10 Things Global News - 10th February 2026
Succinct, unbiased news from around the world
Israeli Cabinet Moves Trigger Global Alarm Over West Bank Control
Australia Urges Calm After Violent Sydney Protest Clashes
Munich Security Conference Warns of Era of Wrecking-Ball Politics
US Cedes Two NATO Command Posts to European Officers
Cuba Halts Airline Refuelling as US Pressure Deepens Crisis
UN Seeks Clarity on US Payments as Budget Pressures Mount
French Riot Police Face Trial Over Gilets Jaunes Beatings
Maxwell Seeks Trump Clemency Pleads Fifth to Lawmakers
Trump Threatens to Block New US-Canada Bridge
Judge Blocks California Mask Ban For Federal Agents
Israel’s security cabinet has approved measures tightening control over the occupied West Bank, prompting Palestinians, Arab states, the European Union and the UK to warn of de facto annexation. The steps were announced by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who said the aim was to undermine the idea of a Palestinian state. The measures are expected to be formally authorised by Israel’s top military commander for the territory.
The decisions change land registration, planning and enforcement rules, including cancelling a long-standing ban on the direct sale of West Bank land to Jews and publishing land registries. A requirement for transaction permits has also been repealed, reducing oversight intended to prevent fraud. Israeli ministers said the changes increase transparency, while Palestinians warned of pressure on landowners and the risk of forgery.
International reaction was swift. Muslim countries and the EU called the moves illegal and a dangerous escalation, while the UK said any unilateral change to the territory’s demographic or geographic make-up would breach international law.
Sources: BBC, Times of Israel
Australian leaders have urged calm after clashes between police and demonstrators opposing a visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog led to dozens of arrests in Sydney. Violence broke out after thousands gathered near the city’s town hall, with police moving to clear the area amid heightened security measures authorised for the protest.
Police said 27 people were arrested, including 10 for allegedly assaulting officers, and confirmed there were no serious injuries. Footage showed protesters pushing against police lines, with officers using tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd. Some demonstrators, including an opposition lawmaker, alleged they were assaulted while attempting to leave the site.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was devastated by the scenes and called for peaceful protest, warning that violence undermines public debate. New South Wales authorities defended police actions as necessary in a volatile situation, while protest organisers accused officers of excessive force and said further rallies would follow.
Sources: Reuters, New York Times
Organisers of the Munich Security Conference say global trust in the postwar international order is being eroded as disruptive leadership reshapes geopolitics. In the Munich Security Report 2026, they describe a period of “wrecking-ball politics” led by US President Donald Trump, arguing that long-standing rules and institutions are under sustained pressure.
Conference chairman Wolfgang Ischinger said trust among transatlantic partners has been damaged, pointing to recent tensions and uncertainty over US commitments. He said one aim of the conference is to rebuild confidence while also encouraging Europe to become more self-reliant after decades of dependence on American security guarantees.
The report warns that public trust in institutions is declining across Western democracies, with radical parties gaining support. It argues that Trump’s approach, while admired by some supporters, risks accelerating a shift toward transactional, interest-driven global politics. The conference, opening this week in Munich, will bring together dozens of world leaders and ministers amid growing concern over security and governance.
Sources: DW, New York Times
The United States will turn over two of NATO’s major command posts, in Naples and Norfolk, to European officers, according to a military source. The move aligns with President Donald Trump’s demand that European nations take more responsibility for their own security, with his administration calling for a “European-led NATO”.
Under the reshuffle, European officers would take over NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command in Naples and Joint Force Command Norfolk, both currently led by US admirals. A NATO official said allies had agreed a new distribution of senior officer responsibility in which European allies, including NATO’s newest members, will play a more prominent role.
The United States would take the reins of three commands lower in the hierarchy but bearing significant responsibility for operations: Allied Air Command, Allied Maritime Command and Allied Land Command. The NATO official said the decision related to planning for future rotations, with more details to be provided in due course.
Sources: Reuters, La Lettre
Cuba has warned airlines that aircraft will no longer be able to refuel at nine airports, including Havana, as fuel shortages intensify amid US pressure on the island’s energy supplies. The notices, issued on Sunday night, say jet fuel will be unavailable from Tuesday until at least March 11.
Cuban officials said political pressure from President Donald Trump has effectively severed access to petroleum from Venezuela and Mexico. In late January, Trump signed an executive order threatening tariffs on goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, a move expected to worsen the country’s energy crisis.
The impact is already spreading through aviation and tourism. Air Canada has suspended flights, while other carriers have announced delays or refuelling stops in third countries. Authorities said shorter regional flights may be less affected, but long-haul routes face major disruption. The fuel shortage adds strain to an economy heavily dependent on tourism, as wider rationing measures take effect nationwide.
Sources: The Guardian, NBC News
The United Nations says it is still waiting for details on when and how much the United States will pay toward delayed budget dues, after Washington pledged an initial payment within weeks. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the secretary-general and budget officials have been in contact with the US, but no firm timeline or amounts have been confirmed.
The warning comes amid mounting concern over UN finances. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a January letter that the organisation faces a risk of imminent financial collapse due to unpaid fees. UN officials say the United States is responsible for more than 95 percent of outstanding dues to the regular budget.
US Ambassador Mike Waltz said last week that an initial tranche of money would be paid shortly and described it as a significant down payment. UN data show the US owes $2.19 billion in regular budget contributions, alongside additional arrears for peacekeeping missions and tribunals, after failing to make full payments last year and for 2026.
Sources: Reuters, Al Jazeera
Nine officers from France’s CRS riot police have gone on trial in Paris over the beating of Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vests) protesters during unrest in December 2018. The case centres on footage showing officers entering a fast food restaurant near the Arc de Triomphe and striking people who were on the ground or with their hands raised.
Prosecutors say the officers, aged between 30 and 52, used batons against non hostile demonstrators who had sought shelter from tear gas. Some victims reported physical injuries and psychological trauma. If convicted, the officers face charges of wilful or aggravated violence by a person holding public authority.
The trial follows a seven year investigation into police conduct during the Gilets Jaunes movement, which erupted over fuel taxes and the cost of living before widening into broader protests against President Emmanuel Macron. The hearings at the Paris criminal court are scheduled to run until mid February.
Sources: RFI, The Guardian
Ghislaine Maxwell declined to answer questions from House lawmakers in a deposition on Monday, repeatedly invoking her Fifth Amendment rights. Her lawyer said she is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Donald Trump, and argued that Trump and former President Bill Clinton are innocent of wrongdoing in their connections with Jeffrey Epstein.
The House Oversight Committee had sought to question Maxwell by video call at the federal prison camp in Texas where she is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking. Democrats said the stance amounted to campaigning for clemency, while the White House pointed to previous remarks indicating a pardon was not on the president’s radar.
The deposition came as lawmakers reviewed unredacted files on Epstein released by the Justice Department under a law passed by Congress last year. Lawmakers were given access to more than 3 million released files in a reading room, where they could only make handwritten notes.
Sources: Associated Press, South China Morning Post
As further evidence of deteriorating diplomatic relations between the US and Canada, President Trump threatened on Monday to block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. The crossing is scheduled to open early this year, and Trump said he would “not allow” it to open until the United States is “fully compensated” and Canada treats the United States with “Fairness and Respect”.
It was not immediately clear how he would block the opening. The bridge was built and paid for by Canada, and Canada and Michigan are due to jointly operate the crossing under a public-private arrangement.
Major construction is complete and engineers have been in the testing phase for months, according to the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority. A spokesperson for Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer downplayed the threat, saying the bridge was “going to open one way or another”.
Sources: New York Times, Global News
A federal judge on Monday struck down a California law that banned federal immigration agents and other law enforcement officers from wearing masks. U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder ruled the No Secret Police Act unlawfully discriminates against federal officers because it exempted state law enforcement. She said federal officers can perform their federal functions without wearing masks, and indicated a revised law that applies equally may be constitutional.
Snyder blocked only the facial covering prohibition and upheld a separate state law requiring officers to display visible identification. Both measures had been scheduled to take effect Jan. 1 but were put on hold during legal challenges.
State Sen. Scott Wiener said he will immediately introduce a new bill to ban masks for all law enforcement officers. Attorney General Pam Bondi called the ruling a court victory and said federal agents are harassed, doxxed, obstructed, and attacked.
Sources: LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle
On this day …..
On this day in 1996, IBM’s Deep Blue defeated reigning world champion Garry Kasparov in a regulation chess match game, the first time a computer achieved this feat against a sitting champion.
Although Kasparov would later win the match overall, the moment signalled a shift in the relationship between human expertise and machine computation.
It demonstrated the growing power of specialised algorithms and brute-force processing, foreshadowing later advances in artificial intelligence.
The match forced policymakers, technologists, and the public to reconsider assumptions about human cognitive dominance in complex tasks.