Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Updated 1m ago
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Budapest and pledged US support for Viktor Orbán ahead of April parliamentary elections, saying President Trump was deeply committed to his success.
Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall, best known for roles in The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, died at his Virginia home at age 95, his wife Luciana Duvall said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of an imminent massive Russian air attack and urged Western allies to supply air‑defence systems to protect Ukraine's forces and energy infrastructure.
EU governments agreed at an informal summit to accelerate decision-making and bolster defense, economic and monetary sovereignty by forming an informal core to pursue a "two‑speed" Europe.
European laboratories concluded Alexei Navalny was poisoned with epibatidine from a South American dart frog while detained in a Russian penal colony, a finding Moscow rejected as unfounded.
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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government would fast-track legislation to restrict young people's access to social media within months, while not committing to an outright under-16s ban.
Donald Trump's newly formed "Peace Council" planned to meet in Washington this week to marshal about $5 billion for a Gaza ceasefire and reconstruction, with several countries attending as observers.
China began the once-in-60-years Year of the Fire Horse on Tuesday, and authorities braced for record travel and a spike in demand for viral horse-themed goods.
Fund managers took their most bearish stance on the dollar in a decade, while economists and bankers warned the currency's reserve status was eroding amid payment-system and policy concerns.
Researchers in a small 34-person trial found a single intravenous dose of DMT, given with psychotherapy, rapidly reduced depressive symptoms and produced benefits lasting up to six months.
A study in NEJM AI found an AI that combined ECGs with patient clinical history substantially reduced false positives in cardiac screening, potentially enabling precision prevention and earlier intervention.
A famous sea arch known as the Lovers’ Arch at Sant'Andrea in Melendugno, Puglia, collapsed into the Adriatic on Valentine’s Day after severe storms accelerated coastal erosion.
Greenpeace and Germany’s Helmholtz Centre warned Russia’s shadow fleet of aging, uninsured tankers risked triggering a major oil spill in the Baltic Sea, with thick ice complicating cleanup.
The British Museum removed "Palestine" from some ancient Near East displays after UK Lawyers for Israel objected; the museum cited historical accuracy and the decision sparked a petition.
At the Berlin Film Festival, organizers said filmmakers should not be required to state positions on the Israel–Palestine dispute after jury president Wim Wenders drew criticism over his remarks.
Loïc Meillard won Olympic slalom gold in Bormio on 16 February, with Fabio Gstrein taking silver and Henrik Kristoffersen bronze after several favourites, including Atle Lie McGrath, went off course.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday tasked the Instituto de Crédito Oficial with financing 15,000 affordable homes a year through the España Crece fund to mobilize investment.
Minnesota investigators said the FBI refused to share evidence from its probe into the Jan. 24 killing of Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.
French prosecutors opened a murder inquiry in Lyon after 23-year-old far-right activist Quentin Deranque died of a brain injury following a beating by at least six masked assailants, authorities said.
Actor Robert Duvall, an Oscar-winning star best known for roles in The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, died at 95; his career spanned decades of acclaimed film and television.
Robert Duvall's family said the Oscar-winning American actor died at his home aged 95, with his wife Luciana Pedraza saying he "fell asleep peacefully."
