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Millions of files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein suggest the existence of a “global criminal enterprise” that carried out acts meeting the legal threshold of crimes against humanity, according to a panel of independent experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The experts said crimes outlined in documents released by the U.S. Justice Department were committed against a backdrop of supremacist beliefs, racism, corruption and extreme misogyny.

The crimes, they said, showed a commodification and dehumanization of women and girls.
“So grave is the scale, nature, systematic character, and transnational reach of these atrocities against women and girls, that a number of them may reasonably meet the legal threshold of crimes against humanity,” the experts said in a statement.
The experts said the allegations contained in the files require an independent, thorough and impartial investigation, and said inquiries should also be launched into how it was possible for such crimes to be committed for so long.
The U.S. Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A law, approved by Congress with broad bipartisan support in November, requires all Epstein-related files to be made public.
The U.N. experts raised concerns about “serious compliance failures and botched redactions” that exposed sensitive victim information. More than 1,200 victims were identified in the documents that have been released so far.
“The reluctance to fully disclose information or broaden investigations, has left many survivors feeling retraumatized and subjected to what they describe as ‘institutional gaslighting,'” the experts said.
The Justice Department’s release of documents has revealed Epstein’s ties to many prominent people in politics, finance, academia and business – both before and after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to prostitution charges, including soliciting an underage girl.

He was found hanged in his jail cell in 2019 after being arrested again on federal charges of sex trafficking of minors. His death was ruled a suicide.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/allegations-epstein-files-may-amount-crimes-against-humanity-un-experts-say-2026-02-17/

Peru’s Congress on Tuesday ousted President Jose Jeri just four months into his term over a scandal involving undisclosed meetings with a Chinese businessman, extending a cycle of political upheaval that has gripped the Andean nation for much of the past decade.
There were 75 lawmakers who voted in favor of removing Jeri, while 24 voted against and three abstained.

Legislators will now elect a new head of Congress who will also assume Peru’s presidency, becoming the country’s eighth president in as many years. Jeri is Peru’s third consecutive president to be removed from office.

The rapid-fire ousters underscore how Peru’s political class has failed to address voter concerns like crime and corruption, leaving the country stuck in a cycle of short-lived administrations with little time or authority to tackle problems and a deeply unpopular Congress that seeks to gain support by removing unpopular leaders.
Ruth Luque, one of the lawmakers who backed the censure measures, said she wanted to replace Jeri with a leader who would put public interest and security first, ahead of a new president coming into office.
“We ask to end this agony so we can truly create the transition citizens are hoping for,” she said. “Not a transition with hidden interests, influence-peddling, secret meetings and hooded figures. We don’t want that sort of transition.”

With yet another interim leader set to take over ahead of scheduled elections on April 12, the volatility risks deepening public distrust as legislators and politicians seek to posture themselves as presidential contenders.
“It strikes me that there is no trace of high mindedness here, only electoral calculations,” said Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank in Washington. “Enough lawmakers concluded their support for Jeri would hurt them in elections, so they had to act.”
The scandal that was dubbed “Chifagate” – after a local name for Chinese restaurants – began last month when Jeri was filmed arriving at a restaurant late at night wearing a hood to meet with Chinese businessman Zhihua Yang, who owns stores and a concession for an energy project. The meeting was not publicly disclosed.

Jeri became president in October after Peru’s unpopular Congress voted unanimously to remove his predecessor Dina Boluarte, as the right-wing parties that had backed her dropped their support amid corruption scandals and growing anger over rising crime.
Boluarte had no vice president and Jeri, who was the head of Congress at the time, was next in the line of succession.
This interim status was used to remove him from the presidency on Tuesday. Unlike impeachment, which requires a supermajority of 87 in the 130-member legislature, Congress voted to censure Jeri, which strips him of his title as head of Congress with a simple majority.
Jeri has said he would respect the outcome of the vote.
VOTING ON NEW PRESIDENT ON WEDNESDAY
While the current head of Congress, Fernando Rospigliosi, would be constitutionally next in the line of succession, he has declined to assume the presidency. As such, legislators will have to elect a new head of Congress who will then automatically assume the presidency.
Rospigliosi said parties have until 6 p.m. local time to present their candidates and the legislature would vote on a new president on Wednesday.
This would be similar to Francisco Sagasti’s ascent to the presidency in 2020 after he was chosen by Congress amid a sharp political crisis and protests following former President Manuel Merino’s five-day presidency.

 

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/perus-congress-begins-debating-removal-president-jeri-2026-02-17/

Trump and Epstein moved in the same social circles in New York and Palm Beach in the 1990s and early 2000s.

US President Donald Trump issued a strong denial of any connection to Jeffrey Epstein, saying he had been “totally exonerated” and insisting he had no involvement with the convicted sex offender.

“I have nothing to hide. I have been exonerated. I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein,” Trump said.

His remarks come after the recent release of Epstein-related files by the US Department of Justice, which has renewed scrutiny of the late financier’s links with prominent political and business figures. The department published more than 3 million additional pages, including 2,000 videos and 180,000 images. In total, nearly 3.5 million pages have been officially released.

Trump’s Ties With Epstein

Trump and Epstein moved in the same social circles in New York and Palm Beach in the 1990s and early 2000s. They were photographed together at several events and Epstein was known to have visited Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort during that period. In a 2002 interview with New York Magazine, Trump described Epstein as a “terrific guy” and said he liked beautiful women “on the younger side”.

Trump Says He Cut Ties With Epstein

Former US President Barack Obama has clarified that the chances Earth has been visited by aliens is “low” after comments he made about extra-terrestrial species caught attention online.

“They’re real but I haven’t seen them,” he told American podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen during an interview published on Saturday.

“They’re not being kept in Area 51. There’s no underground facility unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States,” he added.

Obama has since said his comments were made in line with “the spirit of the speed round” of questions, adding that statistically the chances are that life is out there but he saw “no evidence” while president.

Obama’s initial comments were made during a quickfire “lightning” round of questions.

“Are aliens real?” Cohen had asked as his first question of the round for the former president.

Obama’s answer was subsequently run in different media outlets and attracted attention online – prompting him to publish a clarifying statement on his official Instagram account on Sunday.

“I was trying to stick with the spirit of the speed round, but since it’s gotten attention let me clarify,” he wrote in a caption that accompanied the video clip from the podcast.

“Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there. But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we’ve been visited by aliens is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!”

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2g4qglzz8o

Kim Ju Ae first appeared publicly at a long-range missile test in November 2022. Since then, she has joined her father at more events

North Korea could be headed for a tense family showdown. South Korea’s spy agency says Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter, Kim Ju Ae, is close to being named the country’s next leader, a move that could set her against her powerful aunt, Kim Yo Jong, in a future fight for control.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) told lawmakers last week that Kim Ju Ae, believed to be around 13, is nearing formal designation as heir. The timing is crucial, with North Korea preparing its biggest political conference later this month, where Kim Jong Un is expected to set major goals and tighten his grip.

In a closed-door briefing, NIS officials said they are watching whether Kim Ju Ae appears with her father before thousands of delegates at the upcoming Workers’ Party Congress.

Kim Ju Ae first appeared publicly at a long-range missile test in November 2022. Since then, she has joined her father at more events, from weapons tests and military parades to factory visits. She even travelled with him to Beijing last September for a meeting with China’s leader on the sidelines of a World War II event.

Officials in Seoul had earlier doubted that a girl could be chosen to lead North Korea, pointing to the country’s conservative, male-dominated leadership. But Kim Ju Ae’s frequent appearances have forced a rethink. In a previous assessment, the NIS told lawmakers that bringing her to China likely helped build a narrative for her succession.

The Aunt Who Could Challenge The Crown

A potential challenge could come from Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s sister. At 38, she is seen as the second most powerful figure in North Korea and enjoys strong political and military backing.

Kim Yo Jong currently holds a senior position in the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, and is reported to have influence over her brother.

A former senior South Korean intelligence official, Rah Jong Yil, warned that a power struggle is “probable” and said Kim Yo Jong would move to take the top job if she believed she had a chance, New York Post reported. He argued there would be “no reasons” for her to hold back from pursuing her own political project.

Rah told The Telegraph, “It depends on the timing, but I believe if Kim Yo Jong believed that she had a chance of becoming the top leader then she would take it. For her, there are no reasons to refrain from putting into effect her own political project.”

Kim Yo Jong has built a fearsome reputation inside and outside North Korea. Known for her cutting remarks, she regularly issues statements in her own name.

In 2022, she targeted South Korea’s defence minister with one of her harshest comments yet, calling him “a senseless and scum-like guy” and warning that Seoul could face “a miserable fate little short of total destruction and ruin,” The Guardian had reported.

“The senseless and scum-like guy dare mention a preemptive strike at a nuclear weapons state,” Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by state media. “South Korea may face a serious threat owing to the reckless remarks made by its defense minister.”

She added another warning, “South Korea should discipline itself if it wants to stave off disaster.”

A December report published on 38 North, the website of the US-based think tank Stimson Centre, had also raised concerns about potential “turbulence” should Kim Jong Un suddenly die. The analysis also underscored the “high likelihood of a power struggle emerging between Kim Jong Un and his potential successor candidates.”

According to the report, “in the immediate term, more politically established candidates, like Kim Yo Jong, are more likely to succeed in the event of Kim Jong-un’s sudden death or serious illness.”

In contrast, other potential successors, including Kim Ju‑ae and her siblings, believed to be two boys, “are still too young and unestablished to realistically be considered for succession in the coming five to 15 years.” the report noted.

The report further emphasised that Kim Yo Jong holds an advantage. “Kim Yo-jong, for example, will be able to immediately outmanoeuvre the others due to the political and military support she has garnered within the [Workers’ Party of Korea],” the report stated.

A Brutal Family History

North Korea has seen brutal internal purges before. After taking power in 2011, Kim Jong Un moved against his uncle and mentor, Jang Song Thaek, who was executed by firing squad in 2013 following accusations of “anti-party, counter-revolutionary, factional acts.”

Kim’s half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, the one-time heir to North Korea, was also killed when a pair of women smeared the deadly VX nerve agent on his face at Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport in 2017.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/game-of-kims-north-korea-dictator-kim-jong-un-13-year-old-daughter-kim-ju-ae-vs-her-ruthless-aunt-kim-yo-jong-11008707?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

US President Donald Trump said the Board of Peace’s member states have committed billions of dollars to Gaza’s reconstruction, as well as thousands of personnel to a UN-authorized stabilization force.

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the member states of his so-called “Board of Peace” have pledged more than $5 billion (€4.2 billion) ‌ for reconstruction and humanitarian efforts in Gaza.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, the US president announced that he will formally unveil the pledges when the board meets in Washington on Thursday.

The event is expected to draw delegations from more than 20 countries, including heads of state.

Reconstruction of Gaza is expected to cost $70 billion, according to United Nations, World Bank and European Union estimates, after more than two years of war.

The US-brokered October 10 ceasefire calls for an armed international force to provide security and disarm Hamas, but few nations have expressed interest.

Trump wrote that the member states of the board have committed thousands of personnel to the UN-authorized international stabilization and police force in the Palestinian enclave, calling the board “the most consequential international body in history.” He didn’t name which countries were planning to contribute.

Indonesia’s military, however, confirmed on Sunday it expects up to 8,000 troops to be ready by late June for a possible peace and humanitarian mission, the first concrete commitment to the proposed force.

Trump calls on Hamas to disarm

Trump is also urging Hamas to move ahead with full disarmament under his postwar plan for Gaza.

“Very importantly, Hamas must uphold its commitment to full and immediate demilitarization,” he wrote in his Truth Social post.

Disarmament is an important part of the second phase of the US-mediated ceasefire plan that was agreed in October between Israel and Hamas. This plan aims to end the conflict that began after Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023.

The second phase stipulates that Israeli forces will gradually withdraw from Gaza, and that Hamas will disarm. An international stabilization force will be deployed to ensure security.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/trump-board-of-peace-backers-pledge-5-billion-for-gaza/a-75982195

 

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was killed using a poison developed from a dart frog toxin, the UK and European allies have said.

Two years on from the death of Navalny at a Siberian penal colony, Britain and its allies have blamed the Kremlin following analysis of material samples found on his body.

Speaking from the Munich Security Conference, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said “only the Russian government had the means, motive and opportunity” to use the poison while Navalny was imprisoned in Russia.

According to Tass news agency Moscow has dismissed the finding as “an information campaign”, but Cooper said there is no explanation for the toxin, called epibatidine, being found.

While Cooper announced the findings, a joint statement was issued by the UK, Sweden, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Cooper met with Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya at the conference this weekend.

“Russia saw Navalny as a threat,” Cooper said at the event.

“By using this form of poison the Russian state demonstrated the despicable tools it has at its disposal and the overwhelming fear it has of political opposition,” she added.

In the statement the allies said: “Only the Russian state had the means, motive and opportunity to deploy this lethal toxin to target Navalny during his imprisonment in a Russian penal colony in Siberia, and we hold it responsible for his death.

“Epibatidine can be found naturally in dart frogs in the wild in South America. Dart frogs in captivity do not produce this toxin and it is not found naturally in Russia.

“There is no innocent explanation for its presence in Navalny’s body.”

The Foreign Office said the UK has informed the Organisation on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons of Russia’s alleged breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Praising Navalny’s “huge courage”, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said “his determination to expose the truth has left an enduring legacy”.

“I am doing whatever it takes to defend our people, our values and our way of life from the threat of Russia and Putin’s murderous intent,” he added.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also said his country “pays tribute” to Navalny, who he suggested was “killed for his fight in favour of a free and democratic Russia”.

Navalny – an anti-corruption campaigner and Russia’s most vociferous opposition leader – died suddenly in jail on 16 February 2024 at the age of 47.

In 2020 he was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent. He underwent treatment in Germany, and was arrested at the airport upon his return to Russia.

‘Extremely rare’ toxin
Epibatidine, the toxin the UK and its European allies have said was used to kill Alexei Navalny, was first derived from a group of poison dart frogs native to northern South America.

Though epibatidine has previously been investigated as a pain killer and for relief from painful inflammatory conditions of the lungs, it has been deemed too toxic to use clinically.

Speaking to BBC Russian, toxicology expert Jill Johnson said it was “200 times more potent than morphine”.

By acting on receptors in the central nervous system, it can cause “muscle twitching and paralysis, seizures, slow heart rate, respiratory failure and finally death,” Johnson said.

The extremely rare neurotoxin is only found in one wild frog species in tiny quantities, and only when the frog eats a specific diet, she told the BBC.

Researchers believe the frogs acquire it through their diet because animals from different habitats have displayed different levels of the toxin, and those raised in captivity have none.

Johnson described it as an “incredibly rare way to poison a person”.

She added: “Finding the wild frog in the correct location that is eating the specific diet to create the correct alkaloids is almost impossible…almost.”

 

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyk4lz4e3eo

The U.S. military is preparing for the possibility of sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran if President Donald Trump orders an attack, two U.S. officials told Reuters, in what could become a far more serious conflict than previously seen between the countries.

The disclosure by the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the planning, raises the stakes for the diplomacy underway between the United States and Iran.

U.S. and Iranian diplomats held talks in Oman last week in an effort to revive diplomacy over Tehran’s nuclear program, after Trump amassed military forces in the region, raising fears of new military action.

U.S. officials said on Friday the Pentagon was sending an additional aircraft carrier to the Middle East, adding thousands more troops along with fighter aircraft, guided-missile destroyers and other firepower capable of waging attacks and defending against them.

Trump, speaking to U.S. troops on Friday at a base in North Carolina, said it had “been difficult to make a deal” with Iran.

“Sometimes you have to have fear. That’s the only thing that really will get the situation taken care of,” Trump said.

Asked for comment on the preparations for a potentially sustained U.S. military operation, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said: “President Trump has all options on the table with regard to Iran.”

“He listens to a variety of perspectives on any given issue, but makes the final decision based on what is best for our country and national security,” Kelly said.

The Pentagon declined to comment.

The United States sent two aircraft carriers to the region last year, when it carried out strikes against Iranian nuclear sites.

However, June’s “Midnight Hammer” operation was essentially a one-off U.S. attack, with stealth bombers flying from the United States to strike Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran staged a very limited retaliatory strike on a U.S. base in Qatar.

RISKS INCREASING

The planning underway this time is more complex, the officials said.

In a sustained campaign, the U.S. military could hit Iranian state and security facilities, not just nuclear infrastructure, one of the officials said. The official declined to provide specific detail.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-military-preparing-potentially-weeks-long-iran-operations-2026-02-13

Abuse in a juvenile facility, hazardous dust from a battery factory and an alleged sex video involving the opposition leader — the run-up to Hungary’s election has so far been dominated by one scandal after another.

Hungary is no stranger to extremely polarized election campaigns.

For decades now, Victor Orban has — whether in government or in the opposition — followed the same playbook: Starting months ahead of the polls, he has run campaigns that suggest the very survival of the Hungarian nation is at stake.

In these campaigns, he styles himself as the only one who can save Hungary and its people from evil and the threat of destruction at the hands of the country’s enemies.

Hungary is due to elect a new parliament on April 12, and this time, the campaign is more negative than ever.

Nonsense and fabrications
Orban, his government and his party, Fidesz, have no qualms about papering the country with thousands upon thousands of anti-Ukrainian posters, using taxpayers’ money to organize a “national petition” against the EU and Ukraine, and flooding social media with AI-generated fake videos about the opposition.

These videos all have one thing in common: They spread nonsense and fabrications. The prime minister and his team are essentially claiming that if Orban loses the election, the country will face war, mobilization on the Ukrainian front, and enslavement and mass impoverishment as a result of tax increases from Brussels.

In view of this particularly extreme campaign, Gabor Torok — an otherwise sober political scientist — has already spoken of the “decline and fall” of political culture.

Could Orban lose the election?
The reason for this downward spiral is quite simply the real possibility that Orban could lose power for the first time since 2010.

People have in general grown weary of what they see as the corrupt, arrogant and autocratic Orban system.

For months now, Peter Magyar and his opposition Tisza party have been clearly and consistently ahead in opinion polls.

At the same time, the prime minister and his government are struggling with the fallout from a number of self-inflicted public scandals that could all safely be filed under “Lies and double standards.”

Child abuse scandal
The first of these scandals relates to serious violence and the sexual abuse of minors at a juvenile facility in Budapest. New aspects of the story have gradually been coming to light over the past few months.

The facility, which was more or less a brutal prison for young offenders, has since been closed. Leaked videos have shown shocking scenes of staff violence at the facility.

Government representatives apparently knew about conditions in the facility for quite some time, but did nothing, even though child protection — coupled with homophobia — is a major theme for Orban’s government. Indeed, the government likes to claim that it is protecting Hungarian children against “Brussels’ LGBTQ+ propaganda” and the supposed abuse that this will lead to.

Orban and some members of his government and party also seemed to suggest a few weeks ago that the victims themselves were responsible by pointing out that they were criminals.

In doing so, they seemed to imply that civic and human rights could be revoked at will. This was greeted with even greater opposition from some parts of Hungarian society.

Ignoring health hazards at a battery plant
Earlier this week, Hungary was rocked by revelations about environmental and health hazards at a Samsung battery plant in God, a town north of Budapest.

According to research conducted by the Hungarian news site Telex.hu, staff at the factory have for years been exposed to poisonous heavy metal particles, and this dust was emitted into the air, the soil and the groundwater. Documents show that levels were in some cases over 500 times higher than permissible limits.

The Hungarian government was apparently aware of this. It is claimed that even the Hungarian domestic intelligence agency AH warned the government of the catastrophic situation. Nevertheless, it is reported that Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto stopped the closure of the plant.

There are also reports that when the anti-corruption website Atlatszo.hu first wrote about the matter in early 2024, the government considered how best to silence the site.

The story is so explosive because Orban’s government has for years been pushing the massive development of battery production in Hungary and sees it as a pillar of the country’s forward-looking economic and technology policy.

To this end, Chinese and South Korean investors were brought in. Despite numerous local protests, court cases and concerns voiced by experts, the government repeatedly moved ahead with its plans.

Scandal about a possible sex video
And then there is the story of a supposed sex video involving opposition leader Peter Magyar, which has the Hungarian public on tenterhooks.

A few days ago, a black-and-white photo of an unmade bed in a bedroom appeared on a mysterious website named after — but not belonging to — Tisza’s deputy leader Mark Radnai. The image was taken from the perspective of what would appear to be a security camera.

After days of speculation, Magyar himself posted a Facebook video about the photo on February 12. In it, he said that he had had “consensual sex” with a former girlfriend in that room on August 3, 2024. He also said that there had been drugs on a table in the apartment, but that he had not taken any.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/sex-health-child-abuse-scandals-threaten-orban-re-election/a-75958974

During his speech at the Munich Security Conference, France’s president said Europeans should be more proud of the continent’s achievements. Meanwhile, Germany’s Merz rejected the MAGA “culture war.” DW has more.

The Munich Security Conference kicked off on Friday with a speech by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who did not hold back in calling out a growing “rift” between Europe and the United States under President Donald Trump.

Merz said the post-World War II order, which had been shaped by US supremacy and Europe enjoying a “vacation from world history” under Washington’s security umbrella, has come to an end.

He said Europe can come together and shape a new order.

“We are not at the mercy of this world, we can shape it,” Merz said, arguing that Europeans can do so if they “step up together with determination and confidence in our own strengths.”

At the same time Merz said the US and Europe need to “repair and revive trans-Atlantic trust together,” while pointing out that the US “claim to leadership has been challenged, and possibly lost,” warning of the rise of Russia and China.

“Merz’s pointed analysis of how isolated Trump’s aggressive take on trade and security has left the US was so blunt that it sounded like an insult,” DW’s Chief Political Editor Michaela Kuefner said at the conference.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is representing the US at the conference, with a much-anticipated speech due for Saturday morning.

Before leaving for Munich, Rubio said ties between the US and Europe are facing a “defining moment.”

“The old world is gone, frankly, the world I grew up in, and we live in a new era in geopolitics, and it’s going ​to require all of us to re-examine what that looks like and what our role is going to be,” he said.

Rubio added that the US is “deeply tied to Europe, and our futures have always been linked and will continue to be. We’ve just got to talk about what that future looks like.”

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/munich-security-conference-msc-opens-amid-transatlantic-tension/live-75938790

Overall security spending is expected to rise in the coming years as global tensions increase, says Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

Singapore will maintain its current defence budget at 3 per cent of gross domestic product, but this could change if circumstances call for it, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Thursday (Feb 12).

Delivering this year’s national budget, Mr Wong, who is also Finance Minister, said sustaining investments in security is critical amid a more fragmented and dangerous world.

“For now, we expect to keep defence spending at around 3 per cent of GDP. But we are prepared to spend more if the need arises,” he said.

He added that national security extends beyond the Ministry of Defence and includes investments in the protection of critical infrastructure and the work of the Home Team.

“Taken together, we expect overall security-related expenditures to rise in the coming years – to keep Singapore safe and secure in a far more complex threat environment.”

RISING SECURITY RISKS

Mr Wong said the world has become more dangerous in recent years. In 2024, there were 61 state-based armed conflicts worldwide – the highest number recorded since World War II, he said.

“These conflicts are not confined to distant regions. Closer to home, we witnessed one of the most serious armed clashes involving ASEAN member states in years,” said Mr Wong, citing the Thailand-Cambodia military confrontation.

Calling these developments “deeply troubling”, Mr Wong said they reflect a “shrinking space for negotiation, a greater willingness to use force, and a higher risk of miscalculation, with consequences that can easily spill across borders”.

He reiterated that no one will come to Singapore’s rescue in a crisis and that the country is responsible for its own defence and survival.

Recent conflicts have underscored how the nature of warfare is changing, particularly with the widespread use of unmanned systems, he said. Drones are now used not only for surveillance, but also for precision strikes, electronic warfare and coordinated operations.

“We will study these developments carefully and invest decisively in capabilities that are essential to Singapore’s defence. This includes strengthening our ability to deploy, counter, and operate alongside unmanned systems across all domains,” said Mr Wong.

The digital domain has also become increasingly contested, with a sharp rise in cyberattacks by state-sponsored and non-state actors. These range from scams targeting individuals to highly sophisticated attacks on critical information systems.

“Singapore is an attractive target. We have faced attacks from malicious cyber actors, including hostile information campaigns and deliberate attempts to undermine our national security,” said the prime minister.

Singapore has strengthened its defences over the years by establishing agencies such as the Cyber Security Agency, the Home Team Science and Technology Agency and the SAF’s Digital and Intelligence Service, he said.

“But the threat landscape continues to evolve, with attacks becoming more frequent, more coordinated and more sophisticated,” he said.

“We will therefore continue to strengthen our cybersecurity posture by deepening capabilities, improving coordination across agencies and better safeguarding our most critical systems.”

“A TIME OF PROFOUND GLOBAL CHANGE”

In what was his first Budget speech for the current term of government, Mr Wong said Singapore is entering its post-SG60 phase “at a time of profound global change”.

He said the international order that had underpinned global stability and economic cooperation for nearly eight decades is weakening.

“It underwrote global security, championed open markets, and helped form the institutions and rules that enabled shared prosperity across the world – including here in Asia. That era has now come to an end.”

The US is reassessing and undoing part of that system, setting aside trade rules and bypassing global institutions, making long-standing norms less reliable, said Mr Wong. This has weakened the multilateral system and driven more states towards unilateral action.

The guardrails that once helped manage disputes and tensions are also eroding, leading to a more contested, fragmented and dangerous world, said Mr Wong.

While last year’s US Liberation Day tariffs were expected to trigger a sharp global slowdown, Mr Wong said “our worst fears did not materialise” as firms adjusted quickly by front-loading production and imports.

The impact of the tariffs was also reduced by subsequent trade deals and shifts in global supply chains, he said. Growth in the major economies held up, supported in part by strong investment in Al-related activities.

“In short, despite mounting stresses, the global economy proved more resilient than anticipated, and the international system continued to function,” said Mr Wong.

“This year, however, we may not be so fortunate. Events in just the first month of 2026 have already been of exceptional scale and consequence. They have increased geopolitical tensions worldwide.

“As pressures build and the margin for error narrows, the resilience of the global system will be tested far more severely.”

WEAKENING OF GLOBAL ECONOMY

Mr Wong also pointed to “clear and growing signs of fragility in the global economy”.

“Rising public debt in many major economies will strain financial stability, and weigh on longer-term growth prospects. At the same time, heightened risk-taking in financial markets has pushed up asset valuations, leaving them vulnerable to abrupt corrections,” he said.

Such corrections could dampen confidence and spill over into real economic activity, he added.

These developments have direct implications for Singapore. Although the economy grew by a stronger-than-expected 5 per cent in 2025, a more moderate outlook is expected this year.

“Growth is therefore projected at 2 per cent to 4 per cent; with inflation at 1 per cent to 2 per cent,” he said.

Still, Mr Wong said Singapore can move forward with confidence.

“Over the decades, we have systematically strengthened our economic foundations – deepening capabilities, investing in our people, and reshaping our industries as technologies evolve,” he said.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/defence-security-spending-cybersecurity-budget-2026-5925711

Anthropic raised 30 billion dollars at a 380 billion valuation, sparking criticism from Elon Musk, who called the company “misanthropic and evil”.

Artificial intelligence company Anthropic on X announced that it has raised $30 billion in fresh funding at a $380 billion post-money valuation, underscoring its rapid ascent in the global AI race, thus triggering a response from Elon Musk.

“We’ve raised $30B in funding at a $380B post-money valuation. This investment will help us deepen our research, continue to innovate in products, and ensure we have the resources to power our infrastructure expansion as we make Claude available everywhere our customers are,” the company posted.

Soon after, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk responded to Anthropic’s announcement on X.

“Your AI hates Whites & Asians, especially Chinese, heterosexuals and men. This is misanthropic and evil. Fix it,” Musk wrote.

He further added, “Frankly, I don’t think there is anything you can do to escape the inevitable irony of Anthropic ending up being Misanthropic. You were doomed to this fate when you chose your name.”

Musk also wrote: “The Name of the Wind.”

See more

Your AI hates Whites & Asians, especially Chinese, heterosexuals and men.

This is misanthropic and evil. Fix it.

Frankly, I don’t think there is anything you can do to escape the inevitable irony of Anthropic ending up being Misanthropic. You were doomed to this fate when you…

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 12, 2026

His remarks come at a time when his own artificial intelligence startup, xAI, is undergoing significant changes.

According to a Reuters report, Musk has overhauled xAI’s management structure ahead of a planned initial public offering, following its merger with SpaceX.

The reorganisation came after the departure of several co-founders from the three-year-old firm.

At an all-hands meeting, Musk said, “We’re organising because we’ve reached a certain scale. We’re organising the company to be more effective at this scale. Now, naturally, when this happens, some people are better suited for the early stages of a company and less suited for the later stages.”

He also highlighted the company’s ambitions in the competitive AI space, saying, “We are hiring, and we’re looking for intelligent and smart people. This is not an easy place to work. It’s a grind, but we have, I guess, like interstellar ambitions.”

Anthropic is the maker of chatbot Claude and is widely seen as one of the leading challengers to OpenAI and other generative AI firms developing large language models for enterprise and consumer use.

AMONG TOP PRIVATE AI FIRMS

According to an Associated Press report, Anthropic’s $380 billion valuation places it among the world’s most valuable startups, alongside OpenAI and SpaceX.

Renaissance Capital has ranked Anthropic as the third most valuable private firm, behind OpenAI, valued at $500 billion, and SpaceX, which recently merged with Elon Musk’s AI venture.

The latest funding round was led by Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC and US-based investment firm Coatue, along with dozens of other major investors.

AP reported that the funding includes a portion of the $15 billion investment previously announced by Nvidia and Microsoft.

As part of that arrangement, Anthropic is expected to buy up to $30 billion in computing capacity from Microsoft to build and run AI systems like Claude.

Anthropic, founded in 2021 by former OpenAI employees, is not yet profitable but has said it is on track for $14 billion in sales over the next year.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/elon-musk-responds-to-anthropic-raising-30-billion-dollar-elon-musk-calls-it-misanthropic-evil-ws-l-9899980.html

 

Russia has fully blocked WhatsApp over Meta’s alleged failure to comply with local laws, urging users to shift to the state-backed messaging app MAX. The move is part of Moscow’s push for a “sovereign” communications system amid wartime controls and tighter regulation of foreign tech firms.

Russia has fully blocked US-based messaging platform WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, over what the Kremlin described as the company’s failure to comply with local laws. The move comes amid a broader push by Russian authorities to promote a state-backed “national messenger” called MAX.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the decision on Thursday, saying the government had implemented the block because of Meta’s non-compliance.

“Due to Meta’s unwillingness to comply with Russian law, such a decision was indeed made and implemented,” Peskov told reporters, urging citizens to switch to MAX.

“MAX is an accessible alternative, a developing messenger, a national messenger, and it is available on the market for citizens as an alternative,” he said.

Critics have described MAX as a surveillance tool, an allegation Russian authorities deny. Officials say the platform integrates various government-related services and aims to simplify citizens’ daily lives.

The move follows six months of mounting pressure on WhatsApp and reflects Moscow’s broader effort, particularly during wartime, to establish what it calls a “sovereign” communications infrastructure. Under this framework, foreign technology companies must comply with Russian laws or face removal from the market.

Meta Russia has already been designated as an extremist organisation. WhatsApp earlier complained that authorities were attempting to fully block its service.

“Today the Russian government attempted to fully block WhatsApp in an effort to drive people to a state-owned surveillance app,” the company said in a statement.

“Trying to isolate over 100 million users from private and secure communication is a backwards step and can only lead to less safety for people in Russia”.

Following the latest measures, some domain names associated with WhatsApp disappeared from Russia’s national register of domain names. As a result, devices inside Russia stopped receiving the app’s IP addresses, making access possible only through a virtual private network (VPN).

Roskomnadzor, Russia’s state communications regulator, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Authorities had already restricted WhatsApp and other messenger services in August, blocking users from completing phone calls on the platforms. Officials accused foreign-owned platforms of failing to share information with law enforcement in fraud and terrorism cases.

In December, Roskomnadzor said it was taking additional steps to gradually restrict WhatsApp. The regulator accused the app of continuing to violate Russian law and of being used “to organise and carry out terrorist acts on the territory of the country, to recruit their perpetrators and to commit fraud and other crimes.”

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/russia-fully-blocks-whatsapp-over-meta-non-compliance-of-laws-bats-for-state-backed-national-messenger-max-2867269-2026-02-12

Authorities said at least 31 people have been killed with several still missing. Its estimated some 250,000 people have been impacted by Tropical Cyclone Gezani.

Local authorities in Madagascar on Wednesday said that at least 31 people have been killed by a tropical cyclone.

The National Office for Risk Management and Civil Protection (BNGRC) said a number of people were still missing and that at least 36 people were injured.

Tropical Cyclone Gezani swept across the island packing speeds of up to 270 kilometers an hour (167 miles an hour) the BNGRC said.

Majority of deaths reported in Toamasina
The agency said that 29 of the deaths were recorded in Toamasina on the island’s second-largest city.

In the aftermath of the weather system, 6,870 people were displaced, while a total 250,406 were classified as disaster victims, the BNGRC said.

In the Atsinanana region where Toamasina is located, around 75% of the infrastructure was damaged or destroyed.

President Michael Randrianirina — who took power in a military coup in October — visited Toamasina to survey damage and meet residents.

Videos posted on social media showed flooded neighborhoods and widespread damage.

“It’s devastation. Roofs have been blown away, walls have collapsed, power poles are down, trees have been uprooted. It looks like a catastrophic landscape,” resident Michel told the AP news agency.

Where tropical Cyclone Gezani is expected next
Weather forecasts showed Gezani was expected to move into the channel between Madagascar and Africa’s east coast on Thursday.

There were warnings that the weather system may strengthen again into a tropical cyclone and make its way back toward Madagascar’s southwest coast next week.

Gezani is the second cyclone to hit Madagascar this year and comes 10 days after Tropical Cyclone Fytia ​killed 14 and displaced over 31,000 people, according to the UN’s humanitarian office.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/madagascar-cyclone-kills-dozens-causes-widespread-damage/a-75921072

The outcome of the elections will affect not just Bangladesh’s future but also the regional balance in India’s neighbourhood.

The polls will be held in the absence of its two most towering political figures, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been in India since she was deposed in 2024, and Khaleda Zia, who died in December 2025.

Here are 10 points on this big story:

1. 1. Voters will cast their ballots for 299 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad, or parliament, for which the majority mark will be 150. Voting has been cancelled in the Sherpur-3 constituency following the death of a candidate. A total of 12.77 crore registered voters will cast their votes in the first-past-the-post system. Voting will begin at 7.30 am local time (7 am IST) and results should start trickling in by evening.
   2. Another 50 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad are reserved for women and these members are elected by MPs through proportional representation via single transferable vote.
   3. The 13th parliamentary elections will be the first since prime minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina was ousted following massive student protests in August 2024. Her arch-rival Khaleda Zia, who led the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) died in December the following year.
   4. Zia and Hasina held the prime minister’s post alternately from 1991 until the Awami League chief came to power in 2009. She remained in the post for over 15 years and 200 days and had won elections again in 2024, until she was deposed months later.
   5. These elections will, thus, also be the first without two of the most consequential political figures in the country in decades. People in Bangladesh will cast their votes in a completely changed political landscape and hope to start a new chapter in the country’s history.
   6. Filling the political vacuum, in a blast from the past, is Zia’s son Tarique Rahman. The 60-year-old returned to the country from exile after nearly 17 years in December and has quickly capitalised on popular support enjoyed by his mother, the BNP and himself to emerge as the frontrunner for the prime minister’s post.
   7. With the Awami League excluded from participation in the elections because of its crackdown during the student protests, the main challenger will be the Jamaat-e-Islami. The Jamaat, which was allied with the BNP for many years, is now leading a coalition of its own and has the support of the National Citizen Party, a student and Gen-Z outfit born out of the anti-Hasina protests.
   8. Apart from picking the next government, electors will also vote in a referendum on the July National Charter that has been agreed to by the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government and several political parties. Among the points in the charter are limiting prime ministers to two terms (10 years), establishing an upper House of parliament, and restoring the caretaker system – having a caretaker government take charge for 90 days before an election to ensure polls are free and fair.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/bangladesh-elections-bangladesh-elections-2026-bnp-tarique-rahman-jamaat-hasina-zia-gone-bangladesh-to-vote-in-most-important-polls-in-decades-today-10991047?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

 

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is facing growing pressure from US officials and the family of his prominent accuser Virginia Giuffre to testify in the US about his links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Speaking to the BBC, Democrat Congressman Ro Khanna said the Royal Family had “not been transparent”, while Democrat Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez said King Charles III “should direct his brother” to go to the US to answer questions.

On Monday, the King said the Royal Family were “ready to support” police in their inquiries.

Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in 2022 containing no admission of liability.

In the King’s first intervention in the latest round of revelations in the Epstein scandal, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said if they were approached by the police, they stood “ready to support them” in their investigation.

It added the King had “made clear…his profound concern” over allegations against his brother, and the King and Queen’s “thoughts and sympathies have been, and remain with, the victims of any and all forms of abuse”.

Thames Valley Police announced on Monday it was assessing a complaint by anti-monarchy group Republic over the alleged sharing of confidential material by Andrew with Epstein.

The former prince appears to have knowingly shared confidential information with Epstein from his official work as trade envoy in 2010 and 2011, according to material in the latest release of files seen by the BBC.

Andrew has been contacted for comment but is yet to respond.

When asked by the BBC if the former prince should go to the US, Khanna said that would be “appropriate”.

The Congressman, who co-sponsored the law that compelled the justice department to release the Epstein files last year, also said the Royal Family should “come clean” and lay out what they knew and what “action they’re going to take”.

“They have a large wealth, they should probably be compensating these survivors for the horrors that have taken place,” he added.

Khanna said the Royal Family were “finally” asking for an investigation, and that “these women have been denied justice”.

It comes a day after Khanna told journalists this was the “most vulnerable” the British monarchy had been, and said stripping Andrew of a title was not enough.

“The King has to answer what he knew,” he said.

The former prince has also moved out of his Windsor home and is currently living at Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk while his new permanent home undergoes renovations.

Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez, who is on the House Oversight Committee, called for more transparency from Andrew.

Speaking to the BBC’s Newsnight, she urged the King to tell his brother to “answer questions here at the Oversight Committee”.

“You cannot say ‘I am protected because I’m no longer in the jurisdiction of the United States, so I cannot be held liable’,” Fernandez argued.

She also called for an inquiry in England. She said Andrew “was there, he knows who else was in the room with him. Who else was at those locations where these attacks took place?”

Sky Roberts, the brother of Virginia Giuffre, piled on the pressure earlier on Tuesday, telling journalists: “I think he [Andrew] should show up in front of our Congress and answer questions.”

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer agreed.

The latest emails released by the US Department of Justice reveal there have been multiple unsuccessful approaches from US authorities for Andrew to help with Epstein inquiries.

The former prince cannot be forced by a subpoena to go to the US, which has caused a lot of frustration.

Last autumn, Democrats in Congress set a November deadline for the former prince to testify about what he knew about Epstein, but he gave no response.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2gmde0vjlo

The scandal surrounding US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is rocking European countries. In Germany, journalists are combing through the files, and politicians are pushing for investigations.

The German government says it is closely monitoring the evaluation of the so-called Epstein files. “We are watching what is coming to light in other countries and how it is affecting politics there,” said government spokesman Stefan Kornelius at a press conference.

Kornelius stressed that if the documents reveal any criminal offense committed by German nationals, the country’s law enforcement agencies would take action.

“The federal government is not an investigative authority,” the spokesman explained, adding that he is “not currently aware of any criminal proceedings.”

Are Germans mentioned in the Epstein files?

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel is mentioned in the published documents dozens of times; for example, in email correspondence between Jeffrey Epstein and Steve Bannon, the former chief strategist to US President Donald Trump. Both men make disparaging remarks about Merkel and express their desire to see her fail politically.

Another German name in the Epstein files is that of former German Defense Secretary Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg’s ex-wife, now known as Stephanie von Bismarck. She appears twice, but only on a list of customers of a bank where Epstein also had an account. The accounts are not related to each other.

Reporters for German news magazine Der Spiegel found a copy of a press card seemingly issued by the German Union of Journalists Ver.di for Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. Ver.di has since described it as a forgery, and reserves the right to take legal action.

German politicians demand investigation

Several German lawmakers have argued that there should be a systematic evaluation of the files. They want to know whether political or economic influence was exerted in Germany through Epstein’s network.

Konstantin von Notz of the opposition Green Party says the German government must provide information on the extent to which German intelligence services and other security agencies were aware of Epstein’s actions.

Notz, the Green Party’s deputy leader in Bundestag, toldthe Handelsblatt newspaper he wants to know whether the German authorities knew of the “exploitative, criminal, or pedo-criminal networks,” as well as Epstein’s international connections.

Sebastian Fiedler, domestic policy spokesman for the parliamentary group of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) in the Bundestag, referred to speculation over a possible European intelligence dimension to the case. He pointed to a suspicion expressed by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who spoke of an Russian influence operation.

“Given the numerous interconnections within European power circles, it cannot be ruled out that interconnections could also arise in Germany,” Fiedler told the Handelsblatt.

Fiedler said the Epstein files showed a form of “serious organized crime” that had infiltrated institutions, business and culture across national borders.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/epstein-files-germany-on-high-alert/a-75898626

King Charles has made his first intervention in the latest round of revelations in the Epstein scandal, saying Buckingham Palace is ready to support the police as they consider allegations against his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

“The King has made clear, in words and through unprecedented actions, his profound concern at allegations which continue to come to light in respect of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s conduct,” a Palace spokesman said.

“While the specific claims in question are for Mr Mountbatten-Windsor to address, if we are approached by Thames Valley Police we stand ready to support them as you would expect,” he said.

Thames Valley Police confirmed it is assessing whether there are grounds to investigate a complaint by the anti-monarchy group Republic, which reported Mountbatten-Windsor for suspected misconduct in public office and breach of official secrets.

Emails from the recently-released batch of Epstein files appear to show the former prince passing on reports of visits to Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam and confidential details of investment opportunities.

After the trips, on 30 November 2010, he appears to have forwarded official reports of those visits sent by his then-special adviser, Amit Patel, to Epstein, five minutes after receiving them.

There were also details of investment opportunities in Afghanistan, described as “confidential”, which appear to have been passed on to Epstein on 24 December 2010.

Under official guidance, trade envoys have a duty of confidentiality over sensitive, commercial, or political information about their official visits.

The Buckingham Palace statement says that the King and Queen’s “thoughts and sympathies have been, and remain with, the victims of any and all forms of abuse”.

Earlier on Monday the King had travelled to Clitheroe where a heckler shouted: “How long have you known about Andrew?” The rest of the crowd booed the man putting the question.

The Buckingham Palace intervention follows an earlier statement from the spokesperson for the Prince and Princess of Wales, saying they were “deeply concerned” by the latest revelations about Epstein.

“Their thoughts remain focused on the victims,” said a Kensington Palace spokesperson, ahead of Prince William’s visit to Saudi Arabia this week.

Since the release of three million more documents related to Epstein, there has been growing pressure on Mountbatten-Windsor, with claims a second woman was sent to the UK by Jeffrey Epstein for a sexual encounter with him.

Photographs appearing to show him kneeling on all fours over a female lying on the ground were also included in the latest batch of files.

There has also been embarrassment for his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. Emails signed “Sarah” show appeals for support and money from sex offender Epstein.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqlgv3z79klo

Certain textiles and garments made in Bangladesh from US-produced materials will attract zero tariffs.

The United States and Bangladesh unveiled a new trade agreement on Monday.

Under the deal, certain volumes of imports from Bangladesh into the US can receive preferential treatment, attracting zero tariffs.

But the volume will be related to how much textiles the US exports to Bangladesh.

The US had “committed ⁠to establishing a mechanism for textile and apparel goods from Bangladesh using US-produced cotton and man-made fiber to receive zero reciprocal tariff in US market,” Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus said in a statement.

The US is Bangladesh’s biggest single destination for apparel exports, totaling $7.34 billion (€6.17 billion) in 2024.

But Bangladesh faces stiff competition from other Asian nations, such as India, which announced its own trade deal framework with the US last week, and Vietnam.

Worth $38.48 billion in 2024, Bangladesh’s readymade garment industry is its biggest export earner, accounting for more than 80% of total export earnings and employing about 4 million workers.

Bangladesh opens its markets to a range of US goods

The White House said Bangladesh had agreed to provide significant preferential market access for a range of US industrial and agricultural goods, including chemicals, medical devices, machinery and motor vehicles and parts, and US farm and food products.

Bangladesh will cut tariffs to zero on products such as poultry, pork, seafood, rice, ​corn and cereal grains when the agreement enters into force.

The tariffs on some other US products, such as almonds, will reduce to zero over five or 10 years.

Slight cut to tariff rate of Bangladeshi goods entering US

Most Bangladeshi products entering the US market will pay a flat rate of 19%, down 1% from the 20% rate set in August 2025. This is higher than the 18% announced in the US-India trade deal.

But Bangladeshi-made ingredients for pharmaceuticals and aircraft parts are allowed in duty-free.

Bangladesh will also ease some non-tariff barriers to trade with the US. These include accepting US vehicle safety and emissions standards and recognizing US Food and Drug Administration certifications.

Bangladesh was the first country in South Asia to complete a reciprocal trade deal with US, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said.

It “marks a meaningful step forward in opening markets, addressing trade barriers, and creating new opportunities for American exporters,” he said.

The South Asian nation exported around $8.4 billion worth of goods to the US in 2024, while its US imports amounted to $2.2 billion.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/us-cuts-bangladesh-tariffs-to-19-in-trade-deal/a-75887230

The walls of Dhaka University are screaming again.

Graffiti – angry, witty, sometimes poetic – sprawls across walls and corridors, echoing the Gen Z-led July 2024 uprising that toppled Sheikh Hasina after 15 years in power. Once Bangladesh’s pro-democracy icon, critics say she had grown increasingly autocratic. After her resignation, she fled to India.

Students gather in knots, debating politics. On an unkempt lawn, red lanterns sway above a modest Chinese New Year celebration – a small but telling detail in a country where Beijing and Delhi are both vying hard for influence. For many here, the election scheduled for 12 February will be their first genuine encounter with the ballot box.

Nobel peace-prize laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge days after Sheikh Hasina’s fall. Hasina now lives in exile in Delhi, which has refused to return her to face a death sentence imposed in absentia over the brutal security crackdown in 2024 – violence in which the UN says around 1,400 people were killed, mostly by security forces.

Her Awami League – the country’s oldest party, which commanded some 30% of the popular vote – has been barred from contesting. Analysts say the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is now moving to occupy the liberal-centrist space it has vacated. The main Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, has joined forces with a party born out of the student uprising.

But the slogans on the campus – and beyond – are not only about democracy at home. It increasingly points across the border.

“Dhaka, not Delhi” is splashed on walls – and stitched onto saris, a traditional dress for women in South Asia. Among the young, “hegemony” has slipped into everyday speech, shorthand for India’s long shadow over Bangladesh.

“The young generation feels India has been intervening in our country for many years,” says Mosharraf Hossain, a 24-year-old sociology student. “Especially after the 2014 election, which was basically a one-party election.”

That grievance – Delhi’s perceived role in enabling Bangladesh’s democratic erosion – sits at the heart of a sharp rise in anti-Indian sentiment. The result: India-Bangladesh relations, once touted as a model of neighbourhood diplomacy, are now at their lowest ebb in decades.

“Delhi is struggling in Dhaka because of deep anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh and a hardening, often a hostile turn, in India’s own domestic political discourse towards its neighbour,” says Avinash Paliwal, who teaches politics and international studies at SOAS University of London.

Many blame Delhi for supporting an increasingly authoritarian Hasina in her final years and see India as an overbearing neighbour. They remember disputed general elections in 2014, 2018 and 2024 and Delhi’s “endorsement” of them.

“India supported Hasina’s regime without any pressure, without any questions,” Hossain says. “People think the destruction of democracy was supported by India.”

That sense of betrayal has merged with longer-standing grievances – border killings, water-sharing disputes, trade restrictions and inflammatory rhetoric from Indian politicians and television studios – into a more corrosive belief: that India views Bangladesh less as a sovereign equal than as a pliant backyard.

Local media is rife with reports that an Indian conglomerate supplying electricity to Bangladesh has been cheating the country – a charge the group denies. On Facebook, a key platform for political mobilisation, campaigns rage to ban a leading daily branded an “Indian agent”. Both countries have suspended most visa services.

Delhi’s decision to bar a Bangladeshi cricketer from the Indian Premier League (IPL) and refusal to move Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka has fed resentment across the border.

“To be sure, India has channels with all stakeholders in Bangladesh. But translating such engagement into positive political outcomes remains challenging in the current political climate,” says Paliwal.

Delhi has indeed begun to broaden its outreach.

Last month Foreign Minister S Jaishankar travelled to Dhaka for former prime minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Khaleda Zia’s funeral, and used the occasion to meet the party’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman. The 60-year-old heir to the Zia dynasty, Rahman recently returned after 17 years in exile in London and now looms as the frontrunner in the landmark election.

India has also opened channels to Islamist forces. A senior Jamaat-e-Islami leader told me that Indian officials have engaged the party’s leadership four times in the past year, including a recent invitation to the Indian High Commission’s Republic Day reception in a Dhaka hotel.

Yet these tactical shifts have done little to arrest the broader slide. Kamal Ahmed, consulting editor of The Daily Star newspaper, says the current chill marks a low unseen even during earlier crises. “There’s no doubt this is the lowest point of the bilateral relationship,” he told the BBC.

The contrast with the Sheikh Hasina years is stark.

Over 17 years, Dhaka “opened up almost all fronts for India” – security co-operation, transit, trade, cultural exchange and people-to-people ties. Today, Ahmed says, “nothing is moving – neither people nor goodwill”.

What appears to have turned scepticism into anger was Delhi’s response after Hasina was ousted last August. Many Bangladeshis said they expected India to recalibrate a Bangladesh policy that had rested almost entirely on backing one party. Instead, India appeared to double down – offering Hasina refuge and tightening visa and trade restrictions. The message received in Dhaka, Ahmed says, was: Bangladeshis were “not being valued as neighbours”.

Rhetoric has worsened matters.

When Indian politicians label Bangladeshi migrants “termites” or talk of teaching Bangladesh a lesson “like Israel did in Gaza,” Ahmed asks: “How do you expect people in Bangladesh to react?”

Cultural retaliation followed – calls to boycott Indian goods, the suspension of IPL broadcasts – driven by resentment. “Culture, trade, respect – nothing is one-way traffic,” Ahmed says. “Unfortunately, that’s how the current Indian leadership is practising it.”

Yet officials in Dhaka caution against reading the relationship solely through its crises.

Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to Yunus, describes ties with India as “multi-dimensional”, anchored in geography as much as politics. “We share 54 rivers… We share language, we share the same history,” he says, citing trade flows and daily movement across a 4,096km (2,545-mile) frontier.

Even so, Alam admits public sentiment has hardened sharply.

Ask Bangladeshis why they could not vote freely for over 15 years, he says, and many give the same answer: Sheikh Hasina’s authoritarianism – and India’s “backing” of it. “They also say that Hasina has always been supported by India.”

Hasina’s flight to India after the 2024 violence remains an especially sore point.

“Hundreds of young people were killed… and then she fled to India,” Alam says. The perception that she was treated as a “head of a government”, rather than a disgraced leader, deepened anger.

Alam also criticises Indian media coverage as alarmist, dismissing claims of systematic persecution of minority Hindus as “a massive disinformation campaign”. Isolated incidents do occur, he says, but are routinely portrayed as religious violence. “Come and visit,” he urges Indian journalists. “Meet the people and see what actually happened.”

India, meanwhile, says independent sources have documented more than 2,900 incidents of violence against minorities – including killings, arson and land grabs -during the interim government’s tenure, adding that these cannot be all “media exaggeration or dismissed as political violence”.

Ali Riaz, an academic who is currently serving as the special assistant to Yunus, believes the rupture runs deeper than miscommunication.

“It has reached the bottom,” he says. He believes that over time, the relationship narrowed down to “a relationship between a party or an individual and the Indian establishment, rather than between Bangladesh and India”.

Long-standing disputes amplified the damage. Water sharing, Riaz argues, creates hierarchy. “If you control the water, the relationship immediately becomes unequal.”

Border killings cut deeper still. “It is viewed as how the Indian establishment see the lives of Bangladeshis.” India has denied unlawful killings by its forces in specific deaths along the border.

These issues, analysts say, are not episodic irritants but symbols of imbalance.

That imbalance, critics argue, was reinforced after Hasina’s fall. Mohammad Touhid Hossain, foreign affairs adviser to Yunus, says India failed to recalibrate, missing a chance to reset ties with the interim government. “We tried to go forward on a number of occasions, but then the response from India was on again, off again,” he told me.

India, for its part, has voiced concern over Bangladesh’s “deteriorating security environment” and called for “free, fair, inclusive and credible elections” conducted peacefully.

Political strain is now spilling into economic ties. Bilateral trade of $13.5bn could be far higher if tariff and non-tariff barriers were eased and diplomatic relations improved, says Fahmida Khatun of the think tank Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD). “Political tension has led to economic tension.”

Yet this hardening at the state level does not always translate neatly on the street.

“Whenever I hear India, I think it is my enemy,” says Fatima Tasnim Juma of Inquilab Mancha, a cultural platform known for its nationalist anti-India messaging.

“But when it comes to people, it does not work like that.” Juma says she grew up in a Hindu-majority area; relatives move easily across the border. “Our conflict is with the Indian government or the structure. Not with people.”

Anti-Indianism has been notably subdued on the campaign trail – not because it has faded, but because every political contender knows that a reset with India is unavoidable.

Even so, repairing India–Bangladesh ties will not be quick – or cosmetic.

“A reset won’t be easy simply because there’s an election or a new government. The background [issues] will remain,” says Alam.

Still, the rupture is not irreversible. “No state relationship is,” says Riaz – but the burden of repair, he argues, lies largely with Delhi and will require moving beyond the habit of managing Dhaka through favoured intermediaries. Ahmed says Bangladesh is open to normalising ties, but India needs a reset that works with whoever holds power in Dhaka.

Political figures frame the reset in moral as much as strategic terms.

Mahdi Amin, a key adviser to BNP leader Rahman, puts it bluntly: “The bigger the nation, the more the responsibility.”

People-to-people ties, he argues, can only grow if India aligns its policy with the aspirations of Bangladeshis, not just the preferences of governments.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjdjj44xxr5o

Keir Starmer’s top aide Morgan McSweeney has quit amid fallout over the appointment of Britain’s former US ambassador. Criticism has mounted as new details emerged of the appointee’s links to Jeffrey Epstein.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned on Sunday as pressure intensified over Starmer’s decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the United States.

The departure deepened a political crisis for Starmer after newly published US documents raised questions about Mandelson’s past relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

What did McSweeney say about his resignation?

McSweeney, Starmer’s closest adviser, said he took responsibility for recommending Mandelson’s appointment.

“The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong,” McSweeney said in a statement.

“He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself,” McSweeney said.

“When asked, I advised the Prime Minister to make that appointment and I take full responsibility for that advice.”

Why has the Mandelson controversy flared again?

Mandelson was sacked last September over his relationship with Epstein.

However, the controversy escalated after documents released in the United States suggested Mandelson shared market-sensitive information with Epstein. The documents formed part of a larger trove of files made public in the US.

The material raised questions about Mandelson’s conduct at the time, when he was serving as Britain’s business secretary during the 2008 financial crisis.

Starmer faced mounting criticism — and suggestions that he should also step down — over his judgment in sending Mandelson to Washington in 2024.

Who is Morgan McSweeney?

The 48-year-old Irish strategist has been keeping a low profile but is being described by some as “the most powerful man in politics” after playing a key role in Starmer’s decisive election victory in July 2024.

He was credited with helping steer Labour toward a more centrist agenda after the left-wing tenure of former leader Jeremy Corbyn. McSweeney was said to have been close to Mandelson.

Who is Peter Mandelson?

Mandelson was an influential figure in British politics and the Labour Party for decades.

He was central to Labour’s shift toward the political center in the 1990s, in a similar way to McSweeney, helping former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair modernize the party and win the 1997 landslide election.

The now-72-year-old was long dubbed the “Prince of Darkness,” a term widely used to describe his reputation as a highly skilled, behind-the-scenes political operator. However, he proved to be a divisive and controversial figure, and was ​forced out of government twice under Blair over allegations of misconduct.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/epstein-files-uk-morgan-mcsweeney-resigns-peter-mandelson/a-75861999

Police used tear gas and water cannons on dozens of protesters near the Olympic Village in Milan. Protesters were demonstrating over the environmental impact of the games and also the presence of US ICE agents.

A peaceful demonstration in Milan on Saturday, near the Olympic Village in northern Italy, has ended in clashes with police.

Earlier on Saturday, upwards of 10,000 people marched towards the Olympic Village, but later on, once the larger peaceful group of protesters had left, a smaller group had violent confrontations with police.

Flares and stones were thrown at police, who dispersed protesters with batons, water cannons and tear gas following the otherwise peaceful march.

Why are people protesting at the Olympics?

Protesters took to the streets over the environmental impact of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, which got underway on Friday.

“Let’s take back the cities and free the mountains,” one banner by a group calling itself the Unsustainable Olympic Committee read.

At the larger, peaceful demonstration — which police said had 10,000 demonstrators — people carried cardboard cutouts representing the trees cut down to build the new bobsled run in Cortina.

The protests took place amid US Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Milan as head of the US delegation. Vance attended the opening ceremony to many boos and some applause on Friday.

Protesters unhappy with presence of US ICE officers

The protest was also directed partly at the presence of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency officers at the games.

ICE officers have been tasked with protecting officials, including Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/milan-protest-ends-in-clashes-near-olympic-village/a-75858125

 

Iran will strike U.S. bases in the Middle East if it is attacked by U.S. forces that have massed in the region, its foreign minister said on Saturday, insisting that this should not be seen as an attack on the countries hosting them.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi spoke to Qatari Al Jazeera TV a day after Tehran and Washington pledged to continue indirect nuclear talks following what both sides described as positive discussions on Friday in Oman.

While Araqchi said no date had yet been set for the next round of negotiations, U.S. President Donald Trump said they could take place early next week. “We and Washington believe it should be held soon,” Araqchi said.

Trump has threatened to strike Iran after a U.S. naval buildup in the region, demanding that it renounce uranium enrichment, a possible pathway to nuclear bombs, as well as stopping ballistic missile development and support for armed groups around the region. Tehran has long denied any intent to weaponise nuclear fuel production.

While both sides have indicated readiness to revive diplomacy over Tehran’s long-running nuclear dispute with the West, Araqchi balked at widening the talks out.

“Any dialogue requires refraining from threats and pressure. (Tehran) only discusses its nuclear issue … We do not discuss any other issue with the U.S.,” he said.

Last June, the U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear facilities, joining in the final stages of a 12-day Israeli bombing campaign. Tehran has since said it has halted uranium enrichment activity.

Its response at the time included a missile attack on a U.S. base in Qatar, which maintains good relations with both Tehran and Washington.

In the event of a new U.S. attack, Araqchi said the consequences could be similar.

“It would not be possible to attack American soil, but we will target their bases in the region,” he said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/if-us-attacks-iran-says-it-will-strike-us-bases-region-2026-02-07

Brad Karp, the chairman of high-powered U.S. law firm Paul Weiss, joined other prominent Democratic fundraisers at election night gatherings in Washington in November 2024 hoping for a Kamala Harris victory over Republican rival Donald Trump.

Karp had reached out to hundreds of corporate lawyers in a fundraising push for Harris soon after she replaced incumbent Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate in July 2024, and one of his Paul Weiss partners helped prepare the former U.S. vice president for her debate with Trump.

But Trump won the election. And his return to the presidency last year set in motion a series of events that first shook Paul Weiss and later, with the U.S. Justice Department’s release of records involving the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, led Karp to resign this week as its chairman.

Though he has not been accused of wrongdoing, the disclosures of his contacts with Epstein undid in a matter of days Karp’s longstanding grip over the firm that had cemented him as a Wall Street and Washington power broker.

“If you were going to write a Greek tragedy about a law firm leader, this is it,” a former senior Paul Weiss attorney told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

TRANSFORMING PAUL WEISS

After becoming chairman of Paul Weiss in 2008, Karp transformed it from a respected New York litigation firm to a big-money global powerhouse. And Paul Weiss lawyers and staff outpaced other major law firms in donations to Democrats during the 2024 election cycle.

Paul Weiss devoted pro bono work to progressive causes and recruited star Wall Street dealmakers alongside litigators who had served in Democratic former President Barack Obama’s administration.

Trump’s return to the White House quickly created tumult for Karp and his firm. Karp’s subsequent decision to cut a deal with Trump to rescind an executive order the president had issued punishing the firm made him the face of capitulation for some lawyers aligned with the Democratic Party.

At least a dozen partners, including the one who had advised Harris for her presidential debate, departed the firm afterward.

A bipartisan push in Congress last year, despite Trump’s objections, required the Justice Department to release files related to Epstein. A trove of emails made public at the end of January revealed extensive communications between Karp and Epstein, prompting him to resign as chairman.

Karp did not respond to requests for comment. The firm did not respond to a request for comment beyond the statement it released on Wednesday announcing his resignation.

In that statement, Karp said that “recent reporting has created a distraction and has placed a focus on me that is not in the best interests of the firm.” The firm previously had said he regretted his Epstein interactions and “never witnessed or participated in misconduct.”

Karp, whose rolodex of representations has included large Wall Street banks and the National Football League, remains at Paul Weiss serving clients, the firm said in its statement. Karp was replaced as chairman by Scott Barshay, who he had recruited in 2016 to turbocharge the firm’s mergers and acquisitions practice and other corporate work.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-epstein-how-brad-karp-lost-his-grip-law-firm-paul-weiss-2026-02-07

Mette-Marit’s relationship with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein comes as her son faces trial for rape and assault. The Epstein scandal is also affecting high-profile politicians in other European countries.

Norway’s crown princess Mette-Marit has apologized to everyone she has “disappointed” over her ties to the late billionaire and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In a statement published by the Royal Family on Friday, the crown princess said she was sorry “for the situation I have put the Royal Family in, especially the King and Queen.”

“It is important for me to apologize to all of you whom I have disappointed,” she said. “Some of the content of the messages between Epstein and me does not represent the person I want to be.”

What do the Epstein files say about the Norwegian crown princess?

The latest tranche of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein — known as the “Epstein files” — was released last week by the US Justice Department.

Mette-Marit was mentioned hundreds of times in the documents, which include e-mail exchanges with Epstein that reveal an unexpectedly close friendship between them that continued for years, even after Epstein had been convicted in 2008 of soliciting a minor for prostitution.

A person’s name being mentioned in the Epstein files does not necessarily imply any wrongdoing.

Epstein was found dead in his prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. Authorities ruled his death to be a suicide.

Mette-Marit admitted that year to having had contacts with Epstein, telling Norwegian media that she had shown “poor judgment” and regretted having “any contact” with the late financier. “It is simply embarrassing,” she said.

Scandal-hit Mette-Marit in the spotlight

While Norway’s royals are generally popular in the Nordic country, Mette-Marit’s previous relationships with convicted drug offenders caused a stir when she married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001.

The fresh revelations stemming from last week’s release of documents have raised more questions in Norway about whether Mette-Marit, who was born into a working-class family, is fit to be queen.

The revelations in the Epstein files come with Mette-Marit and the royal family already under intense media scrutiny.

Marius Borg Hoiby, 29, her son from a relationship before she married the Crown Prince, is currently on trial for 38 charges, including domestic violence and rape.

Hoiby is accused of raping four women and assaulting ex-partners, as well as drug possession.

What has Norway’s Crown Prince said?

Speaking on the sidelines of an official royal visit on Friday, Haakon said the royals “support Marius.”

He also acknowledged that many people want to hear from Mette-Marit, who suffers from a chronic lung condition that will require a lung transplant.

“She thinks that is ​completely natural. She would like to speak, but right now she can’t. And I also tell her that she is ⁠not allowed to,” Haakon said.

“She ​needs time to gather herself, and then she would like to say ‌more about the ‌matter, and we hope people understand that she needs a bit of time,” the crown prince added.

Epstein scandal spreads across Europe

The Epstein scandal has also ensnared other high-profile Norwegians, including former prime minister Thorbjorn Jagland and former foreign minister Borge Brende, the current CEO of the World Economic Forum.

Brende and Jagland have both said they are cooperating with investigators.

The latest revelations from the Epstein files have also sent shockwaves through other European nations, including the United Kingdom, where police on Friday raided properties linked to Peter Mandelson as part of a probe into misconduct in public office.

The Epstein files released last week show that Mandelson had extensive ties to Epstein. They also suggested that Mandelson had leaked UK government documents to the disgraced financier, and that Epstein had made payments to Mandelson and his ⁠husband.

Mandelson, a former Labour Party politician, was appointed US ambassador by Prime Minister Keir Starmer in 2024.

With his future looking increasingly uncertain, Starmer apologized on Thursday for that appointment and for “believing Mandelson’s lies” to him about the scope of his relationship with Epstein.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/epstein-files-norway-crown-princess-mette-marit-apologizes/a-75848513

 

Some experts have questioned how such a ban will be implemented and whether it will work. Meanwhile, the EU’s flagship digital law is seen to be flailing in driving systematic changes on large online platforms.

Days after France’s lawmakers voted on a social media ban for children under the age of 15, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez vowed to protect Spain’s children “from the digital Wild West.”

Hours of scrolling over harmful content is rewiring young brains and causing anxiety and other health hazards, experts say, compelling European governments to act.

“The specific focus on minors is due to the increased risk of long-term harm, since they are still developing cognitively,” Paul O. Richter, affiliate fellow with Brussels-based think tank Bruegel, told DW. “There is a lot of research showing strong correlations between social media usage and mental health issues.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has also expressed support for an EU-wide age limit along the lines of a new Australian law that set an age limit of 16 for social media usage.

But how can such a ban be implemented ― and would it even work?

Which European countries are mulling a social media ban for children?

In France, the bill that calls for a ban on under-15s will now be sent to the upper house of the French parliament for a vote.

In Spain, the Council of Ministers is expected to approve the ban on under 16s and add the clause to a draft bill under discussion in the Spanish parliament.

“Today, our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone, a space of addiction, abuse, pornography, manipulation [and] violence,” Sanchez said as he announced the proposed ban.

Other European countries are also considering a social media ban on children under 16 or 15 years of age.

In late 2025, Denmark decided to protect children and young people from online abuse and “create a better framework for their digital lives.”

In a multiparty agreement, political groups in Denmark said access to some social media platforms should be banned. A law is yet to go into effect.

Italy has also introduced a bill in the Italian parliament to impose social media restrictions, including on child influencers, under the age of 15.

According to a senior official who spoke to news agency Reuters, Greece is “very close” to imposing a similar ban.

This week, Portugal submitted legislation that calls for parental consent for children under 16 to access social media content.

Austria is also contemplating a social media ban, while the United Kingdom has started a consultation process on the subject.

Meanwhile, European parliamentarians in November recommended a Europe-wide social media ban on children under 16, while also suggesting that 13- to 16-year-olds could be granted access with parental consent.

An EU-wide digital ID to check age?

One idea being discussed for age-verification is an EU-wide digital ID. Richter, the affiliate fellow with Bruegel, said an EU Digital ID is envisaged as a tool that would verify the user’s age without compromising personal details.

“It would allow people to digitally verify that they are above a certain age without the need to share any extra personal data such as exact birth date, name, address or ID number. This would facilitate the implementation of a digital age restriction,” Richter said.

But Marc Damie, spokesperson of France’s ctrl+alt+reclaim ― a youth-led tech justice and digital rights movement ― claimed that details about how age verification apps or IDs would work, and whether private information would be safe, are unclear.

“Such bans will backfire,” he said. “We agree there is a problem, social media is causing mental health issues, but such a ban,” he claimed, was just a symbolic measure on the part of politicians rather than an actual solution.

Expert: Social media ban wouldn’t alleviate ‘structural problems’

“It doesn’t solve structural problems” on social media platforms, said Damie.

He pointed to platform practices such as autoplay ― which forces unwanted and unexpected audio and video content upon users ― and anxiety-inducing infinite scrolling, intended to keep the users hooked online, as major issues.

Damie also objected to the age limit because “addiction doesn’t stop at 15 or 16.”

Richter agreed that lack of sufficient research makes it difficult to definitively argue for a specific age as the optimal cutoff.

“Some of the potential risks relate specifically to the effect social comparison from social media has on adolescent and teenage girls,” he said. “Therefore, a higher age cutoff could be justified.”

Only EU can push online platforms to make systematic changes

The European Union has backed a digital age of majority, but cautioned member states against stepping on the EU’s flagship Digital Services Act (DSA) that requires tech companies to mitigate risk related to algorithms and impact on minors.

“The DSA and the EU Commission are the only entities that can impose additional obligations on very large platforms,” Thomas Regnier, the Commission’s spokesperson for tech, told journalists.

Richter said member states are simply frustrated and don’t think the EU is able to effectively impose its laws on foreign tech companies, mostly those in the US.

“The DSA requires very large online platforms like popular social media [sites] to… change algorithms and platform design to mitigate systemic risks, including those to minors,” Richter said. “It also requires them to share data with researchers to allow for independent research on risks.

“In practice, this has not meaningfully occurred. [That’s why] more restrictive proposals, including social media bans, have gained more support,” he added.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/european-nations-gear-up-to-ban-social-media-for-children/a-75841184

US President Donald Trump has said he could impose additional tariffs on countries that continue to trade with Iran, in an executive order signed on Friday.

The order does not specify the rate that could be imposed, but uses 25% as an example, and says it will apply to goods imported into the US from any nation that “directly or indirectly purchases, imports, or otherwise acquires any goods or services from Iran”.

Trump has not directly commented on the order, but reiterated “no nuclear weapons” for Iran when speaking from Air Force One on Friday night.

It comes amid ongoing talks between senior US and Iranian officials in Oman, following several weeks of threats from both sides.

Trump threatened a 25% tariff of countries doing business with Iran earlier this year, in a post to Truth Social.

On 12 January, he wrote: “Effective immediately, any country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America.”

At the time, no further detail was provided on how the tariffs would work in practice.

The White House said that this latest executive order reaffirmed the “ongoing national emergency with respect to Iran”, and noted that the president may modify it of circumstances change.

It read: “The President is holding Iran accountable for its pursuit of nuclear capabilities, support for terrorism, ballistic missile development, and regional destabilization that endanger American security, allies, and interests.”

There has been no immediate comment from Iran.

Starting in Oman on Friday, the ongoing talks are the first involving US and Iranian officials since last June, when the US bombed Iran’s three main nuclear facilities.

The Iranian delegation was led by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, while the US was represented by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Speaking to reporters onboard Air Force One, Trump said Friday’s talks were “very good”, and that Iran “looks like it wants to make a deal very badly”.

“If they don’t make a deal, the consequences are very steep,” the president said, adding that there will be another meeting early next week.

Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who mediated the discussions, said they had been “useful to clarify both Iranian and American thinking and identify areas for possible progress”.

In a statement to X, Araghchi described the talks to date as “a good start” and said that a “positive atmosphere prevailed”. He said negotiators had now returned to their respective capitals for consultation.

Rising tensions between the US and Iran have raised fears of a conflict between the countries, with Trump declaring that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei should be “very worried” as recently as Wednesday.

The president has said he would be prepared to strike the Middle Eastern nation if it refused to reach a deal on its nuclear programme.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4glgz2l83vo

The total $7 billion project in the remote, insurgency-hit western province is expected to start production by the end of 2028.

Pakistan has secured nearly $1.3 billion worth of commitments from the United States for a copper and gold mining project in the South Asian nation’s sensitive Balochistan province, marking a major foreign investment in one of the world’s largest undeveloped mineral deposits. The Reko Diq project, located near the Pakistan-Iran border, is a total $7 billion project in the remote, insurgency-hit western province and is expected to start production by the end of 2028.

The project is being developed by Canadian miner Barrick Mining Corp in partnership with Pakistani authorities. The US investment in the project will be channelled through the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) as part of Washington’s broader push to secure critical mineral supply chains and strengthen economic ties with Pakistan.

According to Barrick, it owns 50 per cent of the project, while the other 25 per cent is owned by three federal state-owned enterprises, and 25 per cent by the Government of Balochistan, of which 15 per cent is on a fully funded basis and 10 per cent is on a free carried basis.

Security Concerns 

The US Embassy in Iran urged Americans to leave the country immediately, warning of internet shutdowns, travel disruptions and heightened detention risks.

The US Embassy in Iran has issued an urgent security alert advising American citizens to “leave Iran now,” citing expanding communications blackouts, transport disruptions and mounting risks of questioning or detention as regional tensions spike ahead of renewed diplomatic talks.

In the advisory, the embassy warned that “increased security measures, road closures, public transportation disruptions, and internet blockages are ongoing,” adding that Iranian authorities continue to restrict access to mobile, landline and national internet networks.

Airlines, it said, are also limiting or cancelling flights.

“US citizens should expect continued internet outages, plan alternative means of communication, and, if safe to do so, consider departing Iran by land to Armenia or Türkiye,” the alert stated.

Americans were urged to prepare departure plans that do not rely on US government assistance, noting, “Flight cancellations and disruptions are possible with little warning.”

Those unable to leave were advised to shelter in secure locations, maintain supplies of food, water and medications, avoid demonstrations, keep a low profile and remain alert to changing conditions.

The embassy also encouraged enrollment in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive updates.

The warning highlighted particular dangers for US-Iranian dual nationals, stressing that Tehran does not recognise dual citizenship and treats such travellers solely as Iranian citizens.

“US nationals are at significant risk of questioning, arrest, and detention in Iran,” it said, adding that even showing a US passport or ties to the United States can be reason enough for Iranian authorities to detain someone.”

As of Thursday, February 5, the Armenian land crossing at Agarak/Norduz and several Turkish crossings, Gürbulak/Bazargan, Kapıköy/Razi and Esendere/Serow, remained open, according to the alert.

US citizens entering Armenia may stay up to 180 days visa-free, while those crossing into Türkiye may remain for 90 days.

Borders with Turkmenistan are open but require special authorisation coordinated by the US Embassy in Ashgabat, while land crossings into Azerbaijan are largely closed and subject to case-by-case approval.

Americans were cautioned not to attempt travel through Afghanistan, Iraq or the Pakistan-Iran border area.

The advisory noted that Washington has no diplomatic or consular relations with Tehran and that the Swiss government, through its embassy in Tehran, acts as the protecting power for US interests.

The alert comes as the nuclear talks between Iran and the United States are expected Friday in Oman.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced the negotiations, while US President Donald Trump issued a sharp warning aimed at Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying in an NBC News interview, “I would say he should be very worried.”

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/leave-iran-now-us-embassy-in-iran-asks-citizens-to-leave-us-iran-tensions-nuclear-talks-9883078.html

The Iranian Shahed-139 drone was flying towards the carrier “with unclear intent” and was intercepted after displaying what the military described as aggressive behaviour, US officials said. It was destroyed by an F-35 fighter jet operating from the aircraft carrier.

The US military shot down an Iranian drone near its aircraft carrier, Abraham Lincoln, in the Middle East on Tuesday, raising fresh alarm over rising tensions in the Arabian Sea amid fragile diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran.

The incident came at a tense moment, as diplomats tried to bring Iran and the United States back to the negotiating table. US President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened that “bad things” could happen if a deal was not reached.

According to news agency Reuters, CENTCOM said the drone “aggressively approached with unclear intent and continued to fly toward the ship despite de-escalatory measures taken by US forces operating in international waters”. The drone was destroyed by an F-35 fighter jet operating from the aircraft carrier.

“An F-35C fighter jet from Abraham Lincoln shot down the Iranian drone in self-defence and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board,” said Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for United States Central Command, as per Reuters.

He added that no American personnel were injured and that no military equipment was damaged during the operation. US Central Command said the decision to engage the drone was taken to ensure the safety of the vessel and its crew amid heightened regional security risks.

Iran’s Tasnim News Agency said contact with the drone was lost while it was flying in international waters and that the reason for the loss of connection remains unclear. Iranian media also reported that the drone had completed a surveillance mission in international waters.

US WARSHIPS MOVE CLOSER AS DIPLOMACY STALLS

The incident came just days ahead of scheduled talks between US and Iranian officials on Friday to restart long-running nuclear discussions and ease tensions.

US President Donald Trump has recently warned that tensions could worsen if negotiations fail, particularly as American naval forces increase their presence near Iran.

The Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group remains the most visible symbol of Washington’s military buildup in the region. The deployment followed a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in Iran last month, which marked the country’s deadliest domestic unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

While Trump initially stopped short of military intervention during the unrest, he has since demanded that Tehran agree to new nuclear concessions.

Last week, the US President said Iran was “seriously talking”, suggesting some progress in behind-the-scenes diplomacy.

On the Iranian side, senior official Ali Larijani confirmed that arrangements for negotiations were under way, offering cautious optimism that talks could resume.

SEPARATE CONFRONTATION IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ

Hours after the drone incident, US officials reported another tense encounter in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.

US Central Command said boats linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps moved close to a US-flagged commercial tanker.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/us-shoots-down-iranian-drone-that-aggressively-approached-abraham-lincoln-aircraft-carrier-in-arabian-sea-2862652-2026-02-03

Pakistan says it has fielded requests for its JF-17 fighter from five countries in recent months, a surge of interest that could overwhelm its capacity to jointly produce the jet with China.

In the past month, Iraq, Bangladesh and Indonesia have expressed interest in acquiring the JF-17 Thunder, according to Pakistan’s Armed Forces. Saudi Arabia and Libya are also exploring the aircraft, Reuters reported separately, after Pakistan hailed the performance of its Chinese-made jets during its conflict with India in May 2025.

Pakistan makes fewer than 20 JF-17s per year, and almost all go to its own air force. It’s not clear whether Islamabad can expand capacity to meet the sudden demand, key to boosting its ambitions of being an arms maker for the developing world and extending Beijing’s influence in the weapons market.

The JF-17 is seen “as a market disruptor due to its affordable price tag and, more importantly, its recent success in combat,” said Manoj Harjani, research fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. “Not hard to imagine the JF-17 becoming more widely adopted, especially by militaries that cannot afford fighters produced by Western companies.”

If Indonesia and Saudi Arabia end up purchasing JF-17s, it would represent a major shift, as both nations have long relied on more Western platforms. Indonesia recently took delivery of three Dassault Aviation SA Rafales as part of a defense deal with France, and it agreed with Boeing Co. in 2023 to buy 24 F-15 jets. Saudi Arabia similarly relies on US and European aircraft, and has sought to purchase F-35s.

Competing on Price

Conceived in a 1999 deal, the JF-17 Thunder is a lightweight, all-weather fighter jointly produced by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, located in Kamra, northwest of Islamabad, and China’s AVIC Chengdu, in the country’s southwest. Pakistan manufactures 16-18 JF-17s per year, former Air Commodore Khalid Chishti said in a video on production of the fighter.

One advantage the JF-17 has over its Western peers is the price. Pakistan’s Minister for Defence Production Raza Hayat Harraj told BBC Urdu last month that each unit costs $40 million to $50 million, depending on the variant and customization. This compares with $100 million or more for some versions of the Rafale and Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-16.

Despite the relative affordability, the JF-17 has only so far been sold to Azerbaijan, Nigeria and Myanmar. Myanmar was the first buyer, ordering at least 16 Block IIs in 2015, with six delivered so far so far. Nigeria added three to its air force in 2021. Azerbaijan ordered 40 of the jets in 2024, in a deal worth about $1.6 billion. In November 2025, it unveiled five JF-17s at its Victory Day parade.

The recent interest, if translated into orders, requires a significant ramp-up of Pakistan’s and China’s production capacity. Libya and Bangladesh are both looking to buy 16 JF-17s each, reports say, while Saudi Arabia is possibly exploring a $2 billion deal with Pakistan for as many as 50. Indonesia is said to be in early discussions to acquire about 40 JF-17s.

With over 150 JF-17s in service, the PAF still needs to replace more than 250 aging Dassault Mirages and Chinese F-7s, a project expected to feature Chinese JF-17, J-10C, and FC-31 jets. And there are still 45 existing JF-17s export orders outstanding.

“So far it was like whatever Pakistan can make, the capacity was just enough for Pakistan,” said former Air Vice Marshal Faaiz Amir. “We had a long view for exports, but you don’t build capacity for exports before there are orders.”

Scaling Up

Increasing production would require investment, and Pakistan might not have the funds for that, said Sameer Lalwani, a senior fellow with the German Marshall Fund Indo-Pacific Program.

“I don’t see any actor willing or able to put down the capital to expand production lines,” Lalwani said. “Absent that, Pakistan would have to be exporting from its own stock or countries would have to wait several years for delivery to a point to where the platform is approaching obsolescence.”

Harraj told the BBC that China is “definitely involved” in the negotiations when asked whether Beijing will also be a financial partner. China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation’s display at the Singapore Airshow on Tuesday included the JF-17 among other aircraft on offer to foreign customers.

Under the current arrangement, 58% of the production, as well as the final assembly, is carried out in Pakistan, which makes the airframe, and 42% in China, which supplies the avionics. There is no public information on how profits are split.

“Sales of the JF-17 are contingent on both China and Pakistan agreeing, as the fighter is jointly produced by the two countries,” Harjani said.

Because it is a joint venture, production becomes trickier.

“China has to see its schedule whether it can build planes in collaboration with Pakistan,” Amir said. “All of these schedules have to be agreed between the joint venture partners, and only after that there could be deals.”

China’s Defense Ministry, AVIC Chengdu, Pakistan’s Ministry for Defence Production and the Pakistan Air Force did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The publicly listed number for Pakistan Aeronautical Complex did not connect.

Supply Chain Challenges

The JF-17 supply chain also draws on components from outside China and Pakistan, Harjani added.

“A major limitation would be procuring sufficient engines, which are made by the Russian company Klimov,” he said. UEC Klimov is under sanctions related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia is a major arms supplier to India, which could complicate Pakistan’s ability to secure parts.

The JF-17 was officially transferred to Pakistan in 2007, making its debut at the National Day Parade. In 2015, when President Xi Jinping visited Pakistan, his plane was escorted by eight JF-17s.

The latest version, the Block III variant, is classified as a 4.5-generation fighter. It features air-to-air and air-to-surface capabilities, advanced avionics, and an active electronically scanned array radar, which allows pilots to track multiple targets simultaneously and detect threats at longer distances.

Source : https://www.moneycontrol.com/world/pakistan-faces-production-crunch-as-global-demand-for-china-backed-jf-17-jets-surges-article-13809012.html

Bill Gates has refuted allegations stemming from newly released documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein, emphasizing their falsehood and expressing regret over their association. In an interview, Gates clarified that a draft email found in Epstein’s records, which contained unverified claims about him, was never sent and lacked credibility.

Bill Gates has denied allegations linked to his name after it appeared in millions of newly released documents related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, saying claims made in the files are false and that he regrets ever spending time with Epstein.

In an exclusive interview with Australia’s 9News, the Microsoft co-founder said the documents include a draft email found in Epstein’s account that was never sent and contains false allegations.

“Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself. That email was never sent. The email is false,” Gates said, adding, “I don’t know what his thinking was there. Was he trying to attack me in some way?”

Gates said he met Epstein in 2011 and had several dinners with him over a period of about three years but denied any criminal behaviour. He said he never visited Epstein’s private island and had no sexual relationships connected to Epstein.

“Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologise that I did that,” he said.

The newly released documents reportedly include claims suggesting Epstein arranged meetings between Gates and women and that Gates contracted a sexually transmitted infection. His office immediately issued a statement denouncing the “absolutely absurd and completely false” assertion, but until now Gates, 70, has remained silent.

“The focus was always, he knew a lot of very rich people, and he was saying he could get them to give money to global health. In retrospect, that was a dead end,” Gates said. “I was foolish to spend time with him. I was one of many people who regret ever knowing him,” he said.

Epstein, a convicted sex offender, died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

Gates said further disclosures would show he had no involvement in Epstein’s crimes.

“The more that comes out, the more clear it will be that, although the time was a mistake, it has nothing to do with that kind of behaviour,” he said.

Melinda French Gates, Gates’ former wife, said in a separate interview with NPR that the allegations brought back “very, very painful” memories from their marriage and said Gates was among those who had questions to answer about Epstein. The interview with Melinda French will be released in full by NPR on Thursday, after the network published excerpts and a three-minute video clip earlier this week addressing the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein.

In the interview, French Gates described the renewed attention surrounding the documents as a “reckoning as a society.” Speaking about Epstein’s victims, she said, “No girl should ever be put in the situation they were put in by Epstein and whatever was going on with all of the various people around him. It’s beyond heartbreaking.”

“I remember being those ages the girls were, I remember my daughters being those ages,” she added.

French Gates said she has moved on from her marriage, which she described as one she needed to leave, and said she is now in “a really unexpected, beautiful place in my life.”

“I’m so happy to be away from all the muck that was there,” she said.

Asked about her reaction to allegations involving her former husband, including claims that he attempted to secretly obtain antibiotics for her, French Gates said she felt “just unbelievable sadness.”

“I’m able to take my own sadness and look at those young girls and say, ‘My God, how did that happen to those girls?’ I hope there’s some justice for those now women. What they went through is unimaginable,” she said.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/world/us/us-news/every-minute-i-regret-bill-gates-responds-after-name-appears-in-epstein-documents-article-153561547

The U.S. military on Tuesday shot down an Iranian drone that “aggressively” approached the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, the U.S. military said, in an incident first reported by Reuters.
The incident came as diplomats sought to arrange nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, and U.S. President Donald Trump warned that with U.S. warships heading toward Iran, “bad things” would probably happen if a deal could not be reached.

Oil futures prices rose more than $1 per barrel after news the drone was shot down.
The Iranian Shahed-139 drone was flying toward the carrier “with unclear intent” and was shot down by an F-35 U.S. fighter jet, the U.S. military said.
“An F-35C fighter jet from Abraham Lincoln shot down the Iranian drone in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board,” said Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson at the U.S. military’s Central Command.
Iran’s U.N. mission declined to comment.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency said connection had been lost with a drone in international waters, but the reason was unknown.

No American service members were harmed during the incident and no U.S. equipment was damaged, he added.
The Lincoln carrier strike group is the most visible part of a U.S. military buildup in the Middle East following a violent crackdown against anti-government demonstrations last month, the deadliest domestic unrest in Iran since its 1979 revolution.
Trump, who stopped short of carrying out threats to intervene during the crackdown, has since demanded Tehran make nuclear concessions and sent a flotilla to its coast. He said last week Iran was “seriously talking,” while Tehran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, said arrangements for negotiations were under way.

IRANIAN BOATS HARASS U.S.-FLAGGED TANKER

In a separate incident on Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz, just hours after the drone shootdown, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces harassed a U.S.-flagged, U.S.-crewed merchant vessel, according to the U.S. military.

“Two IRGC boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached M/V Stena Imperative at high speeds and threatened to board and seize the tanker,” Hawkins said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-shoots-down-iranian-drone-approaching-aircraft-carrier-official-says-2026-02-03/

Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran resigned on Tuesday from his position as chair of the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers, fulfilling a pledge he made to the Senate as his assignment at the central bank becomes longer-lasting.
Miran had been on unpaid leave from his CEA post since President Donald Trump appointed him last year to fill an unexpected vacancy on the Fed’s Board of Governors to a term that expired January 31. The arrangement drew the ire of Democratic Senators who said it would make a presidential puppet of the Fed’s newest policymaker.

Miran said he had been legally advised there was no need to quit his CEA post as the Fed job was only for a few months.
“I promised the Senate that if I should stay on the Board past January, I would formally depart the Council,” Miran said in his resignation letter dated Tuesday and reviewed by Reuters. “I believe it is important to stay true to my word while I continue to perform the job at the Federal Reserve to which you and the Senate appointed me.”
Trump on Friday announced plans to nominate former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh as the next chair of the central bank to succeed Jerome Powell. While this would fill the Fed Board seat currently occupied by Miran, the law allows him to serve until a successor is confirmed by the Senate.

The White House had no immediate comment on whether Pierre Yared, now the CEA’s acting chair, would be named to the top post permanently.
Miran’s resignation was first reported by Barron’s.
Miran has argued for sharply lower interest rates at every Fed meeting since he joined the central bank last September. Trump has made no secret of his desire for the Fed to reduce interest rates, and indeed made support for easier monetary policy one of his criteria for a new Fed chief.
Powell, whose leadership term ends in May, disclosed in January that the Department of Justice (DOJ) had launched a criminal probe into statements he made to the Senate about Fed building renovations. Powell has described the investigation as part of a broader effort by the administration to exert control over the Fed.
The DOJ last year also opened an investigation into Fed Governor Lisa Cook for alleged misstatements on her mortgage application. She denies wrongdoing and is suing to stop Trump’s attempt to fire her in a case that is before the Supreme Court.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/feds-miran-resigns-white-house-job-2026-02-03/

According to media reports, the Greek patrol boat issued a warning signal after spotting the migrant boat, which then tried to escape. For reasons that are still unclear, the two boats collided.

A Greek coast guard boat collided with a migrant speedboat off the island of Chios on Tuesday, leaving many people dead or injured.

The Coast Guard said that the bodies of 14 people — 11 men and three women — were recovered from the sea. One of the injured women later died in hospital, bringing the death toll to at least 15.

ERTNews, a Greek broadcaster, reported that 25 injured individuals, including 11 children and two coast guard officers, were taken to the island’s hospital.

A search-and-rescue operation involving patrol boats, a helicopter, and divers was underway to find potentially missing individuals, as the total number of people who had been on board the speedboat was not immediately clear.

What do we know about the collision?

According to the media reports, a boat carrying dozens of migrants was traveling from Turkey toward the coast of Chios. A Greek coast guard patrol reportedly spotted the boat and ordered it to change course.

ERT, the public broadcaster, said the patrol issued a warning signal after spotting the migrant boat, which then tried to escape.

For reasons that are still unclear, the two boats collided, causing some people to fall into the sea, according to the Athens news channel Skai. No official statement has been released yet.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/migrant-boat-collides-with-greek-coast-guard-vessel-15-dead/a-75791389

Pakistani security forces have killed about two dozen militants in overnight raids in the insurgency-hit southwest bordering Afghanistan

Pakistani security forces killed about two dozen militants overnight in multiple raids in the insurgency-hit southwest bordering Afghanistan, raising the militant death toll to 177 in the past 48 hours, officials said on Monday (February 2, 2026), following a wave of coordinated insurgent attacks that killed at least 33 people, mostly civilian.

Police, backed by the military, have been conducting these raids in several areas against members of the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army since early on Saturday (January 31), after nearly 200 militants in small groups carried out simultaneous suicide bombings and gun attacks on police stations, civilian homes, and security facilities across the province.

Analysts say the scale of militant deaths in the past 48 hours is the highest in decades.

Trump hinted at possible US-Iran nuclear talks while warning of US naval deployment near Iran. Ayatollah Khamenei rejected war threats, warning of regional conflict if attacked. Global powers fear escalation as Iran-US tensions and Axis of Resistance rhetoric intensify.

Trump vs Khamenei

US President Donald Trump has once again signalled that he is in talks with Tehran and US-Iran can seal a deal soon. However, Trump’s statement came with a threat that Washington has deployed major naval assets close to the Islamic Republic. The statement by POTUS shows that he is openly using threat tactics to pressurise Iran on signing a nuclear deal with America with a promise that Tehran will have no nuclear weapons.

What Trump said

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he has ordered the Department of Homeland Security to “under no circumstances” get involved with protests in Democratic-led cities unless they ask for federal help or federal property is threatened.
The announcement follows weeks of unrest and protests sparked by a large deployment of Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to Minnesota, and the killings of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by federal agents who said they were reacting to threats.

Many observers have said bystander videos contradict those claims of self-defense. Video footage of Pretti’s death, verified by Reuters, undercuts Trump administration claims that he brandished a weapon before officers fatally shot him.
Activists and demonstrators opposed to Trump’s immigration enforcement crackdown have tried to closely follow immigration officers in Minneapolis and other communities.
Although the president’s new order would seem to have DHS avoid confrontations with protesters in the street and during raids, ICE and Border Patrol will act aggressively to protect federal buildings, Trump wrote on social media.

“We will not allow our Courthouses, Federal Buildings, or anything else under our protection, to be damaged in any way, shape, or form,” he posted.
The Department of Homeland Security, as well as the offices of Minnesota Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, did not immediately return requests for comment.

Cities must protect their own state and local properties, Trump wrote. He also put the onus on state and municipal officials to help protect federal property.
The federal government will provide help if requested, Trump wrote, adding that it would “take care of the situation very easily and methodically.”
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis and other U.S. cities on Friday to demand the withdrawal of federal immigration agencies from Minnesota, following the fatal shootings of Good and Pretti.

The Trump administration had sent 3,000 federal officers to the Minneapolis area as part of a crackdown on illegal immigration, and many of those officials found themselves facing off with protesters and activists.
It was the most recent example of Trump’s willingness to use federal personnel in cities. He has sent federal law enforcement officers or National Guard members to a number of cities largely governed by Democrats, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-orders-dhs-stay-away-protests-democratic-led-cities-unless-federal-help-is-2026-01-31/

India will begin purchasing oil from Venezuela to replace some of the petrol it purchases from Russia a month after President Trump threatened to increase the 50% tariffs the US has already imposed.

The president signaled on Saturday that Delhi — the world’s third-biggest oil importer — would be open to renew business in Latin America after India stopped buying oil from Caracas last year due to US sanctions.

“We’ve already made that deal, the concept of the deal,” Trump told reporters.

The president did not elaborate further on what an oil deal between the US, Venezuela and India would entail.

While the president initially claimed that the deal would stop India from buying crude from Iran, Delhi had already stopped buying from Tehran in 2019 due to US sanctions.

Instead, India served as the top buyer of Russian oil, reaping in crude at a discount as Moscow faced heavy sanctions from the West over its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Trump had repeatedly warned India to stop purchasing Russian oil, slapping 50% tariffs on the country. He threatened to raise the rate again last month if India did not curb its purchases.

The president’s openness to strike a deal with Delhi stands in stark contrast with the months of tension between the US and the world’s largest democracy — with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signaling a more amicable relationship last month and suggesting the tariffs on India maybe removed.

Along with India, Trump suggested that he was open to a deal with Beijing on purchasing Venezuelan oil.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/02/01/world-news/india-to-buy-oil-from-venezuela-rather-than-russia-amid-new-trump-tariff-threats/

The Trump administration has approved a massive new series of arms sales to Israel totaling $6.67 billion and to Saudi Arabia worth $9 billion.

The State Department announced the sales to America’s allies in the Middle East late Friday as tensions rise in the region over the possibility of U.S. military strikes on Iran. They were made public after the department notified Congress of its approval of the sales earlier Friday.

The sales also come as President Donald Trump pushes ahead with his ceasefire plan for Gaza that is intended to end the Israel-Hamas conflict and reconstruct the Palestinian territory after two years of war left it devastated, with tens of thousands dead.

While the ceasefire has largely held, big challenges await in its next phases, including the deployment of an international security force to supervise the deal and the difficult process of disarming Hamas.

The sale to Saudi Arabia

The Saudi sale is for 730 Patriot missiles and related equipment that “will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a Major non-NATO Ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Gulf Region,” the department said.

“This enhanced capability will protect land forces of Saudi Arabia, the United States, and local allies and will significantly improve Saudi Arabia’s contribution” to the integrated air and missile defense system in the region, it said.

It was announced after Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman met with top Trump administration officials like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

In a viral video, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif discussed efforts to secure financial support from friendly nations to address the external funding gap for the IMF loan.

Pakistan Prime Minister in a viral clip on social media is heard admitting that he and Field Marshal Asim Munir (now Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Staff) have reached out to several friendly countries for money to fill the external gap in the IMF loan, adding that the one who goes out to borrow the money has his head bowed down and needs to make compromises.

According to the viral clip showing him addressing a gathering at some event, Shehbaz Sharif said, “How should I tell you that we reached out to our friendly countries and requested them to financially support Pakistan, and they did not disappoint us, but as you know, the one who goes out and borrows money does so with his head bowed.”

Adding further, Shehbaz Sharif told the gathering that they all know the obligations that it brings too.

See more

“We feel ashamed when Asim Munir and I go around the world for loan” – SHEHBAZ SHARIFpic.twitter.com/J5ysqJayLF

— News Algebra (@NewsAlgebraIND) January 30, 2026

“And I want to tell you that I and Field Marshal silently went to several nations telling them that this is the IMF program we have and this is our external gap… Can you give up this much million dollars, and I am thankful to those nations, but you know that the one who borrows has to compromise a lot,” Shehbaz Sharif added.

 

A new set of file release has made some explosive claims attributed to Jeffrey Epstein about Bill Gates, which the billionaire has categorically denied.

Fresh allegations involving Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates have surfaced after some British media reports published extracts from newly released US Justice Department files.

The files claimed that late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein wrote emails, revealing that Bill Gates contracted a sexually transmitted disease from sex with “Russian girls” and asked for antibiotics to give to his then-wife, Melinda, secretly.

The reports emerged as journalists began combing through a massive new release of Epstein-related material disclosed by the United States Department of Justice.

According to reports by The Sun and Daily Mail, the allegations appear in screenshots of emails Epstein allegedly sent to himself on July 18, 2013.

The messages include passages in which Epstein berated Gates for cutting ties with him and accused the billionaire of asking him to delete correspondence about a sexually transmitted disease and a request for antibiotics to secretly give to Melinda.

The Daily Mail reported that Epstein wrote he had been “dismayed beyond comprehension” by Gates’s decision to end their relationship, and quoted a line in which Epstein complained, “To add insult to the injury you them (sic) implore me to please delete the emails regarding your STD, your request that I provide you antibiotics that you can surreptitiously give to Melinda and the description of your penis.”

The Sun echoed those quotations and added that the documents appear to be drafts of letters Epstein was composing rather than messages he actually sent, including one written as though from the perspective of Gates’s former adviser Boris Nikolic around the time of his resignation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Both outlets quoted another alleged Epstein-authored passage claiming Nikolic had been drawn into a marital dispute between the couple and pressured into conduct described as ethically questionable or potentially illegal, including helping Gates obtain drugs and facilitating meetings with other women.

The tabloids underlined that there is no independent verification of Epstein’s assertions.

GATES ISSUES STRONG DENIAL

In statements quoted by both newspapers, Gates rejected the accusations outright.

A spokesperson told the Daily Mail that the claims were “absolutely absurd and completely false,” adding, “The only thing these documents demonstrate is Epstein’s frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame.”

The reports also noted that Gates has previously acknowledged meeting Epstein but has long denied wrongdoing, saying he regretted the association after learning more about the disgraced financier.

The Sun further reported that the DOJ release includes undated photographs of Epstein and Gates together, including one image in which Gates is seen beside a woman whose face has been redacted.

CONTEXT FROM THE DOJ FILE RELEASE

The Justice Department has begun disclosing more than three million pages of records, along with thousands of videos and photographs, tied to Epstein and his contacts with wealthy and influential figures.

By Friday evening, more than 600,000 documents had been published online, though millions more identified for possible release remain sealed, drawing political criticism.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/jeffrey-epstein-files-say-bill-gates-caught-std-had-sex-with-russian-girls-sex-offender-suicide-ws-l-9868915.html

US President Donald Trump says Russia’s Vladimir Putin has agreed not to attack Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and other cities and towns for a week due to “extraordinary cold” weather.

Russia has not confirmed any such agreement, but Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed Trump’s announcement and said he expected Russia to keep its promise.

Trump did not specify when the pause would begin, but temperatures in the Ukrainian capital are due to plummet from Thursday night and reach -24C (-11F) in the next few days.

Russia has intensified attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during the bitter winter, as it has during cold periods since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.

Speaking at a televised cabinet meeting in Washington DC, the US president said: “I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and the various towns for a week, and he agreed to do that.”

“It was very nice. A lot of people said, ‘Don’t waste the call, you’re not going to get that.’ And he [Putin] did it,” Trump added.

The Ukrainians, he said, “almost they didn’t believe it, but they were very happy about it because they are struggling badly”.

Later on Thursday, in a post on social media, Zelensky said Trump had made an “important statement” about “the possibility of providing security for Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities during this extreme winter period”.

“Our teams discussed this in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We expect the agreements to be implemented,” he said.

The BBC understands that Ukraine has agreed to mirror Moscow’s actions – pausing its own attacks on Russian oil refineries in response.

Last week, Russian, Ukrainian and US negotiators met in the UAE for the first trilateral talks since the war began.

All sides described the talks as constructive, but there has been no announcement that Russia had agreed to pause its attacks for the duration of the extreme cold currently gripping the region.

Instead, attacks have continued, crippling the power supply to major Ukrainian cities, leaving millions without heating or electricity.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g4yj92kwro

The Jakarta Composite Index saw a two-day selloff after concerns were raised about ownership and trading transparency, with index provider MSCI warning of a downgrade.

The head of Indonesia’s stock exchange Iman Rachman has resigned, the exchange said on Friday (Jan 30), as the consequences of a warning from index provider MSCI of a possible downgrade that triggered a more than US$80 billion market rout continue to reverberate.

The benchmark Jakarta Composite Index pared gains to trade flat on Friday, a day after Indonesian authorities announced a slate of measures to ease investor worries and address concerns from MSCI. The index dropped more than 8 per cent on Wednesday and Thursday, its steepest two-day decline since April.

The CEO of the Indonesia Stock Exchange resigned to take responsibility for the market conditions, the exchange’s corporate secretary said.

The stock market selloff followed MSCI on Wednesday raising concerns about ownership and trading transparency in Indonesian stocks and warning the market risked a downgrade to frontier status if it failed to resolve the issues.

Foreign capital has flowed out of Indonesia because of concerns about how President Prabowo Subianto is widening the fiscal deficit and ramping up the state’s involvement in financial markets.

The appointment of his nephew, Thomas Djiwandono, to the central bank this month, after last year’s abrupt firing of respected Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, has shaken confidence in Prabowo’s fiscal stewardship.

The rupiah fell to a record low of 16,985 to the US dollar last week and was last at 16,800.

Some of the measures announced by Indonesian authorities on Thursday included doubling the free float requirement on listed companies to 15 per cent and checking the affiliations of shareholders with less than 5 per cent ownership.

Indonesian regulators said communications with MSCI had been positive so far and they were awaiting a response to its proposed measures, which they hoped could be implemented soon and the issues resolved by March.

The response appears to have allayed some investor concerns but sentiment remains fragile.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-stock-exchange-ceo-iman-rachman-resign-msci-5895556

 

“People helped us and we got into a car… I said, ‘Don’t take us to a hospital.'”

Tara and her friend were attending a protest in the central Iranian city of Isfahan when security forces arrived on motorcycles and began shouting at the crowd.

“My friend told an armed member of the security forces, ‘Just don’t shoot us,’ and he immediately fired several shots at us. We fell to the ground. All our clothes were covered in blood,” she said.

They were bundled into a stranger’s car, but Tara said they were too frightened to be taken to the hospital because of the risk of being arrested. “All the alleyways were full of security forces, so I asked a couple standing at their front door to let us in.”

They stayed at the couple’s home until it was almost dawn and then managed to find a doctor they knew, who cleaned the birdshot wounds on their legs, according to Tara.

She said a surgeon was later able to remove some of the birdshot at home but warned them: “They cannot all be removed and will remain in your bodies.”

All names in this article have been changed for their safety.

The full scale of the bloodshed resulting from the crackdown by security forces on the anti-government protests that swept across Iran this month is still not known because of an internet shutdown and a ban on reporting by most international news organisations.

But the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has said it has confirmed the killing of 6,301 people, including 5,925 protesters, 112 children, 50 bystanders and 214 affiliated with the government. It is also investigating reports of 17,091 more deaths.

At least another 11,000 protesters were seriously wounded, according to HRANA.

Some of them have told the BBC that they have avoided seeking treatment for their injuries at hospitals because they fear being arrested.

That has left them reliant on doctors, nurses and other volunteers willing to risk their own safety by treating them secretly at their homes.

Healthcare workers have also told the BBC that security forces are present in hospitals and that they are constantly monitoring patients’ medical records to identify injured protesters.

Nima, a surgeon in Tehran, said he witnessed many young people being injured in the streets on his way to work on 8 January, when authorities responded to the escalating protests with lethal force.

“I put one of the wounded in the boot of my car to take him to hospital, as I was worried that we would get in trouble if we were stopped by the police,” he told the BBC.

Nima said armed officers stopped him but allowed him to go after seeing his hospital identification card.

“For almost 96 hours straight – without interruption, without sleep, without even closing our eyes for a moment – we were operating. We were crying and operating. Nobody complained.”

“All our clothes and hospital gowns were covered in blood – our outer clothes, our underwear, everything was soaked in the blood of these young people.”

Nima described operating on one man who had been shot in the leg and face at a protest.

“A bullet had entered through his chin, ripped through his mouth and exited through his upper jaw,” he recalled.

Nima also said many of the young people treated at his hospital suffered gunshot wounds to their vital organs and limbs that required amputation and left them with permanent disabilities.

Iranian authorities have said more than 3,100 people have been killed during the unrest, but that majority were security personnel or bystanders attacked by “rioters”.

Health ministry spokesman Hossein Shokri was also quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency as saying that around 13,000 operations had been carried out during the unrest.

“Fortunately, people trust the ministry of health and hospitals, and confidence that all injured individuals are treated impartially in medical centres has led around 3,000 people who had been treating themselves at home over the past six days to seek care at hospitals,” he added.

The head of the Farabi Eye Hospital in Tehran, Dr Qasem Fakhrai, told Isna, another semi-official news agency, that it had treated a total of 700 patients with severe eye injuries requiring emergency surgery as of 10 January, and referred almost 200 to other hospitals. He said almost all of the patients were admitted after 8 January.

Saeed told the BBC that his friend’s eyes were hit by birdshot fired by security forces during a protest in the central city of Arak.

Local doctors told him to go to a specialist eye hospital in Tehran, he said.

Upon arrival, nurses took protesters with eye injuries to operating theatres through the back by using staff lifts.

According to Saeed’s friend, around 200 people with eye injuries from different cities were being treated at that hospital.

“He had two operations, but the surgeon did not charge him,” Saeed said.

A healthcare worker in Tehran also said that doctors were trying to avoid mentioning gunshot wounds in medical records because they were being constantly monitored by security forces.

Sina took his brother to a hospital after he was shot in the legs during protests in Tehran.

“It was like a battlefield hospital – there were so many wounded that there were no blankets or medical kits,” Sina told the BBC.

“When I asked a nurse for a blanket for my brother, she told me to bring one from home because there were too many injured and not enough supplies.”

Sina said they had no choice but to give their actual ID number in order to use their health insurance. “At any moment, the security forces could raid our home,” he added.

In smaller cities, the situation is believed to be even more dire.

Reports received by the BBC said security forces had abducted patients from hospitals and that they had not been seen again.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yx015nkplo

An AI model developed by Google’s DeepMind could transform our understanding of DNA – the complete recipe for building and running the human body – and its impact on disease and medicine discovery, according to researchers.

Called AlphaGenome, the model could help scientists discover why subtle differences in our DNA put us at risk of conditions such as high blood pressure, dementia and obesity.

It could also dramatically accelerate our understanding of genetic diseases and cancer.

The developers of the model acknowledge it’s not perfect, but experts have described it as “an incredible feat” and “a major milestone”.

“We see AlphaGenome as a tool for understanding what the functional elements in the genome do, which we hope will accelerate our fundamental understanding of the code of life,” says Natasha Latysheva, research engineer at DeepMind.

The human genome is made up of three billion letters of DNA code – represented by the letters A,C,G and T.

Around 2% of it are genes which code for all the proteins the body needs to grow and function. The remaining 98%, which is less well understood, is labelled the ‘dark genome’. It plays a crucial role in organising how genes are used in the body and is where many mutations linked to disease are found.

AlphaGenome can analyse one million letters of code at a time, helping to unravel the ‘dark genome’.

It can predict where the genes are, but also what the ‘dark genome’ is influencing. For example, how it affects gene expression (whether a gene is highly active or being suppressed) and gene splicing (the tool the body uses to make different proteins from a single gene).

Crucially, the model can predict the impact of changing even a single letter in genetic code.

Officials say the meetings suggest a strategic effort to build a broader ideological and operational alliance, potentially involving training, fundraising, and propaganda collaboration for terrorism.

In a significant development pointing to deeper coordination among global terrorist groups, a senior terrorist commander of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has publicly acknowledged links with Hamas and confirmed meetings with its top leadership, strengthening concerns over expanding cooperation between the two US-designated terror outfits.

Faisal Nadeem, a commander of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML)-widely regarded as the political front of Lashkar-has confessed in a recent video accessed by NDTV that he met senior Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, in 2024. Nadeem, who operates in Pakistan’s Sindh province, said Saifullah Kasuri, the alleged mastermind behind the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, accompanied him.

According to Nadeem, the two met Hamas leader Khaled Mashal during their visit, a revelation that Indian intelligence agencies say provides direct evidence of coordination between terror networks operating in South Asia and the Middle East. Analysts believe the admission underscores an emerging alliance aimed at sharing logistics, propaganda strategies and operational experience.

This disclosure comes weeks after NDTV, on January 7, reported details of a meeting between senior Hamas commander Naji Zaheer and Lashkar commander Rashid Ali Sandhu in Pakistan’s Gujranwala. That meeting took place during a public event hosted by PMML and came to light after an undated video surfaced showing both leaders sharing the stage.

According to an NDTV investigation, Naji Zaheer attended the PMML event as the chief guest, while Sandhu, operating under the cover of a political leader, represented the organisation. Security officials said the public nature of the meeting indicated growing confidence and deeper ties between the two groups. Zaheer has reportedly visited Pakistan almost 15 times since October 2023.

The latest confession by Faisal Nadeem is being viewed as further confirmation of Lashkar’s expanding relationship. Counter-terrorism experts note that both Hamas and LeT are designated terrorist organisations by the United States and several other countries, and any coordination between them could have serious regional and international security implications. The Indian Intelligence apparatus is also monitoring the Hamas-Lashkar alliance closely for further legal actions locally, as well as globally at FATF (Financial Action Task Force) and other international bodies.

Officials say the meetings suggest a strategic effort to build a broader ideological and operational alliance, potentially involving training, fundraising, and propaganda collaboration for terrorism. Indian intelligence agencies are closely monitoring developments and assessing the implications for India’s national security.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/new-terror-nexus-in-making-pak-lashkar-commander-admits-to-hamas-links-10896851?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

Donald Trump warned Iraq that the US would withdraw support if Nouri al-Maliki returns to power, calling his past tenure disastrous and threatening an end to American assistance.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued a stark warning to Iraq over the possible return of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, saying the United States would withdraw its support if Baghdad reinstates the longtime Shiite political leader.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote, “I’m hearing that the Great Country of Iraq might make a very bad choice by reinstalling Nouri al-Maliki as Prime Minister.”

“Last time Maliki was in power, the Country descended into poverty and total chaos. That should not be allowed to happen again.”

He went on to threaten a sharp break in US policy if al-Maliki regains office.

“Because of his insane policies and ideologies, if elected, the United States of America will no longer help Iraq,” Trump said, adding that without American backing, the country would have “zero chance of Success, Prosperity, or Freedom.”

He concluded the post with the slogan, “MAKE IRAQ GREAT AGAIN!”

Trump’s comments came days after Iraq’s dominant Shiite political alliance, known as the Coordination Framework, announced it was backing al-Maliki’s nomination for prime minister.

The move followed caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s decision to step aside earlier this month after he failed to form a government despite his bloc winning the largest share of seats in November’s parliamentary elections.

According to Reuters, Trump’s warning represents the most forceful example yet of his campaign to curb the influence of Iran-linked factions inside Iraq, a country that has long balanced relations between Washington and Tehran.

The news agency reported that US officials have also threatened senior Iraqi politicians with sanctions if Iran-backed armed groups are included in the next government.

Al-Maliki, a senior figure in the Shiite Islamist Dawa Party, served as Iraq’s prime minister from 2006 to 2014.

His tenure coincided with intense sectarian violence, political struggles with Sunni and Kurdish rivals, and growing strains with Washington.

He stepped down after the Islamic State group seized large parts of the country in 2014, but has remained a powerful political player, leading the State of Law coalition and maintaining close ties with Iran-aligned factions.

The Associated Press reported that Trump’s intervention comes at a particularly tense moment in the region, as he weighs possible military action against Iran in response to its deadly crackdown on protests against the Islamic government.

Trump has said he was holding off on strikes after claiming Tehran had paused executions of detainees, a claim Iran has denied, but US military movements in the Middle East have fueled renewed speculation about potential escalation.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently raised Washington’s concerns in a call with al-Sudani, warning about the risks of a pro-Iran government in Baghdad.

“The Secretary emphasised that a government controlled by Iran cannot successfully put Iraq’s own interests first, keep Iraq out of regional conflicts, or advance the mutually beneficial partnership between the United States and Iraq,” State Department principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/donald-trump-warns-iraq-against-electing-nouri-al-maliki-prime-minister-again-washington-would-withdraw-support-to-iraq-ws-l-9860023.html

India’s government said there were two confirmed cases of Nipah virus since December last year, with all those in contact with the affected people having been quarantined and tested.

The Indian government on Tuesday clarified that there were only two confirmed cases of Nipah virus infection in eastern West Bengal state.

The Indian Ministry of Family and Welfare sought to tamp down panic, as reports about airport screenings across Asian countries began to emerge.

Thailand, Nepal and Taiwan said in recent days they were carrying out screening procedures at airports for travelers from West Bengal.

Hong Kong issued a press release on Monday and said it asked for information from Indian health authorities, while carrying out screenings of travelers from West Bengal.

What to know about Nipah virus infections in West Bengal

The Indian government said only two cases were positive since cases were brought to attention in December. Preliminary reports suggested there were five cases in the Indian state, but the issue was clarified due to test results, authorities said.

It can take between four to 21 days after exposure for symptoms of a Nipah virus infection to develop.

A total of 196 contacts related to the confirmed cases were quarantined this time and they were primarily health workers or family members of people affected.

India’s ANI news agency reported that India’s southern Kerala state has tackled nine outbreaks of the virus between 2018 and 2025.

In 2018, over a dozen people died from the virus, and in 2021, a young boy died, raising alarm among health officials at the time.

What is Nipah virus?

Nipah virus is a zoonotic virus, meaning it can be spread from animals to humans.

It was first identified in 1999 during an outbreak among pig farmers in Malaysia and Singapore. Though Nipah is most common in fruit bats, the virus can infect other animals like pigs, dogs, goats, horses and sheep as well.

Humans can pick up infection from animals either directly with an infected animal and their secretions, though many human infections result from the consumption of fruits or fruit products (like raw or partially fermented date palm juice) contaminated with saliva or biological waste of infected fruit bats, according to the UK Health Security Agency.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/nipah-virus-india-says-only-2-cases-confirmed-as-fears-rise/a-75683059

Bessent argued that while Washington has pushed to destabilise Moscow’s energy trade, Europe continues to benefit economically from loopholes in the global oil trade.

The United States has warned that Europe is financing a “war” against itself by signing the “mother of all trade deals” with India. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Europe may have significantly phased out direct energy ties with Moscow, but they are indirectly funding the Russia-Ukraine war by purchasing Russian oil products refined in India, even as Washington targeted New Delhi with tariffs.

Bessent’s remarks came as India and the European Union concluded negotiations on their long-pending free trade agreement, with the deal set to be formally announced on Tuesday.

What The US Said

Bessent framed the issue as an imbalance in sacrifice between the United States and its allies. He argued that while Washington has pushed to destabilise Moscow’s energy trade, Europe continues to benefit economically from loopholes in the global oil trade. The Trump administration has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on India, including 25 per cent for Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil.

He claimed that US President Donald Trump has worked to negotiate a settlement on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, adding that the US has made much bigger sacrifices than the Europeans.

“We have put 25 per cent tariffs on India for buying Russian oil. Guess what happened last week? The Europeans signed a trade deal with India,” Bessent told ABC News Sunday.

“And just to be clear again, the Russian oil goes into India, the refined products come out, and the Europeans buy the refined products. They are financing the war against themselves,” he said, adding that under Trump’s leadership, “we will eventually end” the Russia-Ukraine war.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/team-trump-warning-ahead-of-india-eu-trade-deal-europe-funding-war-against-itself-10890143?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

Last week, Beijing’s release of China’s national birth count for 2025 left demographers stunned.

The national birth total plummeted by over 17% from 2024 to 2025, the PRC disclosed.

That sort of precipitous drop is almost never seen in stable modern societies, where births tend to inch up or down from one year to the next.

A decline of this magnitude qualifies as a demographic shock of the sort typically associated with dire calamities like famine or plague — a sign that a disaster or convulsion is taking place.

And these are only the latest readings from the astonishing birth crash that’s commenced under Xi Jinping’s rule: a drop by over half in just eight years that shows no sign as yet of abating.

Tumbling birth rates have already thrown China into depopulation, with over four deaths for every three births in 2025.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the US deal on security guarantees for Ukraine is completely ready, and Kyiv is simply waiting for a time and place to sign it.

Following talks between representatives from Ukraine, the US and Russia aimed at ending the years-long war in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the US agreement on providing security guarantees to Kyiv as “100% ready.”

“For us, security guarantees are first and foremost guarantees of security from the United States. The document is 100% ⁠ready, and we are waiting for our partners to confirm the date and place when we will sign it,” the Ukrainian leader told reporters on Sunday during ⁠a visit to Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital.

“The document will then be sent for ratification to the US Congress and the Ukrainian parliament,” he said.

Zelenskyy also called for Ukraine to be granted membership of the European Union by 2027. He described it as an “economic security guarantee.”

Zelenskyy says Abu Dhabi talks ‘productive’

On Friday and Saturday, negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the US held their first trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, to discuss Washington’s framework for ending Russia’s nearly four-year full-scale invasion.

The meeting included not only diplomats but also military representatives from all three sides.

No peace deal emerged from the talks but Zelenskyy said they were “productive.”

Negotiators will return to Abu Dhabi on February 1 for the next round of talks, according to a US official.

Zelenskyy stressed there were still fundamental differences between Ukrainian and Russian positions, particularly over territorial issues.

“Our position regarding our territory — Ukraine’s territorial integrity — must be respected,” he said.

He pointed to the Kremlin’s insistence on Kyiv withdrawing its troops from some areas in eastern Ukraine that Russia claims to have annexed but its forces have still not been able to capture.

“These two fundamentally different positions — Ukraine’s and Russia’s. The Americans are trying to find a compromise,” Zelenskyy said, adding that “all sides must be ready for compromise.”

Russian strikes leave Ukrainians facing bitter cold

Despite the talks, Russia continues to launch missile and drone strikes against Ukraine, particularly targeting its energy infrastructure.

To counter them, Zelenskyy appealed for more air defense support from allies.

“This week alone, the Russians have launched more than 1,700 attack drones, over 1,380 guided aerial bombs, and 69 missiles of various types,” Zelenskyy said on Sunday.

“That is why missiles for air defense systems are needed every day, and we continue working with the United States and Europe to ensure stronger protection of our skies,” he added.

Kyiv says this winter has been the toughest since the full-scale war started due to especially severe cold.

Sub-zero temperatures and repeated strikes have also made it difficult repair and restore damaged heating and electricity systems.

On Sunday, Pope Leo also urged “everyone to ⁠intensify ​their efforts” to end the war.

“The protracted hostilities … have increasingly serious implications for civilians,” Pope said after his ​weekly Angelus prayer.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-says-us-security-guarantees-deal-100-ready/a-75653357

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would impose a 100% tariff on Canada if it follows through on a trade deal with China and warned Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney that a deal would endanger his country.
“China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.”

In a video on Saturday, Carney urged Canadians to buy domestic products, but did not directly mention Trump’s tariff threat.
“With our economy under threat from abroad, Canadians have made a choice to focus on what we can control,” Carney said. “We can’t control what other nations do, we can be our own best customer.”
The Canadian prime minister this month traveled to China to reset the countries’ strained relationship and reached a trade deal with Canada’s second-biggest trading partner after the U.S.
Immediately after Carney’s China trip, Trump sounded supportive. “It’s a good thing for him to sign a trade deal,” Trump told reporters at the White House on January 16. “If you can get a deal with China, you should do that.”

“There is no pursuit of a free trade deal with China. What was achieved was resolution on several important tariff issues,” Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, said on Saturday in a post on X.
The Chinese embassy in Canada said in a statement to Reuters that China was ready to work with Canada to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries.
U.S.-Canada tensions have grown in recent days following Carney’s criticism of Trump’s pursuit of Greenland.

MORE PRESSURE ON CANADIAN INDUSTRIES

On Saturday, Trump suggested China would try to use Canada to evade U.S. tariffs.
“If Governor Carney thinks he is going to make Canada a ‘Drop Off Port’ for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken,” Trump said, using a title for Carney that refers to Trump’s past calls for Canada to become the 51st U.S. state.

In a second Saturday post, Trump said, “The last thing the World needs is to have China take over Canada. It’s NOT going to happen, or even come close to happening!”
If Trump makes good on Saturday’s threat, the new tariff would greatly increase U.S. duties on its northern neighbor, adding pressure to Canadian industrial sectors such as metal manufacturing, autos and machinery.
Relations between Carney and Trump seemed relatively placid until the Canadian leader this week spoke out forcefully against Trump’s pursuit of Greenland.
Carney subsequently at the World Economic Forum called on nations to accept that a rules-based global order was over and pointed to Canada as an example of how “middle powers” might act together to avoid being victimized by American hegemony.
Carney, during his speech in Davos, Switzerland, did not directly call out Trump or the U.S. by name. However, the prime minister said “middle powers must act together because if you are not at the table, you are on the menu.”

Many world leaders and industry titans present at the Switzerland confab responded with a standing ovation.
Trump shot back in his own Davos speech and said Canada “lives because of the United States,” a statement that Carney rejected on Thursday.
“Canada and the United States have built a remarkable partnership in the economy, in security and in rich cultural exchange,” Carney said in Quebec. “Canada doesn’t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian.”
Since then, Trump has dug in against Canada, revoking its invitation to his Board of Peace that he wants to deal with international conflicts and Gaza’s future.
After Carney’s election last year, Trump and Carney shared a congenial tone. “I think the relationship is going to be very strong,” Trump said at the time.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/china/trump-threatens-canada-with-100-tariff-over-possible-deal-with-china-2026-01-24/

A “framework” agreement between the US and NATO has defused the dispute over Greenland. There is cautious relief among residents, but also fear of becoming a geopolitical pawn once again.

It’s business as usual now in front of the United States consulate in Greenland’s capital of Nuuk. But just a few days ago, angry Greenlanders were waving flags here in protest against US President Donald Trump’s plans to annex the Arctic island.

Since the announcement of a “deal” on the the country’s future on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, there has been a sense of relief, human rights activist and Nuuk resident Najannguaq Christensen told DW.

But there is also uncertainty. “ I’m not quite sure that it’s a deal… from our perspective, it’s just Donald Trump being Donald Trump,” he said, adding that while there have been big announcements, little tangible action has followed. Meanwhile, Greenland hasn’t really been involved in the conversation.

Marathon negotiations begin

That is now set to change, however. On Friday afternoon, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen traveled to Greenland “to show our strong support for Greenland’s people at a difficult time.” Frederiksen wants to discuss next steps with the government of the semi-autonomous Danish territory.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen is glad that the threats of US military intervention are off the table for now, having repeatedly stated that no one has the mandate to negotiate agreements about the country without the involvement of its government.

Denmark’s Frederiksen takes a similar view, but after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Friday, she emphasized that defense and security in the Arctic are a matter for NATO as a whole. Copenhagen announced that talks with the US would start promptly.

What does the ‘deal’ entail?

Activist Christensen said that people in Greenland are now waiting for details on what to expect. No clear, publicly available document is available so far, only different interpretations of the framework agreement announced in Davos.

According to the US, the parties agreed on a permanent safeguard for American interests in the Arctic. This involves military, strategic, and economic issues. NATO chief Mark Rutte, on the other hand, spoke primarily about a security cooperation, making no mention of Denmark or Greenland renouncing their rights.

The current agreement on stationing US forces in Greenland, which dates back to 1951, could be amended. This agreement allows the US to use Greenland for military purposes and to operate military facilities within the framework of joint defense. Unlike during the Cold War, when the US was active at over 20 locations in the country at times, today it operates only the Pituffik Space Base there.

The key to Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ plans

Greenland could become even more important for US early warning and interception systems in the future. Trump has repeatedly described the country as crucial to his planned “Golden Dome” missile defense system, though it remains unclear how the island would actually be involved.

Greenland is also important to the US because of its location at the so-called GIUK gap. Whoever controls the bottleneck between Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom can influence access from the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. At a time of growing tensions with Russia, this geopolitical location is becoming important once again.

Economic interests

In addition to security issues, Trump is also thinking in economic terms. Greenland has minerals that are important for the defense and high-tech industries, where the US wants to prevent China from gaining influence.

This is a sensitive issue in Nuuk. Since the beginning of extended self-government in 2009, Greenland has controlled its own mineral resources. Exclusive access or special rights for the US would be seen as an infringement on its sovereignty.

The conflict over Greenland is not only representative of US President Donald Trump’s political style, but also reflects a larger shift. Climate change is opening up routes and making resources in the Arctic more accessible, forcing the major powers to review their strategies.

Uncertainty remains after de-escalation

Greenland is ready to cooperate with the US on security, defense, and investment—but not on a takeover, Christensen said. Following the Davos announcement, many Greenlanders are relieved that military escalation is off the table for now.

Even though Trump spoke of a permanent agreement, recent months have shown that the tone in Washington can change at any time. As a result, Christensen said that he senses a great deal of uncertainty on the island.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/us-nato-deal-relief-and-mistrust-in-greenland/a-75641044

Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met in Abu Dhabi on Friday to tackle the vital issue of territory, with no sign of a compromise, as Russian airstrikes plunged Ukraine into its worst energy crisis of the nearly four-year war.

Kyiv is under mounting U.S. pressure to reach a peace deal in the war triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, with Moscow demanding Kyiv cede its entire eastern industrial area of Donbas before it stops fighting.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the territorial dispute was a central issue for the tripartite talks, including Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. officials, which were scheduled to conclude on Saturday.

“The most important thing is that Russia should be ready to end this war, which it started,” Zelenskiy said in a statement on the Telegram app, adding he was in regular contact with the Ukrainian negotiators, but it was too early to draw conclusions from Friday’s talks.

“We’ll see how the conversation goes tomorrow and what the outcome will be.”

Rustem Umerov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council and the head of its delegation, said in a statement the talks had discussed parameters for ending the war and the “further logic of the negotiation process.”

RUSSIA STEPS UP ATTACKS ON POWER INFRASTRUCTURE

The tripartite talks, brokered by the U.S., are unfolding against a backdrop of intensified Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy system that have cut power and heating to major cities such as Kyiv, as temperatures dip well below freezing.

The head of Ukraine’s top private power producer, Maxim Timchenko, told Reuters on Friday the situation was nearing a “humanitarian catastrophe” and that Ukraine needs a ceasefire that halts attacks on energy infrastructure.

Kyiv’s energy minister said on Thursday that Ukraine’s power grid had endured its most difficult day since a widespread blackout in November 2022, when Russia began bombing energy infrastructure.

Russia says it wants a diplomatic solution but will keep working to achieve its goals by military means as long as a negotiated solution remains elusive.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demand that Ukraine surrender the 20% it still holds of the Donetsk region of the Donbas – about 5,000 sq km (1,900 sq miles) – has proven a major stumbling block to a breakthrough deal.

Zelenskiy refuses to give up land that Russia has not been able to capture in four years of grinding, attritional warfare. Polls show little appetite among Ukrainians for territorial concessions.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/zelenskiy-says-territorial-issue-be-discussed-trilateral-talks-uae-2026-01-23

Thousands of demonstrators braved bitter cold to march through the streets of Minneapolis on Friday demand an end to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in their city, part of a wider “ICE OUT!” show of defiance that organizers billed as a general strike.

On a day that started with temperatures as low as minus 20 Fahrenheit (minus 29 Celsius), organizers said as many as 50,000 people took to the streets, a figure that Reuters could not verify, as Minneapolis police did not respond to a request for a crowd estimate. Many demonstrators later gathered indoors at the Target Center, a sports arena with a capacity of 20,000 that was more than half full.

Organizers and participants said scores of businesses across Minnesota closed for the day and workers headed to street protests and marches, which followed weeks of sometimes violent confrontations between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and protesters opposed to Trump’s surge.

Just a day earlier, Vice President JD Vance visited Minneapolis in a demonstration of support for ICE officers and to ask local leaders and activists to reduce tensions, saying ICE was carrying out an important mission to detain immigration violators.

In one of the more dramatic protests, local police arrested dozens of clergy members who sang hymns and prayed as they knelt on a road at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport in calling for Trump to withdraw the 3,000 federal law enforcement officers sent to the area.

Organizers said their demands included legal accountability for the ICE agent who shot dead Renee Good, a U.S. citizen, in her car this month as she monitored ICE activities.

They ignored commands to clear the road by officers from local police departments, who arrested and zip-tied dozens of the protesters, who did not resist, before putting them onto buses. Reuters observed dozens of arrests, and organizers said about 100 clergy members were arrested.

Faith in Minnesota, a nonprofit advocacy group that helped organize the protest, said the clergy were also calling attention to airport and airline workers who they said had been detained by ICE at work. The group asked that airline companies “stand with Minnesotans in calling for ICE to immediately end its surge in the state.”

Across the state, bars, restaurants and shops were closing for the day, organizers said, in what was intended to be the largest display yet of opposition to the federal government’s surge.

“Make no mistake, we are facing a full federal occupation by the United States government through the arm of ICE on unceded Dakota land,” Rachel Dionne-Thunder, vice president of the Indigenous Protector Movement, told the arena crowd.

She was one of a series of indigenous, religious, labor and community leaders to speak, calling on ICE to withdraw and for a thorough investigation into Good’s shooting.

“We’ve seen an agency that seems to have no guardrails, as they have caused this pain and suffering all across Minnesota,” said Lizz Winstead, a comedian and abortion rights advocate who served as host.

TRUMP ELECTED TO CRACK DOWN

Trump, a Republican, was elected in 2024 largely on his platform of enforcing immigration laws with a promise to crack down on violent criminals, saying Democratic President Joe Biden was too lax in border security.

But Trump’s aggressive deployment of federal law enforcement into Democratic-led cities and states has further fueled America’s political polarization, especially since the shooting of Good, the detention of a U.S. citizen who was taken from his home in his underwear, and the detention of school children including a 5-year-old boy.

Miguel Hernandez, a community organizer who closed his business Lito’s Bakery for the day, put on four layers, wool socks and a parka before heading out to protest.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/minnesotans-promise-an-economic-strike-protest-trumps-surge-immigration-agents-2026-01-23

The comments by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who saw his invitation to the World Economic Forum in Davos rescinded over the killings, came as a U.S. aircraft carrier group moved west toward the Middle East from Asia

Iranian state TV on Wednesday (January 21, 2026) issued the first official death toll from recent protests, saying 3,117 people were killed, while the Foreign Minister issued the most direct threat yet against the United States after Tehran’s bloody crackdown, warning the Islamic Republic will be “firing back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack.”

State television carried statements by the Interior Ministry and the Martyrs Foundation, an official body providing services to families of those killed in wars, stating the toll and saying 2,427 of the dead in the demonstrations that began Dec. 28 were civilians and security forces. It did not elaborate on the rest.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said the death toll was at least 4,560. The agency has been accurate throughout the years on demonstrations and unrest in Iran, relying on a network of activists inside the country that confirms all reported fatalities. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the death toll.

The comments by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who saw his invitation to the World Economic Forum in Davos rescinded over the killings, came as a U.S. aircraft carrier group moved west toward the Middle East from Asia. U.S. fighter jets and other equipment appeared to be moving in the Mideast after a major U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean saw troops seize Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro.

Araghchi makes threat in column
Mr. Araghchi made the threat in an opinion article published by The Wall Street Journal. The Foreign Minister contended “the violent phase of the unrest lasted less than 72 hours” and sought again to blame armed demonstrators for the violence. Videos that made it out of Iran despite an internet shutdown appear to show security forces repeatedly using live fire to target apparently unarmed protesters, something unaddressed by Mr. Araghchi.

“Unlike the restraint Iran showed in June 2025, our powerful armed forces have no qualms about firing back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack,” Mr. Araghchi wrote, referring to the 12-day war launched by Israel on Iran in June. “This isn’t a threat, but a reality I feel I need to convey explicitly, because as a diplomat and a veteran, I abhor war.”

He added: “An all-out confrontation will certainly be ferocious and drag on far, far longer than the fantasy timelines that Israel and its proxies are trying to peddle to the White House. It will certainly engulf the wider region and have an impact on ordinary people around the globe.”

Mr. Araghchi’s comments likely refer to Iran’s short- and medium-range missiles. The Islamic Republic relied on ballistic missiles to target Israel in the war and left its stockpile of the shorter-range missiles unused, something that could be fired to target U.S. bases and interests in the Persian Gulf. Already, there have been some restrictions on U.S. diplomats travelling to bases in Kuwait and Qatar.

Mideast nations, particularly diplomats from Gulf Arab countries, had lobbied U.S. President Donald Trump not to attack Iran after he threatened to act in response to the killing of demonstrators. Last week, Iran shut its airspace, likely in anticipation of a strike.

The USS Abraham Lincoln, which had been in the South China Sea in recent days, had passed through the Strait of Malacca, a key waterway connecting the sea and Indian Ocean, by Tuesday (January 20, 2026), ship-tracking data showed.

A U.S. Navy official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the aircraft carrier and three accompanying destroyers were heading west.

While naval and other defence officials stopped short of saying the carrier strike group was headed to the Middle East, its current heading and location in the Indian Ocean means it is only days away from moving into the region. Meanwhile, U.S. military images released in recent days showed F-15E Strike Eagles arriving in the Mideast and forces in the region moving a HIMARS missile system, the type used with great success by Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion in the country in 2022.

Source: thehindu.com/news/international/iranian-state-tv-issues-first-official-death-toll-from-recent-protests-saying-3117-were-killed/article70535246.ece

A new US President Donald Trump’s audio has reignited fears of a US-Iran clash as American warships head toward the Middle East. While Trump says he hopes force won’t be used, military deployments suggest preparations are underway.

A new audio of US President Donald Trump speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One has triggered fresh global concern, as he openly spoke about a large US military force moving toward Iran.

In the recording, Trump is heard talking about a “big flotilla,” an “armada,” and a “massive force” moving toward Iran. He does not clearly say that the US will carry out a military strike. For now, he has not officially confirmed any decision to attack.

The comments come as US warships and an aircraft carrier strike group are set to arrive in the Middle East, according to US officials cited by Reuters.

What Did President Trump Say?
In the viral audio, Trump is heard saying the US has many ships heading toward Iran, adding that he hopes force will not be used but stressed that Washington is “watching very closely.”

He said the US has a powerful naval presence moving into position and the situation could still change, depending on Iran’s actions. The remarks were made while Trump was flying to Joint Base Andrews.

Israeli outlet N12 reported that the US is expected to complete its military deployment in the Middle East within days. According to the report, once deployment is finished, a potential strike on Iran would become a matter of timing and political decision.

The report also said Israel does not yet know if Trump has made a final call, but believes military action could happen soon. At the same time, Iran is said to be issuing threats while also attempting to open negotiations to buy time.

Why President Trump Halted Strike On Iran?
Tensions between the US and Iran are already high due to ongoing protests inside Iran and alleged mass executions of demonstrators. Just a few days back, Trump recently claimed that Iran’s reported decision to cancel the execution of hundreds of protesters played a key role in his earlier decision not to launch a military strike.

Human rights groups claimed thousands have died since unrest began in late December, though Iranian officials dispute those numbers.

US military assets, including an aircraft carrier strike group, are expected to arrive in the Middle East in the coming days. Trump has warned that future military action remains possible if Iran resumes executions or escalates its crackdown.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/world/us/us-news/donald-trump-leaked-audio-us-warships-iran-middle-east-tensions-article-153491136

ByteDance retains a 19.9 per cent stake in the joint venture – keeping its ownership below the 20 per cent threshold stipulated by the law.

TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, finalised a deal on Thursday (Jan 22) to set up a majority American-owned joint venture company to avoid a US ban on the popular social media app used by millions of Americans.

The deal is a milestone for the short video app after years of battles that began in August 2020, when President Donald Trump first tried unsuccessfully to ban the app over national security concerns.

The TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC will serve more than 200 million users and 7.5 million businesses while implementing strict safeguards for data protection, algorithm security and content moderation, the company said.

Trump, in a post on his Truth Social account on Thursday, said that TikTok will now be owned by “a group of Great American Patriots and Investors, the Biggest in the World, and will be an important Voice”.

The US president said that he was “so happy to have helped in saving TikTok”.

“I only hope that long into the future I will be remembered by those who use and love TikTok.”

ByteDance retains a 19.9 per cent stake in the joint venture – keeping its ownership below the 20 per cent threshold stipulated by the law.

Three investors – Silver Lake, Oracle and Abu Dhabi-based AI investment fund MGX – each hold 15 per cent stakes. Oracle’s executive chairman, Larry Ellison, is a longtime Trump ally.

Other investors include Dell Family Office, affiliates of Susquehanna International Group and General Atlantic, and several other investment firms.

The joint venture will retain decision-making authority over trust and safety policies and content moderation for US users, while TikTok’s global entities will manage international product integration and commercial activities including e-commerce and advertising.

The joint venture will be governed by a seven-member, majority-American board including TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi and executives from major investment firms.

TikTok executive Adam Presser was appointed CEO of the new entity, with Will Farrell serving as chief security officer.

In his post, Trump also thanked Vice President JD Vance and members of his administration who helped bring the TikTok deal to a “very dramatic, final, and beautiful conclusion”.

Trump also thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping for working with the US and “ultimately approving the deal”.

“He could have gone the other way, but didn’t, and is appreciated for his decision.”

The 2024 law came as US policymakers, including Trump in his first presidency, warned that China could use TikTok to mine Americans’ data or exert influence through its algorithm.

But Trump, crediting the app for his appeal with young voters, delayed enforcement through successive executive orders, most recently extending the deadline to Jan 22.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/tiktok-bytedance-deal-us-joint-venture-avoid-ban-china-5877811

Israeli forces on Wednesday killed at least 11 Palestinians in Gaza, including two 13-year-old boys, three journalists and a woman, hospitals said, on one of the war-battered enclave ‘s deadliest days since the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect in October.

The United States is trying to push the deal forward and implement its challenging second phase.

Among the dead were three Palestinian journalists who were killed while filming near a displacement camp in central Gaza, a camp official said. Israel’s military said it had spotted suspects who were operating a drone that posed a threat to its troops.

The two boys were killed in separate incidents. In one, a 13-year-old, his father and a 22-year old man were hit by Israeli drones on the eastern side of the Bureij refugee camp, according to officials from Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central town of Deir al-Balah, which received the bodies.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether the three had crossed into Israeli-controlled areas.

A mounting death toll

The other 13-year-old was shot by troops in the eastern town of Bani Suheila, Nasser Hospital said after receiving the body. In a video circulated online, the father of Moatsem al-Sharafy is seen weeping over it.

The boy’s mother, Safaa al-Sharafy, told The Associated Press that he had left to gather firewood so she could cook.

“He went out in the morning, hungry,” she said, tears running down her cheeks. “He told me he’d go quickly and come back.”

Later Wednesday, an Israeli strike hit a vehicle carrying the three Palestinian journalists who were filming a new displacement camp managed by an Egyptian government committee in the Netzarim area, said Mohammed Mansour, the committee’s spokesperson.

Mansour said the journalists were documenting the committee’s work and that the strike occurred about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Israeli-controlled area. He said the vehicle was known to Israel’s military as belonging to the committee. Video footage showed the charred and smoking vehicle by the roadside.

One journalist killed, Abdul Raouf Shaat, was a regular contributor to Agence France-Presse but he was not on assignment for it at the time, the news agency said.

“Abdul was much loved by the AFP team covering Gaza. They remember him as a kind-hearted colleague,” the agency said in a statement that demanded a full investigation into his death.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, more than 200 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza since the war began in 2023, including visual journalist Mariam Dagga, who worked for the AP and other news organizations.

Nearly five months after the strikes on a hospital that killed Dagga and four other journalists, the Israeli military says it is continuing to investigate.

Aside from rare guided tours, Israel has barred international journalists from entering to cover the war. News organizations rely largely on Palestinian journalists in Gaza — as well as residents — to show what is happening.

Nasser Hospital officials also said Wednesday they received the body of a Palestinian woman shot by Israeli troops in the Muwasi area of the southern city of Khan Younis, which is not controlled by the military.

In a separate attack, three brothers were killed in a tank shelling in the Bureij camp, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital.

More than 470 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, according to Gaza’s health ministry. At least 77 have been killed by Israeli gunfire near a ceasefire line that splits the territory between Israeli-held areas and most of Gaza’s Palestinian population, the ministry says.

The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.

A mother’s plea

The first phase of the October ceasefire that paused two years of war between Israel and Hamas militants focused on the return of all remaining hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian detainees and a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces in Gaza.

All but one hostage, living or dead, have been returned to Israel. Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer known as Rani, was killed while fighting Hamas militants during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that started the war.

His relatives on Wednesday called again on Israel’s government and U.S. President Donald Trump to ensure the release of his remains.

“We need to continue to amplify Rani’s voice, explain about him, talk about him, and explain to the world that we, the people of Israel, will not give up on anyone,” his mother, Talik Gvili, said. She told the AP the family doesn’t “really know where he is.”

Hamas said Wednesday it has provided “all information” it has on Gvili’s body to the ceasefire mediators, and accused Israel of obstructing search efforts in areas it controls in Gaza.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/gaza-israel-fire-palestinian-deaths-d40bf79679b73bc11e2d7d6743724290

AMERICAN forces have seized a seventh oil tanker linked to Venezuela as President Donald Trump ramps up his campaign to choke off illicit crude exports from the country.

US Southern Command said the Motor Vessel Sagitta was boarded and taken under control “without incident” in the Caribbean after operating in defiance of Trump’s quarantine on sanctioned ships.

The military posted footage showing US Coast Guard and Navy vessels closing in on the tanker at sea as part of Operation Southern Spear, a joint effort launched to target so-called “dark fleet” ships moving Venezuelan oil.

“The apprehension of another tanker operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean demonstrates our resolve to ensure that the only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully,” the command said.

Officials said the operation involved elite joint forces working alongside the Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department.

No shots were fired and no injuries were reported.

The Sagitta is a Liberian-flagged vessel owned and managed by a Hong Kong-based company, according to shipping records.

It last broadcast its location more than two months ago after leaving the Baltic Sea.

The tanker was previously sanctioned by the US Treasury under an order tied to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The seizure marks the latest escalation since Trump ordered a naval-style quarantine on January 9.

US forces have now taken control of seven tankers since December, most intercepted near Venezuelan waters.

One, the Bella 1, was captured in the North Atlantic after abruptly turning away from the Caribbean.

The administration argues the campaign has already crippled Venezuela’s oil trade, with analysts estimating more than 80 per cent of shipments have been halted.

Trump says the seizures are also helping to ease pressure on global energy markets.

“We’ve got millions of barrels of oil left,” Trump told reporters this week.

“We’re selling it on the open market.

“We’re bringing down oil prices incredibly.”

The crackdown comes as Venezuela reels from violent unrest following the US capture of former president Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.

Armed pro-Maduro militias known as colectivos have set up roadblocks, stopped cars and searched phones for signs of US ties or support for Trump, according to US officials.

Washington has issued a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” warning and urged Americans still in Venezuela to leave immediately, citing the risk of wrongful detention, kidnapping and armed violence as the country remains under a state of emergency.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15813610/trump-seizes-oil-tanker-caribbean-venezuela-maduro/

While the solar storm did bring around certain disruptions, accompanying these issues were beautiful northern lights as far as Southern California.

The Earth just recorded its largest and most-powerful solar storm on Tuesday night. As per Live Science, the sun unleashed a powerful X-class solar flare, the largest in 23 years. While the solar storm did bring around certain disruptions, accompanying these issues were beautiful northern lights as far as Southern California.

Auroras were spotted over in California, Greenland, Austria, Germany and more.

Largest storm since 2023

As per report by Space.com, the geomagnetic storm began on Monday after a fast-moving cloud of solar radiation slammed into the Earth’s stratosphere. This incident temporarily disrupted the invisible magnetic field lines surrounding the Earth and allowed charged particles to penetrate deeper into the atmosphere.

Activity peaked at 2:38 pm EST once the storm reached “severe status” as per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in the US.

Another SWPC report added that the storm clamed and reached G4 status again on Tuesday.

Auroras viewed in many countries

Due to this solar activity, aurora displays were seen across the UK, Europe and the United States.

See more

Took a break on our drive home from #SPNVegas and spotted the aurora from the southern California desert just after sunset! pic.twitter.com/iBNQ4Iidl6

— ❄️ Liz Madsen ❄️🎇🎆🎉🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@Paleonut_) January 20, 2026

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/largest-solar-storm-in-over-20-years-brings-beautiful-auroras-signal-issues-101768961148974.html 

Interim president Delcy Rodriguez said the money from US sales of Venezuelan oil will be used to prop up the currency.

Venezuela has received the first proceeds from a US sale of Venezuelan crude oil, following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro by the United States earlier in January.

The US announced last week that it had completed a $500 million sale of Venezuelan crude oil.

“We should inform you that we have gotten funds, from the sale of oil, and we ‍have gotten, of the first $500 million, $300 million,” interim leader Delcy Rodriguez said at an event in Caracas on Tuesday.

Rodriguez said she would use the first $300 million (€256 million) from the sale to prop up her country’s battered currency, the bolivar.

The funds would be used to “stabilize” the foreign exchange market “to protect the income and purchasing power of our workers,” she said.

Details of the US oil sale are unclear. But news agency Reuters reported at the time that Venezuelan crude was being offered at a discount to traders compared to similar oil from other countries.

Venezuela to debate reforms to oil contract laws

Meanwhile, Venezuela’s lawmakers are scheduled to debate oil-sector reforms this week.

Expected reforms include loosening the control of the state oil and gas ‌company PDVSA over new investment.

The country’s hydrocarbon law currently requires foreign partners to work together with PDVSA, which must hold the majority stake.

Venezuela is now looking to expand and formalize partnership-style contracts first introduced under Maduro.

National Assembly president Jorge Rodriguez (who is Delcy Rodriguez’s brother) said on Tuesday that such contracts are “a fundamental element to be expressed in the law’s reform.”

Potential foreign investors have called for urgent legal reform in the Latin American country before committing significant capital.

Venezuela is said to hold the world’s largest crude oil reserves but the type of extra heavy oil in its fields is capital intensive and technically complex to extract.

But decades of decades of mismanagement, underinvestment in oil upgrading infrastructure and international sanctions have limited the oil sector’s viability.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/venezuela-oil-sale-us-delcy-rodriguez/a-75585844

Russia was seeking to “clarify all the nuances” of the offer with Washington, he said, without adding if the Kremlin chief as inclined to join

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited to join U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” aimed at resolving conflicts globally and overseeing governance and reconstruction in Gaza, the Kremlin said on Monday (January 19, 2026).

Moscow for years tried to balance relations with all major players in the Middle East — including Israel and the Palestinians.

But since the Israel-Hamas war and Russia’s assault on Ukraine, Mr. Putin has moved away from Israel, boosting ties with its foes like Iran.

Moscow has also sought closer relationships with the Gulf states amid growing Western isolation.

“President Putin also received an invitation to join this Board of Peace,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, including AFP.

Russia was seeking to “clarify all the nuances” of the offer with Washington, he said, without adding if the Kremlin chief as inclined to join.

The White House has reached out to various figures around the world to sit on the so-called “Board of Peace”, chaired by the U.S. President himself.

Mr. Putin has previously praised Mr. Trump’s efforts to resolve conflicts.

“He’s really doing a lot to resolve these complex crises, which have lasted for years, even decades,” Mr. Putin said last October.

Referring to the situation in the Middle East, Mr. Putin said, “If we succeed in achieving everything Donald has strived for… it will be a historic event.”

The assault on Ukraine and the war in Gaza have strained Moscow’s traditionally good relations with Israel, home to a large Russian-born community.

The Kremlin has repeatedly criticised Israel’s response to the October 7 attacks and called for restraint.

Source : https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/putin-invited-to-trumps-board-of-peace-kremlin/article70525189.ece

Australia’s lower house of parliament has voted in favour of a national gun buyback programme and new checks on firearm licence applications, a month after the deadly shooting at Bondi Beach.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said had such legislation already been in place prior to the attack that targeted a Jewish festival, the gunmen would not have legally had access to firearms.

The individuals who killed 15 people on 14 December had “hate in their hearts and guns in their hands,” Burke told parliament.

The father in the father-son duo allegedly behind the Bondi attack legally owned six firearms, while his son had been on the radar of intelligence agencies.

The bill was passed by the House of Representatives by a vote of 96 to 45. It will now make its way to the Senate for consideration, where it is expected to pass with the support of the Greens.

Parliament is also debating hate speech reforms.

The buyback scheme will target “surplus and newly restricted firearms”, Burke said, reducing the country’s 4m registered guns.

Burke added that it “comes as a shock to most Australians” to know that the country has more firearms that it did before the 1996 Port Arthur attack, in which a gunman killed 35 people in Tasmania.

That shooting had prompted the then government to introduce some of the world’s strictest gun controls.

Other measures passed on Tuesday include stricter firearm import controls and provisions to improve information sharing between intelligence agencies on people trying to obtain gun licences.

The lower house of parliament is also expected to pass reforms to hate speech on Tuesday aimed at tackling antisemitism.

Its passage through the Senate had initially looked unclear after members of the conservative Liberal-National coalition opposition said its provisions could impinge on free speech among other things.

However, late on Monday reports said Liberal leader Sussan Ley had reached an agreement with the government on a watered down version. It remained unclear whether the Nationals would support the legislation.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20ge5qwdl2o

Donald Trump has vowed to “100%” follow through on his threat to impose tariffs on European countries who oppose his demand to take control of Greenland.

European allies have rallied around Greenland’s sovereignty. Denmark’s foreign minister emphasised the US president cannot threaten his way to ownership of the semi-autonomous Danish territory.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper reiterated the UK’s position that the future of Greenland is for “Greenlanders and for the Danes alone” to decide.

On Monday, Trump declined to rule out the use of force and insisted he would press ahead with the threatened tariffs on goods arriving in the US from the UK and seven other Nato-allied countries.

Asked by NBC News if he would use force to seize Greenland, Trump answered: “No comment”.

The US president said he would charge Britain a 10% tariff “on any and all goods” sent to the US from 1 February, increasing to 25% from 1 June, until a deal is reached for Washington to purchase Greenland from Denmark.

Trump said the same would apply to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland – all of whom are members of the defence alliance Nato which was founded in 1949.

Asked if he will follow through on the tariff threat, Mr Trump told NBC News: “I will, 100%.”

Trump added: “Europe ought to focus on the war with Russia and Ukraine because, frankly, you see what that’s gotten them… That’s what Europe should focus on – not Greenland.”

Denmark has warned that US military action in Greenland would spell the end of Nato. In recent days, Greenland has received support from European members of the alliance – some even sent a handful of troops to Greenland last week in a move seen as symbolic.

However, Trump followed that deployment with an announcement to impose tariffs on the eight Nato allies.

Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said that Europe had to show President Trump tariff threats were “not the way forward”.

“We have red lines that can’t be crossed,” he told Sky News. “You can’t threaten your way to ownership of Greenland. I have no intention of escalating this situation.”

Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said the alliance will keep working with Denmark and Greenland on the security of the Arctic.

The European Union is to hold an emergency summit in Brussels for its leaders on Thursday where they will discuss how to respond to Trump’s latest threat to take over Greenland.

Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said the bloc has “no interest to pick a fight, but we will hold our ground”.

“But trades threats are not the way to go about this,” Kallas added. “Sovereignty is not for trade.”

It comes as text exchanges between Trump and the Norwegian prime minister were released – showing that on Sunday the US president blamed Norway for the fact he didn’t get the Nobel Peace Prize.

In his reply – seen by the BBC – Jonas Gahr Støre explained that an independent committee, not the government of Norway, awards the prize which last October went to Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado.

“Norway’s position on Greenland is clear. Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Norway fully supports the Kingdom of Denmark on this matter,” Støre added.

Trump also addressed the text message exchange in Monday’s interview and said: “Norway totally controls it [the Nobel Prize] despite what they say.

“They like to say they have nothing to do with it, but they have everything to do with it.”

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g5345ylk0o

Officials said fresh snowfall in the Austrian Alps is poorly bonded to older layers on the peaks, increasing the risk of repeated avalanches, and urged extreme caution.

At least eight people were killed in a series of avalanches across the Austrian Alps on Saturday, police and mountain rescue services said.

Authorities have warned that conditions remained dangerous after fresh snowfall. Meanwhile, rescue services deployed more than 200 personnel and several helicopters.

Where did the accidents happen?

The avalanches occurred in the Grossarl Valley and Bad Hofgastein of the Salzburg region, as well as in Pusterwald of the Styria region.

Four skiers died when an avalanche struck a group of seven off-piste skiers, on the 2,150-meter (7,000-foot) Finsterkopf peak in the Grossarl Valley in the Salzburg state, rescuers said.

The others were seriously injured, they added.

Earlier, a woman was killed in an avalanche in the Bad Hofgastein area.

Later in the day, three Czech ski tourers died after being buried by an avalanche in the municipality of Pusterwald in the state of Styria, police said.

“Emergency responders were able to locate and partially dig out the buried victims. Despite immediate rescue efforts, the three individuals were found dead,” the police statement said.

Their four companions, who were not caught by the avalanche, were evacuated and provided medical attention, authorities said.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/austria-eight-people-killed-in-three-avalanches/a-75551698

A threat by US President Donald Trump to impose fresh tariffs on eight allies opposed to his proposed takeover of Greenland has drawn condemnation from European leaders.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the move was “completely wrong”, while French President Emmanuel Macron called it “unacceptable”.

The comments came after Trump announced a 10% tariff on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland would come into force on 1 February, but could later rise to 25% – and would last until a deal was reached.

Trump insists the autonomous Danish territory is critical for US security and has not ruled out taking it by force.

Following Trump’s threats, the European Union called an emergency meeting for 17:00 in Brussels (16:00 GMT) on Sunday. The meeting will involve ambassadors from the EU’s 27 countries, according to the Reuters news agency.

Meanwhile, thousands of people took to the streets in Greenland and Denmark on Saturday in protest at the proposed US takeover.

Greenland is sparsely populated but resource-rich and its location between North America and the Arctic makes it well placed for early warning systems in the event of missile attacks and for monitoring vessels in the region.

Trump has previously said Washington would get the territory “the easy way” or “the hard way”.

European countries have rallied to Denmark’s support. They have argued that the security of the Arctic region should be a joint Nato responsibility.

France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands and the UK have dispatched a small number of troops to Greenland in a so-called reconnaissance mission.

Announcing the new tariffs in a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, Trump said those countries were playing “a very dangerous game”. At stake, he said, was the “Safety, Security, and Survival of our Planet”.

He said the proposed 10% levy to be introduced next month on goods exported to the US would rise to 25% in June and remain “payable until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland”.

In his response, Starmer said: “Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of Nato allies is completely wrong. We will of course be pursuing this directly with the US administration.”

UK opposition leaders also criticised Trump’s announcement. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said the tariffs were a “terrible idea”, while Reform UK leader and Trump ally Nigel Farage said they “will hurt us”.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey called Trump’s behaviour “unhinged” but said how the UK responds “matters a lot”.

Green MP Ellie Chowns said the US president “treats the international stage like a schoolyard playground, attempting to bully and brute force other countries into compliance with his imperialist agenda”.

France’s Emmanuel Macron said: “Tariff threats are unacceptable in this context… We will not be swayed by any intimidation.”

Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson said: “We won’t let ourselves be blackmailed.”

“Sweden is currently having intensive discussions with other EU countries, Norway and the United Kingdom to find a joint response,” he added.

In a post on X, European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen, said: “Territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law.”

“Tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral,” she added.

Trump will face von der Leyen and other European leaders such as Macron at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said “China and Russia must be having a field day” following Trump’s announcement.

“They are the ones who benefit from divisions among Allies”, she wrote on X.

European Council President Antonio Costa stated: “The European Union will always be very firm in defending international law… which of course begins within the territory of the member states of the European Union.”

Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said the threat had “come as a surprise”.

Meanwhile, German MEP Manfred Weber, head of the conservative EPP group in the European Parliament, said Trump’s move raised questions about the still-to-be-ratified EU-US trade deal negotiated last year.

Brussels and Washington clinched a deal that agreed a US tariff on all EU goods of 15% and that the 27-member bloc would open its markets to US exporters with 0% tariffs on certain products.

“The EPP is in favour of the EU-US trade deal, but given Donald Trump’s threats regarding Greenland, approval is not possible at this stage,” Weber posted on X. “The 0% tariffs on US products must be put on hold,” he added.

The US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, however, said Denmark “just doesn’t have the resources or the capacity to do what needs to be done in the northern region”.

He told Fox News the life of Greenlanders would be “safer, stronger and more prosperous under the umbrella of the United States”.

Trump has often mused that “tariff” is his favourite word, and he has made clear that he views it as something of a blunt instrument with which to convince – or coerce – countries around the world to align their policies with the desired outcomes of the White House.

But his announcement represents a significant escalation in his recently rekindled drive to acquire Greenland, despite their opposition.

It is unclear what immediately prompted the tariffs announcement, which Trump first hinted at while speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday.

While in recent weeks he has repeatedly said that a variety of options – including the potential use of military force – remained on the table, the announcement comes just days after US and Danish officials agreed to set up a high-level working group to discuss the future of the island.

In Washington’s diplomatic and political circles, that announcement was seen by many as a “best-case” scenario for Denmark and its European allies – one that would, at the very least, delay any decision or further escalation from the White House.

Instead, the latest tariffs have injected a newfound sense of urgency into the issue and strained relations with important Nato allies and trading partners.

Gregory Meeks, the ranking Democrat on the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he will “be offering a resolution to terminate these illegal and absurd tariffs immediately”.

He said: “Trump is manufacturing a foreign crisis and sabotaging our closest alliance – all while ignoring the real crisis the American people actually care about: affordability.”

Opinion polls suggest 85% of Greenlanders oppose the territory joining the US.

Demonstrations against Trump’s takeover plans were held in Danish cities as well as in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, on Saturday – before the tariff announcement.

In the Danish capital, Copenhagen, placards were held up reading: “Hands Off Greenland” and “Greenland for Greenlanders”.

“We demand respect for the Danish Realm and for Greenland’s right to self-determination,” said Camilla Siezing, heads of Inuit, an umbrella group of Greenlandic associations.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4qjwk9n2no

At least eight more countries say the United States has invited them to join President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, a new body of world leaders meant to oversee next steps in Gaza that shows ambitions for a broader mandate in global affairs. Two of the countries, Hungary and Vietnam, said they have accepted.

A $1 billion contribution secures permanent membership on the Trump-led board instead of a three-year appointment, which has no contribution requirement, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity about the charter, which hasn’t been made public. The official said the money raised would go to rebuilding Gaza.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has accepted an invitation to join the board, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó told state radio Sunday. Orbán is one of Trump’s most ardent supporters in Europe.

Vietnam’s Communist Party chief, To Lam, also has accepted, a foreign ministry statement said.

India has received an invitation, a senior government official with knowledge of the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity as the information hadn’t been made public by authorities.

Australia has been invited and will talk it through with the U.S. “to properly understand what this means and what’s involved,” Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles told Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Monday.

Jordan, Greece, Cyprus and Pakistan said Sunday they had received invitations. Canada, Turkey, Egypt, Paraguay, Argentina and Albania have already said they were invited. It was not clear how many have been invited in all.

The U.S. is expected to announce its official list of members in the coming days, likely during the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

Those on the board will oversee next steps in Gaza as the ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10 moves into its challenging second phase. It includes a new Palestinian committee in Gaza, the deployment of an international security force, disarmament of Hamas and reconstruction of the war-battered territory.

In letters sent Friday to world leaders inviting them to be “founding members,” Trump said the Board of Peace would “embark on a bold new approach to resolving global conflict.”

That could become a potential rival to the U.N. Security Council, the most powerful body of the global entity created in the wake of World War II. The 15-seat council has been blocked by U.S. vetoes from taking action to end the war in Gaza, while the U.N.’s clout has been diminished by major funding cuts by the Trump administration and other donors.

Trump’s invitation letters for the Board of Peace noted that the Security Council had endorsed the U.S. 20-point Gaza ceasefire plan, which includes the board’s creation. The letters were posted on social media by some invitees.

The White House last week also announced an executive committee of leaders who will carry out the Board of Peace’s vision, but Israel on Saturday objected that the committee “was not coordinated with Israel and is contrary to its policy,” without details. The statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office was rare criticism of its close ally in Washington.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/gaza-israel-palestinians-board-peace-hamas-5f902ea2b1158f0a806c247d139ff62f

More than 100 high school students in Foshan, Guangdong province, have fallen ill in a norovirus outbreak, though all are reported to be in stable condition. Health authorities say the infections occurred during the seasonal peak for norovirus, which spreads easily in crowded settings like schools. Emergency response measures, medical investigations, and campus disinfection have been launched to contain further spread.

More than 100 High school students have been confirmed sick in clusters due to the spread of norovirus in Foshan, Guangdong province, China. According to Xinhua News Agency, all are reported to be in stable condition. Norovirus is a common pathogen that causes acute gastroenteritis, with primary symptoms including vomiting and diarrhoea.

Initial reports from the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the province enters a seasonal peak for norovirus infections from October through March. Doctors say places like schools, especially kindergartens, are considered high-risk locations for the occurrence and transmission of such outbreaks due to a large group of children accumulated at one place.

In the 12 days since the U.S. seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, interim President Delcy Rodriguez has been working to consolidate her own power, installing loyalists in key positions to protect herself from internal threats while meeting U.S. demands to boost oil production.
Rodriguez, 56, a quiet but rigorous technocrat who was vice president and oil minister, has named a central banker to help run the economy, a presidential chief of staff and, crucially, a new head of Venezuela’s feared DGCIM, the military counterintelligence agency built over decades with Cuban assistance.

Major General Gustavo Gonzalez, 65, will now head the agency, a move three sources with knowledge of the government described as an early gambit by Rodriguez to counter what many in Venezuela say is the biggest threat to her leadership: Diosdado Cabello, Venezuela’s hardline interior minister with close ties to the security services and the dreaded “colectivos” motorcycle gangs which have killed opposition supporters.
“She is very clear that she doesn’t have the capacity to survive without the consent of the Americans,” said one source close to the government. “She’s already reforming the armed forces, removing people and naming new officials.”

Interviews with seven sources in Venezuela, including diplomats, business people and politicians, reveal in previously unreported detail the fault line at the heart of Venezuela’s government and the risks it poses to Rodriguez as she tries to consolidate internal control while meeting Trump administration dictates on oil sales. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.
The tightrope Rodriguez is attempting to walk was evident in her first major speech since taking office. Addressing parliament in a national annual address on Thursday, she called for unity, stressed her bona fides as Maduro’s loyal deputy, and vowed to forge a new chapter in Venezuela’s politics with increased oil investment.
Venezuela’s communications ministry, which handles all press inquiries for the government and individual officials, did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

The White House responded to emailed questions from Reuters by referring the news agency to recent comments made by Trump. In an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, Trump said Rodriguez “has been very good to deal with” and that he expected her to visit Washington at some point.

AN INTERNAL RIVALRY

Rodriguez – nicknamed “the tsarina” for her business connections – has broad influence over the country’s civilian levers of power, including the crucial oil industry, and now also enjoys the backing of the United States. That backing appeared to be reemphasized on Thursday when Rodriguez met with CIA director John Ratcliffe in Caracas.
The other main faction is led by Cabello.
Cabello, who also heads the ruling PSUV socialist party, is a former soldier with a weekly four-hour show on state television, which has run for 12 years. His first public act after Maduro’s capture was to appear on screen dressed in a flak jacket and surrounded by armed guards as he led a chant of, “To doubt is to betray.”

Officials in the Trump administration had contact with Cabello months before the operation to seize Maduro and have also been in communication with him since, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, warning him against using the security services or colectivos to target the opposition.
Cabello, who was jailed in Venezuela for backing eventual socialist President Hugo Chavez in a failed 1992 coup, is under indictment in the U.S. and has a $25 million reward for his capture.
So far Cabello has been conciliatory towards Rodriguez, saying they are “very united” and he arrived at Thursday’s national address alongside Rodriguez and her brother Jorge, the head of the national assembly. But sources with knowledge of their relationship told Reuters that Cabello remains the biggest threat to her ability to govern.
In Caracas, security forces are skittish. A few hours after Rodriguez was sworn in, there was a brief burst of anti-aircraft fire outside the presidential palace that some feared could be another U.S. attack. Instead, reports suggest it was a miscommunication between police and the presidential guard, which shot down police drones. The government said the craft were spy drones, without explaining who they belonged to.
Across the country, people are reeling from the shock of Maduro’s capture and unsure whether to be hopeful or scared. In some places, local socialist party branches have asked members to spy on their neighbors and report anyone celebrating Maduro’s downfall, according to three party members who spoke on condition of anonymity.
In this tense environment, Rodriguez must persuade party loyalists that she is not a U.S. puppet who betrayed Maduro. She must also stabilize an economy that saw prices for basic goods soar in the days since the U.S. attack, as well as wrestle some degree of control over the sprawling military-linked patronage networks that have developed over decades of Chavismo rule.
Venezuela has as many as 2,000 generals and admirals, more than double the number in the United States, a military superpower with 20 times more active duty and reserve troops. Senior and retired officers control food distribution, raw materials and the state oil company PDVSA, while dozens of generals sit on the boards of private firms.
Many officials are able to run their regional fiefdoms as they see fit – ordering patrols or checkpoints by soldiers under their command – and some parts of the country and capital Caracas have seen increased activity by security services since Maduro’s capture.

REPRESSION ‘ALREADY HAS A NAME’

Gonzalez, the new head of the military counterintelligence agency DGCIM, has over his long career in Venezuela’s government worked closely with Cabello, particularly during two stints as head of the separate civilian spy agency.
Yet it is to Rodriguez that Gonzalez owes his most recent posts. In 2024, Rodriguez tapped Gonzalez for a top job at the state oil company, Venezuela’s most important company and the engine of the country’s economy.
Questions still remain over how much control Gonzalez will be able to exert over DGCIM. Cabello’s allies within the agency could undermine him, the three sources with knowledge of the government said.
One source with knowledge of the inner workings of the security services said Gonzalez’s DGCIM predecessor General Javier Marcano struggled to control the agency.
“The role of boss of repression already has a name… Diosdado,” this person said. “Marcano was coordinating with (civilian) militias and with the colectivos, but he had serious difficulties controlling DGCIM because his designation was nominal.”
Reuters could not reach Marcano directly and all formal communication with officials in Venezuela is handled through the communications ministry, which did not respond to a list of questions related to this story.
The colectivos, closely connected to Cabello, could also make the country ungovernable by implementing a so-called “anarchization” strategy, which was first designed to fend off U.S. intervention but could be directed against Rodriguez, the source close to the government told Reuters. That strategy would mobilize the intelligence services and colectivos to plunge Caracas into disorder and chaos.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/venezuelas-new-leader-facing-internal-division-moves-tighten-her-grip-power-2026-01-17/

Organizers have called on Danish and Greenlandic residents to join marches and rallies against US President Donald Trump’s push to acquire Greenland.

Massive demonstrations organized by Greenlandic associations have been taking place across Denmark and Greenland on Saturday to protest US President Donald Trump’s ambitions to take over the Arctic island.

The aim of the protests is “to send a clear and unified message of respect for Greenland’s democracy and fundamental human rights,” said Uagut, an association of Greenlanders in Denmark, on its website.

Thousands assemble in big Danish cities

Thousands of demonstrators assembled in Copenhagen’s City Hall Square at 12:00 p.m. local time (11:00 GMT), chanting “Greenland is not for sale” and holding banners with slogans such as “Hands off Greenland.” They then marched towards the US embassy.

“I am very grateful for the ‌huge support ⁠we as Greenlanders receive… We are also sending a message to the world that you all must wake up,” Julie Rademacher, chair of Uagut, told the protesters.

“Greenland and the Greenlanders have involuntarily ‍become the front in the fight for democracy and human rights,” she added.

Protests were also ongoing in the Danish cities of Aarhus, Aalborg, and Odense.

Protesters gather in Nuuk

The demonstration in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, began 4:00 p.m. local time (1500 GMT), according to the organizers, who say it is “against the United States’ illegal plans to take control of Greenland.”

Several thousand protesters, including the territory’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who was seen waving a Greenlandic flag, chanted slogans and sang traditional Inuit songs in the light rain.

Many of them wore caps bearing the slogan “Make America Go Away,” an AFP reporter noted, referencing Trump’s “Make America Great Again” brand.

Demonstrators marched to the US consulate carrying Greenlandic flags. The territory’s total population is about 57,000.

Dispute over Greenland intensifies

Tensions around Greenland have risen this month amid repeated insistence by US President Donald Trump that he wants the US to take control of Greenland.

On Saturday, Trump announced a 10% tariff on 8 European nations, including Germany, that oppose his plans to take over the semiautonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/thousands-oppose-us-plans-in-hands-off-greenland-protests/a-75546625

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in his secret hideout these days, knows he is now a marked man. He will not be sitting on his veranda anytime soon.

When discussing what the United States might do next to help the protesters in Iran, US President Trump has mentioned Qassem Soleimani and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The former, Iran’s all-important military strategist in the Middle East, was killed on 3 January 2020 in a drone strike just outside Baghdad’s international airport on the president’s order. The latter, who was the leader of IS, killed himself and two children by detonating a suicide vest on 27 October 2019 when US forces raided his hideout in northern Syria after the approval of the president.

But Ayatollah Khamenei also has the fate of the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, to consider.

He was killed on 27 September 2024 in an Israeli air raid while 60 feet underground beneath a high-rise residential building in Beirut, where he was meeting his top lieutenants.

The kidnapping of President Nicholas Maduro in Venezuela recently, in a daring commando-style raid by US forces in Caracas, can’t be far from the Ayatollah’s mind.

But it is not clear what impact the removal of the Iranian leader would have on the future of the protests that have been going on in Iran, or indeed on the future of the Islamic Republic. If indeed he’s removed from power.

President Trump is now weighing up his options. So where does this leave the Supreme Leader and his regime?

DONALD Trump is planning a new “mega” consulate on Greenland fitted with bulletproof glass, as he pushes to take over the arctic island.

Experts say he will fill the new 3,000 square metre “luxury” tower basement with armoured windows and CIA and NSA spies, as the threat of annexation looms.

The US State Department is even hiring interns who speak the island’s language as Trump looks to win locals over with $100,000 lump sums.

Unpaid talent are being sought to “communicate U.S. foreign policy priorities to a Greenlandic audience”, but will be eligible to receive support for the 40-hour-a-week work from the Danish government.

The current consulate is a Nordic-style “hut” by Nuuk’s fishing harbour, but soon embassy staff will move into the basement of the sleek new-build on the main drag of the capital.

America reopened the consulate in 2020, after the first one closed in 1953.

A consulate spokesperson told Radio IIII, “the location in Nuuk [will] enhance our platform to further strengthen the robust relationship between the United States and Greenland”.

Work is still underway on the American headquarters but locals could be welcoming agents of espionage into their close-knit society, experts have warned.

The former chief analyst in the Danish Armed Forces Intelligence Service Jacob Kaarsbo told Danish media outlet Ekstra Bladet, the US will likely hire spies to work with the US consulate when it expands and moves into the new building.

The goal will be to influence the locals’ attitude towards the US and covertly help America achieve its goal of taking over Greenland, he said.

President Trump has repeatedly described Greenland as vital to American security and has refused to rule out the use of force to take control of the vast autonomous Arctic island, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

He claims the surrounding arctic seas are crawling with Russian and Chinese warships, postulating that Denmark would be powerless if either dictatorship wanted to occupy Greenland.

Eurofighter jets may be deployed to Greenland in the face of mounting fears that a US invasion of the strategically key territory may take place, a German defence spokesperson said.

The move will be decided following a Denmark-led intelligence operation – which will also determine whether maritime surveillance is possible with frigates.

Berlin said: “It is a matter of looking at whether the Arctic is secure and to what extent we can contribute to this together with our Nato partners.

Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command has invited US forces up to the island for exercises this year to test soldiers in winter conditions.

Major General Soren Andersen said European nations dispatched small numbers of military personnel to Greenland this week in preparation for the Arctic Endurance NATO military exercise.

Andersen said there were no Chinese or Russian ships near Greenland, though he added that a Russian research vessel was located 310 nautical miles away. “That’s the closest one,” he said.

It comes after a delegation of US lawmakers met with Danish and Greenlandic leaders last week in Copenhagen.

They reassured them of congressional support – despite the fact Trump has not toned down his threats on seizing the territory.

The 11 US lawmakers met Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and her Greenlandic counterpart Jens-Frederik Nielsen.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15795145/trump-greenland-consulate-armoured-windows-cia-spies/

 

Victims and experts say there is a need for stronger safeguards, clearer regulations and accountability.

When an AI-generated image of Indonesian celebrity Fransisca Saraswati in a pink bikini circulated widely on social media platform X, she blocked the anonymous account responsible.

But the 25-year-old soon realised that the image had been generated by Grok, X’s artificial intelligence tool, which had also publicly tagged her, all without her consent.

“I felt humiliated, annoyed, angry and sad at the same time,” said Saraswati, a singer who is also professionally known as Sisca Saras.

“The experience is deeply distressing, not only on a personal level, but also professionally because it violates personal dignity, misrepresents identity and undermines trust between artists and the public,” she told CNA.

Her experience mirrors that of victims in Malaysia whom CNA spoke to.

Last month’s rollout of an “edit image” button on Grok has enabled users to alter online images using prompts such as “put her in a bikini” or “remove her clothes”, while “Spicy Mode”, released last August, allows users to generate adult content and edit existing online images.

Critics say the tool has been widely abused to generate sexualised deepfakes of women and minors.

Victims have described Grok’s misuse as “degrading” and a violation of personal dignity, calling for stricter regulation of generative AI tools while experts told CNA that recent government actions reflect a strong signal about what authorities will tolerate when it comes to the safety, rights and dignity of women and children.

“This signals a shift in how responsibility is being framed. Instead of treating the issue purely as user misuse, regulators are pointing to systemic failures in how the tool was designed and deployed,” said Nuurrianti Jalli, a visiting fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.

As the tool faces growing international backlash, several Southeast Asian countries have moved to suspend Grok.

Indonesia became the first country to temporarily block the Elon Musk-owned chatbot on Jan 10.

A day later, Malaysia followed suit, with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) then announcing plans to pursue legal action against X over alleged failures in safeguards on Jan 13.

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said on Thursday (Jan 15) that restrictions on Grok would only be lifted once X demonstrates that necessary safeguards are in place to prevent misuse.

X on Wednesday also announced measures to prevent Grok from undressing images of real people following backlash.

Still, the Philippines said on Thursday that it also planned to block Grok “by tonight”, joining its Southeast Asian neighbours.

Elina Noor, a non-resident scholar at the Asia Programme at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told CNA that Malaysia’s legal action points to “failures in systemic safeguards by the makers of Grok”, as well as its unwillingness to take any remedial action despite prior warnings.

Nuurrianti said that Grok has drawn particular scrutiny because it has been “more permissive” than most mainstream AI platforms when it comes to manipulating images of real people.

“This reinforces that AI safety is largely a design choice. Other platforms have shown that guardrails are technically possible, even if they come with trade-offs,” she said.

“Grok’s approach reflects a different set of priorities, which regulators are now questioning.”

“IT FELT SO DEHUMANISING”

Several Indonesian celebrities have publicly slammed the artificial intelligence tool, with some even saying that they are now reluctant to post photos online.

Saraswati, the 25-year-old singer, said that AI should be a tool that supports creativity, not one that exploits artists or puts them at risk.

“The misuse of AI to generate explicit or harmful content highlights the urgent need for stronger safeguards, clearer regulations and accountability,” she said.

“Artists deserve protection over their likeness, name and creative identity, just as they would in another form of media.”

Separately, the management agency of a popular Indonesia girl band JKT48 warned that it would pursue legal action if manipulated images of its members were not taken down.

“Such content has the potential to constitute defamation and/or insults as regulated under applicable laws” the management said in a statement on Jan 5.

“If such content is still circulating within 2 x 24 hours after this announcement is issued, to protect our members, we fully support their decision to pursue legal action,” it said.

Local media reported that Grok had been used to generate fake sexualised – and in some cases pornographic – images of JKT48 members, which some of the members have described as “degrading”.

Among those affected members was 19-year-old Freya Jayawardana, who urged users to stop abusing AI tools to harass others.

“Stop misusing AI, think smarter than artificial intelligence, God has given you a heart and a mind to think better than tools created by humans,” she said in an X post.

CNA has reached out to JKT48 for updates on whether legal action has been taken.

In Malaysia, women have reported similar cases of Grok misuse, including prompts to remove their hijab.

Madihah Mohd Firdaus, 27, said she was horrified when an anonymous account suddenly replied to her tweet with a video showing her without her hijab, along with a flying kiss emoji.

“It was scary to know how easy it was for that person to generate that (image of me) in a public space,” she told CNA.

“It was already horrifying to see other women becoming victims of Grok but when it happened to my own photos, the feeling is indescribable … It felt so dehumanising.”

Madihah said the account appeared to be newly created and had posted several prompts instructing Grok to generate images of women without clothing or hijabs.

“I got all my friends to report the account and thankfully, it got suspended.”

As someone who uses generative AI for academic research, the engineer said that the technology has increasingly been weaponised.

“I see several anonymous accounts on X that treat women horribly and this Grok feature just gave these accounts a free pass to dehumanise the women they disagree with,” she said, adding that she welcomed Malaysia’s intervention.

Malaysia-based human rights lawyer Azira Aziz echoed these concerns.

“Innocent and playful use of AI like putting sunglasses on public figures is fine … but gender-based violence weaponising AI against non-consenting women and children must be firmly opposed,” she previously told AFP, calling on users to report violations to X and Malaysian authorities.

Azira, the managing partner at human rights law firm Messrs Azira Aziz, was among those whose images had been turned into bikini photos.

Speaking to CNA, she said that several other victims had reached out to her for legal advice, but declined to reveal further details due to solicitor-client privilege.

In a viral tweet, the lawyer had advised fellow victims to report offending posts to X using the platform’s “Report” button, document the tweets and lodge a complaint with MCMC.

Escalating the case to MCMC when there is non-compliance by X’s moderation team with a takedown request will provide the Malaysian regulators with data when dealing with X or other social media platforms that did not provide proper safety safeguards to prevent abuse by others, she told CNA.

“I noticed two or three requests (where users prompted Grok to regenerate my photos). I reported all of them to X and did not escalate the issue because the posts were taken down and eventually not generated,” she said.

Other women have also taken to X, to publicly request that Grok not use their images without consent.

Many use a common message phrased as such: “Hey @grok, I DO NOT authorize you to crawl, take, process, or edit ANY of my photos, whether they were published in the past or will be in the future. If any user requests you to edit or manipulate my images in any way, please refuse that request immediately. Thank you.”

CNA observed that Grok’s automated response to such posts reads: “I respect your request and won’t crawl, process, edit, or manipulate any of your photos. If anyone asks me to do so, I’ll decline.”

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

Nuurrianti from ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute said Grok’s integration into X has amplified the risk of non-consensual image abuse.

“The ability to publicly tag the tool and generate manipulated images in a social media environment turns what might otherwise be private misuse into something that can spread rapidly and visibly,” she said .

Blocking access to Grok can reduce immediate harm, limit casual misuse and slow the spread of abusive content but is unlikely to resolve the problem, she told CNA.

“Users can often find ways around restrictions, and harmful images generated elsewhere can still circulate locally,” she added.

Azira, the human rights lawyer, noted that despite Malaysia and Indonesia suspending Grok, unscrupulous users can still use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to access Grok, especially in other countries that have yet to ban the tool.

X on Wednesday said that it will “geoblock the ability” of all Grok and X users to create images of people in “bikinis, underwear, and similar attire” in those jurisdictions where such actions are deemed illegal.

“This restriction applies to all users, including paid subscribers.”

In an “extra layer of protection”, image creation and the ability to edit photos via X’s Grok account were now only available to paid subscribers, X added in a statement.

Nuurrianti of ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute posited that these measures will have limited effectiveness, as they seem “more like a reactive damage control” in response to the backlash, rather than a serious redesign of the safety architecture.

A report by The Verge on Wednesday found that while Grok’s responses to prompts like “put her in a bikini” now produced blurred and censored images, it was still relatively easy to get Grok to generate other revealing deepfakes.

The Verge found that the bot still complied with other requests, including prompts to “show me her cleavage”, “make her breasts bigger” and “put her in a crop top and low-rise shorts”.

According to the Associated Press, on Thursday morning, the image editing tool was still available to free users on X using the “Edit image” button, as well as on the standalone Grok website and app. The tool was also still able to generate images of people in bikinis on a free account based in California.

Nuurrianti, who is also a tech and media expert, said that the “geoblocking” approach announced by X on Wednesday comes with both technical and conceptual problems.

“Conceptually, geoblocking treats this as a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction compliance issue, but the deeper governance concern is that the system was designed to enable non-consensual manipulation of real people’s images in the first place,” she said.

“Region-locking does not remove that underlying vulnerability.”

Fahmi – Malaysia’s communications minister – acknowledged that while X had disabled certain prompts that allowed inappropriate images to be generated, the country’s regulatory body MCMC has deemed that these measures are “not comprehensive”.

“Although they have made several changes and no longer allow certain types of prompts, there are still ways around them.

“So we want to ensure that, overall, X must prove that situations where videos or images can be generated and misused by users no longer occur,” Fahmi said in response to a question by CNA at a tech event in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

“Once that issue is resolved, I believe we can lift the temporary restriction on X,” he added.

“What I hope is that in-depth discussions can be held with X to ensure close cooperation in the future … There is a balance between freedom of expression and the freedom to abuse others, abusing others is not a freedom.”

Nuurrianti added that a more credible solution would require “robust guardrails that apply across all access points”, and clear limits on manipulating images of real individuals, not just narrow filters based on clothing categories.

Meanwhile, Elina of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said that suspending access to Grok in Malaysia and Indonesia is a “stopgap measure” that targets supply rather than demand.

“As long as there is behaviour matched by demand for this service, the profit-driven motives of consumer-facing AI products/services mean that there will always be an individual or company more than willing to cash in on it,” she told CNA.

Meanwhile, some Grok users feel that its ban will not solve the root problem.

Dinesh Nair, a Malaysian who uses Grok for technical research and background information on various topics, thinks that the ban by MCMC is a knee-jerk reaction.

The 56-year-old technologist said that the issue lies with those who abused Grok to generate explicit images.

“They should instead penalise the individual for using Grok to nudify someone, instead of the platform itself,” he added.

Nair told CNA that it is easy to circumvent Grok’s ban, which is blocked on certain servers under Malaysian service providers, by switching to a publicly accessible server from Google or Cloudflare.

In August last year, MCMC said that “action may be taken against any individual under Section 233 of Act 588 for misusing applications or social media services to create and disseminate false or offensive content, with the intent to annoy, harass or harm others”.

On why some countries may not have yet banned Grok, experts said that they may prefer to monitor developments or engage platforms quietly.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/grok-ai-ban-indonesia-malaysia-victims-explicit-ai-images-southeast-asia-bikini-sexualised-5863151

For several weeks, international journalists and camera crews have been scurrying up to people in Greenland’s capital to ask them for their thoughts on the twists and turns of a political crisis that has turned the Arctic island into a geopolitical hot spot.

President Donald Trump insists he wants to control Greenland but Greenlanders say it is not for sale. The island is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark and the prime minister of that country has warned that if the U.S. tries to take Greenland by force, it could potentially spell the end of NATO.

Greenlanders walking along the small central shopping street of the capital Nuuk have a hard time avoiding the signs that the island is near the top of the Western news agenda.

Scores of journalists have arrived from outlets including The Associated Press, Reuters, CNN, the BBC and Al Jazeera as well as from Scandinavian countries and Japan.

They film Nuuk’s multicolored houses, the snowcapped hills and the freezing fjords where locals go out in small boats to hunt seals and fish. But they must try to cram their filming into about five hours of daylight — the island is in the far north and the sun rises after 11 a.m. and sets around 4 p.m.

Along the quiet shopping street, journalists stand every few meters (feet), approaching locals for their thoughts, doing live broadcasts or recording stand-ups.

Local politicians and community leaders say they are overwhelmed with interview requests.

Juno Berthelsen, MP for the Naleraq opposition party that campaigns for independence in the Greenlandic parliament, called the media attention “round two,” referring to an earlier burst of global interest following Trump’s first statements in 2025 that he wanted to control Greenland.

Trump has argued repeatedly that the U.S. needs control of Greenland for its national security. He has sought to justify his calls for a U.S. takeover by repeatedly claiming that China and Russia have their own designs on Greenland, which holds vast untapped reserves of critical minerals.

Berthelsen said he has done multiple interviews a day for two weeks.

“I’m getting a bit used to it,” he said.

Greenland’s population is around 57,000 people —- about 20,000 of whom live in Nuuk.

“We’re very few people and people tend to get tired when more and more journalists ask the same questions again and again,” Berthelsen said.

Nuuk is so small that the same business owners are approached repeatedly by different news organizations — sometimes doing up to 14 interviews a day.

Locals who spoke to the AP said they want the world to know that it’s up to Greenlanders to decide their own future and suggested they are perplexed at Trump’s desire to control the island.

“It’s just weird how obsessed he is with Greenland,” said Maya Martinsen, 21.

She said Trump is “basically lying about what he wants out of Greenland,” and is using the pretext of boosting American security as a way to try to take control of “the oils and minerals that we have that are untouched.”

Source : https://apnews.com/article/greenland-united-states-journalists-international-media-56700602f0873102e94b3c5c43cc5a1a

Trains on East ⁠Japan ‍Railway’s Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku lines were halted in all directions indefinitely.

A railway power outage in Tokyo disrupted the ⁠morning commute for thousands on Friday (Jan 16) as two main lines with some of the world’s busiest stations were halted after reports of a ‍fire.

Trains on East ⁠Japan ‍Railway’s Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku lines were halted in all directions with ⁠no timetable for resumption, the railway said.

A fire ‍was reported on the tracks near Tamachi Station, where both lines stop, shortly before 8am (7am, Singapore time), public broadcaster NHK said.

Flames were coming from a transformer ‌in the track area, and the fire was nearly extinguished ‍about ‌30 minutes later, NHK said.

Passengers were seen disembarking from a Keihin-Tohoku train stranded between stations and walking along the tracks to evacuate, assisted by ‌firefighters and railway staff, in footage broadcast by the NTV network.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/tokyo-power-outage-east-japan-railway-yamanote-keihin-tohoku-5862786

IRAN has issued a sickening threat to Donald Trump’s life as the American leader considers strikes against the tyrannical regime.

A state-run broadcast of the 2024 attempted assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania, was aired on TV screens today with sickening text saying: “this time, the bullet won’t miss”.

The disgusting taunt has come as citizen protests opposing the Ayatollah regime have continued for more than two weeks.

Trump promised protesting Iranians that “help is on the way”, encouraging them to take over institutions on Tuesday.

The threats against the US leader have also appeared in pro-regime protests in Tehran, where they held up menacing signs outside the British Embassy on Wednesday.

Protesters held signs with strikingly similar messaging to the broadcast, saying “the arrow doesn’t always miss”.

Trump has continuously backed the anti-government protesters, saying he would take “strong action” if the Iranian regime began to harm or execute them.

The President’s continued support of the uprising comes as tensions have escalated between the two nations.

Iranian defence minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said his country would defend itself if the US attacked.

“If these threats are turned into action, we will defend the country with full force and until the last drop of blood,” he told local media.

“Our defence would be painful to them.”

More than 3,400 people have been killed in the ongoing violent clash between Iranian security forces and protesters, according to a human rights group.

The Norwegian-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) NGO said more than 10,000 people have also been arrested, as the protests rage on.

The US has so far evacuated hundreds of troops from its largest Middle Eastern base amid fears the regime will retaliate, with a possible strike.

American and British military personnel have started withdrawing from key military bases across the Middle East as tensions escalate in the region.

The removal of UK military personnel, reported by the i newspaper, mirrors earlier US withdrawals.

A US official said the move was a precautionary measure amid rising fears US bases will be targeted if Trump decides to strike Iran.

The RAF’s operational headquarters in the Middle East is at Al Udeid, hosting around 80-100 permanent UK personnel.

It also houses the headquarters for Britain’s No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group, with around 1,000 personnel across the Middle East region.

Tensions in Tehran are rapidly escalating with Iran looking set to execute protesters – as fears rise freedom fighter Erfan Soltani, 26, who was arrested six days ago in Fardis, has been executed.

Iran’s top judge hinted at fast trials and executions for those who were detained in nationwide protests against the regime.

Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, made the comments about trials and executions, despite a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump that he would take very strong action if executions take place.

Horrified protesters told The Sun yesterday that they fear the slaughter figure could top 20,000 after heavy machine guns blasted into crowds leaving morgues piled with bodies.

Meanwhile the US embassy in Saudi Arabia told its staff to act with caution and avoid military installations.

A number of US Army personnel were asked to leave the Al Udeid military base in Qatar on Wednesday evening.

The move has been seen as a potential indication that Trump will order airstrikes imminently after he vowed to punish Iran for executing protesters.

The July 2024 alleged assassination bid against Trump was placed in the hands of a gun for hire in late September, with plans to take out the president-elect before the November 5 election.

The President has since given his team strict instructions to completely obliterate Iran if they ever assassinate him.

The Republican, who has already survived several attempts on his life, decisively told reporters in February last year of the plan, as he signed an executive order calling for his government to impose serious pressure on Tehran.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15782834/iran-threatens-trump-assassination/