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Small rescue plane crashes in Philadelphia with child, 5 others on board

Jan 31 (Reuters) – A medevac plane crashed in Philadelphia on Friday with a child and five others on board, the air ambulance company that operated it said, adding that it had not confirmed any survivors.

Jet Rescue Air Ambulance said its aircraft crashed with four crew members, one pediatric medical patient and the patient’s escort on board. “At this time we cannot confirm any survivors,” the company said in a statement. President Donald Trump wrote on social media that it was “so sad to see the plane go down in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More innocent souls lost. Our people are totally engaged. First Responders are already being given credit for doing a great job.” The crash follows this week’s collision of an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over Washington, D.C., which killed 67 in the deadliest airplane crash in the U.S. since 2009.

Trump Says DC Black Hawk “Was Flying Too High… By A Lot”

Controller left work early – two controllers juggled duties normally handled by four…

Update (0825ET): President Trump has chimed in, confirming the altitude of the Black Hawk was too high…While there are countless facts still left to be uncovered and scrutinized, there’s an early indication that the worst US air disaster since 9/11 may have resulted from a flight-path deviation by the Army helicopter that collided with a passenger jet landing at Washington’s Reagan National Airport. Remarkably, it appears an identical disaster may have been narrowly avoided just one day earlier, when an airline pilot chose to abort landing after deeming another helicopter was dangerously close. Control-tower staffing is also emerging as a major concern — including a decision to allow one controller to leave work early.

Trump Slaps 25% Tariffs On Canada & Mexico, 10% On China

No clarification on exemptions…

Tomorrow, February 1, the Trump administration will slap 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, and a 10% tariff on China, as announced during Friday’s press briefing by White House spox Karoline Leavitt, who denied reports of a delay to March 1. There will be no delay, selective targeting, or slow roll-out of phased-in tariffs as speculated by Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank. That said, there could be certain exemptions – such as for oil and gas, which Leavitt did not elaborate on.

Trump says there’s nothing Canada can do to stop tariffs from taking effect

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday there is nothing Canada could do to prevent a sweeping 25 per cent tariff from taking effect on Feb. 1. Trump claimed his threat to introduce a tariff on goods from Canada, Mexico and China was not a negotiating tactic but was necessary to boost the U.S. economy. Asked if there was a possible “concession” Canada could make, he said his administration is “not looking for a concession.” “We’ll just see what happens,” he said. Asked about Canadian energy imports, the president suggested he would reduce the tariff on Canadian crude imports to 10 per cent.

Canada mired in tariff uncertainty after White House reaffirms levies coming Saturday

In Toronto on Friday morning, Trudeau tried to reassure a concerned country during what he called a ‘critical moment’

OTTAWA — On the eve of a possible trade war with the United States, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had a message for Canadians: The country could be headed for tough times and he knows people feel anxious. He could have put it in an even simpler way: Just like everyone else, he doesn’t know what’s going to happen. Millions of Canadians were already thinking it. Trudeau’s own cabinet ministers, dispatched to Washington to get face time with Republican lawmakers and members of Trump’s administration, left those meetings with the knowledge, as Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said after sitting down with Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this week, “the ultimate decision maker is President Trump.”

US federal websites stay up after confusion over plan to remove diversity information

WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) – U.S. government websites were online and accessible on Friday, and the Office of Personnel Management said media reports that the sites would be taken offline were based on misinterpretation of a memo.

The memo dated Wednesday had ordered federal agencies to scrub mentions of “gender ideology” from contracts, job descriptions and social media accounts in line with President Donald Trump’s executive order requiring the government to recognize only two sexes. The memo gave guidance on carrying out the executive order. A source had previously said most government sites would not be available after 5 p.m. ET on Friday then clarified that the time was a deadline for removal of diversity-related content.

Trump’s Justice Department launches sweeping cuts targeting Jan. 6 prosecutors, FBI agents

The FBI was ordered to provide a list of all employees who worked on the 2024 case against Hamas, as well as any who worked on the cases by former special council Jack Smith.

Trump administration officials have pressured six senior FBI officials, as well as the heads of many field offices, to leave their posts by Monday or face termination, NBC reported on Friday. Additionally, the Department of Justice fired two dozen federal prosecutors involved in the January 6 investigations on the same day. The FBI was ordered to provide by Tuesday a list of all employees who worked on a 2024 criminal case brought by the Justice Department against leaders of Hamas, according to a memo seen by Reuters. A source briefed on the matter also said the FBI was asked to provide a list of employees who worked on the two Trump cases brought by Smith.

Former Senior Adviser to the Federal Reserve John Rogers Arrested for Leaking Trade Secrets to China in Shocking Espionage Scandal

Former senior adviser to the Federal Reserve, John Harold Rogers, has been arrested on charges of leaking classified trade secrets to the People’s Republic of China, DOJ says.

Rogers, 63, of Vienna, Virginia, served as a senior adviser in the Federal Reserve’s international finance division from 2010 until his retirement in 2021. During his tenure, he had access to confidential information, including proprietary economic data, deliberations on tariffs targeting China, and sensitive insights into the Federal Open Market Committee’s (FOMC) forthcoming announcements. According to the indictment, Rogers began exploiting his position as early as 2018, soliciting and transmitting trade-secret information to individuals linked to China’s intelligence apparatus.

US envoy Grenell says he’s returning from Venezuela with six Americans

US President Donald Trump’s envoy, Richard Grenell, said on Friday that he was headed back to the United States with six American citizens after he met with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in the South American country.

BREAKING: Trump Says He Will ‘Absolutely’ Impose Tariffs on European Union

President Donald J. Trump says he is considering imposing tariffs on goods imported from the European Union. The move would mark a significant escalation in his government’s efforts to end unfair tradeimbalances around the globe.

“Am I going to impose tariffs on the European Union?” Trump posited during a press event in the Oval Office while signing a new series of executive orders. He continued: “Do you want a truthful answer or do you want me to give you a political answer?” “Absolutely,” he said regarding the possible foreign trade measures, adding: “The European Union has treated us so terribly.”

NATO thinks Trump is right about Greenland – DPA

The bloc reportedly is working on a proposal to address Washington’s security concerns

NATO agrees with US President Donald Trump’s concerns about Greenland and is discussing increasing its military presence in the Arctic to counter Russia and China, German news agency DPA has said. Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, a NATO member state, but Trump has repeatedly said the US needs to control it directly as a matter of national security. “Informal discussions” are under way at NATO to prepare a proposal for Trump involving a “major” troop deployment in the Arctic, unnamed sources told DPA on Friday. The goal is to “ease tensions” between the US and Denmark over Greenland by addressing Washington’s concerns, they added.

German parliament rejects migration bill, dealing blow to election frontrunner

BERLIN, Jan 31 (Reuters) – Germany’s parliament rejected on Friday an opposition draft law on tightening immigration policy, averting the prospect of a law passing for the first time in modern German history thanks to the backing of the far-right.

On Wednesday the Bundestag lower house passed a non-binding motion on migration proposed by the opposition conservatives with the support of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), breaking a taboo against cooperating with the far-right party, which is under surveillance by Germany’s security services. But this time 12 conservative lawmakers opted not to back the draft bill sponsored by their own leader Friedrich Merz, who opinion polls suggest will be Germany’s next chancellor after a national election set for Feb. 23.

Grave of French Nationalist Le Pen Desecrated

The grave of French nationalist Jean-Marie Le Pen, father of National Rally leader Marine Le Pen, has been desecrated, with vandals smashing the gravesite with a sledgehammer.

The attack took place on the night of Thursday, January 30, at the Le Pen family tomb in La Trinité-sur-Mer. Police say that the cross of the tomb was completely destroyed and that other monuments to the family were also damaged in the attack. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau slammed those behind the attack, stating, “Respect for the dead is what distinguishes civilization from barbarism.”

Top Globalist Demands Digital IDs to ‘Flush Out’ the Populist Right

Former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair wants his successor as British premier and Labour Party leader, Sir Keir Starmer, to impose a digital ID regime, in part to “flush out” anti-mass migration populists.

“What the populists do is they take a real grievance and they exploit it but they very often don’t want to have a solution because solutions are much tougher than talking about problems,” Blair said, adding: “The grievance would be on immigration that the thing is out of control. The grievance would be on crime that we’re not doing enough on it. So you say, ‘OK, here’s what you do’. And then you have a big political fight. The populist is forced to choose. You’ve got to create an agenda that the other side has to respond to.” Right-wing populists do offer solutions to Britain’s record-breaking mass migration influx—for example, simply capping visas issued at a set level—but in an interview with The Times, Blair implies they have no proposed policy fixes and that digital ID can fill this gap.

No plans for BRICS currency – Kremlin

Economic bloc is focused on establishing new joint investment platforms to boost cooperation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says

BRICS member states have no plans to create a common currency but are actively discussing joint investment platforms to enhance economic cooperation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stated. Speaking to journalists on Friday, Peskov addressed recent remarks by US President Donald Trump, who has threatened to hit the BRICS countries with tariffs should they create a joint currency to replace the dollar. “BRICS is not considering the creation of a common currency. This has neither been discussed in the past nor is it currently on the agenda,” Peskov clarified. “Instead, BRICS is focused on establishing new joint investment platforms that will facilitate investments in third countries, as well as mutual investments among member states,” he said.

Trump confirms ‘serious discussions’ with Moscow over Ukraine

The US leader has refused to say whether he has already spoken directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin

US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday that he expects something “significant” to happen once he speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, confirming that serious discussions with Moscow are already underway. Trump, who took office last Monday, has repeatedly stated that he is ready to speak with his Russian counterpart as soon as possible to negotiate an end to the Ukraine conflict. The Kremlin previously said it was awaiting clear signals from the Trump administration.

Ukrainian MP calls for Putin’s murder at Council of Europe

Such rhetoric would supposedly help Kiev get more aid from its Western backers, Aleksey Goncharenko believes

Ukrainian MP Aleksey Goncharenko has openly called on EU lawmakers to support the idea of assassinating Russian President Vladimir Putin and of promoting it among ordinary people. On Friday the legislator published a video on Telegram of himself making controversial statements at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). According to Goncharenko, Kiev could ramp up support for its cause in the West amid a continuing conflict with Moscow by appealing to the most basic and easily understandable urges of people. To do this, Ukraine needs to draw a clear parallel between the Russian leader’s demise and the benefits each and every EU citizen could get from it, he claimed.

EU divided over Western troops in Ukraine – Times

The bloc is reportedly skeptical about the viability of the idea promoted by London and Paris

The European Union remains divided over the prospect of deploying a Western-led peacekeeping force to Ukraine if a ceasefire between Kiev and Moscow is reached, The Times reported on Friday, citing multiple military and diplomatic sources. Berlin opposes the idea, partly because it does not want to commit ahead of its upcoming early elections in February, according to the British newspaper. The Baltic states and Poland – among Kiev’s most vocal supporters throughout the conflict – are reportedly concerned that such a deployment would divert NATO’s attention and resources away from their own defense, leaving them “exposed.”

China’s Boldest Oil Hunt Yet

China’s CNOOC reported record oil and gas production from a field called Deep Sea #1. The field was the company’s first ultra-deep project, an example of the pursuit of new, untapped resources that lie deeper under the sea.

In October last year, China’s CNOOC reported record oil and gas production from a field called Deep Sea #1. The field was the company’s first ultra-deep project, an example of the pursuit of new, untapped resources that lie deeper under the sea. Yet it’s not only ultradeep offshore drilling that the Chinese are focusing on. Right now, China is building a new rig that should be able to drill much deeper than any other rig-onshore.

China is preparing for WW3 with the world’s largest military command centre ten times bigger than the Pentagon featuring nuke-proof bunker for President Xi and Communist elite

China is constructing a colossal military command centre, with US intelligence sources warning it could serve as a wartime bunker for president Xi Jinping and his top military leaders.

The vast facility on the outskirts of Beijing – believed to be at least ten times the size of the Pentagon – has raised alarm among Western intelligence agencies, who fear it signals Beijing’s preparations for a major global conflict, potentially including nuclear war. Newly analysed satellite images of the project show a 1,500-acre site under rapid development 30km south-west of Beijing. Military analysts believe the massive construction includes heavily fortified bunkers designed to shield China’s top military brass from missile strikes – particularly ‘bunker-buster’ weapons used by the US.

Iran is developing nuclear-capable warheads, opposition group says

An Iranian exiled opposition group announced on Friday it has evidence showing the Islamic Republic is secretly developing nuclear-capable warheads designed for missiles that can reach Europe.

The Islamic Republic is developing nuclear warheads for solid-fuel missiles with a range exceeding 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) at the Shahroud missile site in northeastern Iran, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said in a press conference in Washington DC. The group cited the source of the allegation as its network of members inside Iran, without elaborating.

Israel says Iran is smuggling millions of US dollars in cash to Hezbollah – WSJ

Israel has accused Iran of funneling tens of millions of dollars to Hezbollah through clandestine cash deliveries, lodging formal complaints with the US-led committee overseeing the cease-fire in Lebanon, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

Iranian envoys have been flying into Beirut from Tehran with suitcases stuffed with US dollars to finance Hezbollah’s operations. Additionally, Israel has reported that Turkish nationals have been used as couriers to transport funds from Istanbul to Beirut, according to WSJ. The cease-fire committee, which includes representatives from Israel, Lebanon, the US, France, and the UN, has relayed these concerns to Lebanon’s government. The cease-fire terms require Lebanon to secure its borders to prevent arms smuggling but do not explicitly address cash transfers, WSJ reported, citing an unnamed US defense official.

US seeks to block Hezbollah ally from naming Lebanon finance minister, sources say

Hezbollah has long named ministers to the government in coordination with its ally, the Amal Movement, together they have picked all of Lebanon’s finance ministers since 2014.

Washington is pressuring top Lebanese officials not to allow Hezbollah or its allies to nominate the country’s next finance minister, five people with knowledge of the matter said, in an attempt to limit the Iran-backed group’s sway over the state. The unusually direct US intervention in Lebanon‘s sectarian politics appears aimed at capitalizing on shifts in the power balance in Lebanon and the wider Middle East, with Iran-backed Hezbollah badly pummeled from last year’s war with Israel and its Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad ousted from power.

Hostages Yarden Bibas, Keith Siegel, Ofer Calderon freed after 484 days in Hamas captivity

3 civilian men forced to parade on stage as they’re freed in Khan Younis, Gaza City port; cousin of Yarden Bibas says protests must continue ‘until we see Shiri and the boys at home’

Three hostages abducted during the October 7, 2023, attack were released by Hamas on Saturday under an ongoing ceasefire deal with the terror group, returning to Israel 484 days after they were taken from their communities near the Gaza border and kidnapped to the Strip. Ofer Calderon, 54, and Yarden Bibas, 35, were released to the International Red Cross in south Gaza’s Khan Younis on Saturday morning, and Keith Siegel, 65, was handed over almost two hours later at the Gaza City port. The releases were far more controlled than the chaos surrounding the Thursday release of three Israelis and five Thai nationals.

Freed hostage’s mother: She was held in UNRWA facilities and denied medical treatment

Mandy Damari, mother of Emily Damari who was freed after 470 days in captivity, reveals during conversation with British PM that her daughter was held in UNRWA facilities in Gaza: It’s a miracle that she survived.

Mandy Damari, mother of Emily Damari who was freed after 470 days in captivity earlier this month, revealed on Friday that her daughter was held in UNRWA facilities in Gaza during her captivity. Damari made the revelation during a conversation with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Mandy and Emily are British citizens. The mother posted to X a picture of she and Emily speaking to Starmer and wrote, “Thank you Keir Starmer for calling us today and all your support in getting Emily home. Hamas held Emily in UNRWA facilities and denied her access to medical treatment after shooting her twice.”

Report: Netanyahu and Trump to meet twice in Washington on Tuesday

Axios reports that Trump and Netanyahu are expected to meet in the afternoon for a working meeting and later in the evening for an informal dinner with their spouses.

US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to meet twice in Washington on Tuesday, Barak Ravid of Axios reported on Friday. A working meeting is expected around noon Eastern Time, and the two leaders will later have an informal dinner with their spouses, the report said. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed, during a press briefing on Friday, that Netanyahu will be at the White House on Tuesday for a working meeting with Trump. Trump earlier this week invited Netanyahu to a meeting at the White House. The Prime Minister’s Office announced that Netanyahu will be the first foreign leader to be invited to the White House during Trump’s second term.

US top diplomat Rubio discussed path forward in Gaza with Saudi counterpart

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed “the path forward in Gaza” in a call with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, the State Department said on Friday.

Whitney Webb “These people are about to UNDERMINE RFK, Jr. and the MAHA movement” Does Trump know?

Everyone’s been focused on RFK Jr in the hearing. But what people may be are ignoring certainly in the MAGA movement, the deputy secretary, Jim O’Neill, who would also be confirmed.

US Cattle Herd Shrinks To 1951 Lows As Beef Crisis Deepens

Update: USDA figures are in: the nation’s cattle herd has plunged to a 74-year low, totaling 86.7 million head.

Ahead of this afternoon’s 3 pm est. USDA release of official US cattle inventory data, estimates compiled by Bloomberg forecast the herd will be at its lowest level in more than seven decades. The ongoing cattle supply crunch continues to push supermarket ground beef prices to record highs. Bloomberg cited estimates from four analysts that expect the US cattle herd as of Jan. 1 will decline by .7% from one year ago. This would mark the lowest level since 1951 and extend the decline for a sixth straight year.

FBI Nominee Kash Patel Vows to End Censorship Collusion, Slams Wiretaps, and Pledges Section 230 Work

Patel vows to end the FBI’s role in online censorship but signals openness to Section 230 reforms that could impact encryption.

FBI Director nominee Kash Patel’s Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday was a chance to learn about the direction the agency would take after a number of years filled with controversies linked to online censorship. Patel addressed several of these issues, including the suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop stories and the FBI’s role in the scandal – which he said would not repeat going forward. Patel also spoke against the FBI attempting to pressure Big Tech to get these companies to censor content, as well as against wiretapping political candidates and their staff – but also pledged to work with Senator Richard Blumenthal in order to bring potentially controversial changes to Section 230 that could jeopardize end-to-end encryption.

X Partners With Visa To Create ‘X Money’ In Push To Transform Platform Into The ‘Everything App’ Similar To WeChat

X owner Elon Musk inked a deal with payment platform Visa to launch “X Money,” facilitating money transfers from debit cards and bank accounts to “X Money” accounts, and will allow X users to pay each other on the platform.

The move furthers Musk’s ambition to turn the social media app, formerly known as Twitter, into a so-called “everything app” akin to the popular Chinese app WeChat, an app used by its government to enforce its social credit score. X CEO and World Economic Forum (WEF) associate Linda Yaccarino revealed the news in a post, referring to X as the “Everything App,” while hinting at many other big updates for the platform later this year.

Prediction Consensus: What The Experts See Coming In 2025

From geopolitical tensions to technological innovations, the year promises to be a period of strategic adaptation…

As we look ahead to 2025, there is no shortage of expert forecasts and predictions for what will happen to the world’s economy, markets, geopolitics, and technology in 2025. In this now sixth year of Visual Capitalist’s Prediction Consensus (part of our comprehensive 2025 Global Forecast Series presented by Inigo Insurance), Kayla Zhu has summarized the most common predictions and forecasts by experts into a single visual of what they expect to happen in 2025. Drawing from our predictions database of over 800 forecasts compiled from reports, interviews, podcasts, and more, the Prediction Consensus “bingo card” and this article offer an overview of the most cited trends and opportunities that experts are watching for the rest of the year.

UK gold shortage as £66bn moved out of London

A surge in gold shipments to the US has led to a shortage in London, according to reports.

Traders have amassed an almost £66bn stockpile in New York in recent weeks amid concerns over tariffs by the Donald Trump administration, the Financial Times reports. The report states the wait to withdraw bullion stored in the Bank of England’s vaults has risen significantly from a few days to up to eight weeks, according to people familiar with the process. The bank is said to be struggling to keep up with the demand. One industry executive told the FT: “People can’t get their hands on gold because so much has been shipped to New York, and the rest is stuck in the queue.

A New Zealand mountain is granted personhood, recognizing it as sacred for Māori

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A mountain in New Zealand considered an ancestor by Indigenous people was recognized as a legal person on Thursday after a new law granted it all the rights and responsibilities of a human being.

Mount Taranaki — now known as Taranaki Maunga, its Māori name — is the latest natural feature to be granted personhood in New Zealand, which has ruled that a river and a stretch of sacred land are people before. The pristine, snow-capped dormant volcano is the second highest on New Zealand’s North Island at 2,518 meters (8,261 feet) and a popular spot for tourism, hiking and snow sports.

Magnitude 5.7 earthquake strikes Ecuador, GFZ says

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Ecuador on Friday, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said.

The quake’s depth was 10 kilometres (6.21 miles) below the earth’s surface, GFZ said.

Scientists studying ‘alien mummies’ from Peru claim bodies are ‘100% real’ after new details emerge

The ‘alien mummies’ discovered in Peru have largely been dismissed as a hoax by the scientific community, but researchers studying the specimens believe otherwise.

Dr José Zalce, former director of the Mexican Navy Medical Department, has analyzed 21 of the strange bodies, finding ‘fingerprints, bone wear, dental formations, muscular features and internal organs – proving they’re 100 percent real biological organisms.’ He even claimed some were pregnant, ‘making them impossible to fake or replicate fraudulently,’ said Zalce who has testified under oath that the mummies are real following his six years of work with them. Recent scans of a ‘pregnant’ mummy revealed what appeared to be an intact fetus that had the same physical characteristics of the corpses, which the team said was proof of authenticity.

Decorated Stone Blocks Unearthed from Ancient Israelite Palace

Summary: Could recently discovered carved stone blocks be part of a palace from the northern Kingdom of Israel in the Biblical city of Mahanaim?

Tall adh-Dhahab, Jordan. Evidence has been discovered recently in Jordan of a possible ancient Israelite palace built around 2,800 years ago. Ten stone blocks with carvings of lions and banquet scenes were unearthed at the archaeological site of Tall adh-Dhahab al-Gharbi in the valley of the az-Zarqa River, called the Jabbok River in the Bible. The iconographic details on the blocks are typical of the area’s monumental public architecture, according to the researchers, suggesting they were part of a government complex. The structures date to the first half of the 8th century BC, during the prosperous period of the northern Kingdom of Israel.