NEWS

On January 6, a group of 25 British members of parliament tabled a motion urging global sporting authorities to consider excluding the United States from hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup until it demonstrates compliance with international law. It followed weeks of mounting pressure across Europe over the political climate surrounding a tournament expected to draw millions of viewers and symbolising international cooperation.

Dutch broadcaster Teun van de Keuken has backed a public petition urging withdrawal from the competition while French parliamentarian Eric Coquerel has warned that participation risks legitimising policies he argued undermine international human rights standards.

Much of the scrutiny has focused on US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and broad assaults on civil liberties. The deaths of Minneapolis residents Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti during immigration enforcement operations in January triggered nationwide outrage and protests. In 2026, at least eight people have been shot by federal immigration agents or died in immigration detention.

These developments are serious, but they point to a broader question about power and accountability – one that extends beyond domestic repression and into the consequences of US policy abroad. The war in Gaza represents a far deeper emergency.

For decades, Washington has served as Israel’s most influential international ally, providing diplomatic protection, political backing and roughly $3.8bn in annual military assistance. That partnership finances and shapes the destruction now unfolding across Palestinian territory.

Since the day the war began on October 7, 2023, Israel’s military has killed more than 72,032 Palestinians, wounded 171,661 and destroyed or severely damaged the vast majority of Gaza’s housing, schools, hospitals, water systems and other basic civilian infrastructure. Nearly 90 percent of Gaza’s population – about 1.9 million people – has been displaced, many repeatedly, as bombardments move across the enclave. Meanwhile, Israeli forces and armed settlers have intensified raids, farmland seizures and sweeping movement restrictions across Palestinian communities in Jenin, Nablus, Hebron and the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank.

By many accounts, Israel is carrying out a genocide.

Across the African continent, this grave assault carries profound historical resonance because organised sports competitions have often been inseparable from liberation struggles.

On June 16, 1976, 15-year-old Hastings Ndlovu joined thousands of schoolchildren in Soweto protesting against the imposition of Afrikaans language education. By the end of the day, he was dead, shot by police as officers opened fire on unarmed pupils marching through their own neighbourhoods.

Hastings was murdered by a regime that viewed African children as political threats rather than students or even human beings. Police killed 575 youths and injured thousands more that day, yet the bloodshed failed to disrupt diplomatic and sporting relations between the apartheid state and several Western allies.

Weeks later, as families buried their children in solemn funerals, New Zealand’s national rugby team, the All Blacks, landed at Jan Smuts Airport in Johannesburg on June 25, ready to play competitive matches inside the segregated republic.

The tour provoked fury among many young African governments. Within weeks, the backlash reached the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games in Canada. Twenty-two African countries withdrew after President Michael Morris and the International Olympic Committee chose not to act against New Zealand.

Athletes who had trained for years packed their bags and left the Olympic Village in Montreal, some after already competing. Morocco, Cameroon, Tunisia and Egypt began the Games before withdrawing as their delegations were urgently recalled by their governments.

Nigeria, Ghana and Zambia pulled out of the men’s football tournament, collapsing first-round fixtures at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium and Varsity Stadium mid-competition. Television viewers worldwide watched empty lanes and abandoned tracks replace what had been promoted as a global event. More than 700 athletes forfeited Olympic participation, including world-record holders Filbert Bayi (1,500 metres) of Tanzania and Uganda’s John Akii-Bua (400-metre hurdles).

African leaders recognised the scale of the decision. Nonetheless, they concluded that their countries’ Olympic participation would give “comfort and respectability to the South African racist regime and encourage it to continue to defy world opinion”.

That moment offers a defining lesson for 2026: Boycotts come at a cost. They demand sacrifice, coordination and political courage. History shows that collective refusal can redirect global attention and force both institutions and spectators to confront injustices they might otherwise overlook.

Nearly five decades later, Gaza presents a similar test amid a deepening and seemingly endless catastrophe.

Take what happened to Sidra Hassouna, a seven-year-old Palestinian girl from Rafah.

She was killed along with members of her family during an Israeli air strike on February 23, 2024, when the home they had sought shelter in was struck amid intense shelling in southern Gaza.

Sidra’s story mirrors thousands of others and reveals the same truth: childhoods erased by bombardment.

These killings have unfolded before a global audience. Unlike apartheid South Africa, Israel’s destruction of Gaza is being transmitted in real time, largely through Palestinian journalists and citizen reporters, nearly 300 of whom have been killed by Israeli air and artillery strikes.

At the same time, the US continues supplying Israel with weapons, diplomatic cover and veto protection at the United Nations. While Trump’s civil liberties abuses are serious, they are not comparable in scale to the devastation endured by Palestinians in Gaza.

The humanitarian toll is measured in destroyed hospitals, displaced families, enforced hunger and children buried beneath collapsed apartment blocks.

The central question now is whether football can present itself as a weeks-long celebration of sporting prowess across 16 host cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June to July while the United States continues to sustain large-scale civilian destruction abroad.

African political memory understands these stakes. The continent has witnessed how stadiums and international competitions can project political approval and how withdrawal can destroy that image.

A coordinated boycott would require joint decisions by governments representing the qualified teams – Morocco, Senegal, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cape Verde and South Africa – supported by the African Union, regional institutions and the Confederation of African Football.

The consequences would be immediate.

The tournament would lose its claim to global inclusivity, and corporate sponsors would be compelled to confront questions they have long avoided.

Most importantly, international attention would shift.

Boycotts do not end conflicts overnight. They accomplish something different: They remove the comfort of pretending injustice does not exist. The 1976 Olympic withdrawal did not dismantle apartheid instantly, but it accelerated isolation and broadened the universal coalition opposing it.

At present, FIFA’s longstanding political contradictions intensify the need for external pressure. At the World Cup draw in Washington, DC, on December 5, its president, Gianni Infantino, awarded Trump a “peace prize” for his efforts to “promote peace and unity around the world”.

The organisation cannot portray itself as a neutral body while extending symbolic legitimacy to a leader overseeing mass civilian death.

In that context, nonparticipation becomes a critical moral position.

It would not immediately end Gaza’s calamity, but it would challenge US support for the sustained military onslaught and honour children like Hastings and Sidra.

Although separated by decades and continents, their lives reveal a shared historical pattern: Children suffer first when imperial systems determine that Black and Brown lives hold absolutely no value.

Africa’s stand in 1976 reshaped international resistance to apartheid. A comparable decision in 2026 could strengthen opposition to contemporary systems of domination and signal to families in Gaza that their suffering is recognised across the continent.

History remembers those who reject injustice – and who choose comfort while children die under relentless air strikes and occupation.

If African teams compete in the 2026 World Cup as if nothing is happening in Gaza City, Rafah, Khan Younis, Jenin and Hebron, their involvement risks legitimising colonial power structures.

While European critics urge authorities to exclude the US, our history demands a complete withdrawal.

Football cannot be played on the graves of Palestinian martyrs.

Africa must boycott the 2026 World Cup.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

Over the span of five hours on Wednesday, United States lawmakers questioned Attorney General Pam Bondi over the US Justice Department’s (DOJ) handling of documents related to convicted late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Bondi, testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, defended the DOJ’s handling of the release of the Epstein records and said there are “pending investigations” in the case.

Here are key takeaways from Bondi’s congressional hearing.

Why is Pam Bondi being questioned?

Bondi testified before the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, in a hearing entitled “Oversight of the US Department of Justice”, but the Epstein files quickly became a primary focus.

Since the start of his second term, US President Donald Trump and his administration have consistently faced questions about the decision to withhold or redact documents related to Epstein.

That new law, called the Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed into law in November with bipartisan support. It requires the Justice Department to publish all of its documents related to Epstein in an easily searchable format.

Though the law allows for some limited redaction to protect the identities of victims, critics argue that scores of documents have been published with heavy redactions. Some of those blacked-out sections appear to shield the identity of powerful figures involved with Epstein.

During her opening statement on Wednesday, Bondi, a prosecutor from Florida, defended her record of addressing sexual abuse.

“I have spent my entire career fighting for victims, and I will continue to do so,” she said.

Epstein victims were present

With several victims of Epstein seated behind her in the hearing room, Bondi forcefully defended the department’s handling of the files related to the well-connected financier, an issue that has dogged her tenure.

During her opening remarks, Bondi deemed Epstein a “monster” and issued an apology to the victims.

“I am deeply sorry for what any victim, any victim, has been through, especially as a result of that monster,” Bondi said.

At one point during the hearing, Representative Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington, asked the Epstein victims to raise their hands if they had not had a chance to meet with a member of the Justice Department. All the victims raised their hands.

The victims included Danielle Bensky, who met Epstein in 2004 when she was 17 years old. She has accused Epstein of sexually assaulting her.

“There was such a lack of empathy today. There was such a lack of, honestly, humanity today,” Bensky told an NBC programme after the hearing.

Bondi clashes with Democrats

Congressional Democrats accused the US attorney general on Wednesday of engaging in a “cover-up” of the Jeffrey Epstein files and turning the Department of Justice into an “instrument of revenge” for Trump.

Maryland Democrat Jamie Raskin criticised the slow release of the Epstein files and the redactions made to the documents.

“You’re running a massive Epstein cover-up right out of the Department of Justice,” Raskin said. “You’ve been ordered by subpoena and by Congress to turn over six million documents, photographs and videos in the Epstein files, but you’ve turned over only three million.”

When pressed by Representative Jayapal, Bondi refused to turn and face the Epstein victims in the audience and apologise for what Trump’s Justice Department has “put them through”. She accused the Democrat of “theatrics”.

Texas Democrat Jasmine Crockett stormed out of the hearing after a spat with Bondi. “This is a big cover-up. And this administration is still engaged in it. In fact, this administration is complicit,” Crockett said.

During a heated exchange, Crockett said Bondi would be remembered as one of the worst attorneys general, prioritising loyalty to Trump over the law, before yielding the rest of her time.

Bondi shot back that Crockett had not even tried to question her and accused her of ignoring the fact that Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries had taken money from Epstein after his conviction, a claim Jeffries has denied.

The attorney general also clashed with Ted Lieu, a Democrat from California. Lieu asked whether Trump had attended a party with underage girls, a question Bondi deemed “ridiculous”.

Bondi insisted there was no evidence Trump had committed a crime.

Lieu suggested that her answer amounted to lying under oath, noting that Trump’s name appears repeatedly in the Epstein files. Bondi shot back: “Don’t you ever accuse me of committing a crime.”

Trump’s name appears multiple times in the released Epstein files, but not in connection with the sexual abuse of women. Rather, the records primarily show that he and Epstein were acquainted and had a social relationship.

For instance, Trump was listed as a passenger on Epstein’s private jet at least eight times between 1993 and the mid-1990s.

On February 1, Trump told reporters on board Air Force One about his name being mentioned in the latest tranche of Epstein files: “I was told by some very important people that not only does it absolve me, it’s the opposite of what people were hoping, you know, the radical left.”

Republicans join Democrats in questioning Bondi

Bondi accused Democrats of using the Epstein files to distract from Trump’s successes, even though it was Republicans who initiated the furore over the records and Bondi herself fanned the flames by distributing binders to conservative influencers at the White House last year.

Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, who helped lead the effort to require the files’ release, accused the Justice Department of a “massive failure” to comply with the law as he questioned why billionaire Leslie Wexner’s name was redacted in an FBI document listing potential co-conspirators in the sex trafficking investigation into Epstein.

Bondi said Wexner’s name appeared numerous times in other files the department released and that the DOJ unredacted his name on the document “within 40 minutes” of Massie spotting it.

“Forty minutes of me catching you red-handed,” Massie replied.

On Tuesday, Democratic Representative Ro Khanna revealed the names of six men, including Wexner. The other names made public are Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the head of Dubai-based logistics company DP World, Salvatore Nuara, Zurab Mikeladze, Leonic Leonov and Nicola Caputo. Al Jazeera could not independently verify their identities or affiliations.

Khanna said he was revealing the men’s names after he reviewed the files with Massie.

‘Trump orders prosecutions like pizza’: Bondi came to the president’s defence

Raskin and other Democratic lawmakers condemned the prosecutions brought by the DOJ against Trump’s political foes, such as former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

“You’ve turned the people’s Department of Justice into Trump’s instrument of revenge,” he said. “Trump orders up prosecutions like pizza and you deliver every time he tells you to.”

Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, is the only person behind bars in connection with Epstein. She was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking underage girls and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.

Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing regarding Epstein but he fought for months to prevent the release of the files about his one-time friend.

A rebellion among Republicans eventually forced the president to sign off on the law mandating the release of all the records.

The move reflected intense political pressure to address what many Americans, including Trump’s own supporters, have long suspected to be a cover-up to protect rich and powerful men in Epstein’s orbit.

Trump’s repeated denials of any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes have come under scrutiny due to a 2019 FBI interview – contained in the Epstein files – with Palm Beach’s then-police chief Michael Reiter.

Reiter told the FBI that Trump had called him in 2006 – when the sex charges against Epstein became public – to say: “Thank goodness you’re stopping him, everyone has known he’s been doing this.”

Bangladesh’s leading political candidates have voted in a closely contested general election in Dhaka, pitting the Bangladesh Nationalist Party against a Jamaat-e-Islami-led coalition. It’s the country’s first election since the 2024 ousting of long‑time premier Sheikh Hasina in a Gen Z-led uprising.

The Pentagon, which buys and sells hundreds of billions of dollars worth of weapons every year, is changing how it conducts business. And this time, such a claim being made does seem different than many false starts in the past. The changes come amid a backdrop of growing threats and depleted arsenals, which have magnified the chronic issues of delays and cost overruns for a lot of military hardware, and long waiting lists for foreign customers.

The War Department’s revamping of how it procures and transfers weapons follows executive orders signed by President Donald Trump, who has frequently expressed his displeasure with the defense industry’s long timetables and lack of risk taking without the department footing the bill. 

In January, Trump imposed new restrictions on executive compensation and threatened to cancel contracts with RTX [Raytheon] if it did not step up and invest in “plants and equipment.”

“I have been informed by the Department of War that Defense Contractor, Raytheon, has been the least responsive to the needs of the Department of War, the slowest in increasing their volume, and the most aggressive spending on their Shareholders rather than the needs and demands of the United States Military,” Trump said in a separate post on Truth Social.

Earlier this month, Trump instituted the “America First Arms Transfer Strategy” aimed at ensuring “that future arms sales prioritize American interests by using foreign purchases and capital to build American production and capacity.”

Acting on the first of these executive orders, the Pentagon last week “warned defense contractors to brace for sweeping performance reviews that will identify companies it says aren’t fulfilling their contracts,” The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a message sent to the defense industry.

“We have completed initial reviews to assess company performance as part of this executive order and will now undergo an extended period of review in which we will make noncompliance determinations,” Michael Duffey, the undersecretary of defense in charge of weapons buying, wrote in a Feb. 6 email to executives reviewed by the publication. “Following the upcoming decision period, we will be in touch with identified companies to begin remediation plans.”

Since the executive order was announced, defense companies “have been walking a tightrope trying to satisfy both Trump and their shareholders,” the Journal added. “During quarterly earnings calls late last month, executives from RTX, General Dynamics and other contractors boasted about billions of dollars in capital investments their companies have made to expand weapons manufacturing and defended dividend payouts.”

The Pentagon has also reached agreements with Lockheed Martin and RTX to expand production of munitions, the newspaper noted. It also made a $1 billion investment in L3Harris Technologies to accelerate missile production.

When it comes to selling materiel to foreign customers, Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday announced he was merging two Pentagon agencies into one to speed up deliveries while bolstering American arms makers.

“Everybody wanted weapons, but we couldn’t get them to them fast enough,” Hegseth said in a video posted on X. “And today, as a demonstration of our progress on these issues, I’m proud to share that we’ve completed the realignment of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DCSA) and the Defense Technology Security Administration (DTSA) within our Acquisition and Sustainment (A&S) team.”

DCSA is largely responsible for facilitating the sale of U.S. weapons to partners and allies. It is also tasked with developing and planning the long-term partnerships and training opportunities that accompany those sales. DTSA identifies and mitigates risks associated with transferring technology to partners and allies. 

Foreign Military Sales 101

“This realignment has created a single, coherent defense sales enterprise within the department, one that moves at the speed of war, but with the purpose of deterring aggression,” Duffey said in the X video. “Coupled with this new executive order, we’re now positioned to leverage the total aggregated global demand for U.S. weapons.”

The goal, Duffey added, is “to grow our nation’s industrial might, while maintaining the American warfighters’ technological edge” and “we’ll proactively target sales that unlock foreign investment to help power critical production lines, fueling companies to invest in new manufacturing plants, hire more engineers and create thousands of well-paying American jobs, all while better equipping our partners to share the burden of our their own conventional defense.”

Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have placed tremendous pressure on the U.S. defense industry, which is struggling badly to keep up with the demands for both domestic and foreign customers. These wars have consumed large amounts of stockpiled weapons. Many of these munitions take years to produce, a problem exacerbated by global supply chain and procurement decisions. Those worries are exacerbated by China’s increasing belligerence and Russia’s resurgence, which has spurred a massive demand for weapons from foreign customers. An already lugubrious situation will only become exponentially worse should Washington and Beijing tangle kinetically. This would consume advanced munitions and other materiel at an extreme rate.

Amid all these challenges, the pressure is rising on the U.S. defense industry to step up its game even as it suffers ongoing cost overruns and delays. The Pentagon wants to put more of the cost-sharing burden on them to drastically increase production rates. Meanwhile, large prime contractors like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman and others are facing competition from startups like Anduril who are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in weapons development and infrastructure costs, as well as wholly self-funding development of some systems.

This is also manifesting in the Pentagon moving away from a weapon system’s original manufacturer ‘owning’ the program for its lifecycle. This situation, referred to as ‘vendor lock’ makes it impossible to compete sustainment and major upgrade contracts, for instance. Instead, the Pentagon will own the rights to the system and be able to have other companies bid on various aspects of its sustainment and upgrade throughout its service life.

“We will enable third-party integration without prime contractor bottlenecks. Success will be measured by the ability of qualified vendors to independently develop, test and integrate replaceable — excuse me, replacement modules at the component level throughout the system life cycle,” Hegseth said in November. “There’s no more complacency and no more monopolies.”

Still, though Trump and the Pentagon have taken aim at defense contractors, the War Secretary said many of these problems are also at least partially self-inflicted.

“We look at ourselves first, the way we do business,” he said in an interview following his visit to the Bath Iron Works in Maine. “We’ve been impossible to deal with – a bad customer who…year after year, changes our mind about what we want or what we don’t want, and then we make little, small technological changes, which makes it more difficult for them to produce what they need to produce on time.”

“So we have to fix our own house first, provide clarity, simplify the system, allow more people to access it [and] give that steady demand signal…”

The buying and selling of weapons is one of the greatest drivers of the U.S. economy and a critical factor in national security. Changing how the Pentagon conducts its business is a huge and fraught endeavor. How it could reshape the military industrial complex, if it succeeds at all, is yet to be fully understood. As is what exactly will happen to companies that end up on the administration’s ‘naughty’ contractor list.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com

The Arctic is increasingly recognized as being of critical strategic importance, with the U.S., as well as NATO members, eager to swiftly implement measures to stamp authority on and preserve security in the region. This will need a multi-layered approach that includes a host of airborne capabilities, especially those pertaining to the surveillance of huge areas. These requirements are complicated by the austere conditions of the frigid high north. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) believes its MQ-9B SeaGuardian® remotely piloted aircraft is ideally suited for Arctic ops and is ready to answer the call for duty at the top of the world.

The continuing retreat of the polar ice cap is opening up opportunities for new shipping routes as well as access to previously untapped natural resources. Together, this has spurred a rush for increased Western presence in the region to ensure access to help stabilize a potential flashpoint that’s of global interest and importance. Even so, the Arctic remains one of the most inhospitable zones on the planet.

Russia has been making moves to extend its already robust military presence in the Arctic. This includes the reactivation of dormant northern air bases and seaports that could be utilized to help deny access to the high north. China too is recognizing the strategic potential of the area, underscored by an expanding presence there. This helped spur the Pentagon to identify the Arctic as “an increasingly competitive domain,” warning Congress of China’s interest in the region.

Braced for the cold

The MQ-9B SeaGuardian is designed for medium-altitude, long-endurance missions, and it incorporates more than three decades’ worth of GA-ASI’s experience in uncrewed air systems. The company has honed its expertise through programs such as the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper. The MQ-9B family includes the baseline SkyGuardian and the maritime-optimized SeaGuardian, as well as the United Kingdom’s Protector version.

The SeaGuardian is physically larger than its predecessors, with a longer wingspan, giving it more range than anything else in this category, as well as better endurance – as much as 40 hours in some configurations. The SeaGuardian’s longer wings mean it can generate sufficient lift to enable it to operate from a wide variety of airfields with runways of limited length, thus affording greater operational flexibility.

GA-ASI is also developing a short takeoff and landing-optimized version of the MQ-9B, which could be employed from aircraft carriers and big deck amphibious assault ships. This capability could also be employed for accessing even smaller airfields.

Introducing MQ-9B STOL

When it comes to cold-weather operations, such as those in the Arctic, the aircraft features electro-expulsive de-icing and a field-proven cold-start capability. In one demonstration, an MQ-9B was cold-soaked and then de-iced, and it started its engine in ambient temperatures below -21 degrees Centigrade (about -5 degrees Fahrenheit), then took off without incident. GA-ASI has proved that the aircraft can roll out from a climate-controlled hangar into subzero ambient conditions, start up, and fly.

“With respect to iced runways, we can operate at airports with runways the same as a conventional aircraft – so it’s cold, there’s ice, but the airport ops crew goes out and clears and salts, and that enables normal flight ops at their field,” commented a GA-ASI spokesperson. “We can do that as far north as there are airports that support those kinds of conditions at the field.”

Important aircraft operators have selected the MQ-9B specifically for these features.

“Nobody knows the hardships associated with operating in the cold better than the Royal Canadian Air Force [RCAF], which is why they needed to be confident this aircraft would work in some of the least hospitable fields in the world,” says Michel Lalumiere, a former RCAF general officer who today leads Canadian business strategy for GA-ASI. “We’ve been working closely with them to ensure that it will become normal operations.” 

Canada is purchasing 11 MQ-9Bs for Arctic operations to provide persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR).

An uncrewed vehicle like the MQ-9B can be controlled remotely from nearly anywhere on the planet. It can operate from an existing air base or at a remote forward location without the need for extensive supporting manpower deployments. Automated takeoff and landing means any support crews that are needed to launch, recover, and maintain operational SeaGuardians can be minimal and more easily sustained.

“You don’t need to bed down a squadron somewhere cold and remote if you don’t want to,” Lalumiere says. “You could send up a small team that catches an MQ-9B at a forward post, refuels, turns the aircraft, and sends it on its way, enabled by the automatic takeoff and landing capabilities. Sustaining these operations becomes about the missions and not the deployments, as we might have thought about them once.”

There is a linked benefit to operating uncrewed air assets in the vast and inhospitable Arctic. Crewed patrol aircraft necessitate search-and-rescue assets standing by in case of emergency. The uncrewed MQ-9B doesn’t need those, so that kind of resource-intensive contingency support can be tasked elsewhere.

Time on task is another consideration. An airborne, on-mission SeaGuardian can change out operating crews over regular shift patterns at the ground control station while the air asset continues its work. With sufficient aircraft and aircrews, an air arm can maintain sufficient orbits to keep watch on a large area of ocean around the clock, indefinitely.

“Imagine an air ops plan like this. A detachment of MQ-9Bs is working heel-to-toe, providing 24/7 overwatch above a patch of important waters,” says Lalumiere. “Aircraft one might have taken off carrying a 360-degree surface search radar to establish the highest-quality domain awareness – and it detects a specific ship of interest. As that aircraft stays with that target, commanders decide to prepare aircraft two in a clean configuration, with no payloads, in order to maximize its endurance. Aircraft two launches and relieves aircraft one, staying with the vessel of interest for many hours. The coast guard decides to interdict the vessel. The aircraft with communications relay equipment coordinates that operation while the other aircraft remain ready to launch, take over, and hold custody of the area, 24/7, until the mission is completed.” 

Multi-mission capability

The modular payload and open architecture MQ-9B is designed to carry a range of systems that enable it to sense and observe anything that comes or goes on the surface of land and sea, in the air, and even beneath the waves. The aircraft can also collect signals intelligence or take on a number of other roles by using many specialized payloads. This is in addition to the aircraft’s ability to strike targets of many kinds.

The MQ-9B has the ability to deploy sonobuoys to listen for submarines – a highly valuable feature considering what lurks below the surface in the Arctic. GA-ASI has flight-tested sonobuoy dispensing system (SDS) pods as part of a broader demonstration of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities for the SeaGuardian. This initially involved an MQ-9A carrying one of the 10-tube dispensers and other ASW-related systems as a surrogate for a SeaGuardian.

GA-ASI and the U.S. Navy continued to expand the ASW capability of the MQ-9B with testing in December 2025 that featured dual sonobuoy pods, thereby doubling the number of sonobuoys available. “Expanding sonobuoy capacity, including Multi-static Active Coherent (MAC) technology for SeaGuardian, has been an integral part of our advanced ASW strategy to broaden and enhance search areas,” said GA-ASI President David Alexander.

While the SDS pods are initially used to release sonobuoys, the company has said that they will also be able to launch smaller unmanned aircraft, the latter of which could then potentially operate as an autonomous swarm. This can drastically increase the size of a single MQ-9B’s collection area and provides tactical flexibility for a single platform that was previously impossible to obtain.

The MQ-9B is already being prepared to be able to release a small unmanned craft of its own, such as GA-ASI’s Sparrowhawk drone and other launched effects.  

In addition to providing ISR over a large geographical area, small drones like the Sparrowhawk could provide other capabilities, such as stand-in electronic warfare jamming, or even act as decoys to confuse an enemy, further improving the survivability of the host aircraft. U.S. Special Operations Command has already experimented with the use of MQ-9Bs as launch platforms for small expendable drones.

The SeaGuardian is also being prepared as an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) variant, which would present a readily deployable, long-endurance solution for this important role, which would carry obvious benefits in the Arctic to keep an eye on the airspace, including spotting unexpected air traffic.

Operational relevance

The SeaGuardian’s multi-mission flexibility is seen by GA-ASI as being highly relevant to Arctic multi-domain awareness. A regular pattern of patrol flights would enable authorities to maintain a comprehensive picture of who and what is present in the far north, and therefore how best to respond.

A detachment of uncrewed MQ-9Bs presents a far smaller footprint than crewed patrol aircraft, which are often costly and have their own risk factors when operating in such austere conditions. It’s worth noting that some satellite coverage in the high latitudes is spotty, irregular, and operationally unresponsive. However, the SeaGuardian is equipped with satellite communications equipment that can take advantage of both new and emerging spacecraft constellations for operations anywhere.

The MQ-9B has been ordered by the United Kingdom, Belgium, Poland, Japan, Canada, India, Qatar, and several other nations. SeaGuardians have already proved their worth. In 2024, MQ-9B supported the Indian Navy in a rescue mission to save crew members aboard a merchant ship captured by pirates as well as helping to locate vessels in distress. They have even aided mariners in the Pacific Ocean to avoid the hazards represented by newly formed volcanic islands.

The latest customers include a group of northern powers, namely Canada, Denmark and, most recently, Germany. The U.S. Navy has also included the MQ-9B in fleet exercises, including Northern Edge, Integrated Battle Problem, RIMPAC, and Group Sail, in which it has escorted warships, coordinated communications, and tracked simulated submarines, amongst other tasks. The Navy is now expected to give GA-ASI deployment flight clearance for distributed ASW operations using the SeaGuardian.

So, while many in Washington, D.C., and in European capitals are preparing for a disputatious Arctic, GA-ASI believes that the SeaGuardian is ready for the challenges that lie ahead at the top of the world.

Contact the editor: Tyler@twz.com

Jeffrey Epstein used a former Russian official with links to Moscow’s FSB intelligence services to collect information on a woman he claimed was attempting to blackmail his business associates, according to documents released by the United States Department of Justice.

Epstein reached out to Sergei Belyakov, a former deputy minister of economic development, for advice in 2015 about what he described as an attempt to blackmail a group of “powerful” businessmen in New York, the documents contained in the latest tranche of the so-called Epstein files show.

“I need a favor,” Epstein wrote to Belyakov in a July 2015 email, describing an extortion attempt by a Russian woman who had arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York the previous week.

Epstein said the situation was “bad for business for everyone involved” and asked for “suggestions”.

Belyakov, a graduate of the FSB Academy, Moscow’s institute for training intelligence personnel, wrote back that he needed some time to “get information about her” and that he would meet a man who knew the woman the next day.

Several days later, Belyakov sent Epstein a roughly 100-word description of the woman’s background and what the ex-official described as her “sex and escort” business.

“She has nobody behind her,” Belyakov said, adding that she was believed to have “no patronage”.

Belyakov said “business problems” may have led the woman to resort to blackmail, and suggested that denying her entry to the US would be a “real threat” to her business.

Epstein, the FSB Academy graduate and US billionaires

Belyakov, who took up the position of board chairman at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum after leaving the Kremlin in 2014, relied on Epstein for access to high-profile figures in the financier’s orbit, according to the documents.

After a meeting with Epstein in May 2014, Belyakov told the convicted sex offender that he did not know many people who could offer “new horizons and prospects”.

“And I’m looking forward for next meeting with you,” he told Epstein.

In July 2015, Belyakov sought Epstein’s help to organise meetings with American venture capitalist Peter Thiel and the billionaire heir and businessman Thomas Pritzker.

“Sergey – let me know when you are in SF and it would be good to find a time to meet,” Thiel wrote to Belyakov in an email in July 2015, following an introduction by Epstein.

A little over a week later, Belyakov told Epstein that Thiel and Pritzker had shared their views on Russia’s economy and other topics, calling the meetings “very helpful”.

“By the way I was surprised that they had a lot of information about Russian economy and their view about our society,” Belyakov wrote, adding he hoped to see both businessmen again in Moscow.

In 2016, Belyakov sought Epstein’s feedback on proposals he wished to discuss with business leaders in the US.

Epstein told Belyakov he liked the idea, which was not specified in the emails, but that he should get a “good English speaking editor” before sharing business proposals, and there were “pretty women” who could fill the role.

Efforts by Al Jazeera to contact Belyakov, including through the St Petersburg International Economic Forum and the e-commerce company Ozon, where he served as managing director from 2021 to 2024, were unsuccessful.

Thiel’s foundation did not respond to a request for comment. Pritzker declined to comment through a spokesperson for his foundation.

Epstein also sought to arrange meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to the documents, though there is no indication he was successful.

“I think you might suggest to putin, that lavrov, can get insight on talking to me,” Epstein wrote in an email to former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland in June 2018.

Jagland, who is under investigation in Norway on suspicion of corruption in his dealings with Epstein, wrote back that he would “suggest” the idea to Lavrov’s assistant.

Epstein, who died in 2019 while in prison awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, has long been the focus of speculation that he worked for or with intelligence agencies on behalf of various countries, including Israel.

He had close ties with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak during his lifetime, with the two men exploring numerous business ventures and regularly exchanging correspondence on personal matters.

Barak’s former aide Yoni Koren, an ex-Israeli military intelligence officer who died in 2023, also stayed at residences belonging to Epstein for long stretches while receiving cancer treatment in the US in the late 2010s.

U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command says it is prepared to load more warheads onto Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) and restore nuclear weapons capability to the entire B-52 bomber fleet, if called upon to do so. Limitations had been imposed on both of those capabilities by the New START arms control treaty between the United States and Russia, which recently expired without a follow-on agreement in place, as you can read more about here.

There are currently 400 Minuteman IIIs, also designated LGM-30Gs, loaded in silos spread across five states. Each one is topped with a single W78 or W87 warhead. Of the Air Force’s 76 B-52H bombers, 30 are currently only capable of employing conventional munitions. This posture had helped the United States meet its obligations under New START. The treaty had put hard caps on the total number of deployed strategic missiles and bombers, strategic nuclear warheads, and relevant deployed and non-deployed launchers that the United States and Russia could have at any one time.

“The conclusion of New START allows us to streamline our focus and dedicate more resources to our core mission: ensuring a safe, secure, and effective nuclear deterrent,” an AFGSC spokesperson told TWZ. “This managed transition enhances our operational readiness and our ability to respond to the nation’s call.”

Air Force Global Strike Command: Our Nation’s Shield

“Although we will not comment on the posturing of our forces, Air Force Global Strike Command both maintains the capability and training to MIRV the Minuteman III ICBM force and convert its entire B-52 fleet into dual capable long range strike platforms if directed by the President,” the spokesperson added.

MIRV here stands for multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle. ICBMs and other ballistic missiles with MIRV configurations are designed to carry and release multiple warheads on different targets in the course of their flight. When the Air Force first began fielding the LGM-30G in 1970, the missiles had a MIRV configuration with three W78 warheads. Each one of those warheads has a reported yield of around 335 kilotons.

The Minuteman IIIs had already been downloaded to just one warhead in line with other strategic arms control treaties with Russia prior to New START. Those agreements had also led to the early retirement of the Air Force’s LGM-118A Peacemaker ICBM force in 2005. The LGM-118A was also a MIRVed missile capable of carrying up to 11 W87 warheads at once. Newer W87s from decommissioned Peacemakers were subsequently refitted on Minuteman IIIs. The W87’s reported yield is at least 300 kilotons, but its second stage is understood to be modifiable to increase that to 475 kilotons.

The time that would be required, as well as what it would cost, to ‘upload’ more warheads onto any portion of the Minuteman III force is unclear. At least some of those missiles would also need to be refitted with MIRV-capable payload buses. Whether there are any additional limitations on how many W87s can be loaded onto a single LGM-30G at once is also not clear. The ready availability of appropriate warheads is another open question.

“I do believe that we need to take serious consideration in seeing what uploading and re-MIRVing the ICBM looks like, and what does it take to potentially do that,” now-retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Anthony Cotton, then head of U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM), had said during a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee back in 2024.

All of this could also impact the future configuration of the LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM now in development to replace the Minuteman III. In line with the New START limits, the Air Force’s stated plan to date has been to top each LGM-35A with a single warhead. The entire Sentinel program is currently in the process of being restructured as a result of severe delays and ballooning costs. The blame for those issues has been placed largely on requirements for new ground-based infrastructure rather than the missiles themselves, as you can read more about here.

Re-nuclearizing the 30 B-52s is at least a somewhat less complex proposition. The process of converting those bombers into a conventional-only configuration involved “removing the nuclear code enabling switch and interconnection box, mounting a code enabling switch inhibitor plate, removing applicable cable connectors, [and] capping applicable wire bundles,” according to a letter Russian authorities sent a letter to their U.S. counterparts in 2018, which The Wall Street Journal obtained and then published.

Officials in Moscow had sent the missive to lodge official complaints about what they described as potentially readily reversible steps the U.S. military had taken to meet its New START obligations. What additional steps the U.S. military may have taken with regard to the B-52 fleet to address those concerns are not entirely clear. Today, nuclear-capable B-52Hs are easy to distinguish by the presence of a pair of prominent antennas, one on either side of the rear fuselage.

There has been some disagreement in the past about what it might cost to restore nuclear capability to the entire B-52 fleet.

“The restoration could probably be done without much difficulty. The necessary wiring is probably still in place… and physical components that had been removed could be re-installed,” Defense News reported in 2024, citing Mark Gunzinger, Director of Future Concepts and Capability Assessments at the Air & Space Association’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies think tank. Gunzinger is also an Air Force veteran who flew B-52s.

“This would cost a great deal of money,” Representative Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington State and the ranking member of his party on the House Armed Services Committee, also said at that time, per the same Defense News story. “Also, they’re currently trying to extend the life of a number of B-52s out to 2050, which they think they can do. This would be another added expense to that.”

In the annual defense policy bill, or National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), for the 2025 Fiscal Year, Congress did give the Air Force authority to convert conventional-only B-52Hs back to a dual-capable configuration following the expiration of New START. However, the provisions did not compel the service to do so, and did not provide any hints as to the time or funds that would be needed.

As it stands now, there is also only one nuclear weapon authorized for use on the B-52, which is the AGM-86B Air-Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM). A replacement for the AGM-86B, the AGM-181A Long Range Stand-Off (LRSO) missile, is now in development. The AGM-181A is also set to be part of the nuclear arsenal for the forthcoming B-21 Raider stealth bomber.

The B-52 fleet is otherwise in the process of recieving a host of major upgrades, including new engines and radars. At the end of the upgrade process, which has been beset by delays, the bombers will be redesignated as B-52Js. They are expected to keep flying into the 2050s. The end of New START could have further impacts on the Air Force’s future bomber fleets, as there are currently no constraints on how many nuclear-capable B-21s the service can now order.

B-52 Future Stratofortress: The Upgrades That Will Transform The B-52H Into The B-52J

In the wake of New START’s expiration, U.S. officials have said that they are committed to pursuing new strategic arms control agreements, but also that they want any future deal to include China, as well as Russia. These Chinese are currently in the midst of a major nuclear modernization effort, as well as a huge expansion in their total stockpile, though their arsenal continues to be dwarfed by that of the United States and Russia. Officials in Beijing have repeatedly rebuffed calls to join in new strategic arms control negotiations. U.S. authorities have also now openly alleged that the Chinese government has engaged in secret critical-level nuclear testing, which could further complicate future diplomatic efforts.

So far, the U.S. government has not laid out any specific plans to increase the size of America’s nuclear arsenal or otherwise alter its nuclear force posture. However, AFGSC has now said that it is at least prepared to move out on returning the Minuteman IIIs to a MIRVed configuration and/or restoring nuclear capability to the entire B-52 fleet if that decision is made.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

As he mulls over a decision about whether to attack Iran, President Donald Trump has reportedly ordered a second aircraft carrier strike group (CSG) to prepare for a Middle East deployment. However, even if that is authorized, it would take weeks for the vessels to arrive in the region.

The Wall Street Journal reported that in addition to being told to get ready to head to the Middle East, the ships could soon be ordered to deploy. If that happens, the CSG would join the USS Abraham Lincoln CSG already in the region.

“The order to deploy could be issued in a matter of hours,” the Journal posited, citing anonymous officials. However, the order hasn’t been given and plans can change, it added.

“One of the officials said the Pentagon was readying a carrier to deploy in two weeks, likely from the U.S. East Coast,” the newspaper noted. “The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush is completing a series of training exercises off the coast of Virginia, and it could potentially expedite those exercises.”

We reached out to the Navy, which declined comment.

If a deployment order were issued today, it would still probably be mid-March before an East Coast-based CSG could arrive on station. Even with truncated pre-deployment workups, the ships would have to travel across the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea or even further through the Suez Canal to the Red Sea.

Another CSG, with its embarked tactical aircraft and Aegis-equipped escorts, would certainly bolster the forces massing in the region for a potential conflict with Iran. As we have frequently pointed out, there is not enough tactical airpower there now for a major sustained operation. A second CSG would be provide a significant help.

While no decision has yet to be made about a second CSG, the journey of F-35A stealth fighters from the Vermont Air National Guard (VANG) has apparently continued toward the Middle East. There are indications that six of the jets, which online flight tracking data shows took off from Lakenheath Air Base in the U.K. on Wednesday morning, were headed to Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on Wednesday. 

Measures would let authorities impose a 30-day blockade on sea arrivals if there is a ‘serious threat to public order”.

Italy’s government has signed off on a new bill to curb undocumented immigration, including using the navy to block incoming migrant ships in “exceptional” cases.

The cabinet of Italy’s conservative Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni greenlighted the migration bill on Wednesday. It also calls for stricter border surveillance and expands the list of convictions for which a foreigner can be expelled.

Before going into effect, the bill must be approved by both chambers of parliament.

One of the most controversial elements allows authorities to impose a 30-day naval blockade on sea arrivals if there is a “serious threat to public order or national security”.

Such a threat could include “exceptional migratory pressure that could compromise the secure management of borders”, says the bill. It also cites the “concrete risk” of terrorist acts or infiltration in Italy, global health emergencies and high-level international events.

Those violating the rules would face fines of up to 50,000 euros ($59,400) and would see their boats confiscated in the case of repeated violations, a measure that seems to target humanitarian rescue ships.

If approved by parliament, the bill could help revive Italy’s beleaguered “return hub” migrants centre in Albania, which has failed to take off due to a series of legal challenges and has been roundly condemned by rights groups.

Migrant boat arrivals to Italy down

The draft legislation comes a day after the European Parliament adopted two flagship texts tightening European Union migration policy, which Italy had pushed for. That EU legislation allows member states to deny asylum and deport migrants to designated “safe” countries outside the bloc, provided there is an agreement with the receiving country.

Meron Ameha Knikman, senior adviser for the International Rescue Committee, said those measures are “likely to force people to countries they may never have set foot in – places where they have no community, do not speak the language, and face a very real risk of abuse and exploitation.”

Meloni, the head of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, was elected in 2022 on a promise to stop the tens of thousands of migrants who land in small boats on Italy’s shores each year.

Her government has signed accords with North African countries to limit departures, while also restricting the activities of the charities that operate rescue boats in the Central Mediterranean.

The number of migrants arriving in Italy by sea this year has fallen to 2,000 compared with 4,400 during the same period last year, according to government figures.

Still, large numbers of migrants continue to die crossing the Central Mediterranean, with nearly 490 people reported missing this year, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The celebrations between a group of City players at full-time to preserve a clean sheet epitomised the togetherness that has been forged and the character they are able to display.

The result at Anfield appears to have given City and Guardiola renewed belief that they are capable of chasing down Arsenal, despite not being at their rampant best this season.

City have the know-how of getting the job done, having been top dogs in six of the past eight seasons, while Arsenal will be hoping there isn’t a familiar story to the past three campaigns when they have finished runners-up.

Former Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given told BBC Radio Live: “There are still fragilities we haven’t seen in the past perhaps, but they still have the armoury I think to go on a crazy run now and be unbeaten and all that stuff.

“It’s not that big of a statement to say that. The manner in which they won on Sunday, the psychological side. They have gone ‘this is ours for the taking’.

“The belief runs through the whole club and fans where they think, ‘do you know what, we still have a great chance’. That will give them belief for this run-in.”

The weight of expectation will lie heavily on Arsenal‘s shoulders before facing the Bees, with an uncomfortable night’s sleep in store after seeing City take apart Fulham in a clinical first-half showing.

But Arsenal know they can respond by claiming three points at the G Tech Stadium and if they follow it up by beating bottom side Wolves next Wednesday, the tantalising prospect of a nine-point lead awaits.

The two sides meet in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday 22 March with the chance of inflicting the first direct psychological blow.

Recent history shows that seven of the last 12 winners of the EFL Cup have gone on to win at least one other trophy in the same season, highlighting the importance of claiming the trophy at Wembley next month.

They are scheduled to meet at Etihad Stadium in the Premier League in April but the rivalry could see them face each other another three times if they progress in both the Champions League and FA Cup.

While Arsenal did not sign anyone in the January transfer window, City added Antoine Semenyo, who has scored five goals already, and England international Marc Guehi, who contributed to a clean sheet.

Guardiola said his side are “growing”, adding: “We were together, more calm with the ball, we made inside, outside [runs]. I would say the position was not perfect for Nico O’Reilly and Phil [Foden] but sometimes it happens to be in better positions, but in general really pleased.

“We suffered a lot at Fulham and today, after physically and emotionally at Anfield, it is really tricky but we talked a lot and I said ‘guys we have to do it again’ and we did it.”

Drones operated by Mexican drug cartels flying across the border prompted a major clampdown in air traffic over El Paso, Texas, earlier today, a Trump administration official has told TWZ. The airspace restrictions appeared without warning and created still lingering confusion. Cross-border cartel drone operations are a chronic issue, and we have been calling attention to the growing dangers they pose for many years now.

New details can be found in an update at the bottom of this story.

“Mexican cartel drones breached US airspace. The Department of War [DOW] took action to disable the drones,” the administration official told us. “The FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel.”

“The FAA and DOW acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion,” Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy has also said in a statement. “The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region. The restrictions have been lifted and normal flights are resuming.”

“The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted,” according to an earlier post from the official FAA account on X. “There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal.”

Reuters had earlier reported that the FAA’s action was “tied to the Pentagon’s use of counterdrone technology to address Mexican drug cartels’ use of drones,” citing anonymous “airline sources.” Politico had also reported a link to counter-drone testing, citing an unnamed aviation industry source. Coordination problems between the FAA and the military may have created a disconnect. An unnamed U.S. official reportedly told The Atlantic that the “FAA reopened the air space after talking to officials at Fort Bliss,” as well. Fort Bliss lies adjacent to El Paso International Airport.

TWZ has reached out to the White House, the FAA, the Pentagon, U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), Fort Bliss, and the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office for more information about the circumstances surrounding the airspace closure.

The FAA had issued the temporary flight restrictions suddenly and without apparent warning to various federal, state, and local authorities, causing immense confusion, which is clearly continuing to a degree. The airspace closure centered on El Paso International Airport, and extended 10 miles in all directions and up to an altitude of 17,999 feet. This led to a ground stop at the airport and a total shutdown of air traffic within the affected zone, which was declared to be “national defense airspace.” Warnings that intruders could face the risk of deadly force if deemed to be an “imminent security threat,” as well as the possibility of being “intercepted, detained, and interviewed,” were issued. Even military, police, and medical evacuation aviation activities were impacted. The only explanation given initially for the airspace closure, which was originally slated to last 10 days, was unspecified “special security reasons.”

Similar airspace restrictions were also imposed overnight over an area around Santa Teresa, New Mexico, to the west of El Paso, the current status of which is unclear.

“We were just as surprised as anyone that the NOTAM was imposed and just as surprised that it was lifted,” U.S. Army Maj. Will McGehee, a spokesperson for the 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss, told TWZ this morning after the flight restrictions over El Paso were lifted. “We are trying to figure out what is going on and referring all calls to the FAA. We don’t have any information about why the FAA did this.”

In addition to the 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss is home to a significant portion of the Army’s air defense units, which are increasingly charged with the counter-drone mission. The base is also a major hub for border security operations, which the U.S. military often conducts in cooperation with law enforcement agencies, as well.

“From what my office and I have been able to gather overnight and early this morning there is no immediate threat to the community or surrounding areas. There was no advance notice provided to my office, the City of El Paso, or anyone involved in airport operations,” Veronica Escobar, the Democrat who currently represents the El Paso area in the House of Representatives, wrote earlier on X. “We have urged the FAA to immediately lift the Temporary Flight Restrictions placed on the El Paso area.”

“Nobody local got advance notice. And I mean nobody – neither civilian or military leadership,” El Paso City Councilmember Chris Canales also said, according to Blake Spendley (who goes by the handle @OSINTtechnical on X).

As noted, cross-border drone activity linked to Mexican drug cartels is not new and happens routinely, historically as a means of smuggling illicit narcotics. However, cartels in Mexico have been expanding their drone capabilities in recent years to include the use of weaponized commercial types. These are developments that TWZ highlights regularly, including in a detailed feature last year about the prospect of U.S military action against the cartels and the ramifications thereof, which you can find here.

“Drones crossed over but the reason why they used a counter-unmanned aerial system (CUAS) was because they were extremely aggressive and put helicopters at risk,” Stefano Ritondale, chief intelligence officer for Artorias, an artificial intelligence-driven intelligence company specializing in cartel violence in Mexico, Latin American affairs, and trade/organized crime, told TWZ. “Drones cross over all the time.”

“Based on the area in which the TFRs are located and who we have seen operate in that area, the most likely culprit would be La Línea/Cartel de Juárez,” a spokesperson for a team of open source analysts with a focus on cartels & other non-state actors, who goes by the handle @natsecboogie on X, also told us. “We have documented some of their drone use along the border for smuggling.”

Last year, the U.S. military did announce the deployment of additional counter-drone capabilities as part of a larger buildup along the border with Mexico. This is known to have included radars and other sensors just to help better monitor for potential threats.

The action taken today also follows a string of announcements from the Pentagon recently about new authorities to respond to drone threats in the U.S. homeland. Last year, U.S. Air Force Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, head of NORTHCOM, had openly advocated for these authorities in part to address cartel drones along the southern border.

What happened today is evidence of the new counter-drone response mechanisms in place now. NORTHCOM has now established a rapidly deployable counter-drone capability, though it’s unclear if it was employed in this case. At least on the part of the U.S. military, the ability to decide to act seems to be much clearer-cut, in general. At the same time, what happened overnight underscores the importance of interagency coordination and communication, especially with the public and among stakeholders, which seems to still be sorely lacking.

General concerns about drone threats to the U.S. homeland, especially to military assets and other critical infrastructure, have been steadily building up for some time now, as well. This has included collisions and near-misses with U.S military aircraft flying over training ranges, as well as incidents involving U.S. naval forces offshore. Reported drone incursions over nuclear power plants and other facilities have spiked in recent years.

In many instances, drone concerns have become intertwined with claimed sightings of what are often now referred to as unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), or what used to be more commonly called unidentified flying objects (UFO).

Altogether, questions do still remain about what exactly prompted the airspace restrictions around El Paso today, but they do serve to underscore real concerns about drone threats that have been growing for some time.

Update: 1:55 PM EST –

CBS News and CNN have both now reported that a breakdown in coordination between the U.S. military and the FAA over the employment of a counter-drone system armed with a laser directed energy weapon contributed to the imposition of the flight restrictions around El Paso.

“Meetings were scheduled over safety impacts, but Pentagon officials wanted to test the technology sooner,” according to CBS News, citing multiple unnamed sources. “Airlines were also aware of the apparent impasse between the FAA and Pentagon officials over the issue because the Pentagon has been using Fort Bliss for anti-cartel drone operations without sharing information with the FAA.”

SCOOP: The unexpected airspace closure in El Paso stemmed from disagreements over drone-related tests, sources told @CBSNews. Pentagon had undertaken extensive planning on use of military tech near Fort Bliss. Two sources identified the technology as a high-energy laser.
Earlier…

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) February 11, 2026

“It’s unclear if the presence of [cartel] drones might have led to the acceleration of the deployment of the laser system,” per CNN‘s report, which also cites multiple anonymous sources.

CBS News‘ report also says the same “anti-drone technology was launched near the southern border to shoot down what appeared to be foreign drones” earlier this week, but what was ultimately shot down “turned out to be a party balloon.” The story separately says that “one official said at least one cartel drone was successfully disabled,” but it is unclear when that engagement may have occurred.

Questions remain about the exact chain of events that led the FAA to impose the temporary flight restrictions around El Paso.

“The statement by the administration that this shutdown was linked to a Mexican cartel drone that came into US airspace — that is not my understanding,” Rep. Escobar said at a press conference today.

”What happened in El Paso last night is unacceptable,” Rick Larsen and Andre Carson, Democratic Party representatives from Washington State and Indiana, respectively, also said in a joint statement. ”While we’re not happy with the disruption, we commend the FAA for taking swift action to protect travelers and ensure the safety of U.S. airspace.”

Larsen and Carson both sit on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

“This chaotic outcome is the result of hamhanded language forced into the NDAA [the National Defense Authorization Act, the annual defense policy bill] by the White House that allowed the Pentagon to act recklessly in the public airspace,” their statement added. “We look forward to pursuing a bipartisan solution that strengthens interagency coordination and ensures that the Department of Defense will not jeopardize safety and disrupt the freedom to travel.”

Author’s note: The headline to this story was changed to reflect new information.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office’s 10-year outlook projects worsening long-term United States federal deficits and rising debt, driven largely by increased spending, notably on Social Security, Medicare, and debt service payments.

Compared with the CBO’s analysis this time last year, the fiscal outlook, which was released on Wednesday, has deteriorated modestly.

The CBO said that the deficit for fiscal 2026 – President Donald Trump’s first full fiscal year in office – will be about 5.8 percent of GDP, about where it was in fiscal 2025, when the deficit was $1.775 trillion.

But the US deficit-to-GDP ratio will average 6.1 percent over the next decade, reaching 6.7 percent in fiscal 2036 – far above US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s goal to shrink it to about 3 percent of economic output.

Major developments over the last year are factored into the latest report, including Republicans’ tax and spending measure known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” higher tariffs, and the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, which includes deporting millions of immigrants from the US mainland.

As a result of these changes, the projected 2026 deficit is about $100bn higher, and total deficits from 2026 to 2035 are $1.4 trillion larger, while debt held by the public is projected to rise from 101 percent of GDP to 120 percent — exceeding historical highs.

Notably, the CBO says higher tariffs partially offset some of those increases by raising federal revenue by $3 trillion, but that also comes with higher inflation from 2026 to 2029.

Rising debt and debt service are important because repaying investors for borrowed money crowds out government spending on basic needs such as roads, infrastructure and education, which enable investments in future economic growth.

CBO projections also indicate that inflation does not hit the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target rate until 2030.

A major difference is that the CBO forecasts rely on significantly lower economic growth projections than the Trump administration, pegging 2026 real GDP growth at 2.2 percent on a fourth-quarter comparison basis, fading to an average of about 1.8 percent for the rest of the decade.

Trump administration officials in recent weeks have projected robust growth in the 3-4 percent range for 2026, with recent predictions that first-quarter growth could top 6 percent amid rising investments in factories and artificial intelligence data centres.

CBO’s forecasts assume that tax and spending laws and tariff policies in early December remain in place for a decade. The government’s fiscal year starts on October 1.

While revived investment tax incentives and bigger individual tax refunds provide a boost in 2026, the CBO said that this is attenuated by the drag from larger fiscal deficits and reduced immigration that slows the growth of the labour force.

Jonathan Burks, executive vice president of economic and health policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center said “large deficits are unprecedented for a growing, peacetime economy”, though “the good news is there is still time for policymakers to correct course.”

‘Urgent warning’

Lawmakers have recently addressed rising federal debt and deficits primarily through targeted spending caps and debt limit suspensions, as well as deploying “extraordinary measures” when the US is close to hitting its statutory spending limit, though these measures have often been accompanied by new, large-scale spending or tax policies that maintain high deficit levels.

And Trump, at the start of his second term, deployed a new “Department of Government Efficiency”, which set a goal to balance the budget by cutting $2 trillion in waste, fraud and abuse; however, budget analysts estimate that DOGE cut anywhere between $1.4bn to $7bn, largely through workforce firings.

Michael Peterson, CEO of the Peterson Foundation, said the CBO’s latest budget projection “is an urgent warning to our leaders about America’s costly fiscal path.”

“This election year, voters understand the connection between rising debt and their personal economic condition. And the financial markets are watching. Stabilising our debt is an essential part of improving affordability, and must be a core component of the 2026 campaign conversation.”

Rutherford’s 76 and spinners’ control help the two-time champions beat the 2022 winners at the Wankhede Stadium.

Sherfane Rutherford struck ‌a belligerent half-century and Gudakesh Motie produced a brilliant display of spin bowling ⁠as West Indies ⁠thumped England by 30 runs in T20 World Cup Group C.

Rutherford smacked seven sixes in his unbeaten 76 off 42 deliveries to provide ⁠the bedrock of his team’s imposing total of 196-6 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Twice champions West Indies returned to choke their opponents with spin and bundled out England for 166 in 19 overs ⁠to top the group with their second successive victory.

England slipped to third place, behind Scotland, after their first defeat in the tournament.

“Disappointing. It’s never nice to lose a game, but West Indies played outstanding,” England captain Harry Brook said.

“We thought it was a chaseable total for ‌sure but it didn’t dew up as much as we expected and didn’t skid onto the bat.”

Put into bat, West Indies lost both openers in the first seven deliveries of their innings.

Shimron Hetmyer (23) and Roston Chase (34) steadied the ship before Rutherford walked in to light up the Wankhede Stadium.

He shared a 61-run stand with Jason Holder, who struck four sixes in his 33 off 17 balls, to take West ⁠Indies close to 200.

Leg-spinner Adil Rashid excelled for England, conceding only ⁠16 runs in his four overs and claiming the wickets of Chase and Rovman Powell.

England made a flying start before losing Phil Salt (30) in the fourth over.

Chase removed Jos Buttler for 21 and left-arm spinner Motie ⁠produced a double strike to turn the heat on England, who slumped to 93-4 at the halfway stage of their innings.

The ⁠situation demanded caution and Brook duly curbed his normal ⁠aggression but the West Indian spinners would not be denied.

Motie (3-33) caught Brook off his own bowling and Chase trapped Will Jacks lbw to further turn the screw.

Sam Curran made a valiant 43 not out down the order ‌but lacked support.

“I have put in a lot of work coming into the World Cup,” Rutherford said.

“I trust my process and I can score runs in the end when ‌I ‌play with a clear mind. We were maybe 10 runs behind what we wanted given England’s powerful batting but the guys bowled well.”

Caracas, February 11, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuela’s oil output contracted to a two-year low following  Washington’s month-long naval blockade against the Caribbean nation’s crude exports.

The latest OPEC monthly report placed Venezuela’s January production at 830,000 barrels per day (bpd), down from 917,000 bpd in December, according to secondary sources. The figure is the lowest since May 2024. 

For its part, state oil company PDVSA reported 924,000 bpd produced in January, down from 1.12 million bpd the prior month. The direct and secondary measurements have differed over the years due to disagreements over the inclusion of natural gas liquids and condensates.

The output contraction was a result of the US Navy imposing a blockade on Venezuelan oil exports and seizing several tankers allegedly involved in Venezuelan crude shipments. The exhaustion of storage capacity forced PDVSA and partners to cut back production.

The blockade came on top of draconian sanctions that have stymied the Venezuelan oil industry for years. Since 2017, Washington has levied financial sanctions, an export embargo, secondary sanctions, and a host of other coercive measures aimed at strangling the country’s main source of foreign revenue.

Following the January 3 US military strikes and kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Venezuelan oil began to flow once more under an arrangement imposed by the Trump administration. Commodity traders Vitol and Trafigura have been lifting Venezuelan crude, depositing proceeds in White House-administered bank accounts in Qatar, and offering cargoes to customers all over the world.

On Tuesday, the Venezuelan government denied a Bloomberg report that the country had shipped crude to Israel. According to the business outlet, the shipment would be delivered to the Bazan Group, Israel’s largest refiner. Bloomberg did not specify whether the Venezuelan crude cargo was purchased from Vitol, Trafigura, or another source. As part of the new US-imposed arrangement, the sale marks the first time Venezuelan oil will reach Israel since at least 2020, per Bloomberg. 

The Trump administration has sought to leverage its influence over the Venezuelan oil sector to pressure allies such as India to replace imports from US geopolitical rivals, including Russia and Iran. Indian public companies Indian Oil and Hindustan Petroleum are set to join private refiner Reliance Industries in purchasing Venezuelan oil, with 2 million barrels of Merey crude expected to be delivered in the coming weeks. Nevertheless, Venezuelan supplies are not expected to significantly alter global demand given the present output and the extra-heavy nature of Venezuelan crude blends.

US and European firms have likewise acquired Venezuelan cargoes in recent weeks.

For their part, Venezuelan acting authorities have courted foreign investment and enacted a pro-business overhaul of the country’s oil legislation. The reform offers lower taxes and royalties, as well as increased control over operations and sales, to private corporations, reducing the role played by the Venezuelan state.

Trump administration officials praised the oil reform for “eradicating restrictions” on private investment, while the US Treasury Department has issued several sanctions exemptions to boost US corporate involvement in the Venezuelan oil industry.

A January 29 license allowing US companies to purchase and market Venezuelan crude was followed up with a waiver on diluent exports to Venezuela on February 3. On Tuesday, the US Treasury published General License 48 permitting US exports of goods, technology and software for oil exploration to Venezuela.

The sanctions waivers demand that contracts be subjected to US law and forbid any transactions with companies from Russia, Iran, Cuba, North Korea, and China. They also mandate that payments be deposited in accounts determined by the US Treasury.

In early February, US officials confirmed that US $500 million from crude sales had been rerouted to the South American country, to be offered in foreign currency auctions by public and private banks. A further $300 million is expected in the coming days. 

However, the initial deal announced by Trump comprised 30-50 million barrels and an estimated $2 billion. Venezuelan authorities have not disclosed what portion of revenues the country will receive, while Trump has said the US will “keep some” of the income. 

Senior Trump administration officials have vowed to maintain control over Venezuelan oil exports for an “indefinite” period, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio claiming that the Venezuelan acting government headed by Delcy Rodríguez needs to submit a “budget request” before accessing the country’s oil proceeds.

Who: India vs Namibia
What: ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 – Group A
When: Thursday, February 12 at 7pm (13:30 GMT)
Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi, India
How to follow and stream: Al Jazeera’s live text and photo stream begins at 10:30 GMT

Namibia will look to make the most of an illness-and-injury-plagued Indian side when they meet the defending champions in their Group A match on Thursday.

India are likely to take the field without their swashbuckling opener Abhishek Sharma after he was hospitalised with an upset stomach on Tuesday.

While Sharma was discharged on the eve of the match, his presence in the playing XI is doubtful.

The world’s top-ranked T20I batter struggled in India’s opening match against the United States.

“He has been discharged today, and he is doing well,” Indian batter Tilak Varma told reporters.

“We have got one more day for the game. Hopefully, we decide by tomorrow on how he feels, and we go with it.”

In better news for the world champions, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is expected to return after he missed the opener due to a fever.

Namibia expect ‘great spectacle’

Namibia, meanwhile, will be looking to move past their heavy loss against the Netherlands on Tuesday and register a shock win over the two-time world champions.

The African team’s coach, Craig Williams, admitted his side faces a stiff challenge against India, but they would like to pose a challenge against the pre-tournament favourites.

“Playing India in India – it’s going to be a great game for us and the spectacle is going to be fantastic for everyone back home as well,” Williams said before the match.

“As a professional team, we want to put on a good show, and hopefully, we’re going to stick to our game plan, and then we’ll see what happens at the end of the day.”

Williams said the key to Namibia’s chances will be a strong batting performance at the top of the order.

“We need someone in our top four to bat for a prolonged period of time, and then you need partnerships,” the former cricketer said.

“Playing against India won’t be easier, but if we can stick to our game plan, and take one ball at a time, hopefully, the result will then go our way.”

Form guide: India

India are on an eight-game unbeaten run in the T20 World Cup, carrying on from their title-winning campaign in 2024.

They lost one of their five T20Is against New Zealand last month.

Last five matches (most recent first): W W L W W

Form guide: Namibia

One of the biggest results in Namibian cricket history came in October, when they beat 2024 finalists South Africa by four wickets.

They have not been lucky enough to play international fixtures regularly, but can pose a challenge if one of their key players makes an impact.

Last five matches (most recent first): L W L W W

Team news: India

India’s squad has been hit by a range of illnesses and injuries, but Suryakumar Yadav’s team have plenty of power on the bench to grab another win.

Bumrah could return to the XI, replacing his stand-in Mohammed Siraj, and Sanju Samson could take Sharma’s place at the top of the order.

Predicted XI: Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy

Team news: Namibia

Namibia could field the same XI that lost to the Netherlands, hoping that the result goes the other way this time.

Predicted XI: Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (captain), JJ Smit, Zane Green (wicketkeeper), Dylan Leicher, Willem Myburgh, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz, Max Heingo

Beirut, Lebanon – The Lebanese and Syrian governments have reached a deal to repatriate about 300 Syrian inmates in Lebanese prisons back to their home country in a move that could pave the way for better relations between the two neighbours.

The issue of Syrian prisoners in Lebanon has been a priority for Damascus since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024. Relations between the two countries have long been marked by what many Lebanese describe as nearly 30 years of occupation and a tutelage rule by Syria over Lebanon, which ended when Syria withdrew its troops in 2005.

About 2,400 Syrian prisoners are currently in Lebanese prisons. Some are held on “terrorism” charges while others are held for links to attacks against the Lebanese army. But most have never been tried despite having spent years in jail, largely due to a myriad of issues, including political gridlock, judicial strikes and general political indifference.

And while the deal reached on Friday may signal the beginning of a new relationship between Syria and Lebanon – one built on mutual respect rather than Syria’s direct or indirect control of the smaller state on its western border – it did not come about without any public controversy.

In Syrian eyes, many of the prisoners are being held for political rather than judicial reasons. The government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa believes they are in prison mostly due to the influence of the former al-Assad regime and its Hezbollah allies in Lebanon.

But for many Lebanese, anyone accused of attacks against the Lebanese armed forces should not be released.

“Lebanon has long insisted that anyone Syrian or otherwise accused of committing serious crimes against the Lebanese army should not be extradited,” David Wood, the senior Lebanon analyst at the International Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera. “That has been one key obstacle to resolving this prisoner agreement up until now.”

Political prisoners?

Lebanese-Syrian relations have long been complex. Under Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and later his son Bashar, Syrian forces controlled Lebanon from 1976 to 2005.

Even after Syrian troops withdrew from Lebanon, Syria maintained influence over Lebanon via its allies there, including the political and military group Hezbollah.

When the 2011 Syrian uprising began and was subsequently repressed by Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Syria’s border with Lebanon soon became a hotspot for the transportation of people – both fighters and refugees – weapons and drugs.

In Lebanon, the Syrian war had a strong impact. It spilled over into clashes in the northern city of Tripoli; the Battle of Abra, which involved firebrand anti-Assad sheikh Ahmad al-Assir and Lebanese-Palestinian pop star Fadel Shaker; battles with Hezbollah and the Lebanese army on one side and ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda-aligned groups on the other; and attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs.

In the intervening years, hundreds of Syrians were arrested by Lebanese authorities and held in Lebanon’s overcrowded prisons.

When the al-Assad regime fell, the new Syrian government quickly looked to reframe the relationship with Lebanon, expressing an interest in building ties based on mutual respect and interests.

Among Damascus’s priorities were delineating their shared border and economic and security cooperation. But it also prioritised the repatriation of Syrians in Lebanese prisons.

“The allegation from Damascus is that in many cases the reason for [imprisonment] is political and specifically due to perceived ties between the inmates and groups that were opposed to the former regime of Bashar al-Assad,” Wood said. In its view, “it was actually Assad’s Lebanese allies who conspired to make sure that these people were imprisoned in Lebanon.”

By that logic, the fall of al-Assad and the weakening of Hezbollah after Israel’s 2024 war on Lebanon meant that these prisoners should be released.

Some Lebanese disagree and see the issue as more of a grey area. Even if the Syrian prisoners in question had fought Hezbollah, it had been at a time when the Shia group had been coordinating with the Lebanese army – and, for many Lebanese, fighting the army is a red line.

An important step

On Friday, the agreement was signed with a number of Lebanese ministers present, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri and the two countries’ justice ministers.

“This is a very important first step on the road of a comprehensive treatment regarding Syrian prisoners in Lebanese prisons,” Mitri said to reporters on Friday.

Syrian Justice Minister Mazhar al-Wais said: “This step will boost existing confidence, and we hope that relations will progress more.”

The agreement reportedly stipulates that over the next three months, about 300 prisoners will be repatriated to Syria and those serving time for serious crimes, such as rape or murder for example, must have served 10 or more years of their sentences in Lebanese prisons to be eligible for repatriation.

Lebanese prisoners, such as al-Assir, are not included in the deal.

But other issues remain. Among them are Lebanon’s backlogged judicial system and issues related to Lebanese inmates in Syrian prisons.

Only about 750 Syrian prisoners out of the 2,400 have been convicted. That means roughly 65 percent of prisoners are not eligible for repatriation yet.

Fadel Abdulghany of the Syrian Network for Human Rights described this as a “two-track” problem. On his personal website, Abdulghany noted that the transfer of prisoners convicted with final sentences can be carried out with a “swift step”.

However, for those who have yet to be convicted, the issue is not as straightforward. A mechanism for pretrial detention has not yet been agreed by the respective authorities.

“This is not merely a Syrian issue but one that touches the very structure of the Lebanese criminal justice system,” Abdulghany wrote. “Therefore, transferring convicts will not resolve the problem, because the root cause is the slow pace of procedures in Lebanon and the accumulation of detainees held without trial, along with the ensuing issues concerning the legality and continuation of their detention.”

He warned that such detainees could be used as political bargaining chips by Hezbollah. Some members or supporters of the group blame these prisoners for car bombings or other such attacks on their villages. While many of those attacks were on Shia Muslim areas where Hezbollah support is predominant, Christian villages, such as al-Qaa and Ras Baalbeck in the Bekaa Valley, were also subject to attacks.

‘There are no names’

Marcel Baloukji, a former brigadier general who oversaw the Lebanese army’s border committee with Syria, told Al Jazeera that the 300 or so prisoners who are to be transferred do not include many of the more hardened prisoners associated with ISIL or al-Qaeda whom Lebanese authorities have apprehended over the years.

But Baloukji also pointed out that the issue of Lebanese prisoners in Syrian jails is still important for the Lebanese side. Under the al-Assad regime, more than 100,000 people were forcibly disappeared, including hundreds or potentially thousands of Lebanese, going as far back as the Lebanese Civil War.

Mass graves have been found around Syria since the fall of the regime. However, much work needs to be done to identify all the bodies. Until now, the vast majority have still not been identified – neither Syrian nor Lebanese.

“There’s still a problem because there has to be an exchange between Lebanon and Syria,” Baloukji said. “There’s no one there. Most of them are not identified. There are no names.”

A spokesman for the Co-op told the BBC: “Our culture, as a co-operative, ensured decision-making throughout has listened to views from leaders and colleagues across our food and wider business, whilst simultaneously acknowledging when a wide range of views are expressed, not everybody will always agree with the final decisions and actions taken.”