The flight, designated Starlink 6-103, delivered 29 additional broadband internet satellites into low Earth orbit, expanding the company’s growing Starlink megaconstellation, which now numbers more than 9,600 spacecraft. It marked SpaceX’s 14th Starlink launch of the year, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
The company confirmed that the satellites were successfully deployed roughly one hour after liftoff.
***
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at 2:59:40 a.m. EST (0759:40 UTC). After clearing the pad, the rocket followed a south-easterly trajectory as it climbed into orbit, beginning the process of placing the new satellites into their designated positions.
The 45th Weather Squadron forecast just a 20 percent chance for acceptable weather during the launch window. Meteorologists are tracking potentially severe weather heading into the state over the course of Sunday and heading into Monday.
Watch Falcon 9 launch 29 @Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida https://t.co/MXZL12ETyy
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 16, 2026
“As the low slides eastwards to move off the Georgia coast late tonight, south-southwest winds will increase during the day, even outside of any precipitation,” launch weather officers wrote. “Models have come into better agreement with the timing of a band of pre-frontal showers and storms, currently moving through the Florida Panhandle, reaching the Spaceport just before the opening of the primary window.
“Showers and storms are expected to linger for a few hours into the window before sliding south of the area. While this activity loses intensity as it arrives, strong wind gusts will still be possible. The primary concerns will be the Cumulus Cloud Rule, Surface Electric Fields Rule, and Anvil Cloud Rules, though additional thunderstorm-related rules are likely.”
SpaceX launched the mission using the Falcon 9 first stage booster with the tail number 1090. This was its 10th flight after launching previous missions, like NASA’s Crew-10, CRS-33 and Bandwagon-3.
Nearly 8.5 minutes after liftoff, B1090 landed on the drone ship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas,’ positioned in the Atlantic Ocean. This was the 142nd landing on this vessel and the 572nd booster landing to date.
The search took place Monday as part of a preliminary investigation into alleged tax fraud involving Lang and his daughter Caroline. The probe was launched after documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice raised questions about financial matters connected to the case., News.Az reports, citing Reuters
France’s National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) confirmed that the Arab World Institute was among several locations targeted in the operation. The institution, which promotes cultural and academic understanding of the Arab world, said it could not immediately comment on the search.
***
Lang stepped down earlier this month from his leadership role at the Arab World Institute, a position he had held since 2013. He previously served as France’s culture minister during the presidency of François Mitterrand.
Investigators are also examining correspondence between Lang and Epstein that reportedly took place between 2012 and 2019. Lang has denied all accusations connected to the investigation.
In Georgia, where political polarisation is reaching a peak, contact between the government and the opposition — broken for years — is suddenly being restored in the form of debates.
The ruling Georgian Dream party, which for years boycotted media outlets critical of the authorities and avoided direct confrontation with its opponents, is now itself initiating public discussions.
The process is particularly notable against the backdrop of a deep legitimacy crisis for Georgian Dream, both domestically — amid protests over alleged election fraud — and internationally. A striking example was US Vice-President JD Vance’s recent visit to the South Caucasus, which did not include a stop in Georgia.
The question of debates has sparked intense discussion both in society and political circles. Opinions are divided over whether the opposition should take part in debates initiated by the government. Both supporters and opponents of the idea have put forward their arguments.
Return to debates
On 22 January 2026, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze publicly declared his readiness to debate his opponents and launched an initiative to revive “public discussion”.
Before this initiative, dialogue between the government and the opposition in Georgia had effectively been suspended for years. During Georgian Dream’s first term in power, ministers and MPs regularly appeared on opposition television channels. But this practice ended completely several years ago, as the government moved to boycott critical media. The situation changed, particularly after the authorities took control of Rustavi 2, the most popular opposition channel.
In response to Irakli Kobakhidze’s initiative, opposition television channels offered the government airtime on their own platforms. However, the ruling party chose pro-government channels Rustavi 2 and Imedi as venues for the debates — both of which the opposition and some civil society groups consider to be propaganda outlets.
Rustavi 2 even set up a special debate studio, with a large red table at the centre.
The “debates” are hosted by television presenter Rezi Chichinadze. The programme’s description says it is a “public dialogue” returning to the air as a necessary tool for audiences to hear different viewpoints in one space. The format is intended to “put an end to polarisation”.
One of the first topics in the new format was rising prices in Georgia. Prime Minister Kobakhidze himself took part in the discussion.
Kobakhidze also appeared in a debate on the Imedi television channel on 14 February, посвящённых education reform.
Why now?
Analysts say the government’s initiative may be driven by several factors: a desire to strengthen domestic legitimacy, an attempt to break out of international isolation, and an effort to attract neutral voters.
This view is shared by Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zourabichvili.
According to her, there are now virtually no “real, substantive debates” left in the one-party parliament dominated by Georgian Dream, so the format proposed by the prime minister is an attempt to “soften the image of isolation and one-party rule”.
“It is hard to say exactly what the purpose of these debates is, but it is clearly about achieving the government’s goals. You cannot achieve much in an hour-long debate with a prime minister who is not an expert in the subject under discussion.”
Simon Janashia, an education expert and one of the leaders of the political movement Freedom Square, who took part in the 14 February debate, also analysed the reasons behind the government’s shift in strategy. He said the authorities see that polarisation is no longer working.
“Recent research available to political parties shows that the number of groups with sharply opposing views is shrinking, while the number of people with relatively moderate positions — the so-called neutrals, nihilists and others — is growing.”
In his view, the government is trying to win over moderate voters. “Georgian Dream is playing the role of a constructive government and hopes that only it will be able to influence the moderate group, either because it will fail to draw the opposition into the debates or because it will artificially exclude it from them.”
What do supporters of participation in the debates say?
Opposition supporters and participants in pro-European protests have reacted to the debates in mixed ways, with heated arguments, emotional posts and sometimes mutual accusations.
Those in favour of taking part argue that any platform can be used to speak the truth, including pro-government television channels.
Protest march organiser Gota Chanturia said: “I want to remind everyone that one of the demands of the Public Broadcaster March was precisely to open up airtime. Yes, the main demand was to open the air ‘to the people’, but we never rejected discussions and debates.”
Tinatin Mosiashvili, a protest participant, pointed to growing media polarisation: “I support debates. Today we still live in parallel realities. One part of the population watches one set of media, another watches something else, and there is no dialogue between us.”
Simon Janashia, who took part in the debates himself, said: “My goal is not to convince Kobakhidze of anything. My goal is to break out of the narrow space where only the opposition speaks. Imedi has the highest ratings in Georgia, and that cannot be ignored.”
Janashia rejected the idea that taking part in debates amounts to recognising the authorities: “They [opponents of the debates] think it is acceptable to talk to the regime at the airport or on the street, but not in debates, because they believe that would be seen as recognising it. That is simply not the case. I saw Zviad Gamsakhurdia speaking to Russian soldiers after 9 April, but that did not mean he recognised the legitimacy of the Soviet government in Georgia.”
Writer Lasha Bugadze commented: “It is obvious that a politician must appear anywhere there is even the slightest chance to speak and influence people. If you cannot win an argument with the sociopath Ivanishvili and the extremely weak, deceitful and manipulative ‘prime minister’ on Imedi, then how do you plan to win the bigger battle? You have to win.”
Supporters’ arguments largely come down to the following:
Писатель Лаша Бугадзе прокомментировал: «Очевидно, политик должен появляться везде, где есть хоть малейший шанс высказаться и повлиять на народ. Если вы не можете выиграть спор с социопатом Иванишвили и крайне слабым, лживым и обманчивым “премьер-министром” на “Имеди”, то как вы планируете выиграть в большой схватке? Вы должны победить!».
Аргументы сторонников в основном сводятся к следующему:
▇ Main arguments of supporters
Years without debates have not produced results, so a different tactic might work.
The opposition should speak everywhere to spread the truth, including on pro-government television;
The opposition needs to reach government supporters and undecided voters. It cannot do that without appearing on pro-government TV, since many in that audience watch Imedi and Rustavi 2;
Taking part in debates does not mean recognising the authorities. On the contrary, it allows participants to explain live to pro-government viewers why the Georgian Dream government is illegitimate;
It offers a chance to ask the government important questions directly;
Debates could help reduce polarisation;
What do opponents of taking part in the debates say?
Critics of participation are categorical in their stance. Their main argument is that if the debates are initiated and organised by Georgian Dream, taking part amounts to recognising the government’s legitimacy.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty interviewed several participants in a rally on Tbilisi’s central Rustaveli Avenue. One protester, Tamuna Giorgadze, said: “When people are arrested for protesting on the pavements, and a little girl is threatened with two years in prison for tearing up newspapers, it is completely inappropriate to take part in debates organised by the government and thus give it even a small measure of legitimacy.”
Another demonstrator, Tea Paichadze, said: “I do not support it for a simple reason: if it benefits them, it should not benefit us. It will create the illusion of democracy in a country where it does not exist. What is there to discuss with someone who has been beating protesters for more than 400 days?”
Former president Salome Zourabichvili has also spoken out against participation. In her view, one of the aims of allowing the opposition into the debates is to divide it.
“They do not know how to govern the country, but they do know how to ‘divide and rule’. It is an old technique that every regime uses at some point,” Zourabichvili said.
▇ Main arguments of opponents
Pro-government television channels are not a suitable platform for genuine public discussion.
The debates are organised by the government itself, so taking part gives it legitimacy. There is a risk the authorities will use them to create an image of “normalisation” for both domestic and international audiences;
Appearing in debates on pro-government television would create the illusion of a normal democratic process, which could be seen as hypocritical while the government restricts independent media and spaces for public discussion;
Playing on the “opponent’s territory” would put the opposition at a disadvantage from the outset;
Government supporters who have avoided critical information for years are unlikely to change their views after a debate;
Taking part in government-organised debates amid repression, arrests and fines is morally unacceptable;
One of the aims of reviving debates may be to deepen divisions within the opposition;
Debates on European integration
The Rustavi 2 television channel has begun promoting debates on the topic “Does Georgia need European integration?”. The subject has drawn particular criticism.
The party For Georgia, led by former prime minister Giorgi Gakharia, which had previously taken part in debates, refused to participate this time. “European integration is the historical and constitutional choice of our country, unequivocally supported by the people of Georgia. Accordingly, there is nothing to discuss,” the party said.
Sociologist and supporter of the pro-European protests Iago Kachkachishvili wrote on Facebook that he had also been invited to take part in a debate on European integration on Rustavi 2, but declined. “Debates on this topic are harmful in themselves, not to mention that they are unconstitutional.” In his view, scepticism towards European integration had been artificially created by the government.
Constitutional lawyer Vakhtang Khmaladze said the aim of such debates was clear. “When 80 or 90 percent of participants in a debate speak against European integration, and the debate is organised that way, it becomes obvious they are trying to create the impression that the overwhelming majority opposes it, while only marginal groups support it.”
According to some experts, one of the goals of these debates is precisely to turn the European course, guaranteed by the constitution, into a subject of criticism.
What to expect from the debates?
The discussion about debates reflects a broader dilemma: how the opposition and civil society should confront a government with vast resources — through public dialogue or a strategy of boycott.
Simon Janashia acknowledges the risks of participation, including the possibility that the government will use the process to improve its image. But he adds: “The stage has already been set, and now our task is to be kind, brave and competent… We have to overcome our sense of helplessness.”
Ultimately, most agree that debates in Georgia are less about genuine discussion and more about a struggle over the political agenda.
There is little doubt that it will become increasingly difficult for the opposition to engage in dialogue while the government controls much of the media, adopts what critics call anti-democratic and unconstitutional laws, and continues to suppress protests and opposition forces. At the same time, refusing to take part in debates means giving up contact with a wider audience.
The incident occurred in a village in Jiangsu province, just days before Lunar New Year celebrations were set to begin, News.Az reports, citing the Independent.
Local officials in Donghai County reported that the blast was triggered when a resident improperly ignited fireworks near the store. Further details about the circumstances of the explosion were not immediately disclosed.
***
The tragedy unfolded ahead of the Lunar New Year, also known in China as the Spring Festival, which begins on Tuesday and marks the start of the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac. Setting off fireworks and firecrackers at midnight is a long-standing tradition during the festival, symbolizing the warding off of evil spirits and the welcoming of good fortune.
However, in recent years, many regions across China have imposed restrictions or outright bans on fireworks, citing concerns over air pollution and public safety. Some local governments eased those restrictions last year, raising the possibility of a partial return of public fireworks displays in certain areas.
Following Sunday’s deadly explosion, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management called on authorities nationwide to tighten oversight of the production, transportation, sale, and use of fireworks in order to prevent similar accidents.
In a statement, the ministry emphasized that testing or igniting fireworks and firecrackers near retail outlets must be strictly prohibited. It also urged local governments to identify and eliminate regulatory blind spots, stressing the importance of ensuring that citizens can celebrate the Spring Festival in a safe and secure environment.
Officials said efforts would be stepped up to strengthen inspections and reinforce safety awareness ahead of the holiday period, when fireworks usage typically surges across the country.
Afghanistan kept their own slim hopes alive with a tense five-wicket win in New Delhi, powered by an all-round performance from Azmatullah Omarzai. The 24-year-old starred with the ball, claiming 4-15 as the UAE posted 160-9, before guiding the chase with an unbeaten 40, News.Az report, citing foreign media.
Afghanistan reached 162-5 with four balls remaining, sealing their first win of the tournament and boosting their chances of advancing.
***
The result ensured that South Africa, semi-finalists in 2024, became the third team to book a Super Eights berth, joining the West Indies cricket team and co-hosts India national cricket team.
Despite the win, Afghanistan’s path to the next round remains complicated. They must secure a comprehensive victory over Canada in their final group match on Thursday and rely on other results to surpass New Zealand national cricket team for second place in Group C.
“Next game, you never know, it’s a T20 game. We’ll have to come up with a good brand of cricket, irrespective of the chances of making it to the Super Eights,” said Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan. “We want to make the country and our people proud and happy.”
New Zealand can confirm their own qualification and eliminate Afghanistan with a victory over Canada on Tuesday in Chennai.
In Monday’s match, Sohaib Khan top-scored for the UAE with 68, sharing an 84-run partnership for the third wicket with Alishan Sharafu, who contributed 40. Medium pacer Muhammad Arfan removed Ibrahim Zadran in the 14th over to leave Afghanistan at 97-4, shifting momentum toward the UAE.
However, Darwish Rasooli and Omarzai steadied the chase with a crucial 43-run fifth-wicket stand. Rasooli fell for 33 in the 18th over, but Omarzai held his nerve, striking the winning boundary to complete a hard-fought victory and keep Afghanistan’s campaign alive.
According to the military, the simultaneous assaults targeted Pulka, near the Cameroon border, and Mandaragirau in southern Borno, both areas that have long been key battlegrounds in the fight against insurgent groups. Borno state remains the center of Nigeria’s nearly two-decade insurgency involving Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Military officials said militants launched a multi-directional attack on the Mandaragirau base using armed vehicles and motorcycles. Nigerian forces, who had anticipated the strike, responded with heavy resistance and prevented militants from taking control of the base. The army confirmed that some soldiers and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force were killed, while several injured personnel were evacuated for medical treatment.
***
In the second incident, fighters linked to Boko Haram and ISWAP temporarily entered a military position in Pulka late Saturday, damaging accommodation facilities and some equipment. However, reinforcements helped Nigerian troops push the militants back and regain full control of the area.
The military said intelligence from the battlefield suggested militant groups suffered significant losses during the clashes. Follow-up security operations reportedly uncovered abandoned equipment and other signs of retreating fighters.
The attacks highlight the continued security challenges facing Nigeria’s northeast, where insurgent groups have recently stepped up attacks against both military targets and civilians.
The clashes come months after U.S. airstrikes targeted militant positions in northwestern Nigeria in December, following orders from U.S. President Donald Trump. U.S. officials have signaled that further military action could be considered if militant activity escalates.
