Highlife Legend Taylor Dies; Migrant Boat Capsizes

Ebo Taylor, a Ghanaian highlife music pioneer, died at the age of 90, while a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Libya, leaving 53 dead or missing, and a Lebanese party accused Israel of abducting one of its members. These events, along with the reported kidnapping of a close ally of a Venezuelan opposition leader, dominated headlines on February 9th, 2026.

Ebo Taylor, a celebrated figure in Ghanaian music, passed away on Sunday, according to his son Kweku Taylor. The musician, who was a key figure in the highlife genre, died a month after his 90th birthday and a day after the launch of an Ebo Taylor music festival. Taylor was often compared to Fela Kuti for his impact on Ghanaian music.

In the Mediterranean Sea, a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Libya, resulting in the death or disappearance of 53 people, the UN migration agency reported. Only two survivors were rescued from the incident, which occurred north of Zuwara. Hundreds of migrants and asylum seekers have died attempting to cross the central Mediterranean route already this year, according to The Guardian.

Meanwhile, a Lebanese party with an armed wing accused Israel of abducting one of its members during a cross-border raid in southern Lebanon. The al-Jamaa al-Islamiya claimed that Israeli forces seized Atwi Atwi from his home in the Hasbaiyya district and took him to an unknown location, according to Al Jazeera.

In Venezuela, a close ally of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was reportedly "kidnapped" shortly after being released from prison. Juan Pablo Guanipa, a former National Assembly vice president, was taken into custody again and placed under house arrest, according to the country's Public Prosecutor's Office, which argued he violated the conditions of his release.