Portal:Current events/2025 February 18

February 18, 2025 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Kivu conflict
- M23 campaign
  - 2025 Uvira offensive
    - Rwandan-backed M23 rebels advance on the city of Butembo, North Kivu, and capture Kamanyola in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo after defeating Congolese forces. Local officials say M23 forces are now preparing to advance on Uvira. (AP)
    - Burundi initiates the withdrawal of its military forces from the eastern DRC following M23 advances. Between 10,000 and 15,000 Congolese civilians cross into Burundi to avoid violence, with several drowning in the Ruzizi River. (Reuters)
Gaza war, Middle Eastern crisis
- 2025 Gaza war ceasefire
  - Hamas accuses Israel of carrying out at least 266 attacks in the Gaza Strip since the agreed ceasefire on January 19, killing at least 132 Palestinians and wounding 900 others. (Newsweek)
Sudanese civil war
- Al-Kadaris and Al-Khelwat massacres
  - Rapid Support Forces militants kill at least 433 people in the villages of Al-Kadaris and Al-Khelwat, White Nile State, Sudan. (Reuters)
Israeli invasion of Lebanon
- Israel partially withdraws troops from Lebanon as the deadline for their withdrawal expires. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Tomb of Thutmose II
- A joint Egyptian-British archaeological mission announces the discovery of the tomb of King Thutmose II. (CBS News)
Chinese animated film Ne Zha 2 amasses a total box office of ¥12.3 billion (US$1.69 billion), surpassing Inside Out 2 as the highest-grossing animated film globally. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Disasters and accidents

February 2025 North American storm complex
- The death toll from flooding in Kentucky, United States, rises to 14, amid the threat of an imminent winter storm in the region. (NBC News)

International relations

Peace negotiations in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia–United States relations
- The United States and Russia start talks in Saudi Arabia about the war in Ukraine without European or Ukrainian participation. (The New York Times) (BBC News)
- The delegations agree to start the negotiating process for ending the war, create high-level teams, and normalize diplomatic and economic ties between the two countries. (AP)
- U.S. President Donald Trump calls for a new presidential election to be held in Ukraine as part of a peace deal with Russia. (The Telegraph) (NBC News)
- Russia rules out any peacekeepers from NATO member states being stationed in Ukraine as part of any peace agreement. (BBC News)

Law and crime

2025 Istanbul alcohol poisonings
- Over 124 people have been killed over the last six weeks from consuming bootleg alcohol, with dozens still hospitalized. Twenty-eight people are arrested in connection with the production and distribution of the alcohol. (Haarlems Dagblad) (CBS News)
Animal welfare in the United Kingdom
- The Welsh Government announces a ban on Greyhound racing in Wales following cross-party calls for a ban on the sport which has been criticized for its animal cruelty. (BBC News)
Iran–United Kingdom relations
- An Iranian court charges a British couple who were arrested and jailed last month with espionage. (DW)
$Libra cryptocurrency scandal
- A judge in Argentina orders investigations into potential fraud by President Javier Milei following his brief social media promotion of a cryptocurrency that collapsed in value hours after promotion. (AP)

Politics and elections

Science and technology

NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies announces that the chances of asteroid 2024 YR4 impacting Earth on 22 December 2032 has increased to 3.1% (1-in-32) following further observations of its orbital trajectory. It has now surpassed the threat of 99942 Apophis which once had a 2.7% chance of hitting Earth during 2004 before later being ruled out. (Live Science) (CNN)