NEWS OF THE WORLD

I've almost totally ignored topics like Donald Trump, international hotspots and the like for months.  So today, a quick look at news of the world.  Of course, the most noteworthy is still the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.  

• But I don't want to spoil your TV-watching, so will be mostly circumspect in my reportage.  I won't give final results of the day (and the events today will be over by the time I release this posting), unless it is so earth-shaking that something has to be said.

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  With that, I can send you to the best location to see what has happened, and what you can anticipate in the future.  This is the official site of these Winter Games.
• While this is bringing you up to date, I will continue to include the official medals tally.  If some of you are concerned that your country isn't doing well, there are 12 days left.

To segue into the real world, American Olympic athletes are having a hard time being honest about what is happening in the USA.  But I applaud their attitude.  The USA has joined Russia these days in reputation, and Veep JD Vance was actually booed during the Opening Ceremony.

I have been citing Google AI in many things these days, so there is no link for you to get details.  Just go to the address bar at the top of your computer and insert the topic, making sure to also add comma, Google AI.  For example, I wrote:  google ai, remark on how talks about ending the gaza strip war is developing.

As of mid-February 2026, efforts to end the war in the Gaza Strip are characterized by an uneasy, fragile, and US-brokered ceasefire that has been in place since October 2025, but is consistently undermined by ongoing violence, military operations, and significant disagreements on the next phases of the deal.  While major, large-scale bombardment has largely ceased compared to previous years, the situation remains volatile with continued, sporadic combat. 

Summary

Talks are stalled in a transition phase where the US is pushing for disarmament and reconstruction while Israel continues to apply military pressure, and Hamas resists giving up its armed status. While the "war" as it was understood in 2024 has largely paused, the situation in February 2026 is one of low-intensity, sporadic violence that risks escalating back into a full-scale conflict if a sustainable political solution is not reached. 

What about the Ukraine-Russia War?

As of mid-February 2026, high-level, U.S.-brokered talks aimed at ending the nearly four-year-old Russia-Ukraine war are ongoing but have shown limited, tangible progress

. While the Trump administration has expressed optimism and set a June 2026 deadline for a peace settlement, significant, mutually exclusive demands regarding territory and security guarantees remain major hurdles. 

Next Steps

While both sides continue to engage, the atmosphere remains tense. Ukraine has indicated that it is open to freezing the conflict at the current line of contact temporarily, but is resistant to recognizing Russian sovereignty over occupied areas. Future negotiations are likely to continue, with reports suggesting further meetings are being planned. 

A more important development was the expiration on 5February2026 of the U.S.-Russia nuclear arms control treaty.

• The expiration of the 
  New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) on February 5, 2026, marks a historic and critical turning point in global security, as it was the final, active treaty limiting the nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia. For the first time since 1972, there are no legally binding constraints on the world's two largest nuclear powers, signaling the potential start of an unconstrained nuclear arms race. 
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  The End of Constraints: New START, which took effect in 2011, capped the U.S. and Russia at 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles/bombers each. Its expiration removes these limits.

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  "More Dangerous" World: The UN and various experts have described this as a "grave moment" for international security, entering a new era where nuclear risks are heightened.
• Multi-polar Competition: Future arms control efforts are now complicated by the need to include China, which has been expanding its own nuclear arsenal and did not participate in New START. 

Wired had an article on 9February2026 titled, AI Is Here to Replace Nuclear Treaties.  Scared Yet?  Those START treaties worked, for in 1985 there were more than 60,000 nukes.  Today?  Just over 12,000.  Still, mind you, capable of causing the dreaded nuclear winter.  Plus other countries have entered the picture:

Here's a ranking by estimated total warheads (figures are approximate for 2025):

1. Russia: Around 5,459
2. United States: Around 5,177
China: Around 600 (and growing)
France: Around 290
United Kingdom: Around 225
India: Around 180
Pakistan: Around 170
Israel: Around 90 (undeclared but estimated)
North Korea: Around 50

I can go on and on, but will stop here and alert you to NEWS OF THE WORLD:  Part 2, to appear within the week.  Topics like Bitcoin and the world stock market, politics in Japan and Korea, status of Nancy Guthrie and more will be covered.  To be up to date, though, watch this morning's top headlines from NBC News.

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