Latest news for 17 February 2026

IRAN

Talks and warships.

The US and Iran are due to resume nuclear talks in Geneva today, while the US military buildup continues with the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier arriving, plus rumours the world’s largest warship (USS Gerald R Ford) is on its way. (NBC)

Comment: Take your pick: the build-up is a way to build leverage in the talks, or the talks are a way to buy time for the build-up, or both. Trump 2.0 relishes uncertainty, though DC (Rubio) is also highlighting the uncertainty of dealing with theocrats.

UKRAINE

Counter-attack.

Ukraine appears to have made its quickest territorial gains since 2023, recapturing 201 sq km (78 miles) from Russian invaders in five days. Word is it might’ve been helped by Musk’s shutdown of Starlink services used by Russian troops. (F24)

CHINA

Duty free.

President Xi Jinping has announced China will scrap tariffs on goods from 53 African countries from this coming May. (AfricaNews)

Comment: Africa has 54 countries, and the only one excluded is Eswatini, which is also the only nation maintaining ties with… you guessed it, Taiwan. Anyway, why the duty-free deal? Africa still mostly exports raw materials, so this not only helps China counter US influence but also locks in supply amid fierce competition.

EUROPEAN UNION

No AI for you…

The European Parliament has disabled AI features on lawmaker devices, citing security concerns around data being shared with foreign AI providers. (Euractiv)

Comment: You only have to go back a few years to recall a world in which EU dependence on US tech wouldn’t have been seen as a vulnerability, but that’s what happens when trust collapses — locals like France’s Mistral will be the beneficiaries.

TURKEY

Health issues.

President Erdogan has announced he’s postponing his trip to the UAE, citing Emirati leader Mohamed bin Zayed’s health. But the intriguing bit came next, when Erdogan quickly deleted the post and scrubbed any state media mention of MBZ’s health. (The New Arab)

Comment: MBZ was just publicly hosting the Emir of Qatar a couple of days ago, though there’ve always been health rumours. Why so much sensitivity? In a tightly-controlled family-centric political system, leadership stability is key for markets, allies, and rivals alike. MBZ’s line of succession is clear (his eldest son Khaled), but family health is still a state secret to avoid signalling weakness for any rivals, whether at home or abroad.

INDIA

AI summit.

India has kicked off its five-day AI Impact Summit, with the guestlist featuring A-listers like France’s Emmanuel Macron and OpenAI’s Sam Altman. (Al Jazeera)

Comment: It’s all part of India’s quest to repatriate more tech value-add, while Western leaders (like Macron) continue to explore India as a US-China hedge.

UNITED STATES

Nuclear gives you wings!

It’s not every day the US energy secretary and defence undersecretary celebrate flying from California to Utah, but Sunday’s C-17 flight hauled a nuclear reactor! They’re demonstrating rapid deployment of these microreactors (the size of a minivan) ahead of a technical breakthrough (criticality) expected in July. (Reuters)