- Release of Millions of Epstein Files: Newly released documents from the US Department of Justice include emails and mentions of high-profile figures, including Donald Trump, Prince Andrew, and Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, sparking renewed scrutiny of their ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
- Rafah Border Crossing Reopens: The critical crossing between Gaza and Egypt has resumed operations as part of a US-brokered ceasefire, though transit is currently limited to dozens of residents per day for medical care and family reunification.
- Trump Announces India Trade Deal: President Trump has reached an initial agreement to slash US tariffs on Indian goods from 50% to 18% after India reportedly promised to stop purchasing Russian oil and increase its intake of American products.
- Notepad++ Update Mechanism Hijacked: State-sponsored attackers compromised the infrastructure of the popular utility Notepad++, redirecting legitimate update traffic to malicious servers to deliver malware to selected users.
- Pakistan Boycotts T20 World Cup Match Against India: Citing political tensions and blaming India for recent attacks in Balochistan, the Pakistan Cricket Board has announced it will boycott the February 15 match in Sri Lanka, risking a points forfeit.
- Norway Royal Family Scandal: Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Norway’s Crown Princess, has been remanded in custody for four weeks following new allegations of assault ahead of his upcoming rape trial.
- France Adopts 2026 Budget: Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s administration successfully passed the national budget after surviving two no-confidence votes, aiming to reduce the deficit to 5% by the end of 2026.
- Starbucks Implements AI and Robotics: The coffee giant’s CEO, Brian Niccol, announced plans to integrate robots into the brewing process to improve customer service efficiency and “regain its buzz.”
- Thwaites Glacier Drilling Attempt: Scientists studying Antarctica’s “most dangerously unstable” glacier lost their instruments while attempting to drill through it, but not before recording data on warming waters underneath.
- High-Severity Security Flaw in OpenClaw: A remote code execution vulnerability (CVE-2026-25253) has been discovered in the OpenClaw AI assistant, allowing attackers to exfiltrate tokens via crafted malicious links.