Everything you need to know about the world this morning, curated by VICE.
US News
- Cruz Fires Aide Over Fake Rubio Video
Ted Cruz asked his campaign spokesman to resign after the staffer promoted a fake video of Marco Rubio. Rick Tyler, the former spokesman, had tweeted out a video subtitled to show Rubio saying the Bible had "not many answers in it." Rubio actually said, "All the answers are in there." —The Guardian - US Sells Weapons to Almost Half the World
America's weapons exports now make up a full third of the world's arms trade, up from 29 percent between 2006 and 2010, according to an international monitoring group. The US sells weapons to at least 96 countries, just under half the total number of UN member states. —VICE News - Cybersecurity Chief Quits Before Hack Hearing
Donna Seymour, the cybersecurity chief for the government's Office of Personnel Management, has retired just two days before she was supposed to testify before Congress on last year's data breach. Records for more than 21 million people were hacked. —The Washington Post - Pentagon Has a Plan to Close Gitmo
The Pentagon is planning to send a detailed plan to close the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay to Congress on Tuesday next week. The plan is thought to include an outline of costs for upgrading US facilities where inmates could be transferred. —Reuters
International News
- Ceasefire in Syria Set for Saturday
The US and Russia have announced that a partial cessation of hostilities in Syria will begin at midnight on Saturday, February 27. Skepticism remains since a previous truce did not come to pass, and opposition groups still have to confirm their participation by Friday. —BBC News - Peru Oil Spill Pollutes Amazon
At least 3,000 barrels of crude oil have been spilled in an Amazonian region of Peru, polluting two rivers indigenous communities rely on for water. Petroperu has promised a full clean-up and is also providing food and water to the Achuar community. —The Guardian - Fiji Cyclone Death Tolls Rises to 29
The number of people killed in Cyclone Winston, which hit Fiji on the weekend, has risen to 29, with about 8,500 people still sheltering in evacuation centers. Aid workers are now warning of possible outbreaks of Zika and dengue viruses. —Reuters - Sea Levels Rising at Fastest Rate in 28 Centuries
Sea levels are rising several times faster than they have in the past 2,800 years, according to international scientists. By 2100 the world's oceans could rise by up 131 cm, according to findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. —Al Jazeera
Everything Else
- Serial Killer Memoir Pulled From Amazon
A memoir reportedly written by Canadian serial killer Robert Pickton has been withdrawn hours after appearing for sale online. Self-publishing company Outskirts Press asked Amazon to remove Pickton: In His Own Words. —The Toronto Star - Bill Gates Thinks We Need a Miracle
The Microsoft founder said even lots of "crazy-seeming ideas" are not enough to solve climate change. Gates thinks we need "an energy miracle" to get carbon dioxide emissions to zero. —USA Today - Nation of Islam Promises to Protect Beyonce
Louis Farrakhan has pledged to protect Beyonce if the country's police won't do it. The Nation of Islam leader said the singer "started talking all that black stuff… and white folks were like, 'We don't know how to deal with that.'" —VICE - Ted Cruz Gets Zodiac Killer T-Shirt Treatment
Activist Tim Faust—who raised $30,000 for abortions in Texas—is selling "Ted Cruz Was the Zodiac Killer" T-shirts. "Ted Cruz is a terrifying monster. You know who else was a monster? The Zodiac Killer," said Faust. —Broadly