While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Feb 24, 2026
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Former British Ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson being led away from his home by a police officer in London, Britain, on Feb 23, 2026, in this screen capture from video.
PHOTO: REUTERS
UK’s Peter Mandelson arrested after revelations over ties to Epstein
Former British ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson has been arrested by London police on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following revelations over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr Mandelson, 72, was fired from the most prestigious posting in Britain’s diplomatic service in September, when the depth of his friendship with Epstein started to become clear.
Police earlier in February began a criminal investigation into Mr Mandelson after Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government passed on communications between the former ambassador and Epstein.
“Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office,” London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement relating to an investigation into a former government minister.
Hungary blocks Russia sanctions, EU cash for Kyiv on eve of war anniversary
PHOTO: AFP
Hungary on Feb 23 maintained its veto on new EU sanctions on Russia and a huge loan for Ukraine amid a dispute over oil supplies, in a blow to Europe's pro-Ukrainian consensus on the eve of the war's fourth anniversary.
On the ground in Ukraine, Kyiv claimed a rare frontline advance, though Moscow continued its campaign of targeting Ukrainian cities, killing two people in drone strikes in the south.
The diplomatic spotlight was on Brussels, where European foreign ministers tried unsuccessfully to persuade Budapest not to punish Ukraine for delays restarting the flow of Russian oil to Hungary via a Soviet-era pipeline.
US pulling non-essential staff from embassy in Beirut amid Iran tensions
PHOTO: REUTERS
The US State Department is pulling out non-essential government personnel and their eligible family members from the US embassy in Beirut, a senior State Department official said on Feb 23, amid growing concerns about the risk of a military conflict with Iran.
"We continuously assess the security environment, and based on our latest review, we determined it prudent to reduce our footprint to essential personnel," said a senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"The Embassy remains operational with core staff in place. This is a temporary measure intended to ensure the safety of our personnel while maintaining our ability to operate and assist US citizens," the official said.
Panama takes control of canal ports from CK Hutchison
PHOTO: REUTERS
Panamanian maritime authorities took control on Feb 23 of two ports on the Panama Canal from CK Hutchison after the Hong Kong-based conglomerate’s concession was annulled following pressure from the United States.
“The Panama Maritime Authority has taken possession of its ports and guarantees the continuity of operations,” an official said after the Panamanian Supreme Court annulled Hutchison’s contracts to operate the ports.
The court ruling was the latest legal move to ricochet through the interoceanic waterway, which handles about 40 per cent of US container traffic and five per cent of world trade.
US stocks close sharply lower amid AI displacement fears and revived tariff angst
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
Wall Street stocks tumbled on Feb 23, as ongoing fears of artificial intelligence-related disruption and the fallout from Feb 20’s US Supreme Court ruling sent investors fleeing from high-risk equities.
A broad selloff sent all three major US stock indexes more than 1 per cent lower by the closing bell, as risk appetite was dampened by a combination of persistent fears over potential disruption due to emergent artificial intelligence technology and Mr Trump’s erratic statements on trade policy, which fueled much of the market volatility during the first year of the president’s second term.
Financial stocks were off 3.3 per cent, while software-related firms slid 4.3 per cent amid ongoing AI disruption fears.
