People in support of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol rally near Seoul Central District Court in Seoul on Feb. 19, 2026. The court sentenced him to life imprisonment the same day for leading an insurrection with his short-lived declaration of martial law in December 2024.
65:The age of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday after being found guilty of plotting an insurrection when he declared martial law in 2024. When deciding whether or not to give him the death penalty, the judge said he took into account his age and the fact that no lethal force was used under martial law.
34: The number of people killed in coordinated attacks on northwestern Nigerian villages this week. Authorities suspect a new insurgent group, Lakurawa, is responsible, amid a security crisis in the country.
2003: The last year in which the US’s concentration of air power in the Middle East was as high as it is today. The US has sent dozens of planes and two aircraft carriers to the Gulf as it weighs possible strikes on Iran.
9: The number of hours an investment banker is arguing she should be entitled to sleep a night in a trial set to go to court next week in New York. The plaintiff, whose health condition requires her to sleep nine hours, sued her former employer after they said they could no longer accommodate her needs. The case is sparking debate about healthy work-life balances in corporate culture.US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to meet tomorrow but trade will not be the only issue on the table, as Taiwan and the Iran war are also set to form part of the talks.
French President Emmanuel Macron is trying to redefine France’s relationship with the continent, making it based on economic partnerships rather than a shared colonial history.
The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively shut, global energy markets are under mounting pressure, and President Trump appears to be backing away from some of his original demands on Tehran. Ian Bremmer argues that Iran increasingly believes it has more leverage than the United States, and that perception alone is reshaping the negotiations.