Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Updated 3m ago
The U.S. Justice Department released millions of Jeffrey Epstein files that named politicians and tech billionaires, prompting a Metropolitan Police probe into Peter Mandelson and Bill Gates’s denial.
Ukrainian, Russian and U.S. negotiators resumed talks in Abu Dhabi despite a massive Russian missile-and-drone attack on Ukraine, which Kyiv said targeted energy infrastructure.
President Trump urged Republicans to "nationalize" U.S. elections, seeking federal control of vote counting ahead of November midterms while repeating unsubstantiated fraud claims.
Israel's strikes killed at least 18 people in Gaza and Israel halted patient crossings at Rafah, Palestinian authorities said, while the military said it struck after soldiers were shot.
Anthropic released a new AI agent, prompting a global sell-off that erased roughly $300 billion in market value from software and B2B service stocks, analysts said.
Germany's foreign intelligence service, the BND, said Russia's military spending was up to 66% higher than its official defense budget and had risen each year since the Ukraine war.
Friedrich Merz traveled to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE to deepen partnerships and discuss arms and energy deals, while Greens, SPD and NGOs urged him to raise human-rights concerns.
President Donald Trump publicly berated CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins in the Oval Office, calling her "the worst reporter" and criticizing her for "not smiling" over questions about Jeffrey Epstein.
Pedro Sánchez announced a plan to ban social media for under-16s at the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Tuesday to protect children, prompting Elon Musk to call him "tyrant".
Elon Musk merged SpaceX with his AI firm xAI, creating a combined private valuation and pushing his estimated net worth past $800 billion.
Gold and silver prices rose in global markets as investors sought safe havens amid U.S.–Iran tensions and dollar turbulence that also kept oil traders on edge.
WHO and IARC reported that four in ten cancers were avoidable and identified 30 major risk factors, including tobacco, alcohol, excess weight, infections, air pollution and lack of breastfeeding.
Authorities evacuated more than 3,000 people in southern Spain and issued red alerts as Storm Leonardo brought torrential rain, cut roads and rail links and suspended schools in Andalusia.
Meteorological services in Ireland and Greece warned of heavy rain, flooding risk and thunderstorms across southeast Ireland, Dublin and parts of Greece, prompting Irish authorities to go on alert.
President Donald Trump ordered the Kennedy Center in Washington closed for two years for renovations, prompting unions and orchestra leaders to seek other venues as critics blamed plunging ticket sales.
In China, Harry Potter character Draco Malfoy became an unlikely Year of the Horse mascot after his Mandarin transliteration’s characters mean “horse” and “fortune,” prompting memes and merchandise.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said ICE agents sent to Milan‑Cortina Olympics would have no operational role but perform analysis and information‑sharing, a claim disputed by protesters ahead of Feb. 6.
Tournament organisers compressed the 2026 Six Nations into six weeks starting Feb. 7, raised fatigue concerns and favoured deeper squads such as France and England.
King Charles III ordered his brother, former Prince Andrew, to leave Royal Lodge after new Epstein-related documents emerged, and Andrew relocated to a temporary residence on Sandringham.
La justicia anuló en Madrid la modificación del plan urbanístico de Ayuso y Almeida que intentó eludir la restitución de las zonas verdes del Palacio de los Deportes.
Singer Gil Ofarim apologized on RTL’s Dschungelcamp for falsely accusing a Leipzig hotel employee of antisemitism in 2021, as RTL removed a Stefan Raab special from its streaming service.
