Local police assisted federal immigration agents by repeatedly searching school cameras that record license plate numbers, data show Police departments across the US are quietly leveraging school district security cameras to assist Donald Trump's mass immigration enforcement campaign, an investigation by the 74 reveals. The audit logs originate from Texas school districts that contract with Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based company that manufactures artificial intelligence-powered license plate readers and other surveillance technology. Flock customers, including schools, can decide whether to share their information with other police agencies in the company's national network. “This just really underscores how far-reaching these systems can be,” said Phil Neff, research coordinator at the University of Washington Center for Human Rights (UWCHR). Out-of-state law enforcement agencies conducting searches that are unrelated to campus safety but include school district security cameras “really strains any sense of the appropriate use of this technology”. Flock devices have been installed by more than 100 public school systems nationally, government procurement records show, and audit logs from six Texas school districts show campus camera feeds are captured in a national database that police agencies across the country can access. School police officers use Flock cameras to investigate “road rage”, “speeding on campus”, “vandalism” and “criminal mischief”, records show. There is no evidence school districts themselves use the devices for immigration-related purposes – or that they're aware other agencies do so. Research by UWCHR and reporting by the technology news outlet 404 Media previously revealed that police agencies nationwide were tapping into Flock camera feeds to help federal immigration officials track targets. In some cases, local law enforcement agencies enabled direct sharing of their networks with the US border patrol. Immigration officials' unprecedented use of surveillance tactics to carry out its controversial mission has faced sharp criticism. Over a one-month period from December 2025 through early January, more than 3,100 police agencies conducted more than 733,000 searches on the district's cameras, the 74's analysis of public records revealed. Of those, immigration-related reasons were cited 620 times by 30 law enforcement agencies including ones in Florida, Georgia, Indiana and Tennessee. The data put into focus the scale of digital surveillance at school districts nationally and “just how dangerous these tools are”, said Ed Vogel, a researcher and organizer with the No Tech Criminalization in Education (Notice) Coalition – a national network of researchers and advocates seeking to end mass youth surveillance. “The scale of it is phenomenal, and it's something that I think is difficult for individual people in their cities, towns and communities to fully appreciate,” Vogel said. Those findings were shared with the law enforcement agencies and school districts mentioned in this story. Michael Putnal, Alvin school district police chief, directed all questions to district spokesperson Renae Rives, who provided public records to the 74 but did not acknowledge multiple requests for comment. Camera settings information obtained by the 74 through public records requests suggests that Alvin school district police officers are unable to search their own devices for immigration-related purposes. But the school system allows such queries routinely from out-of-state police officers, audit logs reveal. Flock searches for civil immigration reasons that appeared in the Alvin school logs, such as trying to locate someone who is unlawfully present in the US, were more than two times more frequent than those conducted for investigations involving immigrants suspected or convicted of committing a crime. Federal agents “were working directly” with a Carrollton police officer who had access to the Flock cameras “and they asked him to run it and they did”, Hitchcock said. Flock searches are typically broad national queries, and officers do not select individual cameras, he explained. Instead, with each search request, the system automatically checks every camera that Flock customers share with the nationwide database, including those operated by school districts. Because a school district is part of the national lookup, Hitchcock said, its cameras will be searched any time another participating agency conducts a nationwide search. He pointed to a high-profile child abduction case in 2020 when Carrollton officers used Flock cameras to rescue a one-year-old who was kidnapped at gunpoint about 60 miles away. County deputies with federal immigration enforcement powers “have been working on arresting targeted criminal illegal aliens”, West wrote in an email, and use Flock cameras “to determine locations and travel patterns of the illegal aliens being sought”. Galveston police's Flock searches that appeared in the Alvin school district audit logs led to several arrests, West said, while several of the investigations remain ongoing. Flock logs show the Galveston county searches were conducted for both criminal and civil immigration investigations. While the Trump administration maintains its immigration crackdown centers on removing dangerous criminals, ICE arrests of people without criminal records surged to 43% in January. US citizens and immigrants with no pending civil immigration actions against them have similarly been detained. It's not clear whether every search tagged as immigration-related necessarily was. Flock Safety has repeatedly stated that it does not provide the DHS with direct access to its cameras and that all data-sharing decisions are made by local customers, including school districts. “ICE cannot directly access Flock cameras or data,” the company said in a recent blogpost. “Local public safety agencies sometimes collaborate with federal partners on serious crimes such as human trafficking, child exploitation or multi-jurisdictional violent crime,” but decisions about “how data is shared are made by the customer that owns the data, not by Flock”. Public records provided by the Alvin school district, which began purchasing Flock cameras in 2023 and has since spent more than $50,000 on eight devices, include Flock marketing materials that tout the ability to share data with other police agencies. “Not only do we place cameras where you need them,” the document notes, “we offer access to available cameras in your community and beyond your jurisdiction.” Adam Wandt, an attorney and associate professor at New York City's John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said license plate readers could be invaluable tools for solving serious crimes and finding missing persons. But he also acknowledged the devices present significant privacy concerns and questioned whether the broad sharing of school-controlled camera data violates federal student privacy rules. “School districts are in a unique position, they have a unique level of responsibility to protect their students in specific ways”, including their privacy, Wandt said.

If you think our work is valuable, support us with a donation of any size. More than 10,000 union nurses at Montefiore and Mount Sinai Hospitals ended the longest and largest nurses strike in New York City on Monday after negotiating fair health care benefits, safe staffing groups, and improved workplace safety measures. Nurses were set to vote sometime between Feb. 9 and 11. However, 4,200 nurses are still at the strike line at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, aiming to reach a new contract that ensures nurse departments are appropriately staffed, union officials said. Mount Sinai CEO Brendan Carr issued a statement addressing community members about what a potential transition for nurses to return to work would entail. “This process has been difficult for all of us,” Carr wrote, vowing to share more details about nurses' return to work if the contract is ratified. “While it has been amazing to once again see Mount Sinai do extraordinary things in order to serve our patients and community, it will take time to rebuild the momentum that we had in the alignment of our organization.” Nurses at the three major hospitals began their historic strike in early January, braving the frigid New York winter and sacrificing their pay and health care to secure a safer and more financially just workplace. Part of the gains secured by union negotiators include commitments to maintaining enforceable safe staffing standards, which were a key sticking point nurses highlighted in interviews with Prism earlier this month. Two other major highlights among the temporary agreements include protection against rising health insurance costs and increased workplace safety measures. “Nurses at Montefiore and Mount Sinai systems are heading back to the bedside with our heads held high after winning fair tentative contracts,” NYSNA President Nancy Haggans said in a statement. Elesha Van Zee, a radiology nurse at Mount Sinai West, said the prospect of ratifying a new contract that prioritizes affordable health care will help her family's medical care remain on track. Van Zee's husband Ivan Larios had been receiving care at a Mount Sinai hospital under Van Zee's insurance to treat a severe infection on his leg that stemmed from a series of grave fractures he suffered in 2020. “Even though we will have health coverage upon return to work, there are still issues we need to resolve, like Mount Sinai physicians being out of network for nurses and our families. This is still a stressful situation that I hope to overcome. Negotiators also secured protections for nurses in the workplace, which workers have said is an imperative for nurses to provide adequate care. “My patients deserved to feel safe in a hospital while receiving the care,” Van Zee said. Part of those safety measures include protections that negotiators secured for immigrant and trans patients. KA Hogan, an emergency department nurse at Mount Sinai Hospital, said protections against immigration enforcement investigations in hospitals carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are vital to nurses and patients alike. “We have seen ICE come into hospitals,” Hogan told Prism in January. But as nurses at Montefiore and Mount Sinai mull potentially ratifying their new contracts, the strike at NewYork-Presbyterian rages on. Both parties last met Sunday, Feb. 8, but union officials said safe staffing concerns remain among the rank and file. As the strike continues at NewYork-Presbyterian, Van Zee wished those nurses unity. In the midst of a nationwide attack on civil liberties, Truthout urgently needs your help. Journalism is a critical tool in the fight against Trump and his extremist agenda. The right wing knows this — that's why they've taken over many legacy media publications. But we won't let truth be replaced by propaganda. As the Trump administration works to silence dissent, please support nonprofit independent journalism. Eddie Velazquez is a journalist in upstate New York focused on covering organized labor, and the state's housing and childhood lead poisoning crises. Get the news you want, delivered to your inbox every day. As we rise to meet this wave of authoritarianism, Truthout appeals for your support.

A large majority of federal judges who've ruled on the habeas petitions so far are siding with immigrants. Support justice-driven, accurate and transparent news — make a quick donation to Truthout today! ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. The Trump administration's push for mass deportations has resulted in more than 18,000 challenges in federal court from immigrants claiming their detention is illegal, more than were filed under the last three administrations combined — including President Donald Trump's first term. So far this year, immigrants are filing on average more than 200 of these cases, known as habeas petitions, daily across the country, with California and Texas accounting for about 40% of new cases, a ProPublica analysis of federal court filings found. To keep tabs on this historic rise, ProPublica is publishing a habeas case tracker. “I don't recall a time that anything like this has ever happened,” said Daniel Caudillo, director of the Immigration Law Clinic at Texas Tech University School of Law and a recently departed immigration judge. Among those are policies that require the majority of immigrants who entered the country illegally to remain in detention while their immigration cases are proceeding. Lawyers say these policies upend decades of legal precedent that previously allowed immigrants who had been in the country for years and posed no security or flight risk a chance to remain in their communities until an immigration judge could determine whether they could stay in the country legally. Caudillo called the decision “devastating,” adding that as a result, most immigrants held in states that fall under the circuit, which includes Texas, will now be subject to mandatory detention. A large majority of federal judges who've ruled on the habeas petitions so far are siding with immigrants. The result is that federal judges frequently are ordering the government to either release immigrants from detention or offer them a bond hearing before an immigration judge to determine whether they are eligible for release while their immigration case proceeds. We are applying the law as written,” wrote Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson. The caseload has overwhelmed legal advocates and government attorneys. In court filings, U.S. attorneys are telling judges the sheer volume of petitions is burdening their offices, pushing them to shift resources away from other priorities. In a case originating from Minnesota, where the administration has been waging a monthslong immigration crackdown, U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen wrote in a declaration that his attorneys and paralegals were “continuously working over time” while the office's civil division was at 50% capacity. (ProPublica was not able to reach Le for comment. “If rogue judges followed the law in adjudicating cases and respected the Government's obligation to properly prepare cases, there wouldn't be an ‘overwhelming' habeas caseload or concern over DHS following orders,” a DOJ spokesperson wrote in response to questions from ProPublica. “Then there are a lot of rogue judges,” said David Briones, a senior judge in the Western District of Texas, in response to the Justice Department's statement. Judges are growing increasingly frustrated, publicly rebuking the administration for missing deadlines and failing to comply with court orders. Recently, a Texas federal judge ordered the release of the 5-year-old Minnesota boy who made headlines after he was pictured wearing a blue bunny hat and a Spider-Man backpack as immigration agents escorted him and his father to their vehicle. “The case has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children,” he wrote. The number of immigrants held in detention has increased from around 40,000 when Trump took office to more than 70,000 this year. “It's just been a very, very chaotic landscape,” said Sirine Shebaya, executive director of the National Immigration Project, a national advocacy organization that, among other things, represents detained immigrants and provides assistance to attorneys and community-based groups. “And I think that chaos is bleeding into communities everywhere, both because of the extremely traumatizing ways that people are being arrested and detained,” she said, and because of the amount of money and resources being spent on detaining people who in the past would have gotten out on bond or not been detained in the first place as their cases made their way through the process. For this story, ProPublica analyzed federal habeas petitions filed by immigrant detainees in district courts across the country using records from Public Access to Court Electronic Records and the Free Law Project. The data includes some cases that were refiled for a variety of reasons, such as filing errors or deficiencies. In the midst of a nationwide attack on civil liberties, Truthout urgently needs your help. Journalism is a critical tool in the fight against Trump and his extremist agenda. The right wing knows this — that's why they've taken over many legacy media publications. But we won't let truth be replaced by propaganda. As the Trump administration works to silence dissent, please support nonprofit independent journalism. Perla Trevizo is a reporter with the ProPublica-Texas Tribune investigative unit who focuses on border and immigration issues. Get the news you want, delivered to your inbox every day. As we rise to meet this wave of authoritarianism, Truthout appeals for your support.

Barcelona's eternally unfinished Basilica de la Sagrada Familia has grown to become the world's tallest church, but a conflict with residents threatens to delay the finish date for the monument designed more than 140 years ago. A huge yellow crane is to bring it up to the summit, which will stand at 172.5m and has snatched the record as the world's tallest church from Germany's Ulm Minster. The Vatican has not yet confirmed whether Pope Leo XIV would accept an invitation to the tower's inauguration. The board's plan to precede the front entrance by a large flight of steps and a square would entail destroying up to two blocks of homes. “Our houses are legal,” reads a sign hanging from one of the threatened buildings. So why should it reach my home?” said Salvador Barroso, president of an association for residents affected by the construction work. Residents say their apartments were purchased legally, and no one warned them that the area could form part of the Sagrada Familia site. Lead architect Fauli, speaking to AFP next to various models of the Sagrada Familia in a room away from the droves of tourists, said that “we are, in all parts of the project, faithfully following what Gaudi wanted.” “Gaudi was an extraordinary architect, and it is worth following his project and finishing it,” said Fauli, who hopes to find “a fair solution” for the Glory Facade. However, after years of disagreements, an end to almost a century and a half of work at the Sagrada Familia seems closer than ever. What I cannot say is whether it will be resolved in the courts or ... sat at a table,” Barroso said. The Canadian prime minister's China visit and improved Beijing-Ottawa ties raised lawyer Zhang Dongshuo's hopes for a positive outcome in the retrial China has overturned the death sentence of Canadian Robert Schellenberg, a Canadian official said on Friday, in a possible sign of a diplomatic thaw as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney seeks to boost trade ties with Beijing. Schellenberg's lawyer, Zhang Dongshuo (張東碩), yesterday confirmed China's Supreme People's Court struck down the sentence. Schellenberg was detained on drug charges in 2014 before China-Canada ties nosedived following the 2018 arrest in Vancouver of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou (孟晚舟). That arrest infuriated Beijing, which detained two Canadians — Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig — on espionage charges that Ottawa condemned as retaliatory. China's military news agency yesterday warned that Japanese militarism is infiltrating society through series such as Pokemon and Detective Conan, after recent controversies involving events at sensitive sites. In recent days, anime conventions throughout China have reportedly banned participants from dressing as characters from Pokemon or Detective Conan and prohibited sales of related products. China Military Online yesterday posted an article titled “Their schemes — beware the infiltration of Japanese militarism in culture and sports.” The article referenced recent controversies around the popular anime series Pokemon, Detective Conan and My Hero Academia, saying that “the evil influence of Japanese militarism lives on in Two medieval fortresses face each other across the Narva River separating Estonia from Russia on Europe's eastern edge. Once a symbol of cooperation, the “Friendship Bridge” connecting the two snow-covered banks has been reinforced with rows of razor wire and “dragon's teeth” anti-tank obstacles on the Estonian side. “The name is kind of ironic,” regional border chief Eerik Purgel said. Some fear the border town of more than 50,0000 people — a mixture of Estonians, Russians and people left stateless after the fall of the Soviet Union — could be Russian President Vladimir Putin's next target. Jeremiah Kithinji had never touched a computer before he finished high school. A decade later, he is teaching robotics, and even took a team of rural Kenyans to the World Robotics Olympiad in Singapore. In a classroom in Laikipia County — a sparsely populated grasslands region of northern Kenya known for its rhinos and cheetahs — pupils are busy snapping together wheels, motors and sensors to assemble a robot. Guiding them is Kithinji, 27, who runs a string of robotics clubs in the area that have taken some of his pupils far beyond the rural landscapes outside.

Analilia Mejia will win the special primary in New Jersey's 11th Congressional District in a tight race over former Rep. Tom Malinowski, a major win for an ally of Sen. Bernie Sanders and other progressives. Malinowski conceded on Tuesday in a statement in which he gave Mejia “unequivocal credit for running a positive campaign and for inspiring so many voters on Election Day.” Notably, Malinowski blamed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which helped fund a group that spent roughly $2 million on ads targeting him. The group, United Democracy Project, sought in its ads to portray Malinowski as supportive of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, pointing to a 2019 vote for a bipartisan spending bill that provided funding to the agency. “I wanted so much to be able to tell you today that this effort, which was meant to intimidate Democrats across the country, failed in NJ-11,” Malinowski said in his statement. AIPAC allies picked a candidate to target in New Jersey. They may have boosted a stronger critic of Israel A win by Mejia, who served as political director on Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign, is a major success for national progressive leaders who had backed her run, like Sanders as well as Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “Like many Democrats in this moment, I am not only appalled at MAGA, at Trumpism, at Donald Trump's administration – their overreach, their corruption, their blatant hypocrisy – but I'm also ticked off at my own Democratic leadership,” she told CNN during the campaign. Malinowski is a moderate who had been supported in the past but expressed openness for conditioning aid to Israel as the national Democratic Party shows more skepticism about the Israeli government in the wake of its offensive following Hamas' October 7, 2023, attacks. Mejia, meanwhile, was the only person at a candidate forum who raised her hand when asked if she agreed with human rights groups that say Israel has committed a genocide in Gaza. A source close to AIPAC told CNN that there was concern that Malinowski, with his profile, seniority, and likelihood of a long career, would be worse for Israel allies than a progressive in Mejia who they see as less influential. The source also says they are assessing closely whether to spend money and run ads again in the district in June, when there will be a primary for the next two-year term, or in the November general election. United Democracy Project launched a new ad campaign Wednesday in Illinois' 7th District backing Melissa Conyears-Ervin. Trailing the top two vote-getters in New Jersey were former Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way and Essex County commissioner Brendan Gill, among a ballot of more than a dozen Democratic primary candidates. Meija will face Republican Randolph Township councilman Joe Hathaway, who ran unopposed, in the general election on April 16, and will be favored in a district that voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris by nearly nine percentage points in 2024.

It was the photo of a loved one nobody wants to receive. The man – an associate in a start-up that has cryptocurrency activities – reported the demand to French police on Thursday morning, sparking a multi-agency manhunt involving as many as 160 officers, local authorities said. The magistrate and her elderly mother were held for 30 hours in a garage in southern France's Drôme region before escaping, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV. The case renews focus on the recent rise in crypto-linked kidnappings in France and elsewhere, often involving high-profile individuals and those linked to them. Searches are ongoing in the United States after the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, mother of “Today” host Savannah Guthrie. Purported ransom notes have demanded millions in bitcoin for her return, CNN has reported. In France, the mother and daughter duo managed to escape from the garage in the municipality of Bourg-lès-Valence without a ransom being paid, assisted by a neighbor, Lyon prosecutor Thierry Dran said Friday in a press conference. “They were able to take advantage of the absence of their captor to free themselves, to call for help, in particular by banging forcefully on the garage door,” Dran said. “Alerted by the noise, a neighbor then intervened. I opened the door and two women came out; they were a little dirty. I was happy, they said thank you,” he told BFMTV. The women were immediately transported to hospital, Dran said. Some believe bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are untraceable – and therefore useful in ransom demands – but experts say this is a misconception. Last week, Juan Andrés Guerrero-Saade, vice president for intelligence and security research at SentinelOne, told CNN that bitcoin is one of the “most traceable currencies we've ever had.” In December 2024, the wife of crypto investor and influencer Stéphane Winkel was kidnapped from the couple's home in Belgium. She was rescued after her kidnapper crashed his car in a dramatic police chase. The following month, David Balland, cofounder of the crypto wallet company Ledger, was kidnapped with his wife from their home in central France. Before the couple was freed, the assailants sent a video of Balland's severed finger to his business partner Eric Larchevêque and demanded ransom money. Later in 2025, the daughter of the CEO of French cryptocurrency platform Paymium was saved by passers-by from a daylight kidnapping attempt in Paris. CNN's Caroline Baum, Emma Tucker and Muhammad Darwish contributed reporting.

An Irish man who has been held by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement for five months despite having a valid work permit and no criminal record says he fears for his life and has appealed for help from Ireland's government. Seamus Culleton said conditions at his detention centre in Texas were akin to “torture” and that the atmosphere was volatile. Speaking from the El Paso facility to Ireland's RTÉ radio, Culleton implored the taoiseach, Micheál Martin, to raise his case with Donald Trump when he visits the White House next month for St Patrick's Day celebrations. “Just try to get me out of here and do all you can, please. Originally from County Kilkenny, Culleton, 42, runs a plastering business in the Boston area. After buying supplies at a hardware store on 9 September 2025 he was followed by ICE agents and arrested. Culleton entered the US in 2009 on a visa waiver programme and overstayed the 90-day limit but after marrying a US citizen, Tiffany Smyth, and applying for lawful permanent residence, he obtained a statutory exemption that allowed him to work, according to his lawyer, Ogor Winnie Okoye. The detention prevented him from attending the final interview in October for his green card that would have confirmed his legal status, said Okoye. “It's inexplicable that this man has been in detention.” Culleton told RTÉ he had been locked in the same room with 71 other detainees in squalid conditions and with insufficient food and negligible time outside for fresh air, sunshine or exercise. “You don't know what's going to happen on a day-to-day basis. I talk to my mother and sister most days. Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was providing consular assistance via the Irish consulate in Austin, Texas, and that the embassy in Washington was engaging with the US Department of Homeland Security at a “senior level”. Speaking to reporters on his way to a cabinet meeting, the taoiseach said he hoped Culleton would be released and expressed concern at the conditions of his detention. Martin did not say whether he would raise the case with Trump. The case could complicate Dublin's effort to avoid provoking the White House, which has lambasted Ireland over its record on corporate tax, trade and immigration. Culleton's lawyer said US authorities were threatening to deport him “any day” and that the fifth court of appeals in Texas, which was handling his case, was the “least immigrant-friendly” court. “There's no reason why the government shouldn't just release him and allow him to attend the [green card] interview that will confirm his legal status,” said Okoye. Figures released on Monday showed that less than 14% of almost 400,000 immigrants arrested by ICE in the first year of Trump's second term had charges or convictions for violent criminal offences, undercutting an administration claim to be targeting “the worst of the worst”.

A top adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader discussed ways to reach a “balanced and just” agreement with the United States during talks in Oman on Tuesday, as Washington and Tehran prepare to resume negotiations aimed at averting a new conflict. Oman facilitated talks between Iran and the U.S. last week, which a spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry said had allowed Tehran to gauge Washington's seriousness and showed enough consensus for diplomacy to continue. Trump, who joined an Israeli bombing campaign last year and hit Iranian nuclear sites, had threatened last month to intervene militarily during a bloody government crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran, but ultimately held off. Baghaei said Tuesday's trip to Oman by Ali Larijani, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been pre-planned, and that Larijani would travel next to Qatar, which has also mediated in several Middle East crises. Iranian state media said the meeting lasted nearly three hours. Tehran says its missile arsenal has been rebuilt since last year's 12-day bombing campaign by Israel and the U.S., and that its stockpile is non-negotiable. In any negotiations, Iran would continue to demand the lifting of financial sanctions and insist on its nuclear rights including enrichment, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said. Washington has demanded Iran relinquish its stockpile of uranium enriched to up to 60 per cent fissile purity, a small step away from the 90 per cent that is considered weapons grade. The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, Mohammad Eslami, said on Monday: “The possibility of diluting 60 per cent enriched uranium ... depends on whether, in return, all sanctions are lifted or not.” Asked whether the U.S. would allow limited uranium enrichment by Iran, U.S. Iran and the U.S. held five rounds of talks last year on curbing Tehran's nuclear programme, with the process breaking down mainly due to disputes over uranium enrichment inside Iran. It has always said its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes. Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following.

The suspects in an assassination attempt on Russian General Vladimir Alekseyev had monitored several other high-ranking Defense Ministry officials, the country's Federal Security Service (FSB) has said. Alekseyev, the first deputy chief of Russia's military intelligence agency GRU, was shot on Friday in the corridor of his apartment building in Moscow. He was arrested in the United Arab Emirates at Russia's request and transferred to Moscow over the weekend. Kiev has denied any involvement in the attack. A third suspect in the attempt on Alekseyev's life has been detained, the FSB said in a statement on Tuesday. The agency identified him as Pavel Vasin, a Russian citizen in his mid-40s and the son of Korba's other alleged accomplice, Viktor Vasin, who had been arrested earlier. The younger Vasin's confession “helped identify two more high-ranking officials in the Russian Defense Ministry who had been monitored by Korba and Viktor Vasin on behalf of Ukrainian intelligence, with the aim of carrying out further acts of sabotage and terrorism,” the statement read. According to the FSB, Pavel Vasin purchased surveillance equipment for his father and Korba, while also providing vehicles that they used to surveil Russian Defense Ministry officials and pick up the gun used in the attack on Alekseyev from a cache. Korba earlier told investigators that he had been recruited by the SBU last August and promised $30,000 for killing the general. Representatives of Moscow, Kiev, and Washington held a second round of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi aimed at settling the Ukraine conflict last Wednesday and Thursday, with the Russian delegation being headed by Alekseyev's boss, Admiral Igor Kostyukov, who heads the GRU. Read RT Privacy policy to find out more.

When they saw Prime Minister Mark Carney galvanizing a Davos audience by imagining a new world order of united middle powers, many South Africans were eager to enlist in his coalition. Canada and South Africa seem like natural allies. Both are racing to seek new trading partners and diversify their overseas markets, to protect themselves from the wrath and tariffs of U.S. President Donald Trump. But the potential, so far, is largely unrealized. South Africa remains low on Mr. Carney's priority list. South African politicians and commentators have been quoting Mr. Carney's speech ever since he delivered it at Davos last month, especially its signature line: “Middle powers must act together, because if we're not at the table, we're on the menu.” Many have endorsed his vision of a middle-power partnership. South Africa, a self-described ‘moral superpower,' rethinks its foreign policy Ottawa introduced a new Africa Strategy last March, pledging to boost trade with the continent. Canada and South Africa were planning “an ambitious economic agenda,” according to Cheryl Urban, an assistant deputy minister at Global Affairs Canada, in testimony to a House of Commons committee in November. It portrays itself as the gateway to the much larger African market, with a new continental trade agreement expected to reduce barriers. After a year of meetings between Canadian and South African officials, however, few trade initiatives have emerged. “We haven't seen Canada's specific efforts, beyond the high-level talk we have shared with leaders about the need to deepen trade,” said Wandile Sihlobo, an agricultural economist who sits on Mr. Ramaphosa's economic advisory council. South Africa, he said, sees Canada as a “key potential trading partner” in the Americas, especially in the agricultural sector, and is pushing for progress this year in the aftermath of Mr. Trump's decision to hit South Africa with a 30-per-cent tariff. “Still, we haven't made material progress on engaging Canada about the prospects of a trade deal,” he told The Globe and Mail. “We hope this year Canada can actively engage South Africa and be specific about its interests.” He disclosed that the two countries had agreed to launch talks on a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA). South Africa has been reluctant to sign such treaties over the past decade, preferring to offer a generic set of legislated protections for investors from all countries. Mr. Carney also announced that South Africa would lead a trade mission to Canada. It later emerged, however, that the trade mission would be a farm industry delegation to an agricultural machinery trade show in Saskatchewan. In a third announcement, Mr. Carney promised the opening of a Cape Town office of FinDev Canada, the government's development finance institution. But in its Africa Strategy last year, Ottawa had said the FinDev office would open by the end of 2025. A spokesperson for FinDev Canada said there is no confirmed date for the opening of the office yet, although it is expected some time this year. I see little evidence of serious, sustained, high-level engagement with African partners to foster a more comprehensive and strategic policy approach,” said David Black, a Dalhousie University professor who studies Canada-Africa relations. “Any diversification and middle power coalition-building project should encompass Africa, and South Africa is the obvious place to start,” he told The Globe. The two governments, however, have mainly pursued other markets, including China and Europe. “At present, there is no strong public indication of active, formal negotiations, unlike Canada's engagements with other regions,” said Greg Nott, a Johannesburg lawyer who chairs the Southern Africa-Canada Chamber of Commerce. The South African mission to Saskatchewan is too narrow and should have included a broader trade mission to Ottawa and Toronto, he said. Canada's trade volume with Africa falls “well below” that of other G7 countries, the report said. When talking to journalists, Mr. Carney has repeatedly insisted that Africa is one of the regions where he aims to expand trade relations. But in his Davos speech, when listing his trade deals around the world, he made no mention of Africa. At a news conference in Johannesburg during the G20 summit, he said he decided to focus first on other regions of the world where potential returns are higher than in Africa. In his talks with South Africa's President, Mr. Carney emphasized “Canada's strengths in clean and conventional energy and emerging technologies,” according to a readout by his office. But fast-growing South African sectors such as solar energy are already dominated by Chinese and European companies, with Canada struggling to catch up. South African companies, for their part, have been slow to exploit the Canadian market, despite the rising level of interest on both sides as companies seek to diversify away from the U.S. market. South Africa might be underestimating the value of Canada as a potential strategic partner – a country that shares its commitment to rules-based trade, Mr. Nott said. Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following. © Copyright 2026 The Globe and Mail Inc. All rights reserved.

During a speech in Louisville, Kentucky, in November 2019, Donald Trump searched the crowd for one of the state's congressmen who he had just seen on TV. The Kentucky representative, who endorsed Mr Trump's 2016 Make America Great Again campaign, was at one time mooted for a possible cabinet role during the president's term. But recently, Mr Trump has heaped scorn on the man he once called a “great warrior”. Mr Massie forced Congress back to Washington in the midst of the pandemic over a vote on a $2tn (£1.6tn) coronavirus rescue package that he opposed. At the time, Mr Trump said he should be thrown out of the GOP, describing him as a “third rate Grandstander”. “Wake up MAGA,” he posted to X after the Trump administration captured Nicolas Maduro in January. Facing a re-election battle in Kentucky against a candidate endorsed by Mr Trump, Mr Massie is showing no signs of backing off. He has teamed up with fellow Libertarian, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, seemingly the only congressional Republican who is willing to help him out on the campaign. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the controversial former Georgia representative who left Washington, DC, after Mr Trump branded her a “traitor”, will also be on the stoop for Mr Massie, he has said. The fight is seen as a test of whether Mr Massie's sparring with the president will prove to be politically fatal. Mr Massie has been criticised by administration officials for working with “radical Left Democrats,” particularly as he pushed for the release of the Epstein files. Mr Massie worked in concert with Democratic Representative Ro Khanna to spearhead the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which ultimately led to the US department of justice (DoJ) publishing three million files last month. He was also one of only four House Republicans – along with Ms Greene, Nancy Mace and Lauren Boebert – who initially went against the president to force a vote on the release of the files in November. Mr Massie said that Lord Mandelson's ousting as British ambassador to the US is what accountability looks like. He has recently called on a similar fate for Howard Lutnick, Mr Trump's commerce secretary, who was revealed in emails to have planned a visit to Epstein's island which he denies. “He's got a lot to answer for, but really, he should make life easier on the president, frankly, and just resign,” Mr Massie told CNN. The Commerce Department said in a statement: “Secretary Lutnick had limited interactions with Mr Epstein in the presence of his wife and has never been accused of wrongdoing”. His push for transparency over the Epstein files appears to be absolute. When the DoJ announced it was releasing three million files, Mr Massie questioned why it had not released the full six million. “Which docs should I view?” Mr Massie asked on X at the weekend, requesting his followers like replies that highlight “docs you think are important”. A gun-loving Republican from conservative Appalachia, the outspoken Mr Massie is no stranger to controversy. PS: Santa, please bring ammo,” he captioned it. When Kyle Rittenhouse shot three people during a protest in Wisconsin, killing two, Mr Massie said he had shown “incredible restraint”. Ms Greene left Congress, and Thom Tillis, the North Carolina Senator whom the president has branded a “loser”, has chosen to retire. Mr Massie has forged his own brand of America First politics and the Kentucky race could be a bellwether for how Maga fares post-Trump. And Mr Trump's endorsement of Mr Massie's opponent Ed Gallrein, a farmer and veteran who Mr Massie has called “Woke Ed”, is a test of whether the president still has his grip on the party for now. “I think that's one of the reasons they're attacking me and putting so much money into my race, is to keep the others in line,” Mr Massie told CNN recently.

Signed by the U.S. and NATO in July, the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) agreement lays out a mechanism for NATO member states and partners to purchase high-priority equipment for Ukraine. 24 countries, including two non-NATO member states Australia and New Zealand, have so far joined the initiative. According to the NHK report, aid that Tokyo could fund for Ukraine through the program would be limited to non-lethal provisions. ⁠"Currently there's no such common policy with NATO as in media reports at this point," they said. Although Japan's post-World War II constitution restricts the provision of lethal military aid to foreign countries, Tokyo remains one of the top supporters of Ukraine, with around $15 billion worth of total aid (mostly financial and humanitarian) sent and another $3.5 billion committed, according to a December 2025 report by OSW. The news comes just two days after Japan's conservative LDP party, led by incumbent Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, cemented its power in snap elections on Feb. 8. Takaichi is known for a hard-line stance on defense and security, particularly in the face of expansionist behavior from China. Francis Farrell is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent. "We stand with Ukraine as neighbours and friends," Moldovan Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu said upon arrival. "Kyiv today is in a state of multidimensional crisis — managerial, infrastructural, and communicational," an open letter reads. Ukraine says Russian forces are threatening families of Ukrainian POWs to get Starlink terminals registered for battlefield use. So far, Ukraine has secured one substation in an underground concrete bunker with a second one underway, Vitaliy Zaichenko, CEO of Ukrenergo, Ukraine's state-grid operator, told the Kyiv Independent. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned against what he described as excessive optimism surrounding the talks. "Well, I guess we have heard a lot of not-so-nice words from the United States regarding Europe," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. "We recognize that a peaceful settlement in Ukraine must take into account Ukraine's security interests, but the key importance, of course, is Russia's security interests," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on Feb. 10. Pope Leo XIV has sent 80 generators along with medical and food supplies to Ukraine to help civilians cope with freezing winter temperatures and constant attacks, the Vatican said on Feb. 9. Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych said on Feb. 10 that he has been barred from using a custom helmet at the 2026 Winter Olympics that honors Ukrainian athletes killed in Russia's war. Millions read the Kyiv Independent, but only one in 1,000 supports us financially. One membership might not seem like much, but to us, it makes a real difference. If you value our reporting, consider becoming a member — your support makes us stronger.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said negotiations to end Russia's war against Ukraine remain far from finished, pushing back against recent U.S. claims of progress, in an interview with state-owned NTV aired on Feb. 10. Lavrov warned against what he described as excessive optimism surrounding the talks, saying there was "some kind of enthusiastic perception of what is happening" that should not be embraced. His comments contrast with remarks by U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump, who has said Ukraine and Russia are "closer than ever before" to a peace deal following recent negotiations. "Negotiations are continuing… there is still a long way to go," Lavrov said. The minister also pushed back against a growing narrative in Russia that Trump has "put Europe in its place" and forced President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept ceasefire terms. "All of this would be very good if we want to achieve peace, but we are not there yet," he added. Lavrov claimed Washington had backtracked on what he described as "Anchorage agreements" reached in 2025 that envisioned Ukraine surrendering Donbas region to Russia without fighting. In the NTV interview, Lavrov reiterated familiar Kremlin talking points about Russia's foreign policy priorities, including building a "multipolar world order" and countering "neocolonial practices." Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker rejected that characterization on Feb. 9, saying the United States has not set a deadline for ending the war. Russia has long demanded that Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donbas and has increasingly tied any future peace deal to such a move after more than a decade of fighting in the region. Tim Zadorozhnyy is the reporter for the Kyiv Independent, specializing in foreign policy, U.S.-Ukraine relations, and political developments across Europe and Russia. "We stand with Ukraine as neighbours and friends," Moldovan Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu said upon arrival. "Kyiv today is in a state of multidimensional crisis — managerial, infrastructural, and communicational," an open letter reads. Russian lawmaker Andrei Svintsov said Telegram may face restrictions because it "does not fully comply with the requirements" of Russian law. Ukraine says Russian forces are threatening families of Ukrainian POWs to get Starlink terminals registered for battlefield use. So far, Ukraine has secured one substation in an underground concrete bunker with a second one underway, Vitaliy Zaichenko, CEO of Ukrenergo, Ukraine's state-grid operator, told the Kyiv Independent. According to the NHK report, aid that Tokyo could fund for Ukraine through the program would be limited to non-lethal provisions. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned against what he described as excessive optimism surrounding the talks. "Well, I guess we have heard a lot of not-so-nice words from the United States regarding Europe," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. "We recognize that a peaceful settlement in Ukraine must take into account Ukraine's security interests, but the key importance, of course, is Russia's security interests," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on Feb. 10. Pope Leo XIV has sent 80 generators along with medical and food supplies to Ukraine to help civilians cope with freezing winter temperatures and constant attacks, the Vatican said on Feb. 9. Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych said on Feb. 10 that he has been barred from using a custom helmet at the 2026 Winter Olympics that honors Ukrainian athletes killed in Russia's war. Millions read the Kyiv Independent, but only one in 1,000 supports us financially. One membership might not seem like much, but to us, it makes a real difference. If you value our reporting, consider becoming a member — your support makes us stronger.

General elections will be held in Bangladesh on February 12, the first voting after a violent uprising, led by Gen Z protesters, in 2024 that ousted the government of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. In a country with a population of around 173 million, there are 127.7 million registered voters, according to Election Commission figures. Bangladesh has 59 registered political parties, excluding the banned Awami League. Of these, 51 are fielding candidates in the upcoming election. The national parliament, the Jatiya Sangsad, has 350 seats: 300 are filled through direct elections, and 50 are reserved for women and allocated to parties in proportion to their share of the vote. The polls are a result of the 2024 uprising, which Hasina and former officials of her government alleged was instigated by external forces as a “foreign-funded, meticulously planned regime change operation.” Hasina, the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh's founding president and the principal orchestrator of Bangladesh's separation from Pakistan in 1971, resigned on August 5, 2024. Within three days of her ousting, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, widely known as the “banker to the poor,” was sworn in. Yunus had formed a political party, Nagarik Shakti, or Citizens' Power, in 2007. Two years later, the Hasina government launched a series of probes against microfinance pioneer Grameen Bank, founded by Yunus. When he was appointed chief adviser of the interim administration in August 2024, Yunus pledged to hold free and fair elections and to introduce structural reforms. “Tomorrow, with the rising sun, democracy, justice, human rights, and full freedom of fearless expression will be enjoyed by all, regardless of party affiliation,” Yunus said in a televised address to the nation on the day he took office. Today, there is mounting criticism of the interim government for failing to deliver on its promises. Economically, GDP growth is projected to fall to 3.7% in fiscal year (FY) 2025, down from 4.2% in FY2024, amid production disruptions, while consumer inflation remains stubbornly high at more than 8.5%. Bangladesh's garment exports, widely seen as the bellwether of its economy, have been declining for the past two years. In the first half of FY2025-26 (July-December), exports fell 2.63% to $19.36 billion, with a sharp 14.25% year-on-year drop in December 2025 alone, according to local media reports. Political instability, restrung violence, and attacks on religious minorities have increased since the fall of Hasina's government. There are 13 million Hindus in Bangladesh, forming nearly 8% of the population. After the August 2024 regime change, minority communities have reported feeling increasingly under attack, citing incidents of violence, killings, and arson targeting their homes and businesses. Authorities, however, maintain that the majority of these episodes were not driven by religious animosity. This climate has deepened anxiety in the run-up to the February 12 election, even as major political parties attempt to court minority voters and reassure them of their safety. The Bangladesh National Party (BNP) – one of Bangladesh's two major traditional parties, which positions itself as a nationalist and conservative alternative to the Awami League. The BNP is aiming for a comeback and is leading a coalition of ten parties in its bid to capture power. BNP leader Tarique Rahman is the son of former prime minister and bitter Hasina rival Khaleda Zia, who died in January after prolonged illness. Another of the old guard enjoying a comeback is Jamaat-e-Islami, the country's largest Islamist party, which was banned under Hasina's rule. Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman is spearheading a coalition of parties that hopes to cash in on a conservative base. But Jamaat's radical Islamic leanings are seen as a spoiler, as it would not be able to sway undecided and liberal voters, especially those who had backed the Awami League. Jamaat's opponents also seek to tag the organization with leanings to Pakistan, another red flag for a section of voters. However, its alliance with Jamaat has been seen as controversial in Bangladesh and has prompted some members to resign over ideological disagreements. Jamaat's partnership with the NCP was seen as a tactical move as both parties hope that an alliance can clinch the decisive young vote. For Western powers, Bangladesh, a relatively small country in South Asia, plays an important role given its strategic location next to India and China, as well as on the Indian Ocean. Soon after she was removed from power, Hasina claimed she could have stayed in office “if I had surrendered the sovereignty of Saint Martin's Island and allowed America to hold sway over the Bay of Bengal.” Saint Martin's Island, just 3 sq km in size, lies in the northeastern Bay of Bengal and is viewed by strategic experts as an ideal vantage point for monitoring activities by China, Myanmar, and India. The US State Department has publicly denied any intention of acquiring an island in Bangladesh. Bangladesh's general election is also seen as crucial for the future of its relations with China and India, especially given that ties with New Delhi have been under strain since Hasina's ouster and her subsequent exile in India. The interim administration has been demanding her extradition after she was sentenced to death in absentia for a crackdown on protesters. India has reportedly made overtures to the BNP and Jamaat. The Awami League is widely seen as pro-India, and Pakistan is keen to cash in on its absence from the political spectrum. On Monday, three days ahead of the election, Dhaka secured a 19% tariff rate (from previous 20%) with the US under a trade agreement, which would see Bangladesh open its markets to a wider range of American goods. The deal grants exemptions for some textiles and garments manufactured using US raw materials. Yunus, the chief adviser of the interim government, said Washington had “committed to establishing a mechanism for certain textile and apparel goods from Bangladesh using US-produced cotton and man-made fibre to receive zero reciprocal tariff in [the] US market.” Yunus said the agreement followed nine months of negotiations that began in April last year. Importantly, the deal came days after the US signed an agreement with India, Dhaka's key competitor for exports of garments to US and other global markets. Dhaka's stakes in the matter are huge as textiles account for 96% of its shipments to the US, worth nearly $8 billion. Along with the general elections, Bangladesh on Thursday will also hold a referendum on reforms that require changes to the constitution. By RT newsroom, a team of multi-lingual journalists with over a decade of experience in Russian and international reporting, delivering original research and insights often missing from mainstream coverage By RT newsroom, a team of multi-lingual journalists with over a decade of experience in Russian and international reporting, delivering original research and insights often missing from mainstream coverage Read RT Privacy policy to find out more.

BUCHAREST, February 10. /TASS/. Fragments of a drone were discovered on the beach of Romania's Mamaia resort on the Black Sea, the Romanian Coast Guard officials reported. A passerby found the metal debris washed ashore and alerted emergency services. Police secured the area, and the Constanta County Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation. Romanian Defense Minister Radu-Dinel Miruta told the Antena 3 TV channel that specialists from the ministry and the country's intelligence services are examining the fragments.

US lawmakers say high-profile individuals were concealed with ‘no explanation why' Six men, including one foreign government official, have had their names redacted from the Epstein files. After doing so, they expressed concern that high-profile men had their faces and images obscured for no clear reason. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, said he discovered the names of six men whose identities have been redacted from the released documents and who “are likely incriminated by their inclusion in these files”. Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, said: “There's no explanation why those people were redacted.” Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland, was among the members of congress who examined the unredacted Epstein files at a secure DoJ location on Monday. “I saw the names of lots of people who were redacted for mysterious or baffling or inscrutable reasons,” Mr Raskin told reporters. He added: “There are certainly lots of names of other people who were enablers and co-operators with Jeffrey Epstein that were just blanked out for no apparent reason.” Epstein, who had ties to top business executives, politicians, celebrities and academics, was found dead in his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for trafficking underage girls. A number of political and business leaders have already been resigned or had their reputations tarnished after their ties with Epstein were revealed in the files published on Jan 30.