Monday, February 23, 2026
28 stories, grouped by subject, the most important first
Conflict
2026 Jalisco operation
The death toll among Mexican National Guard troops in Jalisco rises to at least 25 with dozens more wounded amid clashes with Jalisco New Generation Cartel gunmen.
2026 Jalisco operation
At least six soldiers and National Guards were wounded after an ambush in the Zamora–Carapan highway, Zamora Municipality, Michoacán.
United States strikes on alleged drug traffickers during Operation Southern Spear
Three people are killed in an airstrike by the United States Southern Command on an alleged drug vessel in the Caribbean Sea.
Islamic extremism in Northern Nigeria
Nigerian Army troops kill five suspected Lakurawa insurgents near Mayama Hill, Kebbi State, Nigeria, and recover a cache of weapons.
Russian attacks on civilians in the Russo-Ukrainian war
Russian forces launch a wave of missile and drone strikes across Ukraine, killing four people, including two civilians in Odesa.
Chad–Sudan relations
Chad closes its border with Sudan after five Chadian soldiers and three civilians are killed, and 12 others are injured, in clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and militia groups affiliated with the Sudanese government.
Darfur campaign
At least 28 people are killed and 39 others are injured in an attack by the Rapid Support Forces in Misteriha, North Darfur, Sudan.
Ecuadorian conflict
In Ecuador, seven people are killed in a mass shooting in a rural area in Jama, while two people are killed at a seaside resort of San Vincente.
2026 Jonglei offensive
Militiamen suspected to be loyal to the South Sudanese government reportedly lure a dozen civilians from their homes with the promise of humanitarian aid and then shot them dead.
Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Three security personnel are killed and six others are injured, including some seriously, in an ambush on ambulances by unidentified gunmen in Karak District.
Syrian conflict
Four security personnel and an Islamic State gunman are killed in a shootout at a checkpoint in Raqqa, Syria.
World
2026 Slovak–Ukraine oil dispute
Slovak prime minister Robert Fico announces the suspension of emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine amid the Russo-Ukrainian war unless oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline resumes, following a disruption that Slovakia attributes to Ukraine.
France–United States relations
France restricts United States ambassador Charles Kushner's direct access to government ministers after he skipped a meeting requested by foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot to address comments concerning the killing of Quentin Deranque.
Politics
1981 Spanish coup attempt
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez announces the declassification of the documents relating to the attempted coup that took place in the Congress of Deputies in 1981.
2025–2026 Dutch cabinet formation
Rob Jetten is sworn in as the new prime minister of the Netherlands, becoming the country's youngest and its first openly gay prime minister.
Crime & Justice
Connections of Jeffrey Epstein
British politician Peter Mandelson is arrested on charges of misconduct in public office related to his links to convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Connections of Jeffrey Epstein
Canadian-American author and former researcher Peter Attia resigns from CBS News following backlash after lewd messages between him and Jeffery Epstein were released.
Crime in Ukraine
Seven police officers are injured, including two seriously, in a separate bombing targeting police vehicles at a filling station in Mykolaiv, Ukraine.
Disasters
2026 Peruvian Air Force Mil Mi-17 crash
A Mil Mi-17 helicopter of the Peruvian Air Force that went missing the previous day is found crashed near Chala, Peru. All 15 people on board are confirmed dead.
2026 Redbird Airways Beechcraft King Air crash
Seven people are killed when a Beechcraft King Air air ambulance crashes in Chatra district, Jharkhand, India.
Electricity sector in the Dominican Republic
A nationwide power outage occurs in the Dominican Republic, which the Ministry of Energy and Mines attributes to a transmission line switch malfunction that triggered system protection mechanisms. Power generation begins to recover later in the day, reaching about 30 percent of normal capacity.
Disasters
A bus plunges off a mountainous section of the Prithvi Highway near Benighat, Nepal, killing 19 people and injuring 25 others.
Disasters
Six people are killed in a fire at a three-story residential building in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Disasters
Five people are killed and 45 others are injured when a double-decker bus overturns on the Purvanchal Expressway in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Disasters
A body of one of the three people that were reported missing after a garbage mound collapsed at a landfill in Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines, three days ago, is recovered. The claims of up to 50 people missing are dismissed.
Business
Business
Panama's canal authority assumes control of the Balboa and Cristóbal ports on the Panama Canal after the Supreme Court annulled the concessions held by Hong Kong–based CK Hutchison, with an 18-month transition period and a new international tender process planned.
Health
Health
Brazil announces that it will revoke a decree expanding the waterways in the Amazon rainforest under a federal privatization program following protests by Indigenous groups.
Stories adapted from Wikipedia’s Current events portal for February 23, 2026, by Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.