Israel advances registration of West Bank territory as state land in move decried as “de facto annexation”

israel-west-bank-state-land

Lead: On February 15, 2026, the Israeli government moved to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as state land, a first since the 1967 occupation. The change creates a formal mechanism to record vast tracts in Area C under state ownership. Palestinians and international critics called the step a “de facto annexation,” while … Read more

Vince Cable urges probe into Prince Andrew’s conduct as trade envoy

andrew-trade-envoy-probe

Lead: Sir Vince Cable has urged a formal investigation into Prince Andrew’s decade as a UK trade envoy (2001–2011) after documents recently released by the US Department of Justice appear to show he forwarded UK government and commercial material to Jeffrey Epstein. The material reportedly includes an email exchange in 2010 about Aston Martin and … Read more

Mets Claim Ben Rortvedt Off Waivers From Dodgers

mets-claim-ben-rortvedt-waivers

The New York Mets claimed catcher Ben Rortvedt off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Feb. 15, 2026, with right-hander Dedniel Nunez transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot. The move follows Rortvedt’s designation for assignment in Los Angeles earlier this week to make room for Evan Phillips. Rortvedt … Read more

Former UFC champion Cain Velasquez released on parole

cain-velasquez-parole-release

Lead Former UFC heavyweight titleholder Cain Velasquez was released on parole from a California state prison on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, his longtime agent confirmed to ESPN. Velasquez, 43, had been serving a five-year sentence imposed in March 2025 after pleading no contest in a shooting related to an incident from February 2022. At sentencing … Read more

Nasser Hospital Condemns MSF Suspension of Services in Gaza

nasser-hospital-msf-suspension

Lead: Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis publicly denounced Doctors Without Borders’ (MSF) decision to suspend most noncritical operations, saying civilian police were deployed to safeguard patients and staff. The dispute surfaced on Sunday amid a ceasefire period in which Gaza health officials report 602 Palestinians killed since Oct. 10, 2023, and 11 deaths in the … Read more

Trump’s border czar says ‘small’ security force will remain in Minnesota after enforcement drawdown

minnesota-ice-drawdown

Lead White House border czar Tom Homan said on Sunday that more than 1,000 immigration agents have already left the Minneapolis–St. Paul area and that several hundred more will depart in the coming days as part of a planned drawdown of the enforcement surge. Homan said a “small” security force will remain for a short … Read more

Europe Today Differs from the One Rubio Describes

europe-rubio-munich

Lead At the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 15, 2026, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to reassure trans-Atlantic partners while framing the relationship in terms of a shared Western civilization. He emphasized common history, Christian faith and cultural ties as foundations for U.S.-Europe cooperation. Yet the Europe Rubio described contrasts with the continent’s … Read more

A Star-Studded Stink Bomb Lands in Berlin

rosebush-pruning-berlin-stink-bomb

Lead Rosebush Pruning, a high-profile new film that premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, assembles a glamorous cast only to deliver a divisive, often frustrating experience. The story tracks a dysfunctional American family living in a grand Spanish house and foregrounds incest, violence and moral decay while leaning on glib, self-aware narration. Despite pedigree—writer Efthimis … Read more

Shiffrin’s Olympic medal drought continues after giant slalom miss

shiffrin-giant-slalom-miss

Lead On Feb. 15, 2026 at the Milano Cortina Winter Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Mikaela Shiffrin finished 11th in the women’s giant slalom with a combined time of 2:14.42, missing a second Olympic podium opportunity. Italy’s Federica Brignone won gold in 2:13.50, while Sweden’s Sara Hector and Thea Louise Stjernesund tied for silver. Shiffrin, 30, … Read more

Winter storm watch expected to disrupt Northern California travel over Presidents Day weekend

winter-storm-northern-california

A winter storm watch issued Feb. 15, 2026, covers much of Northern California as communities prepare for heavy snow during the Presidents Day holiday weekend. Meteorologists say a travel window exists Saturday through Sunday morning but warn conditions will deteriorate Sunday afternoon into Monday, with major travel impacts likely. Areas between 3,000 and 4,000 feet … Read more

iOS 27 code cleanup and UI tweaks aim to improve battery life

ios-27-code-cleanup-battery

Lead: On February 15, 2026, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman wrote in his Power On newsletter that Apple is preparing iOS 27 with a focus on tidying its codebase, applying modest interface adjustments and subtly updating older apps. The reported goal is cleaner internal systems and improved efficiency, which Apple engineers hope will translate into better … Read more

Why snakes keep evolving cannibalism, and what researchers think is driving it

snakes-evolve-cannibalism

A 2025 literature review led by Bruna Falcão of the University of São Paulo examined 503 reports from 207 species and found that snake cannibalism has evolved independently at least 11 times across global lineages. Published on Nov. 2, 2025 in Biological Reviews, the study links these occurrences to factors such as dietary flexibility, jaw … Read more

Nancy Guthrie search enters third week as task force awaits forensic results

nancy-guthrie-forensic-results

The search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, mother of NBC “Today” host Savannah Guthrie, entered its third week as investigators await forensic confirmations from evidence recovered miles from her Tucson home. Authorities say no suspects or persons of interest have been publicly named, and a federally assisted task force is balancing field searches with lab analysis. … Read more