Hello! Here’s what’s happening on Friday.
1. The 2018 Winter Olympics begin in Pyeongchang, South Korea, on Friday night. The Olympics have so far faced several struggles, including a major virus outbreak and facilitating North Korea’s Olympic delegation without violating sanctions.
2. The US government entered another shutdown. The shutdown began at 12:01 a.m. after Congress failed to pass a massive budget bill that would extend current levels of federal funding until March 23.
3. South Korea’s President may be invited to visit North Korea by Kim Jong Un’s sister. The two are set to meet on Saturday along with other leaders, and diplomatic sources say the visit could be held “sometime this year.”
4. The Dow Jones industrial average fell more than 1,000 points. China's stocks also fell heavily to multi-month lows, which sent a ripple effect across markets in Asia.
5. UK Brexit secretary David Davis said the EU isn't acting in "good faith." Leaked documents show the EU may have the power to restrict access to the single market during the two-year Brexit transition period.
6. The last two notorious British ISIS fighters known as the 'Beatles' have been caught. The "Beatles" group consisted of two others, including infamous executioner Mohammed Emwazi, nicknamed "Jihadi John."
7. Facebook is testing a "downvote" button. The company confirmed to Business Insider that the button was made available to a small set of users.
8. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the US wasn't delving into a broader conflict in Syria. Mattis' comments follow reports the US killed more than 100 Russian and Syrian-backed fighters in a 3-hour military blitz.
9. FBI agents called Tim Cook a "hypocrite" after Apple refused to unlock the San Bernadino shooter's phone. Texts were released as part of a Republican-driven investigation into how the the bureau handled the Hillary Clinton probe.
10. North Korea held its first musical performance in South Korea in 12 years. The Samjiyon Orchestra performed for 90 minutes to a crowd of more than 800 people on Thursday.
And finally...