The day

Thursday 19 February 2026

14 stories, biggest first.

1. 1

   CrimeConnections of Jeffrey Epstein

   In the United Kingdom, police arrest royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on charges of misconduct in public office related to his links to convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He is later released from police custody.

2. 2

   Politics

   United States president Donald Trump says he has ordered defense secretary Pete Hegseth and other relevant department heads to "begin the process" of releasing classified government files related to extraterrestrial life and UAPs.

3. 3

   Crime2026 political prisoner release in Venezuela

   Acting Venezuelan president Delcy Rodríguez signs a general amnesty bill into law, enabling the release of hundreds of political prisoners, including former National Assembly vice president Juan Pablo Guanipa.

4. 4

   CrimeArrest of Yoon Suk Yeol

   Former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol is sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of leading an insurrection when he declared martial law on December 3, 2024.

5. 5

   News

   Five miners are trapped underground and presumed dead in a diamond mine after a mudslide in Kimberley, Northern Cape, South Africa.

6. 6

   NewsKordofan campaign

   At least three aid workers are killed and four others are injured in a drone attack by the Rapid Support Forces and Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North on an aid convoy in South Kordofan, Sudan.

7. 7

   News

   Sixteen people are killed and several others are injured after a gas explosion which then caused the building to collapse in Karachi, Pakistan.

8. 8

   News

   A person is killed and five others are injured in Pétion-Ville, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, when a high-voltage power line breaks and falls into a public market.

9. 9

   News

   Eighteen people are killed and three others are injured when two trucks collide head-on near Port Said, Egypt.

10. 10

    News

    Six firefighters are killed and another is injured when a fire engine plunges off a cliff in Xinhua County, Hunan, China.

11. 11

    News

    At least four people are killed and 17 others are injured when a truck transporting liquid gas crashes and explodes in Santiago, Chile.

12. 12

    Politics

    Andrey Gyurov is sworn in as Prime Minister of Bulgaria.

13. 13

    Science

    Scientists discover a new dinosaur species (Spinosaurus mirabilis) deep in the Sahara Desert.

14. 14

    Sport2026 Winter Olympics

    Ski mountaineer Oriol Cardona wins the men's sprint event and captures Spain's first Winter Olympics gold medal in 54 years.

Stories adapted from Wikipedia’s Current events portal for 19 February 2026, by Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.