Catherine, Princess of Wales and children share hand-drawn family portraits
Kensington Palace shared four portraits drawn by Catherine, Princess of Wales, and her three children – George, Charlotte and Louis – in a social media post on Monday. The drawings were posted to X with the caption, “Drawing portraits with children can provide a moment of connection as you spend time looking at and focusing on one another, as well as being creative and – most importantly – having lots of fun together!” A social media post accompanying the portraits listed the creators of the artwork as “Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and The Princess of Wales.”
Protest in Cook Islands over deal with China on economy and seabed mining
A strategic partnership deal between China and the Cook Islands spans areas from deep-sea mining to education scholarships but excludes security ties, a document released by the Pacific island nation’s government showed. Western nations that traditionally held sway in the region have become increasingly concerned about China’s plans to increase influence after Beijing signed defense, trade and financial deals with Pacific countries in the last three years.
Hamas says it will release bodies of four hostages, including Bibas children, on Thursday and six living hostages on Saturday
Hamas on Tuesday said that it will release the dead bodies of four Israeli hostages on Thursday, including the two youngest people held by the group, Kfir and Ariel Bibas. The group will also release six living hostages on Saturday, instead of the three that had been expected, Khalil Al-Hayya, head of the group’s negotiating team, said in a statement. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office confirmed on Tuesday that an agreement had been reached during negotiations in Cairo for “four slain hostages” to be handed over on Thursday and “six living hostages” to be released on Saturday.
Israel keeps some troops in southern Lebanon in defiance of withdrawal deadline
The Israeli military is keeping troops at five southern Lebanese posts despite a Tuesday withdrawal deadline. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will, for the time being, remain at the outposts in Lebanon “so we can continue to defend our residents and to make sure there’s no immediate threat,” Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an IDF spokesperson, said on Monday. Israel’s military identified the handful of strategic locations in southern Lebanon overlooking northern Israeli communities. The Israeli military is believed to have withdrawn from Lebanese population centers in recent days. The Lebanese military announced new deployments Tuesday morning to various towns in southern Lebanon.
UN human rights chief accuses Rwanda-backed rebels in eastern DR Congo of killing and recruiting children
The UN human rights chief accused Rwanda-backed rebels who seized a second major city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) of killing children and attacking hospitals and warehouses storing humanitarian aid. Volker Türk said in a statement Tuesday that his office “confirmed cases of summary execution of children by M23 after they entered the city of Bukavu last week. We are also aware that children were in possession of weapons.”
Brazil to join major oil-exporting nations in OPEC+ group
Brazil’s government on Tuesday approved joining OPEC+, a group of major oil-exporting nations, signaling the country’s evolution into a major oil state just nine months ahead of hosting the United Nations’ annual climate summit. The National Council for Energy Policy’s approval came in response to an official invitation in 2023. The group includes the 12 members of OPEC, the longstanding group set up to coordinate oil production to stabilize markets, plus 10 more significant oil-producing nations with Russia by far the largest.
Shark attacked tourist as she tried to take its picture in Turks and Caicos, authorities say
A shark attacked and injured a Canadian tourist as she tried to take its picture in the Turks and Caicos Islands earlier this month, according to local authorities. The attack occurred the morning of February 7 at a beach on Providenciales, one of the territory’s eastern islands, per a statement from the Royal Turks and Caicos Island Police Force. “The 55-year-old victim was brought ashore and rushed to the Cheshire Hall Medical Center for treatment,” the police statement said, adding that an investigation into the incident is ongoing.
European leaders gather for emergency meeting after Trump shuts them out of Ukraine talks
European leaders held an emergency meeting in Paris on Monday to align their position after the Trump administration said they would be excluded from talks with Russia to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. The gathering of several key European leaders aimed to address “the situation in Ukraine and security issues in Europe” by “bringing together all the partners interested in peace and security” in the region, French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said in a statement Sunday.
Zelenskyy tells aides to reject U.S. pitch for 50% of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told his aides to reject Trump administration officials' proposal that would grant the United States significant access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, a Ukrainian official close to Zelenskyy confirmed to NBC News. U.S. officials said the proposal would be a form of repayment for the support Washington has provided Kyiv since its war with Russia began, but according to the aide close to him, Zelenskyy did not feel the agreement included adequate security guarantees for Ukraine.
Israeli forces to remain in five locations in southern Lebanon after removal deadline
Israeli forces will remain in five strategic locations in southern Lebanon near the border after Tuesday’s deadline for their full withdrawal, an Israeli official said Monday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Lebanon’s government has opposed any further delay in the Israeli pullout under the ceasefire agreement that ended fighting with the Hezbollah militant group. There was no immediate comment from Lebanese or Hezbollah officials. Earlier on Monday, an Israeli strike in Lebanon killed a senior Hamas leader.