5 Big News Stories Overnight - Monday, February 23, 2026

Mexico: Jalisco Cartel Chief ‘El Mencho’ Killed in Mexican Army Operation

Mexico News Daily reports:

Nemesio “El Mencho” Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, founder and top leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was killed by federal forces Sunday morning, according to the Ministry of Defense.

The operation was led by the Army and federal forces in Jalisco in an area known to be controlled by El Mencho.

In a press release, the Ministry of Defense said that during an operation to arrest El Mencho, Mexican military forces came under fire were forced to defend themselves. Four CJNG operatives were killed in the firefight. Three more, including El Mencho, were gravely injured. They were air lifted to Mexico City but died en route, the Defense Ministry said.

PHOTO: (US Department of Justice)
 

Ukraine: UK Should Send Non-Combat Troops to Ukraine ‘Now’ – Boris Johnson

Kyiv Post reports:

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for UK and allied troops to be deployed to Ukraine in non-combat roles “now.”

Interviewed by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg alongside Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Johnson also remarked that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine could have been prevented if Western allies had paid closer attention to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s increasing aggression, and the precedent set by the Kremlin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.

“If we can have boots on the ground after the war, after Putin has condescended to have a ceasefire, then why not do it now?” Johnson said.

Russia - Iran: Moscow and Tehran Near Agreement on Russian Gas Supplies via Azerbaijan

Pravda reports:

Russia and Iran have moved closer to implementing a major energy project involving supplies of Russian natural gas to the Islamic Republic. The development signals a potentially important shift in regional energy dynamics and long-term bilateral cooperation.

The announcement followed a meeting of the intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation. Iran's oil minister, Mohsen Paknejad, stated that the parties achieved substantial progress on key technical and contractual issues and expressed hope that a formal agreement would be signed in the near future.

According to the minister, discussions have entered a more practical phase, indicating that the project may soon move from planning to execution. Officials emphasized that the negotiations covered both supply mechanisms and broader aspects of energy coordination.

U.S.: Flights Impacted by Blizzard

According to Flightaware.com

Total delays today:  22,183
Total delays within, into, or out of the United States today:  6,792
Total cancellations today:  3,921
Total cancellations within, into, or out of the United States today:  3,403

PHOTO: Arseny Togulvev, Unsplash

France: Paris Court to Review Former President Nicolas Sarkozy's Request to Merge Sentences in Graft Case

France 24 reports: 

A Paris criminal court will on Monday examine former president Nicolas Sarkozy's request to merge two sentences for convictions in separate cases related to graft and illegal campaign financing.

The one-term president from 2007 to 2012 has faced a series of legal challenges since leaving office, receiving two definitive convictions in recent years.

"A request to merge sentences is an extremely routine procedure in this situation," his lawyer Vincent Desry told AFP.

In December 2024, he exhausted his last legal recourse in the so-called "Bismuth" case over trying to extract favours from a judge and served a sentence with an electronic ankle tag that was removed in May last year after several months -- allowed due to the then-70-year-old's age.

PHOTO: Dilma Rousseff - Flickr: Nova Iorque - EUA CC: 2.5