Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss regional security issues, satellite images appeared to show Iran covering its nuclear sites and building an underground facility,and the U.S. withdrew from Syria's al-Tanf base, handing control to government forces.Meanwhile, Somalia and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement to strengthen their military cooperation, Ethiopia was accused of hosting a secret camp to train Sudan's Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group,and Kenya's foreign minister announced plans to visit Russia over reports of Kenyan nationals being recruited by Moscow to fight in Ukraine.This comes as Trump reiterated calls for Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy to "move" on a Russia peace deal, NATO allies committed another $35 billion in new aid to Ukraine,and Germany's Friedrich Merz and France's Emmanuel Macron discussed Europe's nuclear deterrence at the annual Munich Security Conference.In other news, the U.S. Pentagon announced a partnership with OpenAI to add ChatGPT to GenAI.mil, Trump ordered the military to establish contractual agreements with coal-fired power plants to procure electricity for military operations,and a U.S. Marine was allowed to retain custody of an Afghan child who was orphaned during a military raid in 2019.

Tarique Rahman's Bangladesh Nationalist Party secured victory in the country's first election since the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Thailand's Bhumjaithai Party reached a coalition deal with the Pheu Thai party after winning the general election, anonymous officials reported that Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy would announce elections later this month,and North Korea's intelligence agency reported that Kim Jong Un's daughter had reached a successor-designate stage, citing her recent presence at military events.In other news, Trump threatened to block the opening of a U.S.-Canada bridge until Washington is "fully compensated" by its neighbor, Trump reportedly questioned the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement ahead of its mandatory review in July,and the U.S. House voted to disapprove of Trump's tariffs on Canada in a 219-211 vote.This comes as the U.S. and Bangladesh reached a trade deal to cut tariffs on Bangladesh to 19%, EU leaders held an informal summit to discuss European competitiveness,and Switzerland scheduled a vote on capping its population at 10 million.In other developments, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright met with Venezuela's Dely Rodríguez in the highest-level U.S. energy-focused visit to the country in decades, the U.S. authorized oil service companies to work in Venezuela,and Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa was placed under house arrest after being released from prison.Elsewhere, Colombian President Gustavo Petro's helicopter was diverted following an alleged attempt on his life, violent clashes erupted in Tirana over calls for Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation,and Australian police faced criticism for their response to violent protests over Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Sydney.Meanwhile, the U.K.'s High Court ruled against the proscription of Palestine Action as a terror group, Australian Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley was ousted after losing a leadership ballot to Angus Taylor,and Canada's Mark Carney was reported to have spent at least CA$772,000 on travel since becoming prime minister.

Trump vowed to seek voter ID requirements for November's midterm elections,as the House passed a bill requiring proof of citizenship and photo ID to vote, the Republican National Committee petitioned the Supreme Court to strike down mail-in ballot laws,and Gallup ended its nearly 90-year tradition of tracking presidential polls.Meanwhile, the White House ended Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, citing agents' "success" in "arresting public safety threats," several top Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials testified about the fatal shootings of two American citizens in Minneapolis,and reports alleged that an hours-long shutdown of the airspace over El Paso was caused by a Customs and Border Protection anti-drone laser.In other news, Pam Bondi testified before the House about the Justice Department's (DOJ) handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files,and a 2019 interview from the files appeared to reveal that Trump tipped off police about Epstein's activities in 2006.This comes as a grand jury declined to indict several Democratic lawmakers who appeared in a video urging military personnel to refuse unlawful orders,as a judge temporarily blocked the demotion of Sen. Mark Kelly's retired Navy rank over his participation in the video, the DOJ moved to dismiss Steve Bannon's contempt convictions for refusing to testify about the Jan. 6 riots,and Rep. Neal Dunn declined to comment on rumors of an early retirement.

The Philippines' Supreme Court recognized same-sex property co-ownership in a reversal of lower court rulings,the U.K. published preliminary guidance on supporting gender-questioning children in schools,and a rainbow Pride flag was removed from New York's Stonewall Monument.Meanwhile, Discord announced plans to implement age verification measures via face scans and government ID checks,and Russia moved to block WhatsApp for failing to comply with its laws.This comes as the U.K. ordered the deletion of a court reporting platform that provides over 1,500 journalists with access to magistrates' court listings,and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi was sentenced to another seven and a half years in prison.

In Canada, a school shooting in British Columbia left nine people dead, including the suspect,and six men were charged in connection with a child luring sting.Meanwhile, Ghislaine Maxwell invoked the Fifth Amendment during a virtual deposition before a U.S. House committee, Democrats introduced a bill to eliminate the statute of limitations for federal sex trafficking crimes,and a man was questioned and released in connection with the disappearance of NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie's mother.Elsewhere, a 13-year-old boy was arrested in connection with the stabbings of two other children at a U.K. school, a suspect was shot dead after attacking police at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris,and a principal was shot and killed during a siege on a school in Thailand.

Meta and YouTube went on trial over allegations that they deliberately engineered their platforms to be addictive for children, Trump's $10 million defamation suit against BBC News was approved, with the trial set to start in February 2027,and Novo Nordisk sued Hims & Hers Health for allegedly selling a copycat of its weight loss drug Ozempic.Meanwhile, Ford Motor Company recorded $8.2 billion in losses last year, CBS News reportedly considered cutting its staff by 15% as part of new efforts to restructure the business,and Britney Spears sold the rights to her music catalog to publisher Primary Wave.

The U.S. added 130,000 jobs in January, beating economists projections of 68,000,the Federal Reserve Bank of New York estimated that U.S. consumers bore 90% of the costs from the tariffs imposed by Trump last year,and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg bought a $150 million Miami mansion amid California's proposal of a one-time 5% tax on residents with net worth exceeding $1 billion.Elsewhere, Argentina's Senate approved President Javier Milei's labor reforms after more than 13 hours of debate.

A U.S. judge temporarily barred the White House from cutting $600M in health grants to four states,and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected Moderna's mRNA flu vaccine over concerns about the trial's design.Meanwhile, a study linked intellectually stimulating activities to a lower risk of Alzheimer's, finding that tasks such as reading or writing may lower the risk by as much as 38%,and researchers found that speed training can cut the risk of dementia by 25%.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency repealed the 2009 "endangerment finding," which determined that greenhouse gases threaten public health.

An Albanian actress sued the government for using her image and voice for its new "AI minister..

Ukrainian skeleton pilot Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from the Winter Olympics for refusing not to wear a helmet deemed to violate rules on political expression.

Astronomers identified an "inside out" planetary system, a discovery that could call into question established theories of how planets form.

Dawson's Creek actor James Van Der Beek died.