Plus, Bangladesh voted in first election since Hasina's ouster.

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Daily Briefing

Daily Briefing

By Kate Turton

Hello. Counting begins in Bangladesh election after high turnout, cartel drones become flashpoint between the US and Mexico, and US firms confront a widening income gulf.

Plus, the virtual boyfriends winning hearts in China.

Today's Top News

 

Fort Bliss Air Base. El Paso, Texas. February 11, 2026. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez

North America

  • The chaotic closure of the El Paso airport, which US authorities blamed on an incursion by a Mexican cartel drone, brought into sharp focus the growing use of unmanned aircraft by crime groups and the crackling tensions between the countries over how to deal with it.
  • The suspect in a deadly school shooting in western Canada was an 18-year-old woman with mental health issues police said, but investigators did not offer a motive for one of the worst mass slaughters in Canadian history.
  • A Republican lawmaker accused Attorney General Pam Bondi of concealing the names of powerful associates of Jeffrey Epstein as she faced questions about the Justice Department's handling of investigative files in a charged hearing before a House of Representatives panel.
  • A lawyer leading efforts to bolster US President Donald Trump's false claims that the 2020 presidential election was "stolen" pushed a US intelligence contractor to search for evidence of voter fraud in that race, two people familiar with the events said. Read our exclusive.

In other news

  • Trump said after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu they reached no "definitive" agreement on how to move forward with Iran but he insisted negotiations with Tehran would continue to see if a deal can be achieved.
  • Tens of millions of Bangladeshis voted in an election that they hope will provide stability and growth after the 2024 ouster of long‑time premier Sheikh Hasina in a Gen Z‑driven uprising. Tora Agarwala tells the Reuters World News podcast why some under-30s are conflicted about their votes. Follow our live coverage. 
  • Russia pounded Ukraine with drones and ballistic missiles overnight, further battering its energy system and leaving tens of thousands in the capital Kyiv and the cities of Dnipro and Odesa without heat, power and water, officials said.
  • Ukraine's skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from the Milano Cortina Winter Games over the use of a helmet depicting Ukrainian athletes killed in the war with Russia, the International Olympic Committee said.
  • Swathes of Spain and Portugal were on high alert as heavy rain and strong winds battered the Iberian peninsula, felling trees, disrupting transport and forcing the closure of schools in some areas.
 

Business & Markets

 
  • America's consumer economy is pulling in opposite directions, a gulf increasingly apparent in C-suite commentary, with premium brands profiting from well-off customers while value-focused firms battle restraint from cash-strapped households.
  • Deutsche Bank continued to provide services for Jeffrey Epstein after telling the disgraced financier it would end the relationship in late 2018, only closing all his accounts after his arrest in July 2019, US Department of Justice files show.
  • British money manager Schroders is being taken over by US asset manager Nuveen for $13.5 billion, in one of Europe's largest fund management deals that will mark the end of an era for the 222-year old firm.
  • One year after Chinese startup DeepSeek rattled the global tech industry with the release of a low-cost artificial intelligence model, its domestic rivals are better prepared, vying with it to launch new models, some designed with more consumer appeal.
  • South Africa's beef exports fell 26% in 2025, despite growing global demand, partly due to China's ban on the African country's red meat products as it battles its worst foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in recent memory.
  • Shares in software giants like Salesforce sank amid fears of competition from chatbots, implying pain for private equity’s bet on the industry. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists discuss how asset managers may take a hit whether AI lives up to its promise or not.
 

Foreign cars flow to Russia through China, skirting Ukraine war sanctions

 

An employee and a visitor walk past Mercedes-Benz cars at a Panavto dealership in Moscow, Russia, December 19, 2025. REUTERS/Ramil Sitdikov 

Tens of thousands of cars are being exported from China to Russia under gray-market schemes that often circumvent Western and Asian government sanctions and automakers' commitments to exit the Russian market, according to registration data reviewed by Reuters and interviews with five people involved in the trade.

The sanctions and company pledges came in reaction to Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. But a thriving trade in these vehicles – from Toyotas and Mazdas to German luxury models – continues partly through informal networks enabling Russian dealers to order them through Chinese intermediaries, the interviews and data from Russian research firm Autostat show.

Read our exclusive
 

And Finally...

Employees outside the offices Papergames, the developer of the mobile game "Love and Deepspace", in Shanghai, China. REUTERS/Nicoco Chan 

When Zhou, a 33-year-old Chinese civil servant, was a student, finding love and companionship was something she believed would happen with time.

Today, her emotional needs are fulfilled by Qi Yu, her first boyfriend and partner of six months. He's wavy-haired, handsome and a painter. He's also fictional - one of five romantic interests to choose from in "Love and Deepspace", the world's biggest mobile dating game with some 80 million users, according to research firm Sensor Tower.

Read more