (Reuters)
• United Kingdom and the Gaza war
  • The High Court of Justice rules that the British government's decision to designate the pro-Palestinian activist group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization is unlawful and disproportionate, while allowing the ban to remain in force pending appeal. The judgment prompts police to suspend further arrests linked to support for the group. (CNN)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Bangladeshi general election
  • The Bangladesh Nationalist Party wins a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections, winning 209 seats in the first election since the July Revolution that toppled former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. (Reuters)
• 2026 Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill
  • Angus Taylor replaces Sussan Ley as Leader of the Opposition following a leadership spill in the Liberal Party. Ley subsequently resigns from politics, triggering a by-election in her Farrer seat. (The Guardian)
• 2027 Salvadoran legislative election
  • Milagro Navas, the mayor of La Libertad Este and El Salvador's only opposition-aligned mayor, announces that she will run for re-election in 2027. (El Mundo)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Communal conflicts in Nigeria
  • Gunmen launch simultaneous attacks on three communities in Niger State, Nigeria, killing at least 46 people and kidnapping a number of others. (AFP via The Daily Star)
• Islamist insurgency in Burkina Faso
  • Seven Ghanaian traders are killed when Islamist insurgents attack Titao, Loroum Province, Burkina Faso, with the assailants burning the bodies and a vehicle. (Reuters)
• Mexican drug war
  • Gunmen attack a bar in Puebla, Mexico, killing three people and wounding five others. Authorities confirm the arrest of four criminals related to the attack. (Aristegui Noticias)

Business and economy

• Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund
  • Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund agree to modify conditions for a proposed US$8.2 billion, four-year lending program, easing certain requirements including planned tax increases on entrepreneurs above a higher revenue threshold. (Reuters)

International relations

• Ethiopia–Sudan relations
  • Ethiopia revokes Reuters journalists' accreditation in response to an article on February 10 that alleged the Ethiopian military was supporting the Rapid Support Forces in the Sudanese civil war by running secret training camps for its fighters. (Bloomberg)

Law and crime

• Death and funeral of Alexei Navalny
  • France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom assess that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in prison after being poisoned by epibatidine, a neurotoxin found in South American poison dart frogs. (NBC News)

Sports

• 2026 Winter Olympics
  • Brazilian ski racer Lucas Pinheiro Braathen wins gold at the men's giant slalom, becoming the first Brazilian and first South American athlete to win a medal at a Winter Olympics. (AP)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • Gaza war
    • Eleven Palestinians, including several militants, are killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza. (BBC News)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • Four people are killed in an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle targeting Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives in Majdal Anjar, Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon, near the Lebanon–Syria border. (Al Arabiya English)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • Widespread power outages are reported by authorities in several oblasts in Russia, including Belgorod and Bryansk, following a large-scale Ukrainian missile and drone attack on Russian power stations. Bryansk Oblast governor Alexander Bogomaz confirms the regional capital Bryansk has lost most of its electricity and heat supply. (The Kyiv Independent) (RBC-Ukraine)
• Somali Civil War
  • Jubaland forces and American troops conducted a four-day operation that killed more than 60 al-Shabaab insurgents in Lower Juba, Jubaland, Somalia. (Hiiraan Online) (Horseed Media)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Three people are killed and several others are injured in a drone strike by the Rapid Support Forces on a hospital in Sennar State, Sudan. (TRT World)

Arts and culture

• 2026 Cuban crisis
  • Cuba's Habanos S.A. suspends the annual Habanos Cigar Festival in Havana amid a sharp decline in tourists and a severe shortage of fuel due to the ongoing U.S. blockade. (Havana Times)

Disasters and accidents

• Eleven people are killed and eight are injured after a bus collided with a trailer in Khairpur district, Pakistan. (Dawn)
• Eight people are killed and two others are injured in an explosion and fire at a fireworks store in Donghai County, Jiangsu, China. (Xinhua)
• Five people are killed and several others are injured when a car jumps a median and collides with a bus near Nelamangala in Karnataka, India. (The Hindu)
• Two skiers are killed and another is injured in an avalanche on the Italian side of Mont Blanc. (The Independent)
• One person is killed and 13 others are injured in a fire at a shopping mall in Marib, Marib Governorate, Yemen. (Reuters)

International relations

• Myanmar–Timor-Leste relations, War crimes in the Myanmar civil war
  • Myanmar's military government orders Timor-Leste's chargé d'affaires to leave the country within a week after the Chin Human Rights Organization reported that Timor-Leste initiated a universal jurisdiction case alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity against the junta. (AFP via CNA)
• 62nd Munich Security Conference
  • The Philippines signs military defense cooperation pacts with Estonia and Italy at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany. The agreements will particularly expand cooperation in cybersecurity and capacity building for their respective armed forces. (Manila Standard)

Law and crime

• Operation Midas
  • Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau arrest former energy minister German Galushchenko at the state border for his alleged involvement in a ₴4 billion (US$100 million) kickback scheme in the energy sector. (AFP via The Straits Times)

Politics and elections

• Israeli occupation of the West Bank
  • The Cabinet of Israel approves new measures to expand land registration in the occupied West Bank and facilitate land purchases by Israeli settlers. (Reuters)
• 2026 Portuguese presidential election
  • Voting is held in the remaining polling stations and freguesias that had postponed it due to the storm training's impact. (Sul Informação)

Sports

• 2026 NASCAR Cup Series
  • 2026 Daytona 500
    • In stock car racing, 23XI's Tyler Reddick wins the 68th running of the Daytona 500. (The New York Times)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Sudanese civil war
  • Kordofan Campaign
    • At least 90 people are killed and dozens of others are injured in drone strikes on two crowded markets in North Kordofan, Sudan. (AA)
• Operation Southern Spear
  • United States strikes on alleged drug traffickers during Operation Southern Spear
    • Eleven people are killed after U.S. forces launch strikes on three alleged drug smuggling boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. (Sky News)
• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Two people are killed, including a child, and 12 others are injured in a motorcycle bombing near a police station in Bannu District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (Sky News)
  • Twenty-four people are killed, including 12 attackers and a child, and seven civilians are injured in an attack on a security post in Bajaur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (AP via CTV News)
• Colombian conflict
  • Colombia's search unit for missing persons identifies and returns the remains of Camilo Torres Restrepo, a Catholic priest and leader of the National Liberation Army who was killed in combat in 1966. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• A Pikachu Illustrator Card, a Pokémon trading card, sells at auction by Logan Paul for US$16,492,000, breaking the record for the most expensive collectible card ever sold. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• Seven people are killed, 10 others are trapped and some escape in a fire at a chemical factory in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, India. (NDTV)
• Six people are killed and 46 others are injured when a bus overturns on the BR-153 highway near Marília, São Paulo, Brazil. (Al Jazeera)
• Five people are killed and five others are injured in a fire at a five-story apartment building in Manlleu, Catalonia, Spain. (Sky News)
• Four people are killed and 37 others are injured in a fire at an industrial unit in Faridabad, Haryana, India. (Hindustan Times)
• Five people are injured when a passenger train derails near Goppenstein, Ferden, Valais, Switzerland. (BBC News)

Law and crime

• 2026 Pawtucket shooting
  • Three people, including the suspect, are killed, and three others are injured in a mass shooting at an indoor ice rink in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States. (WPRI-TV)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Eastern Ukraine campaign, Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
    • Three Sloviansk Thermal Power Plant engineers are killed and another is injured in a Russian drone attack on a vehicle in Mykolaivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. (RBC-Ukraine)
  • At least six people are injured and buildings and vehicles are damaged in large-scale Russian strikes on Sumy Oblast, Ukraine. (RBC-Ukraine)
• Red Sea crisis
  • The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations says a vessel and a skiff exchanged small-arms fire southwest of Aden, Yemen. (The Jerusalem Post)
• Communal conflicts in Nigeria
  • Lakurawa militants kill 34 people in coordinated shooting attacks on eight villages in Arewa LGA, Kebbi State, Nigeria. Seven of the villages are destroyed as well as several cattle are stolen. (Reuters) (Vanguard News)

Business and economy

• 2026 Cuban crisis
  • Canadian mining firm Sherritt International announces that it will suspend operations in Moa, Holguín, Cuba, after planned fuel deliveries were not fulfilled due to the U.S. blockade affecting oil shipments to the island. (AA)

Disasters and accidents

• 2026 Lake Tahoe avalanche
  • Eight backcountry skiers are killed, six others are rescued and one is reported missing in an avalanche on the Donner Pass northwest of Lake Tahoe in California, United States. (CBC News) (KABC-TV)
• At least four people are killed and 29 others are injured in a more than 30-vehicle pileup in Pueblo, Colorado, United States. (WLS-TV) (Times Now)
• At least three servicemen are reportedly killed and several others are injured in an explosion at a military commandant's building in Sertolovo, Leningrad Oblast, Russia. (News.Az) (Al Jazeera)

International relations

• 2026 United States–Iran crisis
  • Iran partially closes the Strait of Hormuz for several hours due to military exercises and warns the United States to avoid a military escalation. (Euronews) (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Killing of Quentin Deranque
  • French police arrest nine people, including an aide to legislator Raphaël Arnault, in connection with the fatal beating of Quentin Deranque during clashes between far-left and far-right groups in Lyon last week. (AFP and Reuters via Al Jazeera)
• Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • An Azerbaijani military court sentences former Republic of Artsakh state minister Ruben Vardanyan, who was arrested in 2023 while leaving the region after Azerbaijan regained control, to 20 years in prison for terrorism, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. (Reuters)
• A man is killed and eight children are injured in a shooting at a park in San Francisco del Rincón, Guanajuato, Mexico. (AFP via Gulf News)
• An 18-year-old is arrested after running towards the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., with a loaded shotgun, multiple rounds of ammunition and a tactical vest. (Reuters) (WJLA-TV)

Politics and elections

• Impeachment of José Jerí
  • The Peruvian Congress removes president José Jerí from office following a scandal over undisclosed meetings with Chinese businessmen. (Reuters)
• Premiership of Tarique Rahman
  • Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Tarique Rahman is sworn in as the 11th prime minister of Bangladesh following the party's victory in the recent election. (The Guardian)

Science and technology

• Solar eclipse of February 17, 2026
  • An annular solar eclipse lasting up to 2 minutes and 20 seconds is visible from Antarctica, for the first time since 2014, the Southern Ocean, and the South Indian Ocean, and partially observed in Africa, Argentina, and Chile. (EclipseWise) (AP) (hub.pl)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • Syrian conflict
    • United States intervention in Syria
      • The United States announces that it will withdraw all remaining military troops from Syria, formally ending its 12-year military presence in the country. (The Wall Street Journal)
  • A security officer is killed and another is injured in an attack by the Islamic State in Raghib, Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Syria. (Reuters)
• Cambodian–Thai border dispute
  • Cambodian prime minister Hun Manet claims that Thai forces are occupying Cambodian territory beyond Thailand's claimed territory. (Al Jazeera)
• Ecuadorian conflict
  • Four people are killed and two others are injured in a drive-by shooting outside of a school in Guayaquil, Guayas Province, Ecuador. (Xinhua)
• Gaza war
  • Two Palestinians, including one child, are killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza. (Al Jazeera)
• Myanmar civil war
  • The state-run Myanmar Alin newspaper reports that Bo Nagar, leader of the anti-government Burma National Revolutionary Army, surrendered to the Burmese military after clashes with other rebel groups. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• A gas explosion at a lead mine in Bashar, Plateau State, Nigeria, kills at least 38 miners working underground and injures 27 others. (AFP via Arab News)
• Twelve people are killed in an explosion and fire at a fireworks shop in Xiangyang, Hubei, China. (CBC News)

International relations

• China–Poland relations
  • Poland bans all Chinese-made vehicles from entering its military sites, citing data security concerns regarding onboard sensors. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Terrorism in Australia
  • Australia issues a temporary exclusion order barring one citizen held in a Syrian detention camp from returning to the country under counter-terrorism legislation, citing the citizen's possible links to Islamic State members. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Japanese general election
  • Sanae Takaichi is re-appointed Prime Minister of Japan by the House of Representatives after winning the legislative election. (AP)
• 2028 Philippine presidential election
  • Philippine vice president Sara Duterte announces her candidacy in the next presidential election. (AFP via France 24) (Reuters)
• Censure of José Jerí
  • Following two rounds of voting, José María Balcázar succeeds the removed José Jerí as interim President of Peru. (AP)

Science and technology

• Human rights in Gabon
  • Gabon indefinitely suspends access to social media platforms YouTube and TikTok citing concerns they undermine social cohesion and threaten national security. (Reuters)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Sudanese civil war
  • Kordofan campaign
    • At least three aid workers are killed and four others are injured in a drone attack by the Rapid Support Forces and Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North on an aid convoy in South Kordofan, Sudan. (Al Jazeera)
• Terrorism in the United States
  • The suspect is killed in a terrorist vehicle-ramming attack at a power substation near Interstate 11 in Boulder City, Nevada, United States. (KTNV-TV)

Disasters and accidents

• Eighteen people are killed and three others are injured when two trucks collide head-on near Port Said, Egypt. (Egypt Today)
• Sixteen people are killed and several others are injured after a gas explosion which then caused the building to collapse in Karachi, Pakistan. (Al Jazeera)
• Six firefighters are killed and another is injured when a fire engine plunges off a cliff in Xinhua County, Hunan, China. (Xinhua)
• At least four people are killed and 17 others are injured when a truck transporting liquid gas crashes and explodes in Santiago, Chile. (Reuters)
• A person is killed and five others are injured in Pétion-Ville, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, when a high-voltage power line breaks and falls into a public market. (Reuters)
• Five miners are trapped underground and presumed dead in a diamond mine after a mudslide in Kimberley, Northern Cape, South Africa. (AP) (Reuters)

Law and crime

• 2026 political prisoner release in Venezuela
  • Acting Venezuelan president Delcy Rodríguez signs a general amnesty bill into law, enabling the release of hundreds of political prisoners, including former National Assembly vice president Juan Pablo Guanipa. (AFP via Business Recorder) (AP)
• Arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol
  • Former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol is sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of leading an insurrection when he declared martial law on December 3, 2024. (The Korea Herald) (Reuters)
• Connections of Jeffrey Epstein
  • In the United Kingdom, police arrest royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on charges of misconduct in public office related to his links to convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He is later released from police custody. (AP) (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• United States president Donald Trump says he has ordered defense secretary Pete Hegseth and other relevant department heads to "begin the process" of releasing classified government files related to extraterrestrial life and UAPs. (AFP via France 24) (The Wall Street Journal)
• Andrey Gyurov is sworn in as Prime Minister of Bulgaria. (AP)

Sports

• 2026 Winter Olympics
  • Ski mountaineer Oriol Cardona wins the men's sprint event and captures Spain's first Winter Olympics gold medal in 54 years. (NBC)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • At least 12 people are killed and 33 others are injured in multiple Israeli strikes targeting members of Hezbollah and Hamas across Lebanon. One Hezbollah leader has been reported deceased. (Al Jazeera) (IMEMC) (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)
• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • Crimea attacks
    • One person is killed and several buildings are damaged in Ukrainian drone strikes in Sevastopol, Crimea. (Reuters)
• Operation Southern Spear
  • United States strikes on alleged drug traffickers during Operation Southern Spear
    • Three people are killed in a strike by the United States Southern Command on an alleged drug trafficking vessel in an area of the eastern Pacific Ocean. (Al Jazeera)
• Nigerian bandit conflict
  • At least 50 people are killed and women and children are abducted in overnight attacks by gunmen on a village in Bukkuyum LGA, Zamfara State, Nigeria. (Reuters) (Xinhua)

Arts and culture

• The Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain, reaches its designed height of 172.5 metres (566 feet) after beginning construction in 1882, ahead of the completion of the main building expected later in 2026. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

• Seven people are killed, including a pregnant woman, two children are injured and 3,000 are displaced in three landslides in the provinces of Davao Oriental and Davao de Oro, Philippines. (CTV News) (Philippine Daily Inquirer) (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
• Seven Chinese tourists are killed after their van sinks into a frozen-over section of Lake Baikal on Olkhon Island, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. One person managed to escape the vehicle and reach the surface. An investigation into criminal negligence and safety violations is opened. (The Moscow Times) (Reuters)
• Seven people are killed and two others are injured in a collision between a van and a truck in Valsad district, Gujarat, India. (Hindustan Times)
• Five people are killed, another is injured and power outages are reported during a major snowstorm in Linz and Tyrol, Austria. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Health and environment

• The French agriculture ministry authorizes the culling of around 200 wolves, raising the annual removal limit to 21% of the estimated population of over 1,000 animals, with a possible increase to 23%, citing rising livestock losses as wolf numbers expand into agricultural areas and regions near major cities. (Reuters)

International relations

• 2026 Iran–United States crisis
  • Norway relocates some of its approximately 60 military personnel stationed in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East back to Norway and other regional locations, citing security concerns amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States. (Reuters)
• Chile–China relations, Chile–United States relations, China–United States trade war
  • The United States revokes the visas of three Chilean officials, including telecommunications minister Juan Carlos Muñoz, after Chile agreed to build a submarine cable with China. (Bloomberg)

Law and crime

• 2020–2021 Thai protests
  • A Thai court sentences activist lawyer Arnon Nampa, who has been detained since 2023, to an additional two years and eight months in prison for violating the country's lèse-majesté law over remarks made at a 2020 rally. (Reuters)
• Tariffs in the second Trump administration
  • The United States Supreme Court rules in Learning Resources v. Trump that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not grant the President the power to impose trade tariffs. (CNN)
  • U.S. president Donald Trump signs executive orders aimed at implementing tariffs using Section 122 and Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• The Florida Legislature, in the United States, passes a measure to formally rename Palm Beach International Airport in Palm Beach County, Florida, as the "President Donald J. Trump International Airport". (The Guardian) (Bloomberg) (The Telegraph)

Sports

• 2026 Winter Olympics
  • Norway breaks the record for most gold medals at a single Winter Olympics event after skier Johannes Dale-Skjevdal won the country's 17th gold medal in Milan–Cortina, surpassing their own record of 16 gold medals. (The Independent)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Eastern front of the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • Russian forces capture the village of Karpivka in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, as they attempt to advance towards Lyman. (Devdiscourse)
  • Attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • Ukrainian forces launch long-range FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles, striking the Votkinsk Machine Building Plant in Votkinsk, Udmurtia, Russia. Another missile strikes a natural-gas processing plant in Samara Oblast. (The Telegraph) (DW)
• Afghanistan–Pakistan clashes
  • Pakistan conducts intelligence-based strikes on seven locations along the Durand Line in the Nangarhar and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan targeting alleged camps of the Pakistani Taliban and an affiliate of the Islamic State, resulting in dozens of fatalities and injuries. (NDTV) (AFP via The Straits Times)
• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Two soldiers and five militants are killed in a shootout in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (Reuters)
• Syrian conflict
  • The Islamic State claims responsibility for two attacks on security personnel in northern and eastern Syria. (Reuters)
• Terrorism in Ukraine
  • A policewoman is killed and at least 15 others are injured, including some seriously, in two explosions at a shop in Lviv, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. The attacks are being treated as terrorism. (TRT World)

Arts and culture

• 76th Berlin International Film Festival
  • At this year's Berlin Film Festival, İlker Çatak's Yellow Letters wins the Golden Bear. (AFP via The Philippine Star)

Business and economy

• Tariffs in the second Trump administration
  • United States president Donald Trump raises the global tariff on imports from 10% to 15% under emergency powers that permit the measure for up to 150 days after the Supreme Court ruled yesterday that a 1977 law does not authorize the imposition of his earlier country-specific tariffs. The administration states that the new rate applies broadly, with exemptions for certain sectors and goods covered by existing trade agreements. (AFP via France 24)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025–26 Australian bushfire season
  • The state emergency service of Victoria, Australia, issues the highest-level emergency evacuation warning for areas surrounding the A1 Mine Settlement of Gaffneys Creek, as an uncontrolled bushfire burns the settlement. (Reuters)
• Libyan crisis
  • At least five bodies of refugees wash ashore near Tripoli, Libya. Residents also observe a child's body carried back to sea by strong waves, prompting a coast guard search operation. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Laotian parliamentary election
  • Laotians vote in a parliamentary election to elect the 175 members of the tenth National Assembly. The only legal party in Laos contesting the election is the Lao People's Revolutionary Party. (AFP via The Star)