detoxed.news

February 4

Law and crime

Peter Mandelson steps down from the United Kingdom House of Lords amid allegations he passed market-sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein.
Source: RTÉ external link
Six members of Palestine Action are found not guilty of aggravated robbery relating to a raid on a building owned by Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems in Bristol, England, United Kingdom, while charges on criminal damage and violent disorder received partial or no verdicts. Five are released on bail.
Source: BBC external link

Disasters and accidents

The death toll from severe weather, including heavy snowfall, in Japan rises to 35 with at least 400 others injured, according to the Japanese government.
Source: Sky News external link
Nine city government employees are killed when a dump truck, also carrying crude oil, falls into a river in Bayawan, Negros Oriental, Philippines.
Source: ABS-CBN News external link

Armed conflicts and attacks

At least 21 Palestinians, including seven women, five children, and a paramedic are killed by Israeli troops, airstrikes, and drone strikes in the Gaza Strip after a Palestinian militant attack injures an Israeli soldier.
Source: Al Jazeera external link
Russian forces strike a market in Druzhkivka, Donetsk Oblast, with cluster munitions, killing at least seven civilians and injuring 15 others.
Source: Kyiv Post external link

International relations

Eswatini's high court upholds an agreement with the United States that accepts third-country deportees in exchange for $5.1 million and at least 15 transfers initiated during the presidency of Donald Trump, rejecting claims that the deal requires parliamentary approval or greater disclosure.
Source: Reuters external link

February 3

International relations

Myanmar and Russia sign a five-year military cooperation pact, which will last until 2030.
Source: CNA external link

Disasters and accidents

At least 16 people are killed, including four children, and multiple others are injured when a bus returning from a religious festival veers off the road and overturns on a highway in São José da Tapera, Alagoas, Brazil.
Source: Al Jazeera external link
Fourteen migrants are killed after their boat collides with a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel and capsizes off the coast of Chios, Greece.
Source: Reuters external link
Three people are killed and dozens are injured after a bus plunges into a gorge in Sirmaur district, Himachal Pradesh, India.
Source: The Indian Express external link

Law and crime

Europol, the public prosecutor office in Paris, France, and a cybercrime investigation unit search the Paris office of X (formerly Twitter) in relation to allegations about biased algorithms distorting the operation of a data processing system, denial of crimes against humanity, sexually explicit deepfakes and child sexual abuse material.
Source: France 24 external link
The United Kingdom's Ofcom announces that it is continuing its investigation of X-owned chatbot Grok, and that the Information Commissioner's Office has opened its own investigation.
Source: BBC News external link
The Metropolitan Police of Greater London, UK, launches an investigation into House of Lords peer Peter Mandelson following allegations of misconduct in public office.
Source: BBC News external link

Armed conflicts and attacks

Following a brief moratorium on strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, Russian forces launch strikes involving drones and cruise missiles, including Zircon missiles across Ukraine. The strikes target Kyiv, Kharkiv, among other regions.
Source: Militarnyi external link
Two civilians are killed and eight others are wounded in a Russian drone strike in Zaporizhzhia.
Source: Reuters external link
The U.S. military shoots down an Iranian Shahed 139 drone on approach to the aircraft carrier USS with an F-35 fighter jet.
Source: Reuters external link
Several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy gunboats attempt to stop and seize a U.S. tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. The tanker ignored the demands to stop and continued on its journey towards the Arabian Sea under escort of a United States Navy warship.
Source: CBS News external link
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of Libya's former leader Muammar Gaddafi and presidential candidate, is assassinated outside his home in Zintan, Libya. Four gunmen reportedly fled the scene after the shooting.
Source: Al Arabiya external link
Armed bandits kill at least 170 people in the village of Woro in Kwara State, Nigeria, forcing residents to flee into surrounding areas with several missing.
Source: Reuters external link
Satellite images show Turkey has recently deployed at least three F-16 fighter jets to Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, to support Somali military operations against al-Shabaab and other militant groups.
Source: Forbes external link

February 2

Armed conflicts and attacks

As part of a ceasefire agreement with the Syrian government, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces formally hands over control of Al-Hasakah to government forces.
Source: Reuters external link
Israel partially reopens the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which has been closed since May 2024, allowing 150 people to leave Gaza and 50 to enter per day.
Source: The Guardian external link
At least five people, including a 3-year-old boy, are killed in Israeli attacks according to the Gaza Health Ministry, including two at the Nuseirat refugee camp and one each in Al-Mawasi, Khan Yunis, and Jabalia. The Israeli military says it targeted "militants operating near the demarcation line".
Source: Haaretz external link
Clashes erupt between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and a tribe formerly allied to it in East Darfur. Prior to the fighting, local sources claim that the tribe abducted relatives of a senior RSF commander over allegations of them allegedly collaborating with the Sudanese Armed Forces. At least five fighters have been reportedly killed on both sides, including the said RSF commander and the tribe's leader.
Source: Sudan Tribune external link

Law and crime

Nigerian police state that at least 80 people abducted from Christian churches in Kaduna State on January 18 return to their homes after fleeing during the abduction, but the Christian Association of Nigeria disputes the figure and says most of the 177 worshippers seized remain missing.
Source: Reuters external link
A ban on using mobile phones in classrooms enters into force in Bolivia in an effort to "increase the attention span of students" and "reduce distractions". The ban applies to all public and private schools.
Source: AP external link

Politics and elections

A South African separatist group, Boervolk of the Orange Free State, files a formal claim in a government gazette seeking land in KwaZulu-Natal, citing historical transactions with Zulu rulers and invoking a United Nations decolonization resolution.
Source: Reuters external link

Business and economy

Japan announces it has begun successfully drilling and retrieving deep-sea sediment containing rare earth minerals near the remote island of Minamitorishima in the Pacific Ocean, as the country seeks to reduce its reliance on China for critical minerals for use in its defense industry and automotive industry.
Source: Asahi external link

Disasters and accidents

Five workers are killed when an under construction bridge collapses in Xiangshui County, Jiangsu, China.
Source: SCMP external link
Five children are killed and six are injured when a bus collides with a truck in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
Source: APA external link
Three people are killed when a DA40 Diamond Star light aircraft crashes in Orsk, Orenburg Oblast, Russia.
Source: Aviation Safety Network external link
More than 50,000 people in Ksar el-Kebir, Larache Province, Morocco, are evacuated as flooding from heavy rain and controlled dam releases caused the Loukkos River to overflow, prompting school suspensions, power cuts, and military rescue operations across nearby areas.
Source: Reuters external link

February 1

Arts and culture

At the 2026 Grammy Awards, Kendrick Lamar wins five awards and surpasses Jay-Z as the most awarded hip-hop artist in Grammy history, while Bad Bunny's becomes the first Spanish-language album to win Album of the Year.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter external link
"Golden" from the film becomes the first K-pop song to win a Grammy after winning Best Song Written for Visual Media.
Source: AP via ABC News external link
Steven Spielberg becomes the 22nd competitive EGOT awardee after winning a Grammy for Best Music Film for producing .
Source: AA external link

Politics and elections

Costa Ricans vote to elect the president and all 57 members of the Legislative Assembly. From a field of 20 candidates, Laura Fernández of the Sovereign People's Party (PPSO) wins the presidency with 48% of the vote.
Source: BBC News external link
Peter Mandelson resigns from Labour Party (UK) after the United States Department of Justice releases files showing that convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein made £55,000 ($75,000) in payments to Lord Mandelson in three separate transactions in 2003 and 2004.
Source: BBC external link
Tens of thousands of people gather in Prague, Czech Republic, in support of President Petr Pavel in his dispute with foreign minister Petr Macinka and his party Motorists for Themselves.
Source: AP external link

Sports

In tennis, Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz defeats Serbian player Novak Djokovic in the men's singles final 2–6, 6–2, 6–3, 7–5, to win his first Australian Open title, becoming the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam in singles.
Source: ESPN external link
In handball, Denmark defeats Germany 34–27 and becomes European Champions in addition to being the reigning World and Olympic Champions.
Source: DW external link

Armed conflicts and attacks

Pakistani military and Balochistan Police forces announce the end to a 40-hour counterterrorism operation which resulted in the deaths of 145 Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) insurgents, 18 civilians, and 18 security personnel. The Pakistani government accuses India of backing the BLA.
Source: AP external link
A Russian drone strike hits a minibus transporting mineworkers in Dnipro, Ukraine, killing at least 15 people and injuring seven others.
Source: BBC News external link
Nigeria reports that its forces have killed a senior Boko Haram commander known as Abu Khalid, describing him as the group's deputy leader in the Sambisa Forest, and ten other fighters during a raid in Borno State.
Source: Reuters external link
A Sudan Airways passenger flight lands at Khartoum International Airport, Sudan's main international airport, for the first time since the war began in 2023, resuming limited operations after renovations and earlier drone attacks.
Source: Al-Ahram external link

Disasters and accidents

Portugal launches a €1 billion (US$1.2 billion) loan program to rebuild uninsured storm-damaged factories and a €500 million ($593 million) facility for short-term liquidity, while the government extends the state of calamity in about 60 municipalities amid forecasts of further heavy rain and flooding.
Source: Reuters external link
Nine people are killed and 21 others are injured, including seven critically, after a bus rolls off a road and crashes in Antalya province, Turkey.
Source: AP external link
Four people are killed and 28 others are injured after a bus carrying wedding guests collides with a truck and overturns in Lodhran District, Pakistan.
Source: Dawn external link