Elections in Zimbabwe Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa's cabinet approves draft constitutional amendments that extend presidential term limits from five to seven years and replace direct presidential elections with parliamentary selection, which would allow Mnangagwa to remain in office until 2030 if adopted by parliament.
Recognition of same-sex unions in the Philippines The Philippine supreme court rules that same-sex partners may qualify as co-owners of property under the Family Code when both contribute to its acquisition, reversing lower-court decisions in a dispute between two former partners in Metro Manila.
Corruption in Malaysia The Malaysian federal court reinstates the bribery conviction and six-year prison sentence of former Federal Land Development Authority chairperson Mohd Isa Abdul Samad after overturning a 2024 acquittal on nine corruption counts linked to a hotel purchase.
Fokker 50 A Starsky Aviation Fokker 50 aircraft veers off a runway at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, due to a technical error. All 55 people on board survive.
Ireland Ireland launches a permanent basic-income programme for the arts that pays 2,000 creative workers €325 (US$387) per week for three years, following a government trial that began in 2022, and which culture minister Patrick O'Donovan describes as the first permanent scheme of its kind worldwide.
Israeli–Palestinian conflict Seven Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli air attack on a residential building in western Gaza City.
Articles The post-truth and the contextMost of the daily information we see on the mainstream media today is the news equivalent of fast-food.
Immigration to Sweden Swedish migration minister Johan Forssell announces the implementation of stricter naturalization requirements from June 6, extending the residency period from five years to eight, imposing a minimum income threshold of 20,000 kr (US$2,225), requiring language and civic knowledge tests, and lengthening waiting times for applicants with criminal records.
Missing persons in Mexico Three employees abducted from a mining facility in Sinaloa, Mexico, are found dead after being taken on January 23, while authorities continue searching for the remaining seven missing workers.
Hong Kong Hong Kong opposition figure Jimmy Lai is sentenced to 20 years in prison for violating a national security law following a two-year trial. Eight others, including six former "Apple Daily" executives and two pro-democracy activists, are also sentenced to more than 10 years in prison.
2026 political prisoner release in Venezuela The Public Ministry of Venezuela says Juan Pablo Guanipa, who was released and later abducted on Sunday, broke his parole's terms and that a request has been made to place Guanipa under house arrest, while not specifying if the government has him in custody.
2025–2026 Iranian protests Iranian police arrest several senior figures from the Reformists Front, including Mohsen Aminzadeh, Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, and Azar Mansouri, while additional members receive summonses to appear before prosecutors, with no formal charges publicly disclosed.
Australia–Israel relations Protests against Israeli president Isaac Herzog's state visit, following the 2025 Bondi Beach shooting, are held in cities across Australia. In Sydney, protests occurred amid a ban by the state government on hate speech grounds, resulting in police making 27 arrests and deploying pepper spray.
Allied Command Transformation The United States Armed Forces announces the transfer of two major NATO command and control centres over to European military forces in Naples, Italy, and Norfolk, Virginia, as part of a gradual shift to European countries taking a leading role in the military alliance.
Armenia–United States relations Armenia and the United States reach a nuclear deal, outlining a Section 123 Agreement and up to US$9 billion in total exports to Armenia related to nuclear energy.
United States vice president JD Vance visits Armenia, becoming the highest ranking U.S. official to have visited Armenia in its history. Vance meets with prime minister Nikol Pashinyan to discuss implementing a peace agreement to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
United States embargo against Cuba Mexico deploys two navy vessels, including the ARM "Papaloapan", carrying more than 800 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Cuba amid critical shortages on the island.
Air Canada suspends all flights to Cuba and deploys empty aircraft to repatriate stranded passengers after the country's fuel supply was exhausted due to the U.S. blockade and the end of fuel supplies from Venezuela.
Russo-Ukrainian war Russian forces launch a large-scale attack on Ukraine using drones and ballistic missiles, killing at least six people, including a 10-year-old boy and his mother in Kharkiv, and injuring dozens of others.
Russian troops launch a mechanised assault east of the city of Kupiansk, capturing the towns of Petropavlivka and Stepova Novoselivka.
Arab–Israeli conflict An Israeli drone strikes a car in Yanouh, South Governorate, Lebanon, killing three people, including a 3-year-old child.
An Israeli airstrike destroys a residential building in Gaza City, Palestine, killing one person and injuring five others.
Super Bowl LX In American football, the Seattle Seahawks defeat the New England Patriots, 29–13, to win their second Super Bowl, and their first in 12 years. Seahawks running back (RB) Kenneth Walker III is awarded MVP, the first RB to receive the award in 28 years.
Politics of Australia The Liberal–National Coalition of Australia reforms in Opposition following its second split in the span of a year.
2026 Thai general election Thai citizens vote to elect all 500 seats in the House of Representatives, with the conservative Bhumjaithai Party winning the most seats. Voters also approved the beginning of a multi-stage drafting process to replace the current constitution.
2026 Portuguese presidential election The postponement of elections in some municipalities are expected due to recent windstorms, including impacts from Storm Kristin.
Socialist Party candidate António José Seguro is elected President of Portugal, defeating CHEGA leader André Ventura in the second round.
2026 Japanese general election Japanese citizens vote to elect all 465 seats in the House of Representatives, with the conservative ruling Liberal Democratic Party winning an overwhelming majority.
2025–26 Republika Srpska presidential election Independent Social Democrat candidate Siniša Karan wins a partial rerun of the Republika Srpska presidential election held after irregularities in the November vote, defeating Serb Democratic Party candidate Branko Blanuša in balloting limited to 136 polling stations.
2026 Spanish regional elections In Aragon, Spain, the ruling People's Party wins the election, albeit without a majority and losing two seats, while the Socialists' Party comes second matching its worst result ever and the far-right Vox party doubles its votes and seats.
Epstein files Mona Juul, Norway's ambassador to Iraq and Jordan, resigns after the foreign ministry opened an inquiry into her past contacts with Jeffrey Epstein, amid media reports that Epstein left money to her children.
Morgan McSweeney, the chief of staff to British prime minister Keir Starmer, resigns over his role in Peter Mandelson's appointment as ambassador to the U.S.
Human trafficking in Senegal Senegalese gendarmerie arrest 14 people in Dakar and Kaolack who are allegedly involved in a human trafficking network run by a French national.
Censorship in Iran An Iranian court sentences 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi to seven years and six months in prison and two years of internal exile in South Khorasan for collusion and propaganda-related charges, with the penalties running concurrently.
Cuba–Nicaragua relations Nicaragua terminates visa-free entry for Cubans, revoking a policy that previously allowed thousands to transit through the country on their way to the United States.
Valencia Five people are killed and three others are injured when their truck crashes into a fence in Valencia, Bukidnon, Northern Mindanao, Philippines.
Tripoli Fifteen people are killed and eight others are injured when two adjoining five-story residential buildings collapse in Tripoli, Lebanon.
Gezawa More than 30 people are killed and many others are seriously injured in a traffic accident in Gezawa, Kano State, Nigeria.
United States embargo against Cuba Cuba suspends refueling for airliners at its airports, including José Martí International Airport, saying it has exhausted the country's fuel supply due to the U.S. blockade of the island and the end of fuel supplies from Venezuela.
Nigerian bandit conflict One person is killed in a shooting attack by heavily armed bandits in a community in Kwara State, Nigeria.
Russo-Ukrainian war A 65-year-old man accused of shooting and critically injuring lieutenant general Vladimir Alekseyev on February 6 is detained in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is deported to Moscow, Russia.
Kivu conflict The Allied Democratic Forces attack a village in North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing at least 20 people.