Monday, February 16, 2026
Updated 2m ago
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told officials in Bratislava that Washington did not want a "subservient" Europe but a strong partner, following his speech at the Munich Security Conference.
Survivors whose statements surfaced in the Jeffrey Epstein files described repeated abuse and exploitation, with one saying she feared she would die while assaulted on his private jet.
President Donald Trump said his newly formed "Board of Peace" pledged more than $5 billion to rebuild Gaza and would deploy security personnel, though several Western countries declined to join.
The British and German military chiefs urged the public to accept rearmament as Moscow and Kyiv traded strikes ahead of US-backed peace talks in Geneva.
Jeffrey Epstein's scandal exposed extensive financial and social ties linking academics, financiers and diplomats across Europe, prompting scrutiny of elite networks and rattling Norway's foreign ministry.
US and European leaders pledged continued NATO cooperation at the Munich Security Conference despite deep ideological rifts and debate over the alliance’s future, analysts and officials said.
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 11 people in Gaza, Gaza civil defence said, and Israel said the strikes targeted alleged Hamas ceasefire violations.
The European Central Bank extended euro loans to central banks worldwide, saying it aimed to bolster the euro against U.S. and Chinese influence, while critics warned it overstepped.
Storm-related heavy rain prompted dozens of flood warnings in England, red alerts in southwest France, and warnings in New Zealand that prompted evacuations and at least one death.
Two skiers were killed and a third was critically injured when an avalanche swept several off-piste skiers above Courmayeur in Italy's Aosta Valley, rescuers said.
French clarinetist and composer Michel Portal, a pioneer of free jazz who also worked in classical music and film, died in Paris on Feb. 12 at age 90.
German installation artist Henrike Naumann, 42, died of cancer after being chosen months earlier as a co-designer of Germany’s pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale.
Norwegian Johannes Høsflot Klæbo led Norway to victory in the men's 4x7.5km cross‑country relay at Milano‑Cortina, claiming a record ninth Winter Olympic gold.
Norwegian Johannes Klæbo became the most successful athlete at the 2026 Winter Olympics after winning another cross‑country gold in Milan–Cortina.
Quentin D., a 23-year-old nationalist student, died in Lyon after a violent street assault linked to clashes around a La France insoumise event, officials said; LFI denied responsibility.
Sweden drew Latvia in the Olympic men's ice hockey round of 16, scheduled for Tuesday, with the winner set to face the United States in the quarterfinals.
