Politics
The Epstein files showed prominent figures, including Lord Peter Mandelson and AI researcher Joscha Bach, had ties to Jeffrey Epstein, prompting scrutiny of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Bill Gates said he regretted spending time with Jeffrey Epstein after newly released Epstein files, and his ex-wife Melinda French Gates said he must answer questions they raised.
The New START treaty between the United States and Russia expired on Thursday, removing limits on their nuclear arsenals and prompting the UN chief to warn of a "grave moment."
The White House confirmed U.S. and Iranian delegations would meet in Oman on Friday for talks, after disputes over venue and agenda briefly threatened to derail negotiations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in the war with Russia, a figure he presented as Ukraine's official tally.
Keir Starmer faced mounting pressure after appointing Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to Washington despite revelations of Mandelson’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein and a police inquiry.
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Tom Homan announced the withdrawal of 700 ICE and Border Patrol agents from Minneapolis, saying increased local cooperation reduced the need after two fatal shootings.
Ukrainian, Russian and U.S. negotiators met in Abu Dhabi for a new round of talks Kyiv called productive, while the Kremlin said it would keep fighting and strikes continued.
Israeli airstrikes killed 21 Palestinians in Gaza, Gaza officials said, after Israel said militants attacked its soldiers and wounded one critically, while Rafah crossings remained tightly controlled.
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Chinese leader Xi Jinping urged U.S. President Donald Trump to curb arms sales to Taiwan during a phone call, after earlier speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
U.S. Supreme Court allowed California to use a new congressional map that bolstered Democrats’ advantage and could yield up to five additional House seats.
DOJ removed ICE lawyer Julie Le from her detail after she told a federal judge in Minnesota that "this job sucks" during an immigration hearing, officials said.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a plan to ban under-16s from social media and make platform executives criminally liable, prompting backlash from tech CEOs and caution from the EU.
Iran and the United States scheduled negotiations in Oman for Friday, despite a US shootdown of an Iranian drone and President Trump’s warning to Iran’s supreme leader, officials said.
Republican House leaders compelled Bill and Hillary Clinton to agree to testify before Congress in the Jeffrey Epstein probe, a move critics said set a new precedent.
Ryan Routh was sentenced to life in prison by a federal judge in Florida after his conviction for trying to assassinate Donald Trump at a 2024 golf course.
Iranian security forces killed protesters in Rasht during a deadly bazaar fire on the night of Jan. 8–9, eyewitnesses and reconstructions said.
President Donald Trump said he would accept midterm results only if elections were "honest" and renewed calls to nationalize voting control to target Democratic areas ahead of November contests.
EU member states agreed on terms for a €90bn loan to Ukraine, allocating €30bn for budget and €60bn for defence investment, while allowing UK participation if it shares borrowing costs.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Abu Dhabi under U.S. mediation to continue peace talks, even as Russian drones and rockets struck Ukraine, leaders and officials said.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited Riyadh and met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, seeking closer strategic and energy partnerships with Gulf states to secure investment, gas and defence ties.
Venezuelan authorities detained businessman Alex Saab in Caracas, according to Colombian and international outlets, which reported the operation involved U.S. agents and sought his extradition.
Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s border czar, said 700 federal immigration agents were withdrawn from Minnesota after clashes that sparked protests and criticism over the deployments.
Donald Trump planned to install a Christopher Columbus statue on the White House grounds, advisers said, reviving a monument that protesters removed in 2020.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez accused Elon Musk and former U.S. President Donald Trump of fomenting opposition to his draft social-media law, saying their criticism threatened citizens' freedoms.
Lee H. Hamilton, a moderate Democratic congressman from Indiana who led the House Foreign Affairs and Intelligence committees and chaired the Sept. 11 investigative panel, died at 94.
The European Parliament resumed consideration of a US-EU trade agreement on Wednesday after lifting a freeze prompted by President Donald Trump’s threats over Greenland.
Donald Trump skipped Sunday’s Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, citing distance while advisers urged him not to attend amid fears he would be booed.
Human Rights Watch said in its 2026 report that U.S. President Donald Trump had undermined pillars of American democracy and that the United States posed a threat to human rights.
Volkswagen and Stellantis urged EU policymakers in Brussels to grant bonuses and a "Made in Europe" advantage for electric cars built in Europe, aiming to bolster jobs and competitiveness.
Sweden's Isabella and Rasmus Wranå defeated South Korea 10–3 in Cortina and gave Sweden a perfect Winter Olympics start, while Norway lost its opening parcurling match to Scotland.
Die Bundeswehr reduzierte ihre Präsenz im Nordirak und zog Truppen aus Erbil ab, mit Verweis auf die wachsenden Spannungen zwischen den USA und dem Iran.
A Paris appeals court heard prosecutors on Feb. 3 seek five years' ineligibility for Marine Le Pen, a move that could bar her from running in the 2027 presidential election.
Italy's government circulated a draft security decree that extended self‑defense to all citizens, endorsed preventive "fermo", offered legal shields for police and proposed a naval blockade.
Saif al‑Islam Gaddafi, son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, was shot dead at his home near Zintan, southwest of Tripoli, officials said.
Democratic Party secretary Elly Schlein launched a "No" campaign in Pescara against the Nordio justice reform, calling the government's pending cabinet decree "liberticide."
Italian authorities said they repelled Russian-linked cyberattacks targeting Milan‑Cortina Winter Olympics websites, Cortina hotels and several consulates, including those in Paris, London and Washington.
Japan's new prime minister Sanae Takaichi called a snap parliamentary election to expand her majority, giving opponents three weeks and putting her own political future at risk.
French authorities arrested four people in Gironde who were suspected of spying for China after they installed a two‑metre satellite dish to capture sensitive military data.
An Audiencia Nacional judge released Francisco de Borbón on €50,000 bail, barred him from leaving Spain, seized his passport and ordered regular court check‑ins in the money‑laundering probe.
Saxony AfD lawmaker Jörg Dornau was arrested in Dresden after authorities accused him of evading EU sanctions on Belarus, prompting searches and the lifting of his parliamentary immunity.
In Thüringen scheiterte AfD-Fraktionschef Björn Höcke mit einem konstruktiven Misstrauensvotum gegen Ministerpräsident Mario Voigt, der trotz des Entzugs seines Doktortitels im Amt blieb.
Italy's interior minister Matteo Piantedosi told parliament that US ICE agents present for the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics had no authority to operate on Italian soil and would only share information.
German police arrested two men in Hamburg accused of sabotaging German warships; a 55-year-old suspect was held in Komotini on a European warrant alleging seven attempted sabotages.
