Friday,  February 17th, 2023 

The National Snow and Ice Data Center of the United States reports that the Antarctic sea ice decreased to 1.91 million square kilometers (740,000 sq mi) within the week, the smallest remaining ice area since records began in 1979. (AFP via ABS-CBN News) 

Islamic State militants kill at least 68 people, including 61 civilians and seven soldiers, in Al-Sukhnah, Homs Governorate, Syria. (Barron’s) 

Four people are killed and two others are injured, including Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr., governor of Lanao del Sur, when their convoy is ambushed in Maguing, Philippines, by unknown gunmen. (ABS-CBN News) 

Médecins Sans Frontières suspends its operations in Burkina Faso for an “indefinite” period, except when responding to lifesaving emergencies, following the killings of two of its Burkinabé aid workers by armed men near Dédougou on 8 February. (AFP via Barron’s) 

Eighteen people who have immigrated illegally from Afghanistan are found dead in an abandoned truck in Sofia City Province, Bulgaria. Thirty-five others are hospitalized. Four people have been arrested. (Reuters via The Guardian) 

Six people are killed in a spree shooting in Arkabutla, Mississippi, United States. A suspect has been arrested. (BBC News) 

Thursday, February 16th, 2023 

The death toll from the earthquakes in Turkey increases to 43,850, as the World Health Organization declares northwestern Syria as the zone of greatest concern, citing the slow delivery of humanitarian aid. (Al Jazeera) 

Lawmakers in the State Duma vote to withdraw Russia from 21 conventions of the Council of Europe. (RFE/RL) 

Armenia submits a peace treaty to Azerbaijan in an effort to end the decades-long conflict between the two countries. (Daily Sabah) 

Canada announces that it will deploy navy vessels to Haiti for intelligence-gathering amid a worsening security situation in the Caribbean country. (AP) 

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki announces that she will step down and will be succeeded by chief product officer Neal Mohan. (The Verge) 

The CAC 40, the benchmark stock market index for the 40 largest market caps on the Euronext Paris, Europe’s second-largest stock exchange market, reaches a record intraday value of 7,387.29 points. (CNBC) 

A Da Nang court sentences four South Korean men to imprisonment for smuggling around 200 South Koreans into Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic when the country suspended the entry of all foreigners from 2020 to 2021. (AFP via Al Arabiya) 

The Portuguese government announces the end of the Portugal Golden Visa investor program, as well as a ban on new licenses for Airbnbs, due to a severe housing shortage and rising rents. (Reuters) 

American alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin wins her seventh career alpine world championships gold medal in the women’s giant slalom of the 2023 edition in the French Alps, making her the most successful skier in the modern era with an overall tally of 13 medals from 16 career world championship races. (AP via The Guardian) 

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Wednesday, February 15th, 2023 

The European Parliament formally approves a law to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles in the European Union from 2035, citing the need to combat climate change in Europe, and promote electric vehicles. (Reuters) 

At least 39 migrants are killed in Gualaca District, Chiriquí Province, Panama, when their bus, heading to the United States, falls off a cliff. (Reuters) 

Twenty people are killed and 68 others injured in a head-on collision between a tour bus and an armoured cash-in-transit van in Makhado, Limpopo, South Africa. (BBC News) 

World Bank President David Malpass announces he will resign by the end of June. (AFP via RFI) 

The FTSE 100 Index, the main share index of the 100 most highly capitalized companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, ends its trading day at a record value of 8,003.65 points, surpassing the previous record value of 7,906.58 points recorded on February 3, 2023. (AFP via Deccan Herald) 

A United Nations report says that former Egyptian Army colonel Saif al-Adel has become the new leader of Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda and is currently residing in Iran (AFP via France 24) 

Payton Gendron receives ten life sentences without the possibility of parole. (NBC News) 

An investigation by a consortium of journalists uncovers a major disinformation campaign by an Israeli firm named Team Jorge, led by ex-Israeli special forces member Tal Hanan, which is alleged to have influenced more than 30 elections in several countries. (The Guardian) 

Nicola Sturgeon announces that she is resigning as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party once a new leader is elected. (The Washington Post) 

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signs a law annulling many privileges of his predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev, including lifetime financial support from the state, and the right to address the nation and propose ideas to officials, and also deprives Nazarbayev’s immediate family of legal immunity. (RFE/RL) 

Tuesday,  February 14th, 2023 

The Romanian Air Force unsuccessfully attempts to intercept an unidentified flying object detected roughly 11,000 metres (6.8 mi) above Southeast Romania. (Reuters) 

Moldova temporarily closes its airspace after receiving reports of a “balloon-like object”. (Reuters) 

Ukrainian forces blow up a bridge located between Bakhmut and Kostiantynivka as Russian troops and Wagner Group fighters advance on the city. (The Guardian) 

United States Central Command says U.S. forces have shot down an Iranian UAV near a patrol base and oil field in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Syria. (Newsweek) 

Three Pakistani Taliban members are killed by fellow militants who were trying to free them while being transported from Miranshah to Bannu, Pakistan by counter-terrorism officers. Four of the attackers are also killed in the ensuing shootout. (Tribune) 

A national state of emergency is declared in New Zealand for only the third time in the country’s history as Cyclone Gabrielle affects the country. (AFP via RFI) (Al Jazeera) 

Philippine president Bongbong Marcos summons Chinese ambassador Huang Xilian following a China Coast Guard vessel’s alleged use of a laser weapon on a Philippine ship in the South China Sea. (The Guardian) 

Former Governor of South Carolina and United States ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley officially announces her run for president in the upcoming 2024 election. She is the first major Republican challenger to former president Donald Trump. (CNN) 

California senator Dianne Feinstein announces that she will not seek re-election in 2024 after thirty years in office. (Reuters) 

Monday,  February 13th, 2023 

President of Moldova Maia Sandu accuses the Russian government of planning a coup d’état attempt against her. (La Prensalatina) 

The Equatoguinean health ministry confirms an outbreak of the Marburg virus in the country, which has killed nine people within the last month. (AFP via ABS-CBN News) 

The death toll of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria surpasses 37,000. (Al Jazeera) 

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres agrees with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to open two of the country’s border crossings with Turkey for at least three months to permit access to humanitarian aid. (AFP via Manila Standard) 

Police in Punjab, Pakistan, arrest 50 men for the lynching of a blasphemy suspect at a police station in Nankana Sahib District two days ago. (The Independent) 

Indonesian police general Ferdy Sambo is found guilty of killing his adjutant, Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat, and is sentenced to death. (Detik) 

Three people are killed and five others injured in a mass shooting at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. The shooter later commits suicide when approached by police. (CNN) 

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Sunday, February 12th, 2023 

A United States Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon shoots down an unidentified flying object over Lake Huron near the Canada–United States border. Officials describe the object as being octagon-shaped, and was flying at roughly 20,000 feet. (Forbes) 

China says it has detected an unidentified flying object over the Yellow Sea, and warns that it is prepared to shoot down the object. The Qingdao Marine Development Bureau issues an alert to fishermen in the waters to be “on alert” and “avoid risks”. (South China Morning Post) 

Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen orders the closure of one of the country’s last independent news outlets, saying that its publications hurt him and his son. (Reuters) 

Cypriots head to the polls for a run-off vote for president between Nikos Christodoulides and Andreas Mavroyiannis. (AFP via France 24) 

NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg announces that he will not extend his mandate to serve a fourth term and is expected to step down from the office in October. (AFP via South China Morning Post) 

Konkoly Observatory, Hungary discovers a 1-metre (3.3-foot) asteroid predicted to fall harmlessly as a fireball over the English Channel at 3:00 AM UTC, making it the seventh asteroid to be discovered before impacting Earth. JPL Center for NEO Studies 

Saturday, February 11th, 2023 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau orders the takedown of an unidentified flying object over Yukon, which is later shot down by a United States Air Force F-22 Raptor using a AIM-9X Sidewinder. The Canadian Armed Forces have been deployed to collect and analyze the object. (CNN) 

A UFO over Havre, Montana, is detected by NORAD, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration to issue a NOTAM over the area. Montana Representative Matt Rosendale says that efforts to “observe and ground” the object would continue. (Reuters) 

Seven police officers are killed and another is injured when their vehicle is ambushed in Valle de los Ríos Apurímac, Ene y Mantaro, Peru, in a suspected attack by remnants of Shining Path. (Infobae) 

The Alican border crossing between Armenia and Turkey briefly reopens to allow the passage of humanitarian aid following the Turkey–Syria earthquake for the first time since 1988. (AFP via Al Arabiya) 

Moldovan President Maia Sandu names pro-European Union academic Dorin Recean as the next Prime Minister of Moldova. (Politico) 

In association football, Spanish club Real Madrid win a record fifth FIFA Club World Cup title and eighth club world championship after defeating Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal 5–3 in the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup final at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco. With eight goals, the match was the highest scoring final in Club World Cup history. (Reuters via The Guardian) 

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