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MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Iranian state media reports that Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, traveled today to Oman – the site of recent indirect nuclear-related talks between Tehran and the United States. Analysts suggest Larijani's visit could be to convey a response to the recent US-Iran talks. [more]
• New guidance issued yesterday by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration advised U.S.-flagged commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to stay as far from Iran’s territorial waters as possible and to verbally decline Iranian forces permission to board if asked. [full guidance document] [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,445 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• European and Ukrainian analysts say a sharp rise in casualties is reducing Russia's battlefield opportunities in Ukraine and that as many as 90% of new enlistees in the Russian military are being deployed to replace battlefield casualties. [more]

U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY FUNDING | Ahead of a Friday DHS funding deadline, congressional Democratic leaders yesterday characterized White House counterproposals to a list of reform demands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement as "incomplete and insufficient."  [more]

U.S. MILITARIZATION | Senior U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder yesterday blocked a California law that would have required federal immigration agents from masks or other face coverings during enforcement operations but left in place a requirement that agents wear clear identification showing their agency and badge numbers. Snyder said in her ruling that the mask ban was improper because it did not also apply to state law enforcement agencies and, therefore, discriminated against the federal government. [more]

EPSTEIN INVESTIGATIONS | After invoking her 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination yesterday during a deposition before the House Oversight Committee, Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of late financier and convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking, conveyed through her attorney that she is "prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump." [more]

WALK FOR PEACE | A group of Buddhist monks whose 108-day, 2,300-mile Walk for Peace from Fort Worth, Texas, has captured widespread interest and media coverage, ends in Washington, DC, today with an interfaith reception at Washington National Cathedral. A spokesman for the group's temple says the walk was "a spiritual offering – an invitation to live peace through everyday actions, mindful steps, and open hearts." [more]

U.S. AND EUROPE | In comments published today, French President Emmanuel Macron urged European unity and strength in the face of “openly anti-European” and contemptuous actions by the U.S.' Trump administration and predicted that the U.S. and E.U. will clash later this year over tech and digital media regulation. [more]

U.S. AND CANADA | U.S. President Donald Trump threatened yesterday to block the opening of a new bridge connecting Canada and Michigan across the Detroit River, saying the U.S. should own at least half of the Canada-funded infrastructure project. Reports note that the Gordie Howe International Bridge, under construction since 2018, is intended to help relieve congestion in other regional cross-border routes. [more]

U.S. AND VENEZUELA | In the seventh such action in recent months, the U.S. military boarded a sanctioned ship carrying Venezuelan oil in the Indian Ocean yesterday as part of broader efforts to control the South America country's oil exports. [more]

U.K. | Despite having no known ties to late financier and convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, U.K. Prime Minister Kier Starmer is facing calls for his resignation following revelations of a relationship between Epstein and former U.K. ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson. Starmer said yesterday he would continue to fight for his job, saying he is not prepared to walk away from his mandate. [more]

MEXICO | Amidst a nationwide surge in measles cases, the Mexican state of Jalisco said yesterday it is increasing health screenings at schools and recommending the use of face masks by students and staff. Reports note that more than half of Mexico's 2,143 confirmed measles cases and nearly 6,000 suspected cases have occurred in Jalisco. [more]

MEXICO AND CANADA | Mexican authorities say the bodies of five missing Canadian mine workers have been identified in clandestine graves near Vancouver-based Vizsla Silver Corp's mine in Concordia, Mexico. Officials say 10 workers went missing from the site on January 28, and that additional bodies from the gravesite are still awaiting identification. [more]

CUBA | Amidst ongoing U.S. efforts to block oil supplies from Cuba, airlines and pilots were warned by Cuban aviation officials yesterday that airplane refueling will not be available at nine of the Caribbean island nation's main airports beginning today due to lack of jet fuel. [more]

SOUTH KOREA | Amidst a nationwide physician shortage, the South Korean government has announced plans to increase medical school admissions by some 3,340 students from 2027 to 2031 – a move criticized by doctors' groups as likely to overwhelm medical schools and lead to lower quality of services. [more]

SWEDEN | Sweden has announced plans to tighten rules for citizenship applicants by increasing the residency wait time to 8 years from 5 years, setting a minimum earnings threshold of 20,000 Swedish crowns ($2,225) per month, and requiring applicants to pass a language and culture test. [more]

SOCIAL MEDIA | Opening statements were delivered yesterday in a Los Angeles County Superior Court case in which Instagram parent company Meta and Google’s YouTube face claims that their social media platforms deliberately addict and harm children. Reports note that TikTok and Snap, originally included in the case, have settled the claims against them for undisclosed sums. [more]

OLYMPICS | As of publication time, Norway leads the overall medal count at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games with 11, followed by Italy, Japan, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Sweden, and the United States. [medal tracker] [competition schedule] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1763, the Treaty of Paris was signed, ending territorial conflicts between France and Britain in the Seven Years' War, the North American phase of which was called the French and Indian War. As part of the treaty, France ceded its territory in Canada to Great Britain. [more history]