Category: World

As tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high, China’s role is under growing scrutiny. How far would Beijing go to support Iran — and where are the limits if conflict broke out with the US?

China has emerged as a key player in Iran’s escalating confrontation with the United States, as mass protests and economic collapse strain the Islamic Republic from within.

In early January, widespread demonstrations driven by economic hardship, political discontent and sustained foreign pressure posed one of the most serious domestic challenges Iran’s leadership has faced in years.

The unrest soon gave way to a sharpening regional standoff, as President Donald Trump ordered large US military deployments to the Middle East and issued warnings demanding that Iran curb its nuclear program and ballistic missile development.

During the protests, China reportedly assisted Iranian authorities in implementing a nationwide communications blackout.

On January 15, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also condemned US threats as a return to the “law of the jungle,” contrasting what he described as American aggression with China’s offer to play a “constructive role” in helping the Iranian government and people “stand united.”

On Saturday, January 31, amid heightened tensions with Washington, Iranian state media reported that Iran plans to hold joint naval exercises with China and Russia in mid-February in the northern Indian Ocean.

The announcement was followed by a surge of unconfirmed claims online alleging that China was supplying military assistance to Iran, as well as speculations over whether the Chinese government would intervene in the event of a US military confrontation.

Iran deepens ties with China

For years, China has been one of Iran’s most important economic and diplomatic partners, providing a crucial outlet as Tehran has faced sweeping US sanctions and remained on the Financial Action Task Force’s blacklist. These restrictions have severely limited Iran’s access to the global financial system and made it dependent on China for trade and political support.

That relationship has taken on a sharper security dimension ever since Iran’s 12-day war with Israel in June 2025. In the months afterward, Iran and China reportedly expanded security cooperation agreements designed to improve intelligence sharing and coordination against perceived external threats.

However, Hamidreza Azizi, a Middle East security analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (SWP) in Berlin, cautions against overestimating Beijing’s commitment to defending the Iranian government. He said China’s involvement in Iran and the wider region remains largely pragmatic.

“China did not emerge as a forceful defender of Iran after the 12-day war with Israel, and it is unlikely to do so in the event of a possible US military intervention,” Azizi told DW.

By contrast, China has provided more robust support to other regional partners. During the 2025 clashes between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, Beijing offered Pakistan tangible military assistance, according to sources including Indian military officials. No comparable level of support has been extended to Iran, Azizi noted.

China’s limited footprint in Iran

Iran’s relationship with China is primarily shaped by confrontation with Washington. While US sanctions have pushed Iran closer to China, they have also constrained Chinese investment and limited China’s ability to expand its economic footprint in Iran.

“For now, Beijing appears more focused on opposing unilateral US action than on ensuring the survival of the Iranian regime itself,” Azizi said. “Years of recurring unrest and widespread corruption in Iran have also reinforced perceptions in China that the country under the current leadership represents a high-risk environment for investment.”

This caution is particularly evident in the huge gap between China’s trade with Iran and its trade with other Gulf countries. In 2024, China’s total trade with the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, reached roughly $257 billion (€217 billion), according to a report by the London-based think tank Asia House. China’s bilateral trade with Iran was only a fraction of that and totaled less than $14 billion the same year, according to Chinese government data.

“So while China does want the region to remain stable to protect its broad economic and energy interests, it is unlikely to go out of its way to defend the government in Iran itself,” Azizi said.

China, Iran, and the “Axis of Upheaval”

In the US, the partnership between Iran and China is often cited as part of what has been portrayed as an “Axis of Upheaval.” The term refers to the growing strategic, military and economic alignment between China, Russia, Iran and North Korea — sometimes abbreviated as CRINK — aimed at challenging the US-led global order.

European and NATO officials have also noted this convergence. NATO chief Mark Rutte, speaking at the meeting in the European Parliament on January 26, said, “It is undeniable that, as we speak, Russia, China, North Korea and Iran are aligning more and more.” He added that while the partnership “is not yet well structured,” these countries are increasingly willing to challenge Western influence.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/how-far-will-china-go-to-back-iran-if-the-us-strikes/a-75741327

An explosion that hit a building in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas on Saturday was caused by a gas leak, according to a preliminary assessment, the local head of the fire department said.
Iranian state media reported that at least two people have been killed and 14 injured in the blast, which comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over Iran’s crackdown earlier this month on nationwide protests and over the country’s nuclear programme.

“This (gas leak) is the preliminary assessment. My colleagues will give more details in the next few hours,” Mohammad Amin Liaqat, the fire department chief, said in a video published by Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency.
A video published on social media showed people standing among debris and wrecked cars in front of a damaged building following the explosion.
Reuters was able to verify the location by analysing buildings, trees, and road layout, which matched satellite and file imagery. Reuters could not independently verify the date the video was filmed.
Separately, four people were killed after another gas explosion in the city of Ahvaz near the Iraqi border, according to state-run Tehran Times. No further information was immediately available.

NERVES STRAINED AS TRUMP PILES PRESSURE ON IRAN

The explosions highlighted the jittery mood prevailing in Iran amid its clerical rulers’ standoff with the Trump administration.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on January 22 an “armada” was heading toward Iran. Multiple sources said on Friday that Trump was weighing options against Iran that include targeted strikes on security forces.
Ali Larijani, a senior Iranian security official, said on X on Saturday that work on a framework for negotiations with the United States was progressing, downplaying what he described as an “atmosphere created by artificial media warfare.”
Trump told Fox News correspondent Jacqui Heinrich that Iran was “negotiating, so we’ll see what happens,” Heinrich wrote on X.
“You know, the last time they negotiated, we had to take out their nuclear, didn’t work, you know. Then we took it out a different way, and we’ll see what happens,” Heinrich quoted Trump as saying.

Before the reports of the two blasts on Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused U.S., Israeli and European leaders of exploiting Iran’s economic problems, inciting unrest and providing people with the means to “tear the nation apart.”
The semi-official Tasnim news agency said social media reports alleging that a Revolutionary Guard navy commander had been targeted in the Bandar Abbas explosion were “completely false.”
Two Israeli officials told Reuters that Israel was not involved in Saturday’s blasts. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Bandar Abbas, home to Iran’s most important container port, lies on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway between Iran and Oman which handles about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/explosion-occurs-irans-southern-port-bandar-abbas-iranian-media-reports-2026-01-31/

Cubans from all walks of life are hunkering into survival mode, navigating lengthening blackouts and soaring prices for food, fuel and transport as the U.S. threatens a stranglehold on the communist-run nation.
Reuters interviewed over three dozen residents of towns and neighborhoods around the capital Havana – the country’s political and economic engine – from street vendors to private sector workers, taxi drivers and state employees.

Together, those discussions paint a picture of a people pushed to the limit as goods and services – particularly those tied to ever more limited fuel supplies – become scarcer and more expensive.
For much of rural Cuba, this is not entirely new. The island’s frail and antiquated power generation system has been slowly failing for years and residents have grown accustomed to spending hours at a time without functioning electricity, internet or water pumps.
But the seaside capital, where the streets are lined with 1950s-era cars and colorful if decrepit Spanish colonial architecture, has until recently fared better.

Now crisis looks set to swamp it, too, as fuel shortages take hold, with first Venezuela, then Mexico halting oil shipments to the island.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said tariffs will be imposed on imports from countries that supply Cuba with oil, ratcheting up the pressure on Washington’s long-time foe in the wake of the ousting of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a key Cuban ally, in early January.
In many other countries, the conditions would have sent people out into the streets. So far, in a nation where dissent has long been curbed, there has been little sign of protest. But it is unclear how much more Cubans will be willing to endure.
Cuba’s peso has lost more than 10% of its value against the dollar in three weeks, pushing up the price of groceries.
“This has put me in an impossible situation,” said Yaite Verdecia, a Havana resident and housewife. “There’s no salary that can cope with this.”

DAILY LIFE GETTING MORE DIFFICULT

Trump, when asked about the prospect of a U.S. military intervention in Cuba shortly after the capture of Maduro, said he did not think an attack was necessary because “it looks like it’s going down.”
On Friday, Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez declared an “international emergency” in response to the U.S. tariff warning, which he said constituted “an unusual and extraordinary threat.”
But the government has said little about how it will manage the growing threat of humanitarian crisis.
Many of the Cubans Reuters spoke with said daily life – already difficult – had been reduced to basics like assuring food, fuel for cooking, and water, and that it had become noticeably harder in recent days.
Lines for gasoline have grown significantly this week at a handful of service centers in the city still supplied with fuel. And since the U.S. blocked Venezuelan deliveries of oil to Cuba in mid-December, virtually all gas has been sold at a premium, in dollars – a currency to which few Cubans have access.
“It used to be that you could sign up and get fuel once a month (in pesos),” said Havana resident Jesus Sosa, referring to an app that would let residents know when it was their turn to fill up their cars. “Not anymore. Sales in national currency have stopped.”

‘YOU HAVE TO PAY THE PRICE OR STAY HOME’

The crunch has hit both public and private transportation, putting some buses and private taxis out of business and forcing others to raise their prices.
Daylan Perez, a 22-year-old who hails private taxis for clients in old Havana, said fewer buses mean people now have no choice but to pay rising fees for private transport.

“You have to pay the price or stay home,” he said.
Even transportation by electric vehicle – once thought to be a panacea in a city short of fuel – has been hit by blackouts that now last for eight to 12 hours or more.
Taxi driver Alexander Leyet of Havana swapped to an electric three-wheeled taxi recently, thinking he had outsmarted the pack.
“Now because of the blackouts I can only charge my taxi for four or five hours,” he said.
For decades, the government that has its roots in Fidel Castro’s 1959 Cuban Revolution has survived despite sometimes brutal economic struggles, upending regular predictions of imminent collapse or an uprising.
It has long alleged a U.S.-led effort to foment revolt, but the most recent widespread protests were in the pandemic year of 2021, despite a 12% contraction of the economy between 2019 and 2024.
Sharp crackdowns on any form of dissent, combined with the emigration of between one and two million people since the pandemic, have all but eliminated organized in-country opposition. The Cubans interviewed by Reuters generally declined to answer questions about the prospect of protests.

POWER GOES OUT

But none of those interviewed disputed that change was necessary.
“I’m just praying God finds a way to get us out of this (mess),” said Mirta Trujillo, a 71-year-old street vendor from Guanabacoa who burst into tears as she told Reuters she could no longer afford food. Previously, she had depended on a ration book of basic goods provided by the government, but that was phased out post-pandemic as tourist income and other sources of hard currency dried up.
“I’m not against my country… but I don’t want to die of hunger,” she said.
On a recent weekday evening, Reuters witnessed an accident at a busy intersection in Havana where the stoplights were not functioning as a result of a power outage.
“Sometimes when the power goes out, accidents happen because the traffic lights don’t work,” said Raysa Lemu, whose apartment overlooks a boulevard in Marianao, on the outskirts of Havana.
“It used to be they turned off the power two or three times a week, but now it’s every day and sometimes it’s up to 12 hours.”
Julia Anita Cobas, a 69-year-old housekeeper from Guanabacoa, gets up at 4 a.m. each morning for a 10-mile (16-km) commute that now approaches four hours round-trip. With less public transportation available, the journey has become longer and more costly.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/cubans-under-siege-us-stranglehold-sets-2026-01-31/

A federal judge has ordered the release of Adrian Conejo Arias and his five-year-old son, Liam Conejo Ramos, whom immigration officers detained during a Minnesota raid.
The boy — seen in a now viral photo that showed him wearing a blue bunny hat outside his house as federal agents stood nearby — was one of four students detained by immigration officials earlier this month in a Minneapolis suburb, according to the Columbia Heights Public School District.

“The case has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children,” U.S. District Judge Fred Biery wrote in a ruling published on Saturday.
“Ultimately, Petitioners may, because of the arcane United States immigration system, return to their home country, involuntarily or by self-deportation. But that result should occur through a more orderly and humane policy than currently in place.”
The Ecuadorean boy and his father, who entered the United States legally as asylum applicants, were sent to a family detention facility in Dilley, Texas, their attorney Marc Prokosch previously told Reuters.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/judge-orders-release-5-year-old-father-detained-minnesota-ice-raid-2026-01-31/

What began on Dec. 28 in Tehran as a revolt against economic hardship and the collapse of the national currency quickly spread across dozens of other Iranian cities and provinces. People from diverse socioeconomic, religious and ethnic backgrounds joined what has become the largest anti-regime protest since the 1979 revolution.

Chants of “death to the dictator” and “death to Khamenei” echoed far beyond Tehran’s Grand Bazaar. As a response, the government shut off all internet services, leaving roughly 92 million Iranians in a digital blackout since Jan. 8.

The protests are not an isolated eruption but the latest chapter in a continuous cycle of uprisings from the 1999 student movement, the Green movement of 2009, the protests of 2017 and the bloody November of 2019, the “uprising of the thirsty” in 2021 and the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising of 2022. Each was driven by different grievances but united by a deepening crisis of legitimacy and governance.

For authoritarian regimes, internet blackouts are a powerful political tool of repression that conceal state violence.

Violence Justified For ‘Security’

As the protests spread, the regime responded by unleashing lethal violence on the streets. Security forces fired live ammunition and pellet guns at demonstrators, deployed tear gas, carried out mass arrests and raided medical facilities where injured protesters were being treated, including hospitals in Illam and Tehran.

Arrests have surpassed 40,000, while estimates of the death toll vary widely, with reports suggesting that tens of thousands have been killed during the most intense days of repression. In cities such as Rasht, witnesses documented massacres as protesters attempted to flee security forces.

At the same time, state media outlets and senior political and judicial officials labelled protesters “terrorist agents” serving the United States and Israel, rhetoric that helped legitimize extreme violence in the name of national security.

The Internet Blackout As Political Strategy

Plunging millions of people into digital darkness was not a security precaution but a deliberate strategy used to disrupt collective action, prevent the documentation of state violence and control what both domestic and international audiences could see.

Mobile data, broadband connections and even phone lines were cut across the country, leaving families unable to contact loved ones, protesters cut off from one another and the outside world largely blind to events inside Iran. This was neither an unprecedented move nor a temporary security response. Iranian authorities have repeatedly restricted or disabled internet and telephone access during periods of sociopolitical unrest.

Under blackout conditions, the internet is not simply a space for expression, it is vital infrastructure that allows for information to flow.

By fragmenting connectivity, the state does not need to erase every image or silence every voice. It only needs to prevent a shared public record from forming. Violence becomes harder to document, deaths harder to count and accountability easier to evade.

Diaspora Activism Under Blackout Conditions

Outside Iran, this enforced silence prompted a wave of digital mobilization.

Iranians in the diaspora and their allies turned to platforms such as X and Instagram, circulating the hashtag #DigitalBlackoutIran to draw global attention to the shutdown and the escalating repression inside Iran. The hashtag became a way to make absence visible, revealing that the lack of images, videos and updates was itself the product of deliberate regime suppression and crackdown.

As the blackout continues, what’s at stake is not simply connectivity but the ability to bear witness. The struggle over internet access in Iran is therefore a deeply political one: it’s a struggle over who’s allowed to narrate, who’s allowed to be seen and whose suffering is allowed to register as real.

This use of #DigitalBlackoutIran didn’t emerge in vacuum. It drew on previous movements and uprisings in Iran, where independent journalists are tightly restricted and repressed, public dissent is criminalized and uprisings are often followed by violent crackdowns and information blackouts.

When people cannot safely gather, publish or speak openly, and when documentation is actively disrupted, hashtags become a way of speaking out and of preserving what might otherwise disappear.

They allow dispersed users to find one another and construct a shared narrative of what’s happening. In this sense, hashtags function as a tool for mobilization and advocacy and as living archives of protest, keeping a record of repression and resistance alive when the state seeks to fragment, deny or erase it.

Yet the very visibility that gives hashtag activism its power also makes it vulnerable under authoritarian rule.

In Iran, the regime does not rely solely on blocking platforms or cutting access. It also actively manipulates online conversations from within. Alongside internet shutdowns, blocking social media platforms and filtering news websites, the state deploys co-ordinated networks of pro-regime accounts, often referred to as a “cyber army,” to disrupt protest hashtags.

These accounts flood hashtags with abusive and degrading language, disinformation and conspiracy narratives. The aim is to make participation emotionally, psychologically and socially costly.

This strategy reflects a broader shift in how autocratic regimes manage dissent online. Rather than silencing opposition, they increasingly seek to dominate digital spaces by overwhelming them, blurring truth with falsehood, intimidation with debate and visibility with noise.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/why-iran-turns-off-internet-protests/

Catherine O’Hara and her husband, Bo Welch, reportedly kept news of her mystery illness to themselves ahead of her death.

O’Hara died Friday at the age of 71, her agency CAA, confirmed to Page Six following TMZ’s initial report. “Prolific multi-award-winning actress, writer, and comedian Catherine O’Hara died today at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness,” they told us in a statement.

The Los Angeles Fire Department told us exclusively on Friday that they responded to a 4:48 a.m. call to O’Hara’s home. They subsequently transported her to a hospital in “serious” condition.

A cause of death has not yet been revealed, though according to 911 dispatch audio obtained by Page Six, she was having “breathing difficulty” during her final hours.

According to the Daily Mail, Welch may have known “what was coming,” but “many of those closest to O’Hara were kept in the dark about her condition during her final days.”

Sources told the outlet on Saturday that some pals were left in “complete shock” following the “Schitt’s Creek” actress’ death.

A rep for O’Hara did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment on Saturday.

O’Hara was scheduled to shoot Season 2 of Seth Rogen’s “The Studio,” but pulled out just days prior to her death. According to the Sun, the schedule was “reworked … to focus on scenes without her character” as she addressed “personal matters.”

“It was not widely known she was dealing with any health or major issues,” an insider told the outlet following her death.

Aside from her spouse of 33 years, she also leaves behind sons Matthew, 31, and Luke, 29.

The legendary comedic actress — who starred in cult classics including “Beetlejuice,” “Waiting For Guffman,” and “Best in Show” — rose to mainstream fame after starring in “Home Alone” in 1990.

In more recent years, she experienced a career resurgence with prominent roles in “Schitt’s Creek” and “The Studio.”

In a resurfaced 2024 interview, the actress divulged that she felt “lucky to be alive” and continuing to field high-profile opportunities. “I’m lucky [I get] to keep doing things like this at my age — I can’t believe it,” she told Elle Canada in August 2024.

“Over the past few years, when I’ve gotten scared or nervous, or if I start grousing about something, I’ve tried to really practice turning it around and being grateful. Like, ‘How lucky are you right now to be alive? And then to have this opportunity right here in this moment?’”

Following O’Hara’s death, a deluge of celebrities and co-stars shared tributes to the beloved Golden Globe and Emmy winning actress.

“You were a special part of my life and after life,” director Tim Burton wrote in part.

Longtime friend and repeated co-star Eugene Levy also shared a tribute on Saturday.

“Words seem inadequate to express the loss I feel today. I had the honor of knowing and working with the great Catherine O’Hara for over fifty years,” he said in an emotional statement.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/01/31/celebrity-news/catherine-ohara-and-bo-welch-kept-pals-in-the-dark-about-mystery-illness/

Cardi B has reportedly warned boyfriend Stefon Diggs after he welcomed four children with four different women in 2025.

“She’s been very clear with Stefon: if he messes up, if another woman comes forward with a baby after they became official and started a family together, she’s done,” an insider told the Sun in a report published on Saturday.

“She told him plainly that if he cheats or has a child behind her back, it’s over.”

Diggs, 32, welcomed daughter Charliee Harper with Aileen Lopera in April 2025, a son with K’yanna Barber in 2025, and a daughter with Cayy Benji, also born sometime in 2025. Plus, Cardi B gave birth to their son in November 2025.

Lopera dropped a paternity and child support lawsuit against him earlier this month, Page Six confirmed. Lopera’s attorney, Tamar Arminak, previously claimed a paternity test proved that Diggs is the father of Charliee.

“The paternity has been confirmed. Mr. Diggs is the father of the child,” Arminak told us in November, adding that “Mr. Diggs has acknowledged his daughter.”

Still, the “Bodak Yellow” rapper is said to be loyal to the New England Patriots wide receiver, despite the fact that she “hates the drama.”

“Cardi has known since day one that Stefon had a reputation as a womanizer and had seen multiple women in the past, but her love for him is above all of that,” the source explained to the outlet.

“She knows he has been faithful since they made things official and that he’s been transparent about his previous relationships, only seeing her since they committed to each other.”

The insider also divulged that the Grammy winner — who shares daughters Kulture, 7, and Blossom, 1, and son Wave, 4 with estranged husband Offset — “loves” that the NFL star is “not a deadbeat dad.”

“She believes he’s a present, loving, and supportive father,” they shared.

Diggs kickstarted his family in 2016 with the arrival of daughter Nova, whom he allegedly shares with ex Tyler Marie. And according to the Sun’s source, the rapper, 33, has no problem with his large family.

“She sees his children as an extension of the family and enjoys when they’re all together, spending time as one big extended family,” the source shared.

“She doesn’t harbor hate toward Stefon’s exes or the mothers of his children,” they added. “She doesn’t judge — she just wants everyone, especially the kids, to be happy and grow up in a stable, healthy environment.”

She also “does get upset when people talk badly about him, seeing it as disrespect,” a second source for the Sun shared.

“She’s had arguments over how some people address or treat him in public — but she’s learning how to handle it better.” The Sun’s source said that when the rapper “loves, she fights for her man. Period.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/01/31/celebrity-news/cardi-b-warns-stefon-diggs-after-he-has-4-kids-with-4-different-women/

The US federal government has partially shutdown despite a last-ditch funding deal approved by the Senate.

The funding lapse began at midnight US eastern time (05:00 GMT) on Saturday, hours after senators agreed to fund most agencies until September. The bill includes just two weeks’ funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration enforcement, instead of shutting it down entirely.

The bill has yet to be approved by the House of Representatives, which is out of session.

US President Donald Trump struck the deal with Democrats after they refused to give more funding for immigration enforcement following the fatal shooting of two US citizens in Minneapolis by federal agents.

It is the second such government shutdown in the past year and comes just 11 weeks after the end of the previous funding impasse that lasted 43 days, the longest in US history.

That shutdown in 2025, which spanned 1 October to 14 November, had widespread impacts on essential government services including air travel and left hundreds of thousands of federal workers without pay for weeks.

This shutdown, however, is unlikely to be that long or widespread as the House of Representatives is set to be back in session on Monday.

The White House, though, has directed several agencies, including the departments of transportation, education and defence to execute shutdown plans.

“Employees should report to work for their next regularly scheduled tour of duty to undertake orderly shutdown activities,” a White House memo to agencies said. “It is our hope that this lapse will be short.”

Trump has urged Republicans, who hold the majority of seats in the US House, to vote for the deal.

Lawmakers plan to use the fortnight in which the DHS will continue to be funded to negotiate a deal. Democrats want that deal to include new policies for immigration enforcement agents.

“We need to rein in ICE and end the violence,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“That means ending roving patrols. It means requiring rules, oversight, and judicial warrants… Masks need to come off, cameras need to stay on, and officers need visible identification. No secret police.”

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8rk33dpvmo

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has applied to launch one million satellites into Earth’s orbit to power artificial intelligence (AI).

The application claims “orbital data centres” are the most cost and energy-efficient way to meet the growing demand for AI computing power.

Traditionally, such centres are large warehouses full of powerful computers which process and store data. Musk’s aerospace firm claims processing needs due to the expanding use of AI are already outpacing “terrestrial capabilities”.

It would increase the number of SpaceX satellites in orbit drastically. Its existing Starlink network of nearly 10,000 satellites has already been accused of creating congestion in space, which Musk denies.

The new network could comprise up to one million solar-powered satellites, according to the application filed on Friday with the Federal Communications Commission – which does not specify a timeline for the plan.

SpaceX claims the system would deliver the computer capacity required to serve “billions of users globally”.

It also says it would be the first step towards “becoming a Kardashev II-level civilisation – one that can harness the Sun’s full power”, referencing a scale of hypothetical alien societies proposed by an astronomer in the 1960s.

Musk wrote on his social media site X: “The satellites will actually be so far apart that it will be hard to see from one to another. Space is so vast as to be beyond comprehension.”

Like the Starlink satellites, which provide high-speed internet, they would operate in low-Earth orbit at altitudes from 500-2,000km (310-1,242 miles).

SpaceX claims “orbital data centres” – a concept also being explored by other firms – would be a greener alternative to traditional centres, which require enormous amounts of power and water for cooling.

An expert previously told the BBC that launching hardware into orbit remains expensive and that the infrastructure to protect, cool and power them can be complex – while a growing quantity of space debris puts the physical hardware at risk.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cyv5l24mrjmo

More than 20 financial institutions worldwide have publicly vowed not to finance deep-sea mining — an activity scientists say could cause irreversible harm to ocean ecosystems. However, a DW investigation has found that some have invested at least $684 million (€581 million) in companies linked to the industry.

Hundreds of millions of dollars are flowing into companies racing to extract nickel, cobalt, and copper for batteries and other industrial uses from deposits buried thousands of meters below the ocean surface — an environment where scientific knowledge remains limited. Less than 0.001% of the seafloor has been explored.

Among the investors are some of the world’s largest financial institutions — including Deutsche Bank, UBS, Credit Suisse, Credit Agricole and BNP Paribas — according to DW’s analysis of company filings compiled by Greenpeace Germany’s investigation unit.

The investments come as the United States pushes to advance deep-sea mining as a future source of critical minerals. At the same time, some 40 countries have already announced a moratorium on the practise, arguing the environmental risks for these critical ecosystems need to be properly assessed.

The deep sea is “home to incredible life that is fragile, yet essential to the planet,” Diva Amon, a marine biologist and scientific advisor at the University of California, told DW. “We don’t yet understand what we’re planning to destroy, and once it’s gone, we can’t bring it back.”

‘It’s greenwashing’ — when pledges and investments diverge

When contacted by DW, Deutsche Bank and Credit Agricole said their commitments apply to financing specific projects, not to investments in companies. Critics argue this distinction allows banks to avoid directly funding individual seabed-mining operations while continuing to invest in companies preparing to mine — akin to refusing to finance an oil drilling site for climate reasons but still buying shares in the drilling company.

The other banks did not respond to DW’s questions.

“It’s greenwashing,” said Mauricio Vargas, a former investment strategist turned financial expert at Greenpeace. “Banks want to avoid negative PR related to environmental controversies.”

Vargas added that banks often rely on technicalities and small-print exceptions, counting on the public not fully understanding the implications of their investment policies.

Andy Whitmore of the Deep-Sea Mining Campaign said the gap between banks’ public commitments and their investments often reflects internal incentives.

“Their policies are carefully worded,” he said, adding any commitments are often made in good faith, “but there are pressures within banks to invest in areas deemed as potentially profitable, and/or mis-sold as profitable.” Accordingly, commitments are not always applied uniformly across large institutions.

But some banks, such as one of Norway’s largest financial groups, Storebrand, have managed it. DW found the group recently divested millions of dollars from companies linked to deep-sea mining.

A Storebrand spokesperson told DW the decision followed the precautionary principle, which prioritizes avoiding harm in the face of scientific uncertainty.

“Storebrand will not invest in companies involved in deep-sea mining until we have more scientific knowledge on the impacts of these activities,” they said.

When green commitments contradict short-term incentives

Goldman Sachs, on the other hand, has no public policy opposing deep-sea mining. Still, the Wall Street giant markets itself as a leader in environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing.

DW found it holds €187 million in stakes across companies enabling deep-sea mining. The company did not respond to requests for comment.

“Goldman Sachs is one of the biggest wealth managers in the world, and what it does matters,” said Tariq Fancy, former chief investment officer for sustainable investing at BlackRock, which manages around $10 trillion in assets.

“It’s much cheaper to paint yourself green than to actually be green,” Fancy added. With time frames for high returns “the shortest they’ve been in decades,” he said, many CEOs operate on five-year timelines, making it rational to “squeeze every last penny and then use philanthropy as reputation laundering.”

While ESG can “make differences at the edges,” Fancy said, “the real change has to come from political reform and stronger regulation.”

Taxpayer money flowing to private deep-sea mining companies

DW also analyzed investment data compiled by a Washington-based nonprofit, the Anti-Corruption Data Collective (ACDC). The analysis found that taxpayer money from countries that officially support a precautionary pause on seabed mining was invested in companies linked to the industry.

Retirement savings are also on the hook. The Triton IV private-equity fund draws money from public pension funds across Europe and Canada, even as the governments behind it publicly oppose deep-sea mining. The fund managed subsea firms DeepOcean and Adepth Minerals until spring 2025 before selling the group to a new Triton-managed investment entity.

Triton disputed the characterization, saying that DeepOcean is not a seabed-mining company and that its investment in Adepth Minerals is limited, regulated and not central to its strategy.

For Whitmore, accountability is the most effective way to push for change — especially for pension funds. “They invest on behalf of the public for the future,” he said, adding that they must therefore take the potential environmental risks of deep-sea mining seriously.

“It is important for pension funds to join the growing number of financiers and insurers who are excluding deep-sea mining,” he continued. So far, no pension funds have made such a pledge.

Some governments are drawing firmer lines, though. Norway, a country with several companies positioning themselves to mine the deep sea, has agreed not to issue mining licenses in its national waters until at least 2029. At the same time, 40 countries now support moratoriums or precautionary pauses on mining in international waters amid uncertainty about how it could affect marine life.

Most deep-sea species haven’t yet been discovered

“The deep sea is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet,” said marine biologist Diva Amon, who has led deep-sea research expeditions around the world. Far below the surface of the Pacific, Amon has seen sharks glowing in perpetual darkness and corals that are thousands of years old. But many deep-ocean species remain largely unknown to humans.

“About 90% of deep-sea species still lack formal names,” Amon said, adding that removing polymetallic nodules — potato-sized rocks containing many of the critical metals targeted by mining companies — could cause irreversible damage on million-year timescales.

Peter Thomson, UN Special Envoy for the Ocean, called for a 10-year moratorium on deep-sea mining to allow science to catch up and protect the “common heritage of humankind.” The UN’s finance initiative has also said there is “no foreseeable way” that financing the practice can align with the sustainable use of the ocean.

Early evidence from trial operations has reinforced those warnings. A recent study funded by leading deep-sea mining firm The Metals Company (TMC) found that test mining in the Pacific reduced seafloor abundance and biodiversity by more than a third.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/the-hidden-money-behind-deep-sea-mining/a-75723552

Rallies against the Trump administration’s hardline immigration tactics were also reported in other cities, such as Los Angeles. It comes as the US Justice Department opened a probe into the killing of Alex Pretti.

Thousands of protesters rallied in Minneapolis and other parts of the United States on Friday against the hardline immigration tactics used by US President Donald Trump’s administration.

Last month, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection launched Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis and neighboring St. Paul in an attempt to detain undocumented immigrants in the metropolitan area.

Some 3,000 federal agents have been deployed to Minneapolis amid the operation, five times the number of local police officers in the city.

What happened during the demonstrations?

The killing of two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by federal agents during the operation this month has sparked national and international indignation and ramped up calls for the Trump administration to end its raids in the Twin Cities as well as broader calls to reform and defund ICE.

The demonstrators in Minneapolis carried posters amid freezing temperatures with slogans such as “ICE OUT NOW!” Others held images of Renee Good and called for Trump and US Vice President JD Vance to be impeached.

Rock star Bruce Springsteen also performed his new single “Streets of Minneapolis” in the city to show solidarity with protesters at a benefit concert hosted by Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello.

The protests were part of an event called the “National Shutdown,” which called for a “nationwide day of no school, no work and no shopping.”

In addition, demonstrations were also reported in US cities, including Los Angeles. US media also reported that students walked out of high schools in states such as Indiana, Wisconsin and Maine.

DOJ opens civil rights probe into Alex Pretti killing

The demonstrations come as the US Department of Justice has opened a civil rights probe into the killing of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti by US Border Patrol agents.

“We’re looking at everything that would shed light on what happened that day and in the days and weeks leading up to what happened,” US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said of the investigation.

The decision to open an investigation has raised questions about whether the federal government can accurately probe a killing by its own agents. Moreover, the federal government has not opened an investigation into the killing of Nicole Good, who was shot dead by an ICE agent.

US Senate passes DHS stopgap as Democrats urge ICE reform

The killings of US citizens — and the deaths of six non-US nationals while held in ICE custody — and reports of unconstitutional activity by ICE and Border Patrol triggered demands from federal Democratic lawmakers for reform, and abolition, of ICE.

The US Senate on Friday voted to fund most of the government through the end of September, dodging the worst impacts of a government shutdown. However, the Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for ICE and Border Patrol, will only be funded for two more weeks.

This stopgap measure gives legislators time to discuss possible ICE reforms, such as a ban on face masks and an end to warrantless roving patrols.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/minneapolis-thousands-rally-against-trump-immigration-blitz/a-75736782

IRAN has been caught red-handed covering up bombed nuclear sites, new satellite images reveal.

The terror regime has slapped roofs over bombed nuclear buildings at Natanz and Isfahan to hide work from spy satellites.

The covert clean-up was spotted by Planet Labs PBC and marks the first visible movement at Iran’s nuclear sites since last summer.

That followed a brutal 12-day war in which Israel smashed the facilities before America piled in with bunker-busting bombs and Tomahawk missiles.

Experts say the rushed construction is not rebuilding, but a desperate effort by the mullahs to dig through the wreckage and see what deadly nuclear material survived the onslaught.

Iran has offered no explanation for the secret building work and continues to bar UN nuclear inspectors – meaning satellites are now the only way to track the regime’s dangerous moves.

Security experts say the roofs are designed to let Iran quietly salvage enriched uranium or sensitive equipment without Israel or the United States seeing what survived the strikes.

The Natanz site – Iran’s main uranium enrichment hub – had been producing material just a short step from weapons-grade before it was blasted, with some of that deadly stockpile believed to have been onsite when the bombs fell.

Isfahan, meanwhile, was a key link in the nuclear supply chain, producing uranium gas fed into centrifuges – making it a prime target in the effort to cripple Tehran’s path to the bomb.

It comes as multiple mystery explosions ripped through Iran killing at least five people – after Donald Trump threatened to blitz the Ayatollah’s regime.

Dramatic footage shows plumes of smoke billowing from the site of one of the deadly blasts which also left 14 people injured.

The explosions come after Trump threatened to launch airstrikes against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei over thousands of protester deaths and Tehran’s nuclear program.

Iran has made no suggestion the United States military is behind them with Israeli officials deny any involvement.

Six blasts were reported by Iranian sources amid rumours that the commander of the rogue islamist nation’s naval forces had been killed in a suspected drone strike.

But there was confusion last night as Iran denied reports that its military sites were under attack and claimed at least one of the explosions was a gas blast.

Four people are understood to have died from the gas explosion in the city of Ahvaz on the Iraqi border.

Local authorities said: “Following a gas explosion in a four-unit building in Kianshahr, four members of a family, including the father, mother, and their two children, lost their lives.”

A second blast at a tower block killed a four-year-old girl in the southern city of Bandar Abbas – where 14 people were also injured, local media reported.

The port is home to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy headquarters.

Semi-official news agency Tasnim called claims its commander was targeted “completely false”.

Meanwhile rumours swept Iran – where an internet blackout remains in place – that Brigadier General Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the IRGC Navy, has been assassinated.

But state media denied Tangsiri had been targeted.

The feared Revolutionary Guard’s spokesman last night blamed the reports of attacks as “terror alarms” being stoked by Israeli enemies.

The IRGC’S navy said: “No drone attack occurred on naval headquarters in Hormozgan province, specifically in Bandar Abbas city, and none of the buildings belonging to this force were damaged.”

The blast occurred in an eight-storey building, with shocking pictures from the scene showing severe damage to the lower floors.

Several wounded civilians were evacuated from the scene, according to the official IRNA news agency, and cars and a shop were also reportedly damaged.

Some Iranian outlets have attributed the blasts to “gas explosions”.

Other explosions have been reported in Karaj, Tabriz, Nowshahr, Hashtgerd and Qeshm.

But more explosions were reported in the cities of Qom, Parand, Qasr Shirin, Robat Karim and Ahvaz – where eye witnesses claimed to have seen a flying drone.

Israel – whose forces decimated the military command of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during last June’s Twelve Day War – denied any involvement in military action.

US military chiefs – whose massive force spearheaded by the USS Abraham Lincoln is gathering in the Gulf – stayed silent.

Previous reports of a blast in Shahr-e Jadid-e Parand were denied by a local governor, who claimed that widespread smoke across the city was a result of “a fire in dried reed beds along the banks of the Shur River”.

The US has bolstered its military presence in the region as tensions continue to escalate.

Trump took to Truth Social to deliver an ominous threat to the regime and announce that a “massive Armada is heading to Iran“.

He wrote: “It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose.

“It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela.

“Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties.

“Time is running out, it is truly of the essence! As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ a major destruction of Iran.

“The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again.”

Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK will back Trump’s efforts to neutralise Iran’s nuclear program.

US “sniffer planes” recently touched down in Britain before the prime minister appeared to endorse military action against Tehran.

“The goal or the aim here is that Iran shouldn’t be able to develop nuclear weapons, and that is hugely important,” he said.

But Starmer refused to comment on whether the UK would support US strikes: “I am saying we support the goal and we are talking to allies about how we get to that goal.”

Country-wide protests rocked Iran over the new year before the mullah’s regime hit back with a deadly crackdown perpetrated amid a sweeping internet blackout.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15869426/iran-explosions-kill-four-after-trump-threat/

A SMILING selfie shows the moment before a skier was mauled by a snow leopard and left with blood pouring from her face.

The tourist spotted the dangerous predator while skiing off-piste and rushed over to get a cute snap with the wild beast.

Seconds later, the big cat pounced and left the woman with serious injuries.

Harrowing footage shows the leopard calmly sitting next to its motionless victim just moments after the brutal attack.

The tourist was on her way back to her hotel in the resort town of Koktokay, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China, when she spotted the rare cat in a wooded area nearby.

A group of passersby rocked up moments later to get a closer look at the beautiful but deadly animal.

The woman then decided to approach, phone in hand, looking to get a picture.

She was able to get a foreboding selfie with the beast, before it suddenly lunged at her.

The leopard mauled at her face and even bit down on her skull with its sharp jaws, according to witnesses.

Onlookers were left fearing the woman could have been killed as horrifying footage showed her lifeless on the ground.

But fortunately the predator was unable to penetrate her thick ski helmet.

A brave ski instructor eventually chased away the cat by frantically waving his poles.

Shocked bystanders were then able to rush over to the woman and drag her to safety.

There has never been a recorded human death due to a snow leopard attack.

The woman’s purple ski suit was now stained a crimson red with her hands covering up her bloodied face as she was rushed to hospital.

Doctors at Fuyun County People’s Hospital miraculously confirmed the victim’s condition was stable and not life-threatening.

Authorities said that snow leopard activity had been repeatedly detected in the area in the days before the attack.

Several safety warnings had been repeatedly directed at tourists in the areas, they added.

The warning stated: “Recently, snow leopard activity has been detected in Gem Valley, Keketuohai.

“Snow leopards are large predators with strong aggressive tendencies. When passing through this area, please move quickly and do not linger.

“Do not get out of your vehicle or approach to take photos, and never walk alone in the surrounding area.”

Local authorities said rescue measures were launched immediately after the mauling.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15869923/woman-selfie-snow-leopard-mauled-blood/

PAEDO Jeffrey Epstein tried to drag the late Queen into disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein’s Oscar bid for The King’s Speech.

The late financier’s circle wanted Elizabeth II to endorse the Colin Firth-starring 2010 film about her own father King George VI’s battle to overcome his crippling stammer, new files show.

Epstein’s associates “slipped” a DVD of the film to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in the hope she’d approve it ahead of the 2011 Academy Awards, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Evidence of the manipulation attempt is among the tranche of files released by the United States department of Justice (DoJ).

The files show Buckingham Palace appeared resistant to any such attempt to officially endorse the film.

The bombshell files also include photos of the former Duke of York, 65, crouched on all fours over a woman lying flat on the floor.

The King’s Speech film – directed by Tom Hooper – takes place at the time of the King ascending to the throne following the abdication of his brother.

An email sent to Epstein on behalf of Peggy Siegal, a Hollywood publicist, on November 3 2010 stated: “As per our phone conversation, Prince Andrew will be in the states Nov 29-Dec 5.

“We will get a print of The King’s Speech from Harvey Weinstein and have you host a very private, small, no press screening for Prince Andrew.

“Tell Prince Andrew the film, and Colin Firth who portrays his grandfather, is going to win the Oscar. Xoxo, Peggy.”

On November 5 2010, Ms Siegal wrote to Epstein: “Tom Hooper told me Colin Firth was going to show it to Prince Charles and the palace said NO … Tom Hooper told me the palace said they will never know if the royals every [sic] see the film…they said this on “The Queen” until it won all these awards… The Kings Speech is going to WIN THE OSCAR!!!”

Then, three weeks before the Oscars ceremony on February 27 2011, Ms Siegal wrote to Epstein again, saying: “Please, please do not forget to ask the Duke of York if the Queen saw ‘The King’s Speech’. It almost doesn’t matter because The Weinstein Company press release said she did!”

The Hollywood Reporter stated on February 4 that the then-Queen had watched the film and given her approval, claiming she’d found it “moving and enjoyable”.

This prompted Ms Siegel to email Epstein stating: “Now the Queen herself jumps into the race the day the ballots go out and suddenly the film is the internet darling.”

Weinstein then released a statement saying: “On behalf of the director Tom Hooper; the producers, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Gareth Unwin; Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter and our entire ensemble cast: we are deeply honoured and humbled by Her Majesty’s appreciation of the film.

“It was a labour of love for all of us and this is high praise, indeed.”

David Seidler, the film’s screenwriter, said: “To learn Her Majesty has seen the film, and was moved, in turn moves and humbles me greatly … this story has been written and filmed with a great deal of love, admiration, and respect for Her Majesty’s father. That Her Majesty has responded favourably to this is wonderfully gratifying.”

Ms Siegal then emailed Epstein again on February 12, saying: “[sic] As much as want to take credit for slipping Prince Andrew a dvd of TKS at Jeffrey Epstein’s … I found out Tom Hooper had sent dvds to a few secretaries of the Queen in Buckingham Palace in October and the Royal family has been hip to this film from day one….and her recent ‘MOVED’ review is priceless.”

NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN EPSTEIN FILES

It comes as grim new images show him staring at the camera as he is crouched over an unknown female while she lies on the floor with her arms apart.

The US Justice Department has released millions of never-before-seen files related to Jeffrey Epstein amid mounting interest into the paedo financier.

Two other snaps show the barefoot ex-Duke of York wearing a white polo and jeans, touching the unknown woman’s stomach.

The female appears to be awake in both photos, with her arm seen raised in one of the disturbing images.

Another man, whose identity is unknown, lounges in a chair behind the disgraced prince with his feet kicked up on a table.

Other chilling shots of Andrew have emerged as the DOJ continues releasing millions of files related to Epstein.

The latest batch of docs heap fresh shame on the disgraced royal who has already been stripped of his titles and will soon be evicted from his palatial mansion because of his connections to Epstein.

Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s victims who died by suicide in April, claimed the convicted sex offender forced her to have sex with Andrew on three separate occasions, including when she was just 17.

Andrew has always denied the allegations.

Separate files released on Friday also showed that Epstein arranged for a “beautiful, trustworthy” 26-year-old Russian woman to meet Andrew.

The convicted sex offender emailed the ex-prince in 2010, a year after his release from jail for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

Andrew asked Epstein if he was “glad to be free” after his house arrest ended — then told of his “delight” at his offer of a young Russian woman.

Andrew, now 65, stayed with Epstein at his New York townhouse two months after receiving news of the Russian woman, and the pair were infamously photographed in Central Park that December.

On August 11, 2010, Epstein told Andrew: “I have a friend who i think you might enjoy having dinner with„ her name is (REDACTED) she will be london 20-24”.

Epstein said she was called “Irina” in another message.

Andrew replied that he would be “delighted to see her” and asked Epstein to give her his contact details. He then creepily asks the paedophile: “Will she be bringing a message from you?”

Epstein described the woman, telling Andrew in another message: “she 26, russian, clevere (sic) beautiful, trustworthy and yes she has your email.”

The father of two pinged him back: “That was quick! How are you? Good to be free?”.

He then pompously signed off “HRH Prince Andrew KG” — which stands for Knight of the Garter.

Epstein replied: “Great to be free of many things.”

Andrew then whined about “opportunities” he is missing out on and promised to visit Epstein soon.

He wrote: “So many opportunities that I am frustratingly not allowed to participate in. And so many that are obvious but can’t get anyone to fire on. Must come and see you sometime soon.”

The exchange came days after Epstein’s year of house arrest had ended, following his sentence for procuring for prostitution a girl below the age of 18.

He had served 13 months in jail after signing a plea agreement with the US government in 2009.

Further details of Andrew’s 2010 visit to New York also emerged in the three million documents and photographs released by the US Department of Justice on Friday.

During his infamous Newsnight interview in 2019, Andrew claimed he had visited Epstein “with the sole purpose of saying to him that because he had been convicted, it was inappropriate for us to be seen together”.

Newly released documents also showed that Andrew invited Epstein to Buckingham Palace, one month after the convict was released from house arrest.

Andrew promised Epstein “lots of privacy” after he had asked for “private time”.

As part of the email chain, Epstein said: “Already in London, what time would you like me and [blank]… we will also need/have private time.”

Andrew responded later that day: “I am just departing Scotland should be down by 18:00. I’ll ring you when I get down if you can give me a number to ring.

“Alternatively we could have dinner at Buckingham Palace and lots of privacy.”

More than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images are included in the latest batch – which comes six weeks after a deadline mandated in a law signed by Donald Trump.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/royals/15869962/epstein-queen-elizabeth-harvey-weinstein/

If you haven’t heard of gay ice hockey TV drama “Heated Rivalry” and its two lead stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie yet … then get your skates on.

What started as a word-of-mouth hit in the U.S. and Canada in December 2025 has spread to become a global phenomenon. Its stars have rocketed from unknowns to cultural icons in the space of weeks, appearing on stage at the Golden Globes, sashaying down the Milan catwalks to, this week, carrying the torch for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Based on the 2019 novel by Rachel Reid, the story traces the decade-long secret relationship between Canadian Shane Hollander (Williams) and Russian Ilya Rozanov (Storrie), mixing slow-building yearning with explicit sexual scenes.

And as it launches across Europe, it’s proving a surprise hit in Russia, even though homosexuality is illegal there and the show will never get an official release.

Journalist and author Mikhail Zygar was born in what was then the Soviet Union, like Rozanov, and spent his childhood as a closeted gay man in Russia. He said coming out was completely impossible and he thinks the show is inspiring, not just among the LGBTQ+ community, but all Russians, as “an attempt to normalize the discourse.”

“It shows that it is OK. That people can fall in love and it’s so beautiful. And the popularity of this TV show definitely may change some perception from the broader audience,” he said.

Western sanctions on official streaming platforms mean it’s hard for Russians to watch Western TV, but they find ways on illegal platforms and, despite the anti-gay laws that would potentially mean punishment for those who share the content, they are voting with their keyboards.

On the Russian streaming and film database platform Kinopoisk (similar to IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes in the U.S.) “Heated Rivalry” has an 8.6 rating, the highest TV show ranking of all time according to Russian viewers, overtaking shows like “Breaking Bad” and “Game of Thrones.”

But official acceptance of shows like “Heated Rivalry” seems a long way off.

Little hope for LGBTQ+ people in Russia

The LGBTQ+ community in Russia has been under legal and public pressure for over a decade, but especially since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has argued that the war is a proxy battle with the West, which he says aims to destroy Russia and its “traditional family values” by pushing for LGBTQ+ rights.

Any depiction of gay and transgender people that paints them in a positive or even neutral light is banned. Gender-affirming medical care and changing one’s gender in official documents are prohibited. With the Supreme Court’s ruling in November 2023, which outlawed what the government called “the international LGBT movement” as extremist, anyone involved with the LGBTQ+ community could be imprisoned for up to six years.

“It’s really hard to believe in some kind of happy ending, as we see in the show, in Russia’s reality today,” Zygar says.

“Russia continues its brutal, aggressive war against Ukraine. There is no perspective of the end of this war. There is no perspective for a lot of LGBTQ+ people who live in Russia and a lot of people, a lot them have the only possibility to leave the country.”

The head of the Sorok Sorokov center in Moscow, a conservative organization aligned with the Russian Orthodox Church, told The Associated Press that he was shocked by the gay sexual content of the show.

“I found out that these scenes are presented almost in every episode and I was horrified why and how this video ended up on our Russian (streaming) platforms,” Georgy Soldatov said.

He said he had lodged a petition with the Prosecutor General’s Office against those who posted the content, which he described as “the propaganda of untraditional sexual relationship,” a classification that forces print, TV and movie censorship of LGBTQ+ storylines.

In one example, two Russian streaming services cut a transgender character from the 1990s drama series “Twin Peaks.” In another, a streaming service cut several scenes from the drama series “The Sopranos” that depicted to a gay character. Instances of dialogue that has been redubbed to remove references to LGBTQ+ relations or people have been regularly reported by the Russian media.

American sales surge

Last year, Russian authorities launched a criminal probe against the managers of a Moscow publishing house on extremism charges over books depicting LGBTQ+ relations. They raided the homes of a number of staff and detained them. Most of detainees were released, but three people were put under house arrest in a case that reportedly sent shock waves throughout the book industry.

In contrast, in the U.S., LGBTQ+ romance sales have surged.

According to Brenna Connor, analyst for Circana (which tracks 85% of print retail sales in the U.S.), “In the five weeks ending Jan. 10, 2026, LGBTQ+ romance sales surged more than 100% in unit sales compared to the same period the previous year, with ’Heated Rivalry’ leading the growth.”

Source : https://apnews.com/article/heated-rivalry-tv-russia-gay-ice-hockey-f788b1dce58063e3797922402c9f7f3c

The US and Israel are denying involvement in the mysterious blasts that killed six and wounded more than a dozen others across Iran Saturday.

US officials said the explosion in the Iranian port city Bandar Abbas was not related to any military activity in the region, CNN reported – even though a massive US naval “armada” is set to arrive in the Persian Gulf as tensions with Tehran mount.

The Israeli government also refuted claims they had launched a targeted drone strike on an Iranian military target, the outlet reported.

One child died and 14 others were injured in a blast that rocked a residential building in Bandar Abbas on Saturday, with state media initially blaming the blast on a gas leak while continuing to probe.

Across the Strait of Hormuz, a second blast was heard in the southwestern Khuzestan province where five people were killed in a separate gas explosion, according to The Jerusalem Post.

There were also unconfirmed reports of explosions in other parts of the country.

Iranian state media pushed back against viral social media reports on Saturday that Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps naval officers fell victim to targeted drone attacks.

The mysterious explosions come as US Central Command issued a stark warning to Iran as the repressive regime prepares to conduct live-fire war games in the Strait on Sunday.

“Any unsafe and unprofessional behavior near US forces, regional partners, or commercial vessels increases risks of collision, escalation, and destabilization,” CENTCOM wrote on X Friday.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/01/31/world-news/us-israel-deny-involvement-in-mysterious-blasts-that-killed-6-wounded-over-dozen-across-iran/

Chilling unheard audio recordings of Michael Jackson expressing his deepest “intimate” thoughts on children will be revealed in a new TV docuseries.

The superstar can be heard discussing his innermost feelings on his infatuation with kids.

In one eerie moment, Jackson confides that without children being close to him he would take his own life.

“If you told me right now . . . Michael, you could never see another child…I would kill myself,” he says.

Alarmingly, Jacko also confessed, “Kids end up falling in love with my personality. Sometimes it gets me into trouble.”

The breathtaking recordings also present a new take on how close Jackson felt to cancer survivor child pal Gavin Arvizo — who later accused him of sexual abuse in a 2005 criminal trial.

Unseen footage shows Jackson, who admitted he sharing his bed with kids, going on picnics with Arvizo alone on the grounds of Neverland.

Jackson was cleared on all 14 charges, including four counts of molesting a child, four counts of getting a child drunk so that he could molest him, and of secretly conspiring to hold the boy and his family captive at his California ranch. He was also charged with supplying alcohol to the boy, now 15.

UK production company Wonderhood Studios secured the tapes for a new Channel 4 series called “The Trial,” which airs next week.

The four-part bombshell series focuses on the events leading up to MJ’s 2005 trial.

One insider, who has heard the recordings, said: “There is something extremely unusual and eerie about Michael Jackson’s infatuation with children – especially those who are not his own.”

“To hear his voice discuss children in this manner, given he had been accused on molestation, raises many questions about his mental health, mindset and sadly, intentions.”

“This is Michael at his most open giving us an insight into how he was in love with children . . . infatuated with wanting to be around them.

“He sees nothing wrong in bringing kids to his home and his bed, without parental supervision, justifying those actions by saying he is a just a friend looking to help. He even went further — expressing how most of the spoiled children fell in love with him.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/01/31/entertainment/michael-jackson-infatuation-with-kids-revealed-in-unearthed-recordings/

“Sanford and Son” star Grady Demond Wilson has died at the age of 79.

The actor, best known for playing Lamont Sanford, the son of Fred Sanford, in the smash-hit 1970s sitcom, died at his Palm Springs home on Friday following complications related to cancer.

Wilson’s son, Demond, confirmed the news to TMZ, saying: “I loved him. He was a great man.”

He is survived by his wife Cicely Johnson and their six children.

Wilson was the last surviving cast member from “Sanford and Son,” which aired on NBC.

The show, which ran for six seasons from 1972 to 1977, followed Fred G. Sanford (Redd Foxx), a junk dealer, and his son, Lamont (Wilson), who ran “Sanford and Son Salvage” in Los Angeles.

Foxx died in 1991 at age 68 after suffering a heart attack on the set of his CBS sitcom “The Royal Family.”

“Sanford and Son” also starred Whitman Mayo, who died in 2001 at age 70, Don Bexley, who passed in 1997 at 8, and LaWanda Page, who died in 2002 at 81.

Most recently, Nathaniel Taylor passed away at age 80 in 2019 and Lynn Hamilton died at age 95 in 2025.

Wilson, who was born in Georgia in 1946, grew up in New York City and studied tap dancing and ballet. He served in the US Army from 1966 until 1968, and was stationed in Vietnam, where he was wounded.

He subsequently returned to New York City and appeared in several Broadway shows before moving out to Los Angeles.

His star turn on “Sanford and Son” began a short time later.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/01/31/entertainment/sanford-and-son-star-grady-demond-wilson-dead-at-79-actor-played-lead-role-in-beloved-groundbreaking-70s-sitcom/

The separatist Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack as decades-long insurgency continues.

At least 92 militants were killed on Saturday (Jan 31) battling Pakistan’s security forces in multiple cities across the southwestern province of Balochistan, Pakistan’s military said.

The military said in a statement that 15 security personnel were also killed during clearance operations, while militants targeted civilians in several areas, killing at least 18 people, including women and children.

The attacks were carried out a day after Pakistan’s military said it killed 41 militants in separate raids in Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan and has faced a decades-long separatist insurgency.

The banned separatist group Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attacks, saying it had launched them simultaneously across the province. The BLA said it had killed 84 Pakistani security personnel, and that the ongoing operation had continued for 15 hours.

The military’s media wing, ISPR, said the attacks were carried out by Indian-sponsored militants and that security forces had thwarted attempts to seize control of any city or strategic installation.

“Intelligence reports have unequivocally confirmed that the attacks were orchestrated and directed by terrorist ringleaders operating from outside Pakistan, who were in direct communication with the terrorists throughout the incident,” the statement said.

It said the attacks were launched across Quetta, Mastung, Noshki, Dalbandin, Kharan, Panjgur, Tump, Gwadar and Pasni.

Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attacks and praised security forces for repelling them, saying in a statement they had killed dozens of militants.

Security officials said armed men launched attacks in several urban areas, including the provincial capital Quetta and the port city of Gwadar, prompting operations by the army, police and counterterrorism units.

Hospitals were placed on emergency footing in some districts, officials said.

MIGRANT WORKERS TARGETED IN GWADAR

In Gwadar, militants attacked a camp accommodating migrant workers, killing 11 people, Atta-ur-Rehman, a senior police officer, said. Those killed included five men, three women and three children.

Security forces killed six militants in Gwadar after responding to the attack, he said.

Officials said the situation was critical in Noshki, a district of Balochistan, after militants abducted the area’s top civil administrator. He said in a social media video that he was in the custody of the militants. Reuters could not independently verify the video.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/pakistan-says-92-militants-killed-after-attacks-in-balochistan-5898626

Over 500 people have been killed under the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, according to Gaza health officials.

Israel pounded Gaza on Saturday (Jan 31) with some of its most intense airstrikes since the October ceasefire, killing more than 30 people including three girls from one family, in attacks on houses, tents and a police station, Palestinian health officials said.

The Israeli military said it was responding to a breach of the ceasefire the previous day, in which its troops had identified eight gunmen emerging from a tunnel in Rafah, an area in southern Gaza controlled by Israeli forces under the truce.

It had targeted commanders, weapons caches and manufacturing sites belonging to Palestinian militant group Hamas and its ally, Islamic Jihad, the military said.

Hamas, which retains control of just under half of Gaza where nearly all its more than 2 million residents live mainly in makeshift tents and damaged buildings, said Israel had violated the truce. It did not say whether any of its members or sites were struck in Saturday’s attacks.

On Sunday, Israel is due to reopen the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt under US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war.

The war began after Hamas-led gunmen attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Israeli officials have said the war could resume if Hamas does not lay down its weapons.

FIGHTERS STILL IN TUNNELS

Israeli warplanes bombed the Sheikh Radwan police station west of Gaza City, killing 13 people, including five officers, police in Gaza said. Rescue teams were searching for more casualties at the site, said the Hamas-run police.

Other airstrikes hit at least two houses in Gaza City, in northern-central Gaza, and a tent encampment sheltering displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis further south, local officials said.

Video footage from Gaza City showed charred, blackened and destroyed walls at an apartment in a multi-storey building, and debris scattered inside it and outside on the street.

Samer al-Atbash said the bodies of his three small nieces had been found in the street.

“They say ‘ceasefire’ and all. What did those children do? What did we do?” he said.

The Gaza civil defence rescue service put Saturday’s death toll at 32.

Israel said that in Friday’s encounter with fighters in Rafah its soldiers killed three and arrested a fourth, described as a Hamas commander. Hamas did not comment on the incident.

Dozens of its fighters have been trapped in tunnels under Rafah since the ceasefire and some have since been killed in clashes with Israeli forces.

HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE KILLED SINCE CEASEFIRE

Violence has repeatedly shaken the ceasefire. Israeli fire has killed over 500 people, most of them civilians according to Gaza health officials, and Palestinian militants have killed four Israeli soldiers, according to Israeli authorities.

The two sides have traded blame over truce violations, even as Washington presses them to proceed to the next phases of the ceasefire deal, meant to end the conflict for good.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/israeli-strikes-gaza-kill-more-30-palestinian-health-officials-say-5898541

They can’t guarantee future health, but they can tell you the trajectory you’re on.

Take a minute to consider the last decade of your life. What type of physical shape do you hope to be in? And what are the activities you want to be able to continue doing?

While there’s no crystal ball to predict your future health, there are a few basic tests you can give yourself to gauge your current strength, power, cardiovascular fitness and balance – all of which will influence your physical abilities going forward. These kinds of tests have been associated with longevity and independent living. They’re also proxies for activities that many people want to be able to do in old age, like getting down on the floor to play with grandchildren or t ravellingand exploring a new city by foot.

It’s never too early to begin training for your later years, said Stuart Phillips, a professor of kinesiology at McMaster University in Ontario. People naturally lose strength and muscle mass with age, so you want your starting point to be as good as possible. Getting a head start on training is “money in the bank,” Dr Phillips said.

It’s also never too late to improve your physical abilities, he added: “We’ve got data showing that nonagenarians, so people in their 10th decade of life, or in their 90s, can make gains in strength and function with just a little bit of even light activity.”

Try these four tests to determine where you currently stand. If you don’t perform as well as you might have hoped, don’t worry: A few strength, conditioning and balance exercises, done regularly, can help you improve your score on each one.

1. SITTING-RISING TEST

The goal with this assessment is to go from standing to sitting on the floor, and back up again, using the least amount of support as possible. The test is scored on a 10-point scale – five points for sitting down and five points for standing up – and you lose a point for every hand, knee or other body part you use to help yourself. Subtract a half point if you’re unsteady or lose your balance.

Adults in their 30s and 40s should aim for a perfect 10, said Dr Claudio Gil Araujo, the dean of research and education at the Exercise Medicine Clinic in Brazil, who developed the test. Anyone over 60 who gets an 8 is “in very good shape,” he said.

The test evaluates strength, power, balance and flexibility. Dr Araujo has also shown it’s a predictor of mortality. A recent study of his looked at more than 4,000 adults age 46 to 75 and found that, over the course of 12 years, the people who scored 4 or below on the sitting-rising test had death rates nearly four times higher than those who scored a 10. He said that was primarily because people with low scores were at a higher risk for falls.

2. WALKING SPEED ASSESSMENT

How fast someone walks at their normal gait is “a very important indicator of functional ability and vitality,” said Jennifer Brach, a professor of health and rehabilitation sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. “It is predictive of future decline, it’s predictive of mortality, nursing home placement, disability, a whole host of different things,” she said.

To assess your walking speed, measure out four metres on a straight, flat surface, and time how long it takes you to cover the distance. (Remember, you’re walking at your normal speed, not as fast as you can.) People of all ages should aim for a gait of at least 1.2 metres per second, a little over three seconds total.

Dr Brach recommended people retest themselves every few months. “If the value changes, that can be a warning sign,” she said. That’s because while walking feels like a simple task, it requires proper functioning of the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, vestibular (balance), sensory and nervous systems. A slower gait could indicate that there’s a problem in any one of those systems that may need to be investigated and addressed.

3. GRIP STRENGTH TEST

Grip strength is also related to mortality. While that connection may seem far-fetched, experts say a grip strength test serves as a helpful indicator for how active a person is in their daily life.

“When you’re using your hands more, it’s probably because you’re doing things more,” said Cathy Ciolek, the president of the American Physical Therapy Association Geriatrics. “You’re carrying groceries, you’re opening the car door, you’re picking up a grandchild.” All of those things work your hands, she said, and the more you do them, the better your grip strength.

Grip strength is also important for maintaining independence with household tasks like cooking. (Think about pulling a heavy dish out of the oven.)

A doctor or physical therapist typically assesses grip strength using a special device called a dynamometer. To test yourself at home, try walking for 60 seconds while holding a heavy weight in each hand (also known as a farmer’s carry), suggested Dr Nima Afshar, a physician at the concierge medical practice Private Medical. Start with lighter weights and work your way up to heavier ones over time. If you experience hand or body pain, stop.

There aren’t age-related norms for the farmer’s carry like there are with a dynamometre. But Dr Afshar says a 45-year-old man should aim to carry two 60-pound dumbbells, a 65-year-old two 40-pound dumbbells and an 85-year-old two 25-pounders. For a woman at those ages, goal weights are 40 pounds, 25 pounds and 15 pounds in each hand.

4. SINGLE-LEG STAND

Just as strength naturally declines with age, so does balance. And that raises the risk for falls – a major cause of injury and death in older adults.

Testing one’s balance is as simple as standing on one leg. Adults should aim for a minimum of 10 seconds on at least one side. For an added challenge, Dr Afshar recommended attempting the test with your eyes closed.

Source : https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/wellness/aging-tests-longevity-577256

The United States and Russia could embark on an unrestrained nuclear arms race for the first time since the Cold War, unless they reach an eleventh-hour deal before their last remaining arms control treaty expires in less than a week.
The New START treaty is set to end on February 5. Without it, there would be no constraints on long-range nuclear arsenals for the first time since Richard Nixon and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev signed two historic agreements in 1972 on the first-ever trip by a U.S. president to Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed the two sides should stick to existing missile and warhead limits for one more year to buy time to work out what comes next, but U.S. President Donald Trump has yet to formally respond.
Trump said this month that “if it expires, it expires”, and that the treaty should be replaced with a better one.
Some U.S. politicians argue Trump should reject Putin’s offer, freeing Washington to grow its arsenal to counter a rapid nuclear build-up by a third power: China.
Trump says he wants to pursue “denuclearisation” with both Russia and China. But Beijing says it is unreasonable to expect it to join disarmament talks with two countries whose arsenals are still far larger than its own.

WHY DO NUCLEAR TREATIES MATTER?

Since the darkest Cold War days when the United States and the Soviet Union threatened each other with “mutually assured destruction” in the event of nuclear war, both have seen arms limitation treaties as a way to prevent either a lethal misunderstanding or an economically ruinous arms race.
The treaties not only set numerical limits on missiles and warheads, they also require the sides to share information – a critical channel to “try to understand where the other side is coming from and what their concerns and drivers are”, said Darya Dolzikova at the RUSI think-tank in London.
With no new treaty, each would be forced to act according to worst-case assumptions about the weapons the other is producing, testing and deploying, said Nikolai Sokov, a former Soviet and Russian arms negotiator.
“It’s a self-sustaining kind of process. And of course, if you’ve got an unregulated arms race, things will get quite destabilising,” he said.

NEW TREATY NO SIMPLE TASK

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia and the United States have repeatedly replaced and updated the Cold War-era treaties that limited the so-called strategic weapons they point at each other’s cities and bases.
The most recent, New START, was signed in 2010 by U.S. President Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev, a Putin ally who was then serving as Russian president for four years.
It caps the number of deployed strategic warheads at 1,550 on each side, with no more than 700 systems to deliver them from land, sea or air, by intercontinental ballistic missile, submarine-launched missile or heavy bomber.
Replacing it with a new treaty would be no simple task. Russia has developed new nuclear-capable systems – the Burevestnik cruise missile, the hypersonic Oreshnik and the Poseidon torpedo – that fall outside New START’s framework. And Trump has announced plans for a space-based “Golden Dome” missile defence system that Moscow sees as an attempt to shift the strategic balance.

Meanwhile, China’s arsenal is growing, unchecked by agreements between Washington and Moscow. Beijing now has an estimated 600 warheads and the Pentagon estimates it will have more than 1,000 by 2030.
A bipartisan Congressional commission in 2023 said the United States was now facing an “existential challenge” from not one but two nuclear peers, and needed to be prepared for simultaneous wars with Russia and China.
Its recommendations included preparing to bring out of storage some or all of the strategic nuclear warheads removed under New START and kept in a reserve stockpile.
That could involve restoring warheads removed from Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-fired Trident D5s, and returning to nuclear roles some 30 B-52 strategic bomber planes converted to conventional missions.
“The warheads are there. The missiles are there. You’re not buying anything new,” said a former senior U.S. official involved in nuclear weapons policy who requested anonymity.
The former official expected only “modest” increases in warhead reloads should Trump order those options.
But Kingston Reif, a former Pentagon official now at the RAND research organization, told a recent webinar that at the high end the United States could “roughly double” its deployed warheads from the New START limit, while Russia would be in a position to add around 800. Both sides would take at least the best part of a year to make significant changes, he said.

U.S. Agency for International Development staffers in early 2024 drafted a warning to senior officials in Joe Biden’s administration: Northern Gaza had turned into an “Apocalyptic Wasteland” with dire shortages of food and medical aid.
Three months after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and Israel’s incursion into the Gaza Strip, the internal message laid out in gruesome detail scenes observed by United Nations staff who visited the area on a two-part humanitarian fact-finding mission in January and February.

The staff reported seeing a human femur and other bones on the roads, dead bodies abandoned in cars and “catastrophic human needs, particularly for food and safe drinking water.”
But the U.S. ambassador to Jerusalem, Jack Lew, and his deputy, Stephanie Hallett, blocked the cable from wider distribution within the United States government because they believed it lacked balance, according to interviews with four former officials and documents seen by Reuters.
Reuters is the first to report on the cable and why it was suppressed.
Hallett and Lew did not respond to requests for comment.

AN OFFICIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE REALITY IN GAZA

The February 2024 cable was one of five sent in the first part of that year documenting the rapidly deteriorating health, food and sanitary conditions and breakdown of social order for Palestinians living in Gaza resulting from Israel’s military campaign, six former U.S. officials told Reuters.

Reuters saw one of those cables. The other four, also blocked by Lew and Hallett because of their concerns about balance, were described by four former officials.
Three former U.S. officials said that the descriptions were unusually graphic and would have commanded the attention of senior U.S. officials had the message been widely circulated within Joe Biden’s administration.
It would have also deepened scrutiny of a National Security Memorandum, issued by Biden that month, which conditioned the supply of U.S. intelligence and weapons on Israel’s compliance with international law, they said.
“While cables weren’t the only means of providing humanitarian information … they would have represented an acknowledgement by the ambassador of the reality of the situation in Gaza,” said Andrew Hall, then a crisis operations specialist for USAID.

The U.S. embassy in Jerusalem oversaw the language and distribution of most of the cables about Gaza, including those from other embassies in the region.
One former senior official said Lew and Hallett often told USAID leadership that the cables included information that had been widely reported in the media.
Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken and representatives for former President Joe Biden did not respond to requests for comment about the fact that the cables never reached upper leadership of the U.S. government.
The Gaza war started with the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks that killed more than 1,250 people. The death toll in Gaza now stands at over 71,000, according to Palestinian Health Ministry data.
With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by his side, President Donald Trump announced his Gaza peace plan in the Oval Office last September, but the fighting has not stopped. Some 481 people have been killed since the ceasefire, according to Palestinian health ministry data.
The Biden administration’s backing for Israel during the war deeply divided the Democratic Party and remains an unresolved issue for its political candidates.
More than 80% of Democrats believe that Israel’s military response in Gaza has been excessive and that the United States should help people in the enclave who are facing starvation, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll last August.

HUMANITARIAN EXPERTISE “SIDELINED”

As the cables were being drafted in early 2024, the White House and other senior U.S. officials were broadly aware of the worsening humanitarian situation in northern Gaza from National Security Council reporting, four former officials said. And humanitarian organizations were warning of famine risks.
“There are a lot of innocent people who are starving, a lot of innocent people who are in trouble and dying, and it’s got to stop,” Biden told reporters at the White House in February 2024, describing Israel’s response in Gaza as “over the top.”
In January 2024, the embassy did approve the wider distribution of a cable about food insecurity throughout Gaza, and the information made it into the president’s daily briefing – a compilation by the intelligence community of the most important national security information and analysis.
The cable, which was described to Reuters, looked at the risk of famine in northern Gaza and the potential for severe food insecurity in the rest of the strip because of a lack of food deliveries. It was one of the first detailed reports from USAID into the rapidly deteriorating situation inside Gaza, including growing food insecurity in the south of the enclave.
That cable caught the attention of several senior White House officials, including deputy national security adviser Jon Finer, who told colleagues he was surprised by how quickly the food situation had deteriorated, according to two of the former U.S. officials.
Finer did not respond to a request for comment.
But senior U.S. officials were not receiving regular first-hand accounts because of restricted access to the area during an intense battle between Israel and Hamas, six former U.S. officials said.
“Simply put, humanitarian expertise was repeatedly sidelined, blocked, ignored,” a former member of USAID’s Middle East disaster response team said.

USAID CABLES SEEN AS TOO SENSITIVE

Until the USAID was reduced to a skeleton staff inside the State Department by the Trump administration, U.S. officials relied heavily on the agency’s reporting in situations where diplomatic presence and human intelligence were scarce.
Because USAID has had no staff inside Gaza since 2019, much of that reporting drew on information provided by U.N. agencies – including UNRWA, the Palestinian refugee agency – and international aid organizations funded by the U.S. government.
That dependence on third parties contributed to some Biden officials’ skepticism of USAID reporting, three former U.S. officials told Reuters.
Biden’s Middle East envoy Brett McGurk and his aides often asked in meetings if the USAID had verified the information and why it diverged, sometimes drastically, from Israel’s version of events, the three former officials said. McGurk declined to comment.
In several instances, the former officials said White House officials pushed back on USAID analyses that suggested civilians were starving in Gaza.
The skepticism about the U.S. government’s humanitarian reporting stirred tensions inside the National Security Council and angered USAID officials working on the Gaza portfolio.
“The question was always like ‘where are all the skinny kids?’” one of the former officials said.
The two former officials said Hallett sometimes asked for cables to be reframed or edited. She questioned the necessity of one cable, which focused on health, arguing that much of the information was in the public domain.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/early-warning-apocalyptic-wasteland-gaza-blocked-by-us-envoys-israel-2026-01-30/

Kevin Warsh, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Federal Reserve, has earned over $1 million since 2020 as a member of the board of e-commerce company Coupang (CPNG.N), now ​at the center of trade tensions between the U.S. and South Korea.
Warsh has ‌served on the board of the Seattle-based company since October 2019, earning nearly $325,000 in total compensation each year since 2022.

The company has been under investigation by South Korean regulators after a mass data leak, but some U.S. investors have asked the Trump administration to scrutinize the probe, which they say discriminates against ‌an American company.

Vice President JD Vance and South Korean Prime Minister Kim ​Min-seok discussed the issue last week, days before Trump announced a sharp increase in U.S. duties on South Korean autos and other imports to 25% from 15%, saying Seoul was not living up ‍to commitments under a trade deal reached last year.
South Korean officials are in Washington this week to discuss the trade deal, but have failed to resolve the dispute.
Warsh, 55, is a former Fed governor who currently lectures at ⁠Stanford University.
The Federal Reserve Act bars members of the Fed’s Board of Governors from other ‍employment, stating “members of the Board shall devote their entire time to the business of the Board.”

The White House had ‌no ‌immediate comment on whether Warsh would be required to divest any holdings, or when that could occur. Warsh did not respond immediately to questions about his intentions. The Fed also did not respond immediately.
The Federal Reserve’s rules ban any member from holding positions or stock in any bank, ⁠banking institution, or trust ⁠company. They are generally ​ineligible to work for a member bank for two years after serving unless they completed a full term.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/trumps-fed-pick-warsh-serves-board-firm-center-us-south-korea-trade-spat-2026-01-30/

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Minneapolis and students across the United States staged walkouts on Friday to demand the withdrawal of federal immigration agents from Minnesota following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens.
Students and teachers abandoned classes from California to New York on a national day of protest, which came amid mixed messages from the Trump administration about whether it would de-escalate Operation Metro Surge.

Under a national immigration crackdown, President Donald Trump has sent 3,000 federal officers to the Minneapolis area who are patrolling the streets in tactical gear, a force five times the size of the Minneapolis Police Department.
Protesting the surge and the tactics used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, several thousand people gathered in downtown Minneapolis in sub-freezing temperatures, including families with small kids, elderly couples and young activists.
Katia Kagan, wearing a “No ICE” sweatshirt and holding a sign demanding the agency leave the city, said she was the daughter of Russian Jews who immigrated to America seeking safety and a better life.

“I’m out here because I’m going to fight for the American dream that my parents came here for,” Kagan said.
Kim, a 65-year-old meditation coach who asked that her last name not be used, called the surge a “full-on fascist attack of our federal government on citizens.”
In a Minneapolis neighborhood near the sites where Alex Pretti and Renee Good, two U.S. citizens, were fatally shot this month by federal immigration agents, about 50 teachers and staff members from local schools turned out to march.
Rock star Bruce Springsteen lent his voice to the protest, taking the stage at a fundraiser for Good and Pretti in downtown Minneapolis and playing his new song “Streets of Minneapolis.”
Protests stretched well beyond Minnesota as organizers forecast 250 demonstrations across 46 states and in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington under the slogan, “No work. No school. No shopping. Stop funding ICE.”

Trump in turn offered a vote of confidence for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department oversees ICE. Critics have called for her resignation but Trump said on social media that Noem “has done a really GREAT JOB!”, asserting that “The Border disaster that I inherited is fixed.”

LOCAL FBI CHIEF FORCED OUT

Meanwhile, events in Minneapolis reverberated through the federal government.
The acting head of the Minneapolis FBI field office, Jarrad Smith, was removed from his post, according to two sources familiar with the move. Smith was reassigned to FBI headquarters in Washington, according to one of the sources.
The Minneapolis field office has been involved in the federal surge as well as investigations into the Pretti shooting and a church protest that led to charges against former CNN anchor Don Lemon.
The FBI arrested Lemon on Friday and the Justice Department charged him with violating federal law during a protest inside a St. Paul, Minnesota, church earlier this month in what his lawyer called an attack on press freedom.
After pleading not guilty, Lemon told reporters, “I will not be silenced. I look forward to my day in court.”
The New York Times, citing an internal ICE memo it reviewed, reported on Friday that federal agents were told this week they have broader power to arrest people without a warrant, expanding the ability of lower-level ICE agents to carry out sweeps rounding up suspected undocumented immigrants they encounter.
Backlash against the administration’s immigration policy also threatened to spark a partial U.S. government shutdown as Democrats in Congress opposed funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE.

PUBLIC OPINION SHIFTS

Weeks of viral videos showing the aggressive tactics of heavily armed and masked agents on the streets of Minneapolis have driven public approval of Trump’s immigration policy to the lowest level of his second term, a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll showed.
As uproar over the ICE operation grew, Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, was dispatched to Minneapolis, saying his officers would return to more targeted operations, rather than the broad street sweeps that have led to clashes with protesters.
Echoing protesters’ sentiments, Minnesota’s Democratic Governor Tim Walz on Friday questioned whether that would happen and said more drastic changes were needed.
“The only way to ensure the safety of the people of Minnesota is for the federal government to draw down their forces and end this campaign of brutality,” Walz said on X.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/nationwide-protests-walkouts-planned-over-fatal-ice-shootings-minneapolis-2026-01-30/

Millions of new files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have been released by the US Department of Justice, the largest number of documents shared by the government since a law mandated their release last year.

Three million pages, 180,000 images and 2,000 videos were posted publicly on Friday.

The release came six weeks after the department missed a deadline signed into law by US President Donald Trump that mandated all Epstein-related documents be shared with the public.

“Today’s release marks the end of a very comprehensive document identification and review process to ensure transparency to the American people and compliance,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said.

The files include details about Jeffrey Epstein’s time in prison – including a psychological report – and his death while incarcerated, along with investigative records on Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s associate who was convicted of helping him traffic underaged girls.

They also include emails between Epstein and high-profile figures.

Many of the emails and documents go back more than a decade, showcasing Epstein’s relationships amid his legal troubles. He was convicted in 2008 in Florida for soliciting sex from a 14-year-old girl after coming to a controversial plea agreement with prosecutors.

He died in August 2019 while in jail on charges in a sprawling sex trafficking case.

The United Nations is at risk of “imminent financial collapse” due to member states not paying their fees, the body’s head has warned.

António Guterres said the UN faced a financial crisis which was “deepening, threatening programme delivery”, and that money could run out by July.

He wrote in a letter to all 193 member states that they had to honour their mandatory payments or overhaul the organisation’s financial rules to avoid collapse.

It comes after the UN’s largest contributor, the US, refused to contribute to its regular and peacekeeping budgets, and withdrew from several agencies it called a “waste of taxpayer dollars”. Several other members are in arrears or are simply refusing to pay.

Though the UN General Assembly did approve a partial change to its financial system in late 2025, the organisation still faces a massive cash crisis compounded by a rule that means it is refunding money it never received.

At its headquarters in Geneva, signs warning of the situation have been put up everywhere. In an almost desperate attempt to save cash, the escalators are regularly turned off and the heating turned down.

Guterres wrote in his letter that the UN had faced financial crises in the past but that the current situation was “categorically different”.

“Decisions not to honour assessed contributions that finance a significant share of the approved regular budget have now been formally announced,” the secretary general said, without naming specific members.

He said the “integrity of the entire system” depended on states adhering to their obligation under the UN charter to pay their “assessed contributions” – adding that 77% of the total owed had been paid in 2025, leaving a record amount unpaid.

Guterres said a rule that the UN must return unspent money on particular programmes to members if it could not implement a budget created a “double blow” in which it was “expected to give back cash that does not exist”.

“I cannot overstate the urgency of the situation we now face. We cannot execute budgets with uncollected funds, nor return funds we never received.”

As a result, the UN is now returning millions of dollars it never actually had.

The letter reads: “Just this month, as part of the 2026 assessment, we were compelled to return $227m [£165m] – funds we have not collected.”

“The bottom line is clear,” Guterres wrote. “Either all member states honour their obligations to pay in full and on time – or member states must fundamentally overhaul our financial rules to prevent an imminent financial collapse.”

UN agencies rarely get all the money they ask for to tackle humanitarian crises, but the past 12 months have been particularly difficult.

The US is the UN’s largest contributor, but President Donald Trump has said it was not fulfilling its “great potential” and has criticised it for failing to support US-led peace efforts.

The US did not pay its contribution to the UN’s regular budget in 2025 and offered only 30% of its expected funding to UN peacekeeping operations.

Then in January, Trump withdrew it from dozens of international organisations, including 31 UN agencies, to “end American taxpayer funding and involvement in entities that advance globalist agendas over US priorities”.

In late December, the US pledged $2bn (£1.5bn) in funding for UN humanitarian programmes – warning the international organisation must “adapt or die” – a fraction of the $17bn it spent in 2022.

Other countries, such as the UK and Germany, have also announced significant reductions in foreign aid, which will inevitably impact the UN’s work.

Guterres had warned earlier that same month that the UN faced its most fragile financial position in years – again citing unpaid fees – having said in October that it faced a “race to bankruptcy”.

Trump has separately been accused by critics of seeking to replace some functions of the UN with his Board of Peace to oversee regeneration efforts in Gaza.

The US president has said its work would happen “in conjunction with the United Nations” – but when previously asked by a Fox TV journalist whether the board would take the UN’s place, he replied: “Well, it might.”

The US officially left the UN’s World Health Organization last week. It had refused to pay its 2024 and 2025 dues despite, WHO lawyers say, being legally obliged to do so.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr579mdv4m7o

Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodriguez announced a general amnesty bill that could see the release of hundreds of political prisoners, including opposition leaders, journalists and human rights activists.

Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, called on Friday for the country to implement a “new judicial system” and proposed an “amnesty law” that would lead to the release of hundreds of political prisoners and turn an infamous detention center into a sports and social venue.

“May this law serve to heal the wounds left by the political confrontation, violence, and extremism,” she said in an event at the Supreme Court of Justice. “May it serve to restore justice in our country and restore peaceful coexistence among Venezuelans.”

Though the interim Venezuelan government did not release the text of the bill, leaving unclear the specific criteria that will be used to determine who qualifies for amnesty, Rodriguez said it would cover cases from after 1999 but would exclude those imprisoned for killings, ⁠serious abuses of human rights and drug trafficking.

Opposition says amnesty must include all civil society

The US-supported opposition in Venezuela has long sought the release of many political leaders. Venezuela-based prisoners’ rights group Foro Penal has estimated that 711 people are in detention for their political activities.

“A general amnesty is welcome as long as its elements and conditions include all of civil society, without discrimination, that it does not become a cloak of impunity, and that it contributes to dismantling the repressive apparatus of political persecution,” Alfredo Romero, president of Foro Penal, said on social media.

Foro Penal has recorded 302 releases since January 8, when National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez announced that the government would free a significant number of prisoners.

“We recall that these people were arbitrarily imprisoned for exercising rights protected by international human rights instruments, the National Constitution, and Venezuelan laws,” the Provea human rights group said in a statement. “The announcement of an amnesty should not be conceived, under any circumstances, as a pardon or act of clemency on the part of the State.”

Opposition leader and Nobel peace laureate Maria Corina Machado said that the amnesty proposal came only after Rodriguez was pushed by Washington.

“This is not a voluntary gesture by the regime, but a response to pressure from the United States government. And I hope that the prisoners will soon be able to be with their families,” Machado posted on social media.

From site of abuse and repression to public park?

Relatives of prisoners at the Helicoide detention center have held vigils and camped overnight outside the prison in recent weeks, demanding their relatives be freed. A 2022 UN report claimed Venezuela’s state security agency tortured detainees at the prison, which was originally designed to be a mall.

Located in the capital, Caracas, Helicoide has long been denounced as the site of prisoner abuse and government repression and could be converted into a recreational center if Rodriguez’s bill is enacted.

Government officials deny holding political prisoners and say those jailed have committed crimes. Officials also claimed more than 600 people had been released from prison, but have not been clear about the timeline and appear to be including releases from ​previous years.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/venezuela-interim-president-proposes-amnesty-bill/a-75737147

Amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to avert a wider conflict in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states and Israel are prioritizing their own interests as regional tensions between the US and Iran continue to rise.

Throughout this past week, the uncertainty over potential US military action against Iran continued to shape strategic steps across the region.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, both close US allies who also maintain ties with Tehran, said they won’t allow their airspace be used for any attack, regardless of the origin.

Egypt’s foreign minister Badr Abdelatty — whose country has thawed ties with Iran but is yet to reach a full diplomatic level — spoke to his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi as well as to US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff to “work toward achieving calm, in order to avoid the region slipping into new cycles of instability.”

Meanwhile, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and some 10 US guided missile destroyers, capable of launching attacks from the sea, arrived in the region, the shipping tracking site MarineTraffic noted.

The Iranian state-owned news media organization Press TV announced that with the beginning of next week, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard naval forces will start ⁠live-fire ‍exercises in the same waters, the Strait of Hormuz, which links Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates ⁠with the Gulf of Oman and ‌the ‌Arabian Sea.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations meanwhile posted on X that “Iran stands ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and interests — BUT IF PUSHED, IT WILL DEFEND ITSELF AND RESPOND LIKE NEVER BEFORE!”

In line with that, Ali Shamkhani, a top adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, worte on X that a “‘limited strike’ is an illusion.”

He stated that “any military action by the United States — from any origin and at any level — would be considered an act of war and the response would be immediate, all out, and unprecedented, targeting the heart of Tel Aviv and all those supporting the aggressor.”

For Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at the London-based think tank Chatham House, the latest decisions by US President Donald Trump indicate that economic relief and reintegration remain possible, “but only after Iran accepts permanent and verifiable constraints on its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes alongside shifts in its regional behaviour,” she wrote in an op-ed on the think tank’s website.

Israel has not yet built its defenses back up

Tensions between the US and Iran have been mounting since Tehran’s brutal crackdown on protesters beginning in December 2025. According to the latest death tally by the US-based Human Rights Activists in Iran, 6,479 deaths have been confirmed, including 6,092 protesters and 118 children (as of Friday night, January 30). Also, more than 42,450 people have been arrested, the NGO said.

According to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the country’s arch enemies, the United States and Israel, are responsible for the unrest.

For Israel, a potential US strike risks an Iranian counterstrike on its territory, Pauline Raabe, a political scientist at the Berlin-based Middle East Minds think tank, points out.

“Against the background of the upcoming elections in Israel, the Israeli government supports the current call for moderation,” she told DW.

Following the Hamas terror attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the ensuing two-year war in Gaza, and the 12-day-war in June 2025 between Israel and Iran, during which the US carried out strikes on nuclear targets across Iran, Israel is yet to rebuild the full scope of its defense mechanisms, Raabe added.

Mairav Zonszein, senior analyst on Israel with the International Crisis Group, an independent organization working to prevent wars, confirms this.

“Missile interceptors have not been replenished enough,” Zonszein said.

Despite this, she doesn’t believe that Israel could tell Trump to not strike Iran.

“And yet, there are different factors as to why I think right now such a strike would not be ideal for Israel,” she told DW.

For years, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been sounding the alarm over the threat of Iran’s nuclear weapons.

“But Israeli officials would be happy with a deal that resembles the Libyan model,” which involved Libya abolishing its nuclear program, Zonszein said.

Also, in her view, it is no secret that Israel supports a regime change in Tehran.

“But for now, Israel is just making sure that it’s prepared for whatever Trump will decide,” she said.

Mounting concerns in the Gulf states

The political strategy of the other regional neighbors in the Gulf is meanwhile driven by different interests, Eckart Woertz, director of the German Institute of International and Security Affairs (GIGA) in Hamburg, told DW earlier this month.

“The Gulf states have a vested interest in maintaining stability in the region even by means of authoritarian structures,” he said, adding that the political elite of the Gulf states apparently prefers to rely on the familiar old regime rather than getting involved with a new, potentially unknown faction.

Pauline Raabe in turn believes that the Gulf states will continue to exert maximal diplomatic pressure on both sides as they fear that violence could spiral out of control as a result of an attack.

“It could mean that they themselves could become targets of Iranian attacks,” Raabe said, noting that the US bases in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain could be among the first targets of possible Iranian airstrikes. “This worries the Gulf states as they would have war in their own backyard.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/us-iran-tensions-arab-states-and-israel-navigate-strategic-tightrope/a-75732540

The price of silver has just reached an all-time high of more than $120 per ounce. Although gold has eclipsed the white metal as a store of value, DW explores why silver is regaining global relevance.

What happened to the price of silver in 2025?

Silver has experienced a remarkable bull market, more than quadrupling in value from around $30 (€24.54) per ounce at the start of the year to an all-time high of $120.44 per ounce (28 grams) on Thursday (January 29).

At the beginning of last year, the metal traded on COMEX — the commodity division of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) — near $30 in January and hovered between $37 and $40 through the summer before breaking decisively higher.

Silver’s 2025 gains represent a dramatic turnaround for the precious metal, long regarded as the poorer cousin of gold, whose price typically outpaces silver during bull markets.

Although some investors are warning of a potential short-term price correction, sentiment around silver remains bullish for the year.

Before 2025, silver had spent much of the past decade in the $15 to $25 range, with occasional spikes above $30 during periods of investor enthusiasm. But it struggled to sustain upward momentum.

Even in previous peaks in 1980 and 2011, silver topped out near $49 per ounce, far below gold’s surges above $1,900.

This year’s breakout was partly fueled by a falling US dollar and expectations of US Federal Reserve rate cuts, which make precious metals more attractive as safe‑haven assets.

But far bigger factors are pushing the rally higher, including tightening global supply as production struggles to keep pace with demand.

What challenges are facing silver production?

Latin America, which produces more than half of the world’s silver, is facing declining output as mines age and reserves dwindle.

Mexico, responsible for 25% of the world’s supply, has seen double‑digit output drops in recent years.

One of the country’s largest mines, San Julian, in northern Chihuahua state, is approaching end‑of‑life by 2027. The mine is one of operator Fresnillo’s biggest operations. Its ore grades are falling and reserves are being depleted.

Meanwhile, Peru, Bolivia, and Chile, which together supply nearly a third of global silver, are struggling with declining ore grades that make extraction costlier and less efficient.

These countries also face political instability and tougher mining regulations that have discouraged fresh investment in their mining sectors.

Without new discoveries or supportive regulations, production from Latin America is expected to stagnate or decline by the end of the decade, according to analysts at the London-based GlobalData.

The silver market has, meanwhile, remained in a structural deficit for the fifth consecutive year, the industry association The Silver Institute wrote at the end of last year, as demand exceeded supply by around 95 million ounces in 2025.

Why is there a growing demand for silver?

Silver demand is rising not only because investors view it as a store of value, but also because it has become essential to modern technology and clean energy.

Its unique properties, especially unmatched electrical and thermal conductivity, make silver indispensable in fast‑growing global industries.

Solar panels, for example, rely on silver paste to conduct electricity. As governments push renewable energy targets, demand from the photovoltaic sector is set to climb sharply.

Electric vehicles (EVs) also require up to two-thirds more silver than combustion-engine automobiles. The metal is used in batteries, wiring and charging infrastructure, embedding the metal into the future of green transport.

Silver is now playing an increasingly critical role in the digital economy. Artificial intelligence (AI) chips and data centers depend on silver for efficient circuitry, where speed and reliability are paramount.

The precious metal’s ability to handle massive electrical loads ensures clean signals and stable performance at scale, while high thermal conductivity helps clear the extreme heat generated by AI workloads.

While silver’s use in coins and bars is in decline, other traditional uses, such as jewelry, as well as electronics, medical devices and consumer goods, remain strong.

The Silver Institute projects that global industrial demand for silver is expected to grow steadily over the next five years.

Oxford Economics has calculated that silver demand in the auto sector will grow annually by 3.4% between now and 2031 and that the precious metal will benefit from a 65% projected increase in US data center buildouts over the same period.

What was silver’s historical role as money?

For millennia, silver has been trusted as money and a store of value. Ancient civilizations used it in trade because it was rare, durable and easy to divide.

Silver’s importance grew even more when European colonizers discovered vast deposits in Latin America, helping it to become the metal of daily transactions.

Spanish pieces of eight — silver coins worth eight reales, Spain’s old currency before the peseta and euro — became the world’s first global trade currency, circulating from the Americas to Asia and Europe.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/silver-why-the-price-of-poor-mans-gold-has-hit-a-record/a-75086411

The 25-year-old Iranian fashion designer hoped that mass protests nearly four years ago — the ones that erupted after a young woman was arrested and died in custody for not wearing the hijab properly — would improve civil rights in the Islamic Republic.

Not much changed, though. Being on those streets, she felt, may have been for nothing. But it didn’t deter her.

In early January, she protested again. The sea of people across Tehran’s busy streets lifted her spirits. This time, the spark was inflation and the plummeting value of the Iranian rial — though chants soon targeted the country’s theocratic leaders.

The crowd was larger, more diverse, she said. Protests in Iran erupt every few years. But this momentum felt unprecedented, she said.

The response by security forces would be, too.

Activists estimate that over 6,000 people, mostly protesters, were killed in the bloodiest crackdown on dissent since the Islamic Republic was created in 1979. They worry the number will increase as information trickles out.

The Associated Press spoke with six Iranians, each on condition of anonymity through secure channels as security forces continued to crack down on dissenters after the protests. They said they demonstrated and witnessed state violence against protesters. Four of them took risks to circumvent an internet shutdown to share what they saw, while two spoke from abroad.

They described a rare sense of hope among protesters, a consensus that the current status quo was no longer sustainable. The younger, more defiant generation was there, they said, but so were older residents, people from well-to-do families, even some children. All said they expected the state to respond aggressively but were horrified by the extent of the brutal crackdown.

“When we went out, I couldn’t say I wasn’t stressed, but there was no way I could stay at home,” the designer said. “I felt that if I stayed home — if anyone stayed home — out of fear, nothing would move forward.”

No group of interviews — no matter how illuminating — can reflect the experiences of an entire population or even a segment of it. They’re not representative of the large country of over 85 million people and its diverse ethnic and religious makeup. But these Iranians offer a rare glimpse of life in the Islamic Republic at a pivotal moment in its history.

Iran was battered by Israeli and U.S. jets during a 12-day war in June and has been under the grip of Western-led sanctions, compounding economic problems. People say the government has not responded to their concerns of economic mismanagement and interference in their personal lives. They want rights, they say. Dignity.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said several thousand have been killed — a rare admission that indicates the scale of the movement and the government’s response. Officials and state media repeatedly refer to demonstrators as “terrorists,” showing images of buildings and state property they say protesters have burned or damaged. Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not respond to questions from AP about these witnesses’ recollections. Iran’s U.N. ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, has previously said security forces “firmly and responsibly” confronted protesters, whom he called “violent separatists.”

The fashion designer: ‘Everyone was afraid’

During the peak of the protests, the fashion designer said, people poured into the streets of Tehran. She described the events of Jan. 8, a turning point in the mood and crackdown on demonstrations.

“When I was outside in the evening, the city was still and empty,” the fashion designer said. Then came a call to protest from Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince. By 8 p.m., she said, she was in a sea of thousands — a crowd larger and more diverse than she’d ever seen.

“Everyone was afraid,” she said, but “they kept saying, ‘No, don’t leave. This time, we can’t leave it. We must not leave until they are over.” She and two friends who protested with her spoke to the AP using a Starlink satellite dish because of the internet blackout, devices now being seized by authorities there.

They marched up Shariati Street, a commercial road that connects some of northern Tehran’s most bustling neighborhoods to one of the country’s busiest bazaars. But shops were closed. The three said they sprayed graffiti and yelled anti-government chants at the top of their lungs.

They described teenagers and elderly people joining Iran’s regular dissenting voices in chants of defiance and anger. Some chants called for the death of Khamenei — a cry that can bring the death penalty.

Then came the security forces.

Anti-riot police and members of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force arrived, the three friends said, blocking the road and lobbing tear gas and firing pellet guns into the crowd. Protesters panicked and scrambled as the stench of tear gas swept across the crowd.

The group told AP that many pushed forward, throwing rocks at the security forces. Some younger people, veterans of previous protests, donned scarves or masks to protect themselves and hide their identities, expecting a violent pushback.

The protesters built momentum. Some security forces that had arrived on motorcycles appeared to have retreated. But, the fashion designer said, the forces returned, charging at protesters. She knew she and her friends had to run.

They dashed into alleys and side streets, away from the chaos. Residents cheering on protesters had thrown rags and antiseptics from their windows as security forces fired pellets at the crowd.

Soon, tear gas canisters fell into the alley. The fashion designer remembered lessons from other protests: “I thought I’d kick it back,” she said, to protect the wounded. But as she did, she said, security forces were firing paintballs and pellets. She described being pierced in the hand and leg.

Fortunately, she said, her mask softened the blow of the paintball that hit the side of her face.

The doctor: ‘This had never happened before at this scale’

When protests reached her part of the country, the doctor said, she wasn’t surprised. But the extent was a different story.

“This had never happened before at this scale,” said the doctor in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city and home to an important Shiite shrine. She spoke to AP while visiting family abroad.

Days before a hospital night shift, the physician said, she had attended protests in the northeastern city, hearing gunfire from a distance and feeling tear gas burn her eyes. She saw graffiti on walls and buildings afire, even mosques believed to be used by government forces as rally points.

Once she clocked in at the hospital, Iranian security forces had escalated their response.

“I was not afraid for myself,” the doctor said. “I was afraid for others.”

She didn’t work in the emergency room but tried to see what was going on as ambulances and protesters delivered bodies. Colleagues told her 150 bodies were brought in that night. As she tried to move in closer, she managed a glimpse at some of them, she said: a boy and a young woman lying on stretchers, bearing gunshot wounds.

Security agents in the hospital, both in uniform and plainclothes, took over the command of the hospital emergency room, the doctor said. Doctors protested, she said of the colleagues’ account, but they were told to stop speaking or asking questions.

“They were standing over their (ER workers) heads with a gun, telling them not to touch (the wounded),” the doctor recalled of the experience relayed by one colleague. It was “as if they wanted those injured people to die on their own.”

Momentum ebbed, and Iran remains isolated

Khamenei told the nation that the protesters were either collaborators working for American or Israeli intelligence agencies or misguided members of the public trying to sabotage the country. Authorities held a counterdemonstration showing people loyal to the country’s theocratic leadership.

Crackdowns continued. Momentum ebbed. Iran remains cut off from the world. For some, rage and grief over the violence have grown.

“What I fear is that these events will be treated as something ordinary by the world, that people will simply move on and no one will pay attention,” the doctor said. “The fact that the voices of so many of those who were killed never reaches anyone is truly the most painful thing for me.”

She described observing a family arrive at the hospital to retrieve the body of a relative— a young woman. Agents refused to hand over her body, the doctor said, unless the family gave them her national identification and let them identify her as a Basij volunteer and government supporter. An argument started, and her family was arrested, the doctor said, and the woman’s body was taken to the cemetery with the others.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/iran-protests-tehran-crackdown-demonstrations-khamenei-d43414787f764ae83c608c5f19563cbb

The Scarborough Shoal is in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, but China also claims it as part of its territory.

China conducted naval and air patrols around the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Saturday (Jan 31), the China Southern Theater Command said.

The shoal is in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, but China also claims it as part of its territory.

The Philippine embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

China has stepped up combat readiness patrols in the area in January, “resolutely countering the infringement provocations of individual countries within the region,” the post said.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/china-conducts-naval-air-patrols-around-disputed-south-china-sea-scarboroughshoal-5897821

President Donald Trump’s administration will add some 65,000 H-2B seasonal guest worker visas through September 30, a Federal Register notice said, stating the visas would be available to employers at risk of severe financial hardship due to a lack of US labour, Reuters reported.

The move roughly doubled the 66,000 visas available each year to businesses such as construction, hospitality, landscaping and seafood processing, in a recognition that US employers in those industries could be struggling to find workers.

A temporary rule making the additional H-2B visas available will be formally published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, the notice said.

Trump, a Republican, launched a wide-ranging immigration crackdown after returning to the White House in 2025, portraying immigrants without legal status as criminals and a drain on their communities. His administration also clamped down on forms of legal immigration, with broad travel bans and reviews of refugee and asylum cases.

The number of available visas also was expanded under former President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and Trump during periods of his 2017-2021 presidency.

Source : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/trump-administration-to-add-65000-h-2b-guest-worker-visas-this-year/articleshow/127812576.cms

Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi met the country’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and later posted that a decision on the “ICC matter” will be taken by Friday or Monday (February 2)

The suspense surrounding the development is reaching a crescendo. Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi met the country’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and later posted that a decision on the “ICC matter” will be taken by Friday or Monday (February 2). Bangladesh has already been replaced by Scotland after the former’s refusal to play its matches in India. If Pakistan also withdraws, there will be a big gap for the ICC to fill.

In these circumstances, Uganda has offered its candidature if “a T20 World Cup seat opens.”

“Dear @ICC, If a T20 World Cup seat opens, Uganda is ready – packed and padded. Passports warm (not ice). No bakers leaving ovens or ships U-turning. Heat, noise, pressure? We’ll bring the bold kit,” Cricket Uganda posted on X.

Uganda’s hilarious post was in direct reference to what Iceland Cricket had posted a while back. They first offered to replace Pakistan and then “withdrew” as well. “It is with a heavy heart that we now announce our unavailability to replace Pakistan in the upcoming T20 World Cup,” they wrote, before adding: “Our loss is likely Uganda’s gain. We wish them well.”

Amid the “threat,” the Pakistan Cricket Board has already scheduled its T20 World Cup squad to depart for Colombo early on February 2, virtually ruling out any possibility of boycotting either the tournament or the marquee clash against India on February 15, sources close to the board told news agency PTI.

“The PCB has already made travel arrangements for the World Cup squad to leave early morning on February 2 for Colombo,” the source said.

The source added that the PCB had shown its full support to the Bangladesh Cricket Board over their “security concerns” about playing in India, and could not do anything further without damaging its own position within the ICC.

It is expected that the PCB will confirm its participation on Friday. There has been speculation in sections of the media that Pakistan could pull out of the tournament or refuse to play India. But an insider dismissed such reports as rumours.

Source : https://sports.ndtv.com/t20-world-cup-2026/passports-warm-uganda-offers-icc-to-replace-pakistan-in-t20-world-cup-after-iceland-withdraw-proposal-10914713?pfrom=home-ndtv_lateststories

Catherine O’Hara’s “Schitt’s Creek” co-stars are heartbroken over the Hollywood icon’s sudden death at age 71.

“What a gift to have gotten to dance in the warm glow of Catherine O’Hara’s brilliance for all those years,” Dan Levy, who created the show and played O’Hara’s son David, wrote on Instagram Friday alongside two photos of himself with the actress.

“Having spent over fifty years collaborating with my Dad, Catherine was extended family before she ever played my family,” he said. “It’s hard to imagine a world without her in it. I will cherish every funny memory I was fortunate enough to make with her.”

He added that his heart went out to O’Hara’s husband of 33 years, Bo Welch, sons, Matthew, 31, and Luke, 29, and the rest of her family.

Dan’s dad and O’Hara’s “Schitt’s Creek” husband, Eugene Levy, provided a statement to Page Six, writing, “Words seem inadequate to express the loss I feel today. I had the honor of knowing and working with the great Catherine O’Hara for over fifty years.”

He continued, “From our beginnings on the Second City stage, to SCTV, to the movies we did with Chris Guest, to our six glorious years on Schitt’s Creek, I cherished our working relationship, but most of all our friendship. And I will miss her. My heart goes out to Bo, Matthew, Luke, and the entire O’Hara family.”

Jennifer Robertson, who played Jocelyn Schitt on the sitcom, also told Page Six, “I am deeply saddened to hear we have lost Catherine. Being in Catherine O’Hara’s orbit was a beautiful, magical gift. She was an absolute star who never understood why people made such a fuss about her. Her passing is a loss for everyone who knew and loved her. My deepest condolences to Bo, her sons and the O’Hara family.”

Dan’s sister Sarah Levy, who played the Café Tropical waitress in the show, posted a photo of O’Hara in character via Instagram, and captioned it with the following: “This one cuts deep. What an honour it has been to know and work with and love Catherine O’Hara. Cheers to all that you brought to this world – you will be so, so missed.”

Co-stars from the actress’ other legendary works like “Beetlejuice” and “Home Alone” also mourned the loss of O’Hara in the time since her passing.

O’Hara starred in “Schitt’s Creek” for all six seasons from 2015 to 2020. The sitcom followed a wealthy couple, Johnny (Eugene Levy) and Moira (O’Hara), and their two kids, Alexis (Annie Murphy) and David (Dan), who lose all their money and are forced to live out of a motel in a small town.

In 2020, the beloved project swept the Emmys and in 2021, all of the cast once again went home winners at the Golden Globes.

Over the years there have been rumblings of a “Schitt’s Creek” movie or reboot happening.

O’Hara was asked about the possibility of having the Roses reunite on screen in 2024, to which she told People, “I would love to [do it]. We did a bit of a tour after we finished the show, and it was so much fun.”

“I’d love to just be with them all again,” she added. “Doing a movie would be wonderful. Yeah, I hope it happens.”

Dan previously spoke about getting the gang back together in 2022.

“My hope is that one day we can all get together. I see these people all the time. We’re in constant contact with each other,” he told People at the time.

“So the love is there. The desire to work together is there, and the desire to tell more stories is there.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/01/30/entertainment/schitts-creek-cast-reacts-to-catherine-oharas-death/

India’s chief economic adviser proposed age-based limits on access to social media platforms he said were “predatory” in their approach to keeping users online, signalling a potential blow to Meta and YouTube in their largest user market.
Such a shift would pull India in line with a growing global trend, after Australia became the first nation last year to ban social media for children younger than 16.

On Monday, France’s National Assembly backed legislation to ban children under 15 from social media and Britain, Denmark and Greece are studying the issue.
The adviser, V. Anantha Nageswaran, recommended in India’s annual economic survey that families promote screen-time limits, device-free hours and shared offline activities.
“Policies on age-based access limits may be considered, as younger users are more vulnerable to compulsive use and harmful content,” he wrote in the survey, which was published on Thursday.
“Platforms should be made responsible for enforcing age verification and age-appropriate defaults.”

INDIA A HUGE MARKET FOR SOCIAL MEDIA FIRMS

The recommendations are not binding, but are reflected in policy discussions in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Past recommendations have prompted tax reforms, easing rules on Chinese investment and stronger digital infrastructure.
India, the world’s No. 2 smartphone market with 750 million devices and a billion internet users, is a key growth market for social media apps, and does not set a minimum age for access.
Research firm DataReportal says YouTube has 500 million users in India, Facebook 403 million, while Instagram has 481 million.
Facebook operator Meta (META.O), YouTube-parent Alphabet (GOOGL.O), and X did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Meta has previously said it backs laws for parental oversight while adding: “Governments considering bans should be careful not to push teens toward less safe, unregulated sites.”
New Delhi has repeatedly clashed with social media companies like Meta and X over the years over content moderation, local data storage, user safety and not complying with content takedown orders promptly.
In a press briefing, Nageswaran on Thursday called the platforms “predatory” in their approach to maximise user engagement and time spent by users, adding that “such algorithms are particularly targeted at youngsters between the ages of 15 and 24.”
Cheap telecom data plans have boosted use of social media apps in recent years, with 75% of young smartphone users on the apps, the survey report said.
“Digital addiction negatively affects academic performance and workplace productivity due to distractions, ‘sleep debt’, and reduced focus,” Nageswaran added.

‘CHILDREN SLIPPING INTO RELENTLESS USAGE’

The recommendation follows growing efforts among Indian states to rein in screen time for young people.

The coastal state of Goa and the southern state of Andhra Pradesh have said they are studying Australia’s regulatory framework, with an eye to similar bans for children.
“Trust in social media is breaking down,” Nara Lokesh, the infotech minister in Andhra Pradesh, wrote on X on Thursday, saying the state would study legal frameworks for age-appropriate access.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-should-consider-age-based-limits-social-media-access-economic-adviser-says-2026-01-29/

SpaceX is exploring deals with other companies helmed by serial entrepreneur Elon Musk, leaving investors working through permutations between space, autonomous driving and artificial intelligence to analyze which combination makes the most sense.
The rocket maker is in discussions to merge with xAI ahead of a blockbuster public offering ​planned for this year, Reuters reported on Thursday. The combination would bring Musk’s rockets, Starlink satellites, X social media platform and Grok chatbot under one roof, according to a person briefed on the matter and ‌two regulatory filings.

Reuters could not determine the deal’s value, timing or primary rationale.
SpaceX is also considering a merger with Musk’s electric vehicle maker Tesla (TSLA.O), Bloomberg reported.
“I think it’s highly likely that (xAI) ends up with one of the two parties,” said Tesla shareholder Gene Munster, who is managing partner at xAI investor Deepwater Asset Management.
Musk, the world’s richest man, is CEO of SpaceX and artificial intelligence company xAI, which controls X. He also runs Tesla, tunnel company The Boring Co and neurotechnology firm Neuralink.
“What’s important for Elon is to have a massive vision that’s way out there that he’s early on,” Munster said. A compelling prospect would be Tesla taking xAI which would improve the EV maker’s robot and self-driving car plans, he said.

Predictions hub Polymarket late on Thursday put the chance of a SpaceX-xAI merger by mid-year at ‌48% and Tesla-xAI merger at 16%.
Musk, SpaceX, xAI and Tesla did not respond to requests for comment. Tesla’s share price rose 3% in after-hours trade.
SpaceX plans to go public some time ​this year with a valuation likely above $1 trillion, Reuters and other media reported. It is the world’s most-valuable privately held company – at $800 billion in a recent private share sale. xAI was valued at $230 billion in November, the Wall Street Journal reported. Tesla’s market capitalization is $1.4 trillion.
For SpaceX, a massive deal may complicate its IPO but add momentum to efforts to launch data centers into orbit, a key goal in the escalating AI race against the likes of OpenAI, Meta Platforms (META.O), and Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O) Google.

Some Tesla shareholders ‍have long advocated bringing Musk’s companies together. Bloomberg reported that investors have been pushing the idea of joining SpaceX and Tesla.
“Musk has too many separate companies,” said Dennis Dick, chief market strategist at Stock Trader Network. “A major risk thesis for Tesla is that Musk is spreading himself out too much. As a Tesla shareholder, I applaud further consolidation.”
Under a SpaceX-xAI merger, xAI shares would be exchanged for SpaceX shares. Two entities have been established in Nevada to facilitate, said the person briefed on the matter, requesting anonymity because discussions are confidential.
Filings showed those entities were set up on ⁠January 21 but did not detail their purpose or role in any deal. One lists SpaceX and its chief financial officer, Bret Johnsen, as managing members. The other lists Johnsen as sole officer.

Johnsen did not respond to a request for comment.
Some xAI ‍executives could be given the option to receive cash instead of SpaceX stock as part of the deal, said the person briefed on the matter. No final agreement has been signed and the deal timing and structure remain fluid, the person said.

DATA CENTERS IN SPACE

Space-based AI processing, ‌powered by solar ‌energy, is aimed at cutting the cost of generating the computing power that runs and trains AI models such as xAI’s Grok. Billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin has announced a high-capacity backbone network of thousands of satellites, while Google is researching space-based data centers under Project Suncatcher.
Speaking in Davos, Switzerland, last week, Musk – whose timing projections are rarely realized – said “the lowest cost place to put AI will be in space. And that will be true within two years, maybe three at the latest.”
Building data centers in space is a risky proposition considering AI is evolving rapidly and unpredictably. Analysts and executives have questioned whether envisioned cuts in energy consumption are worth the cost of tailoring systems for space.
Folding in xAI could also boost SpaceX’s prospects for contracts at the Pentagon, which ⁠has sought to ramp up AI adoption in military networks, said ⁠Caleb Henry of space research and advisory Quilty Analytics.
U.S. ​Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this month visited SpaceX’s Starbase development site in Texas where he said xAI’s language model and chat platform Grok will be integrated into military networks as part of an “AI acceleration strategy” aimed at speeding up military decision-making and planning.
xAI has a contract worth as much as $200 million to provide Grok products to the Pentagon. Through xAI, Musk is building out a supercomputer for AI training in Memphis, Tennessee, called Colossus.
Starlink and national security variant Starshield already rely heavily on AI, such as for automated satellite maneuvers in orbit. Starshield, under a ‍contract with a U.S. intelligence agency, is building a network of hundreds of classified satellites equipped with sensors that are widely expected to use AI to help track moving targets on Earth.

LATEST MERGER BETWEEN MUSK COMPANIES

Musk already has been combining businesses. In 2016, he used Tesla stock to buy solar-energy company SolarCity. Last year, he folded X into xAI in a share swap that gave the AI startup access to the microblog’s data and distribution.
xAI also received a $2 billion investment commitment from SpaceX as part a $5 billion equity fundraising, the Wall Street Journal reported last year.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/musks-spacex-merger-talks-with-xai-ahead-planned-ipo-source-says-2026-01-29/

President Donald Trump said on Thursday he planned to speak with Iran, even as the U.S. dispatched another warship to the Middle East and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said the military would be ready to carry out whatever the president decided.
Speaking to reporters, Trump did not elaborate on the nature or timing of any dialogue or say who from Washington would lead the negotiations.

“I am planning on it, yeah,” Trump said when asked about possible discussions with Tehran. “We have a lot of very big, very powerful ships sailing to Iran right now, and it would be great if we didn’t have to use them.”

U.S. officials say Trump is reviewing his options but has not decided whether to strike Iran. U.S.-Iranian tensions have soared in recent weeks after a bloody crackdown on protests across Iran by its clerical authorities.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene if Iran continued to kill protesters, but the countrywide demonstrations over economic privations and political repression have since abated.
He has said the United States would act if Tehran resumed its nuclear program after air strikes in June by Israeli and U.S. forces on key nuclear installations.
With a large U.S. military force gathered in the region, Hegseth was asked earlier in the day by Trump at a cabinet meeting to comment on the situation in Iran.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/hegseth-tells-trump-pentagon-is-prepared-iran-2026-01-29/

Gold prices fell as much as 8% on Friday to briefly dip below the $5,000 per ounce mark, as the dollar firmed following President Donald Trump’s announcement of his choice for Federal Reserve chair, even as bullion was set for its strongest monthly gain since 1982.
Spot gold dropped 5.8% to $5,081.52 per ounce at 09:37 a.m. ET (1437 GMT), after retreating to an intraday low of $4,957.53 earlier. U.S. gold futures for February delivery slipped 4.1% to $5,079.60.

The selloff, described by analysts as profit-taking, also pressured other precious metals.
The triggers behind the sell-off could be a combination of factors, ranging from the Fed Chair announcement to broader macro flows, said Suki Cooper, global head, commodities research at Standard Chartered Bank.
Whether we look at the dollar or expectations for real yields, a combination of these drivers has helped trigger profit-taking, she added.
Trump named former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh as his choice to succeed Jerome Powell as Fed chair in May, placing a frequent critic of the central bank in a key leadership role.

Gold hit a record peak of $5,594.82 on Thursday and remains on track for a more than 17% rise this month, marking its sixth consecutive monthly increase.
The U.S. dollar index (.DXY), gained 0.4%, rebounding from a four-year low earlier this week and making greenback-priced gold more expensive for overseas buyers.
Meanwhile, Joe Cavatoni, Senior Market Strategist, Americas, and Head of Public Policy, US, World Gold Council said, “in an environment shaped by policy uncertainty, rising debt burdens and geopolitical risk, gold is increasingly being viewed as a strategic portfolio allocation rather than a short-term trade.”
Gold premiums in India hit decade-highs on investment demand, while China saw gains on jewellery and investment interest.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/india/gold-slips-firmer-dollar-set-best-month-since-1980-2026-01-30/

President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, touched down in Minneapolis and has pledged changes, but no stop to ICE operations in the city. Trump himself recently hinted at a desire to de-escalate.

The EU is probing Elon Musk’s Grok AI after its deepfake feature generated millions of sexualized images of women and children. Brussels is putting its toughest tech laws to one of their biggest test yet.

“I was involuntarily undressed by Elon Musk’s Grok on X.” Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch said in a recent video on the platform. She is one of countless victims of a feature on X’s AI chatbot, Grok, that allows users to digitally strip women and children of their clothing. In less than two weeks, Grok generated three million sexualized images, including tens of thousands that appear to depict children.

Now, the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, has launched an investigation into Grok under the Digital Services Act, or DSA. The Commission said it would “assess whether the company [X] properly assessed and mitigated risks associated with the deployment of Grok’s functionalities into X in the EU.”

The investigation could set an important precedent in confronting US tech firms and protecting citizens from privacy violations. “If they can go up against Musk, that is huge,” Joanna Bryson, professor of ethics and technology at the Hertie School university in Berlin, told DW. “It tells everybody the EU is serious.”

EU has the laws to protect from AI harm

But how much power does the EU have? Under its laws, the bloc can regulate digital services much like physical products. Just as unsafe toys or appliances can be banned from the European market, online platforms that break EU rules can be forced to change — or be shut out entirely.

“The DSA is arguably the most powerful platform regulation in the world,” said Philipp Hacker, professor of law and ethics at the Viadrina University in Frankfurt an der Oder. Rather than targeting specific technologies, it addresses broad categories such as “systemic risks,” giving the European Commission flexibility to respond to new harms as AI evolves. Grok’s undressing function did not exist when the DSA entered into force in 2022.

The EU has two main enforcement tools. It can fine X up to 6% of its global annual turnover, a measure it already used in December, when it fined the platform €120 million ($143 million) for breaching DSA transparency rules. In cases of repeated violations, the Commission can also block the platform entirely within the EU. For now, a fine is seen as the more likely next step.

The EU’s leverage is strengthened by its market size. As one of the world’s largest consumer markets, it wields significant influence over global tech firms.

EU reportedly delayed start of Grok investigation

Still, experts question whether the Commission will push hard enough to set a lasting precedent. “We have a lot of provisions protecting fundamental rights. The problem is there enforcement, making sure they are not disregarded,” says Marco Bassini, assistant professor of Fundamental Rights and Articifical Intelligence at Tilburg University.

At a time of strained EU-US relations, Brussels has been cautious about fully deploying its regulatory power against American tech companies. According to reporting by the German newspaper Handelsblatt, the launch of the Grok investigation was delayed by the office of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen amid a tariff dispute between the EU and the US over Greenland. In the past, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick linked tariff reductions to weakening EU tech regulation.

“I think a big mistake was made,” Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Alexandra Geese told DW. “There was a lot of fear about the reaction from the US administration.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/the-eu-takes-on-musks-ai-that-undresses-women-can-it-protect-its-citizens/a-75709719

Jacques Tilly’s carnival floats mocking Vladimir Putin have landed him before a Moscow court. As the trial drags on, the Dusseldorf-based satirist has denounced the charges as an assault on freedom of expression.

Russian President Vladimir Putin bathes in the blood of Ukraine, while US President Donald Trump tears up the climate protection agreement like an angry child: These Düsseldorf carnival floats made by German artist and float builder Jacques Tilly are meant to provoke. They’ve now also provoked the Russian state, which has taken him to court — a first for the famed artist.

A trial against Tilly is now underway in Moscow. It was scheduled to continue this past Wednesday in the defendant’s absence, but after a brief opening session, it was postponed for the second time until February 26.

At earlier hearings in December, the court-appointed defense attorney arrived late; this time, prosecution witnesses failed to appear. Representatives of the German Embassy are expected to attend the upcoming hearings in Moscow, but they will not have the right to speak.

“With everything that is happening in the world right now, I find it downright ridiculous that a carnival float builder, of all people, is being put on trial. It’s like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut,” Tilly said in an interview with DW.

Tilly’s oversized figures ride on the carnival floats of Düsseldorf’s Rose Monday parades, which take place the Monday before Ash Wednesday, and have become world famous. Whether it’s the church or the state, climate catastrophe or right-wing extremists, Tilly doesn’t shy away from any topic.

“There were many threats of legal action, including last year when I built a float featuringAlice Weidel, the chairwoman of Alternative for Germany [a partially right-wing extremist party: Eds.], in a witch’s house. She holds a gingerbread swastika under the noses of young voters. There were 20 threats of legal action, but no charges were brought.”

What does the charge mean?

In Germany, freedom of expression is a fundamental right, enshrined in law — this includes political satire, provided it doesn’t violate other laws.

“Satire is actually mockery spiced with humor; criticism wrapped in humor,” says Tilly, “and Putin can’t stand criticism. Anyone who thinks differently ends up in court and, in the worst case, in some kind of prison camp.” He suspects that this could also happen to him.

The criminal complaint filed by the Russian government represents a new level of escalation for Tilly. He is accused of defaming Russian state institutions, including the military and President Putin.

Tilly’s 2023 carnival float, in which the Russian leader is depicted bathing in Ukrainian blood (headline photo), is said to have triggered the proceedings. “They say I defamed the Russian military and act out of self-interest.” The same accusations are often leveled against critics of the regime in Russia.

Putin flexes his muscles

Why exactly the charges against Tilly were not brought until December 2025 remains a mystery. To date, Tilly has neither received an indictment nor spoken to the court-appointed defense attorney. If the court finds him guilty, the artist could face a fine as well as imprisonment in a penal camp.

Putin’s long arm reaches beyond Russia, says Tilly: “The consequence is that I am simply no longer allowed to enter certain countries because they have extradition agreements with Russia, such as India or Serbia, Egypt and Indonesia, too.” The German Foreign Office has explicitly advised him against traveling to these countries.

Does Russia aim to set an example?

It’s tradition in German carnivals to mock the authorities with satirical floats: Hierarchies are reversed, and people are allowed to openly mock the authorities, a concept known as the “fool’s liberty” or “Narrenfreiheit” in German.

Centuries ago, the court jester was tasked with telling the rulers at princely and royal courts the bare truth about their actions, openly saying what others dared not say.

“And that’s still the fool’s job today,” says Tilly, adding, “Of course, I didn’t make any false claims — I mocked the supreme warlord Putin, just as I do with Donald Trump, Iran’s mullahs, and [Turkey’s] Recep Tayyip Erdogan. That’s simply my job.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/trial-against-german-carnival-satirist-tilly-underway-in-russia/a-75714838

A former Israeli hostage who was held for nearly 500 days in Gaza says the return of the body of the final hostage this week means all the released captives can “now breathe and start our lives again”.

Thirty-year-old Sasha Troufanov, an Amazon electronics engineer, was taken hostage on 7 October 2023 by Palestinian Islamic Jihad gunmen. His fiancée Sapir Cohen, mother and grandmother were also kidnapped and taken to Gaza. The women were released after more than 50 days as hostages. He was freed a year ago, after 498 days in captivity.

In his first international interview, Troufanov, on a visit to London, told BBC News that with the return on Monday of Ran Gvili’s body meaning all the hostages were back “it felt wonderful. We waited so long for this to happen.

“I was carrying this burden ever since I came back. It was like a weight on my shoulders that kept me from coming back to my life. Although we were released, we didn’t really come out of Gaza because our friends and brothers were still there.”

But the moment was bittersweet for him as Monday was also the birthday of his father Vitaly. Troufanov only discovered his father had been murdered on 7 October on the day he was released in February 2025 and realised his dad wasn’t there to meet him.

Troufanov and Cohen had been visiting his family on Kibbutz Nir Oz near the border with Gaza when Palestinian gunmen stormed their homes. Cohen rolled herself up in blanket and hid under the bed but they were both captured. Troufanov was punched and also stabbed in the shoulder.

“I saw the terrorist with so much anger and hate in his face, holding his knife trying to stab me even more.”

As the attackers tried to take Troufanov off the kibbutz he managed to momentarily escape but when he gave up running they still shot him twice in each leg.

“I just felt the rush of pain going through my brain and I fell to the ground then one of the terrorists hit me with the rifle from the back of my head and split it open.”

When he arrived to Gaza, he says he was then beaten by civilians and thought “this is the moment you’re going to die”.

While in Gaza, Troufanov received almost no medical treatment. He was taken once to a family home and once to a hospital where his broken leg was wrapped first with a wooden broom and then with part of a metal grill.

Unlike many other hostages, he was held almost entirely in isolation. For only two of the 498 days in captivity did Troufanov see another hostage.

At the start he was held above ground, for more than six weeks locked in a cage and given barely enough food to survive. Here, he says he experienced sexual harassment where one guard repeatedly tried to encourage him to do a sexual act on himself. He also says a hidden camera filmed him when he was allowed a shower once a week.

“I noticed it and I took the shower trying to avoid my private parts towards this angle, but I had to do it because I needed to shower.”

Taken underground to the tunnels, Troufanov says he was left for months alone, his captors only bringing food then leaving him in a silent, cramped, humid space so dark he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face.

“I remember feeling that I am buried underneath the ground while I am still alive. I was losing it. I was having a hard time to find hope in this place. Many times I lost hope completely. I said to myself: ‘This is the last place you will see alive.'”

It is the first time since 2014 that there are no Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Two hundred and fifty-one people were taken captive during the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023, when about 1,200 other people were killed.

Israel responded by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 71,660 people have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Since the ceasefire began on 10 October 2025, at least 492 Palestinians have been killed, the health ministry says, as well as four Israeli soldiers.

Now all the hostages, those alive and those who were killed, have returned to Israel the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza can commence. The key Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza is set to open on an ongoing basis for the first time since May 2024, as required under the plan.

It also envisages the full demilitarisation of Gaza, including the disarmament of Hamas and other Palestinian groups; a technocratic Palestinian government; and the reconstruction of Gaza.

Sasha Troufanov believes that these measures aren’t enough to ensure an attack like the one on 7 October won’t happen again.

“Rebuilding Gaza, after what happened in the war, is understandable. But first of all we need to make sure that the people of Gaza will stop trying to hurt Israel. The terrorists were telling me: ‘We will do this again and again.’

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8rm20gm364o

No-one should be surprised that China has swiftly executed the 11 members of a organised crime family from north-eastern Myanmar who were sentenced to death in September.

China executes more people than anywhere else in the world, according to human rights groups – the exact figure is a state secret. Officials are often executed for corruption. The accusations made against the Ming family were far more serious.

The Ming, Bau, Wei and Liu clans have dominated the remote border town of Laukkaing in Myanmar’s impoverished Shan state, since 2009.

They rose to power after General Min Aung Hlaing, the current coup leader in Myanmar, led a military operation to drive out the MNDAA, the ethnic insurgent army which had dominated Laukkaing and the area around it since the 1980s.

The four families, as they became known, took over and began shifting from the old dependence on opium and methamphetamine production to a new economy based on casinos and, eventually, online fraud.

They remained close to the Myanmar military; in December 2021, after seizing power in his coup, Min Aung Hlaing feted Liu Zhengxiang, patriarch of the Liu clan, in the capital Nay Pyi Taw and awarded him an honorary title for “extraordinary contributions to state development”.

His Fully Light conglomerate had lucrative businesses all over Myanmar. Other members of the four families were candidates for the military-backed party the USDP.

The scam compounds they ran in Laukkaing, though, were brutal, much more so than scam complexes in other parts of Asia. Torture was routine.

Tens of thousands of mainly Chinese workers were lured there with promises of well-paid jobs, only to find themselves imprisoned in the compounds. They were forced to run elaborate “pig-butchering” scams, where most of the victims were also Chinese. Complaints from the victims, and by the families of those trapped in the compounds multiplied on social media.

The most notorious compound in Laukkaing was called Crouching Tiger Villa, run by the Ming family. In October 2023, during what is believed to have been an escape attempt, the guards killed several Chinese nationals. The Chinese authorities felt compelled to take action.

With China’s apparent blessing the MNDAA and its allies attacked and recaptured Laukkaing, as part of their offensive against the Myanmar army in the ongoing civil war. The MNDAA vowed to stamp out the scam business completely.

They detained the heads of the four families and handed more than 60 of their relatives and associates to the Chinese police. Ming Xuechang, the family patriarch, or warlord, killed himself after being captured, authorities said.

During interrogations by the Chinese police one of the family members is reported to have admitted killing someone chosen at random just to demonstrate his strength.

These details have been publicised by China to justify its tough treatment of the families. Five of the Bau family are also awaiting execution, while the trials of the Wei and Liu families have not yet concluded.

The four families are ethnic Chinese, and had close ties to the authorities on the Chinese side of the border in Yunnan. Their abuses were too close to home for China, and the action against the scam business in Laukkaing has been the most decisive yet.

China has also prevailed on Thailand and Cambodia to extradite two Chinese business figures accused of running scam empires, She Zhijiang, who built an entire city in Myanmar’s war-torn Karen State, and Chen Zhi, who amassed wealth and power with his Prince Group conglomerate in Cambodia. The Chinese government has also brought tens of thousands of its citizens who were working in scam compounds back to China to face trial.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd6wegndnjlo

Teddi Mellencamp is setting the record straight on her cancer battle.

The “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” alum, 44, insisted that her cancer has not returned despite her dad, John Mellencamp, saying she was “really sick” and “suffering.”

“It’s not f—ing fun,” John said of his daughter’s journey in his Jan. 14 appearance on the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast. “She’s got cancer in the brain, and she’s suffering right now.”

On Wednesday’s episode of her and Tamra Judge’s “Two Ts in a Pod” podcast, however, Teddi said, “You know, I think when he said the words ‘suffering,’ he meant like, how I’m mentally doing versus how I’m physically doing.”

“Instantly people thought, ‘Oh my God, cancer’s back,’” Judge, 58, said.

“No, there’s still no trace of cancer. But I’m still considered stage four and I’m still in immunotherapy, so essentially nothing’s changed other than I still — I don’t feel great … I would hope that I would be feeling better by now, but I really don’t,” Teddi clarified.

The Bravoleb went on to explain that she’s since started going to therapy to address the part of her “suffering” that stemmed from not having “properly” processed “all of the things that happened when I had surgery, like from my divorce [from her estranged husband Edwin Arroyave] to all of a sudden being in emergency surgery, to you know, not being able to see my kids when I was recovering.”

“I think all of those things are starting to finally hit me now. I started doing therapy, and so it’s taken its toll on me,” she added.

As she continues her immunotherapy, Teddi shared that she’s struggling with being able to “touch and move.”

“I can see that I’m slower than I was before, and that’s really frustrating to me. Like I want to be back to the way I used to be,” she reflected.

“I was really fighting for my life … now that the storm has calmed a little, now I’m starting to develop fear where I didn’t have fear before. Like I have fear to do a lot of things,” she shared, before admitting she’s scared “that cancer is going to come back.”

The reality TV star came forward with her stage 2 melanoma diagnosis in October 2022. She underwent more than a dozen surgeries to address the disease — including an emergency procedure in 2025 to remove several tumors in her brain.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/01/29/celebrity-news/teddi-mellencamp-reveals-truth-about-cancer-battle-after-dad-john-said-shes-really-sick/

India’s data centre investments are set to top US$100 billion by 2027, even as water, power and environmental concerns slow expansion elsewhere. In part two of CNA’s series on India’s AI push, we look at what’s driving the boom – and the lessons ahead.

Even as water and power concerns weigh on data centre expansions in parts of the world, India is flooring the accelerator.

Investments in India’s data centre market alone are projected to top US$100 billion by 2027, according to CBRE Group, as the country emerges as a key global destination for AI infrastructure.

OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, announced plans for a 1-gigawatt (GW) AI data centre in September last year, followed by major AI-related investment announcements from technology giants Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Meta in the last quarter of 2025.

Domestic conglomerates such as Reliance, Adani and the Tata Group are also joining the rush for data centres, which are centralised facilities that house servers and digital infrastructure, powering everything from AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude to cloud services, video streaming and e-commerce platforms.

This momentum may be unsurprising given India’s rapidly growing AI user base and its status as home to the world’s second-largest developer community.

What is more striking, however, is the timing – coming as other parts of the world reassess data centre expansion amid mounting resource and environmental constraints.

Places including Chile, Mexico, Scotland and the United States have seen local opposition and protests over such projects, in some cases forcing them to shut down or relocate.

This is because large data centres require vast amounts of freshwater for cooling, in addition to their enormous power needs.

In the region, Malaysia’s Johor state in November asked companies to suspend the expansion of water-cooled data centre projects “until mid-2027”, while Singapore previously imposed a three-year moratorium from 2019 to 2022.

India, by contrast, is pressing ahead.

As of October 2025, India had 153 data centres – up about 10 per cent over the past three years – with a combined capacity of 1.7GW. That capacity is expected to grow fivefold to 8GW by 2030, according to a Jefferies report.

But in a country where many cities already face severe water shortages, critics warn the boom could place additional strain on local communities, raising questions over how India will balance rapid AI infrastructure growth with environmental and social costs.

INDIA OFFERS INCENTIVES WHILE OTHERS PULL BACK 

India has around one billion internet users, according to government figures, more than 700 million of whom use AI in some form.

It is also the second-largest user base for generative AI products from OpenAI and Anthropic, behind the US – one reason OpenAI has set up an office in India, with Anthropic planning to do so this year.

“The arrival of players like Anthropic and OpenAI signals that India is now viewed as a strategic growth market, not just a back office,” Shweta Rajpal Kohli, president and CEO of the Startup Policy Forum, told CNA.

She attributed this shift to the “aggressive incentives” rolled out by the central government, as well as by states such as Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, to attract data infrastructure – offers she described as “difficult to refuse”.

Last September, India’s central government proposed tax exemptions for data centres for up to 20 years, alongside power subsidies and other incentives.

State governments are also offering heavily subsidised land near technology parks, at discounts of up to 50 per cent, as well as capital incentives, and additional tax breaks to sweeten the deal.

These measures are particularly attractive at a time when AI data centre projects are facing tighter restrictions in other countries due to their water and energy demands.

Protests in the US have blocked or delayed data centre projects worth an estimated US$64 billion, according to Data Center Watch, a project run by AI security company 10a Labs.

One such case is a proposed 1GW Google data centre in Franklin Township, Indiana, which was brought to a halt in September, just weeks before Google announced its investment in India.

So why is India actively courting AI data centres, even as other countries grow more cautious?

One reason lies in the country’s data protection policy and localisation strategy. As part of its AI mission, the government is advocating for the processing and storage of data generated by Indian users within the country.

According to a local report, India generates around 20 per cent of the world’s data, yet hosts just 3 per cent of global data centre capacity.

Geopolitical risk management is another factor, said Faisal Kawoosa, chief analyst at technology research firm TechARC.

The Trump administration has imposed tariffs of up to 50 per cent on Indian goods – among the highest worldwide – and tightened H-1B visa applications, limiting opportunities for Indian talent to work in the US.

AI data centre investments, therefore, represent a strategic win for India, said experts.

They are “sticky investments” for US tech giants, as they involve heavy, long-term infrastructure commitments that are difficult to exit, said Kawoosa.

Unlike offices, which can be shut down quickly if geopolitical pressures mount, large-scale AI data centres require substantial capital investment and physical infrastructure, making them far harder to relocate or abandon, he added.

THE WINNERS AND LOSERS OF INDIA’S DATA CENTRE BOOM

India’s semiconductor industry, which the government has been trying to scale up, is one of the biggest beneficiaries of AI data centre investments.

While high-end chips will continue to be imported from companies such as Nvidia and AMD, data centres are expected to generate substantial local demand for lower-cost, mature semiconductors.

“It means more compute power, more storage, and, crucially, greater impetus for Indian tech companies to rethink how chips integrate across the entire hardware stack,” said Shashwath TR, co-founder and CEO of Indian semiconductor firm Mindgrove Technologies.

“This goes beyond advanced chips to all the surrounding infrastructure, from power and thermal management to networking and other specialised uses.”

To capture this opportunity, AI companies like OpenAI, Perplexity, and Anthropic are courting Indian customers with free or heavily discounted subscription plans – aiming to scale first, and monetise later.

Industry players believe that with India’s large pool of software developers, this could spur a wave of new AI-powered apps and services, similar to how Android became the foundation for a vast array of smartphone applications worldwide.

There is also a practical reason for this expansion. AI firms need data centres close to where data is generated to train models and process large volumes of user information, which explains why many US tech companies are investing in domestic infrastructure.

However, analysts caution that serious questions remain about the environmental and humanitarian costs of this growth.

India already faces acute water stress and constraints on energy supply.

Water use by data centres in the country is expected to more than double, from 150 billion litres in 2025 to 358 billion litres by 2030, according to insights from Mordor Intelligence.

Coastal cities such as Mumbai and Chennai are considered attractive locations due to their proximity to subsea cables and existing data centre clusters.

Yet both cities are already prone to water shortages and struggle to meet the needs of residents and businesses.

Electricity constraints pose a similar risk.

India’s data centre electricity demand is expected to grow by almost fivefold by 2030 from 2024 levels, according to an S&P Global report.

These developments could increase reliance on fossil fuels, particularly coal, which already accounts for nearly 50 per cent of India’s electricity generation.

“The Indian government seems to be in discussions over this and working with these Big Tech players to figure out a plan,” said analyst Kawoosa.

CAN INDIA BUILD A GREENER DATA CENTRE MODEL?

As countries elsewhere grapple with the environmental, water and energy costs of rapid data centre expansion, the question is whether India can learn from their experiences and chart a more sustainable path.

Singapore previously imposed a three-year suspension on new data centres, lifting the moratorium in 2022 as it shifted its focus towards more sustainable projects.

In Malaysia’s Johor state, companies were asked to suspend the expansion of water-cooled data centre projects “until mid-2027”, as authorities grapple with drought and mounting pressure on water supplies.

Kohli of the Startup Policy Forum said Malaysia’s decision underscores the risks of expanding too quickly without coordinated infrastructure planning.

“The lesson isn’t to slow down,” she said, “but to plan and execute smartly”.

She added that Indian authorities are already moving in this direction: “A national data centre policy is under discussion, and states such as Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have embedded green and sustainability norms early.”

“With the right coordination across power, water, zoning and governance, India can set a global benchmark for scaling digital infrastructure responsibly and durably,” said Kohli.

She also pointed to innovation emerging from within India’s tech ecosystem.

“Indian startups, such as Vigyan Labs, are already developing intelligent energy optimisation solutions, paving the way for low-carbon digital infrastructure and greener data centres.”

Water management, however, remains a major challenge. While the use of non-potable water is expected to become standard for data centre cooling, it may not be sufficient to meet growing demand.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/india-ai-data-centre-water-power-environment-5894041

Despite being a regular investor, Ms Lim was duped by scammers into using a fake investment app that was downloaded from the Apple App Store.

A nightmare began for Ms Lim* (not her real name) in August last year, when she was added to a WhatsApp group.

What ensued was an elaborate investment scam which saw the healthcare worker lose about S$400,000 (US$316,200) in less than three months.

“I never thought I’d become the victim,” she told reporters on Thursday (Jan 29).

“Perhaps it’s because we live in such a safe country, a country with such a high degree of the rule of law. How would it be possible for scammers to operate in such a country?”

Ms Lim, who is in her 50s, was no stranger to investing, having done so over the years. She has invested in various products, including bonds, unit trusts, stocks and properties.

“In my family, I was the one who set the financial goals,” she said.

THE SCAM

About the same time as when she reached out to a reputable trading platform, Ms Lim was added to a WhatsApp group named “Lion Capital Circle”.

There were 80 members in the group, and they all had numbers with the Singapore country code +65.

“(Everything was communicated in) English. This was to give victims the impression that they were Singaporeans, and this was in a Singaporean setting,” said Ms Lim.

A person would send daily investment advice on what stocks to buy and sell, and investors would share screenshots of the trades they made and the profits they earned.

One of the rules was that members should keep things secret from others outside the group.

“Apart from talking about stocks, they would discuss current affairs about the US economy,” said Ms Lim. “You would not have felt that you were being cheated, but rather that you were in an investment course.”

To add a veneer of legitimacy, the scammers claimed to have an office in Singapore and said they were working together with an investment company in Hong Kong.

“They gave us the link to check with the company to verify that the company is real,” said Ms Lim.

“It was not only Singapore stocks. They also introduced stocks from Taiwan, from Malaysia. That’s why for (investors) it looked very professional.”

Ms Lim was convinced by the scammers to create a trading account after downloading an application from the Apple App Store.

“The platform looked even more … easy to operate (than other platforms),” she said.

She was then asked to transfer money via a QR code to YouTrip to start the “investment”, and she did so with an initial outlay of S$3,000.

“They would ask you to buy (stocks) and you sell them at a certain time. And then you could see the profit (on the app). Everything was under the guidance of the scammer,” Ms Lim said.

What made things seem more legitimate was that she was able to withdraw small sums from the amount that she had deposited.

“It was just a kind of test, to try and test if the app was functioning, if it was believable,” she said.

“VERY PAINFUL EXPERIENCE”

Over the next few weeks, the scammers built rapport with Ms Lim.

They sent private messages to her daily, checking in on how she was doing. In the main group, investment advice continued to be doled out.

The “profits” from investments built up as Ms Lim began to transfer larger sums.

Eventually, she was convinced by the scammers to make two cash deposits of S$25,000 and S$90,000.

After discussing with her husband, who was also convinced by the legitimacy of the request, Ms Lim withdrew the money from the bank, telling them it was for family matters.

“Somebody mentioned in the group that it is not easy these days to withdraw (large amounts of) money from the bank, given that they would ask questions,” Ms Lim said. “The scammers told them what to say to withdraw the money.”

Cash in hand, she met the scammers on two separate occasions, with a different man collecting the money.

Ms Lim recalled asking one of them whether it was legal to collect the amount in cash.

“His response was: ‘Who dares to do illegal things in Singapore?’,” she added.

By then, Ms Lim had made about 60 transactions totalling about S$400,000 – years of savings. She believed that this amount had ballooned into an investment worth over S$1 million.

But when she wanted to withdraw some of that money, the gig was up.

“I wanted to withdraw certain amounts to get back my capital. And they said: ‘You need to pay tax for this amount and so you cannot withdraw it’.”

The scammers wanted S$150,000, an amount that Ms Lim could not afford.

“I just felt helpless because I had no money to give to them,” she said.

In November last year, she made a police report.

In a press release on Dec 9, the police said that since October 2025, there had been at least 20 reported cases of investment scams involving fake investment applications, with total losses amounting to at least S$1.7 million.

“The police would like to remind the public to be careful when making investments, especially when being told to download apps to create trading accounts,” said police inspector Norashikin Hussein.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/scam-victim-healthcare-worker-lost-savings-5893726

THOUSANDS of commuters have been left high and dry with ferry service suspended between a deadly winter storm and a possible bomb cyclone.

America’s largest city has called off service for its ferry system after Winter Storm Fern, which has killed over 60 people, left two rivers almost completely frozen over.

Massive ice blocks in New York City’s East River and Hudson River forced NYC Ferry – and its bar service – to shut down service Tuesday, and freezing temperatures dipping into the single digits Fahrenheit have kept operations crippled.

“NYC Ferry service remains suspended across all routes due to continued ice in the East and Hudson Rivers and across New York Harbor,” a spokesperson for NYC Ferry said in a statement to The U.S. Sun.

“The safety of all crew, passengers, and vessels is of the utmost importance, and NYC Ferry crew continues to monitor evolving waterway conditions and prepare the fleet to ensure service can resume once conditions improve.”

Images showed ice floes, or large detached chunks of floating sea ice, in partially frozen parts of the East River and Hudson River surrounding Manhattan.

“It’s kind of ridiculous that you don’t notice this in the app when somebody clicks on schedules,” one ferry rider complained on Wednesday to NYC Ferry on X.

“Thanks for making me walk in the wrong direction for nine minutes in the freezing cold.”

NYC Ferry on Tuesday afternoon, hours before halting service, had posted that there was “significant, continuing ice build-up” and that heavy ice creates unpredictable landing conditions.

Ferry riders have been forced to instead take subways, buses, or drive to their destinations.

However, some New Yorkers apparently managed to get on a boat.

On Thursday, an X user commented on NYC Ferry’s service suspension announcement, saying, “Are you sure? Cause im literally on the ferry going to (Governors) island as we speak… Thats crazy. How did i get to governors island then?”

NYC Ferry replied that Governors Island operates its own ferry, which is running.

The NYC Ferry shutdown came two days after Winter Storm Fern pummeled the city with 11 to 14 inches of snow and caused thousands of flights in the area to be canceled or delayed.

WINTER WEATHER CONTINUES

The decision also comes ahead of another winter weather system that could strengthen into a bomb cyclone this weekend and send temperatures plunging even more.

The system’s intensity and track are still uncertain, but it could become a bomb cyclone if atmospheric pressure dips rapidly.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/travel/15862092/new-york-city-ferry-commuters-suspended-rivers-frozen/

RIHANNA is ready to return to the studio and produce her first album in a decade, a source close to the superstar singer has told The U.S. Sun.

Since the release of ANTI in 2016, the busy mom has been prioritizing her family and business ventures.

She now has three children with partner A$AP Rocky – three year-old RZA, Riot Rose, 2, and little Rocki Irish who arrived last September – while throwing herself headfirst into her wildly successful companies.

In 2017, Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty, a cosmetics brand, and more recently expanded her portfolio with Savage X Fenty, a lingerie and lifestyle business.

Both have been enormously successful.

Fenty Beauty was a commercial hit from day one: within its first month, the brand made about $72 million in sales and quickly sold out of key products like foundation.

By the end of 2018, annual revenue approached $570 million, and, according to Forbes, the entire operation is worth roughly $2.8 billion, with Rihanna owning about half.

Savage X Fenty also quickly became a smash-hit, achieving an approximate $1 billion valuation in early funding rounds.

The 37 year-old superstar has overseen huge revenue growth, while rolling out expanded VIP membership.

With both businesses thriving, the singer is now looking to reenergize her stellar music career, which has already seen her sell 250 million records worldwide.

A source says that although Rihanna and Rocky “truly love” raising their kids together and haven’t ruled out expanding their family, now is the time for music to return.

The insider claims Rihanna will spend less time on the road and more hours in the studio, working on what would be her ninth album.

“Rihanna is eager to return to music,” the source said. “She’s been writing a lot lately and truly misses the studio, the fans, the crowds, and performing live. While she’s incredibly happy being a mother, she’s ready to reconnect with her artistic life.”

Rihanna is also exploring other creative paths.

The U.S. Sun understands she wants to pursue acting—she has appeared in five films over the years, but nothing since Ocean’s 8 in 2018 — and work on various art projects, especially in her native Barbados.

“Ri wants to highlight her roots, her Caribbean pride, and speak on issues close to her heart, including equality, the fight against racism, and women’s empowerment,” the source added.

FAMILY BACKING

A$AP Rocky, 36, is reportedly “fully supportive” of Rihanna’s return to music.

The rapper recently released his four studio album, Don’t Be Dumb, ending his own musical hiatus of eight years.

It went straight to no1 on the Billboard 200, ensuring its his biggest success for years.

“He knows how much she’s missed performing and is ready to support her just as she’s supported him,” the source said.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/15861071/rihanna-new-music-plans-album-baby/

The United States is handing over to Venezuela a tanker that it seized this month, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday.
The United States has been carrying out a months-long effort to seize oil tankers linked to Venezuela – carrying out seven apprehensions since late last year.

The officials, who were speaking on the condition of anonymity, identified the vessel being handed over to Venezuelan authorities as the Panama-flagged supertanker M/T Sophia. They did not say why the tanker was returned.

The U.S. Coast Guard, which leads interdiction and seizure operations, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Venezuelan communications ministry, which handles all press queries for the government, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Sophia was carrying oil when it was interdicted on January 7 by the Coast Guard and U.S. military forces. At the time, the administration said the Sophia, which is under sanctions, was a “stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker.”

One of the sources did not know if the Sophia still had oil on board.
Trump has focused his foreign policy in Latin America on Venezuela, initially aiming to push Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power. After failing to find a diplomatic solution, Trump ordered U.S. forces to fly into the country to grab him and his wife in a daring overnight raid on January 3.

Since then, Trump has said the U.S. plans to control Venezuela’s oil resources indefinitely as it seeks to rebuild the country’s dilapidated oil industry in a $100 billion plan.
Earlier this months, the Sophia and another seized tanker were seen near Puerto Rico.
Along with most tankers under Western sanctions or part of the so-called shadow fleet, many of the Venezuela-linked tankers seized were built over 20 years ago and pose hazards to shipping because they lack safety certification and adequate insurance, experts said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-handing-over-seized-tanker-venezuela-officials-say-2026-01-28/

U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iran on Wednesday to come to the table and make a deal on nuclear weapons or the next U.S. attack would be far worse. Tehran responded with a threat to strike back against the United States, Israel and those who support them.
“Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!” Trump wrote on social media.

An initial U.S. government review of the fatal shooting of U.S. citizen Alex Pretti by immigration agents in Minneapolis made no mention of him brandishing a firearm, despite initial statements by Trump officials highlighting the weapon.
A preliminary review by U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Pretti, 37, was shot by two federal officers, a Border Patrol agent and a customs officer, after he refused to move out of the street following an order from a customs officer.

In the hours after Pretti was killed on Saturday, top Trump administration officials portrayed the ICU nurse as an aggressor, assertions that were quickly contradicted by video from the scene.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said he “approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun,” but did not mention that the weapon was holstered. White House aide Stephen Miller – the driver of Trump’s immigration agenda – called Pretti a “domestic terrorist” and “would-be assassin” without presenting evidence to support the claims.
The killing of Pretti, an ICU nurse at a hospital for veterans, sparked a national uproar and led Trump to adopt a more conciliatory tone this week.

The CBP review, conducted by the agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility and shared with lawmakers on Tuesday, is standard protocol and shared with members of Congress to promote transparency, CBP spokesperson Hilton Beckham said.
Beckham said the notifications “provide an initial outline of an event that took place and do not convey any definitive conclusion or investigative findings.”

Details in the preliminary review reinforced the disconnect between how Trump officials portrayed the shooting and the video evidence.
The review said that a customs officer tried to move Pretti and a woman out of the street, but that they “did not move.” The officer then fired pepper spray at Pretti and the woman, it said.
CBP customs officers normally work at ports of entry screening passengers and goods entering the U.S., but some have been detailed to work on immigration enforcement by the Trump administration as part of its crackdown. The identities of the agents and officers at the scene and whether they had any experience with crowd control in urban environments have not been made public.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-review-alex-pretti-killing-does-not-mention-him-brandishing-firearm-2026-01-28/

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.

“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.

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