We’re talking to educators with decades of experience and seeing why nobody is reading books any more. Is it fair to blame everything on technology? Are parents being present enough with their children, and what does that mean for our collective future?
Presenter: Stefanie Dekker
Guests:
Beth Gaskill – Founder of Big City Readers
Keisha Siriboe – Literacy advocate
Margaret Kunji – Former educator
Published On 3 Feb 20263 Feb 2026
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Greece’s coastguard says 26 other people have been rescued from Aegean Sea as search-and-rescue operations continue.
Published On 3 Feb 20263 Feb 2026
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A boat carrying migrants and asylum seekers has collided with a Greek coastguard vessel in the Aegean Sea near the island of Chios, killing at least 14 people, the coastguard says.
The incident occurred around 9pm local time on Tuesday (19:00 GMT) off the coast of Chios’s Mersinidi area, Greece’s Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA) reported.
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The coastguard said 26 people were rescued and brought to a hospital in Chios, including 24 migrants and two coastguard officers.
It said it was not immediately clear how many others had been on the speedboat.
Seven children and a pregnant woman were among the injured, Greek media reported.
A search-and-rescue operation involving patrol boats, a helicopter and divers was under way in the area, AMNA said.
Footage shared by Greece’s Ta Nea newspaper appeared to show at least one person being brought from a boat docked next to a jetty into a vehicle with blue flashing lights.
An unnamed coastguard official told the Reuters news agency that the collision occurred after the migrant boat “manoeuvred toward” a coastguard vessel that had instructed it to turn back.
Greece has long been a key transit point for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia trying to reach Europe.
In 2015 and 2016, Greece was on the front line of a migration crisis, with nearly one million people landing on its islands, including in Chios, from nearby Turkiye.
But arrivals have dropped in recent years as Greece has toughened its asylum seeker and migrant policies, including by tightening border controls and sea patrols.
The country has come under scrutiny for its treatment of migrants and asylum seekers approaching by sea, including after a shipwreck in 2023 in which hundreds of migrants and refugees died after what witnesses said was the coastguard’s attempt to tow their trawler.
The European Union’s border agency said last year that it was reviewing 12 cases of potential human rights violations by Greece, including some allegations that people seeking asylum were pushed back from Greece’s frontiers.
Greece has denied carrying out human rights violations or pushing asylum seekers from its shores.
Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s son has pleaded not guilty to four rape charges as his trial opens in Oslo. Marius Borg Hoiby faces 38 counts, including assault and domestic violence, in a case that has shaken Norway’s royal family.
Published On 3 Feb 20263 Feb 2026
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Police are looking into allegations Peter Mandelson may have passed sensitive government information to Jeffrey Epstein.
Published On 3 Feb 20263 Feb 2026
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British politician Peter Mandelson is stepping down from the United Kingdom’s upper house of Parliament amid renewed scrutiny and the prospect of a criminal review into his ties to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The speaker of the House of Lords, Michael Forsyth, said on Tuesday that Mandelson, 72, had notified the chamber of his intention to resign. Forsyth said the move would come into effect on Wednesday.
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Mandelson, a former UK ambassador to the United States and longtime senior figure in the country’s Labour Party, has come under intense pressure following the release of a new tranche of US government documents related to Epstein.
The material includes emails from Mandelson to Epstein sharing political insights, including market-sensitive information during the 2008 financial crisis that critics say may have broken the law.
British police have said they are assessing reports of possible misconduct “to determine if they meet the criminal threshold for investigation”.
The files also include bank documents suggesting Epstein transferred tens of thousands of dollars to accounts linked to Mandelson or his partner, Reinaldo Avila da Silva. Mandelson has said he does not recall such transactions and will examine the documents.
Additional material includes emails suggesting a friendly relationship between the two men after Epstein’s 2008 convictions for sex offences, as well as an image showing Mandelson in his underwear beside a woman whose face was obscured by US authorities.
Mandelson told the BBC that he “cannot place the location or the woman, and I cannot think what the circumstances were”.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday told his cabinet he was “appalled by the information” regarding Mandelson and was concerned more details would come to light, according to a Downing Street readout of a cabinet meeting.
Starmer also said he has ordered the civil service to conduct an “urgent” review of all of Mandelson’s contacts with Epstein while he was in government.
“The alleged passing on of emails of highly sensitive government business was disgraceful,” the prime minister said, adding he was not yet “reassured that the totality of information had yet emerged” regarding Mandelson’s links with Epstein.
Mandelson, who was sacked from his post as British ambassador to the US in September following earlier revelations about his Epstein ties, quit the Labour Party on Sunday to avoid what he called “further embarrassment”.
In an interview with The Times conducted late last month and published on Tuesday, Mandelson described Epstein as a “master manipulator,” adding: “I’ve had a lot of bad luck, no doubt some of it of my own making.”
The 10th edition of the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup gets under way on February 7, with 20 teams competing for the prize.
Defending champions India will be led by Suryakumar Yadav, who replaced Rohit Sharma as captain after he retired from the T20 format.
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The cohosts, alongside England and the West Indies, will be aiming to become the first country to win three T20 World Cup trophies.
Rashid Khan’s Afghanistan will look to emulate their performance from 2024, while Pakistan will hope their journey does not stop at the group stage.
Here are the 20 teams and their squads for the T20 World Cup:
Rashid Khan (captain), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Ishaq (wicketkeeper), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Shahidullah Kamal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai
Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wicketkeeper), Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa
Dilpreet Bajwa (captain), Navneet Dhaliwal, Shreyas Movva (wicketkeeper), Ravinderpal Singh, Yuvraj Samra, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Ajayveer Hundal, Nicholas Kirton, Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Harsh Thaker, Dilon Heyliger, Kaleem Sana, Ansh Patel, Manjot Buttar
Harry Brook (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt (captain), Josh Tongue, Luke Wood
Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper)
Paul Stirling (captain), Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wicketkeeper), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Matthew Humphreys, Josh Little, Ben White, Barry McCarthy, Craig Young
Wayne Madsen (captain), Harry Manenti, Jon-Jon Trevor Smuts, Grant Stewart, Ben Manenti, Ali Hasan, Marcus Campopiano, Thomas Draca, Jaspreet Singh, Crishan Kalugamage, Gian-Piero Meade, Anthony Mosca, Justin Mosca, Syed Naqvi, Zain Ali
Gerhard Erasmus (captain), Jan Balt, Zane Green (wicketkeeper), Malan Kruger, Dylan Leicher, Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Willem Myburgh, Johannes Jonathan Smit, Jack Brassell, Max Heingo, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo, Ruben Trumpelmann
Rohit Paudel (captain), Aarif Sheikh, Aasif Sheikh (wicketkeeper), Dipendra Singh Airee, Basir Ahamad, Kushal Bhurtel, Sundeep Jora, Lokesh Bam, Gulshan Jha, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Sher Malla, Lalit Rajbanshi, Nandan Yadav
Scott Edwards (captain, wicketkeeper), Noah Croes, Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Colin Ackermann, Bas de Leede, Zach Lion-Cachet, Saqib Zulfiqar, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Fred Klaassen, Kyle Klein, Logan van Beek, Tim van der Gugten, Paul van Meekeren
Mitchell Santner (captain), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wicketkeeper), Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert (wicketkeeper), Ish Sodhi
Jatinder Singh (captain), Hammad Mirza (wicketkeeper), Vinayak Shukla (wicketkeeper), Jay Odedra, Mohammad Nadeem, Nadeem Khan, Karan Sonavale, Wasim Ali, Hassnain Shah, Jiten Ramanandi, Shafiq Jan, Shah Faisal, Shakeel Ahmed, Sufyan Mehmood, Ashish Odedara
Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq
Richie Berrington (captain), Tom Bruce, Matthew Cross (wicketkeeper), Michael Jones, Finlay McCreath, George Munsey, Michael Leask, Brendon McCullen, Brad Currie, Chris Greaves, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal, Oliver Davidson, Zainullah Ihsan
Aiden Markram (captain), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Tony de Zorzi, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Jason Smith
Dasun Shanaka (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wicketkeeper), Kusal Janith Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage, Pavan Rathnayake, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Matheesha Pathirana, Eshan Malinga
Monank Patel (captain), Jessy Singh, Andries Gous (wicketkeeper), Shehan Jayasuriya, Milind Kumar, Shayan Jahangir, Saiteja Mukkamala, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan, Mohammad Mohsin, Shubham Ranjane
Sikandar Raza (captain), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Brendan Taylor (wicketkeeper), Graeme Cremer, Bradley Evans, Clive Madande (wicketkeeper), Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava
Prime Minister Keir Starmer says ex-envoy Peter Mandelson should no longer hold a seat in the upper house of parliament.
Published On 3 Feb 20263 Feb 2026
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Police in the United Kingdom have announced they are reviewing allegations of misconduct in public office following revelations that London’s former ambassador to Washington leaked confidential government information to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The announcement by the Metropolitan Police on Monday came after investigative files released by United States authorities revealed that Peter Mandelson shared government plans with Epstein while serving as a UK minister.
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Mandelson, who served as business secretary under former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, told Epstein about asset sales and tax changes under consideration by London in 2009, as well as plans for the 500 billion euro ($590bn) bailout of the single currency in 2010, according to emails released by the US Department of Justice on Friday.
“Following this release and subsequent media reporting, the Met has received a number of reports relating to alleged misconduct in public office. The reports will all be reviewed to determine if they meet the criminal threshold for investigation,” Metropolitan Police Commander Ella Marriott said in a statement.
“As with any matter, if new and relevant information is brought to our attention we will assess it, and investigate as appropriate,” Marriott added.
The Metropolitan Police did not name Mandelson, but its statement came after the leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party said he had written to the police commissioner urging him to investigate the former ambassador for alleged misconduct in public office.
Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced an inquiry into Mandelson’s ties to Epstein.
Starmer, who sacked Mandelson as London’s top diplomat in Washington last year after the emergence of correspondence detailing his ties to Epstein, also said the former minister should lose his lifelong appointment to the UK’s upper house of parliament.
On Sunday, Mandelson resigned from the governing Labour Party, whose return to electoral dominance he helped to engineer in the 1990s, citing his wish to avoid causing further embarrassment to his colleagues.
In further fallout in the UK on Monday, the charity launched by Sarah Ferguson, the ex-wife of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, announced that it would close “for the foreseeable future” amid revelations about her friendly relationship with Epstein.
“Our chair Sarah Ferguson and the board of trustees have agreed that with regret the charity will shortly close for the foreseeable future,” a spokesman said in a statement, without elaborating on the reasons for the closure.
Separately on Monday, the US Justice Department said it had removed thousands of Epstein-related files from the internet after lawyers representing some of his alleged victims said their identities had been exposed due to insufficient redactions in the latest release of documents.
These are the key developments from day 1,440 of Russia’s war on Ukraine
Published On 3 Feb 20263 Feb 2026
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Here is where things stand on Tuesday, February 2:
A father and a son have been killed, and two children and their mother were wounded after Russia struck an area in the front line of the Donetsk region, according to regional authorities.
Russia has largely observed a ceasefire on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address on Monday, as Kyiv prepared for the next round of trilateral talks with the US and Russia, expected to begin on Wednesday.
In a separate post on social media, Zelenskyy added that a recent “de-escalation” with Russia – an apparent reference to a brief ceasefire in attacks on energy facilities – was helping to build trust in the negotiations.
Zelenskyy said in separate remarks that it was realistic to achieve a dignified and lasting peace, in advance of the next round of peace talks with Russian and US officials in the United Arab Emirates. He added that a deal on US security guarantees for Ukraine post-war is now “complete”.
Russia would regard the deployment of any foreign military forces or infrastructure in Ukraine as foreign intervention and treat those forces as legitimate targets, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow said, citing Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Indian oil refiners will need a wind-down period to complete Russian oil deals before imports from that country can be halted, Reuters reported after Trump announced a trade agreement with India that included a halt to oil purchases from Russia.
Ukraine’s electricity imports jumped by 40 percent in January 2026 compared with December 2025, hitting a record 894 gigawatt hours amid constant Russian attacks on the Ukrainian energy system, which have left millions of people without power and heating, Reuters reported, citing analysts.
The Clintons agree to testify in congressional probe of high-society sex offender Jeffrey Epstein amid contempt threat.
Published On 3 Feb 20263 Feb 2026
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Former United States President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, will testify in a congressional investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a spokesperson for the ex-president said.
The decision by the Clintons announced on Monday could head off a planned vote in the Republican-led House of Representatives to hold the high-profile Democratic Party veterans in contempt for refusing to appear before lawmakers, which could lead to criminal charges.
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“The former President and former Secretary of State will be there. They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone,” the Clintons’ deputy chief of staff, Angel Urena, said in a post on social media.
Urena posted the announcement above a House Oversight Committee statement from earlier on Monday that accused the Clintons of “defying lawful subpoenas” and of “trying to dodge contempt by requesting special treatment”.
“The Clintons are not above the law,” the Oversight Committee said.
Last week, the Oversight Committee recommended the couple be held in contempt for refusing to testify about their relationship with Epstein.
The Clintons had offered to cooperate with the committee’s probe into Epstein, but refused to appear in person, saying the investigation was a partisan exercise aimed at protecting President Donald Trump, who was a longtime friend of Epstein.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson welcomed the news from the Clintons, but did not say whether the chamber would drop its planned contempt vote.
“That’s a good development,” he said. “We expect everyone to comply with Congress’s subpoenas.”
Democrats say the House probe is being weaponised to attack political opponents of Trump – who has not been called to testify despite being long associated with Epstein – rather than to conduct legitimate oversight.
Trump spent months trying to block the disclosure of investigative files linked to Epstein, but pressure from his Make America Great Again (MAGA) base and some Republican lawmakers forced the president to order the release of millions of documents in the case.
Bill Clinton flew on Epstein’s plane several times in the early 2000s after leaving office. He has expressed regret about the relationship and said he knew nothing about Epstein’s criminal activity.
Hillary Clinton said she had no meaningful interactions with Epstein, never flew on his plane and never visited his private island.
The Epstein affair continues to cast a long shadow over US politics, and now, the United Kingdom’s, entangling prominent figures including the disgraced former-prince Andrew and ex-UK ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson.
UK police said on Monday they are reviewing reports of alleged misconduct involving Mandelson, whose name surfaced more than 5,000 times in the US Justice Department files on Epstein.
The veteran British politician was fired as ambassador to the US last year after emails came to light that showed him calling Epstein “my best pal” and advising him on seeking early release from prison.
Mandelson has apologised to Epstein’s victims and denied wrongdoing.
New budget includes a $7.6m military spending increase and aims to cut the deficit to 5 percent by the end of 2026.
Published On 2 Feb 20262 Feb 2026
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France has passed a budget for 2026 after two no-confidence motions failed, allowing the legislation to pass and potentially heralding a period of relative stability for Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s weak minority government.
The budget, adopted on Monday after four months of political deadlock over government spending, includes measures to bring France’s deficit down and boost military spending.
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“France finally has a budget,” Lecornu said in a post on X. “A budget that makes clear choices and addresses essential priorities. A budget that contains public spending and does not raise taxes for households and businesses.”
Motions tabled by France Unbowed, the Greens and other left-wing groups drew 260 of the 289 votes needed to oust the government. The far-right motion secured only 135 votes.
Budget negotiations have consumed the French political class for nearly two years, after President Emmanuel Macron’s 2024 snap election delivered a hung parliament just as a massive hole in public finances made belt-tightening more urgent.
The budget talks have cost two prime ministers their jobs, unsettled debt markets and alarmed France’s European partners.
However, Lecornu – whose chaotic two-stage nomination in October drew derision around the world – managed to secure the support of Socialist lawmakers through costly but targeted concessions.
France is under pressure from the European Union to rein in its debt-to-GDP ratio – the bloc’s third-highest after Greece and Italy – which is close to twice the EU’s 60-percent ceiling.
The bill aims to cut France’s deficit to five percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2026 from 5.4 percent in 2025, after the government eased back from an earlier target of 4.7 percent.
The budget includes higher taxes on some businesses, expected to bring in about 7.3 billion euros ($8.6bn) in 2026, though the Socialists failed to secure backing for a proposed wealth tax on the superrich.
It also boosts military spending by 6.5 billion euros ($7.7m), a move the premier last week described as the “heart” of the budget.
The Socialists did, however, win several sought-after measures, including a one-euro meal for students and an increase in a top-up payment for low-income workers.
It will now cost visitors two euros ($2.36) to get close enough to the Trevi Fountain to toss more coins into it. Officials say the new fee will bring in up to six million euros ($7.1 million) to help preserve the historic landmark in Rome.
Published On 2 Feb 20262 Feb 2026
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New Delhi, India – The latest release of documents related to the US Justice Department investigation into the crimes of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has set off political infernos around the globe for featuring the names of world leaders.
The tranche of files, which includes more than three million pages of documents, was released on Friday. This is the largest release since US President Donald Trump’s administration passed a law last year to force the release of the documents.
Epstein was convicted in 2008 of sex offences but avoided federal charges – which could have seen him face life in prison – by doing a deal with prosecutors. Instead, he received an 18-month prison sentence, which allowed him to go on “work release” to his office for 12 hours a day, six days a week. He was released on probation after 13 months.
In 2019, he was arrested again on charges including the sex trafficking of minors. But he died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 before his trial could commence.
With this latest disclosure of documents and emails linked to the cases against him, yet more has been revealed about the disgraced financier’s sexual abuse of young girls and his interactions with wealthy and powerful figures from the United Kingdom, Australia, Norway, Slovakia and India.
Simply being named in Epstein documents or emails does not mean a person is guilty of criminal wrongdoing, and, so far, no charges have been brought against individuals named in connection with the sex offender.
However, the new documents show communications between high-profile figures in the US, including Trump, former President Bill Clinton, and business tycoons such as Bill Gates and Elon Musk.
Here is what we know about some of the powerful men (and one woman) from other countries who have featured in these documents.
Documents released on Friday reveal conversations between Anil Ambani, the billionaire chairman of Reliance Group who is close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Epstein. All the conversations took place in the years following Epstein’s first conviction for sex offences in 2008.
The two emailed each other about a range of issues, from sizing up incoming US ambassadors to India to setting up meetings for Modi with top US officials.
Ambani is the elder brother of India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, who is also close to PM Modi.
On March 16, 2017, two months after Trump was sworn in for his first term as president of the US, Ambani sent an iMessage to Epstein, saying “Leadership” was asking for his help to connect with senior figures in Trump’s circle, including Jared Kushner and Steve Bannon.
Ambani also asked for advice from Epstein about a possible visit by Modi to meet Trump “in may (sic)”, before setting up a call in the messages.
In another iMessage exchange two weeks later, on March 29, Epstein wrote to Ambani: “Discussions re israel strategy dominating modi dates (sic).” Two days later, Ambani informed Epstein that Modi would visit Israel in July and asked the disgraced financier: “who do u know fir track 2”.
On June 26, Modi met Trump in Washington on his first visit since Trump became president.
Then, on July 6, 2017, Modi became the first-ever Indian prime minister to visit Israel. He snubbed the Palestinian Authority, prompting condemnation from Palestinian officials.
That year, New Delhi became the largest buyer of Israeli weapons, amounting to $715m worth of purchases. The defence partnership between the two countries has since continued despite Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.
This marked a sharp change from India’s history of advocating for the Palestinian cause. It only opened up formal diplomatic ties with Israel in 1992. Before that, Indian citizens had been barred by India from travelling to Israel since the country’s creation in 1948.
After Modi’s visit on July 6, Epstein emailed an unidentified individual he referred to as “Jabor Y”, saying: “The Indian Prime minister modi took advice. and danced and sang in israel for the benefit of the US president. they had met a few weeks ago.. IT WORKED. !”
Ambani Reliance Defence Ltd also entered a joint venture with an Israeli state defence group last year in a deal valued at $10bn over a decade.
Shortly after Modi’s visit to Israel, Larry Summers, former Harvard University president and former secretary of the US Treasury, asked Epstein if he still thought Trump was a better president than rival candidate Hillary Clinton would have been. Epstein responded affirmatively, stating, “yes, defintley India israel. for example great and all his doing (sic).”
In another conversation revealed in the latest document drop, Epstein offered to arrange a meeting between Modi and former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon just hours after Modi had won a thumping majority in the Indian national election in 2019.
In an iMessage to Bannon on May 19, 2019, Epstein wrote, “modi sending someone to see me on thurs,” referring to Ambani.
That Thursday, May 23, Epstein met Ambani in New York and his calendar for that day shows no other meeting scheduled.
After the meeting with Ambani, Epstein wrote to Bannon: “really interesting modi meeting. He won [the 2019 parliamentary elections] with HUGE mandate. His guy said that no one in wash speaks to him however his main enemy is CHINA! And their proxy in the region pakistan. They will host the g20 in 22.. Totally buys into your vision.”
Epstein then messaged Ambani: “I think mr modi might enjoy meeting steve bannon, you all share the china problem.” And Ambani wrote back: “sure.”
Epstein then wrote back to Bannon: “modi on board.”
It is not immediately clear if Ambani was authorised to approve such decisions on behalf of the Indian government. There is no public record either of a meeting between Bannon and Indian officials that summer.
Another major Indian name featured in the Epstein files is Hardeep Singh Puri, who retired from the Indian Foreign Service to join Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party in 2014.
In the documents are email exchanges between Puri and Epstein that began in June 2014, with the sex offender writing to Puri about Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, and arranging a visit by Hoffman to India.
Following an exchange of emails, Puri wrote a detailed pitch for investment opportunities in India to Epstein and Hoffman, laying out economic plans in India under the newly elected Modi government, and urging Hoffman to visit. Documents also show Puri met Epstein at his Manhattan townhouse on at least three occasions: February 4, 2015; January 6, 2016; and May 19, 2017.
Puri told Indian media on Sunday that his visits and interactions with Epstein were strictly business-related.
In December 2014, Puri wrote to Epstein again by email. “Please let me know when you are back from your exotic island,” he wrote, asking to set up a meeting in which Puri could give Epstein some books to “excite an interest in India”.
India has dismissed the references to Modi in the Epstein files.
“Beyond the fact of the prime minister’s official visit to Israel in July 2017, the rest of the allusions in the email are little more than trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal, which deserve to be dismissed with the utmost contempt,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Saturday.
However, the opposition, led by the Congress Party, has demanded answers about the latest disclosures – particularly those relating to Israel relations.
The Congress Party’s general secretary in charge of organisation, KC Venugopal, wrote in a post on X: “The reports of the new batch of Epstein Files are a huge wake-up call about the kind of monsters who have access to PM Modi, and how susceptible he is to foreign manipulation. The Congress demands that the Prime Minister personally come clean on these disturbing disclosures that raise serious questions.”
Australian diplomat Kevin Rudd, who served as the country’s prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and again in 2013, has also been named in the Epstein files.
Rudd’s name appeared on Epstein’s daily meeting schedule for June 8, 2014, at 4:30pm. On that day, Epstein flew to New York from his private island, Little Saint James in the US Virgin Islands, for several meetings, including with Rudd.
Rudd, who is currently serving as Australia’s ambassador to the US, claims he did not visit Epstein and denies any friendship with him.
But the newly released files show that two days before the scheduled appointment, Epstein emailed his assistant, Lesley Groff, on June 6, 2014 to ask for non-vegetarian food to be made available at the upcoming Sunday lunch “as now kevin rudd is also coming”. Rudd was not in government at the time.
Just seconds later, Epstein follows up in another email to Groff: “Kevin Rudd might also stop by former prime minister austrailia [sic].”
The name of Peter Mandelson, a former UK cabinet minister and life peer, had appeared in tranches of Epstein files previously made public. But he resigned from his membership of the UK’s ruling Labour Party on Sunday after yet more links to Epstein surfaced in the latest dump.
Mandelson was sacked as the UK’s ambassador to the US last year over his connections to Epstein.
The latest documents reveal that Epstein made $75,000 in payments to Mandelson in three separate transactions in 2003 and 2004.
In his resignation letter to Labour’s general secretary, Mandelson wrote: “I have been further linked this weekend to the understandable furore surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and I feel regretful and sorry about this.”
He said he had “no recollection” of the payments, however.
The latest documents also show that Mandelson discussed with Epstein by email a campaign against Rudd’s proposed mining tax, which would have taxed “super profits” reaped by mining companies at 40 percent, while Rudd was still prime minister.
The latest disclosures from the US Justice Department have embroiled Norway’s crown princess, Mette-Marit, in the Epstein scandal, as they reveal her years of extensive contact with the sex offender.
Mette-Marit, who is married to Crown Prince Haakon, the heir apparent to the Norwegian throne, appears nearly 1,000 times in the Epstein files, with scores of emails sent between the two.
In the emails, Mette-Marit told Epstein, “you tickle my brain”, and called him “soft hearted” and “such a sweetheart”. In another, she thanked Epstein for flowers he had sent when she was feeling unwell, signing off with “Love, Mm”.
In 2012, Mette-Marit told Epstein he was “very charming” and asked if it was “inappropriate for a mother to suggest two naked women carrying a surfboard for my 15 yr old sons wallpaper?”
The revelations come at a tricky time for Norway’s royal family, with Mette-Marit’s son, Marius Borg Hoiby – who was born before her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon – set to go on trial for rape later this week. Hoiby has been accused of 38 crimes, including the rapes of four women as well as assault and drug offences.
The new tranche of Espstein files has also prompted the resignation of Slovakia’s national security adviser, Miroslav Lajcak.
Photos and emails released with the documents reveal that he met with Epstein several years after the sex offender was released from jail and exchanged text messages about women in 2018 during his second spell as foreign minister.
On Sunday, Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico accepted Lajcak’s resignation, and wrote on Facebook that the government was losing “an incredible source of experience and knowledge in foreign policy”, adding that the former minister had “categorically denied and rejected” the allegations made against him.
It’s time to think about shaking off winter and looking forward to spring. Whether it was a coastal Mediterranean town without the crowds or a southern European city that comes to life at this time of year, we’d love to hear about places you’ve discovered on your travels that can be reached by rail. Tell us what you got up to and why early spring is a great time to visit.
The best tip of the week, chosen by Tom Hall of Lonely Planet wins a £200 voucher to stay at a Coolstays property – the company has more than 3,000 worldwide. The best tips will appear in the Guardian Travel section and website.
Keep your tip to about 100 words
If you have a relevant photo, do send it in – but it’s your words we will be judging for the competition.
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Published On 2 Feb 20262 Feb 2026
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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he has ordered Ukraine’s military leaders to respond after a spate of Russian attacks targeting railway infrastructure and logistics routes.
His comments on Monday come after Russian forces stepped up attacks, including on a train last week that killed five people in a railway car in the eastern region of Kharkiv.
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Ukraine has managed to keep its nationwide rail network running despite almost four years of war. Russian forces have prioritised the capture of train hubs, such as Kupiansk and Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine.
“The Russian army remains focused on terror against our logistics – primarily railway infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said in a post on social media. “In particular there were strikes in the Dnipro region and in Zaporizhzhia, specifically targeting railway facilities.”
State railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia warned that several of its routes in eastern Ukraine are becoming increasingly “high risk” and urged passengers to instead take buses.
In the eastern region of Sumy, Ukrzaliznytsia said it will monitor Russian drone threats and stop trains near bomb shelters if they emerge.
Russian drones and missiles have continued to bombard civilian areas, killing 12 miners in a bus on Sunday in the most recent mass aerial attack. The barrages are also wrecking the Ukrainian power grid, leaving people without heating, light and running water in bitter winter cold.
The attacks come as a new round of US-brokered talks on ending the war are set to go ahead this week after a brief postponement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said discussions will take place on Wednesday and Thursday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where a meeting was held last month.
On Sunday, Zelenskyy said he will send a delegation.
United States President Donald Trump’s administration over the past year has pushed the two sides to find compromises to end the war. But breaking the deadlock on key issues appears no closer as the fourth anniversary of Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbour approaches this month.
Peskov described the negotiations as “very complex”.
“On some issues, we have certainly come closer because there have been discussions, conversations and on some issues it is easier to find common ground,” he told reporters. “There are issues where it’s more difficult to find common ground.”
Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev was in Miami, Florida, at the weekend for talks with American officials, but Peskov refused to provide any details of the meeting.
A key sticking point is whether Russia gets to keep Ukrainian territory its army has occupied, especially in Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland. Moscow is also demanding possession of other Ukrainian land there that it hasn’t been able to capture on the battlefield.
Ukraine has ruled out ceding ground, saying such a move would only embolden Moscow, and it has refused to sign any deal that might fail to deter Russia from invading again.
After failing in its aim of a lightning offensive to capture Kyiv and topple Ukraine’s leadership in a matter of days in 2022, Russia has been bogged down in the face of Ukrainian defences and is now mounting a grinding advance that has come at a huge human cost.
Real Madrid earn a hard-fought football victory over their local rivals to move to within one point of league leaders Barcelona.
Published On 1 Feb 20261 Feb 2026
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Kylian Mbappe stayed calm to roll home a 100th-minute penalty and grab Real Madrid a 2-1 win over nine-man Rayo Vallecano in a spicy La Liga football derby on Sunday.
Los Blancos cut Barcelona’s lead back to one point at the top of the table a day after the Spanish champions beat Elche.
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Vinicius Junior scored early on for Madrid after Jude Bellingham limped off with an apparent hamstring injury.
Jorge de Frutos pulled Rayo level early in the second half as Madrid fans showed their anger at their team. But after Rayo’s Pathe Ciss was issued a red card, Mbappe netted from the spot at the death.
Pep Chavarria was also sent off for 17th-placed Rayo, who took a shaky Madrid to the wire before falling short.
After the hosts’ midweek defeat at Benfica, which forced them into the Champions League playoff round, the Santiago Bernabeu crowd was in an unforgiving mood.
Mbappe and Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa had begged fans to support the team, but, just as they did two weeks ago against Levante, they whistled at their own players.
Former Barcelona winger Ilias Akhomach fired narrowly wide early on, and the atmosphere would have been further soured had his effort crept inside Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois’ post.
Los Blancos suffered an early setback as England international Bellingham pulled up holding the back of his thigh, going off in agony.
Vinicius fired the hosts ahead in the 15th minute, showing tidy footwork just inside the area before firing high over Augusto Batalla and into the net.
Arda Guler came close to getting a second, with Batalla saving his effort and Vinicius turning the rebound wide.
Los Blancos were in charge, but though they took the lead, their fans were not appeased, and whistled the team in at the break.
Four minutes into the second half, Rayo pulled level. Alvaro Garcia nodded a cross down for de Frutos, a former Madrid youth player, to reach and drill home.
The visitors should have taken the lead after an hour, when Andrei Ratiu ran through on goal with only Courtois to beat. But the Belgian stopper made a superb save to deny him.
Mbappe came centimetres away from putting Madrid in front when Batalla rushed out of his goal, with the French forward knocking the ball around him but then hitting the bar from distance.
Rayo made life harder for themselves when midfielder Ciss was sent off for an ugly foul on Madrid’s Dani Ceballos.
Eduardo Camavinga headed against the post as Arbeloa’s side turned the screw, before nine minutes of stoppage time were added on.
With the clock ticking down, Madrid were awarded a penalty when Nobel Mendy clumsily fouled Brahim Diaz, and La Liga’s top scorer Mbappe dispatched the ball to snatch three points for his side.
Rayo finished the match with nine men after Chavarria was shown a second yellow card for shoving Rodrygo Goes.
These are the key developments from day 1,439 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Published On 2 Feb 20262 Feb 2026
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Here is where things stand on Monday, February 1:
BREAKINGBREAKING,
Peter Mandelson says he is stepping down to avoid causing further embarrassment to the governing party.
Published On 2 Feb 20262 Feb 2026
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Peter Mandelson, the United Kingdom’s former ambassador to the United States, has resigned from Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party following further revelations of his links to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, UK media have reported.
Mandelson, who was removed as London’s top representative in Washington last year after the emergence of emails detailing his associations with Epstein, said he had resigned to avoid causing further embarrassment to the governing party, the reports said on Sunday.
“I have been further linked this weekend to the understandable furore surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and I feel regretful and sorry about this,” Mandelson said in a letter reported by the BBC and The Guardian.
Mandelson said he believed that reports over the weekend that he had received several payments from Epstein in the early 2000s were false, but that he needed to investigate them, the reports said.
“While doing this I do not wish to cause further embarrassment to the Labour Party and I am therefore stepping down from membership of the party,” Mandelson said, according to the reports.
More to follow…
The latest victim succumbing to injuries was an 18-year-old Swiss national.
Published On 1 Feb 20261 Feb 2026
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A teenager injured in the fire that engulfed a Swiss Alpine bar during New Year celebrations has died in hospital, according to Swiss authorities, increasing the death toll of one of the worst disasters in the country’s modern history to 41.
Saturday’s death was announced a month after the inferno at the ski resort of Crans-Montana. Another 115 were injured, most of whom remain in various hospitals.
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“An 18-year-old Swiss national died at a hospital in Zurich on January 31,” the Wallis canton’s public prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said in a brief statement.
“The death toll from the fire at Le Constellation bar on January 1, 2026 has now risen to 41.”
Pilloud said no further information would be released at this stage by her office, which is investigating the incident.
Those killed in the disaster were aged 14 to 39, but the majority were teenagers. Only four were aged over 24.
Among the dead are 23 Swiss nationals, including one French-Swiss dual national, and 18 foreigners.
Public prosecutors believe the fire started when revellers raised champagne bottles with sparklers attached too close to sound insulation foam on the ceiling of the bar’s basement.
Authorities are looking into whether the foam conformed to regulations and whether the candles were permitted for use in the bar. They say fire safety inspections had not been carried out since 2019.
Swiss prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into the owners – French couple Jacques and Jessica Moretti – on suspicion of negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and causing a fire by negligence.
The court of compulsory measures in the southwestern Valais region on January 12 ordered three months of pretrial detention for Jacques Moretti, but on January 23 ordered his release on bail.
The Crans-Montana municipality’s current head of public safety and a former Crans-Montana fire safety officer are also under criminal investigation.
Following the fire, seriously wounded patients were airlifted to various hospitals and specialist burns units throughout Switzerland and four other European countries.
Switzerland’s Federal Office for Civil Protection told the AFP news agency on Friday that at its last count, as of Monday, 44 patients were being treated abroad.
The Wallis health ministry told AFP that 37 patients were still in Swiss hospitals, as of Monday.
The picture is constantly changing, with patients moving between hospitals for different stages of their treatment, and some patients being readmitted. Some remain in intensive care.
The fire has tested relations with neighbouring Italy, which lost nationals in the blaze and has protested the release on bail of the bar’s owner.
Swiss authorities earlier this week said they would grant the Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office access to evidence gathered.
Russian drone strike kills 12 mine workers in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, injuring seven others.
Published On 1 Feb 20261 Feb 2026
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At least 12 people have been killed in a Russian drone attack on a bus carrying miners in Ukraine’s southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, the country’s energy minister said.
“Today, the enemy carried out a cynical and targeted attack on energy sector workers in the Dnipro region,” Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal posted on Telegram on Sunday.
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“As a result of the terrorist attack, 12 mine workers were killed and seven more were injured.”
Police said the attack took place in the city of Ternivka. Footage posted by the State Emergencies Service showed a charred bus with shattered windows that had veered off the road.
Energy firm DTEK said in a statement that the killed and wounded were its employees returning from a shift.
Earlier on Sunday, regional officials said at least nine people had been wounded in Russian strikes on a maternity hospital and a residential building in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia.
The attacks come days after United States President Donald Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to temporarily halt the targeting of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv and other cities, amid freezing temperatures that have brought widespread hardship to Ukrainians.
The Kremlin confirmed on Friday that it agreed to suspend attacks on Kyiv until Sunday, but did not reveal any further details.
Russia and Ukraine held trilateral talks with the US in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, last month and are expected to meet for a second round this month, amid ongoing US pressure to end their nearly four-year war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that the second round of talks would take place in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and Thursday.
While Ukrainian and Russian officials have agreed in principle with Washington’s demands for a compromise, Moscow and Kyiv differ deeply over what an agreement should look like.
A central issue is whether Russia should keep or withdraw from areas of Ukraine its forces have occupied, especially Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland called the Donbas, and whether it should get land there that it has not yet captured.
Manchester United produce stunning winner to beat Fulham 3-2 in Premier League thriller at Old Trafford.
Published On 1 Feb 20261 Feb 2026
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Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick extended his perfect start as Benjamin Sesko’s stoppage-time strike sealed a pulsating 3-2 win over Fulham on Sunday.
United took the lead through Casemiro’s first-half header and looked in command when Matheus Cunha netted after the interval at Old Trafford.
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In an incredible finale, Raul Jimenez’s penalty with five minutes left gave Fulham hope before Kevin’s wonder-goal hauled the visitors level in stoppage time.
To United’s immense credit, they hit straight back as the much-maligned Sesko’s fourth goal in his last four games sealed Carrick’s third successive victory.
After new manager Carrick masterminded surprise wins over Manchester City and Premier League leaders Arsenal, this remarkable encounter suggested the former United midfielder might have the Midas touch.
Unbeaten in their last seven league matches, United moved up to fourth place as their bid to qualify for next season’s Champions League gathers pace.
Reaching the Champions League would be a significant statement for Carrick, who was sacked by second-tier Middlesbrough last year.
Only once in former manager Ruben Amorim’s turbulent 14-month reign did United win three games in a row. And Carrick has matched that run within weeks of his appointment until the end of the season.
United’s hierarchy may have to consider hiring Carrick on a permanent basis if he can continue his impressive run.
Whether that is enough to appease the 1958 Manchester United fans group is another matter after they staged a protest against the owners outside Old Trafford before kickoff.
Hundreds of fans, some wearing clown masks, gathered to express their frustration with United’s decline under the Glazer family and the lack of improvement since co-owner Jim Ratcliffe took charge of football operations.
The group claimed United are “being dragged through chaos by clown ownership” and are “run like a circus”.
Fans chanted against the owners and held aloft banners as flares filled the air on Sir Matt Busby Way.
When the smoke cleared, Carrick’s intuition paid off as he brought Cunha into the starting lineup to replace the injured Patrick Dorgu after the Brazilian scored the winner at Arsenal last weekend.
Only Arsenal had taken more points than in-form Fulham over the previous eight games, but United found the formula to end that strong spell.
United thought they had won a penalty for Jorge Cuenca’s foul on Cunha.
But a VAR check showed the offence took place just outside the area.
It was only a temporary reprieve for Fulham as United took the lead from the resulting free kick in the 19th minute.
Bruno Fernandes swung his delivery to the far post, and Casemiro rose highest to thump a towering header past Bernd Leno.
United struck again in the 56th minute with Cunha’s sixth goal this season.
It was a goal made in Brazil as Casemiro’s clever no-look pass found Cunha inside the Fulham area, and he smashed a fine finish past Leno from an acute angle.
Fulham were controversially denied a lifeline when VAR disallowed Cuenca’s 65th-minute goal.
Samuel Chukwueze was ruled offside by the narrowest of margins when he prodded Jimenez’s free kick to Cuenca.
But United were wobbling and Jimenez converted an 85th-minute penalty after the Mexican was fouled by Harry Maguire.
United looked to have collapsed in stoppage time when Kevin cut in from the right wing and curled a sublime strike into the far corner from the edge of the area.
Two minutes after Kevin’s leveller, United showed their spirit as Sesko took Fernandes’s pass and drilled high into the net from 12 yards to spark wild celebrations.
Second round of talks to follow negotiations last month that appeared to make little progress on key issue of territory.
Published On 1 Feb 20261 Feb 2026
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says a second round of trilateral talks on ending the war with Russia will take place in Abu Dhabi this week as the fate of a temporary energy ceasefire hangs in the balance.
Zelenskyy, whose country’s energy system has come under relentless attack in one of the coldest winters in years, said envoys from the United States, Russia and Ukraine would meet in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and Thursday.
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“Ukraine is ready for a substantive discussion, and we are interested in ensuring that the outcome brings us closer to a real and dignified end to the war,” he said on Sunday amid continuing US pressure to reach a deal with Russia after almost four years of war.
The first round of trilateral negotiations took place in late January but appeared to make little progress on the vital question of territory. Moscow still is demanding Kyiv cede a fifth of the Donetsk region that it still controls, which Zelenskyy’s government is refusing to do. The next round had been scheduled to take place on Sunday but may have been delayed because of the US-Iran crisis.
US President Donald Trump, who has said he wants to be remembered as a “peacemaker”, has repeatedly said a deal to end the Ukraine war is close and on Thursday announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to stop strikes on energy targets for a week due to cold weather.
The terms of his agreement with Putin were not clear, but the Kremlin said on Friday that it had agreed to halt strikes on energy infrastructure until Sunday. Ukraine appeared to believe the suspension was supposed to last until the following Friday.
Meanwhile, US envoy Steve Witkoff said on Saturday that he held constructive talks with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Florida.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and White House senior adviser Josh Gruenbaum also attended the talks. Witkoff said afterwards that he was “encouraged by this meeting that Russia is working toward securing peace in Ukraine”.
On Sunday, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev praised Trump as a “peacemaker”, telling the Reuters news agency that Russia would “soon” achieve a military victory in the Ukraine war.
“But it is equally important to think about what will happen next. After all, the goal of victory is to prevent new conflicts. This is absolutely obvious,” said the hawkish former president, who now serves as deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council.
Neither Ukraine nor Russia have reported major strikes on their energy infrastructure in recent days although Zelenskyy said Russia was trying “to destroy logistics and connectivity between cities and communities” through air attacks.
In southeastern Ukraine, two people were killed overnight in a drone strike on a residential building in the city of Dnipro, and six people were wounded in an attack on a maternity hospital in Zaporizhzhia, regional officials said.
Starmer says Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor should testify before US Congress about his past dealings with the late convicted sex offender.
Published On 1 Feb 20261 Feb 2026
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The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer has suggested that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, a former prince, should cooperate with authorities in the United States investigating the Jeffrey Epstein files and activities.
Speaking on Saturday to reporters at the end of a visit to Japan, Starmer said, “Anybody who has got information should be prepared to share that information in whatever form they are asked to do that.”
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“You can’t be victim-centred if you’re not prepared to do that,” he added, according to remarks carried by Sky News. “Epstein’s victims have to be the first priority.”
Asked whether Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of King Charles III, should issue an apology, Starmer said the matter was “for Andrew” to decide.
His comments came as the US Justice Department said it would be releasing more than three million pages of documents along with more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images under a law intended to reveal most of the material it had collected during two decades of investigations involving the wealthy financier, who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The disclosures have revived questions about whether the former British prince, who was stripped of his title last year over his friendship with Epstein, should cooperate with the US authorities in their investigation.
Mountbatten-Windsor – who has long denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein – has so far ignored a request from members of the US House Oversight Committee for a “transcribed interview” about his “longstanding friendship” with the billionaire.
The files have also prompted the resignation of Slovak official Miroslav Lajcak, who once had a yearlong term as president of the United Nations General Assembly.
Lajcak was not accused of wrongdoing but left his position after emails showed that Epstein had invited him to dinner and other meetings in 2018.
The newly released files also show Epstein’s email correspondence with Steve Bannon, one-time adviser to US President Donald Trump; New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch and other prominent contacts in political, business and philanthropic circles, such as billionaires Bill Gates and Elon Musk.
The files show a March 2018 email from Epstein’s office to former Obama White House general counsel Kathy Ruemmler, inviting her to a get-together with Epstein, Lajcak and Bannon. Lajcak said his contacts with Epstein were part of his diplomatic duties.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Justice is facing criticism over how it handled the latest disclosure.
One group of Epstein accusers said in a statement that the new documents made it too easy to identify those he abused, but not those who might have been involved in Epstein’s criminal activity.
“As survivors, we should never be the ones named, scrutinised, and retraumatised while Epstein’s enablers continue to benefit from secrecy,” it said.
Published On 1 Feb 20261 Feb 2026
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From farmers protesting in Europe against a trade agreement between the European Union and the South American bloc Mercosur to deadly attacks in Pakistan’s Balochistan province that killed nearly 200 people and demonstrations in Cuba opposing threats by the United States, here is a look at the week in photos.