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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.”
Nine people have been killed and 25 injured in the shootings at a school and home in a rural community in western Canada.
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Tehran, Iran – Iran’s authorities have ratcheted up the messaging and reciprocal threats against the United States during state-organised rallies and celebrations commemorating the Islamic revolution across the country, one month after deadly nationwide protests.
Chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” rang out on Wednesday in the state-run annual demonstrations, on a day of immense symbolic significance for the Islamic republic that consolidated its power during the 1979 revolution.
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Near Enghelab (Islamic revolution) Square in downtown Tehran, authorities propped up five coffins for some of the top commanders in the US military.
The coffins had the US flag painted on them, and included the names and images of Central Command chief Brad Cooper, Chief of Staff Randy Alan George and others.
This year’s festivities are especially important to the theocratic establishment as they follow the 12-day war with Israel and the US in June, the nationwide protests starting in late December, and in defiance of a potentially looming war with the US.
Threatened with assassination by the US and Israel, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei did not make an appearance in the events. He also missed a highly symbolic annual meeting with army and air force commanders for the first time in his 36-year rule.
The 86-year-old supreme leader released a video message calling on Iranians to “disappoint the enemy” by participating in the revolution anniversary. All other senior political, military and judicial authorities also released similar messages urging supporters to mobilise.
An 81-year-old private businessman who was arrested and had his assets confiscated for observing a strike during the nationwide protests also wrote in a confession letter released by state media this week that he would participate in the rallies.
The Fars news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), released a video of a “symbol of the devil” being burned during a state-organised event in the capital. The burned effigy appeared to depict a man with horns sitting on a pedestal marked with the US and Israeli flags.
People also burned and trampled on US and Israeli flags, while ballistic and cruise missiles capable of reaching Israel and the wreckage of Israeli drones shot down during last year’s war were displayed.
These are the types of missiles that Tehran has called its own red line, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tries to corral US President Donald Trump into following the Israeli narrative that Iran’s missile programme, as well as its nuclear one, should be on the negotiating table.
State television flew helicopters over designated areas in Tehran and other cities where demonstrations were being held and described another “epic saga”, using a term favoured by Iranian authorities to talk about the annual demonstrations.
Those attending the rallies were hailed as “the dear people of Islamic Iran” who were marching to bolster the security of the country.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called for national unity in the face of external threats while insisting that his government is willing to negotiate over its nuclear programme.
Addressing the crowds in Tehran’s Azadi Square, Pezeshkian called for solidarity among Iranians in the face of “conspiracies from imperial powers”.
Huge fireworks exploding around the iconic Milad Tower on Tuesday night to celebrate the revolution anniversary were so loud that they alarmed some residents and hearkened back to the bombing runs of Israeli fighter jets during the 12-day war.
Translation: I was driving when suddenly there was the sound of an explosion and the sky lit up, I thought only that it was war and that I had to be beside my parents. I lifted my head again and saw that it was fireworks – as if they were shooting into people’s hearts to prove it wasn’t war. It was worse, because the elites were celebrating while we’re in mourning for those fallen [during the protests]. In Tehran and across the country, the authorities called on supporters of the establishment to shout “Allahu Akbar” in the streets and from their homes at 9pm local time on Tuesday night. Numerous videos circulating online show some people shouting those words, only to be met by competing shouts of “Death to the dictator” or cursing from their neighbours.
The authorities also discussed the nationwide protests during Wednesday’s events, and celebrated what they described as a triumph over “enemies”.
Ahmad Vahidi, the deputy head of the IRGC, told a state-organised event in Shiraz that Wednesday’s rallies marked a third “great defeat” for the US and Israel over recent months.
He said the 12-day war was the first one, and the second was the state-organised counterdemonstrations held on January 12, days after most of the protest killings were carried out on the nights of January 8 and 9.
Like Vahidi, police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan called the protests another “sedition” and said they were “a great project by the global arrogance” that was quashed.
The Iranian government claims that 3,117 people lost their lives during the unprecedented protest killings, all of them at the hands of “terrorists” and “rioters” armed and funded from abroad.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency says it has confirmed about 7,000 deaths so far and is investigating nearly 12,000 other cases. United Nations Special Rapporteur on Iran Mai Sato said more than 20,000 civilians may have been killed but information remains limited amid heavy internet filtering by the state.
The UN and international human rights organisations have accused state security forces of being behind the killings. The UN Human Rights Council last month issued a resolution condemning the killings and calling on the Islamic republic to “prevent extrajudicial killing, other forms of arbitrary deprivation of life, enforced disappearance, sexual and gender-based violence” and other actions violating its human rights obligations.
Anti-government protesters in Albania hurled petrol bombs and fireworks at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons during demonstrations in the capital Tirana.
Published On 11 Feb 202611 Feb 2026
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David Miller’s batting heroics in the second super over got South Africa over the line against Afghanistan in Ahmedabad.
Published On 11 Feb 202611 Feb 2026
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South Africa edged Afghanistan in a second super over following a dramatic Group D game on Wednesday that was tied after regulation at cricket’s T20 World Cup.
Fazalhaq Farooqi’s runout ended Afghanistan’s chance to win it in regulation with a ball to spare, leaving both teams tied on 187.
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Afghanistan posted 17 in the first super over, and Farooqi was in position to win it again, restricting South Africa to 11 runs with one ball remaining, until Tristan Stubbs plundered a six to level the scores again.
South Africa batted first in the second tiebreaker, posting 23 with David Miller and Stubbs combining for three sixes.
Keshav Maharaj gave South Africa control with a wicket and two dot balls to start the second super over, leaving Afghanistan needing 24 from four balls – or four sixes.
Enter Rahmanullah Gurbaz. With nothing to lose, the big-hitting opener – who earlier blazed 84 from 42 as Afghanistan chased South Africa’s target of 187-6 – hit three consecutive sixes to get the required runs down to six off one delivery.
A wide from Maharaj lowered the target to 5 from one delivery and raised the prospect of yet another tiebreaker, but the South Africa spinner rebounded by having Gurbaz caught at backward point on the next delivery. It was game over.
Lungi Ngidi, who took 3-26 during the match and then bowled the first of the super overs, was voted player of the match.
“I’ve lost so much weight today. I’ve never been that stressed in my life in a cricket game,” he said. “Being able to win two super overs with our hitters hitting like that … very happy.”
South Africa earlier beat Canada in their opening match. Afghanistan have lost both their group matches after an opening loss to New Zealand and are unlikely to progress to the Super Eights from a group containing three highly-ranked teams. Only the top two teams in each of the four groups will advance.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke out against intervention by ‘alien Westerners’ during a rally to mark the anniversary of the Islamic revolution. Celebrations have been taking place after weeks of US threats of military action.
Published On 11 Feb 202611 Feb 2026
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The investigation into the attack at a London school is being led by counter-terrorism officers.
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The TWZ Newsletter
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
For NASA astronauts, experiencing zero-gravity conditions prior to mission launch is a necessary, if absurdly fun and enviable, part of training and familiarization. The ability to provide a microgravity environment here on Earth is also important for a number of scientific research reasons, and especially for spaceflight applications. For the better part of a century, access into this environment has been provided by specialized fixed-wing aircraft that fly parabolic arcs – collectively, and evocatively, dubbed “The Vomit Comet” for the physical side effect of weightlessness they tend to induce. While a single private company has handled these zero-G flights for NASA for years, a new contract solicitation shows the agency is once again inviting competitors to bid for the work, with the possibility of providing new solutions for a decades-old requirement.
What It Feels Like to Fly in NASA’s Crazy Zero-Gravity Plane
The solicitation, posted by NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in support of the Flight Opportunities Program, seeks information from industry on a variety of capabilities to deliver reduced-gravity and microgravity environments, specifically for testing new technologies and conducting research. The document emphasizes that the method of achieving the effect of weightlessness can look different than it has in the past.
“Respondents are encouraged to submit capabilities statements with innovative approaches to delivering Parabolic Flight Services,” the solicitation states. “This may include the use of aircraft platforms not traditionally used for parabolic flight services (e.g., business jets, experimental aircraft, supersonics, autonomous systems). NASA is interested in flexible, scalable, and novel operational concepts with the potential to help NASA expand access to reduced-gravity environments and accelerate space technology readiness.”
Starting in the late 2000s, NASA has used the same commercial provider for both human zero-gravity familiarization training and technological experiments. That’s the Florida-based Zero-G corporation, which offers parabolic flights on a retrofitted Boeing 727-200 dubbed ‘G-Force One.’ On the standard 90-minute flight the company offers, the aircraft will hit an altitude of 24,000 feet before beginning a steep climb at a 45-degree angle into a parabola that peaks around 32,000 feet. During the maneuver, passengers pull 1.8 Gs, according to the company; near the crest of the arc, the low-gravity phase begins, creating roughly half a minute of weightlessness.
G-Force One completes 15 parabola maneuvers in a single flight.
Total Weightless! What Happened on my Zero Gravity Flight?
While Zero-G offers separate rates for research flights, individuals ages eight and up can have the full experience for $8,900 per person, or $295,000 for the full 28-seat plane, plus a dedicated photographer. This option also allows for television and movie filming opportunities; Zero-G has a staff production director to support film production.
NASA granted Zero-G a five-year Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity contract worth $7.5 million in 2021, marking a continuing partnership between the two entities.
“From 2008 to 2015, NASA and Zero-G had a previous contract under which the company flew microgravity missions in Texas,” Space.com noted at the time. “Though, unlike this new contract, those flights were conducted under ‘public use’ government regulations rather than under FAA regulations.”
Zero-G says it remains the only FAA-approved provider of parabolic flights in the United States.
Vomit Comet history began with a Convair C-131 Samaritan, a militarized version of a twin-engine passenger aircraft originally used by the Air Force for VIP transport and medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) missions. The service began using the planes to simulate zero gravity in 1957, and NASA took over the work in 1973.
ZERO “G”
Eventually, a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, a type that first went into USAF service in 1957 and variants of which are still used for aerial refueling today, became the new Vomit Comet. One of the KC-135As that served in this role reportedly executed more than 58,000 parabolas and played a key role in filming for the blockbuster “Apollo 13.”
“Then-lead test director John Yaniec said KC-135A was still going strong when it was retired in 2004, but its unique role made it ‘increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain,’” Space.com reported in 2017.
Zero G in Airplane
A C-9B (DC-9) that NASA acquired subsequently took over the role for about a decade before it too was put out to pasture. Vomit Comet duties were then fully turned over to the private sector.
While Zero-G had flown more than 2,300 research parabola flights for NASA as of 2025 – and offered a taste of the final frontier to ground-based Space Force Guardians, among others – the benefits of expanding the pool of providers are self-evident. Zero-G temporarily shuttered operations in 2020 during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic and, in 2022, had to take G-Force One out of service for a period due to unspecified equipment issues. (Air Force Academy cadets who were expecting to experience weightlessness at the conclusion of a summer program went SCUBA diving instead). With commercial 727s increasingly rare, it’s likely that maintaining G-Force One and sourcing replacement parts is becoming more costly and difficult.
It’s not certain, though, what competitors exist for Zero-G’s offering. While the solicitation mentions autonomous systems as one possibility for research flights, it also notes that “NASA expects some (if not most) payloads to have a human-tended requirement.”
Eligible contractors must be capable of providing two or more parabolic maneuver types per flight to simulate a range of gravity conditions, including microgravity, and Lunar and Martian gravity, among others. Their platforms need to be capable of sustaining each gravity level for at least 10 seconds, though 30 seconds or better is preferred.
“In some cases, the objective may be to maximize the duration of low gravity exposure with less emphasis on accuracy and stability. This would be most likely with a non-critical payload where the objective is to give the flight participant a microgravity experience,” the solicitation notes. “In other cases, the accuracy and stability of the gravity level may be critical and duration less important.”
While Zero-G appears to have cornered the U.S. parabolic flight market for now, Europe has several different options. The French Space Agency’s Novespace research subsidiary operates parabolic flights using the Airbus A310 for researchers and private enthusiasts. In the United Kingdom, the startup Blue Abyss offers zero-G flights with a modified Boeing 757.
This is how zero-g flights actually work
Blue Abyss now appears to be positioning itself as a competitor in the space. Last year, it broke ground on an ambitious space training facility in Brook Park, Ohio, partnering with NASA on a project it says will ultimately offer parabolic flight capabilities.
Using disparate performing aircraft and even unmanned systems for tailored low-gravity missions could open new frontiers in providing these environments here on Earth. For instance, higher-performing aircraft could potentially offer longer sustained zero-G intervals, while unmanned systems could take this even further, especially for non-human payloads. Different platforms offering different services could also allow for cheaper and faster access to low-gravity within Earth’s atmosphere.
Case in point, drone-based microgravity experiments are also underway in Europe. In 2023, the British company Gravitilab used a specially adapted quadcopter to simulate weightlessness conditions for its payload in a 2,000-foot drop.
The achievement will “open the world of microgravity research to a new market,” the company announced at the time.
NASA’s market research solicitation will remain open until March 2.
Contact the editor: Tyler@twz.com
The TWZ Newsletter
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
The YFQ-42 has been selected by the USMC “for evaluation in the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Uncrewed Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft (MUX TACAIR) Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program,” according to a release from the manufacturer of the drone, General Atomics. The aircraft is one of two Collaborative Combat Aircraft (uncrewed ‘fighters’) that the USAF has selected to enter flight testing, which is ongoing now. Under the new deal, General Atomics will use its “expertise in autonomy and uncrewed aircraft systems with a government-provided mission package, using the YFQ-42A platform as a surrogate to evaluate integration with crewed fighters.”
This sounds like a significant step for the USMC and the YFQ-42, but what does it actually mean? We reached out to General Atomics for some answers.
Before we get to that, what we know is that the YFQ-42 will have a USMC-provided ‘digital brain’ installed in it, after which it will work as a surrogate for CCAs, in general, to help the Marines explore how they actually integrate with them on a MAGTF (Marine Air Ground Task Force) level alongside crewed fighters. The CCA trials, which sound more complex than anything the USMC has disclosed before in regard to their CCA program, will help pave the way for future manned-unmanned teaming capabilities within the service.
Up until now, the Marines have primarily used the XQ-58 Valkyrie, a low-cost stealth drone built by Kratos that is quite different in its original form than the YFQ-42, for CCA autonomy testing. The USMC is moving forward with that platform, evolving it relatively dramatically into the MQ-58 in the process, which you can read about here. So, bringing in General Atomics’ CCA product for this kind of testing is certainly a new development. It’s worth noting that the YFQ-42 is only a USAF program inside the Pentagon.
YFQ-42A CCA: The Future of Airpower. Ready today.
As for the ‘mission package’ that will be installed aboard the YFQ-42, General Atomics describes it in a release as such:
“The USMC contract includes the rapid development of autonomy for the government-supplied mission kit — a cost-effective, sensor-rich, software-defined suite capable of delivering kinetic and non-kinetic effects — positioning the solution for use in expeditionary operations. This work will support evaluations of future MUX TACAIR capabilities.”
MUX TACAIR (Marine Air-Ground Task Force Uncrewed Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft) is the umbrella under which the USMC is currently pursuing CCA-type drones. The service is currently planning at least three incremental development phases. Increment 1 is the MQ-58, which the service has said in past budget documents is focused primarily on the “rapid and relevant capability delivery of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).” A new USMC Aviation Plan released today shows the goal now is to field Increment 2 and Increment 3 capabilities in the 2030-2035 and 2035-2040 timeframes, respectively. These increments are unrelated to the ones the USAF has planned for its CCA program. However, the two services, as well as the Navy, are actively cooperating on the development of relevant capabilities, including common command and control architectures.
YFQ-42 leverages General Atomics’ previous work on an experimental drone called the XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS), developed for the USAF, and the company’s Gambit family. Gambit is an ecosystem of different designs that all use the same central ‘chassis’ equipped with mission systems and the aircraft’s ‘brains,’ as well as its undercarriage. The airframes installed on top can be radically disparate in design. This, in theory, would lead to greater efficiency and adaptability across a wide range of mission sets, while keeping costs low. Gambit is paired with an open architecture digital backbone that also allows for rapid iteration and integration of new capabilities, such as software, sensors, and weapons.
Gambit Series: The Future of Air Dominance
Still, after reading the official release, we had questions. So we reached out to General Atomics, and here is what C. Mark Brinkley, the senior spokesman for the firm’s Aeronautical Systems, Inc., division, told us:
Q: What kinds of tests are intended for this mission package/MAGTF integration with the YFQ-42?
A: The Marine Corps will be looking at datalink integration and various sensor modalities, which are certainly sweet spots for General Atomics. Our three uncrewed jets are generating a lot of flight hours in these areas, and many others, so we have a strong history of performance. The YFQ-42A is a fantastic aircraft, and we’re excited for the Marine Corps to see what it can do.
Q: Who will own the YFQ-42 used for these tests?
A: This aircraft will be a General Atomics capital asset. GA-ASI is betting on our people and our products, which is how we have operated for more than three decades. So the aircraft is in full-rate production now, at our own forecast and expense, to speed the acquisition process for our customers. We are building unmanned fighters on our own investment because we believe the demand is high and the need is immediate. Our owners reinvest about 35 percent of revenue back into the company every year, including internal research and development, capital assets, facility upgrades and expansion, and more. We invested a billion dollars of our own money to bring the MQ-9B to market and now we have 14 customers worldwide. We recently broke ground on our new hangar in the desert to meet demand across all products. And we’re building a fleet of fighter jets at risk, specifically to answer these types of requests.
Q: How challenging is it for YFQ-42 (and I am assuming the Gambit family) to integrate a new ‘brain?’
A: It’s not challenging for us at all. I’ve lost count of how many different AI pilots we have integrated into our three jet types at this point. Between the work we’ve done with MQ-20 Avenger, XQ-67A OBSS and YFQ-42A CCA, we have flown at least a half dozen different AI pilots over time. Last year, during a company-funded demo, Avenger switched between the GA-ASI TacACE pilot and the Shield AI Hivemind pilot mid-flight. As new customers select a Gambit Series aircraft, we know that the autonomy software will change, and it will evolve over time. So we designed the aircraft to support that, and we’re putting in a lot of work to support that.
Q: Is YFQ-42 being evaluated by the USMC for procurement, beyond being used as a test surrogate?
A: Currently, the role is as a CCA test surrogate. However, we see potential for it to be considered for Increment 2, absolutely. It’s a great fighter.
Q: Can you give us an update on the YFQ-42 flight test program?
A: There’s not much new I can say about the Air Force program that hasn’t been said already. Our work there is ongoing, and we’re very pleased with the results so far. Specific updates should come from the Air Force, but General Atomics sees a bright future for the aircraft. GA-ASI is the most advanced, most lethal, unmanned aircraft manufacturer in the world, and our aircraft are unlike anything else in the global market. We’ve been building combat jets since 2008. We have more than 500,000 autonomous takeoffs and landings. We’ve been advancing airborne autonomy for about a decade at this point. This is what we do.
So there you have it, while these tests will be broad in scope, well above evaluating the platform being used, it certainly will give the USMC a close-up look at the YFQ-42, which is becoming increasingly similar to Kratos’ XQ-58 as that drone becomes larger, more complex, and capable of runway operations.
In the end, if the CCA concept truly pans out as promised — which remains a glaring question — it is very unlikely to be ‘owned’ by a single company and a small handful of their designs. The iterative nature of the services’ competitions for CCAs alone makes such a circumstance a farce. Services will more likely than not procure a variety of airframes, all with different attributes, from different vendors over time, and their brains, along with the software that is installed in them, could be equally as varied, if not more so.
Regardless, the YFQ-42 has just officially been selected to be put to work for the Marines, which marks a significant vote of confidence in General Atomics’ design.
Contact the author: Tyler@twz.com
Three toddlers and a 34-year-old man were killed in a strike near Kharkiv as a state of emergency is declared.
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Israeli government moves to change rules around land registration in the West Bank, making it easier for Israeli Jews to buy property in the illegally occupied territory, are raising alarm among Palestinians, fearful that the new rules will establish defacto Israeli annexation.
The Israeli cabinet announced the decisions on Sunday. In addition to allowing Jews to buy property in the West Bank – a Palestinian territory that Israel has occupied since 1967 in defiance of international law – the Israeli government has also ordered that land registries in the West Bank be opened up to the public.
That means that it will be easier for Israelis looking to take territory in the West Bank to find out who the owner of the land is, opening them up to harassment and pressure.
The cabinet also decreed that authority over building permits for illegal Jewish settlements in Hebron, and the Ibrahimi Mosque compound, would pass to Israel from the Palestinian Hebron municipality.
Moataz Abu Sneina has seen Israel’s efforts to seize Palestinian land first hand. He is the director of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, a Palestinian national symbol and an important Islamic holy site due to its connection to the Prophet Ibrahim, also known as Abraham.
Abu Sneina said that the latest Israeli decisions reflect a clear intention to increase Israeli control over Hebron’s Old City, and the Ibrahimi Mosque compound.
“What is happening today is the most serious development since 1967,” Abu Sneina said. “We view it with grave concern for the Old City and the Ibrahimi Mosque, which is the symbol and beating heart of Hebron, and the shrine of the patriarchs and prophets.”
The Ibrahimi Mosque site is also revered by Jews, who refer to it as the Tomb of the Patriarchs.
An Israeli Jewish settler killed 29 Palestinians after opening fire on Muslims praying at the mosque in 1994. Shortly afterwards, Israeli authorities divided the site into Jewish and Muslim prayer areas, and far-right Israeli settlers continue to strengthen their control over areas of Hebron.
Despite only numbering a few hundred, the settlers have taken over large areas of the city centre, protected by the Israeli military.
Abu Sneina explained that Israel has repeatedly attempted to strengthen its foothold inside Hebron and the mosque, and that the latest government moves are a continuation of Israeli policy that has only increased since the October 2023 start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
“This has taken the form of increased settler incursions, restrictions on worshippers, control over entry and exit, and bans on the call to prayer – all part of a systematic policy aimed at complete control over the holy site,” Abu Sneina said.
“[Israel] continues to violate all agreements, foremost the Hebron Protocol, closing most entrances to the mosque and leaving only one fully controlled access point,” he added. “This paves the way for a new division or an even harsher reality than the temporal and spatial division imposed since the 1994 massacre.”
Mohannad al-Jaabari, the director of the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee, a Palestinian organisation focused on the restoration of Hebron’s Old City, said that the Israeli government was already increasing its presence on the ground, in an effort to take control of the city.
He pointed to the confiscation of shops belonging to the Hebron Municipality in the Old City, the construction of dozens of illegal settlement units, and the reconfiguration of water pipes by connecting them to an Israeli water company’s network, creating what he described as “a massive apartheid system”.
Al-Jaabari warned that the ultimate goal is to establish a Jewish quarter linking settlements to the Ibrahimi Mosque by emptying Palestinian neighbourhoods of their residents.
“All Hebron institutions are preparing for a difficult phase,” he said. “We are bracing for a fierce attack on Palestinian institutions, foremost the Rehabilitation Committee.”
The Israeli government’s latest decisions open the door for what has happened in Hebron to happen elsewhere, with Israeli settlers establishing a presence in other Palestinian cities, forcing locals out, experts say.
Nabil Faraj, a Palestinian journalist and political analyst, called the Israeli government’s moves “dangerous” and added that they “have driven the final nail into the coffin of the peace process”.
He explained that Israel is reengineering the geographic landscape of the West Bank, expanding infrastructure to serve settlements, and seeking to strip the Palestinian Authority of administrative and security control.
Palestinians in Bethlehem are now worried that they will get a taste of what Hebron has already experienced.
One of the Israeli cabinet’s decisions on Sunday stipulated that the Bilal bin Rabah Mosque in the city, known to Jews as Rachel’s Tomb, would be placed under Israeli administration for cleaning and maintenance, after previously being under the jurisdiction of the Bethlehem municipality. The mosque’s cemetery has also been affected.
“It will affect the living and the dead,” said Bassam Abu Srour, who lives in Bethlehem’s Aida refugee camp. “Annexing the area would prevent burials and visits to the Islamic cemetery. This is extremely serious and completely unacceptable to us.”
In Bethlehem, Hebron, and the rest of the West Bank, Palestinians feel powerless to stop what they view as a creeping annexation.
Mamdouh al-Natsheh, a shop owner in Hebron, said he now has a growing sense that what is unfolding is an attempt to impose a permanent reality.
“The city is being taken from its people step by step,” he said. “Daily restrictions are turning it into a fixed policy that suffocates every detail of life.”
He added that the deepest impact is on children and young people, growing up in a city that is “divided and constantly monitored”, stripping them of a natural sense of the future.
“I fear the day will come when we are told this area has been officially annexed, and that our presence depends on permits,” al-Natsheh said. “In Hebron, a house is not just walls – it is history and identity. Any annexation means the loss of security and stability.”
Jorge Rodríguez stated that President Maduro and First Lady Flores should be released “immediately.” (El Universal)
Caracas, February 10, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said Venezuela has enjoyed a “very good understanding and relationship” with the Trump White House in the period since the January 3 US attacks.
In an interview with Newsmax’s Rob Schmitt aired on Monday, Rodríguez stated that Caracas and Washington have a “golden opportunity” to build a “win-win” relationship.
“Right now, we have opportunities for mutual respect, for cooperation, to build a win-win situation for both countries, for both peoples,” he said.
Rodríguez confirmed regular contact with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in dialogue “based on mutual respect.” He added that US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright is expected in Venezuela in the coming days.
The two governments have fast-tracked a diplomatic rapprochement in recent weeks, with US Chargé d’Affaires Laura Dogu arriving in Caracas and meeting Venezuelan leaders on February 2.
Rodríguez, the older brother of Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, also defended recent legislation pushed through by the executive and parliament, including an overhaul of Venezuela’s Hydrocarbon Law. On January 29, the National Assembly approved a pro-business reform that lowers taxes and royalties for private corporations while granting them expanded control over operations and sales.
“What we are doing is adapting laws so that it can promote investment especially from the USA,” Rodríguez told Schmitt. “We have an oil industry that needs developing, and if we [the US and Venezuela] can stay on the path of mutual respect and cooperation, we have a bright future ahead of us.”
The parliamentary leader emphasized that the Venezuelan government’s priority is to turn oil revenues into social welfare and promote education and healthcare in a “free market economy.”
The Trump administration’s January 3 military strikes also saw special operations forces kidnap Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. Rodríguez made one mention of Maduro and Flores in the interview, responding when asked by Schmitt that both should be released “immediately” in accordance with international law.
The Venezuelan president and first lady pleaded not guilty to charges including drug trafficking conspiracy in their January 5 arraignment. The next hearing is scheduled for March 26.
Despite reiterated accusations of “narcoterrorism,” US officials have never provided evidence tying Maduro and high-ranking Venezuelan officials to drug trafficking activities, while specialized agency reports have found the South American nation to play a marginal role in the global narcotics trade.
In his interview with the pro-Trump news channel, National Assembly President Rodríguez additionally ruled out Venezuela holding elections in the near future.
“There will not be an election in this immediate period of time where the stabilization of the country has to be achieved,” he explained. “In Venezuela we have a very clear calendar for elections established in the Constitution.”
Maduro had begun his third six-year term in January 2025, while a new legislature took office on January 5, 2026, for a five-year period. Regional and municipal officials likewise started new four-year terms in the second half of 2025.
Rodríguez mentioned US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statements that, according to the Trump administration, the priority is stability in Venezuela. Rubio has claimed that the White House has a three-phase plan of “stabilization, economic recovery and reconciliation, and transition.”
The administration of United States President Donald Trump has sanctioned two leaders of Pacific island nations for alleged corruption, accusing them both of creating openings for China to increase its influence in the region.
On Tuesday, the US Department of State issued a notice alleging that the president of Palau’s Senate, Hokkons Baules, and a former mayor in the Marshall Islands, Anderson Jibas, had engaged in “significant corruption”.
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Neither they nor their families will henceforth be allowed to enter the US, according to the statement.
“The Trump Administration will not allow foreign public officials to steal from U.S. taxpayers or threaten U.S. interests,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott wrote on social media.
The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) also posted its support for the sanctions.
“Corruption that hurts U.S. interests will be met with significant consequences,” it said.
In both cases, the US credited the politicians’ actions with allowing the expansion of Chinese interests in the Pacific region.
The State Department alleged that Baules took bribes in exchange for supporting Chinese interests in Palau, an island in Micronesia that is the 16th smallest country in the world.
“His actions constituted significant corruption and adversely affected U.S. interests in Palau,” the US said in its statement.
Jibas, meanwhile, stands accused of “orchestrating and financially benefitting from” schemes to misuse the Bikini Resettlement Trust, a US-backed fund designed to compensate those negatively affected by nuclear bomb testing on the Bikini Atoll, part of the Marshall Islands.
The trust was worth nearly $59m in 2017, when the first Trump administration decided to hand control of the main resettlement fund to local authorities and relinquish its authority to audit.
Since then, the fund has emptied precipitously. As of February 2023, the trust had plummeted to a mere $100,000, and payments to Bikini Atoll survivors and descendants have ceased.
Critics have blamed Jibas, who was elected in 2016 to lead the Kili, Bikini and Ejit islands as mayor. He campaigned on having more local autonomy over the fund.
But reports in The Wall Street Journal and other news outlets accused him of misappropriating the funds for purchases including vacations, travel and a new pick-up truck.
In Tuesday’s announcement, the State Department connected Jibas’s alleged abuse to the spread of Chinese power in the Pacific and an increase in immigration to the US, two key issues in Trump’s platform.
“The theft, misuse, and abuse of the U.S.-provided money for the fund wasted U.S. taxpayer money and contributed to a loss of jobs, food insecurity, migration to the United States,” the department wrote.
“The lack of accountability for Jibas’ acts of corruption has eroded public trust in the government of the Marshall Islands, creating an opportunity for malign foreign influence from China and others.”
Both Palau and the Marshall Islands were US territories, occupied during World War II and granted independence in the late 20th century.
They both continue to be part of a Compact of Free Association with the US, which allows the North American superpower to continue military operations in the area and control the region’s defence.
They are also part of a dwindling list of countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan’s government, much to the ire of the People’s Republic of China.
Only about a dozen remain, and they are largely concentrated in Central America, the Caribbean or the Pacific islands.
But China has sought to pressure those smaller countries into rupturing their ties with Taiwan and recognising its government in Beijing instead.
The Asian superpower – often seen as a rival to the US – has also attempted to expand its sphere of influence to the southern Pacific, by building trade relations and countering US military authority in the area.
Baules, for example, is among the local politicians who have advocated for recognising Beijing’s government over Taipei’s, and he is a vocal proponent for increased ties with China.
Those shifting views have placed island nations like Palau and the Marshall Islands in the midst of a geopolitical tug-of-war, as the US struggles with China to maintain dominance in the region.
In other parts of the world, the US has also used sanctions to dissuade local officials from seeking closer ties with China.
Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino, for instance, has accused the US embassy in his country of threatening to strip local officials of their visas, as the US and China jockey for influence over the Panama Canal.
Similar reports have emerged in neighbouring Costa Rica, where officials like lawmaker Vanessa Castro and former President Oscar Arias have accused the US of revoking their visas over ties to China.
But there have been other points of tension between the Pacific Islands and the US in recent years.
The Trump administration has withdrawn from accords designed to limit climate change and quashed international efforts to reduce emissions, straining ties with the islands, which are vulnerable to rising sea levels.
Still, the US State Department framed the sanctions on Tuesday as an effort to ensure local accountability and defend US interests in the region.
“The United States will continue to promote accountability for those who abuse public power for personal gain and steal from our citizens to enrich themselves,” it said.
“These designations reaffirm the United States’ commitment to countering global corruption affecting U.S. interests.”
These are the key developments from day 1,448 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Published On 11 Feb 202611 Feb 2026
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Here is where things stand on Wednesday, February 11:
A Russian attack killed four people, including three small children, in the Ukrainian city of Bohodukhiv, west of Kharkiv, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said on the Telegram messaging app early on Wednesday.
Venezuela’s National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez has said that the country will not hold presidential elections in the immediate future, emphasising that the government’s current focus is on national stability.
His comments came late on Monday in an interview published with the conservative outlet Newsmax in the United States.
list of 3 itemsend of list
Presidential terms run for six years in Venezuela, and the last election was controversially held in 2024. Newsmax host Rob Schmitt asked if that meant another election would not happen for another five years.
“The only thing I could say is that there will not be an election in this immediate period of time where the stabilisation has to be achieved,” Rodriguez replied.
He explained that the decision is tied to a wider effort to rebuild and strengthen Venezuela’s state institutions.
“What we’re working on at the moment is what we call the re-institutionalisation of the country, so that every single institution of the country can again be brought to full power and full recognition by everybody,” he said.
Rodriguez, who has led the National Assembly since 2021, added that Venezuelans are seeking a return to normalcy following the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro.
“The government of Delcy Rodriguez is actually looking for that, to stabilise the country completely and to make it all good and reconcile everybody, all the population of Venezuela,” he said.
The US abducted Maduro in a military action on January 3. In the weeks since, the Venezuelan Supreme Court has appointed Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, the National Assembly leader’s sister, as acting president.
She was formally sworn in on January 5, with support from both Venezuela’s military and the governing party, as well as the US.
Jorge Rodriguez told Newsmax that the current government would need to “reach an agreement with all sectors of the opposition” to create a “timetable” for new elections.
Maduro’s abduction had initially inspired hope that a new election would be carried out after the controversy that accompanied the 2024 presidential race.
In that election, Maduro controversially claimed victory for a third straight term, despite the opposition publishing voter tallies that appeared to show its candidate won.
Protests broke out, and Maduro’s government responded with a violent crackdown. An estimated 25 people were killed, according to the US State Department.
In Monday’s interview, Rodriguez rejected the assertion that the 2024 race was not legitimate. Instead, he emphasised his push for national unity, saying, “We have been divided for a very long time.”
He highlighted the legislature’s efforts to pass a mass amnesty law, which would result in the release of all political prisoners and forgive any crimes related to political dissent since 1999.
The bill was approved unanimously in the first of two votes on Thursday and is expected to pass this week.
Still, questions have surrounded the bill. Critics fear that political repression could take other forms after the prisoners’ release.
Schmitt asked whether opposition leader Maria Corina Machado would be able to return to Venezuela and campaign freely in a future election, following the bill’s passage.
“So, allow me not to speak about only one single name, because there are many, many actors abroad that have to be included in this discussion,” Rodriguez responded.
“There is an amnesty law that is being done at the moment that contemplates working with people, but there are sectors of the opposition abroad which have promoted violence.”
He then indicated that the amnesty bill would not apply to the opposition leaders accused of violent crimes.
“Through this amnesty law, we are promoting for all the sections of the opposition who are abroad to comply with the law, so they can come back to the country,” Rodriguez said.
Opposition leaders, however, have long alleged that the government has peddled false accusations of violent crime to arrest and jail them.
Machado herself was accused of conspiring to assassinate Maduro in 2014, leading to her expulsion from the National Assembly.
Rodriguez’s comments also come amid developments in the case of former lawmaker Juan Pablo Guanipa.
The leader was released on Sunday after spending more than eight months in pretrial detention, but he was rearrested less than 12 hours later, after speaking with the media and supporters.
According to his family, he was detained by armed men without identification or a court order. His son, Ramon Guanipa, described the incident as an “abduction”.
Officials later stated that they had requested the revocation of his release order, citing his alleged failure to comply with the conditions imposed upon his release.
In the early hours of Tuesday, Guanipa was transferred to his residence in Maracaibo, where he remains under house arrest.
Machado condemned the actions, stating that Guanipa’s case demonstrates that the releases announced by the government do not guarantee the full exercise of political and civil rights.
“What was Juan Pablo’s crime? Telling the truth. So are these releases, or what are they?” Machado said on Monday.
She proceeded to question whether the released prisoners were truly free from what she described as the repressive machinery of the Venezuelan government.
“Can’t we talk in Venezuela about those who have been in prison? Can’t we recount what they have experienced? Can’t we describe the horror of what is happening in our country today?”
On 15 different occasions, terrorists trailing Amiru Bala failed to capture him. They succeeded on their 16th attempt in the Tsafe area of Zamfara State, northwestern Nigeria.
Amiru, whose locality is boiling with rural terrorists turning towns and villages into hell, is revered for providing effective, yet affordable medical care to residents of the Bakin Manya village in Tsafe and is praised for compassionately treating his patients.
In his village, criminal actors have metamorphosed into killing, kidnapping, and maiming residents at will. For more than a decade, security forces have tried but failed to rein in attacks on civilians, causing distrust between locals and state authorities.
Life in Bakin Manya is hard, residents said. Nobody trusts anybody; many young people within the local community have joined the bandwagon of terrorists killing for fun and kidnapping for ransom. Amid this devastating development, the health system in the rural villages is debilitating, with clinics and hospitals running out of drugs, staff, and patients.
“Our life is threatened, our peace is lost, and our homes are broken,” Amiru cried, as he spoke to HumAngle after regaining his freedom. “Our neighbours turned into sworn enemies. Many among them do not understand why they were subconsciously lured into rural terrorism by their kinsmen, harrowing as their enslaved masters.”
Amiru said he grew up in an indigent family. At 10, he was inspired to go to school after seeing a team of health workers conducting house-to-house vaccination. It took him over a year to appeal to his father to enrol him in the village primary school. He finally gained admission into the Chediya Primary School when he was 11. After completing his primary education, he proceeded to the Government Science Secondary School in Tsafe, where his interest in science and health grew rapidly.
He later secured admission into College of Health Science and Technology, Tsafe, and graduated as a Senior Community Health Extension Worker after two years of study. Amiru returned to Bakin Manya to focus on providing medical care for villagers and organising campaigns against seasonal diseases.
As medical needs grew within the community, more villagers knocked on his door. He would soon become popular within and outside his community.
Amiru said he advised the village leadership to sponsor the medical needs of some of the community members, but his hope was thwarted when terrorists took over the governance of the village. Rural terrorism has taken a toll on the people, with criminals operating without hindrance.
“Today, as I speak, there are no vehicle movements; not even a bicycle would dare or try passing through the entire northern parts of Chediya Ward, which is just 5-6 kilometres away from the Tsafe local government headquarters,” he lamented.
Life became even harder when terror groups in Tsafe decided to take total control of Chediya, including Amiru’s village. They divided the ward into two: The Chediya North and South. One terrorist leader, Kachalla Musa, first tried to subjugate 14 communities in Chediya North but failed, calling the locals “irredeemably bad people” because they refused to be submissive or negotiate with him. Kabiru Adamu, the Chediya district head, said life has been miserable for his people since they refused to adhere to the demands of the terrorists. For at least five years, they have been under incessant attacks.
“Two different gangs loyal to Ado Aleru and his kinsmen, Hassan Nabamamu and Kachalla Saidu, came together recently to launch a weeklong attack on our communities. Their mission was to displace all of us. In that attack, there were 35 people killed, 29 abducted; they ransacked houses and shops where they looted,” Kabiru recounted.
Amid escalating chaos, the community faced a difficult predicament beyond their resilience. As state authorities failed to offer assistance against the terrorists, they were left with no choice but to negotiate. About 300 individuals were forced into manual labour on the terrorists’ farms, as part of the so-called peace deal. The community paid millions of naira to gang leader Ado through his agent, Musa Kwamanda, but locals still live in fear.
In Chediya South, locals have totally succumbed to the antics of terrorists, allowing them to operate freely in exchange for their freedom. Since they entered into the peace deal with Ado’s gang in February 2025, they said they had not experienced any major attack or abduction.
“We eat together and spend most of the night with the terrorists at our homes. Our farmlands are free for us, travel to Gusau and Tsafe towns and safely return at any time,” said Mamman Dirmi, the village monarch of Chediya South. “Our matrimonial beds are shared with the armed terrorists, especially the young boys among them. Although we reported to Ado, asking for his intervention, nothing seems to have changed for the better.”
Despite adhering to the terrorists’ rules and regulations, however, residents in the Chediya North told HumAngle that things became even tougher. The terrorists have taken over the main road to the community, extorting travellers and raping women and girls indiscriminately.
When they fall ill or are wounded by gunshots, terrorists are usually wary of visiting health facilities within the Tsafe area. The criminal gang came up with a plan to abduct a health worker to treat their injured fighters. Amiru was the prime target, being the most popular health worker in the axis.
After multiple attempts, a gang of five terrorists invaded Amiru’s house in November 2025. Among them, two were armed with guns that slung over their shoulders. They called out his name from outside the door, demanding that he come out peacefully; they threatened that if he refused, they would shoot him and his wife. Faced with the frightening threat, he reluctantly opened the door and stepped outside.
One of the invaders locked eyes with him and declared that their mission was a simple abduction: he would be taken to their camp for a few days before ultimately being released.
Amiru quickly realised the terrorists were possibly abducting him because they needed medical treatment for either their wounded members or sick ones, or both. “They chained, placed a gun at my wife’s head and smuggled me out at gunpoint,” he recalled.
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He was overpowered and placed on a motorcycle, leaving his wife and relatives panicking. Later, one of the motorcycles, which carried three terrorists with guns, went far ahead of Amiru and his captors. Amiru sat tightly chained in the centre of the motorcycle, his heart racing as he assessed his precarious situation. In front of him, the motorcycle’s rider leaned forward, oblivious to the tension mounting behind them. At Amiru’s back, another terrorist gripped a gun against his spine.
Despite the daunting presence of his captor, Amiru’s resolve hardened. He realised he could shake the moving motorcycle free from their control. With iron chains cutting painfully into his skin, he felt the limited but crucial freedom offered by the loose straps across his lap. The rail track whizzed by, a blur of danger and opportunity. Amiru knew that if he could just muster his strength, he might fight back, even in chains, to reclaim his freedom and thwart the terrorists’ plans. The stakes were high, but so was his determination.
“We all fell down, the rider could not move an inch as he kissed the ground with the vehicle’s headlight cover marching his chest. The other terrorist ran away after I knocked his head with the chain and was bleeding helplessly,” Amiru said, describing how he escaped about two hours after he was abducted. “I returned home, and there was huge jubilation across the community, breaking the news of my narrow escape. My father insisted that my wife and I flee our village. The news of my abduction jittered many informants, and the terrorists will likely return again.”
Fearing reprisal attacks on his people, Amiru said he did not inform any local or state authority about the issue. In the past, those who reported such incidents later regretted it– the terrorists often imposed severe penalties on villagers after security operatives had withdrawn.
Amiru fled his home, abandoned his work, and resettled in another town. His life transformed from that of a village health worker to that of a beggar. “As an IDP, my wife and I suffered from insufficient food, hardly getting three square meals a day. I left my father in the village, and he needs my help, but we are all helpless,” he complained.
The few residents who remained in the village were nearly subdued by the relentless attacks. Silence became their daily refuge in an unsettled peace. Whenever community protection guards or soldiers arrived to secure the area, terrorists would accuse the residents of inviting them. At one point, they no longer wanted to see government security forces visiting their communities, as these visits only brought unending humiliation and infringed upon their freedom of movement.
“I am declared wanted and hunted by the terrorists loyal to Ado Aleru’s faction, led by Hassan. He orchestrated an operation with his armed men – Dankaura, Ofisa, Aljan, and Dankabiru – that resulted in the death of 36 innocent farmers. I was not present during the attack, so I escaped and fled my home,” Amiru recounted.
“There came another group of targeted attackers to my home, led by the kingpins Dan-Najeriya and Na-Bello. They ransacked many houses searching for me, but they had no idea I was hiding inside the silos they passed by. It felt like hell that day. I still feel inexplicably nervous and shattered, with the sounds of gunfire echoing in my mind like thunder. Their desperation is such that they want me to go to their camp to treat their terrorists.”
Amiru vowed never to provide medical treatment to terrorists, insisting that he did not go to school to treat killers.
One man and a much-anticipated trim.
But it started to feel, for Manchester United, Ilett’s long wait for the club to win five games in a row had become an unwanted irritation.
There was a time when it seemed as though United were prepared to play along with the gag. They did, after all, include a barbers’ room in their £50m training ground upgrade at Carrington. What better way to have a bit of fun?
Now though, in public and private, they are having nothing to do with it.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes and manager Michael Carrick were dismissive when asked about it after victory number four, against Tottenham – although Carrick’s admission he had been told of the saga by his kids hints at the wider attraction.
Ilett’s daily social media updates and the before and now pictures scattered across the digital sphere were initially quite amusing but serve as a reminder of how bad the team’s form has been.
Ilett plans to donate his hair to the Little Princess Trust and set up a JustGiving page for the children’s cancer charity, for those who wanted to offer financial support.
His initial fundraising target of £500 for the the Little Princess Trust has been exceeded significantly and by Tuesday afternoon stood at £6,132.
As attention-grabbing initiatives go, his pledge didn’t seem especially outrageous when he made it.
United had completed five-in-a-row eight months earlier, the 11th time it had happened – including the end of the 2015-16 season and start of 2016-17 – in just under 11 years following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
The longest gap was from 25 January 2019, when United won the last of their eight successive wins following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s arrival and the end of five victories in a row under the Norwegian in April 2021.
It says a lot for United’s chronic form since Ilett made his vow that they had only won three in a row twice until Carrick arrived, changed the formation and turned his old club into winners once more.
To put that into context, United’s fellow ‘big six’ clubs have all won five times on the bounce in recent memory. Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool have done it this season – Chelsea have done it already this year.
Even Tottenham, whose form has been atrocious for 18 months now, managed it early last season, when United were one of the teams they beat.
Some fans have come to the conclusion they do not appreciate Illet’s humour.
One supporter was given an indefinite ban from Old Trafford by United for attacking Ilett on a concourse at the home game with Chelsea in September 2025.
Others have taken exception to him taking part in an advert for a major gambling company and monetising what was meant to be a charitable gesture. Ilett has denied making the kinds of sums being mentioned.
However, many have defended Ilett and most responses to his appearance on the leading Stretford Paddock podcast were positive.
The vast majority though, for and against, just want to see an end to it.
United States President Donald Trump has continued to threaten Iran with possible military attacks if Tehran does not accede to his demands on issues ranging from nuclear enrichment to ballistic missiles.
In comments to the Israeli outlet Channel 12, published on Tuesday, Trump hinted at aggressive actions if no deal comes together with Iran.
list of 3 itemsend of list
“Either we reach a deal, or we’ll have to do something very tough,” Trump told the news outlet.
The remarks come as Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani meets with the sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, to discuss the results of talks between US and Iranian officials last week.
In recent weeks, Trump has touted an increase in US military forces in the region, having sent a “massive armada” to nearby waters. That deployment includes the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier.
Channel 12 and the news outlet Axios reported on Tuesday that Trump is also thinking about sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East.
That military build-up has spurred fears of an impending US strike against Iran. Critics fear such an attack could destabilise the region.
Already, on Monday, the US has issued guidelines to US-flagged commercial ships, warning them to stay “as far as possible” from Iranian territorial waters.
Since January, Trump has heightened US pressure on Iran, warning that his country’s military is “locked and loaded and ready to go”.
Trump has also compared Iran’s situation to that of Venezuela, where a US military operation on January 3 resulted in the abduction and removal of deposed President Nicolas Maduro.
“Like with Venezuela, [the US military] is ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary. Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal,” Trump wrote on social media on January 28.
Late last month, his administration issued three overarching demands. They include an end to Iran’s uranium enrichment, a requirement to sever ties with regional proxies, and limits on the country’s ballistic missile stockpiles, a goal long sought by Israel.
During his first term, Trump pulled the US out of a 2015 deal that placed strict limits on Iran’s nuclear activities, in exchange for sanctions relief.
Now, Trump has resumed his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran since taking office for a second term in January 2025.
That campaign has included severe sanctions and pressure to dismantle Iran’s nuclear programme, which Tehran insists is for civilian energy purposes only.
Already, last June, Trump authorised a military strike on three Iranian nuclear facilities, as part of a 12-day war between Iran and Israel.
Trump’s renewed threats in January have coincided with a recent wave of anti-government protests in Iran.
The government in Tehran reacted to those demonstrations with a violent crackdown that reportedly killed thousands of people, drawing widespread condemnation from rights groups.
Reports have found that state security forces opened fire on crowds of protesters as the country was under an internet blackout.
On January 2 — one day before his military operation in Venezuela — Trump threatened to intervene on behalf of the protesters and “come to their rescue“, although he ultimately declined to do so.
Some analysts have pointed out that the proposed strikes on Iran would do little to aid the protesters, but would align with longstanding US and Israeli goals of reducing Iran’s military capacity.
The Iranian government has argued that the protests included the violent targeting of security forces by armed groups, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of officers. It has also accused outside powers like the US and Israel of backing the anti-government demonstrations.
Details around the protests and their crackdown remain difficult to verify, but Iranian officials have conceded that the government’s response killed thousands of people.
Joined by survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuses, US Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer introduced legislation to end the federal statute of limitations that has shielded sex traffickers. It’s named for Virginia Giuffre, one of the late sex offender’s most prominent accusers.
Published On 10 Feb 202610 Feb 2026
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Paul Dacre told the High Court the claims that Daily Mail staff gathered information unlawfully are “inconceivable”.
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The TWZ Newsletter
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
The head of U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) has downplayed the current significance of Chinese efforts to develop new long-range strike aircraft with more global reach. He said that China remains, at best, a regional bomber force, though it continues to “aggressively” pursue new capabilities in this regard, like the long-awaited H-20 stealth bomber.
AFGSC commander Gen. Stephen Davis talked about Chinese bombers and other aviation developments with TWZ‘s Howard Altman last month. In that same interview, he also discussed his command’s role in any future conflict in the Pacific region, as well as new U.S. strategic capabilities that are in the works now, such as the B-21 Raider stealth bomber and the LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), among other topics. This was Davis’ first interview since taking command of AFGSC in November 2025.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) recruitment video below from 2021 includes a teaser for the H-20 at the very end.
中国空军2021年度招飞宣传片完整版震撼发布！易烊千玺 吴京倾情加盟演绎强军路上精彩人生！「逐梦青春」| 军迷天下
“I can certainly understand their [the Chinese] desire to have a long-range strike capability like the United States, and I know that they’re pursuing it aggressively,” Davis said when asked for his thoughts on the H-20, as well as two very large stealthy flying wing-type drones that emerged in China last year. TWZ was first to report on the emegence of both of these designs, which appear to be at least in the initial flight test phase of development.
The H-20 is understood to be a stealthy flying wing-type bomber, very roughly analogous to the U.S. B-2 Spirit, and its development is said to trace back to the early 2000s. The U.S. military has previously estimated that it could have a maximum unrefueled range of close to 6,214 miles (10,000 kilometers), and noted that its reach could be further extended through aerial refueling. Past reports have also said that it might be able to carry up to 10 tons of ordnance, including land-attack and anti-ship cruise missiles.
“What I can tell you is they’re just not there yet,” Davis continued. “I think our adversaries look at our long-range strike capabilities, and … want to mimic them, but they can’t.”
“There’s no other country in the world [besides the United States] that can take and deliver a long-range strike platform pretty much on any day, in any time and place that they’re choosing, right?” he added. “Really, China is a regional bomber force at best. I think they’re trying to continue to develop that.”
China’s bomber force currently consists of variants of the H-6, the core design of which was originally derived from the Soviet Tu-16 Badger. The H-6N version, which made its official debut in 2019, has enabled the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to re-establish a strategic nuclear triad. The N model is primarily designed to carry a single very large air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) under its fuselage and is one of the H-6 types that is capable of being refueled in flight. How many different types of missiles have been integrated onto the H-6N to date is unclear, but its arsenal does include the nuclear-capable Jinglei-1 (JL-1), as you can read more about here.
Gen. Davis’ comments are in line with past statements from U.S. officials on the H-20, specifically.
In 2024, an unnamed U.S. intelligence official said the H-20 Stealth Bomber was “not really” a concern, according to a report at the time from Breaking Defense.
“The thing with the H-20 is when you actually look at the system design, it’s probably nowhere near as good as U.S. LO [low-observable] platforms, particularly more advanced ones that we have coming down,” the same official said. “They’ve run into a lot of engineering design challenges, in terms of how do you actually make that system capability function in a similar way to, like, a B-2 or a B-21.”
“The H-20 … may debut sometime in the next decade,” the Pentagon subsequently wrote in its annual report to Congress on Chinese military developments later in 2024. That report also highlighted ongoing efforts in China to develop a stealthy medium-range bomber, which has been referred to in the past as the JH-XX.
The Pentagon’s most recent annual China report, published in December 2025, notably makes no mention at all, directly or indirectly, of the H-20 or JH-XX. That report did note that “of China’s currently fielded systems, the DF-26 IRBM [intermediate range ballistic missile and the H-6N’s ALBM are both highly precise theater weapons that would be well suited for delivering a low-yield nuclear weapon.” This underscores Gen. Davis’ comments about the continuing regional limitations of the Chinese bomber force.
Despite past PLA pronouncements that the program is on track, the current status of the H-20 is unclear. The present state of work related to the JH-XX, and whether it may have carried over into other programs, like the J-36 advanced tailless tactical combat aircraft, is also unknown. Starting in the late 2010s, there had been a surge in official and semi-official statements about how the H-20 was ‘coming soon,’ but this looks to have largely subsided in the past year or so.
This is despite a flurry in other very high-profile Chinese military aviation developments, including the aforementioned large flying wing-type drones, as well as the J-36 and J-XDS sixth-generation stealth fighters, the GJ-11 uncrewed combat air vehicle (UCAV), the KJ-3000 airborne early warning and control aircraft, and more. The PLA Navy (PLAN) has also made major strides in advancing its carrier-based aviation capabilities in the past year or so.
New video out from the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) of China shows the new GJ-11 stealth drone (UCAV), and also the J-20 stealth fighter firing a live PL-15 air-to-air missile: pic.twitter.com/wraDqyMOht
— The STRATCOM Bureau (@OSPSF) November 11, 2025
As TWZ has noted in the past, a platform like the H-20 would give the PLA the ability to hold entirely new swaths of the Indo-Pacific region, including in parts of the continental United States, at risk. An expanded long-range strike aviation force would also expand China’s ability to target highly strategic outlying areas, including the U.S. island territory of Guam and Hawaii, as well as threaten regional competitors like Japan and India. If fielded, the aforementioned JH-XX could also have an important role in future regional operations.
The PLA has already been working to expand its routine bomber operations in the Western ends of the Pacific, especially around Taiwan and in the hotly contested South China Sea. Chinese bombers also now regularly integrate with their Russian counterparts and have made use of bases in that country for joint patrols. H-6K missile carrier aircraft flew in international airspace near Alaska for the first time ever during one of these joint operations back in 2024.
China and Russia conduct joint air strategic patrol over Bering Sea on July 25. This marks the eighth air strategic patrol organized by the two militaries since 2019.
Photos from China PLA Air Force Weibo accounthttps://t.co/g9w27FRnnM pic.twitter.com/oeZA4cUQR9
— Ryan Chan 陳家翹 (@ryankakiuchan) July 25, 2024
In his recent interview with TWZ, AFGSC commander Gen. Davis similarly highlighted the continued importance of American bombers in the Pacific.
“We have a requirement to be able to do that, day-to-day, for the President. We have to be able to penetrate adversary air defenses and deliver capabilities as directed,” Davis said when asked about the ever-growing threats posed by Chinese anti-access and area-denial capabilities. “We’ll continue to do that, as I said, by essentially, you know, taking all the information we can get, and integrating the B-21. Obviously, one of the great things about the B-21 is it’s going to be much more capable, it will have more sensors, it will have more inputs to it that will make it even stronger and more capable as a penetrating bomber.”
“Long-range strike, I think, contributes to every important mission set that we have in the Department of War,” the AFGSC commander also said when asked about how bombers could be employed against Chinese naval forces, specifically. “Obviously, one of the attributes of the modern force is the weapons they can carry, the variety of weapons they can carry, and the number and types of targets they can attack.”
“I think in any major confrontation that the U.S. would find itself in, you’re going to find your bomber forces are participating in bringing those skill sets to bear,” he added.
With this in mind, China is also still pursuing new long-range strike aviation capabilities, though it remains to be seen when the H-20 might finally emerge.
Contact the author: joe@twz.com
Departing for Washington, DC, Israeli prime minister hails his close ties to the US president amid nuclear talks with Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will present Donald Trump with “principles” for negotiating with Iran as he heads to Washington, DC, for his sixth official visit with the US president over the past year.
Netanyahu hailed the “unique closeness” between Israel and the United States and his own warm ties to Trump before leaving Tel Aviv on Tuesday.
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“I will present Trump with principles for negotiations with Iran that are important not only to Israel but to everyone who wants peace and security,” Netanyahu told reporters, according to The Jerusalem Post newspaper.
“In my opinion, these are important principles for everyone who wants peace and security in the Middle East.”
His visit comes days after Washington and Tehran concluded a round of nuclear talks in Oman – the first negotiations since the June 2025 war that saw the US bomb Iran’s main nuclear facilities after waves of Israeli attacks.
Israel is not part of those talks, but Netanyahu has long sought to exert influence over US presidents to shape Washington’s policies in the region.
Netanyahu did not provide details about his “principles” for a potential Iran deal, but he has previously said Tehran should agree to full disarmament of heavy weapons, akin to Libya’s 2003 deal with the West.
Iran has ruled out negotiations over its missile programme, which it views as one of its most important deterrents against Israeli attacks.
When Israel launched its surprise assault against Iran in June of last year – killing several of the country’s top generals and nuclear scientists as well as hundreds of civilians – Tehran relied primarily on its missiles to respond after air defences were taken out.
Iran fired hundreds of missiles at Israel, dozens of which penetrated the country’s multilayered air defences, killing 28 people and causing significant damage.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera on Saturday that Iran’s missile programme is a defence issue that is “never negotiable”.
Israel and the US may also push Iran to end support to its network of allied non-state actors in the region – including the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Palestine, and armed groups in Iraq.
But that alliance, known as the Axis of Resistance, has already been weakened by Israeli assaults over the past two years.
Another sticking issue in the talks is whether Iran would be allowed to enrich uranium domestically.
While Tehran has said it would agree to strict limits and monitoring of its nuclear activities, it has maintained that domestic enrichment is a sovereign national right.
Despite Washington’s talks with Tehran, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee – who is joining Netanyahu on his trip – has stressed Israel and the United States have the same red lines when it comes to Iran.
“I think there’s an extraordinary alignment between Israel and the United States. Everyone would love to see something that would resolve without a war, but it will be up to Iran,” he told reporters.
“If they insist on holding nuclear weaponry and enriched uranium, then I think the president made very clear that this is not acceptable.”
The United States has moved the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, destroyers, and fighter jets to the Middle East to pressure Iran into an agreement. Tehran says it won’t be swayed by threats of war.