First Thing: Ukrainian civilian casualties rose by 26% in 2025, researchers say | US news

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Civilian casualties from Russian attacks in Ukraine increased by 26 percent in 2025, according to a global conflict monitoring group; This reflects Russia’s increased targeting of the country’s cities and infrastructure.

Action Against Armed Violence (AOAV) reported that 2,248 civilians were killed and 12,493 civilians were injured in explosive violence in Ukraine, according to reports published in English; The number of casualties per attack increased significantly.

An average of 4.8 civilians were reported killed or injured in each attack; This figure is 33% more than in 2024, and the worst attack took place in Dnipro on June 24. Russian missiles hit a passenger train, apartment buildings and schools, killing 21 people and wounding 314 people, including 38 children.

• What did AOAV say about the numbers? Iain Overton, chief executive of the AOAV, said the figures showed “Ukraine now fits into a wider breakdown of restraint seen in more than one war” and that respect for the proportionality distinction in war has “broken down”.

US teenager who pushed for his father’s release from ICE custody dies of cancer

A Chicago teenager whose father was detained by immigration authorities while he was battling cancer died Friday, a family spokesman said.

Ofelia Torres, a 16-year-old living in Chicago, had been receiving treatment for an aggressive and rare type of cancer since late 2024. While he and his family were undergoing medical procedures, his father, Ruben Torres Maldonado, was detained by immigration authorities while at Home Depot in October; This led to a contentious and public lawsuit highlighting the humanitarian impacts of the Trump administration’s aggressive crackdown on immigrants.

The family objected to Torres Maldonado’s detention, saying he was instrumental in helping their family and caring for Ofelia’s four-year-old brother, Nathan. A judge later ruled in late October that Torres Maldonado’s arrest and detention were unlawful. He was released from custody on October 30.

• Is his father still in danger of deportation? Days before Ofelia died, a judge ruled that Torres Maldonado’s deportation would be blocked because of the hardship it would pose to his family, opening the door to a potential path to permanent residence and eventual citizenship.

Kim Jong-un opens residences for families of North Koreans killed in Ukraine war

North Korea says it has completed a new housing development in Pyongyang for families of North Korean soldiers killed fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, leader Kim Jong-un’s latest effort to honor the war dead.

Photos in state media show Kim walking along the new street, called Saeppyol Street, and visiting the homes of some families with his increasingly prominent daughter, believed to be called Kim Ju-ae, and promising to repay the “young martyrs” who “sacrificed everything for their homeland”.

• How much support did North Korea provide to Russia? Kim has sent thousands of troops and large amounts of military equipment, including artillery and missiles, to fuel Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine in recent months as leaders align over separate conflicts with Washington.

In other news…

• Researchers recently discovered the wreck of one of the “most wanted lost ships” in Lake MichiganIt sank to the bottom of the lake more than 150 years ago.

• Google is putting people at risk of harm by downplaying security warnings that AI-generated medical advice may be inaccurate. Google only alerts users if they choose to request additional health information and click a button called “Show more.”

• Lindsey Vonn is preparing to return to America after breaking her tibia in the Olympic descent last weekAccording to the CEO of the US Ski and Snowboard Association.

• The famous arch of sea stacks, popularly known as the Lovers’ Arch, at Sant’Andrea in Melendugno, Puglia, Italy, collapsed on Valentine’s Day Following strong storm waves and heavy rain, it ravaged southern Italy.

Status of the day: Wuthering Heights grossed $77 million at the global box office in its opening weekend

Wuthering Heights broke box office records worldwide in its opening weekend, with the new Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie adaptation grossing US$76.8 million. Emerald Fennell’s reimagining of Emily Brontë’s novel became the biggest opening of the year so far, grossing US$34.8 million at the box office from 3,682 locations in North America.

Building Power: Top US medical body to review vaccine effectiveness as government abdicates liability

The top U.S. medical agency will help conduct a review of the safety and effectiveness of respiratory vaccines as federal health agencies and advisors finalize vaccine recommendations based on no new information. Ezekiel Emanuel, vice chancellor for global initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania, said the U.S. government “abdicated” that responsibility under Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Don’t miss this: No fuel, no tourists, no cash – this was the week the Cuban crisis became reality

Cuba is in crisis. The 67-year-old communist government is at its weakest point, already reeling from four years of economic collapse worsened by hyperinflation and the emigration of nearly 20 percent of the population. Diplomats in Havana are preparing for an alternative Trump tactic: The country is starving until people take to the streets and the United States steps in.

…or this: ‘From misfits to bullies’ – How America’s Next Top Model became toxic

The reevaluation of America’s Next Top Model from revolutionary reality show to hotbed of toxicity has been slowly occurring in the years since its end. It was a reality show that aimed to disrupt the fashion industry, but with the shocking details of the Netflix docuseries, it became part of the problem.

Climate control: Trump touts climate savings but new rule set to raise US prices

The Trump administration claims its latest move to undermine climate regulations and eliminate all greenhouse gas standards for vehicles will save Americans money. But its own analysis suggests the new rule would increase gas prices and that the benefits of the rollback likely won’t outweigh the costs.

Hours after Barack Obama caused a stir by saying aliens were real on a podcast, the former US president released a statement explaining that he had not seen any evidence of aliens. In a conversation with American podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen over the weekend, Obama was asked: “Are aliens real?” Obama answered the question: “They are real, but I haven’t seen them.”

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