Human Rights Watch released its World Report 2026 on Feb. 4, warning the global human-rights system is “in peril” as democracy has eroded to levels not seen since 1985 and 72% of the world’s population now lives under autocracy. HRW executive director Philippe Bolopion singled out the United States under President Donald Trump for a “broad assault” on democratic checks and human rights, citing hardline immigration enforcement, masked ICE raids, domestic deployments of federal agents and national guard units, threats to voting rights, retaliatory measures against critics, and the deportation of migrants to a harsh El Salvador prison. The report also documents systemic repression in China and an intensifying crackdown in Russia, and accuses Israeli forces of grave crimes in Gaza. Bolopion urged a strategic alliance of rights-respecting “middle powers.” The launch was accompanied by staff resignations at HRW and a sharp White House rebuttal accusing the group of bias.

Algerian Olympic champion Imane Khelif said in February 2026 she would submit to sex or genetic testing if required by the International Olympic Committee to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Khelif, 26, who won women’s welterweight gold at Paris 2024 amid a high-profile gender eligibility dispute, has faced repeated scrutiny: she and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting were disqualified by the International Boxing Association at the 2023 World Championships over sex-chromosome tests, though the IOC cleared both to compete in Paris. Since then World Boxing, granted provisional IOC recognition in February 2025, introduced mandatory chromosome testing and Khelif was prevented from a 2025 tournament for not taking the test. In a L’Equipe interview published in early February 2026 she said she had taken hormone treatments before Paris to lower testosterone, confirmed she carries the SRY gene, and insisted she is not transgender. Khelif has lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport against World Boxing’s testing rule; a ruling is pending. She has said she would accept testing administered by the IOC and appealed for privacy and fairness as eligibility rules evolve ahead of LA 2028.

Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party has moved the Supreme Court of India seeking cancellation of the Bihar Assembly Election 2025 results and fresh polls, alleging large-scale electoral malpractice. The petition, filed under Article 32, contends that the Bihar government breached the Model Code of Conduct by transferring Rs 10,000 each to women under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana after the poll schedule was announced. The party says 25-35 lakh women received the payments and has asked the court to take action under Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 123 of the Representation of the People Act. The plea also challenges deployment of about 1.8 lakh women from Jeevika self-help groups at polling booths. Jan Suraaj, which failed to win any seats, wants the Election Commission to declare the results null and void and to impose stricter rules — including a suggested minimum six-month buffer before elections for new welfare rollouts. The BJP-led NDA won 202 of 243 seats while the INDIA bloc secured 35. The case is slated for hearing this week before a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.

The Box, a high‑end Soho cabaret and sexual entertainment venue frequented by celebrities including Prince Harry, Rihanna and Kate Moss, is facing suspension or removal of its licence after police and Westminster Council said it breached licence conditions and posed a “risk to the public.” Metropolitan Police are investigating an allegation of a “serious sexual assault” of a male customer at the club on Walker’s Court on January 22; the venue is accused of not immediately reporting the incident as required by its premises licence. No arrests have been made. On February 3 the council imposed additional licence conditions and the police applied to suspend the licence ahead of a full licensing review hearing set for February 25. Documents reviewed by the council cite multiple breaches relating to records, code of conduct and safeguarding. If councillors strip the venue of its SEV (sexual entertainment venue) licence it would be unable to host explicit performances or serve alcohol, effectively preventing it operating as a burlesque club. The Box, which has a sister venue in New York, has been contacted for comment; the investigation and review are ongoing.

British actor Emily Atack has been unveiled as the face of Agent Provocateur’s SS26 “The Duchess” campaign and, according to multiple reports this week (Feb 3–5, 2026), travelled to Cape Town to film a separate, top‑secret Marks & Spencer advert. The Agent Provocateur shoot — shot at Camfield Place, Hertfordshire — channels late‑1980s, Rivals‑inspired aristocratic glamour with bondage‑tinged pieces, PVC accents and equestrian motifs; Atack said she felt “truly empowered” by the project. Tabloid and lifestyle outlets also report Atack flew to South Africa to appear alongside Vernon Kay and Ian Wright in an M&S Rewards credit card spot, with an alleged fee of about £100,000. Social media reaction to the lingerie imagery has been mixed: praise for the creative direction and Atack’s confidence sits alongside speculation that recent slimming is linked to weight‑loss injections, a topic her followers have debated online. The coverage references Atack’s profile from the TV adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s Rivals and notes her recent personal milestones, including becoming a mother in June 2024.

France's navy carried out multiple high-profile drug interceptions in early February 2026, seizing shipments bound for international markets. On Feb. 5 French authorities said a patrol in the Caribbean intercepted a vessel carrying about 678 kilograms of cocaine and handed it to Barbadian authorities. Separately, French naval forces operating in the South Pacific, near French Polynesia, seized 4.25 tonnes of cocaine from a ship believed to be travelling from Central America toward South Africa; the cargo was destroyed at sea and the vessel and crew released under international law. Officials noted prosecutors declined to press charges in the Polynesia case to avoid burdening local courts, and that a separate near-5-tonne seizure near French Polynesia occurred in January. French ministers have highlighted a stepped-up approach to tackling trafficking from Latin America through Caribbean and Pacific maritime routes as cocaine use and gang-related crime rise in France and the wider region.

A Polish national convicted of abusing 21 babies at two London nurseries is due to be deported to Poland on Feb. 5, 2026, less than a year after her conviction. Roksana Lecka was jailed for eight years in September after a Kingston Crown Court trial found she had repeatedly pinched, slapped, punched and kicked infants aged about 10 months to two years while working at Twickenham Green/Riverside nurseries between January and June 2024. Families of victims and local MPs were given under a week’s notice of the removal and have expressed alarm that, under the UK’s early removal scheme for foreign offenders, she may not serve the remainder of her sentence in the UK and could be released once in Poland. The Home Office has defended reforms intended to speed deportations of foreign national offenders; ministers say policing and prisons capacity were factors. Police are understood to be contacting Polish authorities to share details of Lecka’s offending. Victims’ ministers have said officials are meeting to discuss the case and will provide updates to MPs and families.

A Ugandan magistrate discontinued the prosecution of the first person charged under the country’s 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act, lawyers said in reports on Feb. 3, 2026. The then-20-year-old man from Soroti was detained in August 2023 and accused of "aggravated homosexuality," an offence under the law that can carry the death penalty in cases deemed "aggravated." Prosecutors later amended the indictment to charge "carnal knowledge against the order of nature," an offence under the penal code punishable by life imprisonment. The magistrate reportedly halted proceedings after finding the accused to be of unsound mind following a prolonged period on remand; a written judgment was pending. The 2023 law, widely condemned by international rights groups and Western governments, prescribes life terms for same-sex intercourse and capital punishment for specified aggravating circumstances. Its passage prompted punitive international responses, including suspension of some World Bank funding and U.S. visa restrictions on certain officials. Uganda’s judiciary had not immediately commented on the case.

An attack on Diori Hamani International Airport in Niger’s capital Niamey on the night of Jan. 29-30, 2026 wounded several soldiers, damaged aircraft and caused fires at an air base, Niger’s authorities said. State television reported four security personnel injured; the defence ministry said security forces killed 20 attackers and detained 11. The Islamic State group’s Amaq news agency claimed responsibility in a statement published on Jan. 30, according to monitoring group SITE. Niger’s junta accused the presidents of France, Benin and Cote d’Ivoire of sponsoring the assailants, allegations denied by those states. Authorities said attackers arrived on motorcycles and may have targeted military drones and a shipment of uranium oxide concentrate stored at the airport; officials said the uranium was not affected. Niger praised Russian help in repelling the assault and has been deepening security ties with Moscow since its 2023 coup, while expelling many Western forces. The assault underlines persistent jihadist capability in the Sahel and comes amid heightened tensions between Niger’s junta and former partners.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby met in Paris at the end of January 2026 and agreed to open a new chapter in bilateral ties after more than a year of tension following N'Djamena's abrupt termination of a long‑standing defence agreement in November 2024. The talks, preceded by a verbal invitation delivered in N'Djamena by France's ambassador, produced a joint commitment to a “revitalised partnership” focused on economic cooperation — notably in energy, digital technology and agriculture — and framed by “mutual respect” rather than a security‑first agenda. No new security pact was announced; France completed the withdrawal of its last troops from Chad on 31 January 2025. The rapprochement comes amid Chad's moves to diversify partners, including a recent memorandum with Belarus, and as Paris seeks to recalibrate its Sahel policy after force reductions across the region. Both leaders signalled continued dialogue to implement agreed orientations, while also addressing regional crises such as the conflict in Sudan.

U.S. television anchor Savannah Guthrie and her siblings have publicly appealed for the safe return of their 84‑year‑old mother, Nancy Guthrie, who is believed to have been abducted from her home near Tucson, Arizona. Authorities say Nancy Guthrie was last seen late on Jan. 31 after being dropped at her Catalina Foothills house and was reported missing on Feb. 1. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has described the residence as a crime scene, citing signs of forced entry, a small amount of blood and other evidence now under forensic and DNA examination. Investigators — including the Pima County homicide team and federal partners — say there are no suspects or confirmed leads and have urged the public to come forward. Multiple media outlets reported receiving purported ransom notes, including an alleged bitcoin demand, but the sheriff has said a ransom motive is not established. Savannah Guthrie posted a video asking kidnappers to prove her mother is alive and said the family is ready to talk; the anchor has stepped back from scheduled work, including planned Olympic coverage. Law enforcement continues to canvass the area and process tips.

A Malaysian High Court in Alor Setar on Feb. 3 acquitted 34-year-old French national Tom Félix of eight drug-related charges, ending nearly two and a half years of detention. Judge Evawani Farisyta Mohammad found prosecutors had not proven Félix had control, custody or possession of cannabis seized from a shared area of a home where he lived with a Malaysian business partner. Authorities had alleged 1.86 kilograms of cannabis were found in the property and 11.7 grams on Félix. If convicted, he faced the death penalty or a cumulative sentence of up to 104 years, 54 strokes of the cane and a €27,000 fine. Félix, a former Veolia executive, appeared thin in court; his parents embraced after the verdict. French officials, including Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, welcomed the decision and Félix was at the local immigration office expected to be handed his passport for return to France. The ruling highlights the heavy penalties in Malaysia’s drug laws, though death sentences are no longer mandatory and no executions have been carried out since 2018.

NATO has begun military planning for a new Arctic operation named “Arctic Sentry” while Canada and France moved to open full diplomatic missions in Nuuk, Greenland, in response to recent U.S. pressure over the island. On Feb. 3, a spokesman for NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe said planning was under way for an enhanced vigilance activity after U.S. President Donald Trump’s public remarks about acquiring or increasing U.S. control of Greenland raised alarm among European allies and Greenlandic leaders. The move follows Denmark-led exercises in the region and reports that U.S. General Alexus G. Grynkewich ordered concrete plans. On Feb. 4 Canada’s Governor-General Mary Simon attended the opening of a Canadian consulate in Nuuk and French officials signalled a consulate opening, signalling political support for Greenland and Denmark’s sovereignty. Greenland and Danish officials have insisted sovereignty is not for negotiation even as diplomatic talks with Washington continue and NATO considers how to bolster Arctic security.

Former CNN anchor and independent journalist Don Lemon says federal agents arrested him in Los Angeles after he offered to turn himself in on federal civil‑rights charges tied to his coverage of a Jan. 18 anti‑ICE protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Lemon told Jimmy Kimmel and other interviewers that roughly a dozen agents “jostled” and handcuffed him in a hotel, produced a warrant later on a phone and held him overnight; he was released on his own recognizance after a Los Angeles hearing and has pleaded not guilty. A grand jury in Minnesota indicted Lemon and several others, including independent reporter Georgia Fort, on counts that include conspiracy to deprive religious worshippers of their rights and violations of the FACE Act. The case has drawn broad media attention and political reaction: supporters and press‑freedom groups warned of a chilling effect on journalism, while Trump administration allies defended the prosecutions and commentators such as Senator JD Vance called the DOJ’s case “rock solid.” Lemon has continued public appearances, saying he was acting as a journalist and warning the arrests threaten the First Amendment; his next court date is set for Feb. 9 in Minnesota.

The US Central Intelligence Agency announced on Feb. 4–5, 2026 that it will cease publishing the CIA World Factbook, the agency said in a brief website statement that gave no reason for the decision. The Factbook, first issued in the 1960s as a classified reference and made publicly available in unclassified form from the 1970s and online in the 1990s, compiled basic statistics on countries’ populations, economies, militaries, resources and societies. Widely used by journalists, academics, students and other federal agencies, the resource drew millions of annual visits and included thousands of public-domain photographs. The move follows Director John Ratcliffe’s pledge to end programs that do not advance the agency’s core missions and comes amid broader US intelligence staffing reductions and buyout offers tied to the current administration’s priorities. The CIA’s statement said the Factbook had “sunset” and encouraged readers to remain curious about the world, but did not indicate whether the data will be archived, transferred to other agencies, or maintained elsewhere.

Cyprus authorities and the British Sovereign Base Areas police confirmed that a body discovered on Avdimou beach in southern Cyprus in mid‑January has been identified as Vladislav Baumgertner, the 53‑year‑old former chief executive of Russian potash producer Uralkali. Baumgertner was reported missing from his Limassol home on Jan. 7; his remains were recovered on Jan. 15 and DNA testing confirmed his identity this week. The location where the body was found lies within one of the two British military base areas on the island, which have their own police and courts. The Criminal Investigation Department of the bases is leading an inquiry into the circumstances and cause of death and has notified the family. Baumgertner had lived in Cyprus for several years; he was briefly detained in Belarus in 2013 after a dispute between Uralkali and Belarusian Potash Co. that followed Uralkali’s withdrawal from a major export joint venture and led to a probe in Russia at the time.

France this week moved to phase out US videoconferencing services in its public administration, ordering 2.5 million civil servants to replace Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex and GoTo Meeting with a homegrown platform called Visio by 2027. The decision is the most concrete instance of a broader European push — prompted in part by increasingly confrontational rhetoric from US President Donald Trump and earlier US sanctions affecting international bodies — to reduce dependence on non‑European cloud, software and platform providers. EU officials say the bloc relies on foreign suppliers for more than 80% of digital products and services and plan a package on “tech sovereignty” covering cloud, AI and semiconductors in March. Other signposts include Germany’s Schleswig‑Holstein migrating away from Microsoft to open‑source tools, Austrian military moves to free software, and Franco‑German initiatives on sovereign cloud and AI. Policymakers and industry warn that replacing entrenched US services will be costly and technically challenging, and that Europe currently lacks cloud and chip capacity at the scale of US providers, even as sovereign cloud offerings and European vendors seek to expand.

Early on Feb. 4, 2026 a train derailed inside Selhurst depot in south‑east London and a separate signalling fault between Norwood Junction and London Blackfriars/London Bridge triggered widespread disruption across Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) services. Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express services were hit hardest: several routes were suspended (including Brighton–Cambridge, London Bridge–East Grinstead and Bedford–Three Bridges), trains were cancelled or revised and passengers faced delays of up to an hour. The derailed empty unit was re‑railed and Network Rail said there were no confirmed injuries, but the obstruction prevented other trains leaving the depot. Thameslink warned around 134 trains and crew were out of position overnight, raising the risk of knock‑on effects into the following morning. Operators issued, then lifted, a “do not travel” alert; alternative ticketing arrangements were put in place and passengers were advised to check before travelling. Disruption persisted into Feb. 5 with reduced services and some localised suspensions expected to continue through the day.

Amnesty International says new testimonies from North Korean escapees detail public executions, long forced-labour sentences and brutal punishment for consuming South Korean TV dramas and K-pop. The rights group conducted 25 in-depth interviews in 2025 with people who fled between 2012 and mid-2020. Interviewees named recent hits including Squid Game, Crash Landing on You and Descendants of the Sun, and K-pop acts such as BTS, as reasons for arrest or harsher penalties. Witnesses described children being forced to attend executions, a system of bribery that spares wealthier families, and specialised enforcement units carrying out searches. Amnesty cited North Korea’s 2020 Anti-Reactionary Thought and Culture Act, which criminalises South Korean content and prescribes five to 15 years’ forced labour for possession or viewing, with death or heavier penalties for distributing “large amounts” or organising group viewings. Separate reporting by Radio Free Asia noted at least one execution in 2021 linked to distribution of Squid Game. Despite risks, escapees said USB drives and smuggled devices keep South Korean media circulating inside the country.

King Charles III has appointed Monday 15 June 2026 as a bank holiday in Scotland to mark the nation’s return to the men’s FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1998. The announcement by Buckingham Palace follows a request from Scottish First Minister John Swinney that the day after Scotland’s opening fixture — a 2am UK kick‑off against Haiti on Sunday 14 June — be designated as an annual holiday. The palace cited its powers under section 1(3) of the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 in appointing the holiday, saying it was desirable to mark Scotland’s achievement. Mr Swinney welcomed the decision on social media, framing the day as an opportunity for nationwide celebration and to boost tourism and business interest. The appointment applies only to Scotland and does not extend to other parts of the United Kingdom, including England, prompting discussion about regional differences in public holiday arrangements around major sporting events.

Federal immigration authorities have quietly purchased and scouted large industrial warehouses across the United States to convert into detention and processing centres, according to public deeds and reporting from Feb. 2026. Documents show Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) paid $87.4 million for a 520,000‑square‑foot facility in Upper Bern Township (Hamburg Logistics Centre), Berks County, Pennsylvania, that officials say could be refitted for about 1,500 beds. Other recent acquisitions and bids include sites in Arizona (about $70 million), Maryland (a $102.4 million deed), Texas (San Antonio) and multiple Pennsylvania locations; reporting suggests the agency is considering at least 23 industrial sites nationwide and planning support for larger “mega” centres in places such as El Paso and Hutchins with capacities reported into the thousands. The purchases are being advanced under expanded detention funding in the administration’s legislative package called the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Local officials and residents in several states have pushed back—Kansas City passed a moratorium on non‑city detention sites, some owners have withdrawn from sales, and communities cite loss of local property tax revenue, proximity to schools and daycare centres, and public‑health and humanitarian concerns. Independent data (TRAC) cited in reporting shows a large share of people in ICE custody have no criminal record, complicating the agency’s stated rationale.