Monday, February 16, 2026
Updated 2m ago
At the Munich Security Conference, European leaders pledged to bolster defense and reduce reliance on the United States, even as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to reassure allies.
President Donald Trump said members of his formed Peace Council had committed more than $5 billion for Gaza reconstruction and pledged thousands of security personnel while urging Hamas to disarm.
Millions of files released from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation contained women's testimonies alleging systematic abuse and exploitation, prompting renewed public outrage and scrutiny of elite networks.
Major tech companies and business schools pursued self-imposed AI standards as formal regulation lagged, prompting concerns after AI safety researchers resigned, citing profit-driven risks.
Marco Rubio urged European allies in Munich to align behind President Trump, but his rhetoric about a singular "Western civilization" alarmed Europeans who feared vassalization.
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 11 Palestinians in Gaza on Sunday, the military said they were responding to alleged Hamas ceasefire violations, which Hamas called a massacre.
Protesters in Tehran chanted against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei from balconies, signaling renewed unrest after a brutal crackdown, multiple outlets reported.
A major review of 22 global studies found that intermittent fasting was no more effective for weight loss than conventional calorie restriction diets.
After a month of extreme cold, a low-pressure system brought milder weather to Sweden and northern Europe, though pockets of frost persisted in the Alps and Finland.
Two skiers, believed to be French, were killed and a third was seriously injured when an avalanche swept off-piste above Courmayeur in Italy's Aosta Valley, rescuers said.
Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights grossed an estimated $76.8 to $82 million worldwide in its opening weekend, which some outlets said recouped its roughly $80 million production budget.
Train Dreams won best film at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, while Brazilian L’Agent secret took best international feature, and both now advance as Oscar contenders.
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo became the most successful Winter Olympian by winning a record ninth Olympic gold, leading Norway to relay victory at the Milano–Cortina Games on Sunday, 15 February.
Team GB won two gold medals at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, securing the mixed snowboard cross in Livigno — its first Olympic gold on snow — and the mixed team skeleton.
Quentin D., a 23-year-old far-right activist, died in Lyon after being beaten during clashes near a conference by LFI MEP Rima Hassan, prompting Macron’s call for calm.
Naveed Akram, accused of opening fire at a Hanukkah celebration that killed 15 people, appeared in a Sydney court for the first time facing terrorism and murder charges.
Ghislaine Maxwell sought clemency from U.S. authorities, offering to disclose what she called the "truth" about Jeffrey Epstein's network if freed, while experts questioned her motives.