“Madagascar’s military government has criticised Eswatini for hosting ousted President Andry Rajoelina last week, describing the visit as a ‘grave infringement of its sovereignty.’ Last Friday, the Eswatini government shared photos of King Mswati III meeting Rajoelina, during which the king called on Madagascar’s military junta to restore constitutional order. In a statement, Madagascar’s military leader Col Michael Randrianirina voiced his ‘strongest condemnation’ of the visit, terming it ‘politically unacceptable.’ Rajoelina was overthrown last October by an elite military following weeks of youth-led protests in the Indian Ocean island.” (02/10/26)
“A student died during protests over unpaid financial aid at Senegal’s top university in Dakar, the government said late on Monday, as weeks of unrest over delayed stipends escalated into clashes with security forces. Unverified videos showed students jumping from upper floors of a burning campus building. The government said the circumstances of the death of Abdoulaye Ba, a second-year dental surgery student at Cheikh Anta Diop University, remain under investigation. The protests reflect mounting pressure from Senegal’s worsening public finances. The administration that took office in April 2024 is grappling with a $13 billion budget hole, one of Africa’s most severe hidden debt crises, and growing public dissatisfaction as bills go unpaid. Demonstrations on campus since early December have descended into confrontations between rock-throwing students and security forces.” (02/10/26)
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday took steps toward banning BHA, a food additive used in processed foods such as meats and bread. BHA, or butylated hydroxyanisole, has been used in the food supply for decades. The FDA first listed it as ‘generally recognized as safe’ in 1958 and approved it as a food additive in 1961. It’s used to prevent fats and oils in food from spoiling and can show up in products such as frozen meals, breakfast cereals, cookies, ice cream and some meat products. The agency said it’s launching a new safety review of the chemical, pointing to long-standing concerns that the food additive might cause cancer in humans.” (02/10/26)
“NASA is now aiming to launch four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, in another delay over weather conditions, the US agency announced Tuesday. It is targeting February 13 for the lift-off of Crew-12’s mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with a window opening at 5:15am local time (10:15am GMT). … Weather at the site in Florida has been in fact favourable, NASA officials told a briefing Monday, but higher winds forecast across the rest of the East Coast are to blame for the delays.” (02/10/26)
“Facing growing calls for his resignation, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick admitted Tuesday to having lunch on Jeffrey Epstein’s private island in 2012, but strenuously denied any closer relationship with the convicted sex offender. Lutnick’s ties to Epstein have come under intense scrutiny after email exchanges included in newly released files undermined his earlier insistence that he had cut all links with the late financier back in 2005. So far, President Donald Trump’s administration has stood by Lutnick, with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying the president ‘fully supports’ him.” (02/10/26)
“In the summer of 2010, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and some of the most powerful tech executives in the world were invited to gather in the rolling hills of Napa as part of an exclusive retreat that discussed proteomics, a niche scientific field adjacent to the study of genetics. The event, which was scheduled to take place in St. Helena, was called ‘EDGE Master Break’ and hosted by John Brockman, a prominent science writer who established an esoteric nonprofit called Edge.org. Danny Hillis, an entrepreneur, was scheduled to appear that year, along with author Stewart Brand. The invitees included Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Sergey Brin and several other high-profile guests, documents released by the Justice Department as part of the Epstein files show. Though it’s not clear whether Epstein attended the 2010 event, he did end up meeting with some of its invitees eventually …” (02/10/26)
“South Korea plans to increase medical school admissions by more than 3,340 students from 2027 to 2031 to address concerns about physician shortages in one of the fastest-aging countries in the world, the government said Tuesday. The decision was announced months after officials defused a prolonged doctors’ strike by backing away from a more ambitious increase pursued by Seoul’s former conservative government. Even the scaled-down plan drew criticism from the country’s doctors’ lobby, which said the move was ‘devoid of rational judgment.’ Kwak Soon-hun, a senior Health Ministry official, said that the president of the Korean Medical Association attended the health care policy meeting but left early to boycott the vote confirming the size of the admission increases.” (02/10/26)
“President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to prevent the opening of a bridge that will connect Michigan and Canada unless Ottawa negotiates with Washington on tariffs and the exclusion of American products. In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump accused Canada of taking advantage of the United States with unfair trade practices and cozying up to China. In an effort to bring Canada to the negotiating table, Trump said he would not allow the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which is named after the legendary Canadian ice hockey player who played for the Detroit Red Wings. The bridge, which is currently under construction, will connect Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.” (02/10/26)
“Rock legend Kurt Cobain died more than 30 years ago, deeply shaking every Nirvana fan to their core. The cause that has long been accepted was suicide. Today, however, new research, led by forensic specialists Bryan Burnett and Michelle Wilkins, is challenging that determination. We should first note that Burnett and Wilkins are part of an unofficial private sector team of forensic scientists, and we should tread lightly before taking their research as gospel. Their findings, however, ‘revealed signs inconsistent with an instantaneous gunshot death.’ … Burnett’s peer-reviewed paper explored 10 points of evidence, allegedly suggesting one or more people were present before Cobain’s death. The evidence collected went on to explain that Cobain was forced into a heroin overdose, shot in the head by someone else, then left alone with a forged suicide note.” (02/10/26)
“Sam Bankman-Fried has filed a pro se motion for a new trial in federal court, arguing newly discovered evidence and alleged constitutional violations warrant revisiting his FTX fraud conviction. … The filing seeks a new trial based on claims of newly discovered evidence, alleged prosecutorial misconduct, and due process violations tied to his 2023 conviction. The motion argues that testimony from individuals who did not appear at trial, including former FTX.US operations head Daniel Chapsky, could materially affect the verdict. It also alleges the government failed to disclose information that could have aided the defense, raising constitutional concerns.” (02/10/26)
