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Wednesday, February 4th, 2026 

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of Libya’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi and presidential candidate, is assassinated outside his home in Zintan, Libya. Four gunmen reportedly fled the scene after the shooting. (Al Arabiya) 

Vanguard Tech claims several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy gunboats attempt to stop and seize a U.S. tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. The tanker ignored the demands to stop and continued on its journey towards the Arabian Sea under escort of a United States Navy warship. (CBS News) 

The U.S. military claims to shoot down an Iranian Shahed 139 drone on approach to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln with an F-35 fighter jet. (Reuters) 

Peter Mandelson steps down from the United Kingdom House of Lords amid allegations he passed market-sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein. (RTÉ) 

Eswatini‘s high court upholds an agreement with the United States that accepts third-country deportees in exchange for $5.1 million and at least 15 transfers initiated during the presidency of Donald Trump, rejecting claims that the deal requires parliamentary approval or greater disclosure. (Reuters) 

At least 19 Palestinians, including seven women, five children, and a paramedic, are killed by Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip. (AP) 

Nine city government employees are killed when a dump truck, also carrying crude oil, overshoots and falls into a river in Bayawan, Negros Oriental, Philippines. (ABS-CBN News) 

Tuesday,  February 3rd, 2026 

The Metropolitan Police of Greater London, UK, launches an investigation into House of Lords peer Peter Mandelson following allegations of misconduct in public office. (BBC News) 

The United Kingdom’s Ofcom announces that it is continuing its investigation of X-owned chatbot Grok, and that the Information Commissioner’s Office has opened its own investigation. (BBC News) 

Criticism of X (formerly Twitter) Europol, the public prosecutor office in Paris, France, and a cybercrime investigation unit search the Paris office of X (formerly Twitter) in relation to allegations about biased algorithms distorting the operation of a data processing system, denial of crimes against humanity, sexually explicit deepfakes and child sexual abuse material. (France 24) 

Satellite images show Turkey has recently deployed at least three F-16 fighter jets to Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, to support Somali military operations against al-Shabaab and other militant groups. (Forbes) 

Myanmar and Russia sign a five-year military cooperation pact, which will last until 2030. (CNA) 

Following a brief moratorium on strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, Russian forces launch strikes involving drones and cruise missiles, including Zircon missiles across Ukraine. The strikes target Kyiv, Kharkiv, among other regions. (The Independent) 

Two civilians are killed and eight others are wounded in a Russian drone strike in Zaporizhzhia. (Reuters) 

Armed bandits kill at least 35 people in a village in Kwara State, Nigeria, forcing residents to flee into surrounding areas with several missing. (Reuters) 

At least 16 people are killed, including four children, and multiple others are injured when a bus returning from a religious festival veers off the road and overturns on a highway in São José da Tapera, Alagoas, Brazil. (Al Jazeera) 

Fourteen migrants are killed after their boat collides with a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel and capsizes off the coast of Chios, Greece. (Reuters) 

Three people are killed and dozens are injured after a bus plunges into a gorge in Sirmour district, Himachal Pradesh, India. (The Indian Express) 

Monday, February 2nd, 2026 

A South African separatist group, Boervolk of the Orange Free State, files a formal claim in a government gazette seeking land in KwaZulu-Natal, citing historical transactions with Zulu rulers and invoking a United Nations decolonization resolution. (Reuters) 

As part of a ceasefire agreement with the Syrian government, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces formally hands over control of Al-Hasakah to government forces. (Reuters) 

Israel partially reopens the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which has been closed since May 2024, allowing 150 people to leave Gaza and 50 to enter per day. (The Guardian) 

At least five people, including a 3-year-old boy, are killed in Israeli attacks according to the Gaza Health Ministry, including two at the Nuseirat refugee camp and one each in Al-Mawasi, Khan Yunis, and Jabalia. The Israeli military says it targeted “militants operating near the demarcation line“. (Haaretz) 

Five children are killed and six are injured when a bus collides with a truck in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. (APA) 

More than 50,000 people in Ksar el-Kebir, Larache Province, Morocco, are evacuated as flooding from heavy rain and controlled dam releases caused the Loukkos River to overflow, prompting school suspensions, power cuts, and military rescue operations across nearby areas. (Reuters) 

Nigerian police state that at least 80 people abducted from Christian churches in Kaduna State on January 18 return to their homes after fleeing during the abduction, but the Christian Association of Nigeria disputes the figure and says most of the 177 worshippers seized remain missing. (Reuters) 

Sunday, February 1st, 2026 

Peter Mandelson resigns from Labour Party (UK) after the United States Department of Justice releases files showing that convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein made £55,000 ($75,000) in payments to Lord Mandelson in three separate transactions in 2003 and 2004. (BBC) 

Portugal launches a €1 billion (US$1.2 billion) loan program to rebuild uninsured storm-damaged factories and a €500 million ($593 million) facility for short-term liquidity, while the government extends the state of calamity in about 60 municipalities amid forecasts of further heavy rain and flooding. (Reuters) 

At the 2026 Grammy Awards, Kendrick Lamar wins five awards and surpasses Jay-Z as the most awarded hip-hop artist in Grammy history, while Bad Bunny‘s Debí Tirar Más Fotos becomes the first Spanish-language album to win Album of the Year.  (The Hollywood Reporter) 

“Golden” from the film KPop Demon Hunters becomes the first K-pop song to win a Grammy after winning Best Song Written for Visual Media. (AP via ABC News) 

Steven Spielberg becomes the 22nd competitive EGOT awardee after winning a Grammy for Best Music Film for producing Music by John Williams (2024). (AA) 

Costa Ricans vote to elect the president and all 57 members of the Legislative Assembly. From a field of 20 candidates, Laura Fernández of the Sovereign People’s Party (PPSO) wins the presidency with 48% of the vote. (BBC News) 

Tens of thousands of people gather in Prague, Czech Republic, in support of President Petr Pavel in his dispute with foreign minister Petr Macinka and his party Motorists for Themselves. (AP) 

The End

Sunday, January 18th, 2026 

The United States Armed Forces formally withdraws from Iraq’s Al-Asad Airbase, handing over full operational control of the airbase to the Iraqi Armed Forces for the first time since 2014. (Reuters) 

Tribal forces allied with the Syrian Army take control of the Mashlab neighbourhood in Raqqa from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (Al Jazeera) 

Syrian government forces seize control of the Al-Omar field in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, the largest oil field in Syria, following the withdrawal of SDF forces. (BBC News) 

The Syrian government announces a ceasefire with the Syrian Democratic Forces. (AP News) (BBC News) 

At least two people are killed in Russian drone strikes across Ukraine, including in Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi, and Odesa. (DW) 

Search operations in the collapsed waste management facility in Cebu City, Philippines, conclude after retrieving the last victim, bringing the total number of deaths to 36. (GMA News) 

2026 Binaliw landslideThe death toll from the landslide in the Binaliw landfill in Cebu City, Philippines, rises to 35. Search operations are ongoing for the last victim. (ABS-CBN News) 

Search and rescue finds the wreckage of an Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42-512 aircraft that crashed in Maros Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The crew recovers one body of the eleven passengers from a ravine. (AP) 

Five people are killed and over 80 others are injured after a bus overturned due to brake failure in Latehar district, India. (Devdiscourse) 

Two people are killed, 66 others are injured, and five are reported missing in an explosion at a manufacturing plant in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China. (CTV News) 

Seven people are killed and many are injured after a high speed train derailment in Adamuz, province of Córdoba, Spain. (The Independent) 

Portuguese citizens vote in the first round of the presidential election between 11 candidates to succeed incumbent Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who has reached his term limit. Socialist Party candidate António José Seguro and CHEGA leader André Ventura advance to the second round. (AP) 

Saturday, January 17^th, 2026 

The members of NASA commercial Crew-11, who had been docked at the International Space Station (ISS) since August 2025, land on Earth one month early following the first-ever medical evacuation from the ISS. (Space) (NPR) 

At the 2026 Australian Open, Venus Williams becomes the oldest player to participate in the women’s singles draw at the age of 45 years and 7 months, surpassing Kimiko Date‘s record from 2015. (The Independent) 

A high court in Seoul, South Korea, sentences former president Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison for obstructing justice and excluding cabinet members during his 2024 martial law declaration, while acquitting him of document forgery. (AFP via TRT World) (AP) 

Syrian government forces capture many towns in Aleppo Governorate, including Dayr Hafir and Maskanah, after Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) units withdraw from their positions. The Syrian Army also reportedly expelled the SDF from Al-Tabqah. (Al Jazeera) 

 United States Armed Forces formally withdraws from Iraq’s Al-Asad Airbase, handing over full operational control of the airbase to the Iraqi Armed Forces for the first time since 2014. (Reuters) 

The European Union and Mercosur formally sign the free trade agreement between the two blocs after 25 years of negotiations. (Reuters) 

At least 16 people are killed, more than 50,000 are evacuated and a state of emergency is declared due to wildfires in Ñuble Region and Biobío Region, Chile. (France 24) (BBC News) 

2026 Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42 crashAn Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42-512 aircraft operated by the marine affairs ministry carrying eleven people loses contact in Maros Regency, South Sulawesi, while flying to Makassar and crashes. A search and rescue effort is underway. (Detikcom in Indonesian) (ANTARA) 

An Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42-512 aircraft operated by the marine affairs ministry carrying eleven people loses contact in Maros Regency, South Sulawesi, while flying to Makassar and crashes. A search and rescue effort is underway. (Detikcom in Indonesian) (ANTARA) 

At least six people are killed, 22 others are injured and 50 are reported missing in a massive fire at a multi-story shopping mall in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. (Dawn) (AP) 

At least 24 people are killed and 45 others are injured in two separate road crashes in Pakistan when a truck plunges into a canal in Sargodha, Punjab, and a passenger bus overturns on a highway in Balochistan. (AP) 

Eight skiers are killed and another is seriously injured in separate avalanches on the Alps in Austria. (AFP via The Straits Times) 

The High Seas Treaty enters into force in 60 United Nations member states. (Reuters) 

Hands off Greenland protestsThousands of demonstrators attend rallies in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Nuuk, Greenland, to protest the proposed takeover by U.S. president Donald Trump. (BBC News) 

American fugitive Alejandro Castillo is arrested in Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico. (WCNC) 

Two people are seriously injured, including one critically, in a mass stabbing attack near an anti-Iran protest in Hamburg, Germany. (Times Now) 

At least three people are killed and about a dozen others are injured in a massive fire at a multi-story shopping mall in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. (AP) 

Coordinated riots erupt in three prisons in Guatemala, where inmates hold at least 46 officers and staff hostage as security forces secure the perimeters and the interior minister refuses to negotiate. (Reuters) 

New Zealand temporarily closes its embassy in Tehran, evacuates its diplomats to Ankara, Turkey, and warns its citizens to leave Iran, citing the deteriorating security situation and internet blackout. (AFP via Al Arabiya) 

Provisional results in Benin reveal that the Progressive Union Renewal won 60 out of 109 seats in the National Assembly, followed by the Republican Bloc with 49 seats. Both parties in the National Assembly are part of a coalition supportive of President Patrice Talon. (Benin Web TV) 

Coordinated riots erupt in three prisons in Guatemala, where inmates hold at least 46 officers and staff hostage as security forces secure the perimeters and the interior minister refuses to negotiate. (Reuters) 

Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni is re-elected to a seventh term with 71.65% of the vote, while opposition leader Bobi Wine comes second with 24.72% of the vote. (France 24) 

Syrian government forces capture many towns in Aleppo Governorate, including Dayr Hafir and Maskanah, after Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) units withdraw from their positions. The Syrian Army also reportedly expelled the SDF from Al-Tabqah. (Al Jazeera) 

Thousands of demonstrators attend rallies in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Nuuk, Greenland, to protest the proposed takeover by U.S. president Donald Trump. (BBC News) 

The High Seas Treaty enters into force in 60 United Nations member states. (Reuters) 

At least 24 people are killed and 45 others are injured in two separate road crashes in Pakistan when a truck plunges into a canal in Sargodha, Punjab, and a passenger bus overturns on a highway in Balochistan. (AP) 

Friday, January 16^th, 2026 

One of the self-imposed questions that is central to my concept of what it is to exist is when it makes sense to buy a Leica. The question amuses me. I have multiple guides. I have resources, mostly a large team of experts keeping an eye on my decisions and helping me with my delusions. This includes all my friends and family. I cannot express in words the gratitude I have for all those at Hunt’s in Kenmore Square. The assistance and guidance and above all service are un-paralled. I simply cannot do without it.

I’d like to write more about photography but there is no time. I’ll try. These shots are all taken with a Canon Rebel 2000 using Phoenix 200 film. I’m not crazy about this film. It plays games. You have no idea what you are going to end up with. But the camera is probably THE best of the last modern Auto-focus 35mm film camera simply because of its weight and sleakness. Silver. It’s a pretty camera with all EF glass. Superior. The Nikon N80/90s are made like tanks and I have one but who needs that? Great camera. But I bought both so you don’t have to. I own a lot of cameras. I haven’t done a proper count but It has to be near 20 film cameras manufactured between 1969 and 2000 roughly. 3 Nikons, 1 Olympus, 3 Canons, 5 Contax (RTS, 167 MT, 139q, 137 MD, Aria), 3 Fujica, 3 Minoltas, 3 Yashicas, 1 Canon QL17III, [22]

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