- Rightwing populist André Ventura has been soundly defeated in Portugal's presidential runoff by centre-left candidate António José Seguro. This is more important than it would be in many European countries (though less so than in the US) due to the fact that Portugal has a semi-presidential system, and the president has the power to veto legislation and dissolve parliament at will.
- New York mayor Zohran Mamdani has introduced an executive order prohibiting ICE agents from municipal property without a warrant as well as several other measures aimed at limiting the power of the agency to conduct "abusive immigration enforcement". Interestingly, apart from a single article on CBS, there seems to be very little coverage online from the US - nothing from the New York Times, NPR, NBC, Associated Press, or any of the other usual suspects - and there's surprisingly little international coverage either, just stuff from places like this Spanish website and this Turkish one. I'm always a bit leery when someone on Facebook or whatever claims stridently that there's a "news blackout" about a subject, because generally a simple Google search brings up something - but this comes a lot closer than most to being the real deal. And yes, I tried the built-in search features of those American sites named above, just in case it was Google rather than the sites themselves burying the story, but it seems not.
- Dr. Philippe Lagacé-Wiens, a microbiologist at St Boniface Hospital, warns that the measles exposure at Brandon's Ag Days has the potential to be a superspreader event. Some 35,000 people attended the trade show, and in this day and age there's a definite correlation between attending agricultural trade fairs and not getting vaccinated.
- The Canadian government appears to have made advance payments for parts for 14 additional F-35s, seemingly still wanting to hedge their bets on the matter. The parts are needed in order to keep Canada's place in the order queue.
- Canada's airlines are cancelling flights to Cuba as Havana's airport runs short on jet fuel following the country's loss of access to Venezuelan oil in the wake of the US attack. This comes after a travel advisory was already issued for the country due to the fuel shortage.
- NBC appears to have altered the audio of the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics to cut out the boos from the audience directed at JD Vance.
- Donald Trump is threatening to cancel the planned opening of a second bridge between Windsor and Detroit. The Gordie Howe International Bridge is scheduled to open in the next few months, but has become the latest fixation for the orange monster.
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