10 Things Global News - 25th February 2026
Succinct, unbiased news from around the world
UN Backs Ukraine Borders On War Anniversary
European Leaders Pledge Support As War Enters Fifth Year
Trump Sets Record Speech As Tariff Fight Intensifies
Iran Nears China Missile Deal As US Deploys Navy
Iran Floods Campuses As Student Protests Spread
Merz Seeks Fair Partnership In Beijing Visit
Somalia Drought Puts 6.5 Million At Severe Hunger Risk
Record $112bn Cargo Gap Signals Tariff Evasion Surge
Russia Accuses UK And France Of Nuclear Plot
Russian Troops Describe Commanders Ordering Executions
The U.N. General Assembly adopted by 107 votes to 12, with 51 abstentions, a resolution supporting Ukraine’s international borders and voicing concern over intensified Russian attacks on civilians and critical energy infrastructure. The resolution, adopted on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion, is not legally binding but carries political weight. Russia, Belarus and Sudan opposed the measure, while China and the United States abstained.
At a Security Council meeting, officials said the war had entered its fifth year and described it as a “stain on our collective conscience”. More than 15,000 civilians have been killed and more than 41,000 injured since the start of the war.
Diplomats urged an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire and warned that intensified strikes on civilian energy infrastructure during winter had turned access to basic services into “a matter of life and death”.
Sources: Reuters, UN
European leaders pledged sustained military, financial and humanitarian support for Ukraine as the war marked its fourth anniversary and entered a fifth year. Officials travelled to Kyiv to reaffirm backing, while others joined remotely, vowing not to abandon the country despite divisions among partners.
The anniversary came a day after Hungary vetoed new EU sanctions against Russia and a 90 billion euro loan described as critical to Ukraine’s survival. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU would deliver on the loan “one way or the other”. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said allies would have to “do the hard yards” of helping Kyiv and pressuring Russia, as Britain announced its largest package of measures since the early months of the war.
Leaders stressed that peace must be just and lasting, while Russian forces continued attacks that have devastated the energy system.
Sources: Anadolu Agency, Reuters
President Donald Trump delivered a record 108-minute State of the Union address to Congress, aiming to persuade increasingly wary Americans that the economy was stronger than many believed and urging voters to back Republicans in November’s midterm elections for control of the House and the Senate. He described the country as “winning so much” while largely avoiding his usual bombast and repeatedly criticising Democrats.
He defended his push to preserve widespread tariffs that the Supreme Court had struck down, calling it “an unfortunate ruling” and vowing to use “alternative” laws so “Congressional action will not be necessary”. Democrats heckled at points, and Rep. Al Green was escorted out after holding a sign that read “Black People Aren’t Apes!”
Trump also said his preference was to solve tensions with Iran through diplomacy but added he would “never allow” it to have a nuclear weapon.
Sources: Associated Press, The Hill
Iran is close to finalising a deal with China to purchase Chinese-made CM-302 supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles, according to six people with knowledge of the negotiations. No delivery date has been agreed. The missiles have a range of about 290 kilometres and are designed to evade shipborne defences by flying low and fast, with a sea-skimming flight profile and sustained supersonic speeds that make interception more difficult.
Negotiations began at least two years ago and accelerated after the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June. Senior Iranian officials, including Deputy Defence Minister Massoud Oraei, travelled to China as talks progressed. Analysts said such capabilities could enhance Iran’s ability to threaten large naval vessels.
The potential sale comes as the United States assembles an armada within striking distance of Iran, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald R. Ford.
Sources: Japan Times, Islam Times
Plainclothes police and security forces, many of them armed, flooded Iran’s remaining open universities as student protests entered a fourth day, with running battles reported on some campuses. Pick-up trucks with machine guns were photographed outside the University of Tehran, and clashes were reported at the University of Science and Technology in Tehran and in Mashhad.
Thousands of students demonstrated as universities reopened a month after deadly nationwide protests in January. Tens of thousands, including schoolchildren and university students, have been arrested during and after the unrest, while Iranian authorities have refused to provide detailed arrest figures.
The protests form an uneasy backdrop to a third round of talks on Iran’s nuclear programme due in Geneva. The government says 3,117 people were killed during the protests, while the Human Rights Activists News Agency says it has verified more than 7,000 fatalities. Other reports put casualties at much higher numbers.
Sources: The Guardian, Al Jazeera
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would seek a “balanced, reliable, regulated and fair” partnership with Chinese President Xi Jinping as he began his first visit to Beijing as chancellor. He said he would address Chinese “overcapacity”, “export restrictions” and competitive “distortions”, while calling for both sides to contain risks stemming from mutual trade dependencies through “de-risking” focused on supply chains.
Germany’s export-oriented manufacturers have been squeezed by cheaper Chinese goods, notably electric vehicles and steel, while its automotive and defence sectors have become deeply dependent on China for critical minerals such as rare earths. Germany’s trade deficit with China widened to a record €87bn last year, up €20bn year on year.
Merz is expected to press Xi on industrial overcapacity and subsidies, while stressing that Germany and Europe are strengthening their military defence capability and economic competitiveness.
Sources: FT, New York Times
Nearly 6.5 million people in Somalia are facing severe hunger as worsening drought, conflict and global aid cuts intensify the country’s humanitarian crisis, according to the federal government and U.N. agencies. New data from an Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report projects 6.5 million people will face crisis or worse levels of food insecurity by the end of March.
The same assessment estimates 1.84 million children under five are expected to suffer acute malnutrition in 2026, including nearly 500,000 who will be severely malnourished. Officials said the situation is deteriorating because of water shortages, insecurity, conflict and historically low levels of humanitarian assistance linked to global funding cuts.
The intensified drought, linked to lower-than-average rainfall, has triggered crop failures, livestock losses, food price increases and displacement. Drought and conflict displaced about 278,000 people between July and December, disrupting agricultural production, market access and aid delivery.
Sources: The Independent, Associated Press, IPC Report
A record $112 billion gap between China’s reported exports to the US and what US Customs recorded as imports last year is fuelling alarm over suspected tariff evasion. Trade data suggests as much as a quarter of what China shipped to American shores may have slipped under the tariff radar.
Business owners, logistics executives and former customs officials say suspiciously cheap shipping offers, soaring tariffs and the use of phantom importers are driving a surge in trade fraud. Some advertisements promote China-to-US shipping for as little as $0.70 per kilogram with taxes included, despite tariffs being calculated by product value rather than weight.
One commonly cited method involves Delivered Duty Paid shipping, where overseas sellers handle customs clearance and tariff payments. Fraud occurs when goods are undervalued, misclassified or routed through shell companies that can dissolve before authorities act, complicating enforcement.
Sources: Bloomberg, Times Now News
Russia accused Ukraine of seeking to acquire a nuclear weapon with help from Britain and France, an allegation Kyiv called an absurd lie. In a statement on the fourth anniversary of the war, Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service said London and Paris were actively working on providing nuclear weapons and delivery systems to Ukraine, but offered no documentary evidence.
A French foreign ministry spokesperson described the claim as “blatant disinformation”, while a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said there was “no truth to this”. Heorhii Tykhyi, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s foreign ministry, said Kyiv had denied such claims many times and officially rejected them again.
Throughout the conflict, Moscow has repeatedly issued veiled nuclear threats to deter the West from going too far in its support of Ukraine, warning of the risks of a direct military confrontation between nuclear powers.
Sources: Reuters, Euronews
Russian soldiers in a BBC documentary “The Zero Line: Inside Russia’s War” said they witnessed commanders ordering point-blank executions of troops who refused orders or fled the front line. They described “meat storm” assaults as waves of men sent forward to wear down Ukrainian forces, with refusal met by intimidation and torture.
One soldier said he saw four comrades shot by a commander after they fled and refused to return. Another said he saw 20 bodies of men lying in a pit after being “zeroed”, Russian slang for executing one of your own. A UK defence estimate put Russian troops killed or injured since 24 February 2022 at more than 1.2 million.
The Russian government said its armed forces operate “with utmost restraint” and that information about alleged violations and crimes is investigated. It added it was unable to independently verify the claims.
Sources: BBC, The Independent
On this day ….
On this day in 1986, President Ferdinand Marcos fled the Philippines after mass protests known as the People Power Revolution.
Following disputed snap elections, millions of Filipinos gathered in Manila demanding his resignation, while key military figures withdrew support from his government.
Marcos, who had ruled for two decades under increasingly authoritarian conditions, departed for exile in Hawaii.
Corazon Aquino was sworn in as president, restoring constitutional rule.
The peaceful uprising became a reference point for later pro-democracy movements worldwide.
What conditions allow civic protest to succeed without descending into violence?