Kallas urges Europe to assert autonomy at Munich conference
The 62nd Munich Security Conference concluded on Sunday with European leaders delivering a unified message that the continent must assume greater responsibility for its own defense as transatlantic dynamics evolve. Over three days of discussions, senior officials outlined plans to raise military spending, deepen cooperation on nuclear deterrence......
Polish president backs nuclear deterrence amid Russia threat
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz revealed at the Munich Security Conference on Friday that he has begun confidential talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on developing a European approach to nuclear deterrence. The disclosure marks the first formal engagement between Europe’s two largest economies on sharing the continent’s......
Ukraine heads to Geneva for third US mediated peace talks
A Ukrainian delegation departed for Geneva on Monday for a third round of trilateral negotiations with Russia and the United States scheduled for February 17 and 18, as efforts continue to advance talks that have yet to yield a breakthrough on key issues, including territorial control in eastern Ukraine. Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s......
X hit by second major global outage in a month
Elon Musk’s social media platform X experienced a widespread outage on Monday, with thousands of users in the United States, the United Kingdom and India reporting they were unable to load their feeds or publish posts. The disruption began around 8:02 a.m. Eastern Time, or 13:02 GMT, marking the second significant service interruption......
UK and Germany military chiefs issue rare joint call to rearm
The heads of the British and German armed forces have issued an unprecedented joint appeal urging European citizens to back higher defense spending, warning that Moscow’s military stance has decisively shifted westward and that deterring Russian aggression will require difficult public choices. Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton,......
Eurozone finance ministers push to strengthen euro’s global role
Finance ministers from the 20 eurozone countries met in Brussels on Monday to outline steps aimed at boosting the international standing of the euro, as Europe seeks to lessen its reliance on the US dollar amid mounting geopolitical and economic pressures. The meeting, chaired by Greek Finance Minister and Eurogroup President Kyriakos Pierrakakis,......
Rabobank warns ECB euro liquidity plan could widen trade deficits
Rabobank has raised concerns over the European Central Bank’s decision to expand its euro repo facility to central banks worldwide, warning that the move could require larger European trade deficits and a stronger euro, outcomes that may prove politically sensitive across member states. In its Global Daily report published Sunday, the......
India opens landmark AI summit as leading Global South host
India on Monday launched one of the largest gatherings ever devoted to artificial intelligence as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The five day event, running from February 16 to 20, marks the first major global AI summit hosted by a country from the Global South, positioning......
Machado says Cuba and Nicaragua will follow after Venezuela’s fall
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado told an international audience that the collapse of President Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela would trigger a broader liberation across the region, predicting that Cuba and Nicaragua would be next to break free from authoritarian rule. Machado spoke via video to global......
Alisa Vainio sets Finnish record with Seville marathon win
Finland’s Alisa Vainio delivered a commanding performance at the Zurich Seville Marathon on Sunday, clocking 2:20:39 to break her own national record and become the first European woman to win the race in more than a decade. The 28 year old ran a measured race as Ethiopia’s Mulat Tekle Godu set a blistering early pace. When Tekle......
Yen weakens after Japan GDP misses expectations
The Japanese yen retreated in early Asian trading on Monday after posting its strongest weekly performance since November 2024, as weaker than expected economic data dampened expectations of a near term interest rate increase by the Bank of Japan. The currency slipped 0.2 percent to 153.07 per dollar, trimming part of last week’s nearly......
Charli XCX declares end of brat summer at Berlin premiere
Charli XCX has closed the chapter on her defining “Brat” era, telling reporters at the Berlin Film Festival that the cultural wave surrounding her 2024 album has run its course as her mockumentary The Moment premiered in Europe at the Zoo Palast cinema. Asked whether the “brat summer” phenomenon had reached its end,......
Morocco to launch electronic health claims pilot in Kenitra
QR coded prescriptions and digital claim forms to anchor nationwide CNSS reform Morocco is preparing a major transformation in the administration and financing of healthcare, with the city of Kenitra selected to host the first live deployment of a fully electronic health claim system starting at the end of March 2026. The pilot project, centered......
UK says Russia relying on foreign fighters as losses mount
Russia is increasingly turning to foreign fighters to sustain its war in Ukraine as mounting battlefield losses outpace its ability to replenish troops, British Defence Secretary John Healey said at the Munich Security Conference on February 15, 2026. His remarks followed updated British intelligence figures showing that Russian forces continue......
Ukraine detains former energy minister in sweeping corruption probe
Ukraine’s former energy minister Herman Halushchenko was detained late Saturday while attempting to leave the country by train, anti corruption authorities said, in a dramatic escalation of one of the most far reaching graft investigations of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s tenure. The National Anti Corruption Bureau of Ukraine,......