While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Feb 7, 2026
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Residents standing next to burned cars at the site of an overnight Russian drone and missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, on Jan 28.
PHOTO: REUTERS
EU proposes new Russia sanctions on oil, banking, trade
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen proposed on Feb 6 a new round of sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine war, including a ban on providing shipping services for Russian crude oil.
The package - meant to be approved for the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of its neighbour on Feb 24 - also targets Russian banks, cryptocurrency traders and metal exports.
The latest EU moves against the Kremlin come as the United States has been mediating talks between Russia and Ukraine to stop the fighting.
“We must be clear-eyed: Russia will only come to the table with genuine intent if it is pressured to do so,” Dr von der Leyen said. “This is the only language Russia understands. That is why we are stepping up today.”
Trump deletes racist clip of Obamas as monkeys
President Donald Trump shared a post with a racist video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys, sparking outrage across the US political spectrum on Feb 6 before deleting it in a rare backtrack.
The White House initially rejected “fake outrage” over the video shared on Mr Trump’s Truth Social account late on the night of Feb 5, only to then blame the post on an error by a staff member.
Democrats had slammed Mr Trump as “vile” over the post about the Obamas – the first black president and first lady in US history – while a senior Republican senator said the video was blatantly racist.
Canada, France open consulates in Greenland
Canada and France, which both oppose US President Donald Trump’s claim to Greenland, opened consulates in the Danish autonomous territory’s capital on Feb 6, in a show of support for the local government.
Since returning to the White House in 2025, Mr Trump has insisted that Washington needs to control the strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island for security reasons.
“In a sense, it’s a victory for Greenlanders to see two allies opening diplomatic representations in Nuuk,” said Mr Jeppe Strandsbjerg, a political scientist at the University of Greenland. “There is great appreciation for the support against what Trump has said.”
EU tells TikTok to change ‘addictive’ design
PHOTO: REUTERS
The EU said on Feb 6 that TikTok needs to change its “addictive design” or risk heavy fines under the bloc’s digital content rules, drawing a sharp pushback from the Chinese-owned platform.
In preliminary conclusions of a probe opened two years ago, the European Commission said it found TikTok was not taking effective steps to address the app’s negative impacts, especially on minors and vulnerable adults.
“TikTok’s addictive design is in breach of the Digital Services Act,” said commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier, citing concerns with features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and a highly personalised recommender system.
Mariah Carey helps launch Games opening ceremony
PHOTO: REUTERS
US pop diva Mariah Carey helped to get the party started on Feb 6 as the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics staged a unique opening ceremony combining elements from the co-hosts, seeking to reflect both city and mountain life.
Carey performed the 1950s Italian song “Nel blu, dipinto di blu” (In The blue, Painted In Blue) with its famous “Volare” (To Fly) refrain to cheers in Milan’s San Siro stadium.
US Vice-President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were among the crowd in the iconic soccer stadium.
