1. Rafah death toll continues to rise
Since last weekend, Israel has expanded the war in Gaza into Rafah, the territory’s southernmost city. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), at least twenty people have now died there. The French news agency AFP even speaks of 128 deaths. Read more in our live blog
2. Zelensky wants to reshuffle civilian and military leadership: “Reset necessary”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that his country’s military leadership and civilian leadership must be renewed to win the war against Russia. Zelenskiy did not name names but said he is considering “the replacement of a range of national leaders, not just in a single sector, such as the military.” Read more in our live blog
3. Open VLD and CD&V go together to local elections in Kortrijk
Open VLD and CD&V surprisingly go to the local elections in Kortrijk with one city list, but their campaign starts under a bad star. “This is not in line with the values of CD&V,” says ex-mayor Stefaan De Clerck. read more
4. Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus top winners of the Grammy Awards
Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ was named record of the year during the 66th edition of the Grammy Awards on Sunday. Taylor Swift won the album of the year award with her album Midnights. It is already the fourth time that Swift has won that prize, a record. read more
5. Olympic champion Nina Derwael makes a comeback
Nina Derwael returns to competition on February 15. She is in the Belgian selection for the World Cup rounds, where she wants to win a ticket for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on beam. read more
6. Lotus sees turnover climbing above the billion mark
Cookie baker Lotus Bakeries from Lembeke achieved a turnover of one billion euros last year. ‘Biscoff’ is one of the most popular biscuits in the world. read more
7. At least 112 dead in Chile forest fires
Forest fires in central Chile have killed at least 112 people, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday. According to the fire brigade in the Valparaíso region, the forest fires that started on Friday have been ignited. read more
8. Bukele declares himself winner of El Salvador’s presidential election
El Salvador’s current president, Nayib Bukele, said he was re-elected for a second term on Sunday with more than 85 percent of the votes. He reported this himself on Twitter. read more
