The News

For 35 years, ethnic Armenians governed themselves in Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous enclave inside Azerbaijan's internationally recognized borders. On February 5, 2026, an Azerbaijani military court sentenced 13 former leaders of that self-declared republic—including three ex-presidents—to prison terms ranging from 15 years to life. The charges: war crimes, terrorism, genocide, and crimes against humanity spanning three decades of conflict.

Updated 20 minutes ago

The United States and Russia agreed on February 5, 2026, to reestablish high-level military communication that had been suspended since fall 2021. The channel gives General Alexus Grynkewich, commander of U.S. European Command, a direct line to General Valery Gerasimov, chief of Russia's General Staff—restoring a mechanism designed to prevent miscalculation between two nuclear-armed militaries operating in proximity across Europe, the Arctic, and the Black Sea.

Updated 24 minutes ago

Ukraine's military has depended on Starlink satellite internet since the first week of Russia's 2022 invasion. On February 5, 2026, SpaceX flipped a switch that cut off Russian forces from that same network—collapsing command systems along the entire front line and halving the number of daily assault operations within hours.

Updated 27 minutes ago

Congress last declared war in 1942. Since then, presidents have ordered military strikes 212 times without formal declarations—but never quite like this. On January 3, 2026, U.S. special forces raided the Venezuelan capital, captured President Nicolás Maduro in his residence, and flew him to New York to face narcoterrorism charges. Eleven days later, Vice President JD Vance cast the deciding vote to kill a Senate resolution that would have required congressional authorization for further military action. Now, over a month after the raid, the operation faces mounting legal challenges: Maduro's defense team filed motions on February 4 questioning the federal court's jurisdiction over the extraordinary rendition case, while the International Court of Justice and UN human rights bodies have issued statements characterizing the operation as a violation of international law.

Updated 1 hour ago

Bulgaria has had five presidents in its 33-year post-communist history. None resigned before completing their term—until Rumen Radev stepped down on January 23, 2026. His departure elevated Vice President Iliana Iotova to become Bulgaria's first female head of state, a historic milestone overshadowed by the deepest political instability the country has faced since the fall of communism.

Updated 1 hour ago

India surpassed Japan in mid-2025 to become the world's fourth-largest economy. On February 1, 2026, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2026, introducing a sweeping overhaul of India's tax code—the first major rewrite since 1961—while allocating a record ₹12.2 lakh crore for capital expenditure and ₹20,000 crore for carbon capture technologies. The budget came as the government faces new external pressures: the United States had imposed combined 50% tariffs on several Indian exports in 2025, yet India proved more resilient than expected. Just one day later, on February 2, India and the United States finalized a landmark trade agreement reducing U.S. tariffs on Indian goods from 50% to 18%, bringing India's trade burden in line with regional competitors. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called the preceding Economic Survey a glimpse of the 'Reform Express,' stating India's momentum is accelerating even during difficult times.

Updated 1 hour ago

When Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post in 2013 for $250 million, staff hailed him as their savior from mounting financial ruin. Thirteen years later, on February 4, 2026, his paper laid off more than 300 journalists—roughly one-third of its newsroom—eliminating entire sections including sports and books while gutting foreign coverage. The 150-year-old newspaper that broke Watergate is now narrowing its focus largely to politics, national security, and "futures" topics like science and wellness, having lost nearly $100 million in 2025 alone. Laid-off staff will remain on payroll through April 10, 2026, with severance ranging from 4 to 45 weeks of pay depending on tenure, though exact terms remain under negotiation with the Washington Post Guild.

Updated 2 hours ago

ChatGPT's November 2022 launch triggered the fastest infrastructure buildout in tech history. Datacenter construction spending tripled from $15 billion to $45 billion annually in just two years. Hyperscalers are now on track to spend over $800 billion in 2026—exceeding the GDP of the Netherlands—racing to secure power, land, and cooling systems before their rivals. Alphabet shocked markets on February 4, 2026 with guidance of $175-185 billion in 2026 capex, 55-65% above Wall Street estimates of $119.5 billion. Amazon escalated the spending war on February 5 with $200 billion 2026 capex guidance after Q4 revenue of $213.4 billion and AWS growth of 24% to $35.6 billion. Microsoft reported $37.5 billion in capex for Q2 FY2026 (just one quarter), while Meta committed $6 billion to Corning for fiber-optic cables in late January and secured 6.6 gigawatts of nuclear power through three partnerships announced in early January 2026.

Updated 2 hours ago

Nine local government employees in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental died on February 4, 2026 when their city-owned dump truck lost its brakes on a steep descent and plunged 50 meters into a ravine. The victims, all workers from the city's Agriculture Office including a trainee, were headed to conduct fieldwork. It was the second mass-casualty truck accident in Negros Oriental in less than two years.

Updated 2 hours ago

Julian Ingram, 37, allegedly killed three people—including his pregnant ex-girlfriend Sophie Quinn, 25, her friend John Harris, 32, and her aunt Nerida Quinn, 50—at two locations in Lake Cargelligo on January 22, 2026. A fourth victim, a 19-year-old man, remains hospitalized in serious condition. As of early February, Ingram remains at large despite a massive manhunt now in its third week, involving over 100 police, tactical units, Australian Defence Force personnel, and riot squad officers deployed to maintain presence at community events. Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon visited the area on January 29 to support search operations amid extreme 40-plus degree temperatures and challenging terrain.

Updated 5 hours ago

Lurie Children's Hospital opened the Midwest's first pediatric gender identity clinic in 2013. Thirteen years later, it announced it will no longer prescribe gender-affirming medications to new patients under 18—days after HHS General Counsel Mike Stuart referred the hospital for federal investigation. Lurie joins at least 40 hospital systems that have paused or ended pediatric gender services since January 2025, including Rady Children's Health—California's largest pediatric healthcare system—which announced on January 23, 2026, it will stop all gender-affirming medical interventions on February 6. On February 3, California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued Rady for violating legally binding merger conditions that required the hospital to maintain gender-affirming care through 2034.

Updated 5 hours ago

Spain's high-speed rail network had operated without a fatal accident on dedicated lines for 34 years. That ended on January 18, 2026, when an Iryo train traveling from Malaga to Madrid derailed near Adamuz and collided head-on with a Renfe Alvia service, killing 45 people and injuring 292. A preliminary investigation report published January 23 confirmed that a 30-centimeter crack in the track caused the derailment, though whether the fracture resulted from poor welding, fatigue, or deterioration remains under analysis.

Updated 5 hours ago

An Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42-500, chartered by the government for fisheries surveillance, crashed into Mount Bulusaraung in South Sulawesi on January 17, 2026. Ten people were aboard—seven crew members and three Marine Affairs Ministry staff conducting aerial monitoring of Indonesian waters. After a challenging seven-day search operation through steep terrain, thick fog, and high winds, rescuers recovered all ten victims by January 23, with the final two bodies found in the early morning hours.

Updated 5 hours ago

The House passed a three-year extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies on January 8, 2026, by a 230-196 vote, with 17 Republicans joining Democrats after a discharge petition bypassed Speaker Mike Johnson's opposition. The subsidies had expired December 31, 2025, more than doubling premiums for 22 million Americans—92% of marketplace enrollees. A 60-year-old couple earning $85,000 now faces $22,600 more annually in premiums.

Updated 5 hours ago

America's residential solar industry continues bleeding out. Over 100 companies filed for bankruptcy or shut down in the past two years—including giants like SunPower and Sunnova, and most recently PosiGen in November 2025—wiped out by interest rate spikes, California's gutting of rooftop solar incentives, and Chinese manufacturers flooding the market with panels at 40% below US production costs. The carnage left 17,000+ workers jobless and thousands of homeowners stuck with orphaned systems. Nearly a month after Otovo's January 8 entry into California, analysts' projections of 13-25% residential installation drops in 2026 appear on track as the customer-owned solar tax credit expired at the end of 2025.

Updated 5 hours ago

Chile's presidential race ended decisively on December 14 when José Antonio Kast defeated Jeannette Jara by about 20 points in the runoff. The country chose a mood: fear of crime and anger over disorder. Now, two months before his March 11 inauguration, Kast has unveiled a 24-minister cabinet dominated by technocrats and independents rather than party loyalists—a signal that he intends to govern pragmatically despite his hardline campaign rhetoric.

Updated 5 hours ago

Since early December 2025, the war has combined intensified winter ground pushes in Kharkiv and Donetsk—where Russia claims incremental gains around Kupiansk and Lyman—with unprecedented drone and missile campaigns hitting deep into each other's energy and industrial infrastructure. Russia's Oreshnik missile redeployment in January 2026, followed by a record February 2 barrage of over 450 drones and 70 missiles just before US-brokered Abu Dhabi peace talks, cut power across multiple regions and killed dozens, while Ukraine struck Oreshnik production sites and refineries in response. The EU's €105 billion market-backed loan proceeded without frozen assets after Russia's January 16 Euroclear lawsuit hearing went behind closed doors.

Updated 5 hours ago

The ACA subsidy cliff has delivered the predicted damage. Enhanced premium tax credits expired on January 1, 2026, and by late January, enrollment data confirmed the worst fears: 1.2 to 1.4 million fewer Americans signed up for marketplace coverage compared to the prior year, with total 2026 enrollment falling to 22.8–22.9 million. Average premium payments for subsidized enrollees jumped 114% as projected—from $888 to $1,904 annually—while Trump administration changes to tax credit calculations amplified the shock. State exchanges reported steep declines: California saw new sign-ups fall 32%, Massachusetts lost 13,000 enrollees, and Mississippi expects 200,000 to abandon coverage. The predicted rate shock is no longer a forecast; it is reshaping the individual insurance market in real time.

Updated 5 hours ago

Since March 2025, jihadist attacks, mass kidnappings, and farmer-herder violence across northern and central Nigeria have persisted, with over 160 killed in a February 4, 2026, jihadist massacre in Kwara State alone. Key incidents include a US-Nigeria joint airstrike on December 25, 2025, targeting Islamic State militants, multiple Boko Haram and ISWAP attacks killing dozens of soldiers in January 2026, and partial rescues of hostages amid unabated banditry.

Updated 8 hours ago