U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order about tariffs increase in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. on February 13.  (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

At the start of 2025, many events struck the whole world. Here is a look back at the big events of February:

February 1st:

• At least 50 combatants are killed after fighting between Al-Shabaab and the Somali National Army and allied Ma’awisley militias in the Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle regions of Hirshabelle state, Somalia

February 3rd:

• At least 70 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops since the start of the year in the occupied West Bank, including 38 killed in Jenin

• Three Islamic State-linked inmates are killed and three guards are injured in a prison riot in Vakhdat District, Tajikistan

February 4th:

• Second Trump tariffs
  • China–United States trade war
    • The United States implements a 10% across-the-board tariff on Chinese products and eliminates the de minimis exemption for exports from China. In response, China imposes retaliatory tariffs on energy products, agricultural equipment, and automobiles from the United States, effective February 10, and export controls on critical minerals. It also adds U.S. companies PVH Corp. and Illumina Inc. to its unreliable entities list and launches a probe into U.S. technology company Google for alleged anti-trust violations.

• Eleven people are killed and six injured in a mass shooting at the Risbergska School, a municipal adult education centre, in Örebro, Sweden

February 12th:

• Belarus–United States relations
  • U.S. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announces that Belarus has released three detainees, including an American citizen.

February 23rd:

• American Airlines Flight 292, flying from New York, United States, to New Delhi, India, is forced to divert to Rome Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy, due to an unspecified security concern later deemed to be non-credible. The flight was over the Caspian Sea near Turkmenistan when it diverted back towards Europe