“The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the Federal Aviation Administration had approved dangerous flight routes that allowed an Army helicopter to fly into the path of a passenger jet over the Potomac River on Jan. 29, 2025, to calamitous results. … the investigating board also castigated the agency for not doing enough to respond to warnings about longtime risks to safety and found a complacent culture within the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport that relied too heavily on pilots in the airspace being able to see and steer clear of each others’ aircraft, a practice called visual separation. They also determined that insufficient warnings from the air traffic controller to the pilots of the Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet involved in the crash, and altimeters that, unbeknown to the helicopter pilots, habitually gave faulty readings of altitude, also contributed to the tragic crash.” (01/28/26)
“Hungarian prosecutors have charged Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony over his role in arranging last year’s gay pride march in the capital city, which attracted hundreds of thousands of people despite a ban. Prosecutors have ‘filed charges and seek a fine against the mayor of Budapest, who organised and led a public gathering despite a police ban,’ their office said in a statement announcing the case on Wednesday. … Since returning to power in 2010, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been tightening his grip over the country and has targeted groups advocating for human rights. Orban’s conservative government has also pushed for legislation promoting traditional family values and steadily rolled back LGBTQ rights. In 2025, his Fidesz party amended laws and the constitution to ban the annual pride march, drawing protests from critics and the European Union.” (01/28/26)
“The group behind the nationwide ‘No Kings’ protests are planning their fourth demonstration of President Donald Trump’s second term — and are anticipating even greater turnout than their earlier rallies. Ezra Levin, a rally organizer and the co-founder of the progressive group Indivisible, said in an interview that the planned third ‘No Kings’ protest on March 28 is in response to a ‘secret police force terrorizing American communities.’ … Indivisible estimated 3 million protesters turned out for its ‘Hands Off’ rally in April 2025, while 5 million showed up in June as part of the first ‘No Kings’ protest and 7 million for the second ‘No Kings’ demonstration in October. Organizers said they are aiming for nearly 9 million people to turn out in March.” (01/28/26)
“Turkish authorities have arrested six people, including an Iranian national, on suspicion of spying for Iran, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Wednesday. The arrests followed coordinated operations carried out by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization and counterterrorism police across five provinces. The suspects are believed to have been in contact with members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and are accused of gathering information on military bases and other sensitive sites in Turkey, Anadolu reported. They allegedly conducted surveillance of NATO’s Incirlik air base in southern Turkey.” (01/28/26)
“A group of Republican senators is open to splitting the Homeland Security appropriations measure off from a six-bill government funding package that needs to pass by Friday to avoid a partial government shutdown that would affect the Pentagon and other major departments. … A senior Republican senator who requested anonymity to discuss the standoff over funding said Senate Republicans would prefer to move all six spending bills as one package but would probably agree to leave the Homeland Security funding measure behind if Democrats dig in their heels.” (01/28/26)
“The Foreign Ministry of Ecuador has filed a protest with the U.S. Embassy in the South American country after a federal immigration agent tried to enter its consulate in Minneapolis. Uncorroborated video of the incident shared online shows a consular employee confronting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents attempting to enter the facility. The employee stands in the doorway and tells the ICE agent that he is not allowed to enter. The ICE agent is heard telling the employee to ‘relax’ and threatens to ‘grab’ the employee if the agent is touched. … Law enforcement of the host country is generally prohibited from entering diplomatic missions of foreign nations, including consulates, except with the consent of the head of the mission, Article 22 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 states.” (01/28/26)
“Adults who consider themselves ‘night owls’ tend to score lower in cardiovascular health assessments and face a higher risk of heart attack or stroke. That’s according to a new study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, which examined how a person’s chronotype — their natural tendency to be active in the morning or evening — is linked to overall heart health. The researchers looked at 14 years of UK Biobank data for around 300,000 adults averaging 57 years old, according to a press release for the study. … people who were more active in the evening (‘night owls’) had a 79% higher risk of poor cardiovascular health compared to the intermediate group, and a 16% higher risk of heart attack or stroke, the release stated. People who identified as being more active in the morning had slightly better heart health scores. The link was more pronounced in women than men.” (01/28/26)
“Montenegro could face fuel shortages due to region-wide protests and a blockade of the Adriatic port of Bar by truck drivers over restrictive EU entry rules that have left them facing deportation for exceeding Schengen visit limits. The port of Bar is the biggest entry point for overseas fuel imports into Montenegro, which has no oil refining capacity of its own. It also houses the country’s largest fuel depots. Blockades of border crossings in Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro and North Macedonia that began on Monday have halted transport along a critical road corridor linking the EU with Turkey and the Middle East. In a statement late on Tuesday, the Montenegrin Energy Ministry said it asked oil companies for information on stocks, and on the estimated period during which regular fuel supplies could be maintained.” (01/28/26)
“The top federal judge in Minneapolis backed off a plan to haul the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement into court Friday, but delivered a brutal condemnation of the agency for repeatedly defying judges’ orders in cases stemming from the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz tore into the agency in a Wednesday order for what he characterized as a pattern of unprecedented defiance — violating dozens of court orders in ways that abused the rights of immigrants facing deportation proceedings. … Despite the judge’s fury, his order amounted to a reprieve of sorts for ICE’s acting director Todd Lyons, whom Schiltz had previously ordered to appear before him Friday to address potential contempt of court.” (01/28/26)
“A South Korean court sentenced former first lady Kim Keon Hee to 20 months in jail on Wednesday for accepting Chanel bags and a diamond pendant from Unification Church officials in return for providing political favours. The wife of ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted from office last year, was cleared on other charges of stock price manipulation and violating the political funds act. Prosecutors will appeal against the not-guilty verdicts, media reports said. The ruling comes amid a series of trials stemming from investigations into Yoon’s brief imposition of martial law in 2024 and related scandals involving the once-powerful couple.” (01/28/26)
