07.02.2026 thursday

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Nine children are killed when a motorized tricycle plunges into a canal in Abu Tig, Asyut Governorate, Egypt. (AP) 

Palaeontologists identify a fossil vertebra collected on James Ross Island in 1985 as the earliest-known dinosaur bone collected in Antarctica, which was identified to be a tail bone from a titanosaur(The Independent) 

Former Indonesian education minister Nadiem Makarim, who co-founded the super app Gojek, is sentenced to 10 years in prison for corruption. (BBC News) 

Four people are reportedly killed in the early morning hours of Wednesday during celebrations in Mexico City following Mexico‘s victory against Ecuador in the knockout round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.  (Reuters) 

At least 17 people are killed and 86 others are injured in a Russian ballistic missiles and drone attack on Kyiv, Ukraine (Kyiv Independent) 

Eight monks are killed and 14 others are injured, including four critically, when an 11-year-old boy drives a pickup truck into a group of monks on a pilgrimage walk in Mukdahan province, Thailand. (AP) 

Algerians vote for 407 seats of the People’s National Assembly amid a cost-of-living crisis and candidate bans upon the Hirak movement. (AP) 

Saudi Aramco and Algerian oil company Sonatrach announce that they will cut prices for liquefied petroleum gas for July, with Saudi Aramco reducing it between 24% and 27% and Sonatrach reducing it between 2% and 10%. (Reuters) 

United States vice president JD Vance says that Iran and the U.S. have held technical talks based on the recent 14-point memorandum of understanding in Doha, Qatar, to discuss the Strait of Hormuz. He also states that the U.S. will not return to military action unless necessary. (Haaretz) 

Ukraine approves a mechanism for exporting domestically produced weapons and military technologies to raise funds for its defense effort against Russia and attract foreign investment, while requiring that the Ukrainian military’s supply needs remain the priority. (AFP via The Straits Times) 

South Korea’s ocean ministry says that the Panama–flagged cargo vessel HMM Namu will leave the Strait of Hormuz in mid-July once major repair is complete on the vessel after it was attacked in a explosion on May 4 while it was stranded in the waterway. (Reuters) 

Iranian state television reports that a foreign container ship was grounded in shallow water after using an unapproved route through the strait. (MS Now) 

The Israel Defense Forces confirms that that they have launched strikes in the northern Gaza Strip that killed four militants of the Hamas military wing Al-Qassam Brigades and destroyed several missile launchers used by the organization. (The Jerusalem Post) 

ACLED reported that more than 100,000 people have died from the civil war in Myanmar since the military took power in February 2021.  (SBS News) 

The Emirate of Dubai, UAE, reopens its Catholic churches, including St. Mary’s and St. Francis of Assisi in Jebel Ali, after three months of closure amidst the Iran war. (Gulf News) 

Sony says it will stop releasing new PlayStation games on physical optical discs from January 2028, citing consumer preference for digital media, and will offer new titles through the PlayStation Store and other digital retailers. (AFP via France 24) 

The International Transport Workers’ Federation and the Joint Negotiating Group of shipping owners announce they will continue to designate the Strait of Hormuz as a warzone, which doubles the pay of mariners there and gives them other benefits. (Al Jazeera) 

The World Bank classifies the Philippines as an upper-middle-income economy, up from lower-middle-income status, after its per capita gross national income exceeds the fiscal year 2026 threshold of US$4,496 to $13,935. (Agenzia Nova) 

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer says that the United States will not renew the USMCA trade agreement signed during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term. The U.S. will conduct annual reviews of the trade agreement and will conduct negotiations and amendments to it.  (Mexico News Daily) 

Venezuelan acting president Delcy Rodríguez declares seven days of national mourning for the victims of the earthquakes as the death toll rises to 2,295. (AFP via The Standard) 

Five people are killed and a number of others injured in a fire at an apartment block in Antwerp, Belgium. (Reuters) 

A United States Navy aviator is reportedly missing after a Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk helicopter carrying four crew members assigned to the USS George H. W. Bush made an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea. The U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. Fifth Fleet rules out hostile activities in the accident. (Navy Times) 

The Directorate General of Health Services reports that one child has died from measles symptoms in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll of the outbreak in Bangladesh to 719. (Dhaka Tribune) 

The United States announces a pandemic response team amidst the ongoing Ebola outbreak. (Bloomberg) 

The World Health Organization reports that 120 people have been killed in cholera outbreaks in Sudan since May in isolated war zones, alongside suspected 1,102 cases of the disease. (MENA via The New Arab) 

The African CDC confirms an isolated case of the Marburg virus in Uganda, amidst the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the country. (CNBC Africa) 

In Canada, Ontario lowers the eligibility age for routine colorectal cancer screenings from 50 to 45, joining Prince Edward Island as the second province to do so. (CBC News) 

Sweden’s Market Court orders Google to pay PriceRunner about 14.3 billion kr (US$1.5 billion) in damages, Sweden’s largest competition-related award, after ruling that Google unlawfully favored its own price comparison service over rivals in search results. (AFP via France 24) 

firebombing on the homes of ruling New Democracy party members in ThessalonikiGreece, kills one person and injures three others. (AP) 

A passenger car and a bus collide in Antalya, Turkey. Twelve Poles suffered minor injuries, Foreign Ministry spokesman Maciej Wewiór told Polsat News. (Polsat News in Polish) 

The U.S. treasury department announces sanctions on two men and nine companies accused of being involved in transportation, financial services, and real estate for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel(AFP via France 24) 

The Qatari foreign ministry confirms that United States envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have arrived in Doha for technical indirect talks with Iran and talks with mediators regarding negotiations with Iran. However, they also state that no high-level talks have occurred. (BBC News) 

Paraguayan president Santiago Peña declares a national holiday after Paraguay defeated Germany 4–3 on penalties, following a 1–1 draw, in the FIFA World Cup round of 32. (Tanzania Insight) 

Kodak P3200 film

CNBC reports that the Brent Crude oil price declined by 21% during June 2026, its largest monthly decline since March 2020, amidst the ongoing negotiations between Iran and the United States. (CNBC) 

Former Indonesian education minister Nadiem Makarim, who co-founded the super app Gojek, is sentenced to 10 years in prison for corruption. (BBC News) 

SAS signs an order for more than 40 A330-900neo and leased A330-300 aircraft. (SAS) 

South Korean president Lee Jae Myung says that all but two Korean vessels have successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz after previously being stranded in the waterway amidst the war. (The Korea Times) 

The Israel Hayom newspaper reports that the Board of Peace will begin managing humanitarian shelter centers in areas of the Gaza Strip not under Hamas control. (AA) 

Ukrainian forces launch a major drone attack on Moscow Oblast, Russia, striking the Dubna Space Communications Center to the north of Moscow. Russian authorities say a Ukrainian drone struck a residential building in Yegoryevsk, killing an infant, while another drone strike reportedly kills a 61-year-old woman in Tver Oblast. (CNN) 

Somalia’s defence ministry says a Turkish F-16 conducted an airstrike in the Godey area of Lower Shabelle region, South West State, killing 35 Al-Shabaab militants and injuring more than 20 others.  (Somali Guardian) 

Sudan’s army says that it has destroyed two tanks and 224 combat vehicles used by Rapid Support Forces and seized 36 others in two weeks of military operations including in Blue Nile State and the Darfur and Kordofan regions. (AA) 

A truck veers off a road in River Nile State, Sudan, and collides with a passenger vehicle, killing 18 people and wounding another. (Xinhua) 

Five people are killed and fifteen others missing after monsoon rains cause a jade mine to collapse in Kachin State, Myanmar. (AFP via The Hindu) 

At least 14 schoolchildren are killed and nine others are hospitalized after the roof of an under-construction tutoring center collapses in Lahore, Pakistan.  (Al Jazeera) 

At least 24 people are killed in floods and landslides caused by torrential rain in Accra, Ghana, and Abidjan, Ivory Coast. (AP) 

Hungary and Slovakia set national temperature records during a central European heat wave, reaching 42 °C (108 °F) and 41.3 °C (106.3 °F) respectively, as some municipalities impose water restrictions and tank trucks supply areas facing water scarcity. (AFP via CNA) 

The South Korean National Assembly approves the nomination of Han Seong-sook as the country’s new prime minister, succeeding Kim Min-seok, as well as the country’s first female prime minister in 20 years. The main opposition People Power Party boycotted the vote. (Yonhap News Agency) 

More than 14,000 people participate in rallies organized by the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) in Metro ManilaPhilippines, mainly to support senator and INC member Rodante Marcoleta who is under investigation for plunder. Five people are arrested at the People Power Monument in Quezon City and three police officers are injured. (Philippine Daily Inquirer) 

A coalition of human rights lawyers file a lawsuit against Ghana at the ECOWAS Court of Justice, accusing the country of violating non-refoulement by accepting deportees from the U.S. and forcing them back to the home countries they had fled. (Al Jazeera) 

Trump v. Barbara The Supreme Court of the United States rules 6–3 that president Donald Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship violates the 14th Amendment, with chief justice John Roberts writing that citizenship “was the right to have rights.”  (Reuters) 

According to witnesses, one person is killed and two others are injured when Kenyan police open fire during a protest in Mathare, Nairobi against reported abductions, amid concerns over security abuses. (Reuters) 

Ford issues a recall order of over 741,000 vehicles, mainly F-150, Explorer, Expedition, Lincoln Aviator, and Navigator models, in the U.S. due to a transmission issue that may damage the park system.  (Reuters) 

Eighteen people are killed and one injured after a truck veered off the road in River Nile State, North Sudan and collided with a passenger vehicle. (Xinhua) 

Five people are killed and fifteen others missing after monsoon rains cause a jade mine to collapse in Kachin State, Myanmar. (The Hindu) 

Iran holds its first joint committee meeting with Oman in Muscat to discuss future management of the Strait of Hormuz following a preliminary agreement with the United States to end the war. U.S. officials say shipping can resume freely. (AFP via The Straits Times) 

Israeli forces hit a tent in central Gaza, killing three Palestinians, including an 8-year old boy. (AP) 

The National News Agency reports that over 40,000 displaced people have returned to Lebanon since the ceasefire. (L’Orient Today) 

Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Iermolaiev is critically injured alongside his wife and daughter after the explosion of a parcel bomb at a building in Monaco, in what seems like an assassination attempt. (France 24) 

China adds 20 Japanese organizations to a dual-use export blacklist and places 20 others on a watchlist, citing concerns over Japan’s military capabilities amid worsening relations between China and Japan. (AFP via The Straits Times) 

South Korea holds joint burial ceremonies in Seoul and Daejeon for the remains of seven soldiers killed in the Korean War, after recovery efforts from 2007 to 2025 and DNA identification with surviving relatives. (AA) 

WhatsApp announces that it will include usernames and allow users to share their profiles without disclosing their phone numbers. (TechCrunch) 

Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri says that 12 LPG vessels from India have successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz without paying tolls. (United News of India) 

Sudan’s health ministry declares a new cholera outbreak, with 117 deaths in the West Kordofan state, four months after declaring an end to an previous outbreak that started in July 2024.  (CBC) 

The Sudanese Armed Forces announces that they have retaken the towns of Sirkum and Mugaja in Sudan’s Blue Nile State(Sudans Post) 

The joint forces allied with the Sudanese Armed Forces recapture the West Darfur town of Kulbus, two years after it was captured by the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces in October 2024. (Sudan Tribune) 

The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data publishes an article accusing the Rapid Support Forces of killing more civilians in Sudan, including in 2025, than other rebel groups. (Sudan Horizon) 

Pakistani information minister Attaullah Tarar says that Pakistan has carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan targeting alleged Jamaat-ul-Ahrar headquarters, killing 25 militants in border regions and the eastern provinces of Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar. (AFP via Free Malaysia Today) 

Afghan officials say that over 36 civilians have been killed in overnight strikes by Pakistan, and more than 160 have been injured. (AP) 

Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi summons the chargé d’affaires at the Pakistani embassy in Kabul over the airstrikes.  (India Today) 

Malaysia extends the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared in 2014 with 239 people aboard, until June 30, 2027, under a contingent fee agreement with Ocean Infinity.  (Reuters) 

Fifteen people are killed and one injured after a vehicle collided with a cargo truck in Mamou Region, Guinea. (Xinhua) 

Australia and Vanuatu sign the Nakamal Agreement, which expands Australian economic support and bars foreign military bases in Vanuatu. Vanuatu also commits to rejecting the militarisation of infrastructure. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer) 

The National Office of Electoral Processes confirms the victory of Popular Force‘s candidate Keiko Fujimori in the presidential election after 22 days of vote counting. Fujimori becomes the first elected female president of Peru. (DW) 

Six people are killed and several more injured in a mass shooting at a mother-child group home facility in Stade, Lower Saxony, Germany. Two people are arrested, including the alleged gunman. (CBS News) (DW) 

The American film Michael grosses to US$977 million at the worldwide box office, surpassing Oppenheimer as the highest-grossing biographical film. (The Independent) 

Three people die inside of a septic tank during an attempt to clean it in Mundka, Delhi, India. (Hindustan Times) (The Hindu) 

Iran holds its first joint committee meeting with Oman in Muscat to discuss future management of the Strait of Hormuz following a preliminary agreement with the United States to end the war. U.S. officials say shipping can resume freely. (AFP via The Straits Times) 

Pakistani information minister Attaullah Tarar says that Pakistan has carried out airstrikes targeting alleged Jamaat-ul-Ahrar headquarters, killing 25 militants in border regions and the eastern Afghanistan provinces of Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar. (AFP via Free Malaysia Today) 

China adds 20 Japanese organizations to a dual-use export blacklist and places 20 others on a watchlist, citing concerns over Japan’s military capabilities amid worsening relations between China and Japan. (AFP via The Straits Times) 

Australia and Vanuatu sign the Nakamal Agreement, which expands Australian economic support and bars foreign military bases in Vanuatu. Vanuatu also commits to rejecting the militarisation of infrastructure. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer) 

Five people are killed in a mass shooting on a street in Stade, Germany. A suspect is arrested. (DW) 

The British government announces that it will scrap the 202-year-old Vagrancy Act that criminalizes rough sleeping in England and Wales, saying that a new law will aim at “preventing homelessness” rather than “punishing” it. (The Independent) 

France records an additional 1,000 deaths as the country grapples with a severe heat wave. (AP) 

Poland records a provisional national high temperature of 40.5 °C (104.9 °F) in Słubice, Lubusz Voivodeship, exceeding a 1921 record. (AA) 

Axios reports from American officials that Iran and the United States have agreed to halt strikes near the Strait of Hormuz and will hold a Qatar-mediated meeting in Doha on Tuesday. (Axios) 

Iran cancels its participation in technical talks scheduled for today due to recent strikes against the country and unfulfilled conditions of ⁠the memorandum of understanding ceasefire agreement. (Reuters) 

The Bahraini Army says on X that Bahrain has successfully intercepted and destroyed “a number” of Iranian missiles and drone attacks on the country. (AA) (AFP via The Times of Israel) 

Kuwait’s Chief of the General Staff says that his forces have activated air defense systems to intercept missiles and drones. (Times Kuwait) 

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it has carried out retaliatory strikes against United States military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait, including the Ali Al Salem Air Base and U.S. Fifth Fleet naval base. (The New Region) 

South Korea’s ocean ministry says that two more vessels have transited through the Strait of Hormuz, bringing the total amount of ships to do so to 23 after weeks of disruption caused by the war. The ocean ministry also says that only three more South Korean-operated ships are remaining in the Persian Gulf, including the Panama–flagged HMM Namu, which was damaged in a explosion on May 4. (The Korea Herald) 

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi arrives in Baghdad, Iraq, for talks with Iraqi authorities on arrangements for the funeral of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei.  (Kurdistan24) 

Israel reports that it has killed three Palestinian police officers in a latest violation of the ceasefire. (MENAFN) 

Israel says its military has killed Mansour Sami Mahmoud Shahtout, a Hamas naval police commander who ran the Central Camps and took part in the October 7 attacks, in an airstrike in the Gaza Strip. (The Times of Israel) 

Israel says its military has destroyed a Hezbollah tunnel in Majdal Zoun, southern Lebanon, after notifying the United States. Israeli officials state that the 200-metre (660 ft) tunnel contained weapons and rocket launcher shafts. (AFP via Daily Sun) (Reuters) 

Ukrainian forces launch FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles at strategic targets in Russia, striking the Titan-Barrikady complex in Volgograd, which produces launchers for Russia’s Yars and Iskander missile systems. Authorities say ten people have been wounded in the strikes. A separate missile strike destroys a Pantsir missile system in occupied Crimea. (The Telegraph) 

Fourteen people are killed as a helicopter belonging to the Saudi Aramco oil company crashes in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia. (Al Jazeera) 

Israel’s government unanimously approves recognition of the World War I-era mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman empire as genocide, pending parliamentary ratification. (AFP via Le Monde) (AP) 

Five people are killed and a child is injured in car bombing attacks and murders in Tel Aviv, Holon, and Arab-Israeli communities in Israel. The attacks are linked to organized crime or criminal violence. (DPA via Yahoo News) 

Iraqi forces raid the Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq, reportedly arresting at least 47 officials suspected of corruption, including lawmakers and senior government officials. Videos on social media appear to show Iraqi Army tanks entering the diplomatic district. The military also begins arresting officials in Salahuddin, Al Anbar, and Nineveh. (i24 News) 

New Caledonians vote to elect 54 seats of Congress for the first time since 2019, after the vote was delayed three times following unrest in 2024 and the Bougival Accord in 2025. Preliminary results indicate the loyalist bloc taking 24 seats and the separatist bloc taking 26 seats, with Oceanian Awakening taking a crossbench position with four seats. (RNZ) (France Info) 

Uganda’s military surrounds the offices of Nation Media Group outlets in Kampala after army chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba orders the shutdown of the company’s newspapers, television station, and radio networks. (AFP via The Daily Star) 

Chadchart Sittipunt is reelected to a second term as governor of Bangkok, Thailand. (The Diplomat) (Thai PBS) 

In association football, World Cup co-hosts Canada advance to the round of 16 of the tournament for the first time after defeating South Africa 1–0 in the round of 32.  (Star News) 

Ten passengers and the pilot are killed in a plane crash during a skydiving trip in Tomblaine, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France. The passengers are identified as five instructors and five students. (Al Jazeera) (CNN) 

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