FEBRUARY 2026 EVENTS

 On Thursday Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel warned that U.S. efforts to block oil supplies would take a heavy toll on the Caribbean nation and asked Cubans to endure further sacrifices to weather the impending hardship.

Last week, Trump signed an executive order threatening to impose tariffs on countries providing oil to Cuba.

The island’s communist government says U.S. sanctions cost the country more than $7.5 billion between March 2024 and February 2025, substantially more than the year before.

The crisis deepened after Venezuela ceased oil shipments in January, following a U.S. military operation that captured then-President Nicolás Maduro. Then, in late January Mexico, a long vocal ally of Cuba, halted its oil exports to the island.

Cuba only produces 40% of the oil it consumes.

Thorbjørn Jagland, the former prime minister of Norway, former secretary-general of the Council of Europe, also the former chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, has been charged with “aggravated corruption”, and Norwegian authorities have raided his properties as part of the corruption investigation into his connections to Epstein.

Multiple documents and emails that were released show that Jagland and his family visited Epstein’s residences, with travel expenses all covered by Epstein. Other emails show that Epstein attempted to arrange a meeting between Jagland and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Norwegian Ambassador to Britain Mona Juul and her husband Terje Rod-Larsen, a diplomat who was one of the main architects of the Oslo Accords signed 25 years ago, are now under a corruption investigation by Norwegian police after reports that Epstein left them millions of dollars in his will.

Amid the latest revelations, 65-year-old Juul has resigned as Norway’s ambassador to Jordan and Iraq. She has been placed on administrative leave, and the Norwegian government has withdrawn her security clearance.

Her husband, former diplomat Terje Rod-Larsen, ran a think tank called the International Peace Institute (IPI) – he resigned in 2020 amid growing scrutiny over his ties to Epstein. In the released Epstein files, he describes the convicted sex trafficker as his “best friend”. According to reporting by Aftenposten, Norway’s largest newspaper, the IPI – under Rod-Larsen – brought in young women from Eastern Europe as interns: Their photos were then shared with Epstein.

Juul has been charged with aggravated corruption, while Rod-Larsen faces charges of contributing to aggravated corruption.

Human Rights Watch has found evidence that Israel fired artillery shells with white phosphorus over residential areas in the southern Lebanese town of Yohmor on March 3, violating international humanitarian law.

The rights group also documented Israel’s use of white phosphorus across border villages in southern Lebanon between October 2023 and May 2024.

White phosphorus can ignite on contact with oxygen, causing severe burns, death, or lifelong injuries.

French financial crimes prosecutors have opened an investigation into France's former culture minister Jack Lang and his daughter, Caroline Lang, over suspected laundering of proceeds linked to aggravated tax fraud, according to The Washington Post. The probe follows reporting by French investigative outlet Mediapart detailing Lang’s close association with Jeffrey Epstein.

In one email, Lang thanks Epstein for hosting him on a trip. In another exchange, they make plans to meet in Marrakech.

Lang stepped down as head of the Arab World Institute after being summoned by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, which supervises the Paris-based cultural organization.

Former Prince Andrew Arrested on Suspicion of Misconduct Due to Epstein Connections – 2/19/26

The former royal prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on 19 February on suspicion of misconduct in public office, after revelations of his involvement with Epstein.

Peter Mandelson, the former UK ambassador to the US, was released on bail this week after being arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.  Mandelson, a veteran Labor Party politician, has been accused of passing market-sensitive information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein when he was business secretary in the UK government.

Misconduct in public office is notoriously difficult to prosecute and requires that the accused must have been acting in an official capacity at the time of the alleged offence, that they willfully misconducted themselves and that that conduct falls “so far below acceptable standards that it amounts to an abuse of the public’s trust”.

Mandelson will ultimately be charged, have his bail extended or face no further action.

The US lost 92,000 jobs in February, an unexpected major slackening in the labor market.

The unemployment rate edged up to 4.4% in February. In comparison, the US added a revised 126,000 jobs in January, far surpassing expectations of 70,000 jobs but still less than January 2025. Economists predicted an increase of 60,000 jobs added in February and a steady unemployment rate of 4.3%.