States Split on ICE: Some Restrict Cooperation While Others Deepen Enforcement

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In the wake of high-profile incidents and stepped-up federal enforcement, U.S. states are sharply divided over how to handle Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). On Jan. 14, 2026, students in St. Paul rallied at the State Capitol as debate intensified after the deaths of Renee Macklin Good and Alex Pretti prompted fresh scrutiny of federal … Read more

Paris Cybercrime Unit Raids X Offices Over Grok Deepfake Probe

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Paris — French prosecutors said investigators conducted a search of X’s French offices on Tuesday as part of an inquiry opened in January 2025 into alleged algorithm abuse and related harms. The Paris prosecutor’s cybercrime unit led the action, and Europol assisted, officials said. Elon Musk, X’s chairman, and former chief executive Linda Yaccarino have … Read more

PepsiCo Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates as Global Drink Sales Rise

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PepsiCo reported fourth-quarter results on Feb. 3, 2026, beating analysts’ estimates as beverage sales strengthened across multiple regions. Adjusted earnings per share were $2.26 versus $2.24 expected, and consolidated revenue reached $29.34 billion compared with $28.97 billion forecast. Net income attributable to the company was $2.54 billion, or $1.85 per share, up from $1.52 billion … Read more

S&P 500 Futures Rise as February Trading Opens Strong

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U.S. equity futures climbed Monday evening after major indexes opened February with gains, as investors digested a slate of corporate earnings and mixed macro signals. S&P 500 futures rose about 0.3% while Nasdaq 100 futures gained nearly 0.6%; Dow-linked futures added roughly 31 points (under 0.1%). In regular trading the Dow surged roughly 515 points … Read more

SpaceX and xAI merge to create the world’s most valuable private company

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Elon Musk’s SpaceX has agreed to acquire his artificial intelligence start-up xAI, a move confirmed by a memo posted on SpaceX’s website that unites two of Musk’s most consequential ventures. The deal—whose formal terms were not publicly disclosed—was reported by sources to value xAI at $125 billion and SpaceX at $1 trillion, together making the … Read more

Record-breaking snow blankets Japan, killing at least 30 people – Al Jazeera

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Lead Record-breaking snowfall across Japan over the past two weeks has been linked to at least 30 deaths and hundreds of injuries, officials and broadcasters reported on 3 February 2026. The northern city of Aomori recorded accumulations up to 183cm in spots, surpassing a 40-year local record, and a 91-year-old woman was found buried under … Read more

Uruguay President Orsi deepens ties with China’s Xi despite Trump threats – Al Jazeera

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Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi arrived in Beijing on a seven-day state visit beginning 1 February 2026 and signed roughly a dozen cooperation agreements with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, including pacts on science, technology and trade. The trip, accompanied by a 150-person delegation of business and government figures, marks the first visit by a Latin American … Read more

Xi the Destroyer – Foreign Affairs

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Lead On January 24, Chinese leader Xi Jinping removed General Zhang Youxia from the Central Military Commission, a striking purge that exposed deep distrust between the Communist Party leadership and the People’s Liberation Army. Zhang, 75, had been a close ally of Xi for decades and had been allowed to stay beyond the unofficial retirement … Read more

EU has ‘open mind’ on UK customs union debate, says commissioner

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Lead: Brussels signalled a willingness to discuss closer trade alignment with the UK after a Monday meeting in London, with European Commission vice‑president Valdis Dombrovskis saying the EU is “ready to engage” on options including a customs union. Chancellor Rachel Reeves participated in the talks alongside two cabinet ministers and the EU’s trade commissioner, and … Read more

Another huge intra-division victory on home ice: Capitals beat Islanders 4-1 – RMNB

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Lead: On Monday night, Feb 2, 2026, the Washington Capitals defeated the New York Islanders 4-1 at home, a timely intra-division result that tightened the Metropolitan Division race. Mat Barzal opened the scoring after a Tom Wilson turnover in the first period, but Washington responded with three second-period goals and an empty-net finish by John … Read more

Experts Say Trump Has Slim Chance Suing Trevor Noah

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On Feb. 2, 2026, after Trevor Noah joked about Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein during the Grammy Awards broadcast on CBS, President Trump publicly threatened legal action. Legal scholars and free‑speech advocates say such a defamation suit would face steep First Amendment obstacles and is unlikely to succeed in court. The exchange has renewed debate … Read more

China Bans Hidden Car Door Handles in World-First Safety Policy

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Lead On Monday, 2 February 2026, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued new vehicle-safety rules that prohibit concealed (flush) exterior door handles on cars sold in China, requiring a mechanical release both inside and outside. The measure — the first national ban of its kind — responds to a spate of deadly incidents … Read more

Goodell: Bad Bunny Will Use Super Bowl Stage to Unite Fans After ICE Remarks

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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters on Monday night that he expects Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl 2026 halftime performance to emphasize unity rather than politics, days after the artist criticized ICE during his Grammy acceptance remarks. Goodell spoke six days before the game and said the league selected the Grammy-winning star in part because of … Read more

‘They’ve probably been untouched for 49 million years’: The New Mexico cave expanding our search for alien life – BBC

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Lead In early surveys of remote passages beneath Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southern New Mexico, researchers led by cave biologist Hazel Barton and microbial scientist Lars Behrendt discovered green microbial films that photosynthesise in the absence of visible sunlight. First noticed during a 2018 expedition, tests showed these organisms use chlorophyll variants that harvest … Read more