A Successful Lift-off NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission has successfully launched, sending the Dragon spacecraft into orbit on a journey to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission lifted off from Kennedy Space Center’s historic launch complex, marking another milestone for the commercial crew programme that has reshaped human spaceflight logistics over the past decade. The Falcon 9…
The United States and Taiwan have concluded a significant bilateral trade arrangement aimed at reshaping commercial ties and reinforcing supply-chain resilience. Finalised in February 2026 through the American Institute in Taiwan, the agreement arrives at a time of heightened geopolitical competition in the Indo-Pacific and evolving protectionist trends in global trade policy. By reducing barriers and committing…
Crackdown on Meta and the Rise of a “National Messenger” Russia has moved to block Meta-owned WhatsApp nationwide after authorities said the platform failed to meet domestic data-storage and content-control requirements. Officials framed the decision as a matter of digital sovereignty, arguing that foreign platforms must comply with local regulations or risk exclusion. With the ban…
A Landmark Settlement Following a Fatal Crash Seattle has agreed to pay approximately ₹260 crore ($29 million) to the family of Jaahnavi Kandula, the Indian graduate student who died after being struck by a police vehicle in 2023. Finalized in February 2026, the settlement stands among the largest ever issued in Washington state in a police-involved…
A Gentle Invitation to Leave Google has begun offering voluntary exit packages to certain employees, signaling a calibrated approach to workforce reduction rather than sweeping layoffs. In early February 2026, leadership within the company’s Global Business Organization circulated internal messages inviting eligible staff—particularly in sales, partnerships, and corporate development—to consider leaving with enhanced severance. The tone…
A Nation at the Polls After Political Upheaval Bangladesh is conducting its first parliamentary election since the August 2024 student-led uprising that forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from office, marking a critical transition for the country’s political order. Voting began on February 12, 2026, under heavy security and the oversight of an interim administration. The election…
Canada School Killer and a Family Home Prelude An 18-year-old trans woman, later identified as the perpetrator of a school shooting in Canada, began her attack inside her own home—first killing her mother and then her young step-brother. From there, she traveled to a nearby secondary school she once attended, where the violence expanded into…
Al-Udeid on Alert: Mobility Replaces Permanence At Qatar’s al-Udeid Air Base—the largest American military installation in the Middle East—U.S. forces have quietly shifted Patriot air-defence systems from fixed emplacements onto mobile truck launchers. Satellite imagery from early February 2026 shows missile batteries mounted on heavy tactical vehicles, allowing rapid redeployment across the sprawling base. The move comes…
Moscow Looks Abroad as Workforce Shrinks Russia, grappling with a deepening labour crunch exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, is increasingly turning to India to plug gaps across its economy. With hundreds of thousands mobilised for military service and demographic pressures intensifying, Russian authorities and businesses are recruiting foreign workers at scale. Thousands of Indians are…
A Stark Admission in Parliament Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has delivered one of his sharpest public critiques of Washington, accusing the United States of using Islamabad for strategic purposes and then abandoning it “worse than toilet paper.” The unusually blunt remark, made in parliament, signals deep frustration within Pakistan’s political establishment over the long-term consequences…
