“A private plane carrying a deputy chief minister crashed in an open field in western India on Wednesday, killing the official and four other people on board, aviation authorities said. There were no survivors. The aircraft was en route from India’s financial capital of Mumbai to Ajit Pawar’s home city Baramati when it crash-landed and burst into flames some 159 miles from Mumbai. The reason for the crash was not immediately known. Television footage showed smoke rising from the wreckage. … Pawar was a key figure in state politics and served as the second highest elected official in Maharashtra as part of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling coalition in the state.” (01/28/26)
“Indian authorities said they had contained a Nipah virus outbreak after confirming two cases in the eastern state of West Bengal, as several Asian countries tightened health screenings and airport surveillance for travelers arriving from India. India’s Health Ministry said Tuesday that two Nipah cases had been detected since December and that all identified contacts had been quarantined and tested. The ministry did not release details about the patients but said 196 contacts had been traced and all tested negative.” (01/28/26)
“Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Wednesday that the automaker is ending production of its Model S and X vehicles, and will use the factory in Fremont, California, to build Optimus humanoid robots. ‘It’s time to basically bring the Model S and X programs to an end with an honorable discharge,’ Musk said on the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call. ‘If you’re interested in buying a Model S and X, now would be the time to order it.’ After the original Roadster, the two models are Tesla’s oldest vehicles, and in recent years the company has slashed prices as global competition for electric vehicles has soared. Tesla started selling the Model S sedan in 2012, and the Model X SUV three years later.” (01/28/26)
“Amazon said Wednesday it plans to eliminate about 16,000 corporate jobs, marking its second round of mass job cuts since last October. In a blog post, the company wrote that the layoffs were part of an ongoing effort to ‘strengthen our organization by reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy.’ That coincides with a push to invest heavily in artificial intelligence. The job reductions come just a few months after October’s layoffs, when 14,000 employees were let go across Amazon’s corporate workforce. At the time, the company indicated the cuts would continue in 2026 as it found ‘additional places we can remove layers.'” (01/28/26)
“Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the government is pushing ahead with plans to halve the number of jury trials in England and Wales because he had given his word to crime victims that he would tackle delays to justice. The government is facing a rebellion by Labour MPs over the proposals, which are aimed at cutting the huge backlog in cases that built up during the Covid pandemic. Opponents argue that judge-only trials for less serious cases would undermine public trust and have little impact on the backlog.” (01/28/26)
“A federal judge in Oregon dismissed the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit against the state for refusing to provide its unredacted voter rolls. U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai, an appointee of former President Biden, is set to issue a written opinion in the coming days, according to The Associated Press. ‘The court dismissed this case because the federal government never met the legal standard to get these records in the first place,’ Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield (D) told the AP in an emailed statement.” (01/27/26)
“TikTok has settled a lawsuit accusing it and several other social media companies of designing addictive platforms shortly before the landmark case headed to trial Tuesday, according to an attorney for the plaintiffs. It is the latest company to settle the case and avoid trial, after Snapchat’s parent company similarly reached a settlement last week. The trial will now go forward with the two remaining companies, Meta and YouTube. … The plaintiffs have accused the social media companies of deliberately designing their platforms to induce kids to use their products despite research linking social media to youth mental health issues. ” (01/27/26)
“A Filipino mayor escaped unharmed after an apparent rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack on his convoy in broad daylight Sunday in the southern province of Maguindanao del Sur, authorities said. The Philippine News Agency (PNA), the country’s state-run news outlet, reported that Mayor Akmad Ampatuan was inside a bulletproof vehicle when the attack occurred at around 6:30 a.m. … Police and military forces later killed three suspected attackers in a pursuit.” (01/28/26)
“A federal judge said Tuesday that a nearly completed Massachusetts offshore wind project can continue, as the industry successfully challenges the Trump administration in court. At U.S. District Court in Boston, Judge Brian Murphy halted the administration’s stop work order for Vineyard Wind, citing the potential economic losses from the delays and the developers’ likelihood of success on their claims. Vineyard Wind is one of five big offshore wind projects on the East Coast that the Trump administration froze days before Christmas, citing national security concerns — and the fourth that has since been allowed to go forward.” (01/27/26)
“North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country will unveil plans to further bolster its nuclear program at the upcoming ruling party congress, as he observed the North’s latest weapons launch, state media reported Wednesday. The Korean Central News Agency said North Korea performed a live-fire drill of an upgraded large-caliber multiple rocket launcher system in the presence of Kim on Tuesday, an apparent reference to what South Korea and Japan earlier described as ballistic missile launches from North Korea. State media photos show Kim walking near a huge launch truck with his teenage daughter in her latest public appearance with her father. South Korea’s spy service said in early 2024 it considered the girl, reportedly named Kim Ju Ae, as her father’s likely heir.” (01/27/26)
