Headlines: 9-15 February 2026

Saturday, 14 February 2026

Earth on track to become uninhabitable, scientists say: "Policymakers and the public remain largely unaware of the risks posed by what would effectively be a point-of-no-return transition": the long-term temperature is projected to rise about 9 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial averages — which would be really bad. — 14 February 2026 (LINK)

New FDA-approved device uses electric fields to treat pancreatic cancer — 14 February 2026 (LINK)

Oman to host US-Iran nuclear talks in Geneva next week, Switzerland says — 14 February 2026 (LINK)

George Clooney, Russell Brand and Debbie McGee's multi-million-pound homes are flooded after weeks of continuous rain caused River Thames to burst it banks — 14 February 2026 (LINK)

TSA agents are working without pay at U.S. airports due to another partial government shutdown — 14 February 2026 (LINK)

Russia killed Alexei Navalny with dart frog poison, UK and allies say — 14 February 2026 (LINK)

— The frog's poison is 200 times stronger than morphine, with Germany's foreign minister saying 'victims suffocate in agony'.

Friday, 13 February 2026

WHO slams US-funded newborn vaccine trial as "unethical": CDC awarded $1.6 million for study birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine in Guinea-Bissau — 13 February 2026 (LINK)

Goldman Sachs' top lawyer to resign after emails show close ties to Jeffrey Epstein — 13 February 2026 (LINK)

UK: Former Prince Andrew passed on classified Treasury briefing to banker friend — 13 February 2026 (LINK)

Powerful Dubai tycoon replaced after DOJ reveals sexually explicit emails with Epstein — 13 February 2026 (LINK)

Thursday, 12 February 2026

Trump administration ends federal authority to control climate pollution — 12 February 2026 (LINK)

Trump sidelines climate contrarians in science rollback — 12 February 2026 (LINK)

Russian war losses now exceed recruitment: around 9,000 more than it was able to replace in January, Western officials say — 12 February 2026 (LINK)

UNICEF reports child recruitment by armed groups quadruples in Colombia over past 5 years — (LINK) ground.news: 17 media reports — 12 February 2026 (LINK)

DHS shutdown imminent as Senate leaves town without deal — 12 February 2026 (LINK)

Trump pardons 5 ex-NFL players for crimes including drug trafficking — 12 February 2026 (LINK)

US Justice Department's antitrust chief says she's leaving, effective immediately — 12 February 2026 (LINK)

— Slater is leaving just as media giants Netflix and Paramount Skydance battle for control of Warner Bros. Discovery. The White House referred all questions to the Justice Department.

Doctor at Jeffrey Epstein's post mortem makes jolting claim about how disgraced financier passed: claimed the findings did not fully support a s*icide ruling — 12 February 2026 (LINK)

Three countries seeking to ban Israel from international social workers union: Ireland, Spain, and Greece accuse Israeli union of ethical breaches, say it should seek military service exemption for members or 'issue a call for peace' — 12 February 2026 (LINK)

Judge says Pete Hegseth is unlawfully retaliating against Sen. Mark Kelly over 'illegal orders' video — 12 February 2026 (LINK)

Trump, 79, accepts another made up award: like the "FIFA Peace Prize," the pro-coal award was given to him in its inaugural year — 12 February 2026 (LINK)

Doctor at Jeffrey Epstein's post mortem makes jolting claim about how disgraced financier passed: claimed the findings did not fully support a s*icide ruling — 12 February 2026 (LINK)

OpenAI's President gave millions to Trump. He says it's for humanity — 12 February 2026 (LINK)

One to two Starlink satellites burn up in Earth's atmosphere every day leaving behind metal pollution, debris, and growing concern about the future of Earth's orbit — 12 February 2026 (LINK)

3 wild Olympic scandals have already happened at the 2026 games — 12 February 2026 (LINK)

The war dead pictured on banned Ukrainian athlete's helmet — 12 February 2026 (LINK)

Recap: The 13 most unforgettable (and controversial) Olympic figure skating moments ever — 7 January 2026 (LINK)

Robot girlfriends are a reality as Chinese company creates $173,000 AI companion that emits body heat — 14 February 2026 (LINK)

Wednesday, 11 February 2026

Tropical cyclone Gezani hits Madagascar and kills at least 20 — (LINK) ground.news: media reports — 11 February 2026 (LINK)

Europe overtakes US as Ukraine's largest military backer: U.S. aid fell by 99% — (LINK) ground.news: 33 media reports — 11 February 2026 (LINK)

ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 11, 2026 — 11 February 2026 (LINK)

UNDP begins clearing huge Gaza City waste dump — (LINK) ground.news: 15 media reports — 11 February 2026 (LINK)

The U.S. claims China has conducted secret nuclear tests — 11 February 2026 (LINK)

— The last full-scale nuclear test took place in North Korea in 2017, said Ankit Panda, a nuclear weapons expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "As of this month, we are in the longest period in human history without a nuclear test," he said.

Ukraine hits Russian city to knock out power, heating in the western Russian region of Belgorod — 11 February 2026 (LINK)

US: Republicans vote to end Trump's Canada tariffs in rare rebuke — 11 February 2026 (LINK)

Gallup stops presidential approval rating after 88 years — 11 February 2026 (LINK)

UBS plans to hire up to 3,000 people in India and open a new Hyderabad site, while also preparing to cut about 3,000 jobs in Switzerland as it integrates Credit Suisse — 11 February 2026 (LINK)

Roger Federer's Hall of Fame induction ceremony sells out in 2 minutes — 11 February 2026 (LINK)

Tuesday, 10 February 2026

UN: FAO report warns fish fraud extends to one fifth of global catch — 10 February 2026 (LINK)

EU plan to grant Ukraine accelerated membership despite Hungarian objections revealed — 10 February 2026 (LINK)

Oil exports have been a cash cow for Russia. But revenues are dwindling, thanks to sanctions — 10 February 2026 (LINK)

Transparency International warns of rising corruption in democracies as U.S. posts weakest score yet: Denmark top, Switzerland 6th, US 29th — (LINK) ground.news: 96 media reports — 10 February 2026 (LINK)

Trump set to gut U.S. climate change policy and environmental regulations, White House official says — 10 February 2026 (LINK)

Trump orders Pentagon to buy power from coal plants — 10 February 2026 (LINK)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he had a "positive" conversation with President Trump after the president threatened to stop a bridge between the U.S. and Canada from being opened — 10 February 2026 (LINK)

Cuba halts airline refueling for a month amid energy crisis — (LINK) ground.news: 225 media reports — 10 February 2026 (LINK)

Monday, 9 February 2026

Hong Kong jails pro-democracy media tycoon and British citizen Jimmy Lai for 20 years for "colluding with foreign forces" under the city's controversial national security law — 9 February 2026 (LINK)

UK, UN and EU deplore 'monumental injustice' of Jimmy Lai's 20-year jail sentence — (LINK)

Global economy must move past GDP as a measure of human progress and wellbeing to avoid planetary disaster, warns UN chief: "Let us not forget that when we destroy a forest, we are creating GDP. When we overfish, we are creating GDP." — 9 February 2026 (LINK)

BBC: What King Charles III has done for the environment: From space exploration to tropical rainforests — 9 February 2026 (LINK)

— King Charles III's Harmony philosophy sees everything in nature (including humans) as interconnected. The philosophy is underpinned by the belief that by understanding the balance, order and relationships between ourselves and the natural world, a more sustainable future can be created.

Ukraine destroys nearly 6,000 Russian FPV drones in major strike on military targets, General Staff says — 9 February 2026 (LINK)

Pope Leo sends 80 generators, thousands of medical supplies to Ukraine — 9 February 2026 (LINK)

---

EU delegation in Geneva receives special honorary award for 11 years of social media excellence — 9 February 2026 (LINK)