“Egypt is using a secretive airbase to carry out drone strikes on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, according to a new report. Satellite images, flight records and videos seen by the New York Times — as well as interviews with officials — suggest that the strikes have been going on for at least six months from the base, which is hidden amid a vast, agricultural project in the country’s western desert. … Previously, Egypt had been mainly a diplomatic player in Sudan, but the new evidence suggests that its direct involvement in the conflict has increased significantly.” (02/02/26)
“White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are expected to meet on Friday in Istanbul to discuss a possible nuclear deal, according to two sources with knowledge. … This would be the first meeting between U.S. and Iranian officials since the collapse of the negotiations and the 12-day war last June. It comes during a massive U.S. military buildup in the Gulf, and with President Trump insisting the only way to avoid military conflict is a swift deal.” {editor’s note: What is the point of “talks” toward a “deal?” There’s already a binding deal that the US regime has been in violation of since 2017 – TLK] (02/02/26)
“Planned Parenthood has moved to drop its legal challenge against the Trump administration for cutting off Medicaid funding to its abortion providers across the U.S. Since July, Planned Parenthood’s attorneys have been fighting to block part of President Donald Trump’s tax bill that they argued unfairly targeted their clinics and would leave vulnerable patients with even fewer health care options. However, in December, a federal appeals court ruled that the Trump administration could continue to withhold Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood and other health centers. … ‘The goal of this lawsuit has always been to help Planned Parenthood patients get the care they deserve from their trusted provider. Based on the 1st Circuit’s decision, it is clear that this lawsuit is no longer the best way to accomplish that goal,’ the organization said in a statement.” (02/02/26)
“The eldest son of Norway’s crown princess has been arrested, just before his trial opens on charges including rape in a case that has been an embarrassment to the royal family, police said on Monday. Marius Borg Høiby was arrested on Sunday evening and is accused of assault, threats with a knife and violation of a restraining order, police said in a statement. They requested four weeks’ detention on grounds of risk of reoffending. … Ahead of the trial, Friday’s release of the latest batch of documents from the Epstein files shone an unflattering spotlight on Mette-Marit. They contained several hundred mentions of the crown princess, who already said in 2019 that she regretted having had contact with Epstein, Norwegian media reported.” (02/02/26)
“US President Donald Trump announced that he agreed to a trade deal with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where the US will lower tariffs on goods from India to 18% from 25%. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said India will reduce trade barriers to zero and will also stop buying Russian oil. An additional 25% tariff penalty imposed for Delhi’s refusal to stop buying oil from Russia will be dropped. The announcement comes less than a week after India and the European Union announced a landmark trade deal that capped nearly two decades of on-off talks. Modi said on X that he is ‘delighted’ that an agreement with the US has been reached. In the post, Trump said that a morning phone call with Modi included discussions of trade and the Russia-Ukraine war.” (02/02/25)
“Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid is pushing for Qatar to be named an ‘enemy state’ in the latest Israeli political broadside against the Gulf state. Lapid, who is the biggest challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Israeli political scene, said on X on Sunday that he would begin a bill in the Knesset ‘Declaring Qatar an Enemy State,’ which follows months of opposition attacks against the premier on the issue. … Critics of Netanyahu have repeatedly tried to link his government to Qatar due to Doha’s past role in facilitating payments to authorities in Gaza to provide state services and facilitating negotiations between Hamas and Israel.” (02/02/26)
“Capgemini is getting rid of one of its subsidiaries. The French IT giant announced on Sunday that it was putting up for sale its subsidiary working with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), at the heart of international controversy over the violent methods used by these federal agents. The company has been in the spotlight for several days because of a contract, revealed by the NGO Observatoire des Multinationales, that its U.S. subsidiary, Capgemini Government Solutions, signed with ICE to identify foreign nationals on U.S. soil and track their movements. … In a press release, Capgemini explained that ‘the usual legal constraints imposed in the United States on contracting with federal entities conducting classified activities did not allow the Group to exercise appropriate control over certain aspects of this subsidiary’s operations.'” (02/02/26)
“There is a long tradition of painters depicting real people in their religious art, but the appearance in a Roman church of a cherub that bears a striking resemblance to Premier Giorgia Meloni has sparked a minor scandal for both church and state in Italy. The diocese of Rome and the Italian Culture Ministry both announced investigations into the recent renovations at the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina, after photographs of the Meloni-esque cherub were published in Italian newspapers this weekend. Their swift and harsh reactions indicated little tolerance for the profane in a sacred place. The ruckus has given the basilica, already well known as one of the oldest churches in Rome, newfound celebrity status. It was jammed on Sunday and Monday with curiosity-seekers straining to photograph the angel in a side chapel up near the front altar, at times disrupting Mass.” (02/02/25)
“German customs officers arrested five men Monday for allegedly violating European Union embargoes on Russia by exporting industrial goods to Russian arms manufacturers. The defendants arranged for around 16,000 deliveries to Russia, according to the ongoing investigation, with illegal transactions amounting to at least €30 million, the office of Germany’s Federal Public Prosecutor General said in a press release. The arrests come as authorities in Kyiv urge European leaders to crack down on exports of industrial goods and parts that Russia can use to manufacture weapons deployed in the war on Ukraine.” (02/02/26)
“Activists filed two impeachment complaints against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte Monday, accusing her of large-scale corruption after an initial attempt to unseat her a year ago was shot down by the Supreme Court on a legal technicality. The new impeachment bids filed before the House of Representatives are the latest episode in the stormy political life of Duterte, a 47-year-old lawyer and former city mayor who has been touted by supporters as a potential presidential contender in 2028. She is the daughter of ex- President Rodrigo Duterte, who oversaw bloody anti-drug crackdowns while in office from 2016 to 2022. He was arrested and detained in the Netherlands by the International Criminal Court last year for alleged crimes against humanity.” (02/02/26)
