The Manpower Ministry is also stepping up surveillance of newly arrived migrant workers from South Asia as part of the country’s initial response to the Nipah virus outbreak in West Bengal.

Singapore will conduct temperature screening for travellers arriving on flights from areas where Nipah virus outbreaks have been reported, the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) said on Wednesday (Jan 28).

The Ministry of Manpower, meanwhile, will step up surveillance of newly arrived migrant workers from South Asia and engage the ministry’s primary care providers to increase vigilance.

These are among several measures that will be implemented as part of Singapore’s initial response to the Nipah virus outbreak in West Bengal, where two cases have been reported.

Singapore is closely monitoring the outbreak, which is the seventh in India since 2001.

The Nipah virus is transmitted mainly through exposure to bats and consumption of date palm sap or fruits contaminated by bats.

CDA said that ongoing bio-surveillance programmes, which have been monitoring Singapore’s bat populations since 2011, have not detected the virus in the country.

“The outbreak in West Bengal, however, is reportedly between humans, with two cases so far,” said CDA. “Human-to-human transmission is rare but does occur.”

In the current outbreak, transmission was reported to be within hospitals. No sustained community transmission is currently reported.

In addition to the temperature screening, Singapore will also require medical practitioners and laboratories to notify CDA immediately of all confirmed and suspected cases of the virus.

CDA has also alerted hospitals and emergency departments to be vigilant for Nipah virus infections in patients with compatible symptoms and recent travel history to West Bengal, the agency said.

Health advisories will also be disseminated to travellers at points of entry to Singapore. They will instruct inbound travellers to seek medical attention if they are unwell after travel, and provide outbound travellers with health precautions they can take.

Finally, CDA will reach out to their counterparts in South Asia to better understand the situation.

“Work is ongoing to establish a global platform for countries to report genome sequencing of detected cases,” the agency added.

“Should new information emerge to indicate an increased public health risk to Singapore, CDA stands ready to introduce additional public health measures.”

Sharing CDA’s media release in a Facebook post, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said: “We need to be on alert all the time, as deadly outbreaks will happen from time to time, in different parts of the world.

“The key thing we need to watch out for in such outbreaks is sustained human-to-human transmission. If transmission is only between animals to humans, or human to human in a very close setting after contacting human fluids, there is much less worry because the virus will not spread far and wide, like SARS or COVID-19.”

CDA advised individuals travelling to areas where Nipah virus outbreaks have been reported to maintain vigilance and adopt the following health precautions:

• Avoid food and drinks potentially contaminated by bats, such as raw date palm sap, and fruit found on the ground
• Avoid direct contact with unwell individuals
• Avoid direct contact with animals, especially bats and pigs, and bat roosting areas
• Consume fully cooked food and fruits that can be washed and peeled
• Maintain good personal hygiene

Travellers who develop Nipah virus symptoms during or after travel should seek prompt medical attention and inform their doctors of their recent travel and any potential exposure to raw date palm sap, bats or unwell individuals, CDA added.

A bomb cyclone winter storm is whipping up — and it’s headed for New York City, threatening even more snow and colder temps this weekend.

The storm is forecast to blow into town Saturday night and stay through Sunday. It could drop upwards of 3 inches on a region still digging out after more than a foot of snow fell on Sunday and Monday.

A “bomb cyclone” or bombogenesis is a weather pattern that describes intense winter storms that form — usually over the ocean — and rapidly build up deadly power.

Strong winds are expected to accompany the bomb cyclone, and with temps already hovering between about 14 and 24 degrees New Yorkers should brace themselves for wind chills reaching into the single digits – and even below zero, AccuWeather meteorologists cautioned.

“Regardless of the storm track, it will likely be a blustery day on Sunday, especially from the city on east and south,” AccuWeather senior meteorologist Matt Benz told The Post.

Mercifully, however, the conditions are not expected to be as bad as the dangers Winter Storm Fern brought to the northeast last weekend.

“Here in the City, snow can lead to slippery roads for Sunday,” Benz said. “Unless there is a major shift in the storm track to the west, we don’t expect travel conditions to be as dangerous as they were compared to last weekend here in the City.

“But weather will be worse east of the city on Long Island, where as much as 6 inches of snow could fall, and white-out blizzards could overtake the north and south forks.

”But weather will be worse east of the city on Long Island, where as much as 6 inches of snow could fall and white-out blizzards could overtake the north and south forks.

The storm is expected to blow out by Sunday night.

And while temps will remain frigid into next week – the freezing point is only forecast expected to be broken by a single degree next Thursday – nothing more than a few flurries are forecast for the foreseeable future.

The bomb cyclone is likely to impact the East Coast from South Carolina up through Maine, with similar snowfalls throughout.

Boston could see between 3 and 6 inches, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, between 1 and 3 — while the central regions of Virginia and North Carolina could see between 6 and 12 inches, according to the AccuWeather forecast.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/01/28/us-news/deadly-bomb-cyclone-headed-straight-for-nyc-and-could-batter-northeast-with-even-more-snow-even-colder-temps/

India and the European Union reached a free trade agreement Tuesday that could affect as many as 2 billion people after nearly two decades of negotiations.

The accord, which the head of the EU’s executive branch described as the “mother of all deals,” will see free trade on almost all goods between the EU’s 27 members and India, covering everything from textiles to medicines, and bringing down high import taxes for European wine and cars. It will likely take several months before the agreement takes effect.

The deal between two of the world’s biggest markets comes as Washington targets both the Asian powerhouse and the EU bloc with steep import tariffs, disrupting established trade flows and pushing major economies to seek alternate partnerships.

“This agreement will bring major opportunities for the people of India and Europe,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a virtual address to an energy conference. “It represents 25% of the global GDP and one-third of global trade.”

India and the EU also agreed on a framework for deeper defense and security cooperation, and a separate pact aimed at easing mobility for skilled workers and students, signaling that their partnership extends beyond commerce.

U.S. pressure propels deal

The negotiations for the India-EU deal got a new impetus after U.S. President Donald Trump’s strong-arm trade tactics, including threatening his European allies with punitive tariffs over their objections to Trump’s threats to take control of Greenland.

Modi, speaking at a joint news conference in New Delhi with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, said that the partnership with the EU “will strengthen stability in the international system” at a time of ”turmoil in the global order.”

“Europe and India are making history today. We have concluded the mother of all deals,” von der Leyen posted on X.

In a speech later, she said that the accord was a tale of “two giants” who chose partnership “in a true win-win fashion.” She also said that it sends “a strong message that cooperation is the best answer to global challenges.”

The deal is expected to further integrate supply chains and strengthen joint manufacturing power between the two economies. It will also cut up to 4 billion euros ($4.7 billion) in annual tariffs for exporters and create jobs for millions of workers in India and Europe.

Easing regulation

A formal signing of the deal could come later this year after officials go through the legal details of the text and the European Parliament ratifies it. India’s trade minister, Piyush Goyal, said that he expected the deal to take effect by the end of the year.

India is expected to reduce or eliminate tariffs for 96.6% of EU exports, while Brussels will reciprocate with similar reductions in phases that eventually cover nearly 99% of India’s shipments by trade value, according to statements from both sides.

India’s sectors poised to gain from the deal include textiles, apparel, engineering goods, and leather, handicraft, footwear and marine products, while the EU’s gains will be in wine, automobiles, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, among others.

A quota system for automobiles, wines and whisky has been agreed upon, bringing down steep duties.

The European Commission said that tariffs charged by India on EU-made cars will gradually go down from 110% to as low as 10%, while they will be fully abolished for car parts after five to 10 years. Tariffs ranging up to 44% on machinery, 22% on chemicals and 11% on pharmaceuticals will also be mostly eliminated.

On European wine, the tariffs in India would come down from 150% to 20% for premium wines.

New Delhi has excluded dairy products such as milk and cheese from the deal, along with cereals, citing “domestic sensitivities” about those products. For its part, the EU won’t allow concessional tariffs on imports of Indian sugar, meat, poultry and beef products, Indian Trade Ministry officials said.

Offsetting U.S. tariffs impact

India is looking to diversify its export destinations as part of a strategy to offset the impact of higher U.S. tariffs, including an extra 25% levy on Indian goods for its unabated purchases of discounted Russian oil, bringing the combined tariffs imposed by the United States on its Asian ally to 50%.

For the EU, the deal offers the bloc expanded access to one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies, and helps European exporters and investors reduce their reliance on more volatile markets.

“This is the most comprehensive trade deal India has ever signed, which gives European companies a first mover advantage into this market and gives them a strategic upper hand that other players do not,” said Garima Mohan, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund.

Trade between India and EU stood at $136.5 billion in 2024 to 2025. The two sides hope to increase that to about $200 billion by 2030, Indian officials said.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/india-eu-modi-trade-wine-auto-74b8744b2ef562d2e820b238e6ce8d38

Technical talks between the U.S., Denmark and Greenland over hatching an Arctic security deal are now underway, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday.

The foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland agreed to create a working group aimed at addressing differences with the U.S. during a Washington meeting earlier this month with Vice President JD Vance and Rubio.

The group was created after President Donald Trump’s repeated calls for the U.S. to take over Greenland, a Danish territory, in the name of countering threats from Russia and China — calls that Greenland, Denmark and European allies forcefully rejected.

“It begins today and it will be a regular process,” Rubio said of the working group, as he testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “We’re going to try to do it in a way that isn’t like a media circus every time these conversations happen, because we think that creates more flexibility on both sides to arrive at a positive outcome.”

The Danish Foreign Ministry said Wednesday’s talks focused on “how we can address U.S. concerns about security in the Arctic while respecting the red lines of the Kingdom.” Red lines refers to the sovereignty of Greenland.

Trump’s renewed threats in recent weeks to annex Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of a NATO ally, has roiled U.S.-European relations.

Trump this month announced he would slap new tariffs on Denmark and seven other European countries that opposed his takeover calls, only to abruptly drop his threats after a “framework” for a deal over access to the mineral-rich island was reached, with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s help. Few details of the agreement have emerged.

After stiff pushback from European allies to his Greenland rhetoric, Trump also announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last week that he would take off the table the possibility of using American military force to acquire Greenland.

The president backed off his tariff threats and softened his language after Wall Street suffered its biggest losses in months over concerns that Trump’s Greenland ambitions could spur a trade war and fundamentally rupture NATO, a 32-member transatlantic military alliance that’s been a linchpin of post-World War II security.

Rubio on Wednesday appeared eager to downplay Trump’s rift with Europe over Greenland.

“We’ve got a little bit of work to do, but I think we’re going to wind up in a good place, and I think you’ll hear the same from our colleagues in Europe very shortly,” Rubio said.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/trump-rubio-greenland-denmark-technical-talks-7e2180f90bc6e7a6005a6895a8164a00

 

Count New England Patriots team owner Robert Kraft among those shocked that Bill Belichick reportedly will not be selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

In a statement to The Associated Press on Wednesday, Kraft said he believes Belichick’s accomplishments are clearly worthy of selection for the Hall on his first ballot.

“Whatever perceptions may exist about any personal differences between Bill and me, I strongly believe Bill Belichick’s record and body of work speak for themselves,” Kraft said in the statement.

Citing four unidentified sources, ESPN reported Tuesday that Belichick didn’t receive the necessary 40 votes from the 50-person panel of media members and other Hall of Famers. ESPN said Belichick received a call from the Hall of Fame last Friday with the news.

The Hall of Fame declined to comment before its class of 2026 is announced at NFL Honors in San Francisco on Feb. 5.

See more

“As head coach of the New England Patriots for more than two decades, he set the standard for on-field excellence, preparation, and sustained success in the free agency and salary cap era of The National Football League,” Kraft said. “He is the greatest coach of all time and he unequivocally deserves to be a unanimous first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer.”

Reaction to Belichick’s reported omission from this year’s class came swiftly from around the NFL world, with many criticizing the selection committee. The list included Hall voters and Tom Brady, who was the quarterback for all six of Belichick’s Super Bowl wins in New England. In an interview Wednesday with Seattle Sports 710-AM, Brady said Belichick not getting voted in this year was “ridiculous.”

“I don’t understand it,” Brady said. “If he’s not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, there’s really no coach that should ever be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, which is completely ridiculous because people deserve it.”

Source : https://apnews.com/article/bill-belichick-hall-of-fame-robert-kraft-e1e483cc065c6180c8c763485170486d

 

A HIGHLY infectious disease is sweeping through the country – with nearly a thousand infected and hundreds in quarantine.

A contentious vaccine debate is feared to be fueling a new outbreak, just one year after the surge left two children dead.

Measles has spread to at least 789 people in South Carolina, and an additional 557 people have been put in quarantine for 21 days.

South Carolina’s outbreak has surpassed the West Texas outbreak in 2025, which sickened 782 people and killed two young girls.

The majority of cases are in Spartanburg County, in the northeastern part of the state bordering North Carolina.

Ninety-three percent of cases are among people who are unvaccinated or are unsure of their vaccination status, the South Carolina Department of Health confirmed.

As of January 23, the CDC has reported 416 measles cases in 14 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia and Washington.

But the South Carolina Department of Health’s total alone soars above the CDC’s count and continues to rise, with 89 more cases confirmed since Friday.

The outbreak comes as the US faces the possibility of losing its measles elimination status as early as November.

The disease was considered eliminated in 2000, which means it isn’t constantly circulating.

If measles continues to transmit until August, the disease will have been constantly circulating for a year and will be considered endemic.

The new principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Ralph Abraham, said he was “not really” concerned about the possibility of the US losing its elimination status.

“We have these communities that choose to be unvaccinated. That’s their personal freedom,” Abraham said in a call with reporters on January 20, reported by NBC News.

“I think we have to respect those communities that choose to go somewhat of a different route.”

Health experts say the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is 97% effective when both doses are given.

But vaccination rates have dropped in recent years, falling below the 95% threshold needed for herd immunity.

Only 11 states met that threshold among kindergartners in the last school year.

Abraham said that the MMR vaccine is “effective,” but did not encourage vaccination in outbreak areas.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/health/15852227/us-measles-outbreak-sparks-vaccine-debate/

US technology giant Amazon has confirmed it will cut 16,000 jobs – hours after it told staff about a new round of global redundancies in an email apparently sent in error.

The email, which has been seen by the BBC, was sent late on Tuesday and refers to a swathe of employees in the US, Canada and Costa Rica having been laid off as part of an effort to “strengthen the company.”

The message was apparently shared by mistake, as it was quickly cancelled.

Early on Wednesday, Amazon announced job reductions as part of a plan to “remove bureaucracy” at the firm.

Beth Galetti, senior vice president of people experience and technology at Amazon, said on Wednesday it was not planning to make “broad reductions every few months”, referring to Amazon’s announcement of 14,000 corporate job cuts in October.

“While many teams finalized their organizational changes in October, other teams did not complete that work until now,” she said.

Amazon employs around 1.5 million people globally, with around 350,000 in corporate roles.

Amazon has not said where the latest job losses will fall or which countries will be affected.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent again criticised the EU’s trade deal with India, saying Europe put commerce ahead of pressure on Russia over the Ukraine war.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday once more criticised Europe’s decision to finalise a major trade agreement with India, saying it showed the continent had put trade interests ahead of its stated concern for the Ukrainian people.

Speaking to CNBC, Bessent said he was disappointed by Europe’s stance, arguing that Brussels had prioritised commercial interests even as the war in Ukraine continued.

“They should do what’s best for themselves, but I will tell you, I found, I find the Europeans very disappointing,” Bessent said.

His remarks came a day after the European Union finalised a long-delayed trade agreement with India, aimed at boosting two-way trade and reducing Europe’s reliance on the United States amid growing global trade tensions. The EU said the deal would eliminate or reduce tariffs on 96.6% of traded goods by value, potentially doubling EU exports to India by 2032 and saving European companies around 4 billion euros in duties.

He said the trade deal explained why the European Union had refused to match Washington’s decision to impose higher tariffs on India last year. “The Europeans were unwilling to join us, and it turns out, because they wanted to do this trade deal,” he said. “So every time you hear a European talk about the importance of the Ukrainian people, remember that they put trade ahead of the Ukrainian people.”

Bessent accused Europe of indirectly financing Russia’s war effort by buying refined fuel products linked to Russian crude oil. “The Russian oil goes into India, the refined products come out, and the Europeans buy the refined products,” he said. “They are financing the war against themselves.”

Bessent’s criticism followed similar comments he made last week, before the trade deal was formally signed. In an interview with ABC News, he said the US had imposed 25% tariffs on India over its purchases of Russian oil, while Europe was moving ahead with a trade pact.

“We have put 25% tariffs on India for buying Russian oil. Guess what happened last week? The Europeans signed a trade deal with India,” Bessent said. “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.”

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/very-disappointing-trump-commerce-secy-says-europe-put-trade-above-ukraine-with-eu-india-fta-ws-l-9862495.html

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has frozen new H-1B visa petitions at state agencies and universities until 2027. Here’s how it impacts Indian professionals.

Texas has moved to sharply restrict skilled foreign hiring at taxpayer-funded institutions, with Governor Greg Abbott ordering an immediate freeze on new H-1B visa petitions across state agencies and public universities. The directive, issued on Tuesday, mandates that no new H-1B applications be filed unless written approval is granted by the Texas Workforce Commission, according to the governor’s office.

Abbott said the freeze will remain in effect until May 2027 and is intended to ensure that public sector hiring prioritises American workers. “In light of recent reports of abuse in the federal H-1B visa programme, and amid the federal government’s ongoing review of that programme, I am directing all state agencies to immediately freeze new H-1B visa petitions,” Abbott said in the order released by his office.

See more

Texans come first.

I’m directing state agencies and universities to freeze new H-1B visa petitions. Texas taxpayers invest billions to train our workforce. Those jobs should go to Texans.

Texas is the strongest economic engine in America. We’re going to keep it that way.…

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 27, 2026

Trump laid out Board of Peace as part of his 20-point ceasefire plan for Gaza. However, as time to start the second phase neared, the aim shifted.

Amid the controversy regarding United States President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, a total of 26 nations had joined the international body as of Wednesday. While the Board of Peace was formed to ensure peace in Gaza and the reconstruction of the war-torn Palestinian region after Israeli military strikes, the charter of the BoP appears to have an aim to replace the United Nations as the mediator in global conflicts.

Donald Trump laid out his Board of Peace as part of the second phase of his 20-point ceasefire plan for Gaza. However, as time to start the second phase neared, the aim of the board shifted.

“The Board of Peace is an international organization that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict,” reads the charter.

The original draft, as per a statement from the White House, stated that the body will play a key role in ensuring all 20 points of the Gaza ceasefire plan are put into effect.

However, with invites now sent out, countries and allies find themselves questioning the very motive behind this board and the lack of mention of the larger Israel-Palestine conflict.

No G7 on the list

The G7 countries — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the European Union — are missing from the list of founding members so far.

US allies such as France, Germany and the UK have outright refused to join the board in view of the lack of mention of Gaza, Trump’s current trade policies, and his demand for Greenland from Denmark.

Canada, on the other hand, said it would be open to joining the board but not pay the renewal fees of $1 billion after three years. But, following PM Mark Carney’s hard-hitting speech at Davos, Trump has disinvited Canada.

Italy also stated that it cannot join the board in its current form. “We are available. We are interested in this initiative,” said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a press briefing with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Rome, but added that under the current structure it would be “unconstitutional” for Italy to join.

Similar sentiments were echoed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, adding that Germany is willing to “try other forms, new forms of cooperation with the United States of America, when it comes to finding new formats that bring us closer to peace in different regions of the world”.

Japan stopped short of committing itself to the board. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Tokyo hopes to “play a role”, but the Sanae Takaichi-led government is yet to clarify its stance on joining or not.

The European Union raised its concerns regarding the “concentration of powers” of the Board of Peace, which leaves its chairman, Donald Trump, in charge of majority of the decisions.

In a confidential analysis dated January 19 and shared with the EU’s member countries, Reuters reported that the European External Action Service expressed worries about a concentration of power in Trump’s hands.

The analysis further stated that the charter of the body “raises a concern under the EU’s constitutional principles” and “the autonomy of the EU legal order also militates against a concentration of powers in the hands of the chairman”.

The document added that the charters “departs significantly” from the mandate authorised by the UN Security Council, which had a sole focus on Gaza. Furthermore, Trump’s demand and threats towards Greenland have marred US’ ties with the EU.

Along with the G7 nations, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden declined POTUS’s invitation to join.

3 BRICS nations on board, but founding members skip

BRICS has long been seem by Trump as an anti-American group of nations, especially due to the presence of China and Russia. That being said, at least three BRICS nations have joined the Board of Peace.

As per the data issued on its official X account, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt have joined the Trump-led body. However, the inclusion of these nations also comes due to their role as the key mediators during the Israel-Gaza war since October 2023.

India and Brazil, which are also facing 50% tariffs from Trump, are not on the board yet. Even China and Russia have been invited, but have yet to accept.

South Africa, on the other hand, was not extended an invitation to join the board, most likely due to Trump’s unproven allegations of a “white genocide” in the country.

Three BRICS Partner countries — Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan — are now members of the Board of Peace, though.

2. Armenia

3. Azerbaijan

4. Albania

5. Bahrain

6. Belarus

7. Bulgaria

8. Cambodia

9. El Salvador

10. Egypt

11. Hungary

12. Indonesia

13. Jordan

14. Kazakhstan

15. Kosov

16. Kuwait

17. Mongolia

18. Morocco

19. Pakistan

20. Paraguay

21. Qatar

22. Saudi Arabia

Eight children were killed in an attack on a remote village in Cameroon’s North West has shocked the nation. But there appears no end in sight to the separatist conflict in the Anglophone regions.

Saidu Afiyatu’s journey from Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde back to his village in Gidado in the North West region, ended in unimaginable horror.

On the morning of January 14, he returned to find his house burnt to the ground and two of his brothers murdered.

“I never ever suspected a day like this would come, when people with whom we have been living together for decades would do this to us,” Afiyatu told DW.

He was not alone in his loss. According to village Chief Tata Ndzisshoto, suspected separatist fighters swept through the community before dawn, killing 14 people, including eight children. About 20 others were wounded and have been receiving treatment in hospital.

Several homes were razed in the attack on the remote settlement, situated about 150 kilometers (93 miles) from Bamenda, which regional governor Adolphe Lele L’Afrique described as “barbaric.”

Killings part of a wider conflict in Cameroon

The attack pulls into focus the brutality of the wider conflict that has plagued Cameroon’s Anglophone region. Since 2017, by conservative estimates, some 6,500 people have been killed, and over a million have been displaced, according to the International Crisis Group.

After teachers and lawyers from Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions went on strike over the use of French in Anglophone schools and courts, the Yaounde-based government took a hardline. The peaceful strikes deteriorated into violent confrontation.

Observers say the turmoil provided fertile ground for a separatist faction to grow in both size and significance, with more English speakers demanding independence, and the creation of a separate nation to be called Ambazonia.

Efforts at ending the crisis, including what the government described as “a Major National Dialogue” organized in 2019, have so far failed to restore the nation to peace.

No peace without justice

“All we want is a return to peace,” village chief Tata Ndzisshoto told DW, adding: “I do not know how that will be done, but I know that when people can move about their lives without fear of being attacked, kidnapped or even killed, then I would say we have peace.”

Kinang Derick Fai, Conflict Research and Activity Implementation Coordinator at the Yaounde-based NGO, Defyhatenow, says a viable path to peace begins with addressing the root causes of the conflict.

“The Anglophone conflict is too complex for a simple solution. It arises from poorly managed diversity, and we are now caught in a conflict trap where no single action can bring peace,” he told DW.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/cameroon-in-shock-after-suspected-separatist-attack/a-75684460

The Philippines’ “doctors to the barrios” model shows how workforce shortages, intersected with governance, financing and system design, reveal why rural care remains fragile despite years of reforms.

When Dr. Katrina Magbojos joined the Philippines’ Doctors to the Barrios (DTTB) program, she was assigned not to a distant island or a conflict zone, as the term “barrios” might suggest, but to Jalajala, Rizal, about two hours southwest of the capital, Manila.

Jalajala is considered remote due to limited transportation options, scarce resources and challenges in accessing early medical care.

Magbojos served as a rural health physician in Jalajala under the Department of Health’s DTTB between 2022 and 2025.

Morning clinics often ran through noon, followed by afternoon consultations and administrative work.Patients at the clinic needed treatment for issues including upper respiratory tract infections, tuberculosis, diabetes, and hypertension.

While electricity and the internet were generally stable, public transportation dictated daily limits.

“Water was the main problem in my last year of deployment,” Magbojos told DW, explaining how her supply was often cut off to save costs.

For her, social problems in developing countries like the Philippines remain a challenge. People with lower incomes have poor health-seeking behavior, she said, because “whenever they seek consultation, they always think it is just an expense, so sometimes they seek it too late.”

Magbojos said that many patients could not complete their treatment because medicines were limited. She recalled two cases of human rabies that affected her deeply.

“Preventable vaccines are subsidized by the government, but the two cases did not access preventive vaccines,” she said.

Why DTTB still exists

The Doctors to the Barrios program began in 1993 after a health department survey found that 271 municipalities were without a resident doctor. Yet, after three decades, many health officials claim the underlying issue persists.

The Philippines has 7.92 doctors per 10,000 population as of 2022, according to figures from the Philippine Senate — lower than the benchmark of 10 doctors per 10,000.

As of December 2025, the Department of Health had 739 Doctors to the Barrios deployed across the country, according to Dr. Karl Ubial, who serves as the team lead for Primary Care Provider Network support under the DTTB program.

“The DTTB is a program that ensures that universal health care is achieved through equitable access and distribution of doctors,” Ubial said.

He added that the mandate goes beyond filling vacancies to strengthening local health systems.

Numbers and systems both matter

At the heart of the DTTB discussion is a persistent question: is the problem simply a lack of doctors? Ubial said the answer is more complex.

“The binding constraint in many areas is maldistribution and local system capacity [financing, HRH absorption, referral networks, medicines, diagnostics, governance],” he told DW.

Even when doctors are available, system limitations often make retention difficult. DTTB functions as a bridge while broader reforms under the Universal Health Care (UHC) law take shape.

“DTTB is designed to close an access gap until such time that LGUs [local government units] are capacitated to supply themselves with the proper amount and quality of Human Resources for Health,” Ubial said.

Why towns still rely on DTTBs

Many municipalities remain dependent on the DTTB because they cannot sustain a physician’s presence, often due to limited budgets or difficulty recruiting doctors to more remote areas.

Ubial also pointed to constrained access to medical education, now being addressed through the Doktor Para sa Bayan Act, which aims to address the shortage of physicians by providing free education.

Meanwhile, Magbojos said he saw these limits play out in referrals.

Jalajala has a provincial infirmary, but “they lack manpower, tools and equipment,” she said.

Serious cases were referred to hospitals several municipalities away. Transport often became a bottleneck.

“If they’re unlucky enough that all the ambulances are unavailable, they will have to transfer by their own means,” she said. Referral coordination, she added, was uneven.

DTTB as a transitional measure

Some observers describe DTTB as a temporary solution. Ubial, however, described it as a transitional program.

“For me, it is more like a bridge — a transition while long‑term human resource and capacity delivery solutions are being built,” he said.

The Trump administration has moved ICE’s center of activity from the border with Mexico to the heart of US cities. Federal agents’ encounters with the public are challenging the foundational ideas of the United States.

High-profile, at times lethal and potentially unconstitutional actions by federal US immigration officers could be changing the views of Americans on a cornerstone Donald Trump policy.

Immigration has been a centerpiece of the US president’s platform throughout more than a decade of political life, and was at the core of his 2024 election campaign.

But polls show public opinion has shifted amid the widely circulated operations carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and other federal agents in urban areas. Those operations have this month seen the shooting deaths of two US citizens in Minneapolis.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Monday local time, drawing responses from both before and after the killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti, showed 53% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of immigration, compared to 39% on the first day of his new term in January 2025. Approval on his immigration handling is at 39%, down from a high of 50% in February 2025.

Partisanship plays a role still — Republicans were, overall, supportive of ICE’s activities while more than 9 in 10 Democrats disapproved of the measures.

But nearly two thirds of voters who didn’t declare a party of support said ICE’s actions had gone too far.

ICE has long been tasked with identifying and apprehending undocumented immigrants, but in Trump’s second term, the agency’s activities have been met by protests, public accountability and monitoring campaigns, and heightened tensions on the streets.

It’s a coming together of several factors unprecedented in ICE’s operating history, said Kelsey Norman, director of the Women’s Rights, Human Rights, and Refugees Program at the Baker Institute for Public Policy in the US.

That includes the arrival of ICE officers in major cities, Donald Trump’s personal target of one million deportations, a sharp increase of agency funding and officer recruitment, as well as the capturing of violent, and now lethal, conduct by the agency in the streets.

“A lot of these militarized practices have existed within immigration enforcement,” Norman told DW, “[It’s] just that they were being deployed in the border where they weren’t necessarily getting the kind of public attention that they are now.”

A challenge to America’s deeply held values

The deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti have thrown a global spotlight on ICE deployments in US cities. For everyday Americans, the operations highlight other potential risks — not just the potential for lethal force to be used against citizens.

Walter Olson, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, a US-based libertarian think tank, said there is evidence that ICE’s actions are infringing on civil protections under the US Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Olson told DW there have been apparent violations of Fourth Amendment “search and seizure” rights, where ICE has entered homes without judge-signed search warrants. Liberties guaranteed for citizens and non-citizens alike have also been violated, he said.

“We have seen multiple apparent violations of search and seizure rights, including breaking down homeowners’ doors,” Olson told DW. “In other cases, more numerous, although less dramatic, the constitutional rules for when police can stop you on the street” were violated.

Statements following Pretti’s death by prominent Trump administration officials and supporters have also drawn attention to the Second Amendment, which grants individuals the right to bear arms.

Pretti was a licenced gun owner in the state of Minnesota and authorized to carry a concealed weapon. None of the multiple bystander videos of his killing appear to show him drawing a firearm, yet key administration figures have remarked that Pretti should not have brought a weapon to a protest. This line of reasoning is receiving pushback within the Republican Party and other conservative movements, pointing to constitutional protections.

“Our Second Amendment has been very much treasured by the American conservative side of the spectrum for many decades,” Olson said.

“The Trump administration… came out and said things like you should not be carrying a gun on the streets of the city, or you should not ever have a firearm at a demonstration, even if — and I’m going to cite the Minnesota situation — your state allows it, even if you have a license for concealed carry, even if you never use the gun or pull it out or brandish it.”

“This is a sharp, 180-degree turn from what the conservative position had been,” Olson said.

He added that American citizens may also now be considering what these actions could signal for the future.

“For everyday Americans, the question I think they need to face is, if this can be done in this campaign against immigrants, where else can it be done when the campaign moves on to people who are considered subversive or ‘un-American’,” Olson said.

Current actions unprecedented in democracies, including the US

ICE’s mandate and role in immigration enforcement have evolved and shifted over its two-decade existence, but its conduct in Trump’s current term is unprecedented both within the US and other democracies, Norman told DW.

Often out of sight conducting border operations under previous administrations, including Trump’s first term, the shift to northern cities has pitched face-covered federal officers into highly populated areas where everyone has a camera phone and can monitor and document their activities.

That has enabled greater attention on Trump’s second-term approach to immigration policing and highlighted some of the more extreme tactics of its agents.

“The kind of tactics that ICE is deploying are things that you would see being carried out by police… in quite authoritarian countries,” Norman said.

The use of force, including tear gas and pepper spray, against bystanders and grassroots accountability movements has also captured the attention of international policing bodies, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

It published a statement calling on the White House to bring law enforcement officials at all levels together to “support calm, lawful engagement and policies grounded in proven practice. ”

Observers have previously raised concerns that a massive recruitment drive means that many ICE officers are operating with insufficient training.

The current tension could change public views on the quality and professionalism of almost 18,000 law enforcement agencies around the US, said Kathy O’Toole, a partner at 21CP Solutions, a consultancy born out of an Obama-era review into US policing.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/ice-on-us-streets-challenges-american-norms-founding-values/a-75679947

After being closed since May 2024, the Rafah crossing will likely soon reopen, allowing people to move between Gaza and Egypt again. The prospect gives Palestinians hope, but Israel will continue to impose restrictions.

Many Palestinians in the devastated Gaza Strip have been waiting for the opening of the Rafah crossing with Egypt at Gaza’s southern end. In the past, the crossing was Gaza’s lifeline to the outside world, an access point that wasn’t entirely controlled by Israel.

In May 2024, the Israeli military seized control of the crossing and closed the Gaza side of it, except for rare medical evacuations.

It is expected to reopen after Israel announced on Monday that the remains of the final deceased hostage in Gaza, Ran Gvili, had been recovered. This news is important to show people in Gaza that some progress is being made, Mustafa Ibrahim, a political analyst in Gaza City, told DW.

“The crossing needs to be opened so people feel change and transition,” Ibrahim said. “Israel still allows only limited aid trucks. People stranded outside Gaza want to return; thousands of wounded and sick desperately need to travel abroad for treatment.”

The reopening of the crossing is part of the next steps in the second phase of the US-brokered ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, the militant Islamist group that used to govern Gaza.

Closed territory with almost no way out

Although the opening of the crossing had been announced several times before (without coming to fruition), the news traveled quickly in Gaza. After more than two years of devastating war that, according to Hamas health authorities, killed more than 70,000 people in the Palestinian territory, it’s a welcome sign that there is some change. The small territory has been under a strict closure and people can’t freely decide when they want to leave or come back.

Israel launched large-scale attacks on Gaza after Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by the EU, the US and others, had crossed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages.

Now the planned opening of the Rafah crossing is giving people some hope.

“We want freedom of movement, both in and out [of the territory]. We want Palestinians who wish to return to be able to do so,” said Shaiman Rashwan, who was displaced during the war, in a phone interview with DW from Gaza City. “We want a normal life. These are the most basic rights of any people and any nation.”

Hamed Hamdi, a civil engineer who lost his home and now lives in a tent in Gaza City, said that the news had created a dilemma for him.

“Should I leave Gaza and go somewhere else just to save my children from living in tents, receiving an intermittent education and accessing healthcare that doesn’t even meet the most basic needs?” the 41-year-old Palestinian father asked in a phone call with DW. “Or should I stay here in my country to help rebuild it alongside other specialists and try to create hope from the rubble?”

An open Rafah still hard to pass through

Traveling through Rafah is no small feat. It hasn’t been easy in the past, and it appears to be complicated now, too.

It is unclear when the crossing will open or what the exact procedures will be. On Sunday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office merely announced that Israel had agreed to reopen the crossing “for pedestrian passage only, subject to a full Israeli inspection mechanism.”

Hamas said in a statement on Monday that Israel must open the Rafah crossing in both directions “without restrictions.”

The head of the new Palestinian committee administering Gaza’s daily affairs, Ali Shaath, who is part of the new technocrat administration put in place by the US, said last week the crossing would be opened this week to facilitate movement to and from the enclave.

The committee members, who are currently in Egypt, are waiting to enter the territory, which they are expected to do on Thursday.

Opening Rafah crossing won’t be quick and easy

While details are still unclear, some sources in Gaza suggest that, initially, the reopening of the Rafah crossing could enable patients to leave for urgent medical treatment and allow students or individuals with dual citizenship to leave Gaza.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians who fled the war before the Israeli military took control of the crossing in May 2024 have made Egypt their temporary home. However, Egypt has opposed the permanent resettlement of Palestinian refugees in the country.

Opening the Rafah crossing won’t be easy. First, it needs to be rebuilt. Then comes the question of who will be in charge of it.

According to diplomatic sources, the crossing will operate under a temporary mechanism involving the Egyptian and Israeli authorities. The EU observer mission EUBAM Rafah, which was established in 2005, is also expected to be present. The role of Hamas, which still controls parts of Gaza, is unclear.

Travelers will reportedly need to submit their details to be included on a list coordinated by the Palestinian-Israeli Civil Liaison Committee, and they will require the approval of both Egypt and Israel to cross. Those returning to Gaza will reportedly have to submit to strict Israeli screening procedures and need an Israeli permit to return.

UN seeks clarity

According to diplomatic sources, the opening would also facilitate the entry of more humanitarian aid and commercial goods through the crossing, which are currently transferred mainly through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing.

On Monday, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that they were still “trying to get clarity on what exactly the Rafah opening means, how it will be implemented.

“What we want to see is humanitarian goods going in, cargo going in, both from the humanitarian community and private cargo,” Dujarric added.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/israel-eyes-opening-rafah-crossing-gazas-gate-to-egypt/a-75685971

A Ukrainian soldier has described the moment a passenger train was targeted by Russian drones, killing five people.

When a carriage on the train was hit in northeastern Ukraine, passengers threw themselves on the floor in panic and the military officer told them to get out immediately.

Without his instruction, issued moments before the carriage burst into flames, many more passengers could have died.

The officer, whose army call-sign is Omar, is part of Ukraine’s 93rd brigade. He was among the passengers travelling on a route from Chop, on the border with Slovakia, to Barvinkove, the last stop before the front line in eastern Ukraine.

The first of three Russian drones landed near the train, forcing it to come to a halt.

“Then we heard the rumble of another drone, and then an explosion,” Omar tells the BBC. “The blast was so strong that parts of the carriage shattered into splinters.”

As the commander of a drone unit, he quickly realised he and the other passengers had to get out as the train could get hit again. In all, 291 people were on the train at the time, officials say.

“After the second hit, I understood that the drone operator was observing what kind of target it was hitting,” Omar says, and a stationary train was an easy target.

The carriage that suffered a direct hit quickly became engulfed in flames. “I am in the military and I am prepared for such attacks,” says Omar. “But for others it was a shock to be so close to death.”

Many passengers evacuated the train in a state of deep distress, and videos from the scene show people screaming and crying as they move away from the smouldering wreck.

It was too dangerous for such a large number of people to stay near the burning carriages, so he urged them to start moving towards a nearby motorway.

He then went back to the train with some of the other passengers to check if anyone had been left behind. Inspecting the carriages, he saw a body and continued to look for survivors. Five people lost their lives in the attack.

In the final carriage, Omar found a young woman with a baby.

“She was very scared and had no idea what to do but thank God she was alive,” he says.

She barely had time to put on warm clothes, and screamed she needed to go back to the carriage to retrieve her suitcase and documents, the officer says.

“I came here to bring my son,” she told Omar as she was getting off the train. Later, Omar understood she had been travelling to the front line so that her soldier husband could see their child.

The attack on the passenger train in Kharkiv region was condemned by President Volodymyr Zelensky as terrorism.

It hit the heart of the railway system – a symbol of resilience in a country where the airspace has been closed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Millions of Ukrainians rely on the 21,000km-long (13,000-mile) railway network to travel around the country and to cross the border into neighbouring countries, from which they can then catch flights.

Although the railways have been targeted in the past, by and large Ukraine’s Ukrzaliznytsia rail company has been able to keep people moving on its vast network – although escalating attacks on infrastructure and severe weather have led to increasingly long delays.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgjwpq4pggjo

Matt Lauer’s accuser Brooke Nevils branded the ousted “Today” show anchor a “monster” in an excerpt detailing the aftermath of her alleged 2014 rape.

In her upcoming “Unspeakable Things: Silence, Shame and the Stories We Choose to Believe” memoir, out Feb. 3, Nevils claims she woke up in her Russia hotel room with her “underwear and the sheet beneath [her] caked with blood.”

Nevils, who was working as an NBC talent assistant for the Sochi Olympics at the time, had been drinking with “longtime boss and mentor” Meredith Vieira the previous evening when Lauer joined them, she writes in an excerpt obtained by The Cut.

Nevils alleges that she was “drunk and alone” when Lauer “insist[ed] on having anal sex” in a “spinning room” with her body “unsteady” and her mind “blurred [and] frantic.”

Lauer has always maintained their relationship was “mutual and completely consensual.”

Highlighting their “rounds of vodka shots” and “the overwhelming power differential” between herself and Lauer, Nevils writes, “I would never have used the word ‘rape’ to describe what happened [next]. Even now, I hear ‘rape’ and think of masked strangers in dark alleys. … It would take years — and a national reckoning with sexual harassment and assault — before I called what happened to me assault.”

She notes, “Back then, I had no idea what to call what happened other than weird and humiliating. But then there was the pain, which was undeniable. It hurt to walk. It hurt to sit. It hurt to remember.”

She recalls thinking, “If anyone else had done this to me, I would have gone to the police.”

Instead, Nevils “went on with [her] day as though absolutely nothing had happened.”

She writes, “I pulled the blood‑streaked sheets off the bed and piled them in the corner so that the maid would not see the blood. I wadded my bloody underwear into a ball and threw it away.”

Additionally, Nevils replied with a “friendly” email back to Lauer’s alleged message: “You don’t call, you don’t write — my feelings are hurt! How are you?”

She writes his alleged words were “oddly comforting,” explaining, “It reaffirmed exactly what I wanted and needed to believe, which was that it had all been a misunderstanding, that everything was all right, that Matt Lauer — anchor of ‘Today’ — couldn’t have seen the blood or meant to cause pain.”

However, Lauer allegedly mentioned the blood the following week when Nevils — after what she describes as repeated attempts to talk to him about what happened — was invited to his apartment.

After “unzipping [her] dress,” Nevils alleges Lauer brought her an “armful of towels … ‘just in case, because of what happened last time.’”

Nevils then came to believe, “He saw [the blood] in Sochi. He has known about it all along. It was not a mistake. It was not a misunderstanding. And then afterward — after he’d seen the blood — he’d asked me if I liked it, and I’d been so broken and humiliated and desperate to please him that I’d said “yes.” But that was then. Why would he have towels now?”

She writes that she realized, “He’s going to do it again. Because that has been the plan all along. … I should have thought, ‘He’s a monster.’ Instead I thought, ‘You brought this on yourself.’”

This time, Nevils alleges, she “fixate[d] on the scratching of [a] wool [blanket] against [her] skin rather than what [was] happening” and reminded herself “to breathe.”

She claims, “In the months that followed, there would be four more instances. … Once Matt summoned me to his dressing room and I went; two other times I ended up there in the course of my day-to-day job.

“One encounter I even initiated, telling myself I wasn’t the same naïve idiot I’d been in Sochi or some girl Matt could just summon to her knees in his office, always thinking that this would be the time I took back control,” Nevils continued. “But I never did. I just implicated myself in my own abuse.”

Reps for Lauer and NBC did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.

Nevils, who called Lauer “monstrous” when alone but “charming and charismatic” in public, filed a complaint to NBC against the journalist in 2017 — and several other women came forward with claims of their own.

Lauer, who has denied the sexual misconduct allegations, was fired within 24 hours and subsequently split from wife Annette Roque.

The Daytime Emmy winner, who moved on with girlfriend Shamina Abas, has not been charged with or convicted of any crime.

As for Nevils, who first described the alleged rape in Ronan Farrow’s “Catch and Kill” in 2019, she took a leave of absence from the network and never returned.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/01/28/celebrity-news/broken-matt-lauer-accuser-describes-bloody-aftermath-of-alleged-2014-rape-in-harrowing-tell-all/

 

U.S. President Donald Trump’s top immigration officials have repeatedly made statements after violent encounters involving federal agents – including two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens in Minneapolis this month – that were later contradicted by evidence, a Reuters review found.
Trump officials quickly painted the two recently shot dead – Renee Good and Alex Pretti – as aggressors and said the shootings were justified. But video and other evidence soon emerged that contrasted sharply with these accounts, fueling questions about the credibility of federal officials and doubts about their willingness to fully investigate these and other incidents.

The Reuters review included these two incidents and four others in recent months that, collectively, show a pattern in which officials rushed to defend immigration officers without waiting for key facts to emerge – in what former immigration officials called a clear break with past practice for federal agencies in such situations.
These initial representations have been challenged by video footage or other evidence, sometimes in court. In one non-lethal shooting in Minnesota, court documents emerged showing the incident began with a case of mistaken identity. A death in a detention center that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security described as an attempted suicide was later ruled a homicide by a county medical examiner.

“They are trying to control a narrative from the very start, and they don’t seem to care when they’re proven wrong,” said David Lapan, who was the DHS press secretary in 2017, during Trump’s first administration.
In response to a Reuters request for comment, DHS pointed to previous statements about the incidents involving their officers, stressing the need for officer safety as they carry out Trump’s crackdown.
“We have seen a highly coordinated campaign of violence against our law enforcement,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said, adding that the department aims to “give swift, accurate information to the American people.”
Here is a look at six incidents in Minneapolis, Chicago and Texas:

DHS SAID PRETTI BRANDISHED A GUN BUT VIDEO SHOWED A CELL PHONE

After Pretti, 37, was shot and killed during an encounter with U.S. Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis on Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement noting that Pretti was carrying a firearm but did not say that it remained holstered. The statement said the encounter “looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”

DHS said Pretti “approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun” in a post on the social network X, sharing a photo of the alleged weapon.
“The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted,” DHS said.
White House aide Stephen Miller, the architect of Trump’s immigration agenda, said on X that Pretti was a “domestic terrorist” and “would-be assassin.”
Video of the encounter verified by Reuters showed Pretti holding a cell phone and not a gun as he was wrestled to the ground by the agents. Video evidence also showed that an officer removed Pretti’s gun from his body shortly before the first shots were fired. He had a legal permit to carry the weapon.
In response to a Reuters request for comment on Monday, DHS said in a statement that Pretti “committed a federal crime while armed as he obstructed an active law enforcement operation” and that the situation was “evolving.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a briefing on Monday that Trump “wants to let the investigation continue and let the facts lead.”

DHS CLAIMS GOOD ‘WEAPONIZED HER VEHICLE’

Homeland Security described Good, the 37-year-old woman shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis on January 7, as a “violent rioter” who had “weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them – an act of domestic terrorism.” It said the officer who killed her “saved his own life and that of his fellow officers.”
Trump said Good “ran over the ICE officer,” who he said shot her in self-defense.
Videos of the shooting taken from several vantage points – including cell phone video recorded by the officer who shot Good – conflicted with those claims.
The videos show Good in her car as agents rushed up toward her as her vehicle partly blocked the street. One of the agents, Jonathan Ross, positioned himself near the front of her car; another was standing by the driver-side window. The videos show the car moving forward, its wheels turned away from Ross, who drew his weapon and fired three shots at Good as her car went past, killing her.
Video reviewed by Reuters appeared to show Ross and the vehicle making contact, but Reuters could not determine whether Ross touched the vehicle or if it struck him.

ICE PURSUED CAR THINKING DRIVER WAS SOMEONE ELSE

On January 15, DHS said officers “were conducting a targeted traffic stop” in Minneapolis for Venezuelan immigrant Julio Sosa-Celis when he sped away, crashed his car and fled on foot to an apartment building.
DHS said at the time that Sosa-Celis and two other men hit an ICE officer who pursued him with a snow shovel and broom handle, prompting the shooting.
Court documents unsealed last week told a different story.

An FBI affidavit said the ICE officers had scanned a license plate registered with a different person suspected of an immigration violation, leading them to chase the wrong person before the alleged assault and shooting.
The affidavit said another man was driving the car and was the sole occupant – not Sosa-Celis. The car’s actual driver – another Venezuelan immigrant – crashed and fled to an apartment building where Sosa-Celis was present, it said.

At the apartment building, an ICE officer trying to detain the car’s driver was struck by him and Sosa-Celis with a broom – and a third man with a shovel – before the officer fired his weapon, the FBI affidavit said.
While DHS said initially that the officer “fired a defensive shot to defend his life” during the ambush, the FBI affidavit said the alleged attackers dropped the broom and shovel when they saw the officer draw his gun and were fleeing toward the apartment as he fired.
Robin Wolpert, an attorney representing Sosa-Celis, said he would plead not guilty if indicted.
Wolpert said the affidavit established that the ICE officer shot Sosa-Celis from 10 feet away as he was fleeing, which showed the officer “was not in immediate danger.”
DHS did not address the FBI affidavit with the different account of the incident when asked for comment.

SHIFTING STATEMENTS AFTER DETENTION DEATH

When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the death of Cuban immigrant Geraldo Lunas Campos in a Texas detention center on January 3, it said he experienced “medical distress” and that the incident was being investigated.
A January 15 report, in the Washington Post said the El Paso County medical examiner’s office was likely to rule it a homicide, with the preliminary cause of death “asphyxia due to neck and chest compression.” The Post cited a witness who said guards were choking Lunas, who said he could not breathe, details that were absent from ICE’s statement.
DHS issued a new statement after the article was published that said Lunas tried to commit suicide and then resisted security officers and died.
The medical examiner released a report last week that found the death was a homicide due to asphyxia from neck and torso compression, according to the Post.
The death was one of six deaths in ICE detention in January, an unusually high number.

JUDGE CALLS OUT GOVERNMENT’S ‘WIDESPREAD MISREPRESENTATIONS’

A federal judge wrote in a November opinion restricting immigration agents’ use of force in Chicago that the government’s “widespread misrepresentations call into question everything that defendants say they are doing in their characterization” of the crackdown.
In one instance, Homeland Security posted on X that “rioters surrounded law enforcement” and “attacked” a van carrying detainees, an encounter that escalated until someone threw a rock at Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino, hitting him in the head. Five days later, Bovino said in court that the rock had not hit him when he first deployed tear gas.
“It did almost hit me,” he said.
U.S. District Court Judge Sara Ellis said Bovino “lied multiple times” about why he needed to throw a tear gas canister at protesters.
Neither DHS nor Bovino responded to requests for comment about the incident and the comments by Ellis.
In the same case, Ellis also questioned authorities’ claims that they needed to use tear gas so that they could leave the scene of another operation in October, saying the agents themselves had prolonged the encounter through their actions.
“Every minor inconsistency adds up, and at some point, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to believe almost anything” the government said, Ellis wrote.
Homeland Security said in a statement after the ruling that officers were facing “rioters, gangbangers and terrorists” and that they had shown “incredible restraint in exhausting all options before force is escalated.”

GOVERNMENT DROPS CASE AGAINST U.S. CITIZEN SHOT BY BORDER AGENT

On October 4, Homeland Security said that several drivers “rammed” law enforcement officers in Broadview, a Chicago suburb where an immigration detention center has been the site of clashes between protesters and immigration agents.
DHS said one of the drivers, a woman, was “armed with a semi-automatic weapon” and that law enforcement was “forced to deploy their weapons and fired defensive shots at an armed U.S. citizen.”
The woman, U.S. citizen Marimar Martinez, was shot by an agent five times. She survived and was indicted on charges of impeding a federal officer with a deadly weapon.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/evidence-contradicts-trump-immigration-officials-accounts-violent-encounters-2026-01-27/

Saudi Arabia has suspended planned construction of a colossal cube-shaped skyscraper at the center of a downtown development in Riyadh while it reassesses the project’s financing and feasibility, four people familiar with the matter said.
The Mukaab, at the center of Riyadh’s New Murabba development, is the latest fantastical gigaproject linked to Saudi’s Vision 2030 to be curtailed or delayed as the kingdom’s $925 billion sovereign wealth fund scales back ambitions to manage costs and prioritize spending.

The kingdom is pivoting from heavy expenditure on futuristic projects that have dominated Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030, such as NEOM’s The Line, to initiatives seen as more pressing and potentially profitable.
Projects in focus now include infrastructure for World Expo 2030 and the 2034 World Cup, the sprawling $60 billion Diriyah mixed-use cultural zone and the Qiddiya tourism megaproject, five people familiar with the matter said.
The repositioning also reflects mounting fiscal pressures as oil prices remain well below levels needed to fund the ambitious transformation agenda.

WORK BEYOND SOIL EXCAVATION, PILINGS SUSPENDED

The Mukaab was planned as a 400-metre by 400-metre metal cube containing a dome with an AI-powered display, the largest on the planet, that visitors could observe from a more than 300-metre-tall ziggurat – or terraced structure – inside it.
“When you enter Mukaab, you enter another world,” CEO Michael Dyke told attendees at a Riyadh conference in December, acknowledging difficulties realizing the project.
“Trying to solve for something that doesn’t exist today, that’s quite challenging,” he said.
Its future is now unclear, with work beyond soil excavation and pilings suspended, three of the people said. Development of the surrounding real estate is set to continue, five people familiar with the plans said.
The sources include people familiar with the project’s development and people privy to internal deliberations at the PIF.

Officials from PIF, the Saudi government and the New Murabba project did not respond to requests for comment.

PIF SHIFTING FOCUS TO LOGISTICS, AI, MINING

Reuters reported in October that the PIF was shifting strategy to focus on logistics, mining, AI and other sectors promising better near-term returns, as pressure mounted following an $8 billion writedown on gigaproject investments at the end of 2024.
The kingdom is currently conducting a comprehensive review of several Vision 2030 mega projects.
Saudi Economy Minister Faisal al-Ibrahim told Reuters last week: “We’re very transparent. We’re not going to shy away from saying we had to shift this project, delay it, re-scope it,” without mentioning a specific project.
Over the weekend, Saudi Arabia said it would indefinitely postpone hosting the 2029 Asian Winter Games set to take place at Trojena, another NEOM megaproject that has faced delays.

But the Mukaab is the first project in the Saudi capital reported to be reassessed for feasibility.
The structure was billed as large enough to fit 20 Empire State Buildings, and feature around 2 million square meters of interior floor space, making it the world’s largest single-built structure.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-suspends-work-massive-mukaab-megaproject-sources-say-2026-01-27/

U.S. officials are working to issue a general license soon that would lift some sanctions on Venezuela’s energy sector, four sources familiar with the preparation said on Tuesday, a shift from a previous plan to grant individual exemptions to sanctions for companies seeking to do business in the country.
Following the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro earlier this month, U.S. officials have said Washington would ease sanctions imposed on Venezuela’s energy industry to facilitate a $2 billion oil supply deal between Caracas and Washington and an ambitious $100 billion reconstruction plan for the country’s oil industry.

Many partners and customers of state oil company PDVSA, including producers Chevron (CVX.N), Repsol (REP.MC), and ENI (ENI.MI), refiner Reliance Industries (RELI.NS), and some U.S. oil service providers, have applied for individual licenses in recent weeks to expand output or exports from the OPEC member.
The large number of individual requests to the U.S. government has delayed progress on plans to expand exports and get investment moving quickly into the country, two of the sources said.
The U.S. Treasury Department, the White House and Venezuela’s oil ministry did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Venezuela’s entire energy industry was designated by the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control as subject to U.S. sanctions in 2019 after Maduro’s first re-election, which Washington did not recognize.
The sanctions have varied over the last seven years, depending on each U.S. administration, being modified through a series of executive orders and licenses exempting some producers and customers from the measures.
Under former U.S. President Joe Biden, a broad license exempted many companies from the sanctions, allowing them to export Venezuela’s oil. That facilitated higher crude production and exports until the first quarter of last year, when President Donald Trump began his second term.
Trump’s administration revoked the authorization as a way to put pressure on Maduro, and ordered the companies to wind down transactions. In December, he also ordered a blockade of all sanctioned vessels going in or out of the country, reducing Venezuela’s oil exports to 500,000 barrels per day that month from 952,000 bpd in November.

Oil exports averaged 850,000 bpd last year, pushed up by higher crude production, according to PDVSA documents and ship tracking data. The state firm is now struggling to reverse output cuts it had to implement in early January after the U.S. blockade led to a massive accumulation of inventories.
U.S. licenses granted to trading houses Vitol and Trafigura this month to supply up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil to the U.S. and other destinations have already allowed the country to drain some 11.3 million barrels of stocks, the data and documents showed. But millions of barrels remain in onshore tanks and vessels.
More licenses are needed to accelerate the pace of exports, promote output increases in oilfields where equipment is available, boost domestic refining and repair deteriorated infrastructure and unstable power supply, which are seen by oil executives as urgent tasks.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-issue-general-license-soon-lifting-some-sanctions-venezuelan-oil-industry-2026-01-27/

Four Starbucks CEOs over five years have blamed lost sales on its struggle to keep its thousands of U.S. stores reliably stocked with coffeehouse essentials like milk, pastries, and cup lids.
Current CEO Brian Niccol has made fixing the shortages a main measure of his turnaround campaign.

But shortages at Starbucks (SBUX.O), are a more deeply rooted problem than has been publicly reported. And Niccol’s ongoing efforts to keep shelves stocked have so far met with limited success as he encounters outdated technology and a splintered network of suppliers, according to Reuters interviews with 10 current and former Starbucks corporate employees, including senior managers.

Reuters also reviewed online videos showing glitches in Starbucks’ latest AI inventory technology, as well as previously unreported photographs provided by baristas of excessive shipments.
“We’ve been transparent about the opportunities in our supply chain, and our transformation plans. We’re modernizing systems with AI‑ready platforms, strengthening demand forecasting, and making our distribution network more agile so the right products reach the right coffeehouses each day. This work is already improving reliability for our partners and customers,” Starbucks said in a statement.
Supply chain experts say one of the most critical measures of a supply chain’s reliability is how often delivery trucks arrive at the right time and with the full amount of products. The goal is 95% or more, said Douglas Kent, executive vice president of the nonprofit Association for Supply Chain Management, and rates less than that indicate dysfunction.

In early 2024, less than a third of truck deliveries to Starbucks’ distribution centers – company facilities that supply stores – were unloaded on time and included the full amount of the milks, pastries and other products, according to two former employees with direct knowledge of the company’s supply chain. Employees involved in logistics blamed Starbucks’ failure to coordinate its many suppliers. Issues continued into at least late 2025, said two former employees who left around that time.
Starbucks’ share price is up about 5% since Niccol took over in September 2024, outperforming a 1% increase in Reuters’ U.S. Restaurant Index but underperforming a 26% gain in the S&P 500 Index. Starbucks’ U.S. sales declined for six quarters before its most recent earnings in October, when it reported flat U.S. sales. Niccol is due to lay out his strategy to investors on Thursday, following earnings on Wednesday.

NICCOL TAKING ON ISSUE WITH NEW HIRES, TECHNOLOGY

Additional problems can cascade down the supply chain — such as inaccurate predictions of stores’ product needs — culminating in overstuffed warehouses, empty shelves in stores, and unhappy customers who can’t buy what they want off the menu, according to Starbucks employees at the corporate and store level who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media.
While avoiding shortages is critical to retaining customers, consultants say, restaurants must at the same time avoid ordering more products than customers will actually buy. Costly waste can sink already-thin profit margins in the restaurant industry. “It’s a tightrope to walk,” said Spencer Michiel, a consultant at the tech-focused Back of House firm.
Niccol’s efforts have taken many forms, including giving store managers more autonomy for ordering supplies from distribution centers. The Starbucks mobile app was tweaked to better allow customers to see where shortages are reported by baristas. In a recent example, the app showed a New York area store was out of bacon and egg sandwiches.

The CEO has also hired veteran logistics executives including new Chief Technology Officer Anand Varadarajan, who previously headed supply chain operations for Amazon’s (AMZN.O), grocery business.
But Niccol’s changes haven’t gone far enough, said independent supply chain consultant Brittain Ladd, who has previously advised Instacart and Kroger, and said he spoke at length with Starbucks supply chain executive Mike Bassani after Niccol hired Bassani last year.
Ladd, based on his own conversations with multiple Starbucks corporate employees, said Starbucks needs a fundamental overhaul of its supply chain, and criticized Niccol’s highest-profile effort to date – attempting to partially automate store inventory counts – as a band-aid.
In September, Starbucks announced the rapid rollout of a tool called “automated counting” that is designed to improve Starbucks’ visibility into shortages at stores. The AI-powered app aimed to replace hand-counts of some products with automated ones that are faster and more accurate. Cafe workers hold a computer tablet up to shelves for syrups, milks and other beverage products, which the app scans with LIDAR and camera data.
But the app frequently miscounts and mislabels items, such as confusing similar milk types or missing them altogether, according to 10 cafe workers and managers. For example, a video uploaded by Starbucks shows the app failing to recognize a peppermint syrup bottle on the shelf as it counts adjacent bottles.
The app’s provider, NomadGo, says on its website it is “99% accurate.”
“What NomadGo set out to do is modernize inventory counting to make it faster and less burdensome while providing timely, actionable data on product availability,” the company said in a statement.
Starbucks said adoption of the app had improved product availability in stores, but did not specify by how much.

PREDECESSOR’S EFFORTS ROLLED BACK

Niccol isn’t the first CEO in recent years to try to tackle Starbucks’ supply chain problems, which staffers said became more apparent after competitors bounced back from pandemic-era supply shocks while Starbucks struggled to recover balance.
In 2021, former CEO Kevin Johnson told investors in an earnings call that the company was making progress against pandemic-related challenges on “inventory availability.”
By 2023, former CEO Laxman Narasimhan regularly referred to shortages as “another reason customers choose not to complete their orders” in earnings calls.
Narasimhan, in the top office for nearly 18 months until Niccol’s appointment, sought to address out-of-stocks in part by automating how stores order products from distribution centers. The “automated ordering” program, created in partnership with tech firm o9 Solutions, used machine learning techniques to continually refine predictions of upcoming store sales.
The program erred toward recommending too few products, employees said, and in late summer 2024, Narasimhan sought to refine it through an effort called “Never-Out,” which selectively tested larger product shipments, according to employees.
“Never-Out,” an initiative that has not previously been reported, was rolled back roughly eight weeks later after Narasimhan was ousted in favor of Niccol, who also later scaled back “automated ordering” shortly before Starbucks’ Fall promotion last year, according to operations employees.
Starbucks in a statement to Reuters said the company had returned “ownership of inventory to coffeehouse teams so they can manage availability.”
o9 Solutions did not respond to a request for comment.

STARBUCKS’ HIDDEN BOTTLENECKS

Some employees characterized Starbucks’ supply chain problems as end-to-end, starting with supplier contracts.
Starbucks supplies many of its food products from small, regional vendors that struggle to ramp up production when demand spikes, according to former warehouse employees. “Starbucks never cultivated the relationships with large suppliers that it needed,” said one.
Scattered sourcing creates more headaches. For example, Starbucks juggles 1,500 cup-and-lid pairings from different vendors, executives said in a 2023 earnings call. Former workers say the lack of standardized packaging from these suppliers prevents the chain from automating store-level inventory counts using cameras, as other U.S. food chains do – or as Starbucks does in China, according to employees.
Another key kink in the supply chain is outdated IBM computer hardware that Starbucks uses to process store inventories and resupply orders. In 1997, Starbucks executives touted to a trade publication the company’s use of the IBM AS/400 system for mission-critical operations. Nearly 30 years later, staffers in the company’s technology teams say Starbucks uses what is fundamentally the same architecture.
Starbucks told Reuters in a statement it is modernizing systems, “including replacing platforms like AS/400 with more advanced technology,” to improve product availability and “deliver the consistent experience our customers expect.”
Doing so could prove costly and complicated, staffers said. “It would be like changing the engine of an airplane while it’s flying,” said one involved in supply chain technology.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/legal/legalindustry/inside-starbucks-supply-struggles-ai-glitches-scattered-suppliers-sandwich-2026-01-27/

A TEENAGE motorcycle influencer has been shot dead by the Ayatollah’s security forces as part of their brutal protest crackdown.

Diana Bahador, a 19-year-old online star known as “Baby Rider”, was gunned down during blood-soaked demonstrations against the mullahs’ regime in Gorgan.

The tragic teen – who regularly posted videos of herself without a headscarf on – was reportedly shot twice around midnight on January 8.

Her death came amid violent clashes between civilians and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) which nearly pushed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime over the brink of collapse.

Diana’s body was returned to her family two days later, according to the Hyrcani Human Rights group.

Iranian state media disputed the facts – saying that Diana’s real name was Shahrzad Mokhami and making the baseless claim that she died Jan 22 in a motor crash.

A source close to the influencer’s family said authorities promised to give them her body – on condition that they publicly denied she was executed by Iranian forces.

Diana’s Instagram account – which has over 150,000 followers – even posted a story which claimed the online personality had died in a motor accident.

The post even begged fans not to speculate on her death or spread rumours.

But human rights groups say her family were forced to release the social media statement as part of a deal with the Ayatollah’s henchmen.

Diana dedicated her Instagram account to posting chic content centred on her love of motorbikes and performing stunts.

She often posted clips of herself doing motorcycle tricks without a headscarf on – both of which are illegal for women under Iranian rules.

The Ayatollah’s strict regime has outlawed women obtaining motorcycle licences – a rule which has been in place for decades.

The influencer’s final post from January 6 shows her wearing a leather jacket while dancing and riding on a motorbike.

Supreme Leader Khamenei’s pawns reportedly used heavy weapons and machine guns to crack down on protesters in Gorgan on January 8 where Diana was murdered, human rights groups claim.

Protests in Iran began on December 28, triggered by the collapse of the country’s currency and a cost of living crisis swept the country for more than two weeks.

But Khamenei appears to have terrorised protesters into submission – with no new demos reported since the bloody clampdown.

New figures suggest around 33,100 protesters were killed in just two weeks.

One source described the staggering number as “off the scale,” adding: “This was genocide.”

Nearly 98,000 more have been wounded, with research showing 30 per cent suffering eye injuries.

Hospital data indicates hundreds were executed outright, including at least 468 in Tehran alone.

A new mural warning the US not to launch a military strike on Iran was also unveiled in a square in the centre of capital Tehran.

The painted image showed damaged planes on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier with the slogan: “If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind.”

Trump said he was keeping strike options open, warning any new military action would make last June’s US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites “look like peanuts”.

Two US aircraft carriers and scores of warjets – including British Typhoon fighters – arrived in the Middle East as Trump weighed up options after pledging “help is on the way.”

But Iran vowed to hit back with a missile blitz if attacked, pledging “all out war” against US and Israeli targets amid renewed World War III fears.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15849525/teen-motorbike-influencer-shot-dead-iran-protests/

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday (Jan 27) that Israel would shift its focus to disarming Hamas and demilitarising Gaza following the return of the last hostage from the Palestinian territory.

He further said that no reconstruction work would take place in Gaza until those two missions were accomplished.

Netanyahu also vowed to block the establishment of a Palestinian state in Gaza, insisting Israel would maintain security control over both it and the occupied West Bank, despite widening international recognition of Palestinian statehood.

The US-sponsored Gaza ceasefire plan, in effect since Oct 10, stipulated the return of all the hostages held in the territory under its first phase, and Hamas’s disarmament under the second.

“Now we are focused on completing the two remaining tasks: disarming Hamas and demilitarising Gaza of weapons and tunnels,” Netanyahu said during a televised press conference.

“It will be done the easy way or it will be done the hard way. But in any case it will happen.

“I’m hearing even now claims that Gaza’s reconstruction will be allowed before demilitarisation – this will not happen,” Netanyahu said.

Militants took 251 hostages during the Oct 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the Gaza war. Israeli forces on Monday brought home the remains of the last captive, Ran Gvili.

Though Hamas said the return of Gvili’s body showed its commitment to the ceasefire deal, it has so far not surrendered its weapons.

The group has repeatedly said disarmament is a red line, but it has also suggested it would be open to handing over its weapons to a Palestinian governing authority.

In his remarks Tuesday, Netanyahu said that the establishment of a Palestinian state in Gaza “hasn’t happened and it will not happen”, claiming credit for having “repeatedly blocked” the implementation of a two-state paradigm.

The war in Gaza, which has left much of the territory in ruins, accelerated international calls for Palestinian statehood, with several Western countries last year taking the step of formally recognising a Palestinian state.

But Netanyahu insisted that Israel would continue to “exercise security control from the Jordan (River) to the sea, and that applies to the Gaza Strip as well”.

“GRAVE MISTAKE”

The premier also alluded to US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks on Iran, which he has previously threatened to attack over its deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.

The US has deployed an aircraft carrier strike group to the region, prompting warnings from Iran that it would not hesitate to defend itself.

“President Trump will decide what he decides; the State of Israel will decide what it decides,” Netanyahu said.

But, he added, “if Iran makes the grave mistake of attacking Israel, we will respond with a force that Iran has never seen”.

Trump told the Axios news site on Monday that the US had “a big armada next to Iran”, but that he believed talks were still an option.

“They want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions,” he said.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian hit out at US “threats” in a call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday, saying they were “aimed at disrupting the security of the region”.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/netanyahu-israel-disarm-hamas-demilitarise-gaza-reconstruction-5889721

China’s willing to “firmly uphold” the United Nation’s international order, says the country’s leader in a meeting with Finland’s prime minister.

President Xi Jinping said Tuesday (Jan 27) that China seeks to uphold the UN-based world order, in remarks as he met Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in Beijing.

His comments come after Donald Trump unveiled plans for his new “Board of Peace” this month, which has sparked concerns the US president wants to create a rival to the United Nations.

Xi told Orpo in the opulent Great Hall of the People that “China is willing to work with Finland to firmly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core”, according to a readout by state broadcaster CCTV.

While China has been invited to join Trump’s new grouping, it has not confirmed participation, and Xi has since stressed the importance of a UN-centred international order.

Orpo meanwhile said he looked forward to discussing “international issues” and topics on “bilateral cooperation” with Xi.

Orpo, on a four-day visit, joins a string of Western leaders who have recently courted Beijing, as Trump’s mercurial policies prompt a pivot from his allies.

Canadian and French leaders Mark Carney and Emmanuel Macron visited Beijing in past weeks, while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is due to land on Wednesday.

Despite the warm overtures, Beijing and Helsinki do not see eye-to-eye on thorny issues including Russia’s war in Ukraine and an international jostling for influence over the Arctic region.

Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen said in November that China was “massively” financing Russia’s war efforts.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/xi-jinping-orpo-finland-china-us-uk-starmer-united-nations-un-russia-ukraine-greenland-5889006

Claire Danes said she burst into tears after learning she was pregnant with her third child at the age of 44.

The actress, now 46, recalled that upon learning the big news, she called her OBGYN in “convulsive tears.”

“It was a pure, like, meltdown,” she told Amy Poehler on Tuesday’s episode of the “Good Hang with Amy Poehler” podcast.

“None of this was by design,” she continued. “I didn’t know it was physically possible. I was 44.”

The “Homeland” alum gave birth to a baby girl in 2023.

Danes noted that her children with husband Hugh Dancy — sons Cyrus, 13, Rowan, 7, and her daughter, now 2 — have a five-year age gap between them.

“Rowan was very hard-earned. I had to do two rounds of IVF,” she shared.

Danes spoke about her unexpected third pregnancy back in November 2025 on the “SmartLess” podcast. admitting she was “terrified.”

“I was so old when that happened,” she said, but adding that it all turned out OK.

Still, she said she felt “shame.”

“Like I was naughty. I’d been caught fornicating past the point I was meant to,” she explained. “It was weird, and it was like I found an edge that I hadn’t been quite conscious of.”

“I was going outside of the parameters a little bit,” she continued. “That was wild.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/01/27/celebrity-news/claire-danes-admits-she-had-a-meltdown-after-learning-she-was-pregnant-at-44/

Trump’s son Eric said that Trump is superstitious and does not like to think about death and “likes occupying his mind with what’s in the present and not as much with what’s in the future”.

US President Donald Trump’s health has been under the scanner in recent months, even though he keeps saying that his health is perfect and that he has aced several cognitive tests. According to a report by the New York Magazine, the soon-to-be octogenarian leader now thinks about “what he will be remembered for”.

Even the ballroom that is being built in the White House “is about leaving a legacy here”, a senior White House official said.

The White House has pitched him as “The Superhuman President” with more stamina and energy than a normal mortal. “He can work harder and he has a better memory and he has more stamina and has more energy than a normal mortal,” Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said.

The New York Magazine report said that Trump has given up dyeing his hair golden and lets it turn white naturally, but that is not what is worrisome. A senior staff member told the publication that Trump’s hearing isn’t what it used to be.

The Republican leader could not remember the word “Alzheimer’s” when asked about his father’s health.

“At a certain age, about 86, 87, he started getting, what do they call it?” Trump asked, pointing to his forehead and looking toward White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Trump’s son Eric said that Trump is superstitious and does not like to think about death and “likes occupying his mind with what’s in the present and not as much with what’s in the future”. He continued, “Is it in some way on everybody’s mind? Of course. But he believes, and so do I, he has a lot of years left.”

Meanwhile, armchair physicians on social media have given him mere months to live following a series of recent disclosures and physical observations.

In late 2025, Trump initially told reporters he underwent an MRI that was “perfect” but later admitted he had “no idea” what part of his body was scanned. Later on, his physician clarified the test was actually a CT scan of his chest and abdomen, not an MRI.

The frequent bruising on the back of his hands has been attributed by the White House to “frequent handshaking” and his daily use of high-dose aspirin. He also had a condition where leg veins struggle to return blood to the heart, leading to visible swollen ankles.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/donald-trump-fixates-on-how-he-will-be-remembered-as-health-concerns-mount-10896066?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

“We are a culture, we are people, we are not a commodity,” a Greenlander told NDTV on Donald Trump’s threats to acquire the island.

Betrayal, anger, humiliation, then a fleeting sense of hope, clouded by overwhelming uncertainty.

For Greenlanders, used to being away from the spotlight, the past few weeks have been a rocky snowmobile ride. With Donald Trump threatening military action to acquire the island – which he called a “big, beautiful piece of ice” – countries like Denmark, France and Germany sending troops to protect it, and the US president eventually signalling a climbdown, stating he would not use force, the people of Greenland are very unsure of what the future has in store for them.

NDTV’s Senior Managing Editor Vishnu Som is in Greenland and spoke to a cross-section of ordinary people there to get a sense of what they are going through.

Two young people, Lucas and Anita, told NDTV that worry is the overriding emotion for them at the moment.

“I think I’ve felt worried, actually, because you don’t know what is going to happen with all these statements from the president of the United States. I think there are a lot of people that have been quite worried,” Lucas said.

Asked whether he felt some hope given that Trump declared in Davos that he wasn’t considering a military option, Lucas pointed out that there is no way to know what the US president’s actual plans are.

Anita, a boat operator, echoed his thoughts.

“Yeah, I’ve been very worried. I think the situation is very different from last year. So I think it’s been a rough couple of weeks for all of us. You can really feel it in the city of Nuuk, the capital. We have all been feeling the same, just worried about what’s going to happen. And, of course, it’s captured a lot of attention, which is weird because we’ve never really been so much on the world map. It’s new. Everywhere you turn, there are people recording,” she remarked.

Anita said the ideal solution would be an agreement that works for everybody, including Denmark, which Greenland is a part of. Trump’s demand to own Greenland, she stressed, was very disrespectful. “We are a culture, we are people, we are not a commodity. Not something to be sold, not something you can just claim… It doesn’t feel good,” she declared.

US Parallels

Entrepreneur and teacher Brad Canham is visiting Greenland from Minnesota, where the Trump administration is carrying out a sometimes violent campaign against immigrants, leading to the deaths of two people – Renee Good and Alex Pretti – at the hands of immigration agents just this month. He told NDTV he sees parallels between what is happening in his home state in the US and the world’s largest island.

“The state of Minnesota has received, frankly, unprecedented pressure from the federal government, pushed by Donald Trump. It’s been quite shocking to the people of Minnesota. We have also seen what’s happened in Greenland, and we are very shocked also that this is the President of the United States, exerting pressures of this kind, both inside the country and outside the country, on Greenland,” Canham said.

“I tend to look at the pattern and not so much at Donald Trump’s statements at any given time.

And the pattern has been this reduction, in my view, of democratic capacity for speech, judgement and actions. I’ve seen that applied to Greenland, and it’s being applied to Minnesota.

Climate Change

Another concern raised by many Greenlanders NDTV spoke to was climate change. The island is warming nearly four times faster than the world average, and this winter, many said, felt like spring.

“We are so used to it being completely white and going out on snowmobiles and the fjords being frozen. And now it feels like it’s about to be summer,” Anita said.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/ground-report-greenlands-warmer-than-usual-but-its-snowing-anger-and-worry-donald-trump-us-greenland-threats-10896143?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

The social video platform is among the companies facing accusations that their platforms deliberately addict and harm children.

TikTok on Tuesday agreed to settle a landmark lawsuit in the United States on social media addiction, said the plaintiff’s lawyers.

The social video platform was one of four companies, including Meta, Snap and Alphabet-owned YouTube, facing allegations that their platforms deliberately addict and harm children.

Snap also settled the case last week for an undisclosed sum.

Details of the settlement with TikTok were not disclosed.

Joseph VanZandt, co-lead counsel for the plaintiff, said Tuesday that TikTok remains a defendant in the other personal injury cases. He added that the trial will proceed as scheduled against Meta and YouTube.

What is the case about?

The lawsuit will be the first in a raft of cases that seek to hold social media companies accountable for harming children’s mental health

The case involves a 19-year-old from California, identified “KGM.”

She has accused the social media companies of deliberately designing their platforms to make them more addictive to children and teenagers.

KGM claims that her use of social media from an early age addicted her to the technology. It also exacerbated her depression and suicidal thoughts, she said.

The lawsuit is viewed as a bellwether whose outcome will likely have far-reaching consequences for both platforms and users, especially as there are hundreds of related lawsuits accusing platforms of youth.

What do the companies say about the allegations?

The tech companies reject the claims that their products deliberately harm children.

The platforms stress they have put in place a number of safeguards over the years and argue that they are not liable for content posted on their sites by third parties.

A Meta spokesperson said in a statement Monday the company strongly disagrees with the allegations outlined in the lawsuit.

The company said it’s “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.”

Jose Castaneda, a Google spokesperson, said Monday that the allegations against YouTube are “simply not true.”

In a statement, he said “Providing young people with a safer, healthier experience has always been core to our work.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/tiktok-settles-amid-looming-social-media-addiction-trial/a-75686739

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned as “terrorism” a Russian drone attack on a passenger train that local officials say killed at least four people.

Zelensky said another four people were missing after the train with more than 200 people on board was hit in Ukraine’s north-eastern Kharkiv region on Tuesday.

Earlier, officials in Ukraine’s southern port of Odesa said three people were killed in an overnight Russian drone attack.

Russia has not commented. Moscow has in recent months intensified its drone and missile strikes targeting Ukraine’s energy and transport infrastructure as the country faces its harshest winter in years.

Millions of people across Ukraine have been left without heating, electricity and water after the Russian assaults.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022, and Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory.

In a post on social media late on Tuesday, Zelensky wrote: “In any country, a drone strike on a civilian train would be considered in exactly the same way – purely as terrorism”.

He said there was no “military justification” in targeting civilians, adding that there were 18 people in the carriage that was hit.

Pictures and footage released by Ukraine’s emergency services show at least one badly destroyed carriage still burning after the attack.

Kharkiv’s regional prosecutor’s office said the train was struck near the Yazykove village. One drone hit a carriage directly, and another two exploded near the train.

The office said the train was heading from the western border town of Chop to Barvinkove in the Kharkiv region via the regional capital Kharkiv.

This line runs further east to the Donetsk region, and is used by local residents as well as Ukrainian soldiers travelling to and from leave.

Separately, officials in Odesa said that overnight Russia launched more than 50 drones on the port, targeting energy and other civilian infrastructure

City military head Serhiy Lysak said three people were killed and 25 injured in the attack.

Several floors of one residential building collapsed after the strike, and a number of other buildings were damaged.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crkrpl4ngdzo

Two Chanel handbags, a BMW dealership and a controversial church will all be at the centre of a trial faced by South Korea’s former first lady this week.

Kim Keon Hee, the wife of disgraced former president Yoon Suk Yeol, was arrested in August over a raft of charges including bribery, stock manipulation, and political interference – all of which she denies.

On Wednesday, less than a fortnight after her husband was sentenced to five years’ in jail for abusing power and obstructing justice in relation to his failed martial law bid, Kim will receive the verdict in the first of three cases against her.

Prosecutors say Kim, 52, made more than 800 million won ($552,570; £404,050) by participating in a price-rigging scheme involving the stocks of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in South Korea, between October 2010 and December 2012.

She is also accused of accepting luxury bags, a diamond necklace and other gifts worth up to 80m won as bribes from the controversial Unification Church in exchange for business favours, and receiving 58 free opinion polls, worth 270 million Korean won, from political broker Myung Tae-kyun before the 2022 presidential election.

Wednesday’s trial, which will be broadcast live from the court, marks the first time in history that a presidential spouse has been indicted while detained.

But it is far from the first time Kim herself has been embroiled in controversy.

Israeli forces brought home on Monday (Jan 26) the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza, Ran Gvili, finally closing the chapter on a painful saga that has haunted Israeli society since Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023 attack.

Militants took 251 hostages to Gaza that day, and the process of returning them has dragged over the course of the ensuing war, playing out in a series of ceasefire and prisoner-swap deals as well as efforts to rescue them militarily – some successful, others not.

Gvili’s coffin was accompanied by a convoy of cars with blaring sirens and flashing lights, passing civilians waving Israeli flags on the side of the road.

At a ceremony held at a military base near Gaza, the slain police officer’s father, Ytzik Gvili, addressed his son’s coffin, saying: “You should see the honours we’re giving you here.”

“I’m proud of you my son,” he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded Gvili as “a hero of Israel”.

The most recent set of hostage handovers was part of the US-backed Gaza ceasefire deal that took effect on Oct 10, aiming to halt more than two years of fighting that has devastated the Palestinian territory.

Hamas said it provided information as to the location of Gvili’s body, and spokesman Hazem Qassem said Monday that his recovery “confirms Hamas’s commitment to all the requirements of the ceasefire agreement”.

The first phase of the US-backed deal stipulated the return of every hostage, and Gvili’s family had expressed strong opposition to moving on to the second phase before they had received his remains.

KILLED IN ACTION

Gvili’s mother Talik on Monday called her son’s return “amazing”.

“We’ve come full circle – he’s finally coming home, we can’t believe it,” she told Israel’s public broadcaster KAN. “They found him intact, dressed in his uniform.”

The Israeli military said in a statement on Monday that it had definitively identified Gvili and was repatriating his remains.

“With this, all hostages have been returned from the Gaza Strip to the State of Israel,” it added.

Footage released by the military showed Gvili’s coffin draped in an Israeli flag and surrounded by soldiers singing the national anthem.

The young Israeli police officer in the elite Yassam unit was on medical leave ahead of shoulder surgery when Hamas launched its deadly 2023 attack on Israel.

Instead of staying home, the 24-year-old motorcycle enthusiast grabbed his gun and raced toward the area of the attack in southern Israel.

Nicknamed the “Defender of Alumim” by his family and the kibbutz of that name, Gvili was killed in combat near the community and his body taken to Gaza by Hamas militants.

“MANY DIFFICULT YEARS”

Netanyahu called the return of all the hostages an “extraordinary achievement”.

“We brought them all back, down to the very last captive,” he added.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog also celebrated Gvili’s return, saying that “for the first time since 2014, there are no Israeli citizens held hostage in Gaza. An entire nation prayed and waited for this moment.”

Prior to October 2023, two civilian hostages and the bodies of two Israeli soldiers killed in previous wars were being held in the territory.

US President Donald Trump offered his congratulations on his Truth Social platform, adding: “Most thought of it as an impossible thing to do.”

The announcement came after visiting US envoys reportedly pushed Israeli officials to reopen Gaza’s Rafah crossing – a vital entry point for aid – even before Gvili’s remains were returned.

Israeli officials said on Monday that though they would open the crossing, only pedestrians would be allowed to travel through it to Egypt.

“I live with the hope that I will travel with my husband and children to Egypt, and then to anywhere in the world, as soon as the crossing opens,” Maha Youssef, a displaced Palestinian from Gaza City, told AFP.

Netanyahu said later on Monday that Israel was now “at the doorstep of the next phase” of the deal.

“The next phase is disarming Hamas and demilitarising the Gaza Strip,” he added.

While the ceasefire plan demands the group’s disarmament in the second phase, Hamas has so far refused to commit.

“TRUE FRIEND”

In a statement, the Israeli group representing the families of hostages held in Gaza described Gvili as “a true friend, loved by everyone”.

“We can finally say: there are no longer any hostages in Gaza,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said after Gvili’s return.

The group has worked since the outset of the war to keep the plight of the captives in the public eye, organising regular rallies at a plaza in Tel Aviv that has come to be known as Hostages Square, where some supporters gathered again on Monday evening.

“I’m very emotional,” said Orna Cheled, 70, who was wearing a pendant shaped like a yellow ribbon, a symbol of the hostages.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/israel-hostage-gaza-hamas-ceasefire-5884716

The number of Chinese visitors to Japan plummeted by 45 per cent last month from a year earlier, to around 330,000.

China warned its citizens on Monday (Jan 26) against travelling to Japan during the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday, citing deteriorating public security, with Tokyo and Beijing locked in a diplomatic spat.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion in November that Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attack on Taiwan triggered a sharp backlash from China.

That included Beijing urging its citizens to avoid travelling to Japan.

The number of Chinese visitors to Japan plummeted by 45 per cent last month from a year earlier, to around 330,000, as a result of the spat.

China’s foreign ministry reiterated its travel warning on Monday by telling citizens to avoid visiting Japan, especially during the lengthy Chinese New Year holiday in February.

“Recently, public security in Japan has deteriorated, with frequent incidents of illegal and criminal acts targeting Chinese citizens,” the Chinese foreign ministry’s Department of Consular Affairs said in a statement.

“Chinese citizens in Japan face serious security threats,” the department said.

It also said there had been a series of earthquakes in some areas in the country, causing injuries.

Chinese visitors once made up a quarter of all foreign tourists in Japan, with almost 7.5 million people travelling from China in the first nine months of 2025, according to official Japanese figures.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/china-japan-warn-citizen-travel-chinese-new-year-holiday-5883946

The attorney wife of an elite Texas law-firm partner, an event planner and a pilot who joined the company less than a year ago were among six people killed when a private jet flipped over and burst into flames at a Maine airport over the weekend — just after a voice over the radio said, “Let there be light.’’

Tara Arnold — a 46-year-old powerhouse lawyer who lived with her two kids and mega-wealthy husband in a Houston mansion — was en route to Paris with those on board the plane when it crashed Sunday evening, killing everyone, according to records and reports.

The plane was registered to Tara’s husband Kurt Arnold’s successful personal-injury firm — Arnold & Itkin Law — where she also worked.

Kurt Arnold and his business partner Jason Itkin were not on the plane when it crashed, sources told ABC 13.

But Kurt’s wife Tara was a passenger on the doomed aircraft, the sources said.

Local Texas lawmaker Lesley Briones on Monday spoke highly of Tara – but later acknowledged not having firsthand knowledge she was killed in the plane wreck.

“I am close friends with Kurt and Tara Arnold,” Briones reportedly said.

“She is a phenomenal person, a bold leader, and someone with a heart of service,” Briones said.

Jacob Hosmer, a 47-year-old Houston-area pilot who was the captain of the flight, also died during the wreck, his father confirmed to KPRC2.

“He’s in Heaven now with Jesus,” grieving dad Gary Hosmer told the outlet.

Hosmer has been working as a pilot for Arnold and Itkin since May 2025. He has held previous positions with Wing Aviation, Apollo Aviation and Priester Aviation, all of which frequently run private charter jets, according to his LinkedIn.

Friends of Hosmer described him as a loving and kind father and husband.

“I would describe him as a great pilot, a loving husband, and a phenomenal father,” a longtime friend told the outlet.

“He was always kind. He was always laughing.”

A third victim was identified by ABC13 as event planner Shawna Collins.

Collins’ daughter confirmed her mom’s death to the outlet and said the passengers aboard the plane were going to Europe for a business trip.

The plane — a twin-engine Bombardier Challenger 600, which can seat up to 11 people — was taking off from a snow-covered runway at Bangor International Airport around 7:45 p.m. when it crashed back into the runway and exploded, killing everyone on board, officials said.

A moment before take-off, a voice was eerily heard over the flight’s radio communications saying, “Let there be light,” although it’s unclear what that meant.

“All traffic is stopped on the field!” an air-traffic controller then quickly shouted.

“Aircraft upside down, we have a passenger aircraft upside down,” a controller added as emergency crews rushed to the wreck.

Kurt Arnold and his law partner Jason Itkin — as well as both their wives — were known to make multimillion-dollar donations to Lone Star State Republican causes, as well as to such things as the Texas Longhorns football program, which they pledged $40 million to.

Tara, a Louisiana native, worked at the firm, specializing in offshore workplace injuries after graduating with high honors from Tulane Law School.

She and her husband and kids lived together in an $11 million Houston home.

The doomed jet’s flight had landed in Bangor around 6 p.m. for apparent refueling after taking off from Houston and then was taking off again in the blizzard en route to Paris when the tragedy struck, KHOU reported.

Arnold & Itkin Law has not issued any public statements on the tragedy and did not respond to requests for comment from The Post.

It remains unclear what role the ongoing Winter Storm Fern may have played in the wreck.

Several other planes were taking off before the wreck, but the airport was also de-icing aircraft waiting on the tarmac — and it remains unclear whether the ill-fated jet had been a part of those procedures.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/01/26/us-news/first-victim-in-deadly-maine-plane-crash-idd-as-wife-of-prominent-texas-law-firm-founder/

Iran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests killed at least 6,126 people while many others still are feared dead, activists said Tuesday, as a U.S. aircraft carrier group arrived in the Mideast to lead any American military response to the crisis.

The arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and guided missile destroyers accompanying it provide the U.S. the ability to strike Iran, particularly as Gulf Arab states have signaled they want to stay out of any attack despite hosting American military personnel.

Two Iranian-backed militias in the Mideast have signaled their willingness to launch new attacks, likely trying to back Iran after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened military action over the killing of peaceful protesters or Tehran launching mass executions in the wake of the demonstrations.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to drag the entire Mideast into a war, though its air defenses and military are still reeling after the June war launched by Israel against the country.

Both the Houthis and Kataib Hezbollah sat out from Israel’s 12-day war on Iran that saw the United States bomb Iranian nuclear sites. The hesitancy to get involved shows the disarray still affecting Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” after facing attacks from Israel during its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Activists offer new death toll

The new figures Tuesday came from the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in multiple rounds of unrest in Iran. The group verifies each death with a network of activists on the ground in Iran.

It identified the dead as including at least 5,777 protesters, 214 government-affiliated forces, 86 children and 49 civilians who weren’t demonstrating. The crackdown has seen over 41,800 arrests, it added.

The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the death toll given authorities cutting off the internet and disrupting calls into the Islamic Republic.

Iran’s government has put the death toll at a far lower 3,117, saying 2,427 were civilians and security forces, and labeled the rest “terrorists.” In the past, Iran’s theocracy has undercounted or not reported fatalities from unrest.

That death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest there in decades, and recalls the chaos surrounding Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The protests in Iran began on Dec. 28, sparked by the fall of the Iranian currency, the rial, and quickly spread across the country. They were met by a violent crackdown by Iran’s theocracy, the scale of which is only starting to become clear as the country has faced more than two weeks of internet blackout — the most comprehensive in its history.

Iran’s U.N. ambassador told a U.N. Security Council meeting late Monday that Trump’s repeated threats to use military force against the country “are neither ambiguous nor misinterpreted.” Amir Saeid Iravani also repeated allegations that the U.S. leader incited violence by “armed terrorist groups” supported by the United States and Israel, but gave no evidence to support his claims.

Iranian state media has tried to accuse forces abroad for the protests as the theocracy remains broadly unable to address the country’s ailing economy, which is still squeezed by international sanctions, particularly over its nuclear program.

Some Iranian-backed militias suggest willingness to fight

Iran projected its power across the Mideast through the “Axis of Resistance,” a network of proxy militant groups in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Iraq, and other places. It was also seen as a defensive buffer, intended to keep conflict away from Iranian borders. But it has collapsed after Israel targeted Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon and others during the Gaza war. Meanwhile, rebels in 2024 overthrew Syria’s Bashar Assad after a yearslong, bloody war in which Iran backed his rule.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/iran-protests-deaths-crackdown-aeaeb26493d25d86d5169f8ae455e405

Prince Harry went from fighting back tears detailing how his privacy was breached on Wednesday to mingling with wife Meghan Markle and the cream of Hollywood at the Sundance Film Festival on Sunday.

The dramatic contrast between the two worlds only highlights how far Harry still has to go to move past the ghosts of his past, six years into his new life in California.

“For Harry to go from the hearing [on Wednesday] — and pleading for privacy — to then go to Sundance just days after is nuts,” one Hollywood source said of the royal’s fight with a British newspaper, which he has accused of making Markle’s time in England “absolute misery.”

Prince Harry has said his life in America was what his mother, Princess Diana, would have “wanted” for him.

But the multimillion-dollar deals he and Markle signed with some of Hollywood’s biggest companies to prop up their new life have mostly come sputtering to an end, while their charitable Archewell foundation has basically gone kaput.

At 41, Harry remains estranged from his older brother, Prince William, and has only seen their father, King Charles, a handful of times over the past few years.

He is without a steady income — and, some around him say, without purpose. And it all raises the question: Is Harry sidelined as the “spare” once again?

In some ways, the prince is a glorified house-husband while Markle brings home the (artisanal) bacon … though even that is not going as planned, off the news that her Netflix lifestyle show has ended, following in the footsteps of the Sussex Spotify deal.

The Post is told that the Sussex coffers are rapidly depleting — with one source in the know saying the couple have had to downsize their staffing.

“Harry’s not really doing anything in America,” said the source. “It seems he is still very wrapped up in the past. There have been rumors that Harry is starting a business, but he and Meghan don’t have the best track record.

“He’s really great at service — look at the success of his Invictus charity. He really should just stick with that.”

Although Harry made a reported $27 million from his 2023 memoir, “Spare,” the cost of the couple’s California life is said to be insanely high.

They reportedly spend between $2 million and $3 million a year on security, plus monthly payments on a $10 million mortgage, not to mention costs for house and work staff.

There were rumors about Harry filming a Netflix doc in Africa, but that came to nothing, while the couple’s “Polo” show for Netflix only lasted one season. However, the couple do still have a film adaption of Jasmine Guillory’s “The Wedding Date” for Netflix on the slate, via their Archewell Productions.

“I think Harry’s banking on speaking engagements for income right now,” said the source.

And, for the first time in their relationship, he and Markle are “on different paths” when it comes to their professional lives.

While the couple teamed up to sign past deals with Spotify and Netflix, they now have separate offices, we’re told.

Markle, 44, is heavily focused on her As Ever lifestyle brand, which debuted last year.

Earlier this month, the brand was heavily scrutinized after a website glitch briefly revealed inventory figures — prompting claims that large stock numbers signaled slow sales.

The site briefly displayed inventory totals that included around 220,000 jars of jam, 30,000 jars of honey, 90,000 candles, 80,000 tins of flower sprinkles and roughly 70,000 bottles of wine, including brut, sauvignon blanc and rosé.

A source said to be close to the business spun the data points not as a glut of unsold products but rather to a brand experiencing strong demand and preparing for international expansion.

“While it’s normal for a business not to talk about sales data, I think it’s fair to say that the glitch that led to this data being revealed points to a business that isn’t just successful — it’s flying, literally off the shelf,” the source told People.

Markle joined forces with Netflix to produce the products, meant to tie in with her series “With Love, Meghan.” But as we recently revealed, the show has been dropped after two seasons.

The second season scored just 2 million views and was the 1,224th-most watched program on Netflix between July and December 2025, according to figures released by Netflix this week. A Christmas special ranked 1,022nd.

Hollywood insiders told us that Markle and her team have pitched more holiday specials to Netflix bosses, from July 4 to Valentine’s Day, but nothing has been sold yet.

Things aren’t going much better over at the Sussexes’ Archewell Foundation — now renamed Archewell Philanthropies — as the couple recently downsized their staff and offloaded a partnership with the group ParentsTogether, meant to protect children from online harm.

Harry and Markle have, in fact, spent the past few months in deep discussion about the charity’s future as it has struggled with funding.

“The big question was, would Archewell close, or would another charity take it over?” a source said.

“Harry and Meghan were looking to get a fiscal sponsor, someone to take on the outgoing costs and to keep things cheap. Really, it’s all smoke and mirrors.”

Three members — 60 percent of the charity’s staff — have been let go, while executive director James Holt, who’s been with the couple since they were working royals in Britain, recently quit and vice president of philanthropy Shauna Nep is only part-time.

Although they may have lost some of their golden glow in Hollywood, Markle remains a client of top agency WME and they do have friends in high places.

They’re still close to Montecito power players including former Paramount co-CEO Brian Robbins — who has a new production company, backed by CAA and Sony, dedicated to animated and live-action fare — and his wife, Tracy.

Markle is pals with neighbor Oprah Winfrey and counts makeup millionaire Victoria Jackson as a BFF. For the most part, Harry’s local friends are said to be people he knows through Markle, apart from Argentinian polo star Nacho Figueras, with whom he has been spotted at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet club.

A source said the prince lost touch with his UK pals years ago.

“I don’t think they leave the house much,” said the source in the know. “Meghan does, maybe, but not so much Harry.”

They’re mainly found hanging out with their kids, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, who attend local schools.

Harry has also volunteered to help raise funds for the local charity, One805, which was established after the 2017 Thomas Fire and resulting mudslides ravaged the Santa Barbara area, killing 23 people.

Sources would like to see Harry, who seems a bit lost at the moment, get back to what was once his life’s mission — following in his mother Diana’s do-gooding footsteps, rather than trying to make a run at commercial endeavors.

Last September, he reportedly charmed guests at a fundraiser for One805 at Kevin Costner’s beachfront Montecito estate.

“He really opened up about his experience of mental wellness issues, about friends that he’d encountered who’d been in Afghanistan and what he’d seen them suffer through,” Richard Weston-Smith, the co-founder of that charity, told The Post. “You really got a sense that he fully understands this subject.

“He cares so much. He’s not boastful or brash or arrogant. He’s incredibly gentle and caring and empathetic.”

Harry finally seems ready to take his wife and kids back to visit his homeland after winning his battle to get armed security when he’s in the UK. Markle could even join him as he kicks off celebrations for the one-year-to go Invictus Games in London in July.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/01/26/royal-family/royal-warrior-to-sidelined-spare-prince-harrys-uneasy-new-life-in-hollywood-spotlight-crumbles/

“And there’s nothin’ like a mad woman.”

Taylor Swift is reportedly fuming over the release of her private texts with Blake Lively since being dragged into the actress’s legal battle with Justin Baldoni.

“It’s honestly been really hard for Taylor,” a source told Us Weekly Monday. “Having her texts out there made her feel exposed and kind of violated, like, something private suddenly wasn’t hers anymore.

“That doesn’t sit well with her.”

Page Six has reached out to Swift’s rep for comment.

Last week, ahead of a summary judgment hearing, a judge unsealed several texts between Swift and Lively, which revealed the pop star’s true feelings about Baldoni as well as a friendship “shift” between her and the “Gossip Girl” alum.

In one of the court docs obtained by Page Six, Swift texted Lively ahead of the bombshell New York Times article that claimed Baldoni — Lively’s director and co-star in “It Ends With Us” — waged a smear campaign against the “Green Lantern” star.

“I think this bitch knows something is coming because he’s gotten out his tiny violin,” Swift, 36, texted Lively, 38, according to the docs.

Another doc revealed a tense exchange between the former besties, where they discussed their changing friendship dynamic.

The personal conversation began by Lively “checking in” to ask Swift if “everything [was] OK” since she had been feeling like a “bad friend” to the singer lately.

Lively went on to tell the Grammy winner that she was a “key person” during her public feud with Baldoni, but that she had a feeling “something may not be right.”

After about an hour, Swift replied, “No you’re not wrong, but it’s also not a big deal.” She also admitted to feeling “a little bit of a shift” in the way Lively talks to her in recent months.

While recognizing how “all consuming” Lively’s legal battle with Baldoni must be, Swift told her that several of her last messages “felt like [she] was reading a mass corporate email sent to 200 employees.”

Swift claimed that Lively wasn’t acting like her usual self and said she missed her “funny, dark, normal-speaking friend who talks to me as herself, not like. A plural unit.”

The “Opalite” songstress assured her friend that she didn’t need to “apologize” and she just wanted her to “come back please.”

Lively acknowledged that Swift was “right” and with a few more text exchanges they seemingly resolved things.

However, in October 2025, an insider told Page Six that Swift and Lively have had “no contact” since the dispute began last winter.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/01/26/entertainment/violated-taylor-swift-fuming-over-release-of-private-texts/

 

US President Donald Trump has announced he is raising tariffs on South Korean imports to 25% after accusing Seoul of “not living up” to a trade deal reached last year.

In a post on social media, Trump said he would increase levies on South Korea from 15% across a range of products including automobiles, lumber, pharmaceuticals and “all other Reciprocal TARIFFS”.

Trump said South Korean lawmakers have been slow to approve the deal while “we have acted swiftly to reduce our TARIFFS in line with the Transaction agreed to”.

South Korea says it had not been given official notice of the decision to raise tariffs on some of its goods, and wanted urgent talks with Washington over the issue.

It added that South Korea’s Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan, who is currently in Canada, will visit Washington as soon as possible to meet US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

South Korea’s benchmark Kospi stock index fell on Tuesday morning but was trading about 1.8% higher later in the day as shares in major exporters recovered.

Seoul and Washington reached a deal last October, which included a pledge from South Korea to invest $350bn (£256bn) in the US, some of which would go to shipbuilding.

The following month, the two countries agreed that the US would reduce tariffs on some products once South Korea started the process to approve the deal.

The agreement was submitted to South Korea’s National Assembly on 26 November and is currently being reviewed. It is likely to be passed in February, according to local media.

Tariffs are paid by companies who import products. In this case, US firms will pay a 25% tax on goods they buy from South Korea.

Trump has frequently used tariffs as leverage to enact foreign policy during his second term in the White House.

On Saturday, he threatened Canada with a 100% tariff if it struck a trade deal with China.

On Monday, Chinese officials said its “strategic partnership” agreement with Canada is not meant to undercut other countries.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said his country was not pursuing a free trade deal with China and has “never” considered it.

He added that Canadian officials have made their position clear to their American counterparts.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyw3ynwe37o

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he will not be forced to “choose between” relations with the US or China, ahead of the first visit of a British leader to Beijing in eight years.

Sir Keir said the UK would maintain “close ties” with the US on business, security and defence, but added that “sticking your head in the sand and ignoring China… wouldn’t be sensible”.

In the interview with Bloomberg News, he said the visit to the world’s second-largest economy could bring “significant opportunities” for British companies. Dozens of UK business leaders are expected to travel with him.

The trip comes days after the UK approved controversial plans for a vast new Chinese embassy in London.

The long-delayed decision was made despite opponents warning it could be used as a base for Chinese spying.

“I’m often invited to simply choose between countries. I don’t do that,” Sir Keir said in the interview.

“I remember when I was doing the US trade deal, and everybody put to me that I’d have to make a choice between the US and Europe, and I said, ‘I’m not making that choice.'”

“We’ve got very close relations with the US – of course, we want to – and we will maintain that business, alongside security and defence,” he said.

“Equally, just sticking your head in the sand and ignoring China, when it’s the second-biggest economy in the world and there are business opportunities wouldn’t be sensible.”

Of the delegation travelling with him to China, Sir Keir added: “They understand the opportunities that there are… That does not mean compromising on national security – quite the opposite.”

The trip, which includes stops in Beijing and Shanghai, comes after a turbulent few weeks in relations between the US and its allies.

In recent weeks, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on allies for opposing his demand to take control of Greenland, and later provoked a backlash in the UK by saying Nato troops had stayed “a little back” from the front line in Afghanistan.

Trump also threatened to slap a 100% tariff on Canadian goods if the country struck a trade deal with China.

Sir Keir has previously said that failing to navigate a relationship with China would be a “dereliction of duty”, rejecting the “isolationism” put forward by opponents of the Chinese government in the UK.

“For years we have blown hot and cold,” he said. “We had the golden age, which then flipped to an Ice Age. We reject that binary choice.”

In the interview with Bloomberg, Sir Keir suggested he would bring up disagreements with Beijing on human rights, including the fate of Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon who was found guilty of colluding with foreign forces in December.

Lord Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, told the Press Association that Sir Keir would be “pathetic” if he did not raise the case of Lai who is a British citizen.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3zp58wqlno

Riyadh is in talks with Somalia, Egypt and Turkey about two new defense pacts. What impact will they have if they go ahead?

The political wheels across the Middle East keep turning.

Earlier this week, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to discuss a “range of issues of mutual interest,” a statement by the Saudi Foreign Ministry confirmed.

It is highly likely the two foreign ministers not only addressed US President Donald Trump’s invitations to his Board of Peace — which both have already accepted — but also details of a new defense pact between their countries.

In addition, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is reportedly traveling to Saudi Arabia in the coming days to sign a defense deal with Riyadh.

If Somalia is included in the deal between Riyadh and Cairo, the trilateral pact would boost Saudi and Egyptian influence on the African side of the key shipping route, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, that links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

‘Islamic NATO’?

Media outlet Bloomberg also reported that Turkey is increasingly interested in joining the existing “Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement” between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan from last September.

Once signed, this trilateral deal, dubbed by some as an “Islamic NATO” — which refers to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO — would combine Pakistani nuclear power with Saudi money and Turkish military strength.

“This would not be a symbolic bloc,” Sergio Restelli, an Italian political adviser, author and geopolitical expert, wrote in an op-ed for media outlet The Times of Israel in January. “It would unite … nuclear capability, control of strategic waterways, expeditionary forces and ideological influence,” he said, pointing out that, “combined, these capabilities would create a trans-regional security axis stretching from the eastern Mediterranean through the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. Such geographic continuity is unprecedented among Muslim-majority powers and would inevitably challenge the current balance maintained through US alliances and informal regional deterrence.”

However, for Sami Hamdi, managing director of London-based risk and intelligence company, The International Interest, the underlying dynamics of Saudi Arabia’s latest push for defense deals have more to do with the retreating US security umbrella.

“There is a growing view in the region that the US can no longer be depended upon to defend the security of those Gulf states,” Hamdi told DW, pointing to 2019 when the US did not respond after an attack by the Yemen-based Houthis on Saudi oil facilities, or to September 2025, when Israel, the closest US ally in the region, attacked the political Hamas leadership in Qatar’s capital, Doha.

Geopolitical rifts

Tensions between the Gulf states Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, or UAE, have been on the rise over their support of opposing factions in Sudan and Yemen.

In December, Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes on a military camp held by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council in Yemen’s Hadramout province.

Earlier this month, Riyadh reportedly offered a $1.5 billion (€1.23 billion) Pakistan-Sudan arms deal to Sudan’s army in its war against the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary, who are reportedly equipped by the UAE even though this has been denied by Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile, the striving for new deals is not limited to Saudi Arabia alone. Most recently, the UAE also signed a comprehensive deal with Pakistan’s adversary India, which turns India not only into Abu Dhabi’s largest customer for liquefied natural gas but also into its closest partner for nuclear cooperation.

“I think that the UAE-India deal is not just about military technology but it is a political statement,” said Hamdi.

“Given the fallout between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the UAE is trying to show muscle against Saudi Arabia, in that, yes, Saudi Arabia may be a bigger power geographically but the UAE still has international standing,” he added.

‘No real rupture’

Despite these different alignments and conflicting interests, Cinzia Bianco, a Gulf research rellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said it’s hard to imagine severe fault lines between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi at this stage.

“Both the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are sitting on Donald Trump’s Board of Peace,” she pointed out.

Saudi Arabia’s potential new security partner,Turkey, also remains closely aligned with the UAE. Therefore, Bianco doesn’t see that these new security deals could cause a real rupture beyond Saudi Arabia and the UAE. “And if we think of coalition geopolitics, you also can’t really go anywhere if you don’t have the US on your side,” she said.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/saudi-defense-deals-could-change-middle-east-security/a-75628843

China’s most senior uniformed officer Zhang Youxia has been accused in an internal briefing of leaking nuclear secrets to the US and taking bribes for military promotions.

China’s most senior uniformed officer, General Zhang Youxia, who has been under investigation in an extraordinary shake-up of the country’s military leadership, has been accused of leaking sensitive nuclear-weapons information to the United States and accepting bribes for official promotions, the Wall Street Journal reported.

China’s defence ministry announced on Saturday that Zhang, the senior vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and General Liu Zhenli, chief of staff of the CMC’s Joint Staff Department, were being investigated for suspected “serious violations of discipline and law”.

However, citing people familiar with a closed-door briefing attended by senior military officers, the Wall Street Journal reported that Zhang faces far-reaching allegations, including passing core technical data on China’s nuclear arsenal to US authorities and taking large sums of money in exchange for promoting officers within the military’s powerful procurement system.

According to the report, Zhang was also accused of forming political cliques that undermined Communist Party unity and abusing his authority within the CMC, the party’s top military decision-making body.

The report said authorities were scrutinising his oversight of a major agency responsible for weapons research, development and procurement, where he allegedly approved promotions in return for bribes.

The evidence in the case partly stems from an investigation into Gu Jun, the former head of China National Nuclear Corp., a state-owned company overseeing China’s civilian and military nuclear programmes.

Beijing announced earlier this week that Gu was under investigation for severe disciplinary violations, and officials later linked that probe to a security breach in the nuclear sector.

In a statement to the Journal, Chinese embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said the investigation underscored Beijing’s “zero-tolerance approach to combating corruption.”

Zhang, long viewed as President Xi Jinping’s closest military ally, is a member of the ruling Communist Party’s Politburo and one of China’s few top officers with combat experience.

He fought in border conflicts with Vietnam in 1979 and 1984 and had been retained on the CMC beyond the typical retirement age, a move that US defence officials previously said reflected Xi’s reliance on him.

Zhang, 75, is China’s highest-ranked general and shares the CMC vice chairman post with Zhang Shengmin, who was promoted last year after another senior officer was purged in a corruption crackdown.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/zhang-youxia-accused-of-nuclear-secrets-to-united-states-accepting-bribes-official-promotion-china-most-senior-officer-ws-l-9857707.html

US President Donald Trump extended greetings to India on its 77th Republic Day, calling the US and India the world’s oldest and largest democracies. His message was shared by the US Embassy in India. US Ambassador Sergio Gor also marked the occasion, calling US-made aircraft at the parade a symbol of the growing India-US strategic partnership.

US President Donald Trump on Monday extended wishes as India celebrates its 77th Republic Day.

His remarks were shared by the US Embassy in India in a post on X.

Trump said, “On behalf of the people of the United States, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the government and people of India as you celebrate your 77th Republic Day. The United States and India share a historic bond as the world’s oldest and largest democracies.”

See more

“On behalf of the people of the United States, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the government and people of India as you celebrate your 77th Republic Day. The United States and India share a historic bond as the world’s oldest and largest democracies.” – President… pic.twitter.com/oC9x3Qs9y3

— U.S. Embassy India (@USAndIndia) January 26, 2026

Earlier on Monday, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Monday extended greetings on the 77th Republic Day celebrations of India. He said that he was honoured to attend the Republic Day Parade for the first time and called the sight of the US-made aircraft flying in the “Indian sky” a powerful symbol of the growing US-India strategic partnership.

Through his official X post, the US Ambassador to India said, “Happy Republic Day, India! Honored to attend the Republic Day Parade for the first time, a celebration of India’s Constitution and democratic spirit. Thrilled to see the U.S.-made aircraft soaring in the Indian sky, a powerful symbol of the strength of the U.S.-India strategic partnership.”

See more

Happy Republic Day, India! Honored to attend the Republic Day Parade for the first time, a celebration of India’s Constitution and democratic spirit. Thrilled to see the U.S.-made aircraft soaring in the Indian sky, a powerful symbol of the strength of the U.S.-India strategic…

— Ambassador Sergio Gor (@USAmbIndia) January 26, 2026

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council, Antonio Luis Santos da Costa, were the Chief Guests for the 2026 Republic Day celebrations.

India’s 77th Republic Day parade concluded on Monday after a spectacular showcase of the country’s military might and diverse culture at Kartavya Path.

See more

The display of the flags of the EU, the EU Military Staff, and our maritime missions ATALANTA and ASPIDES at India’s Republic Day is a powerful symbol of our deepening security cooperation.

It will culminate tomorrow in the signature of our Security and Defence Partnership. pic.twitter.com/l5pPxFt8Rv

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) January 26, 2026

Republic Day, observed annually on January 26, marks the day India adopted its Constitution in 1950, officially becoming a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic. The day holds immense historical significance as it represents the culmination of India’s long struggle for independence and the establishment of constitutional governance based on justice, liberty, equality and fraternity.

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/worlds-oldest-largest-democracies-us-president-donald-trump-extends-wishes-on-77th-republic-day

Asian countries including Thailand, Nepal and Taiwan have tightened airport screening and health surveillance following confirmed Nipah virus cases in India. Authorities say the virus’s high fatality rate and potential for person-to-person transmission warrant heightened preventive measures.

Several countries across Asia are on high alert after confirmed cases of the Nipah virus were detected in India. The outbreak has led to heightened surveillance and screening at international airports and border crossings. The cases have been reported in the Indian state of West Bengal and prompted countries in the neighbourhood to introduce precautionary screening measures for travellers arriving from India.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s public approval rating has slipped in new polling ahead of a national election next month that she has framed as a direct verdict on her stewardship of the world’s fourth largest economy.

In a survey released on Monday by the Nikkei newspaper, support for her administration fell below 70% for the first time since she became Japan’s first female premier in October, dropping to 67% from 75% in December.

A separate Kyodo voter survey showed approval slipping to 63% from 68% while a Mainichi newspaper poll said it had fallen ten points to 57%.

By calling a snap vote to decide all 465 lower-house seats, Takaichi is seeking to convert personal popularity into support for her expansionary fiscal policies and to strengthen her grip on the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). It and coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party (Ishin), hold a one-seat majority in the chamber.

The polling suggests voter scepticism of her economic plans may be growing. In the Nikkei survey, 56% of respondents did not think Takaichi’s proposed stimulus package would cushion the impact of rising living costs. Market concern that Japan may need to issue additional debt to fund the measures has pushed up government bond yields.

Takaichi’s decision to call an election before lawmakers approve her record $793 billion national budget has drawn criticism from opposition lawmakers as political opportunism. Two fifths of the respondents in the Mainichi survey said they were unhappy with the timing, compared with fewer than a third who approved.

She heads into the Feb 8 election leading a party far less popular than she is personally, with the LDP polling at around 30% in several recent polls.

She has also lost the backing of the centrist Komeito party, which last year ended its 26-year alliance with the LDP and joined forces with the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, depriving the LDP of a crucial vote-getter in dozens of urban constituencies.

The outcome of the election could hinge on whether she can capitalise on her strong personal polling to rekindle support for her party more broadly, analysts say.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-pm-takaichis-administration-sees-approval-rating-fall-67-poll-shows-2026-01-26

President Donald Trump and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz struck a conciliatory note after a private phone call on Monday, in a sign the two sides want to defuse a crisis over the Trump-ordered deportation drive that has left two U.S. citizens dead in Minneapolis.

Trump and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey spoke by telephone on Monday as well, and their subsequent remarks were also upbeat, a change from weeks of vitriolic public exchanges.

Another sign of a thaw was confirmation from a senior Trump administration official that Gregory Bovino, a top U.S. Border Patrol official who has been a lightning rod for criticism from Democrats and civil liberties activists, will be leaving Minnesota along with some of the agents deployed with him.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Trump’s designated border czar, Tom Homan, would replace Bovino in the Midwestern state, at the helm of what the Trump administration has dubbed Operation Metro Surge.

Trump himself said earlier that Homan was being sent to Minnesota, adding that Homan had “not been involved” in the crackdown, but “knows and likes many of the people there.”

CHANGE IN COMMAND

Later on Monday, a different person familiar with the matter said Bovino had been stripped of his specially created title of “commander at large” of the Border Patrol and would return to his former job as a chief patrol agent along California’s El Centro sector of the U.S.-Mexico border.

The source said Bovino would then soon retire. Another source confirmed Bovino would return to the El Centro sector but gave no further details.

Word of Bovino’s demotion was first reported by The Atlantic on Monday, citing an official from the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and two others with knowledge of the change. The Atlantic also said Bovino was expected to retire soon.

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin disputed those reports, however, posting on X: “Chief Gregory Bovino has NOT been relieved of his duties.”

FIXTURE OF DEPORTATION DRIVE

Bovino has become a leading public face and outspoken advocate for Trump’s deportation crackdowns, often seen leading groups of heavily armed federal agents roving city streets.

News of his removal, and Trump’s phone calls with Walz and Frey, came two days after a 37-year-old ICU nurse, Alex Pretti, was shot dead by federal agents in Minneapolis during a weekend confrontation between immigration officers and protesters.

The killing heightened tension in Minnesota and sparked a major public backlash after video footage went viral on the internet, appearing to contradict the Trump administration’s account that Pretti precipitated the shooting.

Bovino was quick to characterize Pretti as the attacker in the deadly encounter, saying, “This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”

Trump and DHS officials had similarly cast another local anti-ICE activist, Renee Good, 37, a mother of three, as responsible for her own death after a federal agent gunned her down in her car on January 7.

Like Pretti, Good was a U.S. citizen, and video images of her killing belied claims that she tried to use her car as a weapon.

In both instances, the U.S. Justice Department has yet to open an investigation of the officers and circumstances involved, as is standard practice in all such shootings.

At the same time, Minnesota authorities have accused the federal government of trying to thwart state investigators, sparking a court battle over collection and preservation of evidence.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-send-border-czar-homan-minnesota-2026-01-26

Photos and videos showing smoke rising from the wreckage have circulated on social media.

Eight people were on board a Bombardier Challenger 600 that crashed while attempting to take off from Bangor International Airport in Maine around 7:45 p.m. local time on Sunday, the FAA told USA TODAY.

“An incident at the airport is under investigation,” the Bangor International Airport said in a Facebook post. “First responders are on scene and assessing the situation.”

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.

JUSTIN Bieber is reportedly ready to put a difficult 2025 behind him by attending next weekend’s Grammy Awards, a well-placed insider has told The U.S. Sun.

Justin, 31, has recently worried his millions of fans with erratic behavior and concerning behind-the-scenes revelations.

But after earning nominations for his album Swag and tracks including Daisies and Yukon, the two-time Grammy winner is planning to return to the scene of some previous career triumphs.

The spotlight is always glaring on the Canadian superstar and his wife, Hailey.

The insider, however, says Justin is determined to “truly enjoy the night” after talking through returning to the event for the first time in years.

He last attended the Grammys in 2022– and it was the very last big red carpet event he attended for four years.

“He feels extremely grateful to be nominated in multiple categories and to receive so much love from industry leaders and fans,” the source told The U.S. Sun, who said the messages of support “haven’t stopped” since the nominations were revealed.

“After such difficult times, that love means a lot to him.”

The father of Jack Blues, 1, has endured a difficult few years with pictures of him looking disheveled drawing global attention.

The U.S. Sun revealed last November that Los Angeles-based Bieber was heckled at Dodger Stadium during the World Series while wearing a Toronto Blue Jays jersey for Game Three against the LA Dodgers.

His marriage to model Hailey, 28, who sold her Rhode cosmetics company for around $1 billion last year, has also been called into question.

We disclosed at the time how insiders claimed Beiber was “jealous” of his wife’s impressive success, sending their marriage closer to “breaking point.”

She was spotted without her wedding ring in June, with sources telling us that the “situation is getting more unbearable.”

Earlier that year in May, Bieber sparked concern as “he looked like a ghost” while performing at SoFi Stadium.

Sources close to SZA and Kendrick Lamar, who were performing that night, as well as a staffer working on the sold-out show, said he was “disconnected,” “erratic,” and “not fully himself” throughout the night.

FRESH HOPE

But just when all looked lost, Bieber made a triumphant musical return, releasing his seventh album last September — and his first since 2021’s Justice — to widespread acclaim.

The response from his peers in the music industry, however, has reportedly really hit home.

“He’s received messages from artists he hasn’t heard from in a long time, and it’s made him feel like he’s truly back on the biggest stage,” added the insider.

Justin was first nominated for Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album for My World 2.0 in 2011.

He didn’t bring home any prizes that night, but his path to stardom was set, with his first Grammy coming in 2016 for Best Dance/Electronic Recording with “Where Are Ü Now,” his collaboration with Jack Ü.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/15831853/justin-bieber-hailey-attend-grammys-2026-nominated-struggle/

TIKTOK star Mackenzie Paul has died at the age of 26 following a lengthy cancer battle, her husband has confirmed.

The influencer went viral in August 2023 after sharing that she had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.

Paul, who was a second-year medical student at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine when she was diagnosed, used TikTok to document her battle with #TakingBackWhatCancerTookFromMe.

In a video posted to Facebook, her heartbroken husband Brandon tearfully confirmed her death.

“As you know, Kenzie is in heaven now,” he said as his eyes were red and swollen from crying.

“Selfishly, I wish she was here, still with me, and it’s going to take the whole rest of my life to get over this. But the one thing I am really, really happy about is that she’s not in pain anymore.”

“The past two and a half years, I’ve been blessed to be married to the best woman out there,” he continued.

“I also had to see her go through some very, very tough times, and you know, she was pretty transparent when it came to social media, but there were times when she was in the ICU and she was not breathing on her own — times none of us really shared — and it was a miracle that she made it this far.”

In her final post, shared on TikTok five days ago, Mackenzie weakly spoke inot the camera as her throat was drying up and her mouth was swollen with sores and painful wisdom teeth.

“It hurts so bad it’s bringing me to tears,” she said in the brutally honest clip, adding that the pain was making it difficult to eat.

“Other than that it’s been a great last few days,” she said, adding that different family members had been over to visit and others were due to arrive over the next few days.

“As always, please just continue praying for my leukaemia to be healed and for complete healing in general,” she said at the end of the video.

In his video, Brandon called her his “rock” and “best friend” with the pair tying the knot in June 2023 on what they called the “most magical day of our lives”.

Mackenzie revealed to PEOPLE that she went to the doctor after she started feeling dizzy and tired.

“Other than being more tired, I really didn’t have any symptoms,” the former Lake Superior State University athlete said.

“My whole life I’ve been really healthy. I was a college athlete. But I remember looking at my labs and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is horrible.’”

While fighting for her life, Mackenzie turned to art to help her through and ended up launching My Mantra Project to create portraits of “fighters of all kinds” including those tackling depression, addiction, and illness.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15837178/tiktok-star-mackenzie-paul-cancer-battle-death/

 

ON an infamous stretch of water known as “shark highway”, some surfers are still willing to risk it all to pursue their passion.

Jorgann Couzinet, 32, is one such daredevil who hails from the paradise island La Reunion – a honeymoon hotspot that has been plagued with the highest rate of shark attacks in the 21st century.

As an athlete who is pushing hard to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Jorgann has to be willing to accept the risks when training in his homeland.

“I just kiss my girlfriend on the beach and say ‘I love you’, because I don’t know if I’m going to be able to come back,” he told The Sun.

Jorgann’s family relocated to the island – in the western Indian Ocean, located east of Madagascar and southwest of Mauritius – from France when he was just five-years-old, and learnt to surf in the company of the apex predators.

“I have so many memories surfing with friends, and sometimes seeing sharks underneath my board. We were all tripping out.

“I remember seeing big tiger sharks jumping out from the water only 200 metres from us while we were surfing a wave that was super far from the beach.

“We were like ‘What the f*** just happened?’ This thing was so big.

“I was really young, probably 14, so I wasn’t really scared of them because I knew they weren’t really interested in us.”

But a spate of horrific attacks and deaths in the 2010s forced him to return to France as his career was starting.

The gravity of the “la crise requins” – or the shark crisis – had become so troubling that sweeping swimming and surfing bans were put in place across the island.

Jorgann said: “The shark issue just became really, really bad.

“If you went surfing you would risk your life, but you were also getting fined. It was crazy.”

The four-time European champ still returns to the island during the winter months to soak up the sun, see old friends, and train on the waves where he honed his craft.

And despite the last shark-related incident happening in 2019, blanket bans on surfing still exist.

“They are not putting so much pressure on us because they’ve seen that a lot of people are surfing again.

“So now they let it happen, but we’re still not allowed to go surfing. So if something happens they’re not responsible for it,” he said.

“We just want to be able to surf without getting fined for no reason, because we are already risking our lives for the sport we love.”

Tragically, some lose their lives even if they exercise proper caution.

Such was the case for 13-year-old surfing sensation Elio Canestri, who died at the hands of a bull shark in 2015.

The boy reportedly left a note for his mum before heading out to the beach to let her know he wouldn’t go into the water unless there were dedicated shark spotters.

“Don’t worry, Mum,” he wrote. “I’m going surfing. If there’s no security, I won’t surf.”

Elio was sadly killed in shallow waters, only 15 metres from shore.

His heartbroken father, Giovanni, told French broadcaster RTL that his son had “always been very careful”.

He said: “He was someone who always listened to his parents.

“He analysed danger intelligently, he was a competitor.”

At that point, an extraordinary 16 shark attacks – seven of them fatal – had occurred in just four years on the island.

Giovanni added: “Titi was devoured by his passion.

“Fate decided one day to take him away and he is gone.”

The loss was also particularly harsh on Jorgann, who felt like something of a mentor to the boy.

“He was like a little brother to me,” he said.

“I was there for him. Supporting him. And this [incident] really shocked me.

“I was really sad about the situation because I didn’t know if I was going to lose other close friends.”

In 2013, a 15-year-old girl was killed while snorkelling just metres off shore near Saint Paul on the island’s west coast.

Sarah Roperth’s body was torn in two at the torso, with part of the body dragged to the depths by the shark.

At the time, St. Paul resident Jean-Philippe told French media: “This little girl was not a tourist. Her father has lived on Réunion for a long time and she has swam here since childhood.”

Jorgann counts himself lucky that he has avoided the same tragic end.

He said: “I was surfing every day, and then one day I was like ‘OK, well, I don’t really feel like surfing.’

“I just felt like the water was moving a lot. Normally I’m always out.

“By the time I was getting home – I lived probably 15 minutes from the beach – I got a message from a friend telling me that someone had been bitten by a shark and died. It was crazy.

“I realised that maybe I was lucky to survive this whole time.”

Jorgann became part of what is known as the “sacrificed youth”, who surfed on the island during a period of 25 recorded attacks, 11 of them resulting in death.

“When I was a teenager, the best surfers in France came from Réunion,” he told Le Monde. “There will be a generational gap because they took too long to act.”

French bodyboarding champion Mathieu Schiller was one of the first who tragically died during that period, succumbing to an attack on September 19, 2011.

His body was never found.

“It was a nightmare,” Jorgann said. “At the time of the first attacks, we felt like we were living through Jaws.”

But the young surfer continued to defiantly pursue his passion and eventually won his first French championship title in 2013 at the age of 20.

It was around this time that he decided to move to mainland France.

On top of the worrying surge in shark attacks throwing La Reunion into chaos, Jorgann felt the move would benefit his career.

“I thought it was the right time to start getting sponsors over there, showing myself a little bit more,” he said.

He funded his passion by taking on odd jobs as a pizza chef and jet-ski instructor before receiving a call up to the French team at the EuroSurf 2015 in Morocco.

The Frenchman saw his career take off after victory in the second division of the World Surf League (QS) in 2017 as sponsored poured in.

Jorgann then skyrocketed to the top of the QS world rankings in 2019 after being crowned European champion for the second time.

The trauma of the “shark crisis” could have easily driven Jorgann away from the sport forever.

Instead, he chose to carry the memory of the “sacrificed youth” with him into every competition.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15803353/shark-highway-island-pals-die-surfer/

THIS is the jaw-dropping moment a group of men rescue a young boy from a sinking taxi after it plunged into an icy canal.

Footage shows three men working in perfect unison to pull the boy from the vehicle on a cold night in Dagestan.

At first, one man drapes himself over a circular beam as the car drifts toward him.

Suddenly, another man – wearing nothing but his pants – shuffles down the beam to lend a hand.

Together, they grab the boy from the white, half-submerged taxi as it rushes past.

The child is then passed down a line of outstretched arms before a fourth rescuer on the canal bank catches the boy, bringing him to safety.

Moments later, the heroes rescued the boy’s mother, also trapped inside the sinking taxi.

The driver, too, escaped unharmed.

One of the rescuers was named as Assadulla Magomedov.

He is a trainee at the Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov school, and named after the legendary MMA coach.

The footage of their daring rescue quickly went viral on social media.

One user praised the men, labelling it “not a movie – just an ordinary day for Dagestan”.

In the aftermath of the ordeal, there have been calls for the rescuers to be officially honoured for their heroic actions.

Prior to the incident, eyewitnesses say the taxi veered off the road and into the fast flowing canal.

One of the men shouted to the driver to ask if there a child inside as he quickly stripped off ready to dive into the murky water.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time someone has been rescued from a sinking vehicle.

Back in October, a pensioner had to be rescued from the sunroof of his sinking Bentley after it plunged into the sea.

Retired funeral director Robert Hill had driven to a waterside car park in Dorset when his car suddenly accelerated and careered down concrete steps.

The expensive motor – worth £50,000 – rolled into the water.

The 74-year-old said he was unable to unwind the electric windows or open the doors.

As the car quickly began to fill with water, Hill feared he was about to drown.

Fortunately, echoing the bravery seen in Dagestan, three fishermen jumped into the harbour and swam toward the vehicle.

Two of them clambered onto the bonnet of the semi-submerged Bentley, desperately trying to reach Hill.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15836683/boy-saved-sinking-taxi-canal/

The Sussexes couldn’t sell out Sundance.

Although Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attended the Park City, Utah, bow of the new documentary they produced, “Cookie Queens,” Sunday morning, there were plenty of open seats at the Eccles Theatre.

As the film began, roughly 150 unoccupied spots remained in the balcony, plus some scattered chairs on the ground.

That number ultimately tightened to about 60, as lucky wait-listers slowly filled empty places reserved for high-paying pass-holders (the coveted express badge costs $6,900), who mostly passed on the visiting royals.

“Cookie Queens,” which was enthusiastically received by the Park City crowd, is an adorable heartwarmer that follows several precocious Girl Scouts from all over the US on their quest to sell as many cookie boxes as possible.

A ticket to a starry and exclusive Sundance screening is typically a hot commodity. They are extremely difficult to get into.

In the same theater the night before, at the mobbed premiere of Olivia Wilde’s “The Invite,” starring Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton, staff had to turn away about 100 actual ticket holders — as seats there are not assigned.

Even a much less glamorous horror movie called “Buddy,” with Cristin Milioti and Topher Grace, left 40 out in the cold at the Library Center at midnight on a Thursday.

Other hot titles featuring Olivia Colman, Charli xcx and Natalie Portman were packed to the gills last week — with testy ushers snapping at moviegoers for saving seats for late friends.

“Cookie Queens” even got some bonus PR Saturday, when Harry and Markle made a surprise entrance at its other Sundance premiere nearby in Salt Lake City.

Sunday’s Park City screening began about 10 minutes late, which was unusual for the tightly scheduled festival.

And, in an uncommon move at Sundance for an executive producer, Markle, 44, spoke onstage before the film. She suggested the mountain town might be hungover from boozy Saturday parties.

“Thank you so much for being here bright and early,” she said. “I know some of you probably had late nights last night, so extra thanks for the effort.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/01/25/royal-family/prince-harry-and-meghan-markle-dont-sell-out-their-sundance-film-festival-2026-screening/

 

Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet stepped out for an intimate date night during a recent getaway to Mexico last week.

The Khy founder and the actor were photographed sitting at a table at Flora Farms in Cabo San Lucas on Thursday.

Jenner was seen on her cell phone, while Chalamet appeared to be looking through a camera roll.

An insider told TMZ that the “Marty Supreme” star was seen taking photos of his girlfriend during their dinner, which lasted more than an hour.

The source noted that the couple smiled and laughed together, though they didn’t show any signs of PDA.

Chalamet, 30, reportedly appeared “smitten” while Jenner, 28, indulged in her meal.

The “Kardashians” star wore a black top, while Chalamet sported a gray shirt and a cap worn backwards.

The duo publicly stepped out together after they were spotted hopping onto a private jet last Wednesday.

At the time, they were seen holding hands as they made their way onboard.

Earlier this month, Chalamet and Jenner flaunted their flourishing romance at awards shows, including the 2026 Critics Awards show.

Chalamet took home the award for best actor at the ceremony and publicly declared his love for the reality star for the first time.

“Lastly, I would like to say thank you to my partner of three years,” he said. “Thank you for our foundation.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/01/25/celebrity-news/kylie-jenner-and-timothee-chalamet-enjoy-intimate-date-night-in-mexico/

Samsung Electronics plans to start production of its next-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips, or HBM4, next month and supply them to Nvidia, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday.

Samsung has been trying to catch up with cross-town rival SK Hynix, a primary supplier for advanced memory chips crucial for Nvidia’s AI accelerators, after supply delays had hit its earnings and share prices earlier last year.

Samsung shares climbed 2.2 per cent while rival Hynix shares were down 2.9 per cent in morning trade.

The person declined to give details such as how many chips it plans to supply to Nvidia.

A Samsung spokesperson declined to comment, while Nvidia was not immediately available for comment.

South Korean newspaper Korea Economic Daily reported on Monday that Samsung passed HBM4 qualification tests for Nvidia and AMD and will start shipping to Nvidia next month, citing chip industry sources.

SK Hynix said in October it has completed HBM supply talks with major customers for next year.

SK Hynix plans to begin deploying silicon wafers next month into a new fab, M15X, in Cheongju, South Korea, to produce HBM chips, an executive at the company told Reuters earlier this month, without elaborating on whether HBM4 will be part of the initial production.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/samsung-start-production-hbm4-chips-next-month-nvidia-supply-source-says-5882231

At least 11 people have died and around 80 are missing after a landslide buried homes in Java’s West Bandung region, forcing villagers to flee.

Indonesia: Indonesian rescuers resumed searching on Sunday (Jan 25) for around 80 people missing in a deadly landslide, after operations had to be suspended overnight due to harsh weather.

Triggered by heavy rain, the landslide barrelled into villages in Java’s West Bandung region early Saturday morning, burying residential areas.

At least 11 people were killed and around 80 are still missing, many feared buried under mud, rocks and uprooted trees.

About 230 residents living near the site have been evacuated to temporary government shelters.

Rescue workers retrieved two more bodies on Sunday morning, bringing the death toll to 11, according to Ade Dian Permana from the search and rescue office.

Videos released on Saturday by the country’s search and rescue agency, known as Basarnas, showed rescuers using farm tools and bare hands to pull a mud-caked body from the ground and placing it in an orange bag to take away for burial.

Heavy equipment and excavators were mostly idle because the ground was too soft and unstable.

“If the slope does not stabilise, crews are prepared to continue manually,” Permana said, estimating the height of the mounds of mud to be up to 5 metres.

“Some homes are buried up to the roof level,” he added.

Visiting the area on Sunday, Indonesian Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka pledged that authorities would take measures to prevent similar disasters. He urged the local authorities in West Java and West Bandung to “address the issue of land conversion in disaster-prone areas”, including ways to reduce risks.

Basarnas chief Mohammad Syafii confirmed to reporters after visiting the devastated Pasir Langu village with Gibran, that the terrain condition and bad weather continue to complicate search operations on Sunday.

“We are at the mercy of the weather, and the slide is still mud … flowing and unstable,” Syafii said.

“With the area this wide, we’ll use every asset we have … drones, K‑9 teams and ground units, but safety comes first.”

Floods and landslides are common across the vast archipelago during the rainy season, which typically runs from October to March.

The disaster comes after tropical storms and intense monsoon rains late last year triggered flooding and landslides that killed around 1,200 people and displaced more than 240,000 in Indonesia’s Sumatra island, according to official figures.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-resumes-search-landslide-java-west-bandung-5881521

 

President Trump​’s top lieutenants Sunday joined him in blaming Minnesota Dems for “inciting” the anti-ICE chaos that has led to two protest​ers’ deaths at the hands of federal agents —​ claiming​ immigration authorities have battled unprecedented obstacles since arriving in the state to address widespread fraud accusations.

“We saw a resistance in Minneapolis like we haven’t seen anywhere else in this country,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News​ — as ​the feds and local law enforcement began squabbling about the investigative jurisdiction of the ​latest shooting scene​ involving Saturday’s killing of protest​er Alex Pretti’s

Noem said the Minnesota immigration crackdown was sparked by an alleged multibillion-dollar benefits scam largely carried out by local immigrant communities – but that Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey encouraged” radicals to “take to the streets and to resist law enforcement​” during the feds’ effort.

“It really is [an] irresponsibility that we haven’t seen out of someone in any other state,” she said, repeating a sentiment Trump first levied Saturday after ​the 37-year-old Pretti was killed by Border Patrol agents who found a gun on him ​at a Minneapolis protest.

Pretti – an ICU nurse for a veterans hospital – put himself between a woman who had been pepper​-sprayed by federal agents​. He was ​then tackled ​and found ​to have a gun​, which was legally registered to him.

The agents ​appeared to have remov​ed the handgun​ from him before a hail of about 10 shots w​as fired by Border Patrol and Pretti was killed​, video showed.

But some footage may also show Pretti’s handgun accidentally discharging after an agent had taken it, suggesting the authorities who fatally fired on him may have been responding to that.

President Trump ​quickly kicked off laying the blame on Frey and Walz soon after the smoke settled.

“The Mayor and the Governor are inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric!” Trump fumed on Truth Social​ on Saturday. “These sanctimonious political fools should be looking for the Billions of Dollars that [have] been stolen from the people of Minnesota, and the United States.”

​T​rump administration officials took up the call soon after – including​ Noem and Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino, who called his agents “the victims” and speculated that Pretti had answered Democrats’ supposed calls and taken to the streets to resist ICE.

“Was he there for a reason? Did he fall victim to that violent and heated rhetoric by Mayor Frey and Gov. Walz?” Bovino ​said on CNN’s “State of the Union” ​on Sunday.

An investigation into the ​shooting is under​ way, according to Noem and Bovino, though neither clarified whether Pretti was armed with another weapon as he was pinned down and had his 9mm pistol removed.

The DHS began ​its investigation with the help of the FBI​. A Minnesota Judge ​quickly stepped in and slapped a temporary restraining order barring federal officials from destroying or altering any evidence connected to the case.

Th​e order was requested by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which alleged federal agents blocked its investigators from accessing the shooting scene in spite of a judge-signed warrant allowing access.

“We’re in uncharted territory here,” BCA Superintendent Drew Evans told reporters at a Saturday press conference.

“It’s been a long-standing understanding, both within our state and across the country, that entities like the BCA that conduct 80-plus percent of officer-involved shootings across the United States are asked to do these investigations of federal agents involved in officer-involved shootings,” he ​said.

The restraining order will be reviewed at a hearing Monday afternoon.

Pretti was declared dead at the scene.

He was among numerous protest​ers blowing whistles and dogging immigration agents who were in the area to detain an illegal immigrant accused of domestic abuse and other charges.

See more

“For months, radical progressive politicians like Tim Walz have incited violence against law enforcement officers who are simply trying to do their jobs. Unsurprisingly, these calls to dangerously interject oneself into legitimate law-enforcement activities have ended in…

— NRA (@NRA) January 25, 2026

Democrats – and even some ​Republicans – quickly began sounding off against the shooting, which was the second fatal incident involving an American and federal agents in Minneapolis since protest​er Renee Good was gunned down while accelerating her car towards an ICE agent earlier in January.

​Democratic former President Obama was among the critics who chimed in Saturday with a rare outright rebuke of Trump – who he accused of being “eager to escalate” the tensions that have gripped the Twin Cities this month.

“The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy,” Obama wrote Sunday in a statement posted to X.

“People across the country have been rightly outraged by the spectacle of masked ICE recruits and other federal agents acting with impunity and engaging in tactics that seem designed to intimidate, harass, and provoke and endanger the residents of a major American city,” Obama ​said.

Gov. Walz called the DHS officers “untrained agents” who need to leave the state “before they kill another American in the street.”

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/01/25/us-news/trump-noem-blast-dems-tim-walz-and-jacob-frey-for-inciting-protesters-like-alex-pretti/

 

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Sunday his country has no intention of pursuing a free trade deal with China. He was responding to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a 100% tariff on goods imported from Canada if America’s northern neighbor went ahead with a trade deal with Beijing.

Carney said his recent agreement with China merely cuts tariffs on a few sectors that were recently hit with tariffs.

Trump claims otherwise, posting that “China is successfully and completely taking over the once Great Country of Canada. So sad to see it happen. I only hope they leave Ice Hockey alone! President DJT”

The prime minister said under the free trade agreement with the U.S. and Mexico there are commitments not to pursue free trade agreements with nonmarket economies without prior notification.

“We have no intention of doing that with China or any other nonmarket economy,” Carney said. “What we have done with China is to rectify some issues that developed in the last couple of years.”

In 2024, Canada mirrored the United States by putting a 100% tariff on electric vehicles from Beijing and a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum. China had responded by imposing 100% import taxes on Canadian canola oil and meal and 25% on pork and seafood.

Breaking with the United States this month during a visit to China, Carney cut its 100% tariff on Chinese electric cars in return for lower tariffs on those Canadian products.

Carney has said there would be an initial annual cap of 49,000 vehicles on Chinese EV exports coming into Canada at a tariff rate of 6.1%, growing to about 70,000 over five years. He noted there was no cap before 2024. He also has said the initial cap on Chinese EV imports was about 3% of the 1.8 million vehicles sold in Canada annually and that, in exchange, China is expected to begin investing in the Canadian auto industry within three years.

Trump posted a video Sunday in which the chief executive of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association warns there will be no Canadian auto industry without U.S. access, while noting the Canadian market alone is too small to justify large scale manufacturing from China.

“A MUST WATCH. Canada is systematically destroying itself. The China deal is a disaster for them. Will go down as one of the worst deals, of any kind, in history. All their businesses are moving to the USA. I want to see Canada SURVIVE AND THRIVE! President DJT,” Trump posted on social media.

Trump’s post on Saturday said that if 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.”

“We can’t let Canada become an opening that the Chinese pour their cheap goods into the U.S,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on ABC’s “This Week.”

“We have a (United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement), but based off — based on that, which is going to be renegotiated this summer, and I’m not sure what Prime Minister Carney is doing here, other than trying to virtue-signal to his globalist friends at Davos.”

Trump’s threat came amid an escalating war of words with Carney as the Republican president’s push to acquire Greenland strained the NATO alliance.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/carney-trump-trade-canada-united-states-china-11175a5c513730d8a894bdabe70b8c01

 

Millions of people hunkered down as a major winter storm pummeled much of central and eastern half of the country. Thousands of flights were canceled, and thousands reported power outages in dangerously cold conditions.

More than 13,000 US flights were canceled from Saturday through Monday, as an “unusually expansive” winter storm descended across much of the eastern half of the country.

More flights within, into or out of the US are scheduled to be canceled on Sunday, with disruption approaching levels not seen since the coronavirus epidemic, aviation analytics firm Cirium said.

Heavy snowfall, sleet and freezing rain threatened nearly 180 million people between the Rocky Mountains and New England, the National Weather Service (NWS) said on Saturday night. That’s more than half of the entire populationof the US.

“The snow and the ice will be very, very slow to melt and won’t be going away anytime soon, and that’s going to hinder any recovery efforts,” said Allison Santorelli, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.

“By the time this event winds down late Monday, it will leave a trail of more than 2,000 miles of wintry precipitation, in a nearly continuous path, from New Mexico to Maine,” the National Weather Service said.

US President Donald Trump also approved emergency declarations for multiple states to receive assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Here’s what you need to know about the flight cancellations:

• All Saturday and Sunday morning flights were canceled at Will Rogers International Airport in Oklahoma City
• 700 departing flights and half of arriving flights were canceled at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
• Flights disrupted at airports in Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville and Charlotte, North Carolina
• All departing flights Sunday canceled at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
• Over 4,000 flights canceled across US on Saturday
• Over 9,000 flights canceled across US on Sunday

Russia needs workers — and is now hiring in India. Why Moscow is shifting its migration strategy, and what awaits Indians arriving in Russia.

At least 40,000 Indian citizens are expected to come to Russia as workers in 2026.

This was recently announced by Boris Titov, Russia’s special representative for relations with international organizations in the field of sustainable development, to the Russian news agency RIA Novosti. Vinay Kumar, the Indian ambassador in Moscow who also spoke with the agency, said between 70,000 and 80,000 Indian citizens were already working in Russia at the end of 2025.

This movement from India to Russia has its origins in an agreement on labor mobility signed in December 2025 at a meeting in New Delhi between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The document plans for a quota of over 70,000 Indian citizens for 2026.

‘India needs to export unemployment’

According to DW research, border crossing statistics show that the number of Indian citizens entering Russia is increasing. While around 32,000 people crossed the border in the first quarter of 2025 and 36,000 in the second quarter, that figure jumped to 63,000 in the third quarter.

Indian workers are recruited through official and unofficial agencies, which are largely responsible for making sure Indians get complete and accurate information about their future jobs. Wages for low-skilled Indian workers in Russia range from €475 to €950 ($555 to $1,111) per month, which is above what they would earn back at home.

In December, Russian news outlet Fontanka reported on a diverse group of Indian workers cleaning the streets of St. Petersburg. They told Fontanka that they received monthly wages of around 100,000 rubles (€1,125/$1,316), free accommodation and meals, as well as Russian language courses. According to the city administration, around 3,000 Indian citizens looking for work have come to St. Petersburg.

An Indian diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of bilateral relations, told DW that the labor agreement was also beneficial for India. “Russia needs workers, India needs to export unemployment,” the diplomat explained.

Work or war?

The Indian diplomat said a formal agreement was necessary to legalize Indian migration to Russia, which had long been “happening informally and chaotically.”

In the past, this had often led to Indians becoming victims of fraud. For example, some Indians had signed contracts with the Russian army under false pretenses and were sent to the war in Ukraine, the diplomat reported.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, 126 Indians have signed contracts with the Russian army, according to official figures. At least 12 Indian citizens have been killed on the Russian side, while 96 have returned to their homeland, according to the Indian Foreign Affairs Ministry.

In 2024, during a visit to Moscow, Prime Minister Modi spoke with Putin about the repatriation of Indians who had already signed contracts with the Russian army and also about the need to prevent new recruits from joining the army.

What obstacles do Indians face in Russia?

Russian economist Igor Lipsits pointed out that one of the biggest challenges for most Indian citizens in Russia is overcoming the language barrier. The majority of Indian workers do not speak Russian, while a significant portion of the Russian population, especially in rural areas, does not speak English.

“You bring people into the country with whom you cannot communicate. This means that they can only be employed for the simplest jobs such as hauling, cleaning and shoveling snow,” said Lipsits.

In his opinion, cultural differences also limited the possibilities for integrating Indians into Russian society. “I think they are focusing on India because they want to minimize the number of Muslims entering the country,” said economist Andrei Yakovlev. “They are assuming that mainly Hindus will come.”

Yakovlev does not see Indian workers as a solution to the labor shortage in Russia, a view shared by Lipsits. “It’s not so much street cleaners and unskilled workers that are lacking, but rather skilled professionals,” he said, adding that, “at the moment, this is essentially a test run. They are trying to find out whether these people are a good fit for the Russian economy.”

Why is Russia focusing on India?

In the wake of the deadly terror attack at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall on March 22, 2024 — which saw at least 143 people killed, large parts of the venue set ablaze and parts of the roof collapse — Russian authorities ratcheted up their rhetoric against migrants from Central Asia while restricting the number people permitted to immigrate from those countries.

As Lipsits noted, the countries in the region themselves are increasingly suffering from a labor shortage. “Citizens of Central Asian states are now being poached by other labor markets, primarily the UK and Southern Europe. As a result, migrants are demanding higher wages, which makes employment less lucrative for Russian employers,” he explained.

The experts DW spoke with said Russia’s choice of India was not accidental. Rajan Kumar, a Russia expert at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, suspects Russia will likely pay the migrant workers in Indian rupees which it earns from oil trade. Trade turnover between India and Russia amounts to around $70 billion (€60 billion), but Russia only buys $5 billion worth of goods from India. This means rupees are accumulating in Russia, the expert explained. And Russia will want to put them to good use.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/russia-looks-to-india-to-fill-labor-shortage/a-75598015

A dangerous winter storm has swept across the US, leaving at least seven people dead and cutting power to hundreds of thousands of homes.

Schools and roads across the country have been closed and flights have been cancelled as “life threatening” conditions stretched from Texas to New England, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

At least two people died of hypothermia in Louisiana, and other deaths linked to the storm have been reported in Texas, Tennessee and Kansas.

As of Sunday afternoon, more than 800,000 households had lost power, according to poweroutage.us. Meanwhile, more than 11,000 flights were cancelled, FlightAware reported.

Widespread heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain, which is a dangerous phenomenon where cooled rain droplets freeze instantly on surfaces, could last for days, as the storm could affect around 180 million Americans – more than half the population.

“The snow and the ice will be very, very slow to melt and won’t be going away anytime soon, and that’s going to hinder any recovery efforts,” Allison Santorelli, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told the BBC’s US media partner CBS News.

Louisiana’s Department of Health confirmed on Sunday that two men had died of hypothermia.

The mayor of Austin, Texas, said there had been an “exposure-related” death.

Officials in Kansas said a woman, whose body was found on Sunday afternoon covered in snow, “may have succumbed to hypothermia”.

Weather-related deaths of three people have also been reported in Tennessee.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote in a post on X that at least five people in the city had died on Saturday but added their cause of death was yet to be determined.

He said, however, “It is a reminder that every year New Yorkers succumb to the cold”.

New York state Governor Kathy Hochul warned residents to stay inside and off roads.

“This is certainly the coldest weather we’ve seen, the coldest winter storm we’ve seen in years,” she said on Sunday.

“A sort of an arctic siege has taken over our state and many other states across the nation.”

Hochul said the “brutal” conditions were expected to bring the longest cold stretch and highest snow falls in years.

“It is bone chilling and it is dangerous,” she said.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said on Sunday that the state was seeing more ice and less snow than was originally predicted.

“That is not good news for Kentucky,” he said.

Weather experts have warned that one of the biggest dangers of the storm is ice, which has the potential to damage trees, down power lines and make roads unsafe.

In Virginia and Kentucky, authorities have responded to hundreds of crashes on roads.

Canadians have also been hit with heavy snow and hundreds of cancelled flights.

Officials estimate that there will be 15-30cm (5-11in) of snowfall in the province of Ontario.

U.S. immigration agents shot and killed a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis on Saturday, officials said, sparking fierce protests and condemnations from local leaders in the second such incident this month.
Officials with the Department of Homeland Security said a Border Patrol agent fired in defense after a man who had a handgun resisted their attempts to disarm him.

Local leaders questioned that account, which Reuters could not verify and which videos circulated online appeared to contradict.

The man killed has been identified in media reports and on social media as Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse who worked at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis.
In bystander videos verified by Reuters, Pretti can be seen standing in the street and filming agents with his cellphone.
The videos show one of the agents apparently deploying pepper spray at Pretti and other protesters. While Pretti attempts to block the spray and help other protesters, several agents wrestle him to the ground and begin striking him with blows to the head and body.
As they hold Pretti on the ground, one of the agents draws his weapon and multiple shots are fired. Pretti’s body can be seen in the street.

The shooting drew hundreds of protesters to the neighborhood to confront the armed and masked agents, who deployed tear gas and flashbang grenades.
State officials were already at odds with President Donald Trump’s administration over the shooting of another U.S. citizen by federal immigration agents. Trump officials have said an immigration agent was acting in self-defense when he shot 37-year-old Renee Good on January 7. They have refused to allow local officials to participate in their investigation of the incident.

POLICE SAY MAN WAS LAWFUL GUN OWNER

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters the man killed on Saturday had attacked agents on an immigration raid, though she did not say whether he pulled out his weapon.
“He wasn’t there to peacefully protest. He was there to perpetuate violence,” Noem said at a news conference.

Among local leaders who sharply questioned that account was Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
“I’ve seen the video from several angles and it’s sickening,” Walz said. “The federal government cannot be trusted to lead this investigation – the state will handle it.”

The head of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Drew Evans, told reporters that federal agents blocked his team’s attempts to begin an investigation on Saturday.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the man who was killed was a lawful gun owner with no criminal record other than traffic violations.
As people protested the shooting, city police and state troopers arrived to manage the crowd. The situation appeared to have calmed after federal agents left the area, though protesters remained on the streets for hours afterward.
Local officials pleaded for restraint. “Please do not destroy our city,” O’Hara said.
Minneapolis officials, in a statement, said National Guard members would support local police at the scene of the shooting at the request of local officials to the governor.
The nearby Minneapolis Institute of Art said it had closed for the day due to safety concerns, and the National Basketball Association postponed a Minnesota Timberwolves game.

MAYOR, GOVERNOR CALL FOR OPERATION TO END

Walz and other local and state officials called for an immediate end to the Trump administration’s local immigration enforcement operations.
“How many more residents, how many more Americans need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said at a press conference.
Trump accused local elected officials of stirring up opposition.
“The Mayor and the Governor are inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric,” the Republican president wrote on social media.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/minnesota-governor-says-federal-agents-involved-shooting-minneapolis-2026-01-24/

Russia launched another vast attack on Ukraine’s energy system, rocking Kyiv with explosions overnight and into Saturday morning, leaving 1.2 million properties without power countrywide during sub-zero winter cold.
Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said more than 3,200 buildings in the capital remained without heating in the late evening, down from 6,000 in the morning. Night-time temperatures were hovering around -10 degrees Celsius (14 F).

More than 160 emergency crews were operating in the capital to restore heating, he said. Crews were also at work in other affected areas, mainly in western and southern Ukraine.
Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal, writing on Telegram after the daily meeting of officials devoted to energy, said more than 800,000 Kyiv households were still without power as were a further 400,000 in Chernihiv region, north of the capital.
“As for power, constant enemy attacks unfortunately keep the situation from being stabilised,” he wrote.
Many residents’ apartments were already freezing cold from disruption to Kyiv’s centralised heat distribution system following previous attacks.

Moscow carried out the strikes as trilateral, U.S.-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine continued into a second day in the United Arab Emirates, later adjourning with no sign of compromise. More talks were due to take place next weekend.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said Russia targeted the capital and four regions in the country’s north and east.
“We are quickly restoring damaged power generation facilities, increasing imports as much as possible, and introducing new alternative capacity,” she said.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said one person was killed in the capital city and four were injured, three of them requiring hospitalisation, while over 30 people including a child were injured in Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv.

Klitschko visited Kyiv’s worst-affected district, the northeastern suburb of Troyeshchyna, where 600 buildings were without power, water and heat.

He said vulnerable residents were being given hot food and medicine, and that the city was rolling out extra, heated shelters which would be operating around the clock in the area.
Kyiv recently loosened its wartime military curfew to allow people in freezing apartments to go to heated tents or public buildings at night.
Russia, which has pummelled Ukraine’s power grid since November 2022, nine months into its full-scale invasion, is conducting its heaviest bombardment campaign on energy facilities this winter. People across Ukraine have been left with only a few hours of electricity a day, some without heat or water.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia had unleashed 375 drones and 21 missiles, including two of its rarely deployed Tsirkon ballistic missiles, in its overnight attack.
The sky over Kyiv was lit up by regular orange flashes as air defences fired on missiles and drones descending on the capital. Loud booms echoed around the city’s tall buildings.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, reported strikes in at least four districts. A medical facility was among the buildings damaged.
Before Saturday, Kyiv had already endured two mass overnight attacks since the New Year that have knocked out power and heating to hundreds of residential buildings.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/ukrainian-capital-under-russian-attack-air-defences-operation-2026-01-24/

There’s a reason they say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Nevada just hit the jackpot in a new survey crowning it America’s most deceitful state — after experts tallied up fraud cases, romance swindles, identity theft, bogus doctor’s notes, fake IDs and even Google searches for notorious cheating site Ashley Madison.

Almost 1 in 5 Nevada residents admits to frequent fibbing, according to researchers at online tarot reading site Tarotoo, who found the Silver State also has the second-highest rate of romance scams.

In February, the feds nabbed a serial Vegas vixen in a scheme the FBI described as a “romance scam on steroids,” in which Aurora Phelps, 43, was accused of using dating apps to seduce, incapacitate, steal the identities and empty the bank accounts of men in their 60s and 70s.

The three-year spree was linked to three deaths, authorities said.

While falsehoods flew in Nevada, other states took the cake in individual categories.

Florida topped the charts for fraud, with 2,179 reports per 100,000 people, and identity theft, with 528 per 100,000.

In July, a Florida woman was swindled out of $15,000 of her retirement savings after scammers used artificial intelligence to clone her daughter’s voice in a telephone scam to convince the victim her loved one was in trouble.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/01/24/us-news/nevada-most-deceitful-state-in-us-new-study-finds/

 

A car plowed into a terminal at the Detroit Metro Airport in Michigan Friday night – and the driver bellowed nonsense as he was dragged away from the scene, according to shocking footage and reports.

Wild footage captured the black sedan sitting in the middle of the McNamara Terminal, where startled Delta Airlines employees were working as it smashed through the glass doors of the Romulus, Mich. around 7:30 p.m., according to WXYZ.

The driver immediately exited the vehicle with his hands raised and speaking in a daze as security and airport officials rushed to the debris-ridden area.

“The response was so quick thank God with the cops and TSA and everybody,” stunned traveler Ali Khalifa told the outlet.

“That all happened in seconds.”

Gov. Tim Walz is akin to the leader of a “drug cartel,” according to a Minnesota state lawmaker who filed articles of impeachment against the embattled Democrat — and warns other pols in the scandal state could be next.

Republican state Rep. Mike Wiener drafted the paperwork to boot lefty Walz in November and filed the docs on Jan. 12, alleging the former vice presidential candidate failed in his fiduciary responsibility to taxpayers as a $9 billion Somali social services scandal unfolded under his nose.

“This is almost like a drug cartel. You’ve got various levels that are all taking a cut of this money that comes from the federal government,” Wiener told The Post.

Walz, he said, was “ultimately in charge of the cartel.” He “maybe didn’t know every detail that’s going on, but [he is] overseeing what’s taking place.

“He is responsible when whistleblowers come forth. It is his responsibility to make sure that changes are made. We have a fiduciary responsibility, which is in the articles of impeachment,” Wiener continued.

“Whistleblowers had brought things forth, but were told not to pursue it because it could be viewed as racist,” he continued.

Other impeachment targets could include the head of Minnesota’s Management Budget Office Erin Campbell and Attorney General Keith Ellison, Wiener said.

Ellison should have been the person to prosecute the $250 million, pandemic-era Feeding Our Futures welfare fraud scandal, but instead turned a blind eye and allowed federal authorities to prosecute the case, Wiener said.

Campbell’s office was negligent in doling out federal funds without adequate oversight, the lawmaker said.

At a contentious oversight hearing on Wednesday, Campbell claimed her office “did not have a tool” to hold agencies accountable for their funding decisions, the Pine Journal reported.

Campbell’s office did not return a request for comment.

Aimee Bock, the convicted ringleader of the Feeding Our Futures scam, claimed on Wednesday that Walz and other state leaders were aware of the fraud.

“I have to believe that the governor’s office and Keith Ellison’s office were aware of this,” Bock told Fox News.

Ellison denied the allegations. “She is a liar, a fraudster, and manipulator of the highest order who has never acknowledged or accepted her guilt,” a rep for Ellison told the outlet.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/01/24/us-news/articles-of-impeachment-filed-against-cartel-boss-tim-walz-could-expand-to-other-state-officials/

THREE people have been found dead in New York City amid Winter Storm Fern – with the 2,000 “ice zone” smashing temperature records.

Over 230 million Americans are bracing for impact as the blistering weather lashes multiple states with heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain.

The monster storm is already breaking records as it sends temperatures falling as low as -43 degrees with extreme cold warnings rolled out across the country.

As of Saturday afternoon, three people have been found dead on the streets in NYC as a result of the biting cold.

A 67-year-old man was found on a Manhattan sidewalk, before two other bodies – a man in his 30s and a woman in her 60s – were discovered in Brooklyn.

At least 18 states have put themselves into a state of emergency to bolster any response efforts as officials expect damage like that seen from a hurricane.

Officials have said they expect Storm Fern to be a ‘once-in-a-generation’ event as it brings the worst cold weather front in over two decades.

Thousands of flights across the U.S. were canceled as a Storm Fern started to wreak havoc on Saturday across much of the country.

Power was knocked out and major roadways were snarled with dangerous ice.

As crews in some southern states began working to restore downed power lines, officials in some eastern states issued final warnings to residents.

Forecasters say the damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane.

Around 120,000 power outages were reported in the path of the winter storm, including about 50,000 each in Texas and Louisiana, according to poweroutage.us.

In Shelby County, Texas, near the Louisiana border, ice weighed down on pine trees and caused branches to snap, downing power lines.

About a third of the county’s 16,000 residents lost power on Saturday.

Bodies of three people found in NYC as temperatures plummet

Storm Fern has turned deadly with the first fatalities being reported from New York City.

The bodies of three people have been found on the streets of New York City.

A 67-year-old man was found on a sidewalk round 7:45 am on 3rd Avenue in Manhattan, cops said.

Meanwhile two other bodies, a man in his 30s and a woman in her 60s were found separately in Brooklyn almost two hours later.

All three died as a result of “weather-related circumstances” sources familiar with the matter told NBC New York as temperatures went below freezing.

New Mexico declares emergency

Governor Michelle Lujan-Grisham has declared a state of emergency in New Mexico ahead of freezing temperature and heavy snowfall.

Up to $200,000 have been put aside for emergency funds.

The executive order said the severe weather “will likely be of such magnitude as to be beyond local control and requires the resources of the State of New Mexico to minimize economic and physical harm”.

Up to one foot of snow is expected to fall in some areas of New Mexico – with power outages and shut down roads also anticipated.

Three cities bracing for the most snow

Boston, New York City and Oklahoma City are expected t be hit worst by Winter Storm Fern over the weekend.

Each city could see as much as 18 inches of snow.

Blankets of snow are already falling in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, and Minnesota as of Saturday afternoon.

Kentucky to see power outages and 15 inches of snow

Governor Andy Beshear says parts of Kentucky could see up to 15 inches of snow and power outages.

He said: “Kentucky, we’re looking at 36 straight hours of snow, sleet, freezing rain and dangerous temperatures across the state.

“This storm is going to have a major impact on roadways, utilities and daily lives.”

The Governor added that his state had 43 warming centres prepared to house people from the cold, and that about 800 Kentucky Guard personnel were on standby.

Warming shelters open in Carolinas

North and South Carolina have opened warming shelters ahead of the winter storm.

Separate shelters for men and women have opened across several counties including Mecklenburg, Alexander, Anson, Ashe and Catawba.

Washington DC Mayor warns of ‘extreme cold’

Mayor Muriel Bowser said on X: “Snow is coming tonight in Washington, DC.

“We’re expecting at least 9″ of snow, followed by extreme cold weather through the end of next week.”

She added: “Our teams are working to keep residents safe, warm, and inside all weekend long—for neighbors in need of shelter, call: (202) 399-7093.”

Thousands of flights canceled

Over 10,000 flights have been canceled across the country due to the storm, according to data from FlightAware.

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Charlotte Douglas International Airport were among the worst affected – both hubs for American Airlines which accounted for 20 per cent of the axed flights.

Ohio Governor declares emergency

Governor Mike DeWine said on X: “I’m proactively declaring a state of emergency in Ohio due to the damaging and dangerous conditions Winter Storm Fern is expected to bring to our state this weekend.

“I continue to encourage everyone to stay home unless it’s absolutely necessary to be out.”

Storm Latest

A powerful winter storm swept into the United States on Saturday, blanketing Tennessee highways with snow, knocking out power to tens of thousands in Texas, and forcing millions of Americans to brace for brutal cold.

The system is expected to barrel across the country through the weekend and into next week, spreading snow from Oklahoma and Arkansas all the way to Maine.

Forecasters warned that freezing rain could coat large parts of the South and Mid-Atlantic in ice, raising the risk widespread power outages, and what the National Weather Service called potentially “catastrophic impacts.”

Ahead of the storm, frantic preparations rippled across nearly half the nation, with officials urging people to stay home and at least 18 states declaring emergencies.

Airlines canceled thousands of flights as the storm’s hazardous mix of heavy snow, ice, and extreme cold threatened travel nationwide.

By Sunday, the system is forecast to reach major East Coast cities, including New York and Washington, with conditions severe enough to shut down transit and strain power grids.

In some regions, salt shortages and unusually high demand are compounding road safety concerns, while utilities warn that outages could last for days.

As temperatures plunge well below normal, millions of Americans may be forced indoors, waiting out a storm that could linger long after the snow stops falling.

Power companies stage crews ahead of storm impacts

Power and natural gas companies across several states are warning customers to prepare for possible outages as the winter storm intensifies.

Dominion Energy said it is preparing for significant and widespread power outages in Virginia and North Carolina due to heavy ice and snow, noting that restoration could take days if outages occur.

National Grid said Massachusetts could be hit hard, with heavy snow potentially causing sagging power lines and falling tree limbs.

The utility is staging additional crews and positioning them in areas expected to be most severely affected.

Eversource, which serves Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire, said it is not expecting major impacts but has extra crews on standby.

Con Edison said it is mobilizing crews and coordinating with local emergency management agencies in New York City and surrounding areas.

Utility companies urged residents to stay away from downed power lines, fully charge devices ahead of the storm and stock up on supplies.

Customers with generators were also advised to connect and test them in advance.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15833724/winter-storm-fern-live-updates-travel-snow-ice/

AT least one person has been killed and 14 injured in a gas explosion at a New York City apartment block.

The explosion triggered a four-alarm blaze at the top of the high-rise building in the Bronx in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Just after midnight, firefighters arrived at the building to tackle the blaze on the 16th floor of the 19-storey block with over 150 homes evacuated as a result.

One civilian was pronounced dead at the scene and 14 people were taken to hospital.

At least one of those people is said to be critical, FDNY Chief Kathleen Knuth said.

One of the wounded is a firefighter who was attending the blaze, authorities told Bronx News 12.

Firefighters were called to the Eastchester building just after midnight following calls of a strong smell of gas.

Just fifteen minutes later, as the FDNY carried out its investigation of the leak, the explosion took place.

Shocking photos from the fire show one resident hanging out of a window on the top floor waving a bed sheet.

Over 230 first responders attended the blaze with 75 units arriving at the building as temperatures across the city plummeted.

“It was a very, very difficult night, on a very cold night, which caused even more difficulty,” FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore told reporters.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15833773/new-york-city-bronx-gas-explosion-fire/

IT’S the 9am rush hour in one of America’s biggest cities.

But instead of commuters, the train carriage is packed with zombie-like drug addicts.

Welcome to Chicago, Illinois – the new US capital for ‘tranq’.

‘Tranq’ or ‘Zombie Dope’ is the street name for Xylazine, a powerful animal tranquiliser – so dangerous it’s never been used on humans – which earned its nickname for its ability to rot skin and cause users to fall into a deep sedation or a zombie-like stupor.

Now, it’s being increasingly mixed with the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl, which is 50 times stronger than heroin and is responsible for more than 200 overdose deaths each day across America.

Chillingly, each death drives more addicts to the dealer of the deadly dose – as users seek ever more potent cocktails.

Used more often in liquid form, but also sold as a powder online from Chinese suppliers for just $6 a kilo, three tenths of a cubic centimetre – the size of a dried pea – can sedate a human and cause death.

But it’s no wonder it’s so rampant when a $5 bag – around £3.70 in the UK – costs less than a takeaway coffee.

Within 30 seconds on the metro, our reporter witnessed a man slumped onto a carriage seat with his eyes closed, apparently high on the lethal mix.

Scattered around him was drug paraphernalia including baggies, condoms full of white powder and old needles.

He was only one of dozens The Sun saw taking over the trains as a way to escape the freezing conditions of the ‘Windy City’ and in turn coming face-to-face with law-abiding residents.

Others swigged from vodka bottles and could barely move in a zombie-like trance commonly associated with taking fentanyl.

One carriage, which had eight seats, was packed with druggies riding to the end of the train line and back again, scaring locals with occasional outbursts and brandishing metal bars as weapons.

Commuter Ashley Woodfork, 33, said: “I’ve lived here for 11 years and the metro has become one of the most dangerous parts of the city.

“Drug users have taken it over.

“You used to just see them on the streets under tunnels and certain areas but now it’s become so prolific you are being almost assaulted with it as you try to go to work.”

The drug has been famously associated with the city of Philadelphia – widely considered ground zero for the tranq crisis in the US – but it has now hit Chicago.

‘Deadliest drug threat’

The Drug Enforcement Agency said last year in a warning: “Xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier.”

Professionals say that’s because xylazine doesn’t respond to naloxone, most commonly known as narcan, a spray used to reverse the effects of opioids on fentanyl users.

Dr Wilnise Jasmin, medical director of Behavioral Health at the Chicago Department of Public Health, explained “Xylazine is not an opioid so it cancels out the medicine and its effects cannot be reversed.”

“You don’t remember taking it

After leaving the train, our reporter was confronted with homeless encampments lining the streets – just yards from affluent neighbourhoods and businesses – as users brazenly take the drug in daylight.

Shockingly, one man, whose face was covered in sores, collapsed against a wall as he lit a pipe filled with tranq, in Baltic temperatures of minus one degrees.

He smoked it three times in a minute before struggling to stand and adopting the “fentanyl fold” – a rigid stance, bending over at the waist and unresponsive, which makes users look like zombies.

It’s the physical signal that the central nervous system is suppressed and often happens just hours before an overdose.

His pal – across the road – told us: “Tranq is the only drug you can get here now.

“It’s ruining the city.

“The high doesn’t last for long so you need more and more.

“It is killing us but we don’t care as we want to die.

“Even in the freezing cold we will still be on the streets doing it.”

“Tranq is the only drug you can get here now. It’s ruining the city

We spoke to several tranq users who explained it was “the only drug available” in Chicago and costs half the price of pure fentanyl, at just $5 for a bag which can last up to three days.

Drug dealers, our reporter was told, almost exclusively mix fentanyl with xylazine because it’s cheaper for them to make and is more addictive for users with a high that lasts longer.

‘Zombie dope’

Fentanyl addict Brett Bradley, 44, who agreed to speak to us, said: “I started using dope in 2010 and I’ve been in prison four times since then for short-changing cash registers because of drugs.

“I lost my best friend to it.

“He was sleeping on my living room floor and I woke up to him dead.

“There’s no heroin around here, it’s all fentanyl mixed with xylazine, called “zombie dope”.

“That’s all you can get.

“You can boil it, smoke it, put it in pipes, and inject it but mainly you smoke it.

“It comes in a powder or liquid.

“People are scared of dying but once they have that habit they can’t stop it.

“You have a chain on your leg – you aren’t going far as you have zero control over it.

“It’s a fixed fight as you can’t win. More and more people are taking it.

“It’s $5 a bag which will last you for three days.”

Fellow addict Gardner Springfield, who is from Chicago, 54, added: “There weren’t as many overdoses in the past.

“It’s got so much worse.

“It’s cheaper which is why tranq is so popular and a high more potent than just fentanyl although it still doesn’t last long enough.

“When you come to you are already in withdrawal and need another fix

“When you come to you are already in withdrawal and need another fix – it’s that addictive.

“It’s the cheapest drug in Chicago at the moment and the cheapest place to buy it in the US because there are so many addicts in this city so there’s a lot of competition.”

‘Rotting flesh’

Another user, who called himself Lonzo, explained: “It’s real scary. It’s suicidal to take this drug.

“You don’t feel anything. It’s as if you’re not there.

“I have to ask myself why do I take it? I have nearly died lots of times.”

He told our reporter that if we were to take it we would “die instantly” as it’s so dangerous.

Fentanyl is present in over 90 percent of opioid overdose deaths in Cook County, the largest county in Illinois which contains Chicago.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15834406/zombie-dope-us-capital-walking-dead-metal/

Now hailing the role of British soldiers in Afghanistan, Trump called them “among the greatest of all warriors” in a post on Truth Social.

From claiming that troops from the UK and other NATO allies “stayed a little back” from the frontlines during the “war on terror” in Afghanistan after 9/11, US President Donald Trump on Saturday went straight for an olive branch as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer had termed his remark “appalling”.

Now hailing the role of British soldiers in Afghanistan, Trump called them “among the greatest of all warriors” in a post on Truth Social.

It was during an interview with Fox News earlier this week that Trump said troops from NATO allies “avoided” the frontline in Afghanistan, even though 457 British soldiers were killed in the post-9/11 conflict.

In his post now, Trump wrote: “The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America!”

“In Afghanistan, 457 died, many were badly injured, and they were among the greatest of all warriors. It’s a bond too strong to ever be broken,” he added.

He called the UK military “second to none (except for the U.S.A.!)”, finishing with: “We love you all, and always will!”

What Trump said before u-turn

His claim about troops “staying a little back” was only his latest barb at European allies. “They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan,” Trump had said, referring to NATO allies, “And they did; they stayed a little back, a little off the frontlines.”

Following the 9/11 attacks, the UK and other allies joined the US from 2001 in Afghanistan after it invoked NATO’s collective security clause.

Trump had questioned whether NATO would be there if the US ever needed them. “We have never really asked anything of them.” he’d said.

This sparked outrage in Britain, with several ministers criticising Trump.

“The President was wrong to diminish the role of NATO troops, including British forces, in Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks on the US,” PM Starmer’s spokesperson said. “We are incredibly proud of our armed forces and their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten,” he reportedly said.

Defence Minister John Healey highlighted that NATO’s Article 5 has only been triggered once — at the call of the US. The troops who died were “heroes who gave their lives in service of our nation”, he added.

NATO’s Article 5 states that an armed attack against one NATO member shall be considered an attack against them all.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/after-afghan-frontlines-taunt-at-nato-allies-trump-takes-a-love-you-turn-for-british-soldiers-101769275160523.html

 

Zhang, 75, and Liu, 61, are the vice-chairman and member of the Central Military Commission (CMC) respectively.

China said on Saturday (Jan 24) that the vice-chairman of its powerful Central Military Commission (CMC) and another high-ranking official have been placed under investigation over suspected “serious violations of discipline and law”, a common euphemism for corruption.

“Following a review… it has been decided to initiate an investigation into Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli,” the defence ministry said in a statement.

Zhang, 75, is one of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s longest-serving allies in the armed forces.

A career army officer and war veteran, Zhang oversees military operations, training and weapons procurement within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). His ties with Xi reportedly run deep, with their fathers being revolutionary comrades.

Liu, 61, is a member of the CMC, and its Joint Staff Department chief, responsible for overseeing the PLA’s joint operations, training and combat readiness.

Zhang and Liu were last seen in public on Dec 22, when they attended a CMC ceremony conferring the rank of general on two senior officers.

Xi – who is also CMC chairman – was present at the event, and Zhang read out the promotion orders signed by Xi, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Aside from the two newly promoted generals, CCTV footage showed four full generals in attendance: Zhang Youxia and Zhang Shengmin – who was named CMC vice-chair last October, replacing the disgraced He Weidong – Liu and Defence Minister Dong Jun.

Saturday’s announcement came after about a week of speculation, largely confined to overseas Chinese-language and Taiwan-based media, that Zhang Youxia could be in trouble.

The reports highlighted Zhang Youxia’s absence on Jan 20 from a high-level study session on the fourth plenum that was attended by senior party and military leaders.

In footage of the event broadcast by CCTV, Zhang Shengmin appeared seated in the front row alongside other Politburo members. Zhang Youxia, a Politburo member, was not seen.

The reports also highlighted Liu as another notable absentee from the Jan 20 event. Others singled out included He Lifeng, who was attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, as well as Politburo members Shi Taifeng, head of the Organisation Department of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, and Ma Xingrui, former party secretary of Xinjiang.

Ma’s absence has stirred talk over his fate, with reports highlighting that he has been missing from public view for the last few months. No reasons have been floated for Shi’s no-show.

ANTI-CORRUPTION CRACKDOWN

The military was one of the main targets of a broad corruption crackdown ordered by Xi in 2012. That drive reached the upper levels of the military in 2023 when the Rocket Force was targeted.

Eight top generals were expelled from the ruling Communist Party on graft charges in October 2025, including the country’s number two general, He Weidong. He had served under Xi and alongside Zhang on the CMC,

He, along with ex-CMC Political Work Department chief Miao Hua, were expelled from both the military and the party, Reuters reported.

The former was succeeded by Zhang Shengmin, a general in Beijing’s secretive Rocket Force and who is not related to Zhang Youxia.

The 67-year-old Zhang Shengmin is a veteran political officer who has been secretary of the CMC’s Discipline Inspection Commission since 2017, serving as a key enforcer of Xi’s sweeping military clean-up.

Also among the fallen top brass were He Hongjun, Wang Xiubin, Lin Xiangyang, Qin Shutong, Yuan Huazhi and Wang Chunning.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/china-military-zhang-youxia-liu-zhenli-probe-serious-violations-discipline-5880556

The plan focuses on strengthening public artificial intelligence research capabilities, says the Ministry of Digital Development and Information.

Singapore is investing more than S$1 billion (US$786 million) in its National AI Research and Development Plan (NAIRD) to strengthen public artificial intelligence research capabilities over five years from 2025 to 2030, the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) said on Saturday (Jan 24).

The plan, announced by Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo at the Singapore AI Research Week 2026 gala dinner, supports Singapore’s broader AI ambitions under its updated National AI Strategy (NAIS) 2.0.

It builds on ongoing AI research efforts in research, innovation and enterprise, MDDI said.

Singapore launched its first National AI Strategy in 2019, which saw the country embark on national AI projects in education, healthcare, logistics, security and municipal services.

The updated NAIS 2.0, announced by then-Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in 2023, aimed to more than triple the number of AI practitioners to 15,000, and help Singapore become a place where the world’s top AI creators gather.

The latest S$1 billion investment taps on the National Research Foundation (NRF) investment of S$37 billion in research, innovation and enterprise, announced in December last year, and the previous tranche of S$28 billion.

The S$37 billion investment will address various needs, including growing and enhancing Singapore’s talent pool, and leveraging AI as a transformative force over the next five years, NRF then said.

KEY FOCUS AREAS

NAIRD focuses on three key areas: fundamental AI research, applied AI research and talent.

Despite breakthroughs, there are “fundamental limitations” in AI development, Mrs Teo said.

“For example, AI training and inference remain extremely resource-intensive. Their draw on energy and water cannot be ignored,” she said, adding that Singapore already has one of the region’s densest concentrations of data centre capacity.

Under the plan, Singapore will establish AI research centres of excellence that house local and international researchers.

The research centres of excellence, hosted in public research institutions, will focus on “long-term, difficult questions”, Mrs Teo said.

They will advance research and development efforts in areas such as responsible AI, which safeguards against AI risks and protects AI systems from being exploited.

These research centres will also look into reducing AI’s reliance on data, emerging AI methodologies and general-purpose AI, such as developing AI that can perform multiple tasks across different domains.

In terms of applied research, the plan will build capabilities to support the adoption and application of AI in industry and initiatives driven by research, innovation and enterprise domains.

Mrs Teo said the updated plan aims to nurture “bilingual research talents” who are proficient in AI and have domain expertise.

“We aim also to build core AI engineering capabilities for the translation of theory to systems and applications,” she added.

To build a talent pipeline, the plan will continue to support initiatives to develop interest in AI research among youths. For instance, the National Olympiad in AI in Singapore prepares pre-university students to participate at the international level.

At the tertiary level, the plan aims to provide students with exposure to top AI research institutions both locally and abroad, by continuing to scale up national programmes such as the AI Singapore PhD Fellowship Programme and the AI Accelerated Masters Programme.

Singapore has also established schemes to support and develop faculty, through the AI Visiting Professorship, which facilitates collaboration between local and international researchers. To date, the scheme has supported eight awardees.

Mrs Teo said the AI research centres of excellence will also be “significant platforms” for talent development.

“In parallel, we will continue to attract top-tier AI startups and tech companies to base their research and innovation teams in Singapore,” she said.

GROWING AI RESEARCH

Research is a key driver in AI efforts to ensure that Singapore remains at the forefront of AI innovation, MDDI said.

In 2025, Singapore ranked third in AI research in The Observer’s Global AI Index, behind the United States and China. The index ranks countries on their level of investment, innovation and implementation of AI.

More companies have also set up corporate research labs in Singapore, such as Microsoft Research Asia and Google DeepMind, which opened an AI research lab in November last year.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/singapore-invest-over-1-billion-in-national-ai-research-plan-5875861

The landslide, triggered by heavy rainfall, struck a village in the region of West Bandung.

Indonesia: A landslide killed at least eight people and more than 80 are missing on Indonesia’s main island of Java on Saturday (Jan 24), a disaster official said.

Triggered by heavy rainfall, it struck two villages in Java’s West Bandung region at about 2.30am (3.30am, Singapore time) and buried residential areas.

Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for the national disaster agency, or BNPB, confirmed that eight people were killed.

“As of Saturday 10.30am, dozens of residents were reported safe, and 82 people were still being searched for,” he said in a statement.

The disaster follows flooding and landslides late last year that killed about 1,200 people and displaced more than 240,000 in Indonesia’s Sumatra island, according to official figures.

Environmentalists and experts have pointed to the role forest loss played in the flooding and landslides that washed torrents of mud into villages.

West Bandung’s mayor Jeje Ritchie Ismail told reporters that the military, police and volunteers were assisting in the search for the missing.

However, he warned that the terrain was extremely difficult and that the ground remained unstable.

The local search and rescue agency said it was conducting manual excavation, spraying the soil with water pumps and using drones to search for the victims.

FOREST LOSS

Floods and landslides are common in Indonesia during the rainy season, which typically runs from October to March.

Tropical storms and intense monsoon rains pummelled parts of South and Southeast Asia late last year, triggering deadly landslides and floods from the rainforests of Sumatra to highland plantations in Sri Lanka.

Forests help absorb rainfall and stabilise the ground held by their roots, and their absence makes areas more prone to flash flooding and landslides, David Gaveau, founder of conservation start-up The TreeMap, told AFP in December.

More than 240,000 ha of primary forest were lost in 2024, according to analysis by The TreeMap’s Nusantara Atlas project.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-village-landslide-killed-missing-heavy-rainfall-west-bandung-5880411

 

Steep terrain has turned elevation into a fact of everyday life in Chongqing. Beyond the viral images of its dizzying cityscape, CNA traces a quieter human story of adaptation, loss and resilience across generations.

Getting to Chen Hao’s apartment is an exercise in navigation and elevation.

The path winds through Gangfeng village, one of the last remaining old residential communities in Jiangbei district.

Laundry hangs between balconies. Potted plants crowd the window ledges. Elderly neighbours gather for baba – the local custom of drinking tea outdoors – often at street corners or in small open squares.

Then comes the stairwell, its steps worn smooth by decades of use.

Chen Hao lives on the third floor of a building that has never had an elevator, even though multiple flights of stairs separate each floor. The 63-year-old retiree has been making this climb for decades, since his family moved there in the 1980s.

Standing on the balcony, he gestures toward the wall of high-rises that fills the horizon. None of these buildings existed decades ago, Chen Hao pointed out.

“The view was extremely open. Originally, we could see the mountains, see Jialing River – even Shamo Stone far away,” he said, referring to landmarks that once defined his skyline.

He pauses. “Now we can’t see any of that.”

Chen Hao’s lived experience is a small window into life in Chongqing, a city of around 32 million people, where steep, uneven terrain has turned elevation into a fact of everyday life.

The sprawling metropolis in southwest China is dubbed an “8D city” – an exaggeration of 3D – for its maze-like streets and viral visuals of roads stacked atop buildings.

Mountains account for 76 per cent of Chongqing’s land areas, followed by hills at 22 per cent, and flat land at just 2 per cent, according to academic reports.

Unlike many other Chinese cities, bicycles and e-scooters are rare in Chongqing as the streets are simply too steep.

“What’s most distinctive about Chongqing is something everyone talks about,” Li Weitao, an architect who has spent more than a decade designing buildings in the city, told CNA.

“When you enter a building from the street, you realise you’re on the 14th floor. Then you walk down 14 floors, get to what you think is the first floor, walk out, and you’re still on the street.”

In a place without absolute ground, a generation that built the city’s vertical neighbourhoods watches familiar landscapes and memories disappear, even as new ones rise in their place. At the same time, younger residents are coming of age in those same layered quarters.

Through the lives of residents across generations, CNA traces stories of adaptation, loss and resilience in a city shaped as much by elevation as by time.

SHOULDERING THE CITY

Before the escalators came, before the malls and the modernisation, Chongqing moved on human backs.

Xu came to the city’s urban core from rural Dianjiang county – about 120km to the northeast – more than 30 years ago.

Aged 63, he is among Chongqing’s dwindling ranks of porters, known locally as “bang bang jun”. The term comes from the bamboo poles used by these porters, primarily men, to carry goods across their shoulders.

At their peak in the 1990s, as rural migrants flooded the city, the ranks of “bang bang jun” were estimated at between 300,000 and 500,000.

Today, their numbers have dwindled to just a few thousand, according to various reports – a decline driven by better roads, delivery apps and the simple fact that few young people want the work.

Xu did not start out as a porter. “At the beginning, I was shining shoes, together with fellow villagers,” he told CNA.

The earlier roads were unpaved, thick with mud.

“The roads were terrible back then. That’s why the shoe-shining business was good at the time. Shoes got dirty easily.”

Later, as wholesale markets grew and shops couldn’t deliver fast enough, he switched to carrying goods.

The city he entered was unrecognisable from today. Major malls like Grand Ronghui and Shengming had not been built.

Liangjiang, now a sprawling state-backed development zone, was not yet on the map.

As a porter, this meant long days of backbreaking work, he recalled.

“There were very steep slopes. Carrying loads uphill was ‘nao huo de hen’ (extremely brutal),” he said.

“In the past, even big loads were carried by ‘bang bang’. Roads weren’t connected and transport wasn’t convenient – everything relied on human labour.”

While the loads have become less punishing, Xu’s work endures.

Now, he wakes before dawn, arrives at the wholesale market by 6.30am and hauls goods until it closes at 2pm. On good days, he earns between 100 yuan (US$14) and 200 yuan – meaning even a full month of such takings would barely match Chongqing’s minimum monthly wage of around 2,300 yuan.

“Hard manual labour never makes much money. It’s just to scrape by. Barely enough to live,” Xu said.

Yet in his view, the labour remains indispensable.

“Without ‘bang bang’, how do goods get moved out? Doesn’t it still require human labour?”

LIFE BETWEEN LEVELS

The work of carrying goods may be fading, but vertical movement remains woven into daily life – especially for the young.

At 7.45pm, the stairs beside Kaixuan Road Elevator rise steeply into the evening haze. The lift – China’s first urban passenger elevator – links the upper and lower halves of Chongqing, and spans 11 storeys.

At this hour, students from nearby Fudan Secondary School are making their way up. The elevator ride only costs 1 yuan, but some have chosen the stairs.

Bao, 14, sometimes takes the lift, but not that particular evening.

“There are too many people – the elevator down there is super crowded,” said Bao, who identified herself only by her surname. “And because you get squeezed going up – squeezed really badly.”

During exams, when time is tight, Bao doesn’t bother waiting for the elevator. “I just run up and down directly.”

Shen Xiwang, 13, has a different reason for taking the stairs.

“My family’s (financial) situation isn’t very good … so I use less money,” he told CNA.

“Originally, (my friends) were also going to take the elevator, but I told them to come and keep climbing with me.”

None of the students CNA spoke to was fazed by the climb.

“In Chongqing – everywhere you go, you’re climbing stairs,” said another 14-year-old student, surnamed Wu.

“Mountain city. That’s the characteristic of this city.”

For those who grew up elsewhere, the adjustment to Chongqing’s vertical rhythms can be jarring.

Gong Yupeng arrived from Qingdao 18 months ago, following his girlfriend – a nurse at a children’s hospital – across 1,800km by car. He calls himself a “Shandong man becoming a Chongqing son-in-law”.

Gong, a business consultant in the design industry, learned quickly that Chongqing has its own directional logic.

“People here don’t say east, south, west, north – they only say up and down,” he said.

“Here, buildings face every direction, so it’s easy to lose your sense of direction.”

Gong also quipped that navigation apps cannot be trusted.

“You turn on navigation and it feels really close, just a few steps, maybe a few hundred metres. But once you actually walk, you realise you have to make a huge detour down.”

When he loses his bearings, Gong calls a taxi.

“I put a lot of faith in the ‘yellow Ferraris’,” he said, using a local nickname for Chongqing’s yellow cabs. “They can take me out of there without relying on navigation.”

But despite some pains, Gong has come to love the climb.

“I think stairs are okay for me, because I like exercising. Going up and down – I think it’s kind of fun. It’s like walking through a maze: after you go down a small path or go up a flight of stairs, it’s a completely different scene. I think that’s a little surprise Chongqing gives me,” he said.

THE ARCHITECTURE OF ALTITUDE

What sometimes feels like improvisation is, in fact, built into the city itself.

Li, the architect whose firm has worked on several renewal projects across Chongqing, says the city’s verticality is most extreme in Yuzhong district – a peninsula wedged between two rivers where an entire mountain is wrapped in buildings.

“The entire spatial structure is much more three-dimensional,” he explained. “Every single project encounters very complicated site conditions and height-difference relationships.”

At first, this was about passively solving problems. Over time, it evolved into actively using the terrain.

“If I have multiple ground floors,” Li said, “then the architectural space becomes much more interesting.”

A striking example is Baixiangju, a 24-storey residential complex completed in 1993. It has no elevators.

The project comprises six towers, with more than 500 households stacked into the mountainside.

From higher levels, stairways lead into other stairways, paths and actual roads that are narrow and winding. Although clearly within a residential complex, the setting feels unexpectedly precipitous.

Mid-level aerial corridors connect the blocks, forming a web of passages lined with beverage stalls, cafes and lamb soup restaurants.

Inside, residents go about their lives in a simple, unhurried rhythm.

The building was designed to exploit a loophole, Li noted.

“Back then, buildings over 10 storeys were required to have elevators,” he said, adding that Baixiangju avoided crossing that threshold by working with the terrain.

Three exits – on the 1st, 10th, and 15th floors – each lead to different streets, different neighbourhoods.

“No matter which entrance you use, you’re never actually above 10 storeys, so they didn’t install elevators.”

By creating entrances at three different levels, Baixiangju’s developers ensured no single access point exceeded that limit – a cost-saving workaround. This would be impossible under current building codes, which mandate elevators for structures with at least four floors.

One detail captures the strangeness: along the corridors, shops that appear side by side display different floor numbers.

A lamb soup restaurant might be marked as on the 11th floor; a drinks shop a few metres away, the 12th.

They belong to different blocks, each starting from a different ground level.

But not everyone is enamoured by Chongqing’s verticality. For those who maintain its infrastructure, the extraordinary has long since become ordinary.

Pang, 27, repairs elevators for a living. Asked whether Chongqing’s terrain creates special problems, he shrugged.

“Elevators are basically all the same; the systems are pretty similar,” he said.

“Other places have a lot (of elevators) too – it’s just that Chongqing has a bit more.”

Is the work hard? “Every job is tough,” he said. “It depends on the level of hardship and the kind of hardship.”

THE COST OF GOING UP

In Gangfeng village, the afternoon light falls across the open square where neighbours have gathered for their customary tea drinking.

“Every day the baba is full of people,” observed Chen Shijin, 92, the father of retiree Chen Hao. The elder Chen himself occasionally participates.

Chen Shijin entered Chongqing’s Third Steel Plant – one of several steel plants that once anchored the city’s industrial base – in 1954. He retired in 1985.

The factory site was once located on the land below their family home.

“When we were children, going down from here meant walking down a slope to the river,” Chen Hao said.

“Look at the roads now – they’ve changed completely.”

Development has redrawn the city’s features, but also its social fabric.

The junior Chen worries that the community spirit he grew up with is being eroded elsewhere as neighbourhoods like his give way to high-rises.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/chongqing-8d-city-vertical-living-china-5848256

Donald Trump has praised UK soldiers who fought in Afghanistan after his claim that allied forces avoided the front lines prompted criticism from veterans and politicians.

Earlier this week Trump angered US allies by downplaying the role of Nato troops in the war and doubted whether the military alliance would be there for the US “if we ever needed them”.

Trump’s words drew condemnation from international allies, while Sir Keir Starmer called them “insulting and frankly appalling”.

The UK prime minister spoke to Trump on Saturday, after which the US president used his Truth Social platform to praise UK troops as being “among the greatest of all warriors”.

Trump was criticised for remarks he made during an interview with Fox News on Thursday in which the president said of Nato troops: “We’ve never needed them. We have never really asked anything of them.

“They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan… and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”

That triggered a huge backlash from the families of soldiers who served in Afghanistan, as well as veterans and politicians from across the Westminster and international spectrum who called for Trump to apologise.

Prince Harry said the sacrifices of troops needed to be respected as he pointed out Nato’s collective security clause had been invoked once – following the 9/11 attacks.

In October 2001 the US invaded Afghanistan to oust the Taliban, whom they said were harbouring Osama Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda figures linked to the 9/11 attacks the previous month. Nato nations contributed troops and military equipment to the US-led war.

More than 3,500 coalition soldiers died, about two-thirds of them Americans, as of 2021 when the US withdrew from the country. The UK suffered the second-highest number of military deaths in the conflict behind the US, which suffered 2,461 fatalities.

On Saturday, Downing Street said the prime minister and US president spoke about the UK’s involvement alongside US and Nato forces in the conflict.

A spokesperson said: “The prime minister raised the brave and heroic British and American soldiers who fought side by side in Afghanistan, many of whom never returned home. We must never forget their sacrifice”.

Shortly after the conversation, Trump posted fresh comments on his Truth Social platform – appearing to step back from his critical comments but stopping short of directly apologising for the words he used in Thursday’s interview.

He wrote: “The great and very brave soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America.

“In Afghanistan, 457 died, many were badly injured, and they were among the greatest of all warriors.

“It’s a bond too strong to ever be broken. The UK military, with tremendous heart and soul, is second to none (except for the USA). We love you all, and always will!”

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she was pleased Trump had acknowledged the UK’s role in fighting alongside the US and Nato allies in Afghanistan.

“It should never have been questioned in the first place,” she said.

On Friday, the Duke of Sussex released a statement in which he praised the contributions of Nato troops who were in Afghanistan.

“I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there,” the prince said.

“In 2001, Nato invoked Article 5 for the first – and only – time in history. It meant that every allied nation was obliged to stand with the United States in Afghanistan, in pursuit of our shared security. Allies answered that call.

“Thousands of lives were changed forever. Mothers and fathers buried sons and daughters. Children were left without a parent. Families are left carrying the cost.

“Those sacrifices deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect, as we all remain united and loyal to the defence of diplomacy and peace.”

Most of the 457 British troops who died serving in Afghanistan over a period of nearly 20 years were killed in Helmand – the scene of the heaviest fighting.

Hundreds more suffered injuries and lost limbs – including Cpl Andy Reid who lost both his legs and his right arm after stepping on an improvised explosive device (IED) in Afghanistan.

“Not a day goes by when we’re not in some kind of pain, physically or mentally reflecting on that conflict,” he told BBC Breakfast on Friday.

Reid recalled working with American soldiers, adding: “If they were on the front line and I was stood next to them, clearly we were on the front line as well.”

Badenoch, Sir Ed Davey and Nigel Farage were among the Westminster leaders to call out the US president for his comments; while outside the UK, ministers from foreign governments also criticised Trump’s remarks.

Canada’s Minister of National Defence David J McGuinty said Canadian “men and women were on the ground from the beginning, not because we had to, but because it was the right thing to do.”

American political and military figures have also expressed their anger and frustration over Trump’s Nato comments.

“I think it’s insulting to those who were fighting alongside of us,” former national security adviser Herbery Raymond McMaster told the BBC.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3edwx37pd9o

“Jersey Shore” staple Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi received terrifying news during a recent doctor’s visit.

The reality TV personality took to TikTok on Wednesday to reveal she’s been dealing with abnormal pap smear results and precancerous cells for about four years, leading her to undergo an “uncomfortable” colposcopy and biopsy.

“Results come back. Doctor calls me and he’s like, ‘Not looking great.’ He found cancerous cells on the top of my cervix,” she said, adding that she’ll now need a cone biopsy under anesthesia for further testing.

@snooki
Ladies we are in this together 🙏🏽 #colposcopy #conebiopsy #cervicalcancer

♬ original sound – Snooki

“I’m terrified. It’s scary, but we have to get it done because cervical cancer is nothing to joke about,” the 38-year-old continued.

A teary-eyed Polizzi explained that if her second biopsy results come back abnormal she may need a hysterectomy.

“Obviously I’m done having kids but, as a woman, the thought of getting a hysterectomy is just sad and scary,” she said.

“Getting the hysterectomy and then not being able to have kids, I think that’s what’s killing me.”

“But whatever to keep me healthy and safe to be here for my kids that I have now,” she added, referring to the three children she shares with husband Jionni LaValle — Lorenzo, 13, Giovanna, 11, and Angelo, 6.

Polizzi further said she’s “scared and freaking out,” but hoping her video will help her connect with other women who have gone through similar situations.

She also admitted that she delayed her routine exams out of fear and doesn’t want others to make the same mistake.

“The reason why my doctor’s on my ass all the time is because I waited. I waited on my damn appointments because I knew I might not get great results but also because I didn’t want to feel the pain. I didn’t want to deal with the stress of having to deal with all of this,” she said.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/01/24/celebrity-news/nicole-snooki-polizzi-cries-reveals-scary-cancer-news/

Iran’s crackdown on protests has reportedly resulted in over 5,000 deaths, according to activists, with the real toll potentially higher due to a significant internet blackout. The US has increased naval forces in the region amid escalating tensions, with President Trump warning against mass executions of protesters.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Friday said that the death toll in the unrest stood at 3,117 in the country, as Iran simultaneously faces mounting international scrutiny over a deadly nationwide crackdown on protests. He said that 2,427 of those killed were civilians and security personnel, while 690 were identified as “terrorists”, according to Iranian authorities.

The statement comes amid sharply contrasting accounts from rights groups and activists, who say Iran’s broader crackdown on nationwide protests has claimed far more lives. Activists said at least 5,002 people have been killed in the government’s response to unrest across the country, even as Iran remains under a sweeping internet blackout.

The developments come as United States President Donald Trump described an approaching American carrier group as an “armada,” raising concerns of possible military escalation even as Washington and Tehran trade sharp rhetoric.

See more

Mayhem of the recent terrorist operation in Iran:

● 305 ambulances and buses
● 24 gas stations
● 700 convenience stores
● 300 private homes
● 750 banks
● 414 government buildings
● 749 police stations
● 120 Basij centers
● 200 schools
● 350 mosques
● 15 libraries
● 2… https://t.co/65OKkEfprk

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) January 23, 2026

 

Freezing rain fell in parts of Texas on Friday as a huge, dayslong winter storm began a trek that threatened to bring snow, sleet, ice, bone-chilling temperatures and extensive power outages to about half the U.S. population. Forecasters warned that catastrophic damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane.

Schools in Chicago and other Midwestern cities called off classes, airlines canceled thousands of weekend flights, churches moved Sunday services online and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, decided to hold its Saturday night radio performance without fans. Carnival parades in Louisiana were canceled or rescheduled.

At least 182 million people were under watches or warnings for ice and snow, and more than 210 million were under cold weather advisories or warnings. In many places those overlapped.

Utility companies braced for power outages because ice-coated trees and power lines can keep falling long after a storm has passed.

“It’s going to be a big storm,” Maricela Resendiz said as she picked up chicken, eggs and pizzas at a Dallas store to get her, her 5-year-old son and her boyfriend through the weekend. Her plans: “Staying in, just being out of the way.”

72-hour snowfall forecast

Freezing rain slickened roads in Lubbock, Texas, in the afternoon as temperatures dropped.

After sliding into the South, the storm was expected to move into the Northeast, dumping about a foot (30 centimeters) of snow from Washington through New York and Boston, the National Weather Service predicted.

Arctic air was the first piece to fall in place

Frigid air that spilled down from Canada prompted the cancellations of classes at schools throughout the Midwest. Wind chills as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40 Celsius) meant that frostbite could set in within 10 minutes, making it too dangerous to walk to school or wait for the bus.

In Bismarck, North Dakota, where the wind chill was minus 41 (minus 41 Celsius), Colin Cross cleaned out an empty unit for the apartment complex where he works.

“I’ve been here awhile and my brain stopped working,” said Cross, bundled up in long johns, two long-sleeve shirts, a jacket, hat, hood, gloves and boots.

Despite the bitter cold, a protest over an immigration crackdown went on as planned in Minnesota, with thousands demonstrating in downtown Minneapolis.

Nationwide, nearly 5,000 flights were delayed or canceled Friday, many of them in Dallas and Chicago, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. About 2,800 were called off for Saturday.

In Oklahoma, Department of Transportation workers treated roads with salt brine, the Highway Patrol canceled troopers’ days off and National Guard units were activated to help stranded drivers.

The federal government put nearly 30 search and rescue teams on standby. Officials had more than 7 million meals, 600,000 blankets and 300 generators placed throughout the area the storm was expected to cross, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

President Donald Trump said via social media that his administration was coordinating with state and local officials and “FEMA is fully prepared to respond.”

Ice could take down power line

s, and pipes could freeze

After the storm passes, it will take a while to thaw out. Ice can add hundreds of pounds to power lines and branches and make them more susceptible to snapping, especially if it’s windy.

In at least 11 Southern states from Texas to Virginia, a majority of homes are heated by electricity, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Campaigning began Thursday for Bangladesh’s first national elections since the 2024 uprising that ousted longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The major political parties held campaign rallies in the capital, Dhaka, and elsewhere ahead of Feb. 12 election, which is seen as the most consequential in Bangladesh’s history as it follows Hasina’s ouster and is being held under an interim government with voters also deciding on proposed political reforms.

The interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus has pledged to hold a free and fair election, but questions were raised after his administration banned Hasina’s former ruling Awami League party. The Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party have historically dominated the country’s electorate.

There are also concerns about the country’s law and order situation, but the government says they will keep the voting peaceful.

Yunus assumed office three days after Hasina left the country for India on Aug. 5, 2024, following the deaths of hundreds of protesters and others in a violent crackdown.

With the Awami League excluded from the election, a 10-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami, an Islamist party, is seeking to expand its influence. Jamaat-e-Islami has long faced criticism from secular groups who say its positions challenge Bangladesh’s secular foundations. A new party formed by student leaders of the uprising, the National Citizen Party, or NCP, is also part of the alliance.

Tarique Rahman, BNP chairman and the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, is widely seen as a leading contender for prime minister. His party has drawn strong support rooted in the political legacy of his mother, who died last month. Rahman returned to Bangladesh last month after 17 years in exile in the United Kingdom.

Rahman launched his campaign in the northeastern city of Sylhet with an address to thousands of supporters at a rally Thursday. He is scheduled to visit several other districts in the coming days.

In Sylhet, Rahman criticized the Jamaat-e-Islami party for using religious sentiment to get votes. He said that if elected, he would uphold national sovereignty and work for women and young people.

“Now we must establish the right to vote, rebuild the nation, and make it economically self-reliant,” he said.

Jamaat-e-Islami and the NCP began their campaigns in the capital, Dhaka.

“There are terrorism (crimes), extortion, corruption and forcible possession, (our fight) is against them to establish a just Bangladesh, and alongside to build a safe Dhaka for women and children,” said Nasiruddin Patwari, a leader of the National Citizen Party.

The election will also include a referendum on a national charter, with the interim government seeking voter support for what it describes as a new political course built on reforms. The charter was signed last year by 25 of the country’s 52 registered political parties. The Awami League opposed the idea and several other parties declined to sign the document.

Rahman’s return has reenergized his supporters.

“Under his leadership, in the coming time we want to see a self-reliant Bangladesh and organizing this country through a democratic process,” said Ali Akbar Rajan, a BNP supporter, at Rahman’s rally in Sylhet. “He will emerge as a successful statesman, that is what we hope for,”

The July National Charter, named after the uprising that began in July 2024 and led to the fall of Hasina, is currently nonbinding. Supporters of the charter say a referendum is needed to make it legally binding and a part of the constitution. Only Parliament can change the constitution in Bangladesh.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/bangladesh-election-campaign-hasina-yunus-tarique-b71a45ce5046ceb3577dad8854f7f176

 

New York City’s animal shelter system put out an urgent call for help housing their bigger dogs ahead of the impending snowstorm — and was inundated with big-hearted pooch lovers wanting to lend a hand.

The Animal Care Center of New York took to social media, pleading with New Yorkers to foster a “blizzard buddy” during the upcoming winter storm that is set to wallop the city over the weekend — dumping a foot or more of snow — noting that supplies and travel from the shelter would be covered.

After putting out the call, the ACC was overwhelmed with requests to help — receiving over 1,500 emails in less than 24 hours from people wanting to enjoy the snowfall with a furry friend.

The “blizzard buddy” program is part of a greater “straycation” initiative offered by the ACC throughout the year, where dog lovers can foster a pup for a weekend, giving shelter dogs a break from the kennel and a chance to enjoy time in a real home environment.

“Straycations” for shelter dogs help the four-legged pals recharge, shine, and get one step closer to finding their forever homes, according to the ACC.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/01/23/us-news/nyc-shelters-seeking-blizzard-buddies-for-their-dogs-ahead-of-snowstorm/

More than half of the US is preparing for the winter storm, which is reportedly spreading from the Rocky Mountains to the Great Lakes.

Most parts of the US are bracing for what is expected to be a monster winter storm that could delay flights and trigger power outages amid the biting cold across the country. Parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas reportedly witnessed fresh snow on Friday (local time) in what was seen as a prelude to the winter storm expected to converge with bitter Arctic cold and engulf places.

More than half of the US is preparing for the winter storm, which is reportedly spreading from the Rocky Mountains to the Great Lakes.

According to news agency Reuters, at least 14 states and the District of Columbia have declared weather emergencies.

Besides, experts have warned of power outages, which could last several days in some places. Airlines have also issued advisories, urging passengers to prepare for cancellations, delays or changes to their flight schedules.

German Chancellor Merz said the current form of US President Trump’s “Board of Peace” prevented Germany from joining for “constitutional reasons.” But Merz said he was open to “new formats” of cooperation with the US.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he is open to new dialogue with the United States, but added that he would not join US President Donald Trump’s so-called Board of Peace as it currently stands.

“We are, of course, ready to explore other forms, new forms of cooperation with the United States of America,” he said at a press conference in Rome on Friday.

Merz had previously expressed his willingness to participate in such a body to Trump weeks ago, but he added that what it has now become cannot be accepted by Germany in its current structure “on constitutional grounds.”

Germany ready for more cooperation with US

The rejection adds Germany to the list of traditional US allies that said they would not join the board, including France, the UK and Spain.

Saudi Arabia, Hungary and Qatar have confirmed their spots on the US board, which some observers see as a way to circumvent the United Nations.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/merz-says-germany-wont-join-trumps-board-of-peace/a-75633920

After identifying a suspected agent, Germany has expelled a Russian embassy employee and summoned the Russian ambassador.

The incident is emblematic of the threats that the West, Germany and other EU countries see coming from Russia. Above all, it highlights how close potential Russian agents can get to politicians in Germany.

In a press photo released by the Ukrainian government, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is sitting next to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during an economic event in Berlin in December. Just two rows behind Zelenskyy and Merz sits the woman who has now been exposed as a possible spy for Russia.

At the time, the German government had gathered numerous European heads of state in the German capital to discuss a possible end to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

On Wednesday of this week (January 21, 2026), German-Ukrainian Ilona W.* was arrested in Berlin. She is alleged to have been in contact with an employee of the Russian embassy since at least November 2023: “On various occasions, the accused provided him with information relating to the war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, among other things,” the Federal Prosecutor’s Office said.

Purporting to promote international understanding

The authorities also explained what this could mean in concrete terms: Ilona W. is alleged to have collected information about participants in “high-profile political events.” And she is said to have passed on information to her contact about the locations of the German arms industry, drone tests and planned deliveries of drones to Ukraine. The woman was acting as a kind of lobbyist in political circles in Berlin, was known to be very energetic and had access to many high-level events — as the picture from December shows.

According to information from, among others, the Berlin studio of broadcaster ARD, Ilona W. was chairwoman of a “federal organization” based in Berlin. According to its own statements, the organization is an umbrella association for “binational associations” promoting international understanding. A former lawmaker of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) is also said to sit on the board of trustees.

Investigations are also being conducted against two former members of the German Armed Forces, the Bundeswehr, who knew the alleged spy personally. They are suspected of having given her official information. However, it is still unclear whether they knew that the information was apparently going to the Russian secret service. According to the Federal Ministry of Defense, one of them is a former senior officer who recently retired, and the other is a senior civil servant who left the Bundeswehr more than 15 years ago.

Germany expels Russian embassy employee

The German Foreign Office summoned Russian Ambassador Sergey Nechayev. Nechayev was informed that one of the embassy’s diplomatically accredited employees had been spying and had to leave the country. The man, who according to the news agency dpa is believed to be the deputy military attaché, may therefore have been Ilona W.’s contact.

The Foreign Office stated: “The ambassador was informed in no uncertain terms on behalf of the Foreign Minister that espionage activities in Germany will not be tolerated by the Federal Republic of Germany and will have consequences.” And Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul himself added during a trip to Africa: “We are watching very closely what Russia is doing, and we are taking action against it.”

Russian Embassy: ‘A ridiculous provocation’

The Russian embassy’s response was not long in coming. The statement described the accusations as a “ridiculous, hastily cobbled together provocation.” The embassy told AFP news that the accusations were apparently intended to discredit the Russian diplomatic mission as part of the “spy hysteria actively cultivated in Germany.” It went on to say, “We have made it clear that Berlin’s unfriendly actions will not go unanswered.”

Russian intelligence activities are being monitored more and more frequently in Germany. Bundeswehr barracks have been under surveillance, and weapons transport routes supporting Ukraine have been spied on. Experts believe that Russia’s espionage activities in Germany have long since reached the same level as during the Cold War prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

In May of last year, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency conducted an investigation into Russian activities in Germany: “As Russia has become less hesitant to take action against Germany, the increase in incidents in Europe, including those that attract public attention, also demonstrates that Russia regards the use of force as a legitimate means,” the agency wrote in its report.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/germany-investigates-russian-espionage-case/a-75631642

The Duke of Sussex has called for the sacrifices of Nato troops to be “spoken about truthfully and with respect”, after the US president claimed allies stayed “a little back” from the front lines in Afghanistan.

“I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there,” Prince Harry, who was twice deployed to the country, said on Friday as he paid tribute to Nato troops killed in the conflict, including 457 UK service personnel.

The prince was reacting to controversial comments made by Donald Trump in an interview on Thursday.

Trump’s words have drawn condemnation from international allies, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling them “insulting and frankly appalling” .

The UK and other nations joined the US in Afghanistan after Nato’s collective security clause was invoked following the 9/11 attacks.

Prince Harry said: “In 2001, Nato invoked Article 5 for the first – and only – time in history. It meant that every allied nation was obliged to stand with the United States in Afghanistan, in pursuit of our shared security. Allies answered that call.”

He added: “Thousands of lives were changed forever. Mothers and fathers buried sons and daughters. Children were left without a parent. Families are left carrying the cost.

“Those sacrifices deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect, as we all remain united and loyal to the defence of diplomacy and peace.”

The duke’s comments follow Trump’s Fox News interview in which he said: “We’ve never needed them. We have never really asked anything of them.

“They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan… and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”

The president also said he was “not sure” the military alliance would be there for the US “if we ever needed them”.

In the UK, Trump’s remarks were condemned across the UK’s political divide.

Shortly before the prince’s statement, Sir Keir gave his own reaction saying if he himself had “misspoken in that way” he would “certainly apologise”.

Sir Keir said: “I will never forget their courage, their bravery and the sacrifice they made for their country.

“There were many also who were injured, some with life-changing injuries.

“I consider President Trump’s remarks to be insulting and frankly appalling and I am not surprised they have caused such hurt to the loved ones of those who were killed or injured and, in fact, across the country.”

Outside the UK, ministers from foreign governments also criticised Trump’s remarks.

Poland’s foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who was among 33,000 Polish troops who served on the frontline in Afghanistan, said: “No one has the right to mock the service of our soldiers”.

Canada’s Minister of National Defence David J McGuinty said that Canadian “men and women were on the ground from the beginning, not because we had to, but because it was the right thing to do.”

He said 158 of their troops “paid the ultimate price” for leading allied efforts in the Kandahar Province.

Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, former secretary general of Nato during the Afghanistan War, told the BBC World Service: “No American president should have the liberty to belittle their legacy and to insult the ones who are still grieving the fact that they didn’t come back alive from Afghanistan.

“What I would expect is a sincere apology from the president of the United States.”

In October 2001 the US invaded Afghanistan to oust the Taliban, whom they said were harbouring Osama Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda figures linked to the 9/11 attacks. Nato nations contributed troops and military equipment to the US-led war.

More than 3,500 coalition soldiers had died, about two-thirds of them Americans, as of 2021 when the US withdrew from the country. The UK suffered the second-highest number of military deaths in the conflict behind the US, which saw 2,461 fatalities.

Most of the 457 British troops who died serving in Afghanistan over a period of nearly 20 years were killed in Helmand – the scene of the heaviest fighting.

Hundreds more suffered injuries and lost limbs – including Cpl Andy Reid who lost both his legs and his right arm after stepping on an improvised explosive device (IED) in Afghanistan.

“Not a day goes by when we’re not in some kind of pain, physically or mentally reflecting on that conflict,” he told BBC Breakfast.

Reid recalled working with American soldiers during his time in Afghanistan, adding: “If they were on the front line and I was stood next to them, clearly we were on the front line as well.”

Diane Dernie, whose son Ben Parkinson suffered severe injuries when an Army Land Rover hit a mine near Musa Qala in 2006, said Trump’s words were “so insulting” and hard to hear.

The 41-year-old is currently recuperating after another operation, but Dernie told the BBC that Trump’s comments showed “a childish man trying to deflect from his own actions”.

Dernie called on Starmer to “stand up for his own armed forces” and call out the US president.

Her comments were put to the prime minister who replied: “I’ve made my position clear, and what I say to Diane is, if I had misspoken in that way or said those words, I would certainly apologise and I’d apologise to her.”

Giving a second interview to the BBC moments after Starmer’s statement, Dernie said the prime minister’s words were strong enough – but said he should go further.

“His words were exactly what we wanted to hear, but we need those words to be addressed directly to the president,” Dernie said. “I appreciate what Starmer has said, but they need to be said to Donald Trump.”

Throughout Friday, the leaders of the main Westminster political parties gave their reaction to Trump’s comments.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: “I spoke to parents of young men who have lost their lives. It is a disgrace to denigrate their memory like that.

“There is too much careless talk from President Trump. He clearly doesn’t know the history of what happened. We must not have these sorts of throwaway remarks.”

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey criticised the US president’s remarks and said: “Trump avoided military service five times. How dare he question their sacrifice.”

Trump received five deferments from a military draft during the Vietnam War – four for academic reasons and one for bone spurs, a calcium build-up in the heels.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “Donald Trump is wrong. For 20 years our armed forces fought bravely alongside America’s in Afghanistan.”

American political and military figures have also expressed their anger and frustration over Trump’s Nato comments.

Former national security adviser Herbert Raymond McMaster, who served as senior US officer in Afghanistan, said British forces were engaged in counter-insurgency operations every day.

“I think it’s insulting to those who were fighting alongside of us,” McMaster told the BBC.

“What I would like him to say is to make amends by affirming our gratitude for our allies who fought alongside us, and especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice in a war that I think was important, obviously, to the future of all humanity.”

During his second term in office, Trump has repeatedly criticised Nato, often accusing its member states of not spending enough on defence.

In the last few weeks, Trump has made comments about acquiring Greenland – a semi-autonomous territory of fellow Nato ally Denmark.

Trump’s repeated remarks over ownership, threats of military action and tariffs against traditional European allies have rattled the transatlantic treaty.

The White House has remained pretty quiet on the outrage being expressed in Britain – partly because the story has not played big in the US, and because Trump has been otherwise occupied, not making his usual appearances in front of cameras to have questions thrown at him.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clym2l7d75eo

Canada’s Arctic is a massive, treacherous, and largely inhospitable place, stretched out over nearly 4 million square kilometres of territory – but with a small population roughly equal to Blackburn in England or Syracuse, New York.

“You can take a map of continental Europe, put it on the Canadian Arctic, and there’s room to spare,” Pierre Leblanc, the former commander of the Canadian Forces Northern Area told the BBC. “And that environment is extremely dangerous.”

Standing at the defence of that massive landmass is an aging string of early warning radars, eight staffed military bases and about 100 full-time Coast Guard personnel covering 162,000km of coast, about 60% of Canada’s total oceanfront.

The Arctic region is the scene of intense geopolitical competition, bordered by Russia and the US on either side of the North Pole – and increasingly attractive to China, which has declared itself a “near Arctic state” and vastly expanded its fleet of naval vessels and icebreakers.

Standing in the middle is Canada, whose population is a small fraction of the larger Arctic players.

Nearly four years after Arctic security was thrust into the headlines following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the defence of Canada’s far north has again been brought to the forefront of public consciousness by Donald Trump’s designs on Greenland, a self-governing part of the Kingdom of Denmark that the White House says is vital to safeguarding the US from would-be enemies abroad.

Canada’s Arctic has not gone unnoticed by the Trump administration, which has reportedly become increasingly concerned by perceived vulnerabilities to US adversaries, and in April signed an executive order underscoring American “commitment to ensuring both freedom of navigation and American domination in the Arctic waterways.”

The Canadian government, for its part, has sought to reassure the US and Nato allies that it is doing its part to protect the region.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Prime Minister Mark Carney said that Canada is working to secure “our shared objectives of security and prosperity in the Arctic” through “unprecedented” investments in radar systems, submarines, aircraft and “boots on the ground” in the region.

Col Leblanc, who spent a total of nine years in the Canadian Arctic, said those investments have marked a “major shift” in Arctic security, noting that increases in Canadian defence expenditure – from 2% to 5% of GDP by 2035 – have meant “real action” in terms of additional over-the-horizon radar and aircraft dedicated to the Arctic.

Much of this focus, he added, has been prompted by the Trump administration’s renewed focus on the Arctic and Greenland.

“[That] certainly helps the Canadian government move in the right direction,” Leblanc added.

Still, challenges persist, including limited port facilities and difficulties resupplying far-flung bases that are sometimes thousands of cold, empty miles apart.

While Canada and other US Nato allies have opposed the Trump’s administration bid to “take over” Greenland to protect the Arctic, several experts who spoke to the BBC agreed with the administration’s broad assessment that the need for additional defences in the region are urgently needed.

Troy Bouffard, the director of the Fairbanks, Alaska-based Center for Arctic Security and Resilience, said that while on-the-ground cooperation between the US and Canada in the Arctic “remains the envy of the world”, much of the existing defence infrastructure was designed to combat Cold War-era threats, rather than existing ones.

In particular, he warned of the prospect of hypersonic missiles that travel at least five times the speed of sound, making them much harder to detect and intercept than traditional ballistic missiles, which would follow predictable arcs over the North Pole.

Such a threat is no longer theoretical.

Russia has used hypersonic missiles in combat in Ukraine, including a January strike that saw the first operational use of the nuclear-capable “Oreshnik” missile that carries multiple warheads at approximately 10 times the speed of sound.

“That technology has changed everything for us. We have to relook at the entire North American defence system and re-do it,” he said. “What exists right now cannot defend against hypersonic cruise missiles, at all. Like 0%.”

Traditional ground-based radar systems, he added, “are not going to work” against these emerging technologies. Space-based satellites must also contend with coverage gaps in high latitudes, prompting a renewed focus and investments in over-the-horizon radar.

Notably, over-the-horizon technology – along with space-based sensors – form a key part of the Trump administration’s planned Golden Dome missile defence system for North America.

For now, it is unclear what role Canada will play in the Golden Dome, a project Trump said at Davos Canada should “be thankful for”.

On Friday, Trump posted on Truth Social that Canada was opposed to having the Golden Dome over Greenland “even though The Golden Dome would protect Canada. Instead, they voted in favor of doing business with China, who will ‘eat them up’ within the first year!”.

The BBC has contacted Carney’s office for comment.

Those negotiations have been strained by the often antagonistic relationship between the US and Canada, with Trump in May posting that Canada could pay $61bn to join the programme or become the 51st US state and join for free.

Trump’s remarks prompted Canada’s ambassador to the UN, Bob Rae, to compare it to a “protection racket”.

Despite tensions, Michael Byers, an expert in Arctic security at the University of British Columbia, said that American concerns over Arctic security, and their threats of tariffs, have helped prompt Canada’s government to re-focus on the Arctic.

“Whether or not American concerns are justified, there is a feeling in Ottawa that we have to satisfy [them],” he said. “No one takes the 51st state issue seriously, but what we do take seriously are the economic pressures that the US is able to impose.”

“The Canadian government is very aware of that possibility,” he added.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9vx0p77pn8o

Nicola Peltz and Victoria Beckham had issues with each other prior to the wedding drama cited by Brooklyn in his recent social media rant.

“They can’t stand each other and don’t talk,” a source close to the family told Page Six in August 2022, noting that trouble was already “brewing” prior to their April 2022 Florida nuptials.

“The build-up to the wedding was horrendous,” they added.

The source further claimed that Peltz, 31, didn’t want Victoria “to be any part of the planning, and she wouldn’t clue Victoria in on anything. Communication was minimal.”

The insider claimed there had been “non-stop petty drama” that was coming between the aspiring chef, 26, and his parents David, 50, and Victoria Beckham, 51.

At the time, the source claimed the former soccer star and fashion designer hadn’t “spoken to [Brooklyn] for months.”

Adding fuel to the fire, Brooklyn also shared a sultry cover of British magazine Tatler — dubbing his model wife “The New Mrs. Beckham” for their August 2022 issue.

The insiders hinted that perhaps the “Bates Motel” actress experienced jealousy over the former Spice Girl’s various successes, especially as she attempted to emerge from her shadow for her own nuptials.

Reps for Victoria, Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment on Friday.

The Beckham family feud came to a head on Monday, when the aspiring chef took to Instagram Stories with a six-page rant directed at David and Victoria.

Among their offenses, he claimed, were cancelling “making Nicola’s [wedding] dress in the eleventh hour despite how excited she was to wear her design, forcing her to urgently find a new dress,” and controlling “narratives in the press about our family.”

Brooklyn also accused his mother of “hijacking” his first dance with Peltz before dancing “very inappropriately on me in front of everyone.”

He added, “I’ve never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life.”

A guest at the soirée previously told Page Six that after Marc Anthony, who performed at the wedding, invited “the most beautiful woman in the room” to the stage, Victoria “got up on stage and wrapped her arms around Brooklyn” and “nuzzled into his neck.”

“She was dancing with him very inappropriately,” they told us, adding, “She took that moment from Nicola, that is the God’s truth.”

However, a butler who also attended the nuptials told the Sun on Friday that Nicola — who reportedly was enraged that Victoria was called up as the “most beautiful woman in the room” for the first dance — issued an ultimatum to her new husband.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/01/23/celebrity-news/victoria-beckham-and-nicola-peltz-couldnt-stand-each-other-long-before-wedding-drama/

US President Donald Trump has sharply criticised Canada over its reported opposition to his proposed “Golden Dome” missile defence system in Greenland, accusing Ottawa of undermining its own security while deepening ties with China.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed the expansive missile shield would help protect Canada, despite what he described as Canadian resistance to the project.

“Canada is against the Golden Dome being built over Greenland, even though the Golden Dome would protect Canada,” Trump wrote. “Instead, they voted in favour of doing business with China, who will ‘eat them up’ within the first year.”

The remarks mark the latest escalation in Trump’s increasingly combative rhetoric toward America’s northern neighbour, folding defence policy, trade tensions and long-standing political grievances into a single attack.

Trump’s comments followed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent visit to Beijing, aimed at resetting economic ties with China, Canada’s second-largest trading partner after the United States.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/china-will-eat-them-up-trump-slams-canada-over-opposition-to-greenland-golden-dome-9852853.html

Mette Frederiksen said she was visiting to show “strong support” to the people of Greenland. Her visit comes amid a turbulent week in which President Trump backed down on his bid to forcibly annex the Arctic island.

Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, arrived in Greenland on Friday in a show of solidarity for the Arctic island that US President Donald Trump still has his sights firmly set on.

It’s been a turbulent week that has seen Trump back down from threats to seize the Arctic island and agree to negotiationswhile also putting relations with European allies to the test.

Trump has repeatedly stated that the US “needs” Greenland for its “national security,” pointing to his claims — without providing evidence — that the island is “covered with Chinese and Russian ships all over the place.”

Frederiksen welcomed by Greenland’s PM
Frederiksen touched down in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, and was welcomed on the tarmac by Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, with the two embracing, before continuing inside for talks.

Earlier in the day, Fredriksen spoke with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels on how security could be boosted in the region.

“We are preparing the next steps,” ‌Frederiksen told reporters ⁠while walking alongside Nielsen in central Nuuk. “I’m first and foremost here to show our strong support for Greenland’s people as a difficult time.”

Trump seeking ‘total access’ to Greenland
Trump on Thursday said that details of his bid to gain “total access” to the semi-autonomous Danish territory were being worked out.

Trump and Rutte agreed on what the US leader called a “framework,” although the details of what this involves have yet to be disclosed.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said as much on Friday, pointing out that no detailed plan had been hammered out between Trump and Rutte, but rather there was a “framework for a future agreement.”

He said, “Instead of those drastic ideas about needing to own Greenland… (Trump) now wishes to negotiate a solution.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/denmarks-pm-visits-greenland-to-show-support/a-75633439

The Mexican government is reviewing whether to keep sending oil to Cuba amid growing fears within President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration that Mexico could face reprisals from the United States over the policy, which is a vital lifeline for the Communist-run Caribbean island, according to three sources familiar with the discussions.

A U.S. blockade of oil tankers in Venezuela in December and the dramatic capture of President Nicolas Maduro this month have halted Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba, leaving Mexico as the single-largest supplier to the island that suffers from energy shortages and mass blackouts.

Mexico’s pivotal role in sending oil to Cuba has also put the U.S.’ southern neighbor in Washington’s crosshairs. President Donald Trump has stressed Cuba is “ready to fall” and said in a January 11 Truth Social post: “THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO!”

Publicly, Sheinbaum has said Mexico will continue oil shipments to Cuba, saying they are based on longterm contracts and considered international aid. But the senior Mexican government sources said the policy is under internal review as anxiety grows within Sheinbaum’s cabinet that the shipments could antagonize Trump.

Mexico is trying to negotiate a review of the USMCA North American trade pact, while also persuading Washington it is doing enough to combat drug cartels and that U.S. military action against the groups on Mexican territory is neither welcome nor needed.

The government review of Cuban oil shipments has not been previously reported, and the sources requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. It remains unclear what ultimate decision the Mexican government might take, with sources saying a complete halt, a reduction, and a continuation in full are all still on the table.

The Mexican presidency told Reuters the country “has always been in solidarity with the people of Cuba” and added that shipping oil to Cuba and a separate agreement to pay for the services of Cuban doctors “are sovereign decisions.” The Cuban government did not respond to a request for comment.

A White House official said: “As the President stated, Cuba is now failing on its own volition … there will be no more oil or money going to Cuba from Venezuela, and he strongly suggests Cuba makes a deal before it is too late.”

LAND ATTACKS ON CARTELS
In recent weeks, Trump has ratcheted up pressure on Mexico, saying the country is run by the cartels and that ground attacks against them could be imminent. Sheinbaum has repeatedly stressed that any unilateral U.S. military action in Mexican territory would be a grave breach of the country’s sovereignty.

“There is a growing fear that the United States could take unilateral action on our territory,” one of the sources added.

During a phone call last week, Trump questioned Sheinbaum about crude and fuel shipments to Cuba and the presence of thousands of Cuban doctors in Mexico, two of the sources said. Sheinbaum responded that the shipments are “humanitarian aid” and that the doctors deal “is in full compliance” with Mexican law, the sources familiar with the call said. They added Trump did not directly urge Mexico to halt the oil deliveries.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/mexico-weighs-stopping-oil-shipments-cuba-amid-concerns-trump-retaliation-2026-01-23