New Mexico lawmakers on Monday (Feb 16, 2026) approved legislation to launch the first full investigation into what happened at Zorro Ranch, where US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is accused of trafficking and sexually abusing girls and women. The bipartisan committee will seek testimony from victims of sexual abuse at the ranch about 30 miles south of the state capital, Santa Fe.

Pope Leo XIV prays inside the Church of St. Anselm before taking part in a penitential procession to Santa Sabina Basilica in Rome, February 18, 2026, marking the start of Catholic Lent, where he will preside over the Ash Wednesday Mass. | Photo credit: AP Pope Leo lamented a world "on fire" due to wars and environmental destruction during an Ash Wednesday Mass that opened the Lent season for the world's Christians.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright. file | Photo credit: Reuters US Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Wednesday (Feb 18, 2026) urged the International Energy Agency to abandon its work on climate change and focus on its founding mission. Mr Wright last year threatened to withdraw the United States from the IEA - which was established to coordinate responses to major disruptions of supplies after the 1973 oil crisis - unless it reformed the way it operates.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened Tehran with military action if ongoing negotiations fail to replace the nuclear deal he struck during his first term in office in 2018. file. | Photo credit: Reuters The United States is building a major force of naval and air assets in West Asia, setting the stage for a sustained military campaign against Iran.

The number of workers under union contracts rose to a 16-year high in 2025, despite the Trump administration's ongoing efforts to wipe out collective bargaining agreements for tens of thousands of federal workers, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. About 16.5 million workers are covered by a union contract in 2025, up from 16 million in 2024 and the highest level since 2009.

Actor Tom Noonan, best known for his collaborations with Michael Mann, has died at the age of 74. His death was confirmed by Fred Dekker, director of the 80s comedy horror The Monster Squad, in which Noonan played Frankenstein's Monster. "It is with great sadness that I share the passing of Tom Noonan," he wrote on Facebook. "Tom Cheragani's indelible performance as Frankenstein in The Monster Squad is a highlight of my modest filmography ...

Les Wexner, the former boss of the Victoria's Secret underwear brand, testified Wednesday before a congressional committee regarding his past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, giving a statement to Congress saying, "I did nothing wrong and have nothing to hide." Wexner is one of several Epstein associates subpoenaed to testify before the House Oversight Committee in their continuing investigation into the late financier's crimes.

U2 released their first collection of new music since 2017 - a politically charged EP titled Days of Ash, which focuses on a series of high-profile global deaths, including the killing of Renee Goode by ICE agents. Good, a mother of three who died Jan. 7 while protesting against ICE operations in Minneapolis, was the subject of the opening song, American Obituary.

An Austrian mountaineer is due to appear in court accused of grossly negligent homicide after his girlfriend died of hypothermia. The 33-year-old woman, identified only as Kerstin G, froze to death on 19 January 2025, about 50 meters below the summit of Austria's highest mountain, Großglockner, after more than 17 hours of climbing with her boyfriend Thomas P, 36. Prosecutors argued that Thomas P's poor judgment and willingness to take risks as a more experienced climber were criminally responsible for his death in a case that has implications for mountain sports and sparked debate in Austria and beyond.

Pakistan's opposition alliance on Wednesday (Feb 18, 2026) ended a days-long sit-in in the national capital over concerns over the health of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan. Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-i-Ain-in-Pakistan (TTAP), an alliance of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, launched protests on Friday (February 13, 2026) at two locations in Islamabad, including the Parliament premises and the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa House building. TTAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai led a sit-in at the Parliament premises, while Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi organized the other protest.

An explosion at a fireworks shop in China's Hubei province on Wednesday (Feb 18, 2026) killed 12 people, state media reported, the second explosion as the country celebrates the Lunar New Year. Emergency responders extinguished the fire at a fireworks shop in the town of Xiangyang in central Hubei province on Wednesday (Feb 18) afternoon, the official said. Xinhua News Agency.

A Russian ship sails alongside an Iranian ship in False Bay near the Simon Town Naval Base on January 16, 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa, on the last day of the BRICS Plus countries, China, Russia and Iran, for a joint naval exercise in South African waters. | Photo credit: Reuters Following the latest round of talks between Tehran and Washington in Geneva, Iran and Russia will hold naval exercises in the Sea of ​​Oman on Thursday (February 19, 2027), Iranian media reported.

The 19th-century French diplomat, political philosopher, and historian Alexis de Tocqueville wrote, "The greatness of America lies not in her greater enlightenment than any other nation, but in her ability to correct her errors." For a brief moment at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) last weekend, European leaders half thought their heartiest wish – the return of the old US that believed in the EU ideal and supported a rules-based world order – had been granted.

Labor figures in the county, with a record number of revival council elections after the government's recent U-turn, say they fear the party will be "destroyed" when voters go to the polls in May. The election was expected to be postponed pending local government reorganization and a move to consolidated authorities in the county, but earlier this week the local government secretary, Steve Reid, scrapped plans to delay the election after Reform UK threatened a legal challenge.

A diplomatic row between Belgium and the US is escalating, with Donald Trump's ambassador refusing to apologize for accusing his host country of anti-Semitism and a socialist politician threatening to ban him from traveling to the US. Bill White, a staunch ally of the president, like several US ambassadors, demanded Belgium on Monday drop a "ridiculous" and "antisemitic" investigation into three Jewish men suspected of circumcision without medical qualifications.

Coming back from a slower Colombo surface, India went back to Arshdeep Singh in place of Kuldeep Yadav.

Nigerian soldiers prepare to load weapons stored in boxes onto a military plane before departing for Mali at an airport in the northern state of Kaduna, Nigeria. File photo. | Photo credit: Reuters Nigeria's Ministry of Defense on Monday (February 16, 2026) announced the deployment of about 100 US troops to Nigeria as part of increased military cooperation to fight insecurity in the West African nation.

US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One with US First Lady Melania Trump at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, US on February 16, 2026. | Photo credit: Reuters US President Donald Trump said on Monday (Feb 16, 2026) that he will participate "indirectly" in talks between Iran and the US on Tehran's nuclear program, which are set to begin on Tuesday (Feb 17, 2026) in Geneva.

Image used for representation | Photo credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto Spanish police on Wednesday (Feb 18, 2026) arrested a 20-year-old man in what they said was the first cybercrime of its kind, allegedly hacking a hotel booking website to reserve luxury rooms for only one percent. The suspect is believed to have tampered with the site's payment system, altering the validation process of the electronic payment platform so that bookings are paid in full.

File photo of Norway's Marius Borg Hoiby. | Photo credit: AP The fourth woman at the center of the rape case against the son of a Norwegian princess testified Wednesday (Feb. 18, 2026) in an Oslo court about the alleged rape while on trial for other incidents in 2024. Marius Borg Hoiby, the 29-year-old son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who had an affair with heir Crown Prince Haakon before her 2001 marriage, faces 38 charges, including raping four women while they were asleep or unconscious.

Israel's senior far-right minister has vowed to encourage "migration" from the Palestinian territories, despite growing criticism of recent moves to tighten Israeli control over the occupied West Bank. Since last week, Israel has approved a series of initiatives backed by extremist ministers to consolidate control over the West Bank, including areas administered by the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords, which have been in place since the 1990s.